#one of those types that just wants to be a robot. or as nineteenth century fuckers call it an automata

[theroseandcrown]

The Rose & Crown: Chapter Eleven (Part Two)

Rating: M Chapters: 11/24

Summary: The Doctor and Clara come face to face with their kidnapper and uncover a shocking truth about their future.

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“You have no idea how many years I’ve waited to finally meet you, Doctor,” the hooded man spoke, his robotic voice still disguised behind his mask.

“Ah, well, you could’ve just phoned. I’m sure I could have jotted you down somewhere,” the Doctor replied.

The coachman snickered from under his hood. “Such a wonderful defence mechanism, humour. She said you’d be funny.”

“Who did? How do you know me?”

“There’s not a star in the universe safe from the whispered mentions of your name.”

“How did you know I was going to be here?”

The masked man turned around at the question. “The answer to that will be revealed in due time, my friend.”

“What do you want from me?”

The coachman turned his masked face towards Clara. “Bring me the companion,” he ordered. The soldier grabbed Clara’s arm and pulled her away as she struggled to break free of his grasp.

“No, wait! If it’s me you want, take me!” the Doctor objected before the second soldier hit him in the stomach with the end of his weapon. He gasped as the air was forced from his lungs.

“Doctor! Let go of me!” she screamed towards the soldier as she was dragged to the hooded figure and forcefully thrown at his feet.

The coachman peered down at the fallen woman clutching her stomach and wincing in pain then back to his soldier. He shook his head and tsk-tsked in disapproval. “Manners, my friend. These are our guests. A true gentleman would never harm a lady,” he claimed, pulling a modified nineteenth-century pistol from his cloak, taking aim at his soldier and killing him instantly. His limp metal body collapsed to the floor as Clara screamed in terror. The coachman replaced his weapon beneath his cloak and returned his attention to her. “My apologies.” He pulled the chair next to him and extended a gloved hand towards her, motioning for her to take it. “If you please.” She reluctantly accepted as the man helped her from the floor into the chair. The man slowly circled the frightened woman, staring down at her appearance and stopping next to her. He reached out and took her chin in his palm. “Such a pretty thing,” he admired. She angrily pulled away from his grasp. A small snicker escaped through his mask as he observed her fuller figure trying to hide beneath her dress. “I see you’ve been busy, Doctor. I didn’t take you for a family man.”

“Yes, well,” he started, beginning to regain his breath. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me. We’ve only just been acquainted. Seems unfair. You know who I am, yet I don’t know anything about you. To what name should I be addressing our most gracious host?” He tried to mask his concern over Clara’s well-being as she held a hand to her stomach and continued to breathe heavily.

“Ah, yes. How very inconsiderate of me,” the masked man replied. “I am known by many different names across the galaxy. My enemies refer to me as the Raven. Those who have been enslaved under my command have been called the Shade. I’ll admit, those titles don’t carry quite the same resonance throughout the stars as yours does, Doctor. However, titles aside, the one dearest to me called me... Quynn.”

“Funny things, names,” the Doctor started. “I’ve known more species in the universe than you can even imagine. I’ve been to places you’ve only seen in your nightmares. Yet, in all that time travelling throughout time and space, I’ve never heard of you before.”

“Perhaps your attention has been concentrated elsewhere,” the man suggested, carefully running his fingers between the ruffles of Clara’s blouse. “Tell me, Doctor. Do you know why I’ve brought you here?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea,” he replied, holding down his temper.

The man turned towards the large window and peered down below. The assembly floor was busy with movement. His robotic followers were preoccupied with their duties of uncrating and inspecting several different types of weapons. Soldiers were welding together parts of armour to each other while others were engraving the symbol of a red raven to the upgraded breastplates. “I built this army and everything you see from the ground up. Although, I didn’t do it alone. I had help along the way. Some may call it my legacy, but I see it as an opportunity.”

“An opportunity to do what, exactly?” Glancing to Clara, he watched as she slowly brought her hand to the table next to her while the man’s back was turned and quietly grabbed a sharp cylindrical object, a pen of sorts perhaps. He glared at her, his eyes wide with fear as if to say, ‘Don’t you dare! You’re going to get yourself killed!’ Keeping her eyes focused on the Doctor, she tucked the object into the sleeve of her coat.

“The universe can be so unforgiving. Out there, the rules we set for ourselves don’t apply. A dying star can pull entire worlds into its destruction, destroying millions of lives and bringing extinction to an entire species. Such power. Everything you’ve ever cared about, everything you’ve tried so hard to protect could be gone in an instant. The universe doesn’t abide by the concepts of good and evil. It doesn’t care about lives being saved or lost. You of all people should understand that, Doctor.” The man turned around to face him. “But what if you could prevent the inevitable? What if you could save billions of lives from war and genocide, protect them from collapsing stars and expanding suns? What if you had the power to choose who lives and who dies?”

“I’d say you were describing the powers of a God.”

“Gods are nothing but myths and legends, stories devised to frighten people into submission. I’m speaking of real power.” The man returned to Clara’s side. “I’ve seen countless worlds brought to their knees by superior races hell-bent on conquest. I’ve watched one planet after another fall victim to their planet’s destruction. You might be surprised to know how much a person would be willing to give up, to trade away for their own life or the lives of those they treasured most if they knew you had the power to save them.” The Doctor’s eyes conveyed a deep understanding of the truth behind his words. “And if you were to offer them a choice, swear their undying allegiance to you or suffer their inevitable fate, which do you think they would choose?”

“Aren’t you the mighty hero,” the Doctor’s sarcasm took form. “Saving innocent people from their doom, and in return, you offer them an eternity of slavery. These people, these followers of yours are nothing but the spoils of war. Had they any idea what was waiting for them at the cost of your protection, I think they’d rather take their chances.”

The man snickered. “I would have thought you’d be on my side, Doctor. Isn’t that what you do, what you are known for? Saving lives?”

“Not at the cost of their own free will.” His temper was rising. “Have you thought about what the consequences of saving these people, let alone an entire species, could do to the fabrics of time? Those billions of lives you are sparing from their fate could create a ripple throughout the universe causing it to completely collapse on itself. All of life as we know it could cease to exist. If I could save every single person who was marked for death, be able to alter every fixed point in time with no repercussions, don’t you think I would?”

“So you would have them all die then?” asked the masked man with a hint of curiosity.

The Doctor glanced at Clara, hesitantly thinking about his answer as the faces of those he had let perish or risk tearing the universe apart flashed into his mind. “Yes,” he replied, feeling a sense of shame in his answer.

“My my, how intriguing. It would appear there’s a more monstrous side hiding inside of you after all, Doctor. I dread to imagine what would become of those in your path if it was ever fully unleashed.” The man looked down at Clara, observing her terrified expression at his closeness. Her breathing had deepened, a bead of sweat trailed down the side of her face. Without warning, he forcefully grabbed her wrist and twisted it towards him causing her to scream out in pain. The Doctor felt himself fall forward to rush to her side but was held back by the remaining soldier. The masked man’s other hand gently reached into her coat sleeve and pulled the sharpened object hidden from within, then released his grasp on her. She cradled her wounded wrist as angered tears fell from her face. The man stepped in front of her and glared down at her shaken form. “Your companion seems to lack a few crucial lessons in manners. How disappointing. I just may have to teach her myself. Although, my ways are known to be a little more... disciplined.” He raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face. She cried out and held her cheek as blood formed at the corner of her mouth.

“Stop this!” the Doctor shouted with objection, trying to fight the soldier’s hold on him. “Where is your honour? What happened to a gentleman never harming a lady?”

The man spun around to face him and returned his hands behind his back. “Leave us,” he ordered the remaining soldier still clinging to the Doctor’s arms.

“Sir,” the soldier obeyed with a nod. He released his grasp and exited the room, shutting the door closed behind him.

The Doctor and Clara found themselves alone in the room with the man, neither one of them making any sudden movements to avoid the fate of the dead soldier still sprawled out on the floor. Once it was decidedly safe, the man reached towards his hood and slowly pulled it back to fully expose his dark mask. He released the two clips at the back holding the mask around his face and carefully removed it from where it once rested. The Doctor was suddenly hit with a wave of telepathic abilities emanating from the newly unmasked figure. To his utter surprise, nothing could have prepared him for what he saw standing before him; a woman.

“At last we finally meet face to face, Doctor,” said Quynn, setting her mask on the table beside her. Although her voice was feminine in nature, it had an unforgiving harshness to it that seemed disturbing. Yet something about it was so very familiar, a voice he recognized but couldn’t quite place.

The Doctor stared in disbelief at the recognizable features of the woman in front of him. His mind filtered through the faces of his past trying to determine where he had seen her before. And then the realization hit him like a slap to the face as his memories became more clear. Missy’s assistant. The young woman holding the Comasphere on Prima Nova, it was her. Aside from a few new scars on her face, possibly obtained in battle over time, the woman looked almost exactly as he remembered her that night. “You!” he exclaimed in shock, now beginning to piece together the details unravelling before him. “Of course! It all makes perfect sense, why didn’t I see it before?! The crates, the ones containing all the artefacts. You’ve been heisting them from locations spread throughout the universe. You’re using the Persuaders to force people of power to trade their weapons and upgrade your armies without them even realizing what they were doing.” He observed Quynn’s impressed reaction which further confirmed his accusations. His mind began to connect all his thoughts. “It was you who called the TARDIS emergency line, I recognize your voice! But how is that possible?! The events of the auction won’t be taking place for centuries from now. You claim to have been waiting for me all this time, yet you’ve barely aged a single day since I saw you last.”

“It’s true. I’ve been waiting for you longer than I can even remember, and longer still to trace you to this exact point in time. And now, here we are.”

“Who are you, really? What does any of this have to do with me?”

Quynn smirked at the old man’s humorous ignorance. “Can you hear it, Doctor? The ringing in your ears? The link to your mind from someone like yourself calling out to you? Can you feel the electricity within your fingertips?”

“Yes,” he answered, questioning everything the young woman seemed to know about him. “How can you possibly know that?”

“Because, I can feel it too,” she confessed, tracing her fingers along the edge of her mask. “I’ve encountered countless species with the ability to telepathically link to one another, but only one with the capability to be the most powerful race in the universe. The great Time Lords.” The old man’s hearts dropped at the sound of the name. “Pity there’s so few of us left.”

The Doctor continued to stare at the woman in disbelief, unable to find any truth in her words. “That’s not possible. The Time Lords are gone, stuck in a pocket dimension never to return. I should know, I put them there. Whatever you are is something... else. Which brings me to my next question, the one you haven’t answered yet. Why did you bring me here?”

“I was sent here with a message for you.” A menacing smile appeared on her face. She walked over to the table and pressed her hand upon the top until a view-screen lit up on its surface. She typed a few commands into its interface then removed her glove and pressed her thumb down to scan her print for recognition. A panel slid open next to the screen. She reached in and pulled a small wooden box from inside then set it on the table and slid the box towards him.

“What is it?” His brow raised with curiosity.

“A gift,” she replied, maintaining her position behind the table.

The Doctor hesitantly approached the object, keeping a watchful eye on Clara who seemed to have recovered somewhat from her pains. Returning his attention to Quynn, he slowly picked up the small box and opened it to examine its contents. Inside was a lady’s brooch depicting the profile of the Roman Goddess Flora. Though many women of the Victorian era could be seen wearing a very similar piece, this one in particular was made of a rare type of element known as dark star alloy. When crafted correctly, it was capable of piercing even the strongest of metals. A feeling of dread arose inside of him as he realized the piece he held was one he knew very well. It was the very same that used to belong to him before he gave it to someone he thought he could trust. Someone he knew would not have parted with it so easily without good reason. So many thoughts flooded his mind at the same time. “Where did you get this?!” he demanded. Quynn remained silent at his question, grinning to herself as she watched him become more aggressive with each second that passed. “The woman you spoke of before, the one who told you I was funny. Who is she?!” Quynn’s infuriating silence was even more of a sign his worst fears were validating themselves. “All this talk of doomed planets and enslaved armies, waiting centuries for the chance to bring me here just to give me a message, and now suddenly you have nothing to say.” He began to pace in front of her as he tried to gather his thoughts. Each thought entering his mind caused his fear and anger to take control over him. “You said the one dearest to you called you Quynn.” He approached her as closely as he dared to go. His concern for their safety had become second to his overwhelming desire for the truth. “Was it she who sent you here to find me? Is she the one who gave you this?” He held the brooch in front of him.

“I suspect you already know the answer to that, Doctor.” She could feel his gaze burning fiercely into her eyes as he awaited her answer. “After all that you’ve been through thus far, after everything we’ve learned about each other, knowing all that has been and could be accomplished with you by my side, does it matter who sent me here?”

“Believe me, it matters,” he assured her, continuing to hold the piece in front of him. “Do you have any idea what this is?”

“It’s nothing more than a family heirloom. An offering to persuade you to view things in a different light as we do. I’ll admit, I had my doubts that a gesture so small would have any effect on the outcome of you joining us. However, seeing you this disordered over a piece of jewellery has been quite entertaining. If not a bit overly dramatic.”

“A family heirloom you say? How interesting,” he began, regaining himself. “As in having been passed down through generations. From a grandparent to their future descendants. From a parent to a child. Or, perhaps in this case, from a mother to her daughter.”

“I’m aware of the concept, Doctor.”

“Are you?” he inquired, raising his brow. “Tell me then. After all this time you’ve been waiting for me, spending countless years keeping this safe until the moment I was standing right here, have you ever asked yourself why it was saved for me? Surely something as valuable as this ought to have been passed down to its next rightful heir?”

“It’s not my position to question the orders in which I am given, only to see them out in the manner of which they are received.”

The Doctor could sense a hint of frustration and possibly a slight resentfulness emanating from within her. He felt his strategy of disarming her with his words seemed to be proving effective. “Ah, I understand now. You’re merely a pawn in all of this, just a piece to be played. The messenger who doesn’t question anything, who does exactly as she’s told!”

Quynn smirked at the old man’s words. Cupping her hands behind her, she slowly turned her back on him and made her way to Clara’s side. “I know what you’re doing, Doctor, and it won’t work on me. When it comes to playing mind games, I was trained by the very best. I know every trick in the book there is. So, what do you say we change the rules of the game? Up the stakes a bit, shall we?” she insisted, removing her pistol from its holster and pointing the barrel at his companion’s head. Clara’s eyes went wide with fear. Her body froze in place as frightened tears streamed down her face. The Doctor retained his calm demeanour, unwilling to show any sign of weakness that could be used against him. “I can make this as simple or as difficult as it needs to be,” she continued. “My orders are fairly straightforward. I can offer you a choice. Either you come with me willingly and I spare their lives, or I shoot them now and force you to come with me anyway.”

“Well yes, you could shoot them,” he started.

“You better be joking, Doctor,” Clara warned, flashing him a heated glance. “Surely you’re joking, yeah?” Quynn found herself surprised by his response yet maintained her position.

“However,” he continued, looking to Clara as he fought to keep his emotions under control. He stared at her apologetically for what was to come, for what he knew he had to do to save them. “If you kill them, you’ll be killing yourself,” he affirmed with a heavy sigh.

“Hang on, what?” Clara uttered alarmingly. “Doctor, what are you talking about?”

“She’s our daughter, Clara,” he answered. Somehow the thought of his own words brought a smile to his face despite their current situation.

“I don’t understand,” she admitted as a mix of confusion and dread rested upon her face.

The brief moment between them was interrupted by the sound of Quynn’s unexpected hysterical laughter filling the small room. “I apologize,” she stated, lowering her weapon to her side. She continued to laugh, wiping a tear from her eye as she attempted to compose herself. “I have to admit, I was not expecting that from you, Doctor. If you thought you’d be so bold as to try to make a fool out of me, I’m quite certain you’ve made a great miscalculation of character. I should be offended. However, it doesn’t surprise me that you’d be willing to say anything to protect the mother of your child.”

“I’m afraid it’s true. Every word of it.”

“Seriously, Doctor. What are you talking about?!” Clara repeated, this time with urgency.

“I’m also curious to see how far you’re willing to go with this charade,” Quynn added. “I trust you’ve spent this time devising an explanation to accompany your absurd accusations. Luckily for you, I’ve all the time in the universe to be entertained by any reliable evidence you have to offer.”

“All the evidence you’ll ever need is right here.” He placed the brooch on the table in front of him.

“I’m afraid it’s going to take a little more than a bit of jewellery to convince me. I’ll give you another chance before I come to the conclusion that you’re merely trying to test my patience and I decide to kill all three of you instead.”

“I expected as much.” He leaned against the table and crossed his arms. “The reason the brooch was to be delivered to me is that it wouldn’t have belonged to you in the first place. It was never intended for you. You were sent here with a message, that much is certain. But you didn’t need to spend all this time waiting for me to show up just to give me a bit of boxed jewellery. This isn’t about the gift. This was never about wanting me to join you while you circumvented the universe looking for worlds to save and people to enslave into your armies. I’ll admit, you had me believing you for a moment. That maybe you did hold the answer to cheating all the laws of the universe without consequence that I could never quite reach. I thought that maybe if I agreed to come with you, I could somehow convince you that saving people is its own reward. But then you showed me this,” he stared at the brooch on the table, “and suddenly everything became so very clear.” He gently picked up the piece and turned it around in his hand as if trying to read all of its dark secrets. “You see, the woman who sent you here, the one you work for, I know her very well. You might even say we were good friends once. I was the one who gave this to her back on Gallifrey, so many years ago. It was a gift for her daughter, her real daughter. I don’t expect she’s ever really forgiven me for what happened to her, for what I did, for what I had to do. And for that, I’ll always have my regrets.” He slowly replaced the piece on the table and stood to face the woman eye to eye. “Missy is not your mother, Quynn. Whatever she’s told you about me, whatever reason she had you bring us to Prima Nova, it was all a lie devised to manipulate you into taking her revenge out on me. She didn’t send you here with a message for me to join you. You, my dear, are the message.” The room went quiet as his eyes traced back and forth between the startled faces of the women in the room.

“Tell me, Doctor. Why should I believe any of this?” Quynn asked, trying to fill the empty spaces of his story with her own thoughts.

“Because it’s the truth. Because,” he sighed, “I’m the one to blame. I’m the reason for all of this!” He felt the familiar sense of anger rising within him once more.

“Doctor, what are you saying?” Clara asked, trying to keep up with all that had been revealed thus far.

The Doctor placed his face in his hands and tried to come to terms with what he knew he must confess. The rage was building inside of him. It took all of his strength not to explode with emotion. “Oh Clara, Clara, Clara.” He ran his hands down his face in frustration and looked deeply in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Clara.”

The uncertainty she felt towards him turned to fear over the unmistakable look of guilt consuming his expression. “Doctor, what have you done?”

“What I had to do.” The look of shame and sorrow passed over his face. “I made a deal with Missy,” he confessed as another heavy sigh passed his lips. “I agreed to trade our child away in exchange for your life.” He could only describe the emotions running over his companion’s face as that of shock and hatred.

“You didn’t. Tell me you didn’t, Doctor,” she asserted, making sure each word she spoke was clearly understood by him.

“It was the only way to save you. She was going to kill you both if I hadn’t agreed. I’ve spent the last few months trying to find a way out of our deal hoping to buy us more time before she would eventually come for our baby.” He glanced at his daughter standing behind the woman still carrying her. “And it would appear as though I will have been unsuccessful.” Clara leaned back in her chair, her mouth agape as his words encompassed every part of her mind.

“I’m quite impressed,” Quynn interjected. “You’ve really thought this all out, haven’t you? One day they may end up writing such magnificent stories based on your tall tales of woe. But until then, I think I’ve heard quite enough fiction for one evening,” she declared, slowly running her fingers through Clara’s hair as if taking one last look at her. “What a shame, she was such a pretty thing. Anything else you’d like to tell your companion before I kill her?” She returned her pistol to the back of Clara’s head and cocked it. Clara closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

“If you kill her, none of this will have ever existed.” His concern for Clara’s well-being was rapidly growing as he felt he was losing control of the situation. “All that you have worked for, all the planets and people you have saved, all that you have accomplished will be erased from time itself. Don’t you see? Your entire existence is a paradox. If you kill Clara, you never would have brought us to Prima Nova. You never would have been conceived and therefore would never have been born. Time will have rewritten itself to its last fixed point before any of this ever started. Is that a risk you’d be willing to take? I’m offering you a chance to start a new life, the life you should have had, with us. Please, don’t do this.”

Quynn stayed silent for a moment as if considering his proposal carefully. “Even if what you say is true, and believe me, I will discover the truth, I see no reason to assume that killing you instead would have any effect on the outcome of what has already taken place.” A smile formed on her face as she changed her target from Clara to take aim at the centre of his chest.

“NO!” Clara screamed, falling forward in her chair.

“No, Clara!” He held up his hand in a peaceful gesture to stop her from standing. “It’s okay. All of this was my fault. If it hadn’t been for me, none of this would have happened. I put you and our child in danger and I’ll never be able to forgive myself for that. I deserve whatever is coming to me. I’ve lived for far too long. This is right.”

“No, Doctor! Please!” she cried. “I can’t do this without you.”

“It’ll be okay, Clara.” He wanted to comfort her, to hold her in his arms fearing this would be the last time he’d ever get the chance to do so. They had already been through so much together. Her life force was deeply entwined in his own. She deserved better than what he’d done to her. He hated goodbyes just as much as he hated endings, no matter their nature. “I know you’re going to be a wonderful mother. Take care of her for me, Clara.”

“Goodbye, Doctor,” Quynn remarked, placing her finger on the trigger. He closed his eyes and awaited the darkness coming for him.

“NO!” Clara screamed again. Without even realizing what she was doing, she flung herself back into her seat with brute force. Using her legs as propulsion, she sent herself and the chair flying backwards straight into Quynn who cried out from the blow. Her shot missed the Doctor by inches before nearly being knocked over. Clara fell from her chair to the floor landing on her side next to the body of the deceased soldier. Without delay, she grabbed the weapon from his dead grasp and flipped around to face her daughter. Quynn, having recovered from the shock of Clara’s unexpected attack, turned her weapon towards her mother to take aim.

“Clara, NO!” she heard the Doctor shout as she pressed down on the trigger and fired off a shot directly into Quynn’s chest. The blast from the rifle sent her flying backwards and smashing through the glass window. She let out a scream as her body was flung like a projectile out of the room and down to the assembly floor far below them. A loud crash was heard accompanied by the startled voices of the soldiers below.

The Doctor rushed to where the window once was and peered down. He could see Quynn’s limp lifeless form sprawled on the ground. Her body had fallen upon several stacked crates, obliterating them into pieces. Several armed guards rushed to the scene. They stood over the fallen body of their commander and glanced in the direction of where she had fallen from, meeting the face of the man looking down at them. At once they began to assemble themselves and exit the floor, their weapons drawn and ready for combat. Moments later, an alarm was heard broadcasting throughout the building. “I think we’ve outstayed our welcome,” he concluded, turning to his companion who was frozen in shock. Thinking quickly, he rushed to the door they had entered through and pulled out his sonic-screwdriver, aiming it towards the lock. The locked clicked and sealed. As the guards from the outside began to pound on the door, he rushed over to Clara and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Clara,” he addressed her, breaking her from her petrified state.

“I shot her.” Her eyes were wide and full of tears.

“Clara, we need to leave.” He tried to pull her from the floor.

“I shot her, Doctor,” she sobbed, placing her face in her hands.

“Yes, I know. But right now I need you to get up for me. That door won’t hold much longer.” He stood and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her to a standing position. Once sure she was able to stand on her own, he rushed around the room to collect what he needed for their escape. He ran to the table and opened the case of perception filter badges. He took out two of them then returned to where he left her. Using his screwdriver, he initiated a complete scan of the deceased soldier’s body.

“Is she dead?” Clara finally managed to ask. She looked as white as a sheet. Her eyes remained wide as fresh tears ran down her cheeks. He raised his brow at the question and continued his work on the badges, placing his screwdriver on the small devices to update their data. “Doctor? Please, tell me,” she pleaded.

“Here,” he replied, handing her one of the badges. “Put this on. I’ve recalibrated its internal circuitry and reversed its projection system to mimic the revised primary data model.”

She stared at him as if he had just spoken to her in fluent Gallifreyan. “Was I supposed to understand any of that?”

He exhaled an exasperated sigh at the question. “If we want to get out of this alive, we can’t just walk out of here appearing human. If I’ve done my calculations correctly, these perception badges should be able to project the most recent image uploaded into its database.” He placed the badge on his lapel and activated it which replaced his furrowed grey-haired form into a replica of the soldier. He helped to place on hers and activated it, changing her appearance from a Victorian woman into an armoured android.

She raised her hands and turned them over to observe their cybernetic features then peered down the rest of her body. Where there should have been a noticeable fullness extending from her middle, there was now an armoured metal plating. She attempted to hold back her grief and shock to focus on what she needed to do to save herself and her child’s life. The emotions flowing through her at that moment were being silenced by her greater need to survive. “Are you sure about this?”

“About eighty-seven per cent sure.”

“Fair enough.”

They heard a loud thud on the door as the soldiers attempted to break it down. “Time to go,” he insisted, turning to the secondary door. “And bring that,” he gestured towards the weapon she used on Quynn. “We just may need it after all.” The alarm continued to sound as he headed to the secondary door and slowly cracked it open, peering outside for any sign of soldiers approaching. Once it was safe, he opened the door to better observe the undiscovered area. The long dark corridor was vacant of any lifeforms to be concerned about for the moment. He motioned for her to step through then used his screwdriver on the door, locking it from the outside. Taking her hand, he led her down the corridor to its end and turned the corner. As they came around the bend, he heard the sound of soldiers making their way down the adjacent pathway. Thinking quickly, he yanked her behind the wall and wrapped his arm around her front to steady her. She yelped in pain and clutched her middle still hiding beneath her armoured disguise. He quickly covered her mouth with his free hand attempting to keep her as silent as possible. She breathed deeply through her nose and tried to concentrate on anything but her pain. Once the soldiers passed, he whispered into her ear. “We’ll wait here. Once it’s safe, we’re going to head for the exterior access hatch. We may have to reach it quickly before we’re spotted and our disguises are uncovered. Can you make it?” The adrenaline pumped heavily through his veins as he spoke. She nodded, her mouth still covered by his hand. From down the corridor, they heard the sound of pounding coming from the door behind them. The soldiers had made it passed the first barrier. “Change of plans!” he blurted, releasing his grasp on her. Taking her hand, he hurried to lead her through the corridor into the adjacent one and searched for anything even remotely resembling an exit of any kind. Spotting a singular door at the far end of the hall, they picked up their pace and headed towards it, pushing it open and bursting their way through. They stopped dead in their tracks, realizing they had found themselves in a loading dock. Several groups of soldiers were arming themselves while others were unloading crates of weaponry from the large vehicles parked within.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but this doesn’t look like an exterior access hatch to me!” she whispered irritably through her teeth.

“Yes, well, next time I’ll be sure to stop and ask for directions before we begin running for our lives!” he snapped back. “Just remain calm and do exactly as I do.” He headed down the stairs to the dock floor with Clara following closely behind. Spotting the exit, he calmly led them passed the soldiers towards it.

“You there!” one of the higher-ranking officers shouted at them. They froze and turned their attention towards the voice. “Where do you think you two are going?”

“Uh...” the Doctor started, his brain working overtime to come up with a believable scenario. “Perimeter reinforcement! They needed more eyes on the outside keeping a lookout for two escaped human prisoners, sir!” He felt ridiculous having to recite titles to a robot even if it was a matter of life and death.

The lieutenant raised what could only be assumed was an eyebrow as he noticed the Doctor’s defencelessness. “Where is your weapon, soldier?”

“Um... it had a slight malfunction, I’m afraid,” he lied. Clara groaned in the back of her throat after being hit with another wave of pain. He could feel himself beginning to panic.

“What’s wrong with him?” asked the lieutenant.

“Oh, uh, the thought of humans running about disgusts him. Weak servomechanism system I’d say.” He was thankful the perception filter was able to mask his obvious sweating.

The lieutenant eyed the two strange infantrymen which made the old man more nervous than he intended to be. After a moment, he removed the strap attached to his rifle from his shoulder and stuck the weapon in the Doctor’s arms. “Here, take this one. Make sure to perform a sweep of the entire perimeter wall. Call if you find anything. If they have made it out, they won’t last very long in this weather. And don’t let me catch you without your weapon again. Is that understood, soldier?”

“Roger that,” he nodded, keeping his hands from trembling. The lieutenant departed from the pair and began assessing his other troops. The Doctor turned to Clara and cocked his head towards the exit. Making their way towards it, he opened the door to the outside. The cold raw air nipped them in the face as they headed away from the structure. The ground was now completely covered in snow. They approached a large gate used for transport vehicles on the side of the building.

“I can’t believe that worked,” she remarked, attempting to ignore her unsettling pain. They reached the gate to find it was locked, a chain had been wrapped tightly around it. He pulled out his screwdriver and aimed it at the lock. It sparked and unlatched allowing them to push it open and escape from the grounds into the surrounding forest. Once outside the perimeter, the perception filter badges returned them to their original forms. The Doctor grabbed Clara’s hand and hurried to lead her towards the TARDIS. She struggled to keep up, holding a hand under her middle for support. “I don’t think I can make it,” she admitted out of breath and fighting her pain.

He stopped and turned towards her, removing their weapons and dropping them in the snow. Taking a closer look, he could see her face was damp with sweat and flushed. He pressed his palm to her forehead, sensing the beginning of a fever. “Yes, you can,” he insisted. He placed her arm around his shoulder and held her steady by her waist. “We’re nearly there, the town is just ahead.”

As they walked several paces through the dark forest, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. “I think I need to rest.”

“Clara, we need to keep moving. Once the soldiers figure out what has happened, they’ll be headed this way. We have to get to the TARDIS as quickly as we can.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one carting around an extra passenger!”

“Not at the moment, no. Would you like me to call us a carriage?” he asked, not even trying to hold back his smile. She was not amused.

“Carry on, soldier boy,” she ordered, forcing herself to continue.

********************

The walk through the forest and into the developing town felt like an eternity. The Doctor managed to maintain his grip on her the entire way as the familiar sight of the TARDIS came into view. At last, they made it to the blue box. Opening the door, he assisted her inside towards the nearest seat then returned to the entrance to close it. As he did, he heard the sound of an enormous explosion originating from the direction of the factory in which they had just escaped from. Startled by the sound, he stepped outside to get a better look at the brilliant sight in the distance. The blast from the building arose far above the trees. But, to his shock, it wasn’t being caused by fire. An immense golden-yellow beam emitted from its location sending it soaring into the night’s sky and outwards destroying everything in the vicinity around it. The blinding column of light penetrated the darkness which illuminated everything the area for miles in all directions. He shielded his eyes from its immaculate glow. The electricity he felt emanating from it could have powered an entire continent. Great fear tore through him. There was only one thing that could have caused such an eruption; regeneration energy.

He quickly ran inside and shut the door as his hearts pounded in his chest. He pressed his forehead to the door to steady himself and take control over his emotions. The frightened feelings running through him were being fuelled by the knowledge that his daughter was still alive. Which meant only one thing. They were in even greater danger. Once composed, he rushed to the console. Pushing buttons and pulling levers, he sent the time machine towards its instructed coordinates. The TARDIS bucked and whirred while her passengers held on to whatever was around them.

“Where are we going?” Clara managed to ask, her defeated form gripping herself to one of the few comfortable seats available. It took all of her remaining strength not to fall out of the chair as her fever began to worsen, draining the last bit of energy helping to keep her conscious.

“Somewhere safe,” he replied, keeping an eye on the view-screen as he held onto the console. “We may need a place to hide for a while. I fear they’ve been tracking us for some time.” The sound of the ship’s signature thudded landing was heard as the interior rocking ceased. “I’ve taken us to the Horsehead Nebula. Specifically, the Ood Sphere. Its inhabitants are all telepathically linked to each other by the hive mind. If we remain here, it’s possible we can disguise ourselves under their telepathic field to camouflage whatever signal is transmitting from inside the TARDIS.”

“How long do you plan on keeping us here?” she asked, attempting to sit up. Feeling the pain returning, she winced and placed her hand over the source of her discomfort.

He came to her side and knelt before her to rest a hand over hers. With the other, he placed it above her damp brow and concluded that her fever was worsening by the minute. “I’m not sure. But first, we need to find out what’s going on in there,” he gestured to her belly and pulled out his screwdriver. He scanned her middle and brought the device into view to examine its findings. He then returned to the view-screen to upload the data he had received. After a moment of staring at the readings being displayed upon the monitor, he ran a hand down his face in frustration.

“Doctor? What is it, what’s wrong?” She became nervous at his less-than-satisfied reaction.

“There appears to be a tear in the uterine wall.” His attempt to conceal his saddened expression offered little comfort to his companion. “A separation of tissue, right here.” He pointed at the screen to a position just beside their growing child. He hung his head deep in terrified thought. The tearing had been severe. The scans showed a vast amount of internal bleeding. Her increasing fever was even more of a confirmation that if they did not seek medical attention soon, she would not be able to survive much longer.

“Is she going to be alright?” her voice trembled. His silence worried her even more. “Doctor, how bad is it?”

He turned around to face her. “I don’t know,” he lied. “There isn’t enough information available on Time Lord and human pregnancies to know for certain.”

“But it’s been done before, yeah?” she asked, remaining hopeful.

He stared into her eyes knowing very well that it had. “Yes,” he confirmed. “But not all are the same. There’s no way to know how your body will react to this. Given enough stress, this pregnancy could be fatal to you and our child. I could lose you both.” He hadn’t realized how much that thought truly terrified him until he heard the words spoken aloud.

“So what do we do?” she inquired, pushing her fears aside. If she had learned anything in her time travelling with him, she knew that wherever he was there would always be hope. He slowly approached and knelt before her once more. A heavy-hearted sigh escaped him as he placed his hands on either side of his child. He lowered his head and gently kissed the top of her belly. Closing his eyes, he carefully rested his forehead on her middle as if attempting to communicate with the small being living within her. Clara was conflicted by the feelings flowing through her at that moment. Though a part of her felt moved by his unexpected affections, a greater part of her was still angered and betrayed by his most recent confession of having promised their child away. She ran her fingers through his wavy hair to comfort him. It wasn’t often she was shown the sensitive side of this regeneration he had become. But at that moment, she knew how much this child meant to him no matter what his previous actions proved otherwise. Having heard the stories of his past and the children he once fathered and lost, this was the closest he had come to reliving that title since the day he lost them all. “Is there nothing that can be done?” she asked, trying to fight her tears.

He raised his head and met her sad eyes with his own. “There is one thing.” Leaning away from her, he lowered his gaze to his hands. After only a moment, they began to glow an ambient golden-yellow.

“Don’t you dare!” she commanded. She knew he was offering more than just a part of himself, the essence that made him everything he was, it was a piece of his irreplaceable soul she would never be able to repay.

“What other choice do we have?” He stood and stepped away from her trying to keep himself calm. “What would you have me do, just stand around here waiting for one or both of you die? I’m sorry, Clara, but I can’t-” he sighed, then returned his gaze to hers. “I won’t let that happen.”

“We’ll find another way. We always do.”

“This isn’t just another intergalactic space pickle we always seem to find ourselves in. This isn’t about all the times we escaped near-death and sat around the table having a good laugh about it. We’re talking about your life and the life of our child. Unless we seek medical attention immediately, both of you will die.” The words tore through him like a knife. It took everything in his power to remain strong for her as his world was crashing all around him.

“Then we find help. Surely someone out there can help us.”

“And go where, exactly? Last time I checked, the list of available hospitals in the universe housing a vast amount of knowledge about Time Lord pregnancies seemed rather short.” His sarcasm was getting the better of him. He sighed and returned himself to the situation. “I’ve already caused enough damage. I’ve betrayed your trust, risked our friendship, put all of our lives in danger all because I thought I was doing the right thing. Please, just let me do this for you. Allow me this one thing. A chance to set things right.” His eyes begged her to reconsider.

She felt herself struggling to stay awake, her eyes strained to focus on the old man’s sorrowed face. She could feel her body starting to fail, her vision beginning to fade. The disheartening realization finally hit her that her time was running out more quickly than either of them ever fathomed. She feared that even if they somehow managed to find help, they would be too late. “Okay,” she nodded after carefully considering her limited options.

He approached and knelt in front of her a final time. Bringing his hands in front of him, they began to glow once more. “Are you sure?”

“As I can be,” she answered weakly, then raised her brow. “Space pickle?”

“Shut up.” He pressed his hands on her abdomen and closed his eyes, concentrating all of his energy on healing the tear. Clara was losing the fight for consciousness. She felt her heavy eyelids close and her head drift to the side as he worked to mend her internal wounds. “Stay with me, Clara!” he shouted, trying to keep her awake and alert. Her hands slid off her body and landed limply to her sides as she slipped out of reality. As the darkness took over, she could barely hear the faint cries of the Doctor frantically calling out her name. And then there was nothing.

#12th doctor #doctor who #doctor who fanfiction #twelfth doctor #the doctor #dr who #dr who fan fiction #dr who fanfiction #twelve/clara #clara oswald #whouffaldi

[noromannet-blog]

The 9 best series of a Netflix season you can see

These are the best series of a season to see the pull if we do not have much time and we want a story that begins and ends in an afternoon, if possible. There are series for all tastes, and then we will see the best. Lately, there are some '' discussions '' more or less heated on the quality of the catalogs of platforms such as Netflix, HBO, Movistar or Amazon Prime. There are users who prefer one over the others, and without going into the catalog, what is clear is that the number of series on Netflix plays in favor of the Hastings platform. And, there are many series of a season that can be seen in one afternoon, and we will see the best. As we say, Netflix is a platform that, for the amount of catalog available, has many series that can be seen at any given time if we are bored. And, we are bored and do not know what to see ( we have also recommended series for those moments ), or we want a series to see the pull if we do not have much time, there are ideal productions. Next, we are going to review the best series of a season on Netflix that you can see at the stretch. As we always say when we make these types of lists, it is something totally subjective, but we have tried to cover all possible sticks.

Sex education

Of all the series that Netflix has released in recent months, Sex Education is one of the best. It is fresh, fun and does not have a plot too convoluted. It is perfect if what you are looking for is simply to entertain yourself during the weekend or something to see while doing other things. Maybe it's not a very promising cover letter, but it's still a good series. It is British and its eight chapters last about 45 minutes, being one of the best series to see the pull on Netflix.

Russian doll

If you want to watch a Netflix series of the pull, a single season, one of the candidates is undoubtedly Russian Doll. This is a series that has only eight episodes, each of about 25 minutes and, although not everyone liked it if the first two hook you ... you will see it in one afternoon. Natasha Lyonne is the absolute protagonist of this strange story that tells us how Nadia Vulvokov (Natasha) is trapped in a temporary loop. On his birthday, he dies and returns, and that's what he does. It may last a little longer, but death ends up finding her. It is a fairly intelligent series that has become one of Netflix's best short series, and Lyonne comes out as the protagonist, screenwriter, and director of this series.

Love, Death + Robots

Another of the best short series to watch the flip on Netflix is ​​Love, Death + Robots. Basically, it is an anthology of stories by Tim Miller and David Fincher that are created by computer or by traditional animation. It has 18 chapters with a duration from 5 to 25 minutes and, although some hits a downturn, hook that gives pleasure. Basically, it is a series of stories, all independent of each other, which have in common (almost all) love and robots. What everyone shares is death, one way or another, as thematic. The animation is real madness, both created by computer and generated with rotoscope techniques, and is one of Netflix's best short series.

Quicksand

Quicksand is not the best Netflix series, but it is one that must be given a chance. This is a Swedish series that begins just when there has been a shooting at a high school, and they "catch" the alleged author with her hands in the dough. When the trial begins, we begin to relive thanks to flashbacks which led the young woman to fire her rifle. Why does a young woman belonging to a rich family end up like this? It is not pleasant, and there are a couple of very, very, hard moments, but it is worth seeing what can lead some kids to commit such atrocity. They are only six chapters of about 45 minutes, and it is one of the best series to watch the Netflix pull since the storyline is not bad.

The end of the f *** ing world

It is one of the best Netflix series to watch at a stretch. It is seen in an afternoon, literally, and although there is a confirmed second part, having not premiered you can finish the series in one afternoon, and in one sitting. He tells us the story of  James, a young man who thinks he is a psychopath, and Alyssa, who also has trouble connecting with people. One day they undertake a road trip that will take them where they never expected to end. It is one of the best series to watch on Netflix if you are bored and do not know what to see since it has not been given too much hype and it is one of which we `` ventilate '' in a jiffy. There are only 8 chapters of about 25 minutes long. In one afternoon you have it done.

Black mirror

Ok, it's a trap. Black Mirror is one of the best Netflix series, and it is also one of those that you can see in one afternoon since its seasons do not have many chapters and last between an hour and an hour and a half. The good thing is that you can leave it when you want, because, although they share the theme, the Black Mirror chapters are totally independent. That is, as soon as we are watching a chapter in which a tester tests a horror game like another in which a girl is caught by likes in a future in which something similar to Instagram governs society. It is a dystopian series that shows the dangers of technology, and with a fifth season that will arrive shortly, you might want to start seeing what Black Mirror is about.

The Society

The Society is another of the best series of a Netflix season to watch the flip. The proposal is nothing from the other world, but if you fancy a youth series without many complications, it is ideal for you. The situation is as follows: an American town that is basically a neighborhood of well-settled people, a high school excursion and a group of young people who, when they return to town, discover that they have cut off the Internet and that adults have disappeared. It is an argument with threshed dyes, but it is clear that it is an entertaining series and its first season (we do not know if there will be more) is seen in a jiffy since it hooks enough.

Altered Carbon

We continue our list of the best Netflix series to see the flip with one that is not especially short, but which is the most intense and its chapters (one hour) hook as little. Altered Carbon is the series based on the novels Altered Cabono by Richard K. Morgan  and the ten episodes tell us the story of Takeshi Kovacs, a soldier who returns from the dead to try to unravel the mysterious death of one of the richest people of the planet And we say "come back from the dead", although people in that future cannot really die because all their memories are stored in a capsule they have in the neck. Thus, they can change bodies, or clone, without a problem, since they have a backup of themselves in case something happens. Who can afford it of course? Although it is not a very deep series, it does make us think about whether that is the path we would like to take in the future. If you like action, thrillers and, above all, the aesthetics of Blade Runner, you will love it. It has a second season on its way, but with the first season, it is perfectly understood. There are more series, but we believe that, currently, these are the 10 best series to watch the flip on Netflix. Some of you can air it in one afternoon and for others, you will need a weekend, but what is clear is that they hook and have only one season, so you do not wait for the second.

The alienist

We finished our selection of best series of a season that you can watch on Netflix with The Alienist. This is a television show that takes us to New York in the late nineteenth century, where we follow in the footsteps of Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, who at the time were known as aliens. The doctor is accompanied by John Moore, a journalist and cartoonist specialized in crimes, and Sara Howard, secretary at the New York police station, and together they try to solve some serial murders that are taking place in the city. There is a murderer with pleasure for the young boys who prostitute themselves in the brothels that a string of corpses is leaving behind. Dr. Kreizler and his friends will try to find the criminal, showing how dark the world was just 120 years ago. Read the full article

#Netflix