The End of the Universe (Doctor Who fanific)

Chapter 13

A/N thank you so much for reading this far! I'm so glad you like this story, especially since you have tolerated 12 whole chapters of my crappy non-edited story. Let me know what you think about the story overall! You don't have to vote, but do so if you feel ever-so obligated ;)
The final calculations in place, the Doctors stood back and watched Twelve as he placed his hand on the lever. "You had better get out of here if you're leaving," he said.

"I will release you," the universe rumbled through the TARDIS. "Thank you, Doctorrrr."

"Don't thank us yet," Two said. "It may not work."

"Oh, come on," Five said. "Don't be such a pessimist! With all of us working on it? Of course it'll work."

"I'd say you're the one being a pessimist," Three said. "If we succeed, it means we die, here, today."

"Has to happen sometime," Nine said with a smile.

"And what better time than the end of the universe?" Eleven asked pensively with a tilt of his head. "Come on, then, Doctors. Time for us to be out of here."

"We'll be just outside the blast radius," Three said to Twelve. "We'll suspend the explosion at exactly the right moment."

"Hmm, you'd better," Twelve answered. "The fate of the universe is in your hands, literally."

"Well, it's not like we're not used to that!" Six said.

"Well, I'm, er," Three continued, appearing ill at ease, rubbing a hand behind his neck. "I must say, my dear chap, you've more than lived up to my expectations."

"Yes, I think we can all agree that it's clear we haven't changed a bit," Five said.

"Good luck," Ten said quietly.

"I'm glad to see," the War Doctor said as he stepped forward, "that I am still the Doctor, even at the end of the universe."

"I always was," Twelve answered, offering him a handshake that his other self seemed surprised to receive.

"Are we ready?" Six asked.

"Yes, yes, we're ready," Seven said, sounding annoyed.

The engines started to grind as thirteen TARDISes separated from each other. Each Doctor suddenly found himself in his own TARDIS, and each got to work quickly.

"Doctors, are we ready?" Eleven asked over the communication systems.

"Standing ready," One answered.

"Three....two....one," Seven counted aloud. Twelve heard him as he raced around the console, making sure he could control the explosion. He stopped and closed his eyes briefly, then looked up at the TARDIS ceiling.

"Well, I didn't think this would be our end, did you?" He appeared to be waiting for an answer before he shook his head. "Look at me, talking to you like you can answer. You're a sentimental old fool, Doctor."

"One," Seven's voice came over the intercom, and Twelve took a breath.

"That's it, isn't it?" He paused for the briefest second, feeling the TARDIS's emotions as if they were his own. He'd long since stopped making the distinction between them; now, she was feeling the same mix of despair and pride that he was. "It's strange, isn't it, to know for sure there's nothing left for us? I've never just given up before."

Her answering surge of supportive, irritated pride told him what he needed to know. They weren't giving up. Only giving the entire universe a chance. "At least we're in agreement, at the end. The last Time Lord and the last TARDIS. Has a certain poetic justice to it, doesn't it?"

The TARDIS's emotion in his head turned to exasperation, and he could almost picture her rolling her eyes. "All right, fine, I'm going ahead." He pushed the button and the explosion started with a rumble. The temperature shot up and the cloister bell was ringing louder than he'd ever heard it before. All too soon, the heart of the TARDIS ripped free, the time streams bursting through the walls. He screamed in spite of himself; he hadn't known it would hurt this much. He could feel his body changing, becoming his earlier selves as the time streams poured through him and pieces of the TARDIS floated around him. Memories of his companions ran through his mind until he was brought back to the present, and knew for certain that he only had seconds left. He smiled. After all this, he thought, I hope it worked. And then, for the first time in his thirteen lives, the Doctor let go and floated free into nothing.

"It's started!" Eight called over the intercom. All their instruments were going haywire; unable to read the various time streams that had become twisted together in the energy pouring out from the exploded TARDIS.

"Yes, I can see that, thanks!" Two said. "Everyone ready?"

"Ready!" Four said.

"On three," One said.

"On me, or on the number three?" Three asked.

"You're really going there?" Ten asked.

"On the number, for heaven's sake," One shot back. "One, two, three!"

They all pressed the time-lock key at exactly the same instant, and the explosion stopped as abruptly as it began. "Did it work?" Five asked.

"Well, the explosion's stopped," Eleven said. He checked the readings and furrowed his brows. "It doesn't seem to be collapsing anymore."

"Look out the door!" Four called. Running to open the doors, they could see him waving at them. Seven gasped. The explosion hung perfectly in space; pieces of broken TARDIS frozen in time. The flames were still, hanging in place like a sculpture.

"I think....yes! The expansion's begun again!" Eight cried. From his excitement, it sounded as if he was jumping up and down in glee. "It worked!"

"I can feel it," the deep voice of the universe rumbled through the TARDIS engines. "Growing, changing...the cycle has begun anew. I cannot express my gratitude, Doctor."

They stopped, the realization that they would certainly die here as they had just witnessed sinking in.

"Use it well," Nine finally said. "I don't give my life for just anything, you know."

"It's exciting, isn't it?" Ten said with a smile. "Whole new chance, new life that's never existed before. A whole redo!"

"I wish he could have seen it," Five said sadly.

"We'll see it," Eleven said. "This whole new universe is part of the time stream now. We'll see every inch of it, and remember. So he'll remember, and he'll know what he gave his life for."

"Yes," Three said. "Well, I suppose that means it's time to go. I must say, it's been...enlightening."

"Yes, let's not do it again too soon, shall we?" Six said.

"I quite agree," Two said grandly. "There are enough people in the universe without running into myself everywhere."

"Until the next time, then?" Eight said.

"Haven't you been listening?" Six asked loudly.

"I never listen to myself talk, you should know that better than anyone," Eight shot back.

Seven smiled to himself as he set the coordinates to leave, gazing out at the explosion that now made up the center of the universe. "Some psychiatrist will have a field day with that," he said quietly as he left. "I'm quite literally the center of the universe now."

One by one, they all returned to their original time streams, the events at the end of the universe fading until they were nearly forgotten, as was natural when the First Rule was broken.. And the universe went on, the energy from the exploded TARDIS keeping it expanding and giving it the heat and heavy elements necessary to start the life cycle anew. And the universe watched life grow within itself, watching for the Doctor whenever he appeared, smiling to itself when he did.

Even when no one else remembered, the universe itself always would.