Doctor Who - Incarceration

Part Ten - Not Quite The End...

The murderous creatures' advance was halted by the girl, who threw back her head and shouted: "No!"

They all flinched, then slowly relaxed as they realised their surroundings were unchanged. The vampires looked at each other and then grinned, turning back to the Doctor, the girl and their companions. A roar from overhead stopped them in their tracks once more.

Clara, looked up, wide eyed. "Is that...a dinosaur?"

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, you clever girl." He looked at the nameless girl, his smile turning to a frown as she slumped against Clara, shaking with silent tears.

He turned back to the Valeyard. "What have you done to her?"

The Valeyard smiled, spreading his hands and shrugging.

"I wondered what was so special about the girl," said the Doctor, pacing forwards and ignoring the looks of terror on the faces of the people around him. Some were already running back from the Tyrannosaurus Rex which was looming over them. "A frightened, helpless little girl trapped here in amongst all of the villains and monsters and stuff. Why would she be in Vascancera, where no one is helpless? At least, not by choice.

"And then there's you," he pointed at the Valeyard. "You didn't know who she was at first, did you? Oh, you knew she had to be here somewhere, but not who she was. Until she exposed herself back in Davros' cell, that is. But she's special, something you desperately want. What's the one thing you want, more than anything in the world?"

The Valeyard sighed. "Was I really always this slow? Just give me the girl."

"No, because if there's something you really want, then I really need to make sure you don't get it. But why...?" He tapped his lips with a fingertip. "And don't ever compare me to you. We are not the same."

The Valeyard laughed. "Do not delude yourself, Doctor. We are the same person, separated only by time. We are two sides of the same coin--you, me," he gestured behind himself, "why, even Davros."

"No. Time may separate us but there's one other, much more important thing, which divides us: choices. You have chosen to do things which I would never do, could never do--not if I am to remain who I am. Choices are key; they are what make us who we are at any instance in time, what got us to where we are." He waved his arms around. "Take this prison. None of us chose to be here, but it's the choices we made which got us all here."

"What makes you think we're still in the prison? Look around you, we're not in Kansas any more..."

"No, we're still there. You're smarter than that; the eyes are the most easily fooled of all the senses." The Doctor peered at the Valeyard and then clicked his fingers. "You know the one person you should always watch in a prison?"

"Who?" asked Clara.

"The one person who really wants to be there. And you want to be here, don't you, Valeyard? So very, very much." The Doctor turned to the girl. "You said that he hurts you; by 'he' you mean him, don't you?" he said, pointing at the Valeyard.

The girl nodded whilst the Valeyard sneered.

The Doctor tapped his forehead, the trace of a triumphant smile on his face. "You also said that 'he' shouldn't be here. Again, I assume you mean the Valeyard...And I know that there's one place where the Valeyard definitely should never be."

"Where?" asked Clara.

"The TARDIS." The Doctor grinned triumphantly at the Valeyard. "The one thing you crave the most and the one thing I have always kept you from."

"I'm confused," said Clara. "Who exactly is the Valeyard?"

"That, my dear, is one of life's big questions. He is me, a future me, but not me. A twisted me from between regenerations. Hell-bent on getting control of the TARDIS so that he can cause whatever chaos it is which runs through that demented mind of his. Or at least that's what I've always been led to believe." He looked up at the sky and then across at the dinosaur, which was stomping after some of the more panicked prisoners. "Obvious. So, so obvious. And now I know what my next choice is." He ran over to the girl, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I know why you brought me here and what you need. Take us there and I'll give it to you. I promise."