The Eighth Doctor Adventures: The Sirens Are Coming Part Two

On the surface of the planet Masas, deep secrets were harbouring.

This is the chamber of the great lord Yotov Morta, prime minister of Masas. He had ruled and guarded Masas for over a thousand years now, since the system of the expiration date was introduced into society. He was surprisingly unrespected among the citizens, even though he believed that he was a popular ruler who had been respected by everyone and everything. That was because he had the best security system in the world. So good, in fact, that he had no idea he had received a single assassination attempt, even though there had been thousands of them over the course of his reign.

On this day, Yotov was preparing for his daily dinner. He perched himself on the seat of a grand royal table, alongside a series of as yet unoccupied chairs. This was a grand room; filled with gold, silver, diamond-Nothing else. It was beautiful! A remarkable sight to behold. Nobody would ever believe it. Yotov removed his crown from his head and handed it to one of his most loyal servants, who then proceeded to place it on a grandiose oak table. Candles lit up the room wonderfully. Everything was vivid and noticeable. The lighting was perfect.

Eventually, others joined him around this very lonely dinner table. These people were the few people in the world who we admired, respected or had contact with. Due to the toxicity of the outside world, Yotov’s guards tried as best they could to keep him away from it at all times. For that reason, he only came into contact with a select number of individuals.

The most notable of these individuals was Yotov’s wife, Corla, a much more respected individual than the ruler of the planet himself. She was beautiful and pristine, as everything was in this household. Another of these notable subjects was the Prime Minister’s son, Gorva, who would carry on Yotov’s reign if ever he was unable to renew his lifespan somehow. Corla had given birth to Gorva six hundred years ago. Luckily, they had the power to all stay alive for as long as they possibly desired.

These were the only others who joined him for this banquet. The food was delivered to them shortly afterwards. It was a delicious spread! Honey roasted pork. Rich, roasted potatoes. Peas-Mushy peas, garden peas, sugar snap peas, the works! Around a dozen profiteroles. Orange juice. Water. Wine. Gravy. Pigs in blankets. Sausages. Apples. Oranges. Pears. Strawberries. Grapes. Ice cream. Yoghurt. They had it all. And it tasted delicious.

Once this meal was over, Yotov ordered his servants to take the empty plates away. He had devoured it all. As if he was not plump enough! He was rather disgusting in the way he spoke to his servants. They did not mind though as they got paid quite a great deal of money to serve for him. And in this world, money meant life. Quite literally.

All of a sudden, the light ceased, and everything was driven into pitch darkness. Silence filled the room. Well, it had done for a long time now. All that remained were very slight glimmers of light in that endless blackness. Corla tried to light a torch however it would not stay alight. More glimmers of light began to make themselves clear in that never ending perilous murkiness. A form became apparent in all that nothingness.

“Did you see that?” Corla asked. “There was something there!”

“It’s alright, my dear!” Yotov said. “It’s probably just a power outage. It’ll be back to normal soon. There’s no need to worry about anything.”

A figure began to emerge from that empty pit of blankness that had covered everything inside of the mansion. Its eyes were the first things to become apparent. Eyes of steel. An expression of cold fury filled the retinas completely. Its hands were next-outstretched into the direction of the family. Its legs were next, long and dwindly. Then its horrid, gazed mouth. Then its long, pointy nose. Then its uncovered, ghastly feet. It was one of them. It was a Siren. The Sirens are coming. The Sirens are here.

Everybody in the household gasped at once, multiple times, as the gruesome creature became clearer. The lighting returned to reveal the Siren in much more detail. Yotov and his family were unsure of what to do. They had never seen anything like this before. Yotov signalled his family to back away towards the door-which they did-before approaching the creature. Corla and Gorva watched on in anxious terror.

“We know what you did.” The Siren said. “We know you sent the crew of the Orbitoruim to destroy us. We know you killed them all. We know everything.”

Yotov looked frightened, which was a rare sight. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“We sense your fear and we sense your deceit, but you cannot lie to us. We are the Sirens. We are the ones you become. We know you sent off the crew to make every planet have a system like your own. We know the reason you brought in the expiration date system. We know what you wanted. We know what you planned. We know you.”

“Please, leave me and my family alone. I don’t know what you are, or what you want, but I will not hesitate to destroy you. I have the power to.”

“We cannot be destroyed as easily as you believe, Mr Morta.” The Siren claimed as it circled across the room. “We are here for our revenge and we shall achieve what we came here to do. We always succeed. We warn you that once we have finished here, we shall assemble our hoard, and we shall burn this planet to a cinder for what you have done.”

“What do you want?” Yotov asked, terrified. “Please, take me, but leave my family.”

The Siren chuckled. “We will not accept a bargain, Mr Morta. We will only accept your lives, or indeed your lack thereof. We just wanted you to admit what you have done, and that is the only reason why we have not killed you and your family already.”

From the door which Corla and Gorva were standing in front of, a man emerged from out of thin air. This man was the Doctor. He strolled into the room. It was remarkable! He just strolled towards the creature without a fear in the world as if he had seen something like it before. Because the fact was, he had. He had encountered these creatures before. Yotov took a step back. Corla and Gorva sneaked out of the room without the Siren noticing.

“I will not accept intruders here.” Yotov remarked.

The Doctor smirked. “I’m not an ordinary intruder. I’m here to help.” He moved closer to the Siren. “I survived. I survived your little plot. So did a few of my friends.”

“We must ask how did you escape?” The Siren asked.

“That’s a story for another day! Your friend, the other Siren on board of that ship, failed in its mission. Sadly, that Siren is still out there, living and breathing because I’ve never met anything like you so I don’t know how I’m meant to stop you quite yet.”

“We must say that other Siren was me.” The Siren declared.

The Doctor grinned. “Ah, so I’ve only met one of you! What do you want with the people of Masas? Why have you come here to target the Prime Minister and his family?”

“We wanted them to die for what they have done. We know you are aware that they have been travelling the galaxy, killing an innocent person from each race. We plotted all of this out. We know Gorva and Corla ran through that door a few moments ago.”

The Doctor turned towards Yotov. “I’m reluctant to help you after what you did, but it seems I have no choice. I need you to get out of here right this instant.”

“Why?” Yotov asked. “This is my home! I have a right to stay here if I want to!”

“Oh don’t be so naive, Mr Prime Minister! These creatures said that they plotted all of this out. They did all of this for a reason. Everything is falling into place now.”

“Give me one good reason why I should listen to you.”

“Because in about 20 seconds time, the Orbitoruim is going to come crashing through your roof and I’d advise that you don’t go crashing down with it.”

The Doctor raced towards the window, leaping out of it. They were on the ground floor, so it was fine. As he did so, the Orbitoruim crashed through the roof, destroying the house completely, alongside Yotov. He panted heavily. The Sirens had come.

Earlier, by a few moments...In a few seconds time, the Orbitoruim was about to crash onto the surface of the planet Masas. The Doctor needed an escape root, desperately. His companion who had only joined him today, Deborah Armstrong, had just learnt that the Doctor had been hiding things from her, and had just helped the Sirens detonate a bomb which would take down the ship. Its crew-Or the five surviving members of it-All were drifters of time who aimed to kill both the Doctor and Deborah, after finding out the Doctor was a time lord. 

The Doctor had many things to worry about. Right now though, his priority was not to die. He remembered that the glass protective window at the rear end of the ship had been blasted open. That could hold the key to his escape. He had no sonic screwdriver. No TARDIS. No friends. No protection. He had to put everything on the line. He had no choice. He also had no choice in saving those on board, even though they all wanted him dead. The three sirens around him vanished all of a sudden. This gave him an opportunity to act.The Doctor raced back into the cockpit, following his previous train of thought. He jumped up onto the control panel, causing some fizzing and whirring of the main control system, while the others-Besides Hillaro and Lalo who had come over to see what he was doing-Just remained still aware of their fates. The Doctor crawled onto the edge of the window, hanging on very tightly as he realised letting go would result in death.

“What are you doing, Doctor?” Hillaro asked.

“I need you to trust me. I think I have a way that we can all get out of here alive. You just need to crawl onto the edge of the ship, and jump.”

“Are you mad?” Lalo questioned. “We’ll die!”“Well you’re not going to live staying there, so please, come with me. It’s worth a try.”

“Don’t trust him!” Samuel screamed. “It’s better we all die on here together!”

Lalo sighed, before crawling onto the edge of the ship. Hillaro shortly did the same. They clutched their hands together. After all, Lalo and Hillaro were the only ones who seemed to show a sense of regret and guilt towards their past actions, and the ways of their fellow crewmates. With that, they jumped. The Orbitoruim exploded into a ball of flames behind them, hurtling towards Masas. In front of them, the TARDIS materialised. The Doctor clicked his fingers, causing the doors to open. They all landed safely inside the console.

The Doctor stood up; tears rolling down his face. “I could have saved her. I could have got her out of there. First I ruined her life and then I killed her.”

Lalo put his hand on the Doctor’s arm. “I’m sorry about your friend. Maybe it’s for the best. She was the one who destroyed the ship.” He reflected regretfully. “They’re all dead now. Shorla, Samuel, Alego, Jorpa, Sorkayne and Alissa. All gone. We’re the only two left.”

Tears rapidly trickled down Hillaro’s face. “I can’t believe they’re dead. The Orbitoruim too. Those creatures need to pay for what they have done.” She wiped away a final tear. “Thankyou for saving us, Doctor. You could have left us there.”

The Doctor sighed. “You all wanted me dead. I was hoping that you’d realise after your brush with death that everything that you did was wrong. You killed innocent people.”

“It was Sorkayne who led us, under the command of the Prime Minister, Yotov. We didn’t want to. Or at least I didn’t want to. Maybe we all deserve to die for what we have done.”

The Doctor nodded. “Yeah, maybe. Because of you lot, Deborah is dead.” There was a ping on the console. “We’ve landed at our next destination. I’m guessing this is home.”

Lalo groaned. “I don’t want to go back there, Doctor. I can’t go back there.”“Don’t you have families? Jobs? Homes? Friends? You need to go back. You need to inform everybody that the crew of the Orbitoruim died today, and that the people of this planet may still be in danger.”“The Sirens? Do you reckon they’re still out there?”The Doctor nodded. “Yes, and I don’t think they’re done with you yet.” He pressed a button which caused the doors to swing open. “You need to go. I’m afraid I can’t help you from here. I need to go and sort of a couple of things.”“What do we do if they come back?” Hillaro asked.

The Doctor shook his head. “You must have been responsible for unleashing them. You have to be responsible for destroying them. Now get out of my ship.”

“I beg your pardon!” Hillaro exclaimed. “Aren’t you going to stop those things?”“I saved your life. I think that’s enough. Now get off my ship.”

Lalo smirked. He reached into his pocket. Despite the fact that they had crashed and their ship had been destroyed, he still had his weapon held securely inside of his pocket. He grabbed it, swirled towards the Doctor and pointed it in his direction.

“That’s what I get for saving your life!” The Doctor responded. 

“You’re going to help us, Doctor.” Hillaro remarked, standing alongside Lalo who was pointing the weapon towards the Doctor. “Otherwise, you die.”

Suddenly, Lalo swivelled around and blasted Hillaro, causing her to disintegrate into smithereens. The Doctor gasped. Lalo nodded. He departed the TARDIS. The Doctor looked at the console, shrugged, and then followed. He could not leave them to fight the Sirens alone. He had no choice but to save Masas, if it were to come under imminent attack.

“What did you do that for?” The Doctor asked Lalo.“You saved my life. The least I could do was save yours.”The Doctor nodded. “Death is never the answer, you know. You shouldn’t have killed her.”Lalo sighed. “I didn’t want to, but she was one of them really. She was going to kill you.”

The Doctor turned to Lalo. “And how do I know that you don’t want me dead too?”“If I was going to kill you, I would have done it already. I regret every life we ever took, whilst none of the others who died today feel the same. They didn’t care that they took innocent lives.” Lalo glared at the Doctor. “So you’re coming with us now?”“People could die today. I can’t let that happen. Never have done before.”

The Doctor and Lalo headed out of the console onto the desolate, vast plains of the planet Masas. Orange grass surrounded every area that they could see. It was a beautiful sight. Ahead of them stood a large mansion which belonged to the Prime Minister, Yotov, and the rest of his family. This was what the Doctor and Lalo’s attentions were led to imminently.

The Doctor pointed towards the mansion. “Who does that mansion belong to.”“It belongs to the prime minister.” Lalo explains. “He was the one who introduced the system of the expiration date to this world. Rumour has it that he will never die.”“Ah, so he was the one behind that horrid system.” The Doctor acknowledged. “The Sirens found a way to change your expiration dates somehow. They had control.”Lalo reached for the watch in his pocket. “My expiration date has gone back from half an hour to what it was listed at when I checked it this morning. That means I must survive today. That means that I’m the only one who got out alive.”

“I think we should pay the Prime Minister a little visit.” The Doctor remarked. “I’d like to ask him why he thought that the expiration date system was a good idea.”

With that, the Doctor and Lalo headed off towards the mansion. It was a long walk; Forty five minutes to be specific. During that, there was little conversation between the two of them, potentially as they were both mourning those that they had lost, and in shock at the day that had unfurled. After forty five minutes of silence, they reached the outside of the mansion. It was a gorgeous building: A rich tapestry of the planet's culture built upon the luxurious lands of old. Even the Doctor gasped in its beauty.

Lalo turned around. He heard something from within the bushes. He recognised what it was instantly-The whispers of the Sirens. He could see their eyes, flickering and transforming within the shrubbery, coming closer and closer towards him and the Doctor. Lalo tapped the Doctor’s shoulder-The Doctor still mesmerized by the scale of the structure ahead of him-to alert his new ally of the creature that hid before them.

“They’re here.” Lalo remarked. “The Sirens have arrived here.”The Doctor looked at the shrubbery intently. “Yes, indeed they are. They have been responsible for the deaths of all of your closest friends, and it’d be great if they didn’t kill you as well. After all, they can destroy your expiration date.”“Thanks for giving me confidence that I’m going to survive.”“I’m not going to give you false hope.” The Doctor responded. “I want them to reveal themselves. Come on, Sirens. Show yourselves.”

All trace of the Sirens from within the bushes suddenly disappeared, as everything was plunged into deathly silence. The Doctor knocked on the doors of the mansion. There was no response. He reached into his pocket to seek out his sonic screwdriver before realising it was destroyed back on the Orbitoruim. Another knock. Again, nothing. Lalo rushed towards a nearby window and smashed it open, causing glass to spill across the ground. Lalo leaped inside, and the Doctor soon followed. They found themselves inside.

“You don’t have to come with me you know, Lalo.” The Doctor explained. “You can go home if you wish. It’s okay, I can defeat these things alone.”“I want to help.” Lalo responded. “I need some way to repay the universe for what I, and my friends, have done over the years, and that way could be to defeat the Sirens.”

The Doctor held out his hand for Lalo to shake. “You’re a better person than them.”Lalo smiled briefly. “Thank you, but I am not. I do not believe so anyway.”The floorboards screamed as movement was evident from within the mansion, potentially the emergence of lifeforms. Sirens? The prime minister? It was hard to tell at this point. The Doctor and Lalo creaked towards the source of this noise. A door stood in front of them. The Doctor opened it slowly, and spotted two sirens outside another room, which Yotov’s wife and child, Corla and Gorva, were standing outside of.

The Doctor addressed Lalo. “You need to get those two people, and anybody else in the house, outside of here as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, I’ll have a word with our friends.”“What about the Sirens outside of the door?”The Doctor thought for a moment. “Good point. I’m not really sure at the moment.”

The Doctor opened the door much more, alerting the Sirens of his presence within the building. Lalo stood in front of the door he had just departed from, whilst the Doctor snuck through into Yotov’s chambers, leading the creatures into the room. He leaped out, slamming the two Sirens inside the room. He moved towards Corla and Gorva.

“I can’t believe it.” Lalo remarked. “You’re Corla and Gorva Morta.”Corla groaned. “Yes, and you’re one of the members of the Orbitoruim crew, aren’t you?”“The only member. Those creatures you just saw killed the rest of them, and they’ll kill you too if you don’t get out of the building right this instant.”“And why should we trust you?” Gorva asked.“You kidding me, kid? I’ve done your father’s errands for many years now and I haven’t even received a thankyou. The least you can do is listen to me.”

Lalo led Gorva and Corla through the vast, windy corridors of the mansion at a rapid speed. They travelled through many doors and entry points. Within about a minute they reached a door which led them outside of the mansion back alongside the window Lalo had smashed a mere few moments ago. 

“What’s that noise?” Corla asked, before looking above her.

This noise was, of course, the sound of the Orbitoruim crashing. Lalo looked regretfully at the prospect of his friends bodies inside of the ship, crashing towards the building. And boom! Both the ship and the mansion disintegrated at once. Lalo spotted a figure jumping out of a window just in time to survive. He believed this figure was the Doctor. After this, he noticed the Sirens in the bushes around them once again-Creeping, crawling, stalking, haunting, hunting. The Doctor rushed towards them.

“Ah, there you are!” The Doctor exclaimed. “Well done for getting these two out alive.”“You alright, Doctor?” Lalo asked, but there was no response. “This is the Prime Ministers family, Gorva and Corla.”“There’s no good time to tell you this, Gorva and Corla, but the Prime Minister is dead.”

Corla and Gorva both burst into tears. Corla cradled Gorva, even though her tears were more rapid than those of her sons. They believed he was guaranteed to live forever. They believed he could not be taken away. They still believed that.”“But the expiration date…” Gorva said. “He had paid for another six hundred years.”“I’m sorry.” The Doctor replied. “These creatures have the ability to change expiration dates. You thought your lives were secured, but life is never secured. The only thing that is secured is death. And the Sirens are the bringers of death.”

Corla screamed. “Why did they have to take my husband away?”Lalo placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. “I’m sorry. They’ve killed some of our closest friends too, today. We need to stop them before they kill anymore.”“The problem is, we’re not quite sure how to stop them yet.” The Doctor revealed.

From out of nowhere, a Siren emerged from behind and grabbed Corla; his hand around her mouth. Lalo grabbed his weapon and pointed it towards the creature. Corla tried to scream but her screams were covered by the hands of the being.

“We’ve had this planned for so long.” The Siren said. “We have our revenge.”“Revenge for what?” The Doctor asked.“We want revenge for what the people of this planet did to us. We got taken by them, and killed because we rejected the system they influenced.”

Realisation dawned on the Doctor’s face. “No, that can’t be possible.”“We are what happened to the people the crew of the Orbitoruim killed.”

Lalo put his gun down. “How...How is that possible?”The Siren removed his hand from Corla and rushed over to Lalo, grabbing him by the mouth instead. Lalo dropped his gun, and Gorva grabbed it. Gorva tried to shoot at the monster but nothing happened. It just remained standing. “We were taken and we experimented on when we were dead. We were reborn.”

“The crew of the Orbitoruim experimented on you and you became like that.” The Doctor said. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry that they did this to you.”“We are here to end the lives of all the people who were responsible for what happened to us. We took the lives of the crew of the Orbitoruim, besides this being. We took the life of Yotov. We shall then take the lives of the ones who survived.”“What race were you? Before this was done to you, I mean.”“We were all of different kinds, however the body of the one you see before you once belonged to that of a Time Lord known as Rodan.”

The Doctor looked on regretfully. “Rodan. We met before. I’m so sorry.”“We do not blame you for anything. We only blame the other forms in front of us.”

With that, the Siren snapped Lalo’s neck. Lalo dropped to the floor imminently, blood pouring out from his neck. All of the crew were now dead. The Siren then moved towards Gorva and Corla. The Doctor watched on, not sure what to do. These people had ended innocent lives, and probably intended to end even more if they got their way. This was one of the Doctor’s kind. One of the Doctor’s allies that he had encountered during his fight with the Sontarans and the Vardans on Gallifrey back in his fourth incarnation. Gorva continued to shoot at the creature but there was no result. It just continued to hover towards them.

“Help us!” Corla screamed. “Help us, please!”The Doctor looked towards Corla. “There’s nothing I can do. You two and everybody else who died today sent off the crew of the Orbitoruim to end the lives of innocent civilians just because you did not get your way. Maybe you deserved this.”

Gorva shot at the Doctor’s leg. The Doctor fell to the ground in pain. The Sirens continued to hover towards Corla and Gorva who, aware of their situation, were beginning to run away in panic. The Doctor was on the floor, forced to endure this chase. Two more sirens headed out from the mansion, travelling at full speed towards Gorva and Corla. They continued to run but it was no hope. They were outnumbered. 

From outside of the mansion, a butler emerged holding a large, antique weapon. The Butler shot at the two sirens in front of him, one by one, causing them to burst into nothingness. He then heightened his aim, pointing the weapon in the direction of the Siren closest to Corla and Gorva, causing that to be destroyed too.

“Help me up, please!” The Doctor urged.“Thank you, Hendrickson!” Gorva said to the faithful butler, ignoring the Doctor’s request.“Anything for my masters, sir.” The Butler remarked. “Those creatures have been here once before. Last time, they were brought here by a man called the Doctor.”

The Doctor did not hear any of this conversation as he was too far away. They were at the other side of the field. The Time Lord pushed himself up from off the grass, launching himself back in a standing stance. He walked towards Corla, Gorva and the Butler. Of course, his speed was limited due to the wound which he faced on his leg.

“Who is that man?” The Butler asked as the Doctor headed towards them.“We don’t know.” Corla said, trying to fight back her tears. “He never told us his name.”“I’m sorry about the loss of Yotov. He will truly be missed. I only hoped that I could have been there sooner to rescue him. He will be missed.”“Don’t blame yourself.” Corla replied. “It was the fault of those horrid creatures.”“They are known as the Sirens, we believe, and they have targeted this house one other time before in an attempt to get their revenge.”“Why weren’t we made aware of this attack before?” Gorva asked.“It’s complicated. The Prime Minister was made aware of course, but at that time things were very different. You would not understand if I told you.”

The Doctor finally reached the exterior of the mansion. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever encountered a butler who’s had more knowledge of how to take down an enemy than myself.” He reached out his hand to the butler. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m the Doctor.”

Fear filled the Butler’s face, as he held out his weapon towards the Doctor. “It can’t be. The Doctor looked different. He was a grey haired man. He was scottish.”“I have a knack of changing my appearance. There’s no need to be scared of me.”“It was him!” The Butler exclaimed. “He was the one who brought the Sirens here before, so he must have been the one who brought the Sirens here again!”“Kill him, then!” Gorva demanded. “He’s our enemy.”“Oh dear.” The Doctor remarked, realising the grave situation he was in.

The Doctor turned around, hurrying down the bank of yellow grass in front of him. He ducked as the Butler served his first bullet. The Butler’s aim was exquisite, but not exquisite enough to catch the Doctor. The Doctor continued to race down the field, as the Butler continued to hurry towards him. He spotted the TARDIS in front of him. Standing outside though was the impossible. This could not be. Too much to think about.

It was Deborah. Deborah Armstrong was standing outside of the TARDIS.

The Doctor signalled Deborah to go inside of the TARDIS. He eventually hurried inside too, ducking the last bullet on behalf of the Butler which hit the exterior of the ship. They were inside the TARDIS now. Deborah was dead. This could not be. Or could it? His encounters with Deborah thus far had been impossible, and extraordinary, so why would this one not be? Deborah sat down beside the console.

“I’d like to go home now, please.” Deborah demanded. “This was not what I expected the universe to be like. I expected it to be fun, and exciting, and adventurous but all we faced today was death and destruction and tragedy and evil. Most of it from you.” Deborah sighed. “Why did you feel the need to lie to me? If you told me the truth it would not have been so bad.” She looked down at the pool of blood beside her, and shifted away from it slightly. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth? Why did you lie? I have so many questions.”

“How did you survive?” The Doctor asked. “You blew up the ship. You were manipulated by the Siren into blowing up the Orbitoruim alongside the rest of the crew.”

“We got a last ditch escape method.” Deborah replied. “I didn't really want to die. I was just angry and upset. I didn’t mean to bring the ship down.”“What was your last ditch escape method?”“Don’t you think I should be the one asking the questions here, Doctor?” Deborah snapped at him. “There was a man who appeared from out of nowhere. He did not tell me his name or his intentions or why he had come to save us, but he just did. He transported us, all four of us, out of there before the ship blew up. We arrived on that planet outside.” She changed the subject. “How many adventures did we have then? The Sirens told me that today was not the first time that I have travelled in the TARDIS, and that today was not the first time that we had met. How long ago did we meet? Really, I mean.”

“All that the Sirens told you was a lie.” The Doctor claimed. “They would say anything to try to get inside your head. They just controlled you to get what they wanted.”

“Don’t try that on me! It won’t work. Now answer my questions. How long ago did we meet? How many adventures have we had? Why did you lie? Why were you there when the Daleks killed my family? Why did you not tell me you knew who I was?”

“It’s complicated. You won’t understand.”“Try me.” Deborah responded. “I understood what happened today okay, and before today I did not have any idea about all of this, as far as I was aware. All I knew was a world governed by Daleks which I thought was reality.”The Doctor groaned. “Really. You won’t understand why I did this, but I had no choice.”“I don’t know who I am, and it’s all because of you. This is my life, Doctor! It’s not your game. It’s mine, if anything.” Deborah said. “Okay then, here’s an easy question for you: Am I really a Time Lord, or whatever you are, and not a human?”“No, you’re not a time lord.” The Doctor replied. “You’re something much worse.”

Deborah shrugged. “How come my DNA registered as Time Lord when the technical guy back on the Orbitoruim registered me, then?”“I had to change your DNA. Just so you wouldn’t find out.”“Why didn’t you change it to human then? Because that’s what I think I am.”The Doctor looked angry. “If I told you, your life would be even more of a lie than you think it is now. I did everything that I did for a reason. This is all for your own good.”

Deborah sniggered. “For my own good? This is all for my own good? How? How is my whole life being a lie for my own good? I don’t know anything. I don’t know my family, my home, my past, my memories. All of them are gone because of you. I don’t even know what race I am because you changed my biology. You have no right to hide this from me, Doctor. I want the truth about all this. I want to know why you’ve been manipulating me and controlling me and destroying me over all this time. The least you owe me is the truth.”

The Doctor shook his head. “Maybe I didn’t put enough effort in to keep this a secret from you. I’ll make sure that is rectified the next time around.”“The next time around? What do you mean, Doctor? Answer me!”

The Doctor placed his hands on either side of Deborah’s head, pressing down on her skin hard. Deborah screamed as she felt everything she had learnt today be washed away from her mind and replaced with new memories. Regret appeared to fill the Doctor's face and mind. Deborah was about to go back to knowing nothing about her life or what the Doctor had done with her. All she would know is that she had been placed in the simulation by the Daleks, and began her travels with the Doctor. Deborah dropped down to the ground.

A few moments later, Deborah arose. Her eyes crept open. The first sight which she saw was the face of the Doctor, who kneeled above her. He grinned at her. She was confused and dazed. She could not remember much, if anything, about what had happened.

“What happened?” Deborah asked. “We were on a spaceship, right?”“Yes.” The Doctor nodded, lying to her once again. “You fell asleep a little while ago. We got out of there alive so that’s fine. It’s all going to be fine.”“What about those siren things? Did you get rid of them?” Deborah asked. “Sorry I couldn’t have been of more help. I’m just exhausted, I guess.”“I’m sure there’s more of them out there but we’ll deal with them if we ever cross their paths again.” The Doctor replied. He pointed towards a door behind the console. “Through that door, there’s a series of bedrooms. Get some rest. We’ll continue our adventures in the morning, as long as you want to continue. Where do you want to go next?”

“I want to know who I am, Doctor.” Deborah replied. “I need to know the truth.”The Doctor nodded. “Of course. History it is.” He watched on as Deborah headed through the door, towards the bedrooms. “Good night, Deborah Armstrong.”

The Doctor placed himself down on a chair beside the console. He heard shots being fired still from outside. He leaped up from out of his chair, piloting the TARDIS away from its current destination-Masas-before sitting down again. The Doctor pondered over everything he had done today, filled with guilt. He did not know how he would ever be able to repay the universe for his sins this time.

The Doctor and Deborah will return in the November Children.