Episode One-Whatsername-Epilogue
Prelude
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Part Eight
Whatsername-Epilogue
The police of New New York escorted the Doctor and Donna back to the TARDIS. The two of them were completely silent as they headed back to the lone, blue box on the shore. As they approached the Doctor could swear they had moved it from where he left it, but as they landed he could see the grass undisturbed from their landing.
As they got out of the squad car the police set up a video screen from within the cab and moved it out the driver side window. The Doctor turned and faced the screen, the image of the New New York senate chamber came into existence. Sitting in the middle of the screen was a sharp faced, blond woman, She was too severe to be attractive, and the look on her face made it quite clear she had nothing pleasant to say.
“Doctor”, she began, “As grateful as we are to your recent help against the Ma...”
“...lalalalala !!”, he said out loud covering his ears, she stopped talking, a look of complete shock on her face, “Excuse me...”, he paused.
“Duchess of Manhattan”, she supplied.
“..Excuse me Duchess, but I am a time traveler and I haven't done anything for New Earth yet. So please”, he looked back at Donna, not understanding for a second she shook her head violently no. he sighed and then said, “No spoilers”, he paused, “Please”
She looked off camera for a second and then back, “Very well, Doctor, in light of you recent help, we will defer any legal charges against you. The Sisters of Plenitude have refused to press any, and to be frank, I don't fancy holding you here against your will. So you are free to leave”, and she paused, “Immediately”
The Doctor bowed his head slightly,. “Yes Duchess”
“Savior or not”, she continued without acknowledging his words, “your actions today are beyond words and when told what you had done...”, she paused again, “...needless to say I am appalled.”
The Doctor didn't say a word, but Donna could tell he wasn't meeting her gaze.
“I am sure you believe your actions were justified today, but let me be the first to tell you, nothing justifies that sort of violence. So as of today I am swearing a restraining order against you.”
The Doctor's jaw dropped.
“You are hereby ordered to remain at least 5 light years away from New Earth at all time. Any violation of this restraining order will result in criminal prosecution. And before you think for a second that I am in any way not serious, this warrant will be filed with the Shadow Proclamation and if violated, they will enforce it. With force if necessary.”
Donna could swear he was going to drop to his knees he looked so shocked, but he stood and said nothing.
“I am sorry it came to this Doctor, but you are no longer welcome here. Officers, make sure he boards his vessel.”
The officers moved to either side of the Doctor but he gently shrugged them off and made his way to the door. He looked back to the screen for a second, and then walked in. Donna followed him, she had never seen him so defeated before. The door slammed behind her, there was a sound of finality about it.
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Parce was helping the other sister's cleaning up. The Mater still sat in the middle of the room, completely quiet. Parce gave some of the lesser sisters some orders and walked over to the elderly feline, “Are you ok Mater ?”
She looked up at Parce, it looked as if she had forgotten anyone else was in the room at all, “Yes Sister Parce, very well done if I forget to say later. You gave him nothing, your future will be bright with the Sisters.”
Parce nodded, “Thank you Mater, but may I ask something ?”
“Of course”, she said.
“What was the word ? The computer said it needed a password but it didn't display it. If he said it it would have unlocked the file automatically, but what was the word that would have saved our life ?”
The Mater looked out the open window, the whole of New New York spread out in front of them and she sighed, “Normally I wouldn't tell anyone, but with your actions today and my advanced age”, and she looked up to Parce, “I have a feeling within the next few years you will have my position. So I suppose granting you that one boon is nothing.”
Parce waited patiently, knowing that the Mater valued patience above all else, “I didn't understand why he would choose that word when he gave it to me. But I had assumed it would be one he would know. It never occurred me that it might be something he would never guess.”
“What ?”, she asked biting her tongue.
“Genocide”, she said flatly, “The word he chose was genocide. I have no idea why he would choose that one over all else. I just hope he never comes back.”
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The silence in the TARDIS was deafening.
The Doctor stalked around the console, jabbing and stabbing at the controls one at a time. Talking more to himself than to Donna he said, “Shadow Proclamation, she threatened ME with the Shadow Proclamation !”, he said something else but it was under his breath.
“So I suppose with you trying to blow up the building and all we never found out if I was ok or not ?”, her hands her on her hips but she was inside quite terrified.
He looked up suddenly, “What ? Oh no I saw the readouts, you're completely fine. Nothing in there that wasn't there before.”
“I'm ok ?”, she asked.
“Fit as a fiddle, well not a fiddle but maybe a cello or maybe a bassoon. Easily a nice flute”, he said smiling with no emotion whatsoever.
She paused for a second, and then took a deep breath. She wasn't going to beg, not her, never beg, “Very well then, so you'll be kicking me off at Earth again ?”
He was looking at one of the readouts intently and then her words penetrated, “What ? Kick ? No”, he said scrunching his face, “Why would I ever kick you anywhere”, and then he paused, “Unless you don't want to come with me.”
There was nothing in his voice, but she could see it in the corner of his eye.
“I didn't want to leave”, she said arms still crossed.
“Well you sounded like you wanted to leave”, he said like a child. She shook her head, 900 years and still a baby.
“Well I could go with you again”, she said coyly.
“Oh ?”, he said looking up smiling for the first time since the police had arrived.
“As long as you aren't going be blowing up any hospitals or going batty again”, she was kidding but he knew she wasn't.
“I can't promise...”, he said jokingly.
“You better...”, she started to scream but he started laughing, “I swear to you Donna, no more crazy.”, and he made a sign over both his hearts.
“I knew you couldn't just take me home”, she said moving towards the console.
“Well yes”, he said moving the screen around to his face, “And the fact I can't get you home right now”, he pushed a few buttons.
“What ?”, she said and looked over his shoulder, as if she could discern something from the alien symbols on the screen, “What's wrong now ?”
“The TARDIS has lost even more power”, he moved a few levers, “The refractory converter must have finally blown, she is must be leaking energy somewhere”, he pushed a few more buttons, “I can't find the leak, but there is nowhere else the energy can be going...”, he paused for a second and almost had a thought.
“So is that a software or a hardware problem ?”, she asked. His head snapped up for a second, his thoughts from earlier today echoed in his head. She saw the look and said, “What ? We have tech support on Earth, it's always the first thing they ask when you call them.” He shook his head and went back to the controls, “Well”, he said moving around the console, “If this was the good old days I would take her to Gallifrey and let it heal itself”, and his face darkened, “But can't do that”, she he jabbed another button, “If I couldn't get to Gallifrey I would have gone to the TARDIS graveyard, where the old ones with no masters go to die.”
“Die ?”, she said moving back from the console, “It's alive ?”
“Oh yes”, he said, “She is quite alive. And she is broken”, and he pulled the screen up again, “Let's see....where are we ?”
“Why can't you go back ?”, she asked.
“Because it's gone”
“Why not go back in time before the war ?”, she said sounding quite pleased with herself.
“It's timelocked Donna”, he said slowly, “It can never be reached temporal again. Both Gallifrey and the graveyard are gone forever.”
“We can go somewhere can't we ?”, she exclaimed.
“Of course”, he said, “Well somewhere sure”, he squinted, “Mostly sure we can leave...”
“Stop”, she said hitting him again.
“Ah...I've got it...AL !!”
“Al ? What is an Al ?”, she asked.
“Not what, a who”, he said starting to program the controls, “He's a Gastropodian who runs the biggest salvage yard in the galaxy. He will have one I can cobble together, and he isn't that far away. She has enough to jump there”, and he looked to her, “You ready ?”
She nodded, trying to keep the apprehension out of her voice.
“Then let's go !”, and he pushed the lever and they left.
The End
------Next time on Doctor Who------
Devil inside-The Doctor and Donna search the dead remains of a spacecaft for something to fix the TARDIS. What they do find though might just kill them.