The Harbinger

Interlude: Awoken

Berlin couldn't close her mouth, pure disbelief loosening her muscles. She fell back against the door and took a quick, disbelieving glance outside at the misleading size of the blue box. The door shut and she jerked out of the way, turning to look at the Doctor.

"W-What..? How can..? Who are you?" She demanded, eyes wide. The Doctor didn't smile like he had during previous conversations, all falsely chipper and sarcastic comments. His face was solemn, his piercing blue eyes pinning her where she stood.

"I'm the Doctor, like I said, and you, you are not human." He replied, sounding rather matter of fact.

Berlin laughed disbelievingly. Then she scoffed. Then she just stared him down, trying to understand just who in the world this man really was.

"You can't be serious." She stated. The Doctor bobbed his head, mouthing the word 'yup'.

"Of course, I'm not human either. We're the same, you and me." He informed her, his smile wide but the rest of his body betraying his true emotions. Tensed, his hands trembling, a quiver of his lips. She opened her mouth to reply, ready to put this madman in his place and get the heck out of there, but he cut her off.

"You just gotta open that watch, the one around your neck. Berlin Holloway will go away and whoever you were before, before everything...will come back." He told her, losing the smile.

Berlin blinked. This man really believed all he was saying. She had to get out of there, had to get away from this box and warn Rose away too. This man was insane.

She spun on her heel and practically sprinted to the doors, but when she pulled at the doors they didn't budge. She was reminded of the fiasco in the department store and she laughed, but it held no amusement. Of course.

"Look. Say I do believe you," she turned to look at the Doctor. "What do you mean Berlin Holloway will go away? I am Berlin Holloway. This is bloody me, mate!" By the end she was shouting.

"Open the watch." He commanded her. She cocked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" "Just open it." He sounded a bit exasperated and she had the odd feeling as if he were a scolding parent and she was a toddler who wouldn't obey.

So, as any misbehaving toddler would do, she crossed her arms, glared defiantly at him and responded with, "No."

"Oh, c'mon, would ya just open it?" he pleaded.

"No."

"Open it."

"No!"

"Open it!"

"Why should I!?" She demanded, walking closer. "You just show up, save our lives, then vanish and expect us to forget anything ever happened!" He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off.

"And then, to make matters worse, you show up again! And then you bloody kidnap me and now you're claiming that I'm some sort of what, alien?" She felt anger building up in her, but it drained away as the Doctor stepped forward and clasped her face in his much larger hands.

She couldn't look away from his eyes. His whole expression just spoke of pain, loss...some things she couldn't pinpoint. But he clearly, desperately wanted her to open the watch. That much she could tell.

Should she do it? This man was crazy, and she sure didn't believe anything he was saying...right?

So she made up her mind. With a glare, she ripped the necklace off –well more like carefully took it off because who in their right mind ripped a metal chain off of their neck? – and gripped it in her palm.

"Fine. I'll show you just how delusional you are, then I am getting out of here." She informed him. He nodded. "Fine, whatever. Just open it."

She gently cupped the smooth metal in her hand, then flipped the watch open, expecting nothing whatsoever. Expecting nothing more than to prove this lunatic wrong and get the heck out of there.

Gold light shone brilliantly from the interworking gears of the watch and suddenly her head exploded.

Pain lanced through her mind and she was bombarded with an onslaught of memories and emotions. Berlin Holloway was tossed around and then away, and suddenly the Harbinger was back and she remembered everything.

Pure anger surged through her and she whipped her head around to the Doctor, where he stood by the console. She stormed over and began flipping switches, pulling levers and pressing buttons.

"Oi!" The Doctor exclaimed angrily, and grabbed her arms, pulling her away. She struggled, turning around in his grip. "I have to go back! They did this to me, I have to kill them, they have to die!"

Her eyes were wild and crazed, anger fueling her screams of revenge and murder. The Doctor looked shocked. "Who did this to you?" he demanded.

"Them," She hissed through clenched teeth. "I killed for them, I forever soaked my hands in the blood of the races they wanted dead. They created me and then turned as soon as I became too good at what they wanted me to do!"

The Doctor looked bewildered and he gripped her tighter, squeezing her arms roughly. "Who. Did. This?"

She grinned, the smile empty and teetering on the brink of madness. She barked out a laugh. "Why, the Time Lords, of course! Those murderous, power crazed dictators sentenced me to a fate worse than death. And now, I am going to show them just how good of a killer they made me."

She began struggling again and this time the Doctor let her go, his arms hanging limply at his sides. She dashed to the console and finished queuing in the coordinates. Just as she was going to pilot her straight to Gallifrey, revenge clouding her thoughts, the Doctor shut down the sequence with the flick of a switch.

She cried out. "What are you doing?"

"They aren't there." The Doctor informed her, voice harsh.

"What the heck do you mean? They never got off their high throne long as I knew them. They have to still-"

"Gallifrey isn't there!" He shouted. She flinched. "W-What?" He paced to the other side of the console and rested his arms against it, head low.

"It's gone. The Time War wiped them all out. Time Lords and Daleks alike." He whispered.

She fell silent. Gone? All of them...Her friends, her people...Tears threatened to spill over but she dragged her fist across her eyes and regained her composure.

"Then my revenge goes unrequited. Oh well." She dropped it quickly, adopting a nonchalant façade. She returned to the console and began flipping switches again.

"What are you doing now?" He asked. She tossed him a smile. "Now, Doctor don't get greedy. I haven't piloted a TARDIS in a while."

He was quiet for a moment, then clapped his hands. "Right, living plastic, off we go."