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Doctor Who, Lost Memories: Thrill Seeker [fireandblood & Villain]

Started by fireandblood, January 07, 2013, 07:27:02 PM

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Villain

"She's an old companion of mine, we go way back. Back to the days when my hair was grey and curly and I threw people over my shoulder," the Doctor said before miming a karate kick. "She's a very strong and independent woman. Not to mention clever," he said as they made their way through the newly opened door.

Beyond the door was a vast room with stone walls supported by great iron beams. Computer screens covered an entire side of the brick work and wires ran across the floor in cross-crossed patterns. On the far left of the room were several metal doors, each secured with huge metal locks, more than likely some form of holding cells, and on the opposite side lay a medical bay with an operating table and sterilized containers full of medical supplies. In the centre of the room was a large round table with a huge glass slab balanced on its surface. Holographic projectors were shining rapidly changing images of the scenes outside of the Big Ben tower onto its clear glass surface, giving everyone a clear view of the chaos of the war zone.

"Well, this is nice. I was expecting cogs and wheels," the Doctor said whilst the group scattered around the room. He gazed over the scene with an degree of admiration. "Its a bit of a shame that Sarah isn't part of this whole rag tag band of resistance fighters. It would be brilliant to see her again."

The room became uncomfortably quiet as the Doctor finished speaking. Madame Vastra and Jenny seemed to squirm uncomfortably on the spot whilst Gwen's glare seemed to intensify on the Doctor. Sky Smith had looked at the Doctor was a hard stony expression on her young face before she crossed over to the computer screens and began to type at the keyboards. The only people who didn't seem stunned into silence was Strax, who seemed preoccupied with telling Harry which type of guns could be used to fry the brains of their enemies.

"What?" The Doctor asked as he looked around at them uncomprehendingly. "What's wrong?" He asked, alarm washing over his face. "Don't tell me that Sarah's comprised? Don't tell me the Silence got to her too?"

"Sarah isn't compromised," Gwen spoke. Madame Vastra seemed to cast her a look of warning before Gwen spoke again. "But you need to see a few things. Starting with whats happened to all the other humans."

"But before that, he needs to tell us what that message he gave us means!" Jenny chirped before stepping towards the Doctor. "Doctor, before you took me, Harry and Madame Vastra to this time, you gave us a message. You told us to say it to you next time we met you."

"Fantastic! More clues!" The Doctor said with a sigh before smiling grimly at Jenny. "I probably won't be able to understand why I gave you the message and it will probably shed no light on the situation what so ever, but lets hear it anyway. Come on Jenny, lay it on me, what did I say?"

For a moment Jenny looked uncomfortable as she considered what she was about to say. Her dark eyes seemed to regard the Doctor with reluctance, as if she were recalling a bad memory, before she eventually spoke. "You said...beware the child of time."

fireandblood

Robin nodded, thinking that later she'd like to spend some time hearing about his old companions. Though she'd seen their images projected on the walls of the TARDIS, she hadn't heard much about any of them other than little snippets of information from time to time. Maybe one day she and the Doctor would be able to slow down enough for him to tell her some of their stories. If they got out of this alive... And if he could remember them.

She hoped that he would remember her after she'd gone.

A strange sense of melancholy seized the blonde for a moment at that thought. It was as if there was something huge coming... Something huge and disastrous. Fighting to keep a normal expression on her face, Robin listened again to the conversation. It piqued her interest when the Doctor's friends started acting a little flighty... Like there was something they didn't want to tell him.

The nervousness was infectious. Robin found it difficult to stand still when everyone started fidgeting, not meeting each others' eyes. What could be so horrible that even this ragtag group of soldiers were uncomfortable saying? Maybe she didn't even want to know. Maybe there were some things that were better left unsaid. But then, Jenny spoke that phrase again. That strange phase that had surfaced in so many places, in so many times.

"Again," Robin whispered. "There it is again. What does it mean, Doctor?" Her heart was pounding in her chest as she looked at the Time Lord accusingly. "What does it mean? Why does it keep following us like this?"

Villain

"I'm not sure..." The Doctor spoke whilst scratching his chin as he mulled over the message. "One possibility is that the reason why its following us around is because the Child of Time has something to do with my missing memories and someone is trying to get me to remember why its so important by leaving the message with my friends and the people I encounter."

"So what are you suggesting Doctor?" Madame Vastra asked. "Do you mean to say that you might have known that you were going to loose your memory?"

"Its possible. I've lost it before. Perhaps this time I came up with a way to stop it from happening again by giving you that message to pass on," the Doctor said before shrugging. "Is there anything else you can tell me about what happened when I said that to you."

Jenny and Vastra looked at each other and seemed to have a silent discussion with their eyes. Eventually Vastra seemed to approve of whatever Jenny was asking of her and gestured to the Doctor's clothes as she delivered the final piece of information.

"You were wearing black," She said with a curt nod.

"Black?" The Doctor asked with disbelief. "I was wearing black? That is the only bit of information that seems important enough to share besides some weird warning about a Time Toddler?"

"It was a very black outfit. Maybe it means something," Jenny suggested before blushing and looking sheepishly at the ground.

"Thank you Jenny but I very much doubt that there is some secret meaning to my fashion sense. I'm not that vain," the Doctor said before huffing angrily. "Now its clear that you're all in dire need of someone to ask a proper question. So let me ask one."

The Doctor turned to the right of the room and pointed at Strax accusingly before asking, "Why is an armed Sontaran standing as far away from the prison cells on the opposite side of the room?"

The Doctor wait for an answer, instead he marched towards the now bewildered Sontaran and began circling him and poor Harry while he continued his line of questioning. "Strax is a tough nut and the jail cells on the opposite side of the room appear to be all in use. So why isn't Strax being put on guard duty?"

"Well, the answer is simple. You're afraid that in a fit of stupidity, Strax will somehow blow up the people inside the cells, and that's bad, because whoever lurks inside those cells is worth protecting," the Doctor spoke before racing over to cells and before anyone could stop him, unlocked one of the doors with his sonic screwdriver. "How about we have a look behind door number one and find out?"

The door swung open...and the Doctor's face fell.

"Oh...now that's interesting," the Doctor said in a low voice as he looked upon the contents of the wide cell. "I really wish I didn't find that interesting," he breathed before stepping inside to view the horrible scene before him.

Inside the cell, were several beds, each occupied by various humans of different ages and genders. In one bed lay a plump man with light brown hair, in another lay an old man with a bristly white beard, in one lay a pretty young black woman with hair tied back in a bun and in another lay the body of a young boy with dark brown hair.

Each and every one of them was staring at the ceiling with their eyes rolled back in their sockets. Their breathing was quiet and their skin was pasty, as if they hadn't been fed in a while.

"Luke Smith," the Doctor spoke as he looked over the young boy before moving on to another bed. "Wilfred, Martha Jones, Rhys Williams...oh Gwen I'm so sorry..." the Doctor said as he turned back to the room and sought out Gwen. She was stood a metre away from the cell with her arms folded across her chest. "...I'm so sorry Gwen. I promise I'll do anything I can."

"You better do," Gwen spoke before nodding to something that lay by Rhys' side. "Not just for my sake or his, but for hers."

The Doctor turned and his face fell even more. Laying in a cot next to Rhys was a small child, a beautiful baby girl that should have been kicking and screaming instead of gawking at the ceiling with sunken lifeless eyes.

fireandblood

It seemed to Robin that the feeling of the day, at least in her case, was confusion. The entire exchange was jumpy and made absolutely no sense. The Doctor thought that someone was leaving him messages, through time and space, to get him to remember something important. But if it was so important... Why hadn't they figured it out yet?

Any time Robin had unlocked some memory in the Doctor's head, it had taken only a word or a sentence. A rose... 'Fezzes are cool...' It had never taken something so convoluted and cryptic as this before. That, in itself, made Robin very nervous. What could it possibly mean? In her musings, she almost missed the Doctor changing the subject.

It was a good point, though. If these people had prisoners of some sort, why was the war-hungry alien not guarding them? It certainly seemed like an activity Strax would enjoy. As the Doctor walked toward the doors, Robin felt a plummeting feeling. She could only imagine that one thing would be important enough to keep hold of without wanting it to get destroyed...

Slowly, she walked after her friend, dreading what she knew she was going to see. When she reached the door, though, she still gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. All the humans - for they were clearly humans - were nearly lifeless, blank eyes unseeing, chests barely lifting in breath. A tear dripped down her cheek as she gazed at the people in the room. One of them was a face she'd seen on the wall of the TARDIS.

"Doctor," she said, unable to speak above a whisper. "What's wrong with them?"

Villain

"They've slowed down" The Doctor spoke whilst scanning his sonic screwdriver over each of them, making sure to thoroughly examine his findings. "Their brains are functioning, but only at a very small percentage. It's just enough to keep them alive but not enough to get them on their feet."

"We have Mickey Smith, Heather McCrimmon, Wolfgang and many others just like them in our other cells," Gwen explained whilst leaning on the cell door, her gaze fixed on her husband and child. "They've been like this since Boxing Day, along with every other human on Earth"

"So this is what the Silence meant. The human race no longer controls Earth because they can't defend it," The Doctor said before walking over to Martha's side and frowning deeply. "What caused this? Is it the psychic beacon?"

"No. Using Sky's computer skills we managed to get a thorough look at the coordinates of the beacon and its purpose. It turns out that its coming from several orbiting satellites and all they're doing is showing aliens how to get to Earth and explain the rules of the competition"

"That's odd," the Doctor said. "This is almost full cranial shut down, if they didn't use the beacon what did they use and why didn't it affect you?"

The Doctor paused for a moment and scratched his chin with the end of his screwdriver as he mulled over the problem. Eventually he clicked his fingers and pointed to Robin, "Miss Baker your talents are needed. I need you to scan Martha's brain."

fireandblood

Robin continued looking on with horror. Somehow these aliens had caused the humans to go into this barely-alive state, like a coma only somehow much worse. And poor Gwen... Robin knew who the man and child must be, and her anger toward the woman dissipated instantly.

It was hard for her to watch, these unchanging people who had recently been walking and talking and laughing... Having dinner with their families and kissing their children... It made Robin sick to her stomach to see how easily some creatures from some far off planet could just put humans to sleep.

When the Doctor asked her to scan Martha's brain, Robin looked sharply at him. It seemed that he would be the best person for that particular job... But Robin shrugged and walked toward the unconscious woman. Placing a hand softly on the side of her face, she closed her eyes and listened.

For a moment, she heard nothing. But then, faintly, she heard music. The tune was familiar, but the words weren't audible yet. When she finally heard them, her eyes opened and she stepped back. Her green eyes filled with confusion as she looked at the Doctor.

"It doesn't make any sense... She's singing 'God Save the Queen.'"

Villain

The Doctor's face changed from Robin's response. He stepped back from the bodies and placed his hands on the back of his head whilst he stared at the bodies in front of him.

"Doctor, they have been like this for days," Gen spoke softly, her voice loosing its edge as the worry she was suppressing finally began to take a hold of her. "We've managed to keep them fed and hydrated, but what will happen to everyone else in the world?

"Their current brain activity has slowed down their bodily functions, allowing them to survive with minimal water, food and air," the Doctor replied, his tone hard as he spoke. "But this won't last. Eventually, they will die from malnourishment and dehydration. They will slowly wither away and decay. And it will happen so unbelievably slowly that they'll feel every second of their death."

The Doctor let the sentence hang in the air for a moment before he suddenly turned on his heel and marched up to Gwen, looking her dead in the eye before saying, "But, do you know what Gwen? I'm not going to let that happen, and do you know why?" He asked before brushing past her. "Because I'm too brilliant to let that happen!"

The Doctor walked into the middle of the control room and began to slowly circle the table in the centre of the room. His eyes were wildly looking left and right at the members of the resistance, taking in their every detail as he marched about the room with a determined look upon his roughly shaved face.

"In the past or future I came to each of you individually in order to give you instructions or messages," the Doctor began to explain as he walked around the room. "At the time you believed that this was preparation for an event that was coming in the future but I'm starting to think that it was only half of the reason. I think that whatever version of me visited you intended on leaving you as clues to explain why this was happening. Clues, like being saved by Gawen Cooper and Sky Smith of all people! Clues like Madame Vastra, Jenny, Harry and Strax brought from Victorian London to the present day!"

"Each of you has told me about how I gave you messages and instructions, like sending Jack to the past with his vortex manipulator and putting Dona in a secure cell. These things don't seem to be related, but they are and once the pieces are put together its going to explain exactly why Martha Jones has got God Save the Queen of all things stuck inside her head!"

"Well guess what Me? I'm about to put the pieces together! I'm incredibly angry about the people I love and the race that means so much to me being put to sleep because some insane organisation doesn't want me to answer some stupid blooming question! So right here, right now, I'm going to use all the power of m brain to solve this mystery, save the day and be unbelievably amazing!" The Doctor roared before throwing up his hands as they made a move to speak.

"No one talk to me! I am about to be incredible and I need complete silence!" The Doctor said loudly before slapping his hands against his head and closing his eyes as he thought over the long journey that he had been a part of and the trail of clues that had been left in his wake.

No one moved. No one spoke. No one even breathed as he wrapped himself in his own thoughts and thought long and hard over the problems they faced. Minutes passed by painfully slowly, but eventually the Doctor's eyes opened and a broad grin crossed over his face.

"Oh...now that's interesting..."

fireandblood

When the Doctor was thinking this hard, it seemed that the gears inside his head were visible. His expansive mind, working so hard to find the solution to the problem... Trying so hard to save the human race, time and again. And gathering his friends along the way. He might be the last of the Time Lords, but he's never alone, Robin thought, a smile flickering at her lips.

She looked at each member of the team in turn. There was Gwen, fierce and proud and unwilling to show the sadness that lurked just behind her eyes. There was Sky, looking afraid but trying to stay strong nonetheless. There was Madame Vastra, haughty and green, with a protective hand on her sword. Beside her was Jenny, a human who stayed with her love through it all. Between them stood Harry, so young and innocent, hardly able to understand what was happening around him. And there was Strax, a creature created for war.

They all had one thing in common. All of them were staring at the Doctor, their expressions guarded but still full of hope. Even though it seemed he had no answers, they all had enough faith in him to have that look in their eyes. It was in this moment that Robin saw who the Doctor truly was... And he was beautiful. So, so beautiful.

The entire room seemed to sigh with relief as he smiled and spoke. Robin was the first to place a hand on his arm.

"What is it, Doctor?"

Villain

"The answers. They're all there," The Doctor replied before breathing in deep and beginning his explanation.

"I've been wondering for a while why everyone on Earth seems to have been reduced to this state yet the people in this room are unaffected. Almost every human on Earth has been reduced to this state, but for some reason the six of you are completely fine. This leads to conclude several things, number one being that whatever happened can only affect humans, my evidence being how Madame Vastra is still walking around with her brain intact and so is Strax and Sky Smith over there"

"Sky Smith isn't human Robin," The Doctor said whilst he gestured to the young girl that now sat with her back against the wall of computer screens, one arm wrapped protectively around K-9. "She's a Fleshkind, an alien species almost identical to the humans, but alien none the less. They possess amazing powers that allow them to take control of technology. I imagine thats how this band of rogues got a look at the psychic beacon"

"Now the question is, if it only affects humans, then why didn't Gwen get affected. Well in order to answer that we have to ask ourselves what was everyone doing at the time in which they were affected? The answer is quite simple when we consider what we heard going through Martha's head. Everyone in Britan was watching the Queens christmas message. And in that message something was added to cause this effect"

"Doctor if that is true then why do Sky and Gwen not remember that moment?" Madame Vastra asked curiously.

"Because its memory proofed," the Doctor replied. "What caused this to happen was the powers of a Silent, but not just any Silent, the Silent from the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. When I first encountered the Silence I took a clip of one of them saying 'You should kill us all on sight' and spliced it into the footage of the Moon Landing. This caused anyone who saw it to immediately attack any Silent that they came across, driving them from the Earth. And it has everything to do with why the humans are currently brain dead."

"What on earth tells you that?" Jenny exclaimed.

"You tell me that Jenny," he answered immediately before gesturing to her, Vastra, Harry and Strax. "You four are from Victorian London, it hasn't happened to you yet and I doubt that Strax would show much interest in a puny human species. The reason why I brought you into the future wasn't just because I'm depending on your strength, the other reason was to make me link this effect to the footage of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing"

"But what has a stupid video clip of apes walking on the damn moon got to do with anything Doctor?" Strax asked rudely.

"It has everything to do with it, Strax. Because its been altered," the Doctor spoke before throwing out his arms and spinning in a wide circle as he gestured to the entire room. "Everyone on Earth has seen the footage at one point or another. Everytime they see it they are influenced to battle the Silence. However, if anyone were to alter the footage and place their own message within the Silent's message then the brains of any human who watched it would tear themselves apart as each message battled for domination, thus reducing them to this primitive state"

"So the Silents editted the footage...broadcast it during the Queens message or some other important event depending on what country it was, and this caused the humans to have their brains fried?" Sky asked from across the room.

"Close. Only one thing was wrong with that answer. The Silents didn't alter the footage, someone else did. Someone with enough knowledge of hypnotism to make the condition affect humans only. If the Silence tried it their tinkering would go unnoticed. So they must have found someone who could truly dominate a humans mind," the Doctor spoke, ceasing his twirling before pointing out towards the cell doors. "And now we're going to find out who it was and what was the message they implanted into it, because Gwen is going to show us."

Gwen seemed to freeze up as the Doctor addressed her. He crossed the room before stopping in front of her and gazing deep into her eyes.

"Gwen, you're been wearing contact lenses," the Doctor spoke softly. "Special contact lenses. Advanced technology that is able to record what the wearer sees as well as recieve text messages that can be sent via the computer they are linked to. They're special equipment used by Torchwood, and its what saved you from becoming brain dead. Those contact lenses distorted the image rendering you immune to its effects. And you recorded absolutely everything, you just forgot to check because of the Silence's influence over you."

"Tell me...who told you to put those contact lenses in?"

"Jack did" Gwen replied hesitantly, a slight blush crossing over her face. "Jack did, right before-"

"Right before I told him to go back in time and pick up River Song using the vortex manipulator I repaired," the Doctor said, his grin growing more cheeky by the minute. "His leaving was so sudden that you put them in immediately and never removed them. Its lucky you didn't, it would have rendered you useless."

The Doctor clicked his fingers at Sky before approaching the table again and placing his hands on the glass screen that stood on its surface. "Sky I need you to use your abilities to download all the information on Gwen's lenses and put it onto this screen. Once its on I want you to highlight the Queens message on Christmas day and cut to about half way"

fireandblood

Robin's gaze flickered to every member of the group as the Doctor spoke of each of them in turn. It was truly incredible... How could one person come up with all of these answers based on just the tiny amount of information he had? Information that had been scattered throughout history, brought together in one special moment... It was hard to fathom. Impossible to imagine. Being so brilliant had to get exhausting sometimes.

As he pieced together this information, Robin found herself beginning to smile. This was when the Doctor truly shone... When he was talking ninety miles an hour, trying to bring everyone up to speed with what he had figured out in just a few minutes. Though she didn't know what he would be able to do with this information, just knowing made everyone feel better.

"Amazing," she whispered, barely audible. Without thinking, she placed a hand on top of Martha's, her pale skin contrasting against the other girl's darker coloring. She looked down at the beautiful, unconscious woman, hoping against hope that they would be able to save her. To save all of them. Her eyes wandered from face to face, trying to commit all of them to memory. 'God Save the Queen' started up again, playing quietly in the back of her mind. Something, though, was bothering her... A thought niggling at the back of her mind.

"But... Doctor," she spoke, pulling her hand off of Martha's and walking toward her friend. "If this all happened because of the Silence... If this is their plan, to take control of the humans and put the planet up for grabs... Why did the Silent in the TARDIS bring us here? Wouldn't it have been better to just kill us? Or make us crash in 2000 BC or something?" And another thought came with it. "And what about that message? 'Beware the Child of Time...' What does that have to do with any of this?"

Villain

"Ladies and gentlemen the prize for good questions goes to Robin Baker!" The Doctor announced with a cheer before pointing at Robin. "Excellent question the Silence have wanted me dead for ages but yet one of the Silent creatures was on my TARDIS whilst me and Robin traveled. It didn't kill us even though it had plenty of opportunities. In fact, it did the opposite, it kept us alive by using hypnotic suggestion to get us out of trouble. It sent soldiers to our rescue when we were trapped by the Daleks and made old wizards play with computers when the Toymaker had us at his mercy."

"But who are the Silence Doctor and why do they want you dead?" Sky asked, now walking to the centre of the room to join the discussion with K-9 on her heels. "You mentioned a question? Was is it?"

"Something on a need to know basis," the Doctor answered in a cold voice. He didn't elaborate on the answer, something in his eyes had flickered at the mention of it, almost as if it had disturbed him just at the mention of it. "All you need to know is that the Silence don't want me to answer the question....or maybe I already have and they're quite bitter about it. I can't remember. What matters is that they're here now and seemed very eager to get me to this time period."

The Doctor scratched his chin as he looked at the screen on the table, that was now lighting up with images and data from Christmas Day. "It must have something to do with their new leader. More than likely that voice that we heard on the advert. She's probably the one who organised this plan and crippled the brains of the human race."

The Doctor began running his fingers across the screen, which responded to his touch immediately. He tossed images out the way and scanned through the data, until he came across the video diary of Gwen Cooper's contact lenses and a specific time in which they had been active.

"Robin, Jenny and Harry, I'm going to need the three of you to wear these," the Doctor spoke before pulling out three pairs of 3D glasses from his pocket and tossing them to each of them. "If I'm right we will all forget the message instantly, but what matters is that you three aren't paralyzed by the attack. This should help distort it and protect your minds from any funny business."

fireandblood

Robin felt a surge of pride as the Doctor complimented her on her questioning skills. It was strange, but she felt a certain need to impress these strangers. They had all been a big part of the Doctor's life, or they wouldn't be here... They must have all done magnificent things for him to want them all at this most dire of times. Robin wanted to feel like she belonged... And at this moment, she felt like she did.

When her companion's eyes turned cold, she heard the echo of the 'question' they were talking about. She couldn't recall exactly what it was, but she had the feeling that she'd asked herself the question many times... And maybe even asked the Doctor himself. Tilting her head to the side, she listened, but nothing became clearer. With a sigh, she turned back to the current conversation.

With some puzzlement, the blonde accepted her pair of 3D glasses, wondering how in the world they were supposed to protect her from becoming like the others in the room... Nearly lifeless, fading quickly. Putting the glasses on, she looked at the room through the distorting lenses. They were already making her dizzy, and she shook her head.

Then, for seemingly no reason, she reached in her pocket. A frown touched her lips as her fingers brushed against paper and pen. Pulling them out, she looked at them. It was the paper upon which she'd drawn the Silent and written their conversation with it. Robin had no idea when she'd gotten it, or how, because the last person she'd seen holding it was the Doctor. A thought occurred to her then.

"Doctor," she said, showing him the writing tools. "Should I try to write it down again?"

Villain

"Good idea Robin, let me get you and pen and pap-" the Doctor began, but then he saw that Robin was already holding it. He looked puzzled for a moment and patted himself down before shrugging. "I guess I gave it to you earlier. Go ahead, write it all down as quick as you can. We can't afford to waste time."

"Running video now Doctor," Sky spoke and gestured to the screen with her fingers. Without so much as touching the screens surface, the video began, showing a comfortable living room with a TV, the last thing Gwen saw during the Queens Christmas message. "We don't have sound Doctor, but the contact lenses have a lip reading function that should be able to translate everything that is said and place it on the screen in text format," Sky explained.

"But what if the people in the message lack mouths?" Strax asked. "Will this primitive technology still work? Perhaps we should simply track an agent of this Silence organisation and force them to reveal their nefarious plot by injecting them with venomous compounds!"

"Strax, a silent agent would eat a poisoned five course meal at a one star restaurant before revealing their plans and orders," the Doctor said with a heavy sigh and shook his head before turning back to Sky. "Alter the audio input and match it the lip reading synchronizer and all vocal data located in Torchwood and UNIT's data banks. They're bound to have something on Silents by now."

Sky's brow furrowed as she obeyed the Doctor's instructions and used her racial abilities to complete the process. After a few seconds of the screen fuzzing in and out, she stepped back and nodded her head to indicate that the job was done.

"Okay everyone, brace yourselves," the Doctor spoke before hitting play.

The video came enlarged on the screen to show more of the room. The place looked a little messy, but not dirty, the shirts that lay on the floor and the wrapping paper that was scattered around the place showed nothing but a happy home on Christmas day. As they watched on the Doctor noticed Gwen shudder on the spot as her husband appeared on the screen, grinning broadly at them while bouncing their darling child in his arms.

"She's a right terror Gwen. She's broken half her present's already and eaten all the sweets your mam brought her. She's going to be up all night at this rate," Rhys spoke, the subtitles following every word that left his mouth. He paused as Gwen replied to him, her response unable to be caught on camera, after a moments moment he threw back his head and laughed.

"I told him that it was Christmas, she was allowed to be a terror," Gwen spoke quietly, her voice strained as she tried her best to maintain her composure. Her eyes were filling with tears, but she did not cry. "And then I told him he'd be the one dealing with her anyway. I was planning on hitting the Sherry later on."

"Is that the Queen's message?" Rhys spoke as he took his seat next to her. The television was now showing an elderly woman with thin wire spectacles and curly grey hair, her face set in a pleasant but typically formal manner. "I heard someone say she was finally going to talk about some of the stranger stuff that keeps happening every year." Rhys said to Gwen whilst bouncing their daughter on his knee, who was now giggling joyfully. "I wonder what she'll talk about first? That great big bloody demon that stomped through Cardiff, the Miracle day, those huge electric eyes that were flying about or those cubes that fell from the sky?"

"Good afternoon and Merry Christmas to you all," the old woman began. "This last year has been an extraordinary time for us all. Events that have been beyond our comprehension have transpired and we have found ourselves needing to rapidly adapt to the bold changes that our home planet has gone through. Many are fearful about what the future will hold and I do not fault them at all for feeling this way."

"But what you should know, is that whatever challenges await us, we are not helpless. We will never be without hope. For we have strength and very very good friends," the Queen spoke and for a moment the Doctor's smile seemed to become that little more mischievous, as is he and the Queen had just shared an inside joke.

"So do not worry, enjoy today. For this is a time when we must remember how fortunate we are to have such amazing people in this world, people who will do anything to protect us and stand up against evil. In fact...when I think of these heroes, I am reminded of something that was once said to me by a dear friend," the Queen spoke, a smile twitching on the corner of her mouth. "They said to me-"

The picture on the television vanished and the Queen became replaced with a flickering image of a Silent, wounded and looking out at them with a malicious gaze in its small beady eyes.

"You should kill-" It began, but before it could continue the picture changed to a pair of female lips that seemed to smile cruelly before they said one

Beware the child of time. Meet me in the church of paradox. Save the ones that should not be saved. Fail yourself a thousand times."

The picture changed back immediately to the white alien, allowing it to finally finish its command. "-us all on sight!"

The image changed once more back to the Queen and the camera turned to face Rhys, just in time to see him grab his head with a pained expression.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Probably just tired from the Christmas rush," Rhys said, presumably after Gwen asked him if he was okay.

"Stop!" The Doctor called out and the video paused before he turned to Robin and looked down at the notepad and pen that she held, noting how the page was now full of new text. "What does it say? What did you write?"

fireandblood

Robin held the pen just above the paper as the video began playing, ready to write at a second's notice. Fear, sadness, and intense excitement coursed through her as the recording progressed. Her gaze flickered to Gwen for an instant, taking in the woman's pained expression. Robin hoped they would be able to find a way to save Rhys and their precious daughter.

Soon, the Queen's message started to play. Robin caught the mysterious twinkle as the woman spoke of her powerful 'friend,' and she immediately knew that the Queen meant, of course, the Doctor. It was hard to fathom, all the people he must know in positions of power across the world. Soon, though, her image was replaced with that of a Silent.

Robin immediately began to write, not taking her eyes off the screen for even a second. She didn't miss a beat when the Silent changed to that foreboding pair of lips, still scribbling furiously on the paper below the conversation from the TARDIS. When the images went away, she immediately forgot, confused as to why her breathing was so elevated and her hands shaking.

Then, the Doctor was shouting, and she looked with bewilderment down at the paper. She saw new writing there and read the words in a trembling voice.

"It says... 'Silent: You should kill. Lips: Beware the child of time. Meet me in the church of paradox. Save the ones that should not be saved. Fail yourself a thousand times. Silent: us all..." She trailed off as her writing stopped. "I must not have caught the Silent's last words before the image went off." Her expression was wildly frightened as she looked at the Doctor. "What... what does this mean?"

Villain

"I have no idea," the Doctor replied with a frown. "But, at least we know two things, one is that my theory was right. I like that, I like being right. The next is that we now have a target. Everyone grab your stuff! We're about to go outside and find the TARDIS!"

"Excellent! We shall use the power of the TARDIS to crush our enemy beneath its mighty blue form!" Strax cheered, pumping his fist into the air victoriously.

"Or alternatively Strax, we could use the TARDIS to land on one of the Zeplins that are linked to the psychic beacon and program them to broadcast a different message that will help to undo the damage cased to the human race," the Doctor said, causing Strax to deflate and grumble in disappointment.

"Are we at least going to bombard them with atom bombs and obliterate their molecules?" Strax asked grumpily.

"Strax, have you even been paying attention?" The Doctor asked with disbelief before striding over to the wall of computer screens and pulling out his sonic screwdriver and pressing it to them. The images on them rapidly changed to show images of London for all different angles. The battle was still raging on the streets, no one seemed to be any more victorious.

"Okay, I'm scanning the cctv network for the position and....yes there we go!" The Doctor cheered before pointing at the middle screen, which now showed an image of an empty Trafalgar square, saved for the magical police box that stood in its center. "Trafalgar square still looks deserted. Do you think that you can get us there Gwen?"

"With the vision jammer installed into K-9 by Sky we should have no trouble getting there," Gwen replied, a smile finally brushing over her lips. "Plus, I am an angry vengeful welsh woman who has had my husband and daughter harmed by these bastards. Let them try and stop me."

"I like her," Madame Vastra said with admiration, a smile forming on her bright green lips. "She is the most fiercest ape I have ever seen. She really is quite incredible."

"Oi!" Jenny pouted, his arms crossed defensively over her chest as she glared at her wife. Madame Vastra seemed to gulp nervously before she reached out and stroked her wife's shoulder apologetically.

"No offense intended my beloved," Madame Vastra replied. "Please lets not argue before we go into battle. You know Harry hates it when we fight."

"Speaking of Harry, I think it would be best if he should stay here with Sky," the Doctor spoke before looking towards the little boy that stood by his mothers side with a look of outrage on his adorable face. Sky seemed to wear exactly the same expression as she lared at the Doctor, but before she could voice her outrage he held up his hand. "I'm just saying. The jammer will work if you're there or not and I really don't want kids to get caught up in this."

"Doctor..." Strax began, but before he could have his say Madame Vastra hissed at him.

"Strax don't you dare try to involve my son in this war because you believe that he possesses the fighting ability of a roman gladiator thanks to your training," she snapped, her hand placed on the handle of her sword in a threatening gesture. "The Doctor is right. The children must remain behind."

"Actually Madame I was going to ask the Doctor if he would like to borrow any grenades from me," Strax huffed angrily, pulling out the baton that hung from his hip. "I would consider it most wise if he were armed considering to circumstances."

"What circumstances?" Jenny asked, drawing her own sword from its sheath.

"Well we're about to be invaded of course! The warning light has been going for the last five minutes!" Strax roared before pointing his baton at the table screen, which was now flashing bright red in alarm.

"Oh that's not good," the Doctor cursed before turning towards the metal door that was now in the process of opening very slowly with a loud creak. "Is there another way out of here Strax?"

"Yes Doctor, but we will never make it in time. May I get my gun and start shooting at them indiscriminately?" Strax asked as the door opened fully, revealing five metal figures that stood with their right arms outstretched in front of them, pointing the cannons that were grafted onto their arms at each of them.

"You will be deleted" the figures spoke before they shot their lasers into the room, blowing up a hole line of computer screens and decorating the walls with smouldering holes.

"You have permission Strax! Take cover!" the Doctor yelled before leaping to the ground as the Cybermen let out another blast of shots.

fireandblood

Robin looked again at everyone in the party. A smile slowly spread across her mouth as she caught everyone's eyes. Though they had only a very small chance of surviving this day... Though they were stuck directly in the middle of a battle that was being waged over the entire world... Though nearly every human on Earth was locked in a deep sleep... There was nowhere Robin would rather be.

She watched as they argued and started to laugh. Even in the middle of doomsday, women got jealous over their spouses' affections and mothers fiercely protected their children. Robin could see why the Doctor hung around Earth so much, even when he had endless other planets he could be visiting. Earth was truly a spectacular place, containing a species so hotheaded that they would take up precious time getting angry at each other because they dared called another woman incredible.

However, Strax's warning caused the smile to die on her face, and she looked toward the door nervously. Any number of fearsome foes could be waiting outside, ready to blast them to pieces. It might even be Strax's own species. But as the door opened, it was revealed that the enemy they faced was worse than the Sontarans.

"You will be deleted!" the Cybermen shouted, their metallic voices ringing menacingly through the room. When they let loose, Robin dove to the floor, falling by Strax's feet. She patted his leg and shouted a thanks up to him before scooting across the floor, trying to avoid being hit by one of the lasers shooting from the Cybermen. She reached the Doctor after a moment and pressed against him.

"What do we do, Doctor?" She shouted, trying to keep her head down.

Villain

"We hope that the Cybermen don't kill us horribly!" The Doctor yelled before pulling out his sonic screwdriver again and pointing it towards one of the computer screens. It filled with static before suddenly shining with bright light. The Cybermen's shots seemed to become more erratic as the room filled with light.

"I boosted the brightness of the screens to ultra violet, it will interfere with their vision sensors! Now move!" The Doctor yelled before tugging Robin to her feet and dragging her across the room towards the cell doors.

The room had quickly turned into a battle zone. Madame Vastra was now swinging her sword into the Cybermen, dodging blasts from its cannon and the reach of its electric touch with amazing grace whilst she sliced at the weak points in the creatures limbs. Jenny was in the process of doing the same, however her attention was half divided between fighting the creature and telling Harry to follow the Doctor.

One of the Cybermen cornered Sky, but before it could so much as touch her, K-9 blasted the machine mans head off with its laser and began rapidly firing at the approaching dangers.

Strax seemed to be the only one who was thoroughly enjoying himself during the conflict. He had abandoned his idea of grabbing his gun and instead had charged into one of the Cybermen, furiously wrestling with the metal man whilst trying to stab it in the eye socket with the end of his deadly baton. The Cyberman was trying its best to grab him and shock him, but despite it technological power it just couldn't seem to over power the psychotic potato dwarf.

"K-9, help Jenny!" Sky commanded the little metal dog as Jenny was thrown into the glass screen on the table. The dog turned its laser on the Cyberman and let off and string of shots, but after a few blasts the power of the lasers began to fade and K-9 began to slow down.

"Power supply failing Mistress!" K-9 chirped to Sky, who crouched by the machine, waiting for her chance to escape.

"Its okay K-9. I've got this one," she spoke before racing over to the pair and jumping on the creatures back. She placed both hands on the side of its head and began to pour her power into it, forcing the machine to let go of Jenny, giving her the opportunity to stab it straight through the head with her sword.

"Oh that is just beautiful!" The Doctor yelled as he ran with Robin, stopping for a moment to avoid a rogue laser blast and taking the opportunity to watch the epic battle unfold. "I couldn't do it better myself! And I think that's a fact. I'm a bit rubbish at fighting. I bruise like a banana."

The Doctor prepared to make one last frantic dash to the cell door, but before he could break into a run the final Cybermen stomped through the chaos and let off a barrage of laser blasts. The Doctor quickly ducked to avoid them and reached into his pocket, but before he could do anything else the Cyberman grabbed him and smashed him against the wall.

"You are incompatible. You will be deleted," It spoke through its flashing mouth as it held the Doctor in place against the wall.

"Sorry but I'm not really fond of being deleted!" The Doctor growled before slapping something against the Cyberman's chest, a small coil of brown wire.

The Cybermen screeched as the coil let loose a surge of electricity that wrapped around the Cyberman's body and caused it to fall back onto the ground with smoke pouring from its joints.

"Beautiful!" The Doctor cheered and pumped his fist into the air. "Mrs Moore you saucy minx! I never did get the chance to thank you for the idea of an EMP bomb!" the Doctor roared with triumph before grabbing Robin's arm again and making a move to. "Come on Robin, lets go! You can't spend all day gawking at how amazing I a-"

The Doctor felt a tug on his arm.

Something was wrong. Robin felt heavy. Her fingers were digging into his arm.

Time seemed to slow as he slowly turned back to see why his companion was trying to drag him to the floor.

"No." the Doctor whispered, his voice lost amongst the noise of the battle between his friends and the Cybermen.

"No. You can't have..." he breathed as he golden eyes looked over Robin, who had now fallen to the ground, desperately clinging to his arm with one hand....whilst the other clutched the small burning hole in her belly.

fireandblood

Robin shouted as the Doctor pulled her to her feet, the sound more a release of energy than something containing fright. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her system, readying her for yet another battle. Her green eyes darted to look around the room, trying to catch a glimpse of everyone and see if they were all okay. As the Doctor made the screens grow brighter, she squinted, hardly able to see.

She could see Vastra, cleaving into the Cybermen with her sword, all whirling green grace and fearsome skill. The lizard-woman seemed to need no help, her battle cries echoing through the room almost lightheartedly. Jenny was fighting as well, but Robin could hear that all of her cries were directed at Harry, trying to get the child to safety.

Her gaze flitted to Strax, and a shocked laugh escaped her. He had managed to get a Cyberman - which was easily twice his height - to the ground, and was fiercely poking at it with his baton. The Cyberman, which was full of ultra-advanced cybernetics and made to kill, could not even lay a metal finger on the little Sontaran. Robin found that she was glad for this. She thought the little potato-headed man was quite funny.

Everyone was managing. Everyone was still alive. That was good... Robin watched as Sky single-handedly overloaded the Cyberman's brain so that Jenny could stab it. She heard the cries of everyone, including the harsh sounds of the Cybermen, yelling "DELETE! DELETE! ALL CONSCIOUS RESISTORS WILL BE DELETED!"

Then the Doctor was yanking her toward a cell door, trying to get them inside into safety. Robin saw the Cyberman coming toward them, but was too late to warn the Doctor. She saw a blast pass right in front of him, and sighed with relief, only to feel a blinding pain in her stomach. Looking down, she saw something that made no sense. It wasn't possible for her to be shot. She was with the Doctor.

The hole was smoking, the laser blast having formed a perfect circle in her stomach. Robin allowed herself to be pulled forward by the Doctor, but she could feel her feet growing heavy and her eyes beginning to close. As her vision faded in and out, she saw the Doctor take out a Cyberman with some sort of wire... But then she found she could no longer move. Sinking to the floor, she grabbed onto the Doctor's arm as he tried to pull her away.

Her grip was growing weaker, and she was still fighting against the coming unconsciousness. She tried, with her left hand, to cover up the gaping hole, but saw from the look on the Doctor's face that it wasn't working. She smiled up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks, and moved the hand from his arm to rest against his cheek.

"Well, we didn't see this coming, did we?" she asked with a shaky laugh. "Doctor, leave me. Go save yourself and the others. Find out what's going on and get this all set right. They need you, and there's nothing you can do for me. Except remember me. Please, remember me..."

Villain

The Doctor was frozen in place. He stared down at Robin in shock, unable to process what he was seeing in front of him. His legs slowly buckled under him, causing him to sink down next to Robin's side. Somehow his hands seemed to seek out Robin's and curl around them.

It was all wrong, her grip felt loose and weak, life was seeping from her body.

It couldn't be happening. Robin wasn't supposed to die. Robin Baker was one of the most amazing people and there was no way that she could be dieing, it wasn't possible. It was utterly impossible.

"R-Remember you?" The Doctor stammered, his grip tightening around hers. "Don't be silly, you're not dieing," he said with a forced chuckle, as if Robin had just said an utterly absurd joke. "You can't be dieing, its not possible."

The Doctor's gaze drifted to the wound in her stomach. Anger flooded his body. The hopelessness of the situation enraged him, but yet he could still not accept what he was seeing.

Robin couldn't die. Robin was too perfect to die. Robin was too exceptional. She was too supportive, too brave, too kind, too incredible. She was too incredible to die! So why was she dieing?

"Don't be so stupid Robin!" The Doctor growled one hand pounding against the floor in frustration. "You cannot be dieing and I am not leaving you! I'm going to save you. I promise you I will save you! You are going to live Robin. You're going to annoy me for years to come and then you're going to fall in love with someone. They'll be threatened by me but they'll come along on our mad adventures and realise that although they will never be as amazing as me I will never be able to fill the hole that they do."

"So you see Robin?" The Doctor said, chuckling again in a forced desperate manner. "You can't be dieing...you can't..."

The world was quiet. Tears were gathering in the eyes of the kind ancient warrior. His world was crumbling again and nothing could be done.

fireandblood

Robin fought. She could feel the blackness closing around her, and yet she fought to keep her hand pressed against the Doctor's kind, stupid, brilliant face. Tears continued pouring from her eyes, making a soft pattering sound on the floor that was strangely audible even through the din of the battle. Her smile stayed on her face even through the pain in her stomach.

"Right, I'm the stupid one," she wheezed, the words barely above a whisper. "I'm the stupid one and you're the one who thinks you can save someone with a gaping hole in her stomach. I think you're... mistaken... Doctor..." It was becoming harder and harder to talk, each word a huge struggle against the pain and the promise of release that was edging ever closer.

Yet still she fought. Still she kept her eyes open.

"It's okay, Doctor," she said. "That's what you don't understand. You think I want to meet someone else and settle down... But I don't. It doesn't matter when I die, because you've filled my life with amazing things. Even spending... just one day with you was enough to change me forever. And I wouldn't change one minute of it... Not even this." Her eyes grew fierce as she looked up at him.

"Now listen to me, you stupid, amazing man," she said, curling her hand around his. "You save yourself, do you understand me? You save yourself and everyone here. Because you were right... You're Batman... and I'm Robin. The sidekick is expendable but the hero has to win. Don't give me any BS about that either, Doctor... You know... it's true..." Her words were getting quieter then, and her body started to go slack.

Slowly, her eyes began to drift shut, and her head started to fall limply back. Her hands let go and she started sinking into the blackness. But before she faded she looked up at her Doctor again, smiling more brightly than ever.

Villain

"No! No! No!" The Doctor yelled shutting his eyes tight and covered his ears in an attempt to block out what he was seeing, as if watching the scene made it real. He breathed in deep before opening his eyes slowly and looking down at Robin, his face breaking as despair finally sank in. The tears were falling, his hands cupped Robin's face and for a moment he just stared at her in incomprehension, unable to figure out how to solve the terrible problem before him.

"Robin, this is not going to happen, do you hear me?" The Doctor said before turning his head to look over at Strax, who was currently smashing the baton into the chest of the cyberman he was wrestling. "Strax! Get over here! I need you to heal Robin! STRAX! GET OVER HERE NOW!" The Doctor yelled almost hysterically.

Strax couldn't hear him. He was far too busy battling the Cyberman. Even if he was enjoying it, it was still a fight to the death that the Cyberman could win if he wasn't careful. The trouble was that by the time he finally finished the Cyberman off, Robin would be dead.

"Vastra! Sky! Jenny! Gwen!" The Doctor roared searching the room for anyone who could help. Jenny was now aiding Vastra in taking down one of the final two Cyberman. Gwen and Sky were free, but neither of them could do anything. They weren't doctors or healers or miracle workers. They were powerless.

"Robin, you cannot die. Its like you said, we're a team," the Doctor choked, his smile weak. "I can't let you die. I've let it happen too many times already. People die all the time because I fail to act or I make some sort of stupid mistake. It happens to good people, unlucky people and even the ones I try hard to keep out the way."

"So I can't let you die Robin. I can't let you down like I let down Jamie or Katarina or Sara. Alric, Romana, Amy and Rory, River and Ace. All of them died because of my mistakes and I'm not going to let that happen to you," he said but as the words left his mouth he felt Robin's pulse grow weaker. His words meant nothing, they couldn't heal the hole in her belly and they couldn't hold back death.

"Just hang on Robin, please!" The Doctor pleaded, searching for something anything that could help Robin hold on.

His eyes landed on the locket, the strange locket that hung around her neck. He had always been tempted to ask about that odd piece of jewellery, but like the beeping in her head he had been afraid to find out. He knew that the locket probably contained pictures of her family or perhaps her real parents. Asking her about it had felt too personal. He had wanted to wait until the right moment to bring it up.

Right now however, he didn't care if it was the right or the wrong moment. With any luck it contained the pictures of her family and he could keep her going by begging her to hold on for the chance to see them again. If it made her mad, then that would be just as good.

"Come on Robin, be strong. Just think about who you're leaving behind," the Doctor said as he took the locket from her neck and lifted it in front of her face and opened the locket before smiling at her and saying; "I mean, just look who you'll leave-"

Golden fire exploded from the locket and shot into Robin's eyes. The Doctor released his grip and reeled back as if he had been electrocuted, his eyes wide with shock and horror as he watched the impossible golden light shoot into the eyes of the abnormal human known as Robin Baker.

The despair vanished, replaced and was replaced by utter disbelief. He knew what the light meant, yet he couldn't believe it. He couldn't understand why the golden light, made from the knowledge and memories of the ancient Time Lords, was circling through Robin's head, changing her from a simple brilliant human into something else. Something that was absolutely impossible.

For once in his life. The Doctor was speechless.

fireandblood

The words the Doctor spoke came to Robin as if from very far away. She could hear them, she understood them, but by the time they reached her he was already speaking again. Several times, the blonde tried to make some sort of reply, but it was as though she was drowning in the darkness. The black expanse of death was calling to her, begging for her, and she was ready to meet it.

As she drifted away, she saw faces. She saw the old Viking warrior and his daughter, slaughtered by the Daleks. She saw the kind faces of Lieutenant Myers and Corporal Higgins. She saw Vastra, and Jenny, Harry, Strax, Gwen, Rhys, and all the faces that had lined the walls of the TARDIS. She saw Romana, the strange yet familiar woman whose image had caught her attention. Slitheen, Daleks, the face of the Wire, the cold visage of the Celestial Toymaker... The famous faces of Harry Potter and all his friends...

She saw her brother, his bright red hair and freckles. She could hear him laughing, from a time long ago, his little voice cheering. She saw him as he grew older, getting glasses and braces and trying to learn how to play the trumpet with disastrous outcome. She saw her father, his kindly face grinning down at her as he tinkered with objects in the kitchen, his hair graying a little. She saw Roland, the dog she'd grown up with, snuffling around his feet and looking up at her with his hilariously squashed face.

She saw her mother, her hair as vibrant as always, making a pot of tea in the middle of the night when Robin felt sick. The woman who had always been there for her, had helped her through everything... Always encouraging and loving and supportive no matter what. More than anything, Robin wished she could say goodbye to her mother, the always hopeful Rita.

And of course, she saw the Doctor. His shaggy hair, his goofy grin, his strange way of swaggering around and flipping switches with his feet. And those eyes... Those ageless golden eyes. She'd seen them happy, sad, angry, distant, cold, vengeful... Every emotion she knew and so many more, she'd seen flicker through those impossible eyes. If anyone were to ask her who had been the most important person in her life, she knew that the honest answer would be the Doctor. He had shown her so much... He had taught her what it meant to truly live. To get in a blue box - which was bigger on the inside - with the mad man and his ravings about time and space.

She'd give anything to stay with him.

But Robin knew she couldn't, and so she just tried to listen to him. He was talking about who she'd leave behind. If she could have, she would have frowned. Was this crazy person trying to guilt her into staying? But then, she heard a little click, and her life changed forever.

Golden light shot into Robin's green eyes, which flew open instantly. She could feel her mind expanding, infinitely expanding. She felt her organs shift around inside her, and felt the beginnings of something strange in her chest. And then she screamed as more of the golden light started shooting from her limbs and head, filling the room with the light of the universe.

Anyone watching would see her transform. Her hair grew, changing to a deep black color and reaching almost to the bottom of her back. Her eyes changed to a color so dark blue that they looked almost purple. She seemed to stretch, growing from her average height to around six feet tall. The color of her skin shifted slightly, becoming a little more pale than before. She stayed thin but her hips and chest filled out a little more, adding more of a curve to her figure. And finally, the hole in her stomach completely closed, leaving her skin intact.

When the regeneration was complete, Robin simply stayed still for a moment. She could feel the Earth moving beneath her, hurtling through space at a recklessly fast pace. She could feel the breathing of the universe, its vast expanses calling to her to come and see. She could feel the vibrations in the very atoms that made up the matter around her. She could feel two hearts beating in her chest.

And she could smell the Doctor.

Slowly, she sat up and locked eyes with him. Shock was plain on her face as she gazed at him, realizing what she'd become. Thoughts whirled around her seemingly endless brain, and she had to try very hard to focus on any one in particular.

"I take back my statement from earlier," she said, her voice a slightly deeper, huskier sounding tone than before. "This. This is definitely the one we didn't see coming."

Villain

The Doctor's eyes had bulged out of their sockets. His mouth hung open slightly as he looked at what had once been a slightly abnormal girl from Florida. She was no longer the person he had known. Thin, blonde and beautiful Robin Baker had vanished in a stream of golden light that had burned the ground around her. The fire had warped her skin and charred her hair, it had shifted the color of her eyes and transformed her figure into something that he didn't recognise.

This was no longer Robin Baker the human. This was a Time Lord. A real, living Time Lord that he didn't know. And everyone in the room was staring at her with shock and disbelief, unsure of whether to celebrate the unusual change of events.

Madame Vastra wrapped her arm around Jenny protectively, yanking her sword from the Cyberman she had just fell. Gwen was by their side with a gun in her hands, standing in front of the couple whilst Sky and Harry retreated behind her. Even K-9 seemed put off by the events and had fled behind the wall of warriors like any other frightened dog.

Only Strax seemed to have the courage (or perhaps stupidity) to approach the Doctor and Robin. He said nothing while he approached, and stayed no less than a meter away from the two, his baton at the ready in case things got ugly.

Eventually, the Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but Robin was the one who got there first.

The Doctor's face changed between several different expressions of surprise before he nodded in agreement. "This was...unexpected," he said with a grimace before turning his head. "Strax?"

"Yes sir! What would you like me to do?" Strax asked, banging his fist against his chest in a formal display. "What are your orders sir? Do you wish me to aid Miss Baker?"

"No Strax," the Doctor replied, sounding pained as he spoke. He took one final glance at Robin before saying three words. Words that he wished he didn't have to say. "Knock her out"

The Sontaran didn't give Robin a moment to react. Before she even knew what was happening, the Sontaran leaped forwards and clubbed her on the back of the head with his large three fingered hand. Knocking her out instantly.

"Doctor...she..." Madame Vastra began as the Doctor got to his feet.

"I know," he replied gruffly before looking towards the cells and clicking his fingers at Strax. "Put her in an empty cell. Don't hurt her. Make sure she's comfortable. When she wakes up...we'll deal with her."

fireandblood

Robin watched the play of emotions travel over the Doctor's face. Disbelief, confusion, mistrust, and... could it be fear? Her eyes narrowed. What on Earth could the Doctor possibly have to fear from her? He knew her, she was Robin, his friend and companion. Quickly, she looked at each of them again. Madame Vastra had grabbed her sword, looking as though she was about to fight. Gwen was pointing a gun at her. Everyone looked afraid.

Strax was approaching with a velocity of about twice the normal walking speed for a Sontaran, his elevated breathing levels betraying his readiness for another battle. Confusion flitted across Robin's face for an instant as she wondered two things. First, why did everyone seem ready to take her down? Second, how could she possibly know the average walking velocity of a Sontaran?

Then, the Doctor said something she would never have imagined him saying, especially not toward her. But even as she opened her mouth, Strax hit her hard on the back of the head, rendering her immediately unconscious.

She began to dream. The dream was hazy, coming into focus very slowly. She could see the woman, Romana, weeping softly. The dream had more of a memory-like feel to it, and Robin realized she was seeing something from before she had been made human. There were loud noises all around, and Romana was clutching Robin tightly to her chest.

Not Romana, Robin thought with shock. Mother. A single tear leaked from her eye at the memory, as she saw the beautiful woman place some sort of metal circuitry on Robin's head. The memory faded, though, as Robin came back to consciousness. She found herself on a bed, locked tightly in a cell, Strax standing outside with a protective posture. Then she realized she was quite angry.

"Oi!" she shouted, realizing that even her speech pattern was changing. An interesting development. "You! Strax! What the hell was that for? Get the Doctor here, now! He has some serious explaining to do!" Her hand went to the back of her head, which she realized contained much more hair than she was used to. Her nearly violet eyes burned with anger. "I'm going to get him for this..."

Villain

"Sir, the boy was awoken!" Strax called out, ignoring the protests of the newly acquired Time Lord locked inside the cell. "Might I suggest we atomise him to prevent any attempt on your life?"

"Strax, remember what you just said, because later on I'm going to explain to you why you're a blithering idiot," the Doctor's voice called out from the far side of the room before he approached the cell, walking up to the bars and peering through them at Robin.

"Well...this is certainly one for the books," he said as he looked over her warily. Although the shock had finally drained from his face, he still seemed reluctant to get too close to Robin. It was obvious that he still didn't quite know what to make of everything.

"So..." he began before leaning forward and pressing his head to the thick steel bars of her cell. "...are you a Time Lord or did you just take that comment about me finding someone with bigger hips to heart?"

"Doctor, will you please be serious!" Madame Vastra's scolding voice hissed from behind him, causing the Doctor to smirk impishly.

"Couldn't resist. You changed, I noticed, I had to make the joke to break the ice," the Doctor said to Robin before smiling apologetically. His gaze falling to the floor as he chuckled quietly and nervously.

"I thought it would be best if I could begin by making you laugh. Its a good way to ease the tension don't you think?" The Doctor asked raisin his eyes to meet Robin's. "I figured that if I could make you laugh then at least it wouldn't come as much of a shock when I accused you of being the new leader of the Silence."