Doctor Who and the Final Confrontation (The Future Doctor Chronicles Part Two)

Prologue

The Doctor's ruthlessness had caused far more destruction than he'd first realised. The Leader gazed at the twisted chunks of scorched metal that poked out from amid huge piles of smouldering rubble. He couldn't help but spare a thought for the hundreds of people that were buried alive when the skyscrapers fell.  

The unimaginable death toll had completely sapped his will and left him without the energy to move forwards. What was the point in being the leader of a dead planet with a population barely reaching the hundreds?  

He squinted as bright sunlight reflected off something metal hidden in the debris to his right. Reaching down he picked up the loose rubble around the object and threw it clear. As he curled his fingers around the metal he was taken aback by how cold it felt despite the warmth of the day. A long sharp tug was all that was necessary to free the object.  

Lifting it up to eye level he stared into the cold expressionless eyes of a cyberman. It struck him that dead or alive they looked the same. He threw it back down in disgust and wiped his dusty hands on his once pristine white suit.  

Why was he picking through the rubble of a once great city when he should have been celebrating the beginning of the new Morok Empire? An Empire that was supposed to rise from this forsaken planet and conquer whole Galaxies. Of course that was a rhetorical question as he knew full well why this hadn't happened. That man in the blue box had appeared from nowhere and in the course of a day had left a devastating trail of death and destruction.  

For the first time the enormity of what had happened finally hit him. He dropped to his knees, held his head in his hands and rocked gently backwards and forwards.  

A slow repetitive crunching on the loose stones behind him made him stop and listen. Who else could be out here in this wasteland? The survivors were strictly prohibited from entering the ruins for fear of further explosions, which according to official reports had been caused by solar flares overloading the power cells.  

"Such a shame to see a once great civilisation destroyed." 

His voice had the smooth and calm manner of someone in authority. Lifting his head to take a look at his unexpected visitor his eyes widened in shock. Towering over him was a hooded figure whose only visible features were his eyes.  

A colleague once told him that a persons eyes were the window to the soul. If this was true then the soul of the man before him was infinitely dark. Those red rimmed eyes barely concealed the intense evil lurking beneath. With a great deal of effort and nerve he pushed himself to his feet. 

"Under the right leadership this city will thrive once more." he replied trying to disguise the fear he felt. 

Despite only having said a few words this man made the Doctor seem tame in comparison. Letting out a short humourless laugh the hooded man responded to the Leader's bold statement. 

"When I said once great civilisation I was referring to our metal friend down there. What happened here? He's a long way from home and clearly dead." 

The Leader could feel the man's eyes boring into him. It felt as if he was inside his head forcing out an answer to the question. Without being able to resist he began to explain what had happened to his planet. 

"Our plan was quite simple. Resurrect the Cyber race and utilise the fear they instil in people to help us conquer whole galaxies. Unfortunately for us it took one man less than a day to transform our once great city to this." he swept his arm all around him.  

The Leader's chest tightened as the hooded man took a step closer to him. 

"Where did this man come from?" he demanded moving his face to within an inch of the Leader's. 

"Gallifrey." 

"What was the name of this Gallifreyan?" the pitch of his voice had risen slightly. 

"His name was the Doctor." 

At the mention of that name the man suddenly became very agitated. He lowered his head and muttered incoherently to himself before grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and throwing him roughly to the ground.  

The Leader gazed up at his assailant. The fear he was feeling was all too evident on his face. He'd been frightened when the Doctor had threatened him but this man was different. With this man he got the distinct impression that life meant nothing to him especially if it dared to get in his way.  

"Where did the Doctor go? Tell me now or your city will have to do without its Leader." 

"I'm not sure he just ran to his blue box and disappeared." 

"I strongly advise you to rethink your answer" he warned pure hatred evident in his coal black eyes. 

"He went after the Cyber Leader when he vanished from our warehouse. I strongly suspect it might be connected to an event that took place hundreds of years ago at Bethlem hospital on Earth." 

"I'm intrigued. Tell me why you think this?" 

"Shortly before he left that establishment a Dr Munro had become convinced that an alien had taken over his hospital. No one could dissuade him from that belief." 

"Excellent you've been most helpful." 

The Leader tilted his head back and let out a nervous laugh. Maybe he'd be left alone now. Left to piece together his broken empire and move forwards.  

As he closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief he felt an unusual sensation spread through his body. It was as the heat of the sun was burning his skin but it was getting steadily more uncomfortable. The last thing he remembered before passing out with the pain was a strong smell of burning flesh.