The Doctor was losing consciousness.
And then he was in the middle of a field. There were three people heading towards a metal fence that surrounded a darkened cemetery. This was where it all started. This was where he first met Holly and the healing of Lilly had begun. He grabbed his torch and was about to head towards the group of people when he felt a hand grab his arm.
He turned and standing there in the darkness was Caleb. He frowned at his nephew. “What are you doing here, Caleb?”
“Don’t lose focus now, uncle,” said Caleb.
“I don’t understand. I’m about to meet Holly. This has happened before.”
“You’re losing consciousness,” said Caleb. “My mother is about to kill you. You need to wake up.”
“But…” he shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his mind. “But Holly…”
“This is not real. This has happened before. You can’t get trapped here now.”
“But I enjoyed my time with her. With the both of them. I don’t want it to end. I’m going to miss them.”
Caleb stepped in front of him and grabbed him by the side of his face and looked into his eyes. “This has all happened before. You need to be in the present, not in the past. Holly and Lilly will be fine. You will be fine. You need to wake up.”
The group of people were frozen in place. The Doctor nodded, accepting what was happening to him. He looked at Caleb. “Thank you.”
Caleb smiled. “See you again, uncle.”
Events happened all at once. In the two TARDIS console rooms the Master and Maxus activate the time rotors. The conjoined TARDISes caused the space/time vortex to open. The vortex opened above the Earth and the two time machines were caught in its aperture. The two ships effectively blocked the end of the vortex and began to absorb the time winds.
Inside the Master shouted through the doorway to Maxus. “Is it holding?”
“Yes!” he shouted back, as the two ships rumbled. “Yes, it’s holding.”
“Good. You stay there as long as you can,” said the Master. “Mrs. Crossland, we’re ready!”
On Earth Faith was watching on a monitor as the Doctor was lifted into the air by the invisible force from Celestia. “Doctor, if you can hear me, get to that staff and activate it!”
But the Doctor couldn’t hear her. At least he couldn’t really comprehend what she was saying. He was too busy trying to breathe as Celestia tightened her grip.
“You really are fools, you Time Lords. I should just destroy you all, but you all need to learn a lesson. You took me from my home – from my family – and used me to your own ends. You will suffer for that.”
“Please…” said the Doctor.
In the TARDISes the Master had tuned in to the TV monitors and was watching the Doctor’s futile attempt to escape. The console sparked and shuddered.
He heard Maxus cry out from next door as hot sparks erupted from the console.
“Keep her steady!” shouted the Master.
“I’m trying,” said Maxus.
“This is a waste of time!” growled the Master. He closed his eyes and then looked down at a green jelly baby in his hand. “Oh, well, I guess I’ll just have to be a hero after all.” He shook his head and swallowed the green jelly baby.
With a flash the master disappeared.
“What!” said Maxus, hardly able to comprehend from the other console room.
In Trafalgar Square the Doctor suddenly felt a rush of energy through his body and he vanished. He felt himself falling and when he opened his eyes he was on the floor of the Masters TARDIS with Maxus looking at him dumbfounded.
“What? What…happened?” he said, clutching at his burning throat.
“He ate a jelly baby and disappeared,” shouted Maxus, as the Doctor’s console exploded in a ball of flames, throwing him halfway across the room.
The Doctor’s hand went to his mouth and he scrambled to his feet. He looked at the open bag of jelly babies and ran his sonic screwdriver over them. He frowned. “He implanted a micro transmatter inside them. When he ate his it caused us to switch places. I don’t believe it.” He ran to the monitor and looked closely at it.
The Master was on the floor with Celestia looking confused at what she had just witnessed. He took that as his opportunity. He dived across the floor and to the gutter, reaching for the staff. Celestia came to her senses and launched herself at him, but it was too late.
The Master got to his feet and held up the staff. He twisted it and the end glowed a bright red.
Up in space the two TARDISes were now glowing white hot. The energy from the vortex shot through the time machines and a beam of time energy zeroed in on the Masters position.
The clouds broke open and the energy zapped down like a bolt of coloured lightning. It struck the staff and then shot out of the end hitting Celestia full on in the chest. The Master screamed as he held onto the staff tightly, smoke rising from his now-glowing body. Celestia was engulfed in time energy as she was lifted into the air.
“No!” she screamed in torment.
“It’s too late, Celestia,” said the Master. “Too late for either of us.”
The energy surged through the Master and the staff and into Celestia. Slowly the regeneration energy began to flicker and pull out of the Time Lady until all that was left was Celestia’s smoking body and the regeneration energy twisting and writhing into a Humanoid shape between her and the Master.
“It ends now,” said the Master.
With one final push of his will he threw his arm forward. The spear pierced the regeneration energy and he fell forward, through the energy, stabbing Celestia through the chest. She screamed. The regeneration energy exploded in bright, white light and Celestia fell to the floor with the Master tumbling down on top of her.
In space the vortex closed, the Master’s TARDIS shook violently and the Doctor ran from the console room to his own where Quinn Maxus was struggling to breath. He closed the doors and broke away from the Master’s TARDIS as his old enemy’s ship was ripped apart from the inside, tumbling towards the Earth as a smoldering, melted box.
The Doctor helped Maxus to his feet and guided him towards the escape pod. The console exploded again and the Doctor and Maxus fell to the floor.
“You need to come too,” said Maxus.
“I need to save the TARDIS if I can,” coughed the Doctor.
And with that he pushed Maxus into the escape pod. He got to his feet and reached whatever controls were left on the console and set the escape pod it flight. He looked up at the time rotor. It was glowing bright white and was threatening to break. The walls began to crumble and huge cracks began to appear in the floor.
He tried to stabalise his ship, but it was no good. This was it. This was the end.
In Trafalgar Square Lilly ran to her mother and fathers side and dropped to her knees. Celestia reached up for her daughter, but she was already nearly gone.
“Regenerate,” said Lilly, under her breath.
“Too late for either of us,” said Celestia.
“I’m sorry,” said the Master. He reached towards Lilly. “I failed you all.”
Lilly didn’t know what to say, but she was taken aback as he reached out to her hand and held it tightly. A very, very low glow came from his finger tips and Lilly felt her wound on her side begin to heal up, the infection finally being eradicated from her body.
“Live your life, Illithia,” he said.
“We love you, sweetheart,” said Celestia. “Remember…remember that.
Lilly nodded as Holly dropped to her side and put her arms around her.
Lilly began to cry as the last of the life-force left her parents. They were dead. The threat was over and Lilly could finally let go of the past.
At the edge of the time vortex, hanging above Earth, the TARDIS was engulfed in flames. The blackened walls gave away to the dimensions inside. The Doctor coughed and spluttered and was thrown off his feet as the console exploded again, showering him in energy from the time rotor.
Then, with a final shudder, the quakes died down. The blackened husk of the TARDIS tumbled into the opening of the vortex, and with one final explosion the vortex closed.
The explosion was so big that Faith could see it from where she was standing in Trafalgar Square. She looked at Maxus as he tried to catch his breath beside the escape pod. That too was already beginning to dissolve into nothing, disconnected from its mother ship.
“Do you think…?” started Faith, her voice trembling.
Maxus shook his head. “The Master’s TARDIS exploded. His was falling to bits. I don’t think there’s any way he could have survived that.”
Faith looked back up at the remains of the explosion as the rainclouds began to part, the sun breaking through them. “Goodbye, Doctor. Safe journey.”
One Year Later
Dear Diary,
It’s Holly. Yes, I know it’s been years and years again, but I just wanted to take this opportunity to update you on all that’s been happening since I’ve been gone.
Life is good.
I met this bloke called the Doctor and he took me away to other planets and other times, but now he’s gone. On that journey I met a woman and I fell in love with her. Her name is Lilly. We moved into a little flat in the north of the town about a year ago and we couldn’t be happier. We’ve even got ourselves a little dog.
Lilly’s parents died a year ago today, which is sad, but I think she finally feels like she can move on from her past. The UNIT troops took their bodies away and we buried them a week later in a quiet little graveyard in a village far from anyone.
We’re going there today to visit the Doctor. To say our goodbyes.
Speak again soon,
Holly
Holly locked her car and her and Lilly made their way down the leafy pathway, up the hill and to underneath the tree. Sat beneath the tree were two white, marble headstones, each baring a name - one – Koschei and the other – Celestia.
Lilly knelt down in front of them and placed lilies at the base of each one.
“Nice flowers,” said Holly, kissing her on the top of the head.
“My father probably would have hated them,” laughed Lilly.
She got to her feet and walked around the tree. On the other side, facing out over a stunning vista of the nearby village was a dark, blue headstone. They had never found the Doctor’s body. They had never found his TARDIS. He was lost somewhere, but UNIT had paid for a memorial to be put up for him.
Lilly ran her hand along the smooth marble and then across the gold letters. It read:
“THE DOCTOR. FATHER. GRANDFATHER. UNCLE. FRIEND.”
“Do you think he survived?” asked Holly, looking at the grey clouds up above.
“I don’t know,” said Lilly. “I like to think he’s out there somewhere. It might not be our Doctor. It might be a past Doctor or a future Doctor. But I like to think he’s still out there somewhere.”
“Do you miss it?” asked Holly, as they got up to leave. “Travelling I mean?”
Lilly smiled. “Travelling in time and space is fun. I miss him more than I could ever tell him myself,” said Lilly, “but I’m right where I want to be right now.” She leaned in and gave Holly a kiss as they made their way towards their future.
Epilogue
The Doctor opened his eyes. He could hardly breathe. The TARDIS was still and silent. All around him he could smell smoke. The console room was blackened and charred and the smoldering remains of the console had finally stopped burning. This old time ship wasn’t going to be going anywhere any time soon.
He sat up. His face was black and burnt from the fire. He wasn’t sure where he was but there was water leaking in through a crack on the outer doors. He got to his feet and then fell back down. His burnt legs could no longer take his weight.
He pulled himself across the floor until his back was against the outer door. He dabbed his finger in the trickle of water and then licked the end of his finger.
“Sea water,” he said. “I’m underwater. Joy.”
He coughed again and felt a searing pain across his forehead. When he opened his eyes he thought he saw a glimpse of Caleb, but no sooner had he appeared he had disappeared again.
And then he felt it - that familiar, burning sensation coming from the centre of his body. He brought his charred hand up to his face. It was glowing orange. He smiled as he waggled his fingers around – the burnt flesh beginning to fall from them.
He closed his eyes as he suddenly found the strength to get to his feet. He looked down at his legs. They too were glowing orange and slowly but surely the energy crept up his body until he was engulfed in the effects of the regeneration.
He thought back to Lilly and Holly and how he missed them, but how happy he was that they were finally together. And he thought of Stark and Faith and Maxus and all the others. He had made friends during this lifetime and hoped he had helped them all.
And then he thought of the Master and his sacrifice. It still surprised him. But that, too, made him happy. He had finally done the right thing for once in his life.
“Goodbye, Uncle,” he heard Caleb whisper from somewhere within the console room.
“Thank you, Caleb,” he said as he threw his arms out, the regeneration energy exploding from his body. As he felt the change take hold, the burnt flesh fell from his body and he made a mental note- it was time for a rest. It was time for a break.
With one final burst he flung his arms out and the Doctor changed.
He fell to the floor. He felt different as he always did. He felt taller. He got to his feet and looked at his hands. They were older, but he felt good. He felt fit. He scrambled around on the floor for anything for him to see his reflection in. He found a bit of fire damaged glass from the time rotor. With his burnt jacket sleeve and a drop of sea water he cleared it up and then stared down at the face that looked up at him.
He had short, grey hair, a deep-lined face and a little stubble. He looked stern, but there was some warmth in those new eyes. But the nose – oh my – he had had a nose like this one before many, many years ago.
He laughed.
“Well, hello Doctor,” he said. “Now, let’s see if we can get out of this wreck, shall we?”
And the adventure continued…
INTRODUCING SEAN PERTWEE AS THE DOCTOR
The End
Resurrection has come to an end, but the story of our future Doctor continues in 2018 with Doctor Who: Apocalypse, starring Sean Pertwee as the next Doctor. More information will be coming over the next few weeks.
Merry Christmas everyone!
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