Mortimus sat in the armchair, his hands holding on tightly to the hot, steaming mug of tea. The Doctor, India and Holly were sat in a row in front of him, their legs crossed as they eagerly waited for the Keeper to tell them exactly what was going on with the visions.
Mortimus took a sip form his drink, the fire crackle making the four of them glance momentarily to its glowing embers, and then he raised his head.
“The stories of the Slayer-”
“I know about them,” said the Doctor, interrupting the old man. “I had a childhood, remember? The stories used to fascinate me.”
“I hear you even found one of the castles that he used to occupy?”
The Doctor frowned. “Allegedly that he used to occupy.” He looked to Holly and India. “During my 13th incarnation – the TARDIS had crash-landed on a moon called Lanix, not too far from Gallifrey. There was a ruined castle there but not much else.”
“It’s said that the Slayer planned his battles from Lanix. The books called it the Doomhouse.”
“Or the Deadfort, depending on whose interpretation of the legend you read. Personally I preferred Tosterakium’s version.”
“The one with the unicorns,” said Mortimus, remember a childhood memory.
“That the one,” said the Doctor, nodding along with him.
“Unicorns?” said Holly, a confused look playing across her face.
“None of that matters,” said Mortimus. “What matters is here and now and what we do with this timeline.”
“Well I’d quite like to know a little bit more about this Time Lord Slayer,” said India.
“Another time,” said the Doctor. “Mortimus is right – we need to look at the current problem.”
Mortimus nodded and relaxed back in his armchair a little. “How, I don’t know, but in this timeline, and in the original timeline, the Slayer is returning.”
“But he’s just a legend,” said the Doctor.
“But one that is based in the long and distant past,” said Mortimus. “Those stories come from somewhere. I can’t pinpoint exactly where he is from and what brings him back because the timelines are so clouded and confused, but I do know that in this timeline he wins. He devastates entire planets including Earth and Gallifrey.”
“You said that this timeline needed to be destroyed,” said Holly. “How would that work?”
“And why is it in danger?” said the Doctor. “Forgive me, Mortimus, but I’m the same Doctor whether I’m with Lilly or not.”
Mortimus shook his head. “But you’re not.” He finished his tea and put the mug down on the side table. “Already you have spent so long trying to hide Lilly from the Master that the Slayer’s plans have already been put into motion. If you continue to chase Lilly and bring her back you will allow it to consume you. The Slayer will use your lack of focus to launch his attack.”
“But I won’t. I promise I won’t,” said the Doctor. “I know what matters. I would never allow the galaxy to fall into chaos.”
“Wouldn’t you?” said India. “I’ve seen how dedicated and devoted to her you are. You blame yourself for how she is.” India looked at Holly. “She says that Lilly was better in her timeline – that she was healed.”
“Nearly healed,” said Holly.
“Can you remember when the Master followed us to starship Centaur? You were so eager to get Lilly away from him that you allowed the Master to kill half the people on that ship.”
“I didn’t do that on purpose,” said the Doctor. “I had to get her away.”
“Exactly,” said India. “Where does it stop?”
The Doctor opened his mouth to respond, but realized he didn’t have any kind of defense. It was true – he had allowed the Centaur to fall all so he could get Lilly away from the Master. He had failed those people.
“Don’t fail the universe,” said Mortimus. He sighed and shook his head. “When Holly arrived I realized I had just the weapon I needed to bring this timeline crashing down.”
“Great,” said Holly, shuffling uncomfortably, “I’m a weapon.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Dangerfield, but yes you are.” He leant forward and pointed towards her wrist. “The Doctor wanted me to re-weave you into this new timeline, but I knew that if I let the temporal energy build up it’d eventually explode, and when it explodes…”
“It’ll be like a chain reaction,” said the Doctor, staring straight ahead. “This timeline won’t be able to cope with the disruption and things would snap back, taking Holly right back into her own timeline like a rubber band.”
“I never wanted this,” said Holly. “Surely there has to be another way.”
“There isn’t,” said Mortimus, getting to his feet. “This timeline must die for the old one to be reborn.”
“I can’t let you do it,” said the Doctor, also getting to his feet. “Now I know what’s at stake I will do everything in my power to stop the Slayer. You need to re-weave Holly.”
Mortimus shook his head. “I can’t risk it, Doctor.”
“I am ordering you, Mortimus.”
“This timeline shouldn’t even be here,” said India.
“India,” said the Doctor, turning to her and taking her hands, “you know what this would mean, don’t you?”
“That everything I’ve been through will never have happened? Yeah, I know, but let’s face it; it’s not been a total trip of a lifetime, has it?”
The Doctor didn’t respond. He couldn’t respond to that.
“Why let this timeline survive when there’s a much better one out there?”
Mortimus took Holly’s hand. She looked at him with terrified eyes.
“Will you trust me, Holly?” he asked.
Holly wasn’t sure what she couldn’t trust anymore, but she did know that she wanted her world back. For once she realized that the Doctor was wrong.
“Holly, please…” said the Doctor.
Holly looked between the Doctor and India. “I’m sorry, Doctor, but the Keeper is right. Lilly was better, you were better and you were focused. If it means the universe will be better off then I’m gonna have to go with your bearded friend here.”
The Doctor turned to face the pair and puffed his chest up. “And I can’t allow that.”
“I’m afraid the decision has already been made.”
Holly looked between the two Time Lords – one her friend, one a stranger – and for the first time she didn’t trust the Doctor. She was fearful. Was this the dark side of the Doctor that was due to become obsessed over Lilly? She knew she couldn’t let that happen.
She felt Mortimus grip her hand tighter and tense up. He was going to make a run for it. She closed her eyes and then heard the Doctor yell.
She opened her eyes. India had grabbed him and knocked him to the ground. “RUN!” shouted the redhead as she collapsed on top of the Doctor.
“I’m sorry,” said Holly as Mortimus pulled her past the two of them and towards the exit.
“Just don’t forget me,” said India as they passed. “Find me!”
“I will!” said Holly.
Holly and Mortimus were standing behind the cemetery gates, the wind once again whipping at Holly’s long, dark hair. Behind them stood the familiar blue of the TARDIS. She had groaned and resisted when her and the Keeper had jumped on board and effectively kidnapped the ship, but she had relented.
Holly wondered if the TARDIS had actually known that this was the only way to protect the universe – to protect her precious Doctor.
“Why are we here again?” said Holly, keeping behind the gate as the funeral procession rolled on past again. “Why do I have to be at my granddads funeral three times?”
“Because this is the moment it all changed,” said Mortimus. “This is the moment the Master killed you and changed time.” He looked into her eyes. “It’s also the weakest point in space and time right now. There are three iterations of you here. Your original self, yourself that I sent back here and then you.”
“But I tried to stop it last time and it didn’t work.”
“I thought it would, but it didn’t. But this time all you have to do is remove the wrist band.”
Holly looked to the band. It had been itching for hours now. It was almost burning her wrist and she scratched at it. “Will it hurt?”
“Momentarily,” said Mortimus, “and then you will be back where you belong, the timelines resetting themselves.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I can’t for certain,” said Mortimus, “but this is our best shot.”
“Okay then,” said Holly, her hand going to the band.
“No,” said Mortimus, grabbing her wrist, “not yet. You have to wait for the Master to arrive.”
Holly looked at him. He was as scared as she was. She couldn’t fully trust him, but she knew she didn’t have a choice. She nodded at him in agreement, and then something caught her attention and her face turned to a look of horror. Flying in over the trees, its clawed hands stretched out in front of it, was the Nightmare.
To be concluded...
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