The Seventh Doctor: The Reign of Queen Destari Episode 3

Inside of the tombs which lurked below Destaris' throne, the Doctor found himself cornered by the hunters, the ferocious winged creatures which swarmed the vast catacombs. He was trapped. He had run out of his ammunition which he had used to fight off the creatures' predecessors, and he had nowhere left to run. The guards above him had been killed, and the gateway to escape was too far to reach. Through the holes of the gate, another gun dropped through, covered in blood, a slight distance from where the Doctor was. It lured the creatures away, granting the Doctor a chance to race deeper into the tombs to escape from a near death scenario.

Noticing the creatures heading back in his direction, the Doctor picked up the pace, hurrying sharply through the many twists and turns of the corridors that awaited him. He noticed a tight alleyway which he ran through to escape from the hunters, as it was too tight for them to access. At this point, he was searching for the community that some of his deceased allies had promised, stored deep within the caves. He did not know whether this community would be friendly or out to kill him, however he knew that they were enemies of Destari too, and could potentially use their assistance to escape from the undergrowths of the planet that his enemy had managed to maroon him into.

This alleyway was longer than he expected it to be, with every move he made making him further away from the point he started, rapidly. He felt as if he was going in circles, which, by the Doctors standards, was a common occurrence. All that awaited him was constant darkness. Nothing ahead. Luckily, the corridor was still tight enough to avoid the hunters, following his narrow escape from the creatures earlier on. He continued, hoping that eventually he would reach somewhere safe. However, he did not know how deep this community lurked within this system. Destari had dominated this world, which seemed to be rather small, but the pits of the planet could last for a long time. He had no idea how far away this community could be. They could be minutes away, or hours, or even days. What he knew was that it was worth a try to continue, as he realised that he would not be able to escape from the entrance whence he came.

Eventually, he heard a noise. It was only slight, like a pin drop, but it was certainly evident. Maybe he was closer to the community than he previously believed. Within a few moments he reached the end of the corridor, which was brighter, though no more absent of life. Lifeless. Not a breath, not a shiver, not a shake. Nothing. And then he found them. There were about a dozen people, all deprived and evidently starving, looking for food or water. They were wearing rags, and had obviously run out of supplies. One of them raced towards the Doctor, holding a knife in his direction. The Doctor surrendered.

“Ah, hello there!” The Doctor remarked. “Fancy seeing you here. I’m the Doctor. I have had quite a long day, and you were exactly the sort of people I wanted to see!”

Part Three

Inside of the TARDIS, Sarah Jane had no idea of what to do. She was marooned, with no way out of the ship, or no way back home. Since her first encounter with Destari, she had been lost, unsure of what to do or where to go. That was all about to change. The doors of the ship opened, though all hope she had that someone had come to rescue her were soon crushed, when Destari emerged through the doors, grabbing Bernice by the neck. Destari threw Bernice onto the ground of the console floor, and sniggered.

“I do not appreciate people running away from me like that, Mrs Smith.” Destari stated. “I also do not appreciate Bernice helping you run away, and I have expressed my disapproval in that already, I am sure. I think you both need to be punished.”

“Punish me.” Bernice demanded. “This woman is innocent, and you need to leave her be. She has done nothing wrong. I am the one who rebelled against your mind control. I am the one who resulted in the deaths of your guards. Do what you like to me, but let her go.”

“I am afraid I will not do that! Sarah Jane Smith is a friend of the Doctors, and like you, she managed to rebel against my dominion I have created. Using the hand of omega, which I went to quite some effort to collect, I sent a meteor to the planet Earth which should have put the entire population under my influence. You two rebelled. You two are powerful. That is why you must suffer. Unless you say something I want to hear.”

“Let us go!” Sarah Jane demanded. “I just want to get home.”

Destari grabbed Sarah Jane by the neck. “Do not tell me what to do. You are mine, Sarah Jane, until I or somebody else I own tells you otherwise. Is that okay?”

“No.” Sarah put bluntly. “I do not know what is going on here or what you did to those people outside but I will stand up to you, and the Doctor will stop you.”

Destari let go of Sarah Jane's neck. “Newsflash: Everybody outside is dead, apart from Bernice here! Deal with it. When somebody puts a hand to your neck and starts to throttle you, you tend to obey them. So please, beg me not to kill you.”

“Do what you like with me but leave everybody else be!” Sarah Jane demanded.

Destari slapped Sarah Jane in the face. “Shut up. The only words I want to hear are, please do not kill me, my queen. Say them, or you and Bernice die. And the Brigadier, of course!”

Sarah Jane sighed. “Please do not kill me, my queen.”

“Good!” Destari chirped. “I want to hear the same words come out of Bernice's mouth too.”

“Please do not kill me, my queen.” Bernice repeated, reluctantly.

“So that is settled then! I am not going to kill either of you. You are going to kill each other instead! How fun!” Destari said, with a gun emerging in each of her hands. “Take the weapons. One of you dies, one of you lives. That is how it works. This is survival of the fittest, you two. Take the guns. Whoever murders the other gets to live! And I know one of you will do it eventually, because you mortals are rather fragile.”

Bernice took a gun, but Sarah Jane did not. “I will not take a gun! You can’t! Neither of us have done anything to deserve this.” Sarah Jane responded.

“Oh, yes you have! You have, or will, or may be friends with the doctor, according to what I know. Sarah Jane has, and Bernice probably will dependant on how things play out.”

“This is horrible!” Sarah Jane exclaimed. “You are evil!”

“Oh, I know it!” Destari clicked her finger and the other gun flew into Sarah Jane's hand. “Pull the trigger. End her life. Unlimited rice pudding! Etcetera, etcetera!”

“Do not-” Bernice began, before being interrupted by a gunshot from Sarah Jane's weapon. Bernice's dead body dropped to the ground. She was gone.

“No.” Sarah Jane replied. “No. I did not do that. I did not pull the trigger. How…”

“Yes you did!” Destari exclaimed, joyfully. “You are just as bad as me, Sarah Jane Smith. And I like it! You really have grown on me, from that needy, traitorous, backstabbing cheeky madam, and now, you have become something much more.”

“No, you made me. You must have done. I didn’t pull the trigger. I-”

“I may have given you a push in the right direction, Mrs Smith! You see, I can control gunfire. I just wanted to show you that my way is the only way, plus I wanted you to be the one that survived all of this. There is one more thing I need you to do before I let you go, and I let the planet Earth be free, because really I just wanted to play my games, and all I need is to punish the Doctor, which I have done, pretty much. Now kneel.”

“You made me do that? No, I will not kneel before a monster like you.”

Electricity shot out of Destaris hand hitting Sarah Jane, destroying her slowly, melting her away, bit by bit. Sarah Jane collapsed onto the floor. She was not dead, but she was unconscious. Destari was evidently angered, somehow. Sarah Jane arose.

“Kneeling will save everything in the universe except from one measly time lord.” Destari claimed. “So I think that kneeling will be the right option for you, don’t you?”

Sarah Jane kneeled down onto the ground, reluctantly. Destari grinned, even if it meant the end to some of her menacing games, or at least she promised it would be. Destari pointed at Sarah Jane, causing Sarah Jane to vanish suddenly. Destari dusted off her hands, before clicking her fingers, restoring the console into the TARDIS, as well as the doors. She strolled through the doors of the ship briskly, back towards her throne which was surrounded by heaps of dead bodies, pleased by the mess she had caused.-Sarah Jane arose on the same street corner as she was swept away from, surrounded by the unconscious bodies of all those that had fallen under Destaris spell beforehand. Across the road there was the same coffee house from where the meteorite had hit. The familiar scent of coffee beans hit her nose, granting her a light relief from the horrifying encounters she had witnessed. She saw the Brigadier ahead of her, waking up simultaneously with the other men, women and children who had all been placed under their enemies' influence moments before. The Brigadier noticed her, the only standing member of the crowd, and forced himself up from the concrete in order to greet her.

“What the giddy hell happened?” The Brigadier asked. “I feel like I have been asleep for a decade!” He looked around him. “As has everyone else for the looks of things.”

“I don’t quite know what happened yet, Brigadier.” Sarah Jane revealed. “But I certainly did not like it. The Doctor is in great danger, from a woman called Destari. She killed innocent people and forced others to worship her, including yourself.”

“That doesn’t sound like a very womanly thing to do, if I say so myself!”

Sarah Jane sighed. “The only type of women you understand are those that stay at home and cook your tea and do your laundry. This woman is dangerous, more so than any other woman we ever faced with the Doctor back in the day, and we need to stop her. She has the Doctor as a prisoner apparently. He is in danger.”

“You know what the Doctor is like! He gets himself out of any old pickle. I am sure this Destari lady is no worse than the Daleks or Zygons or Giant Spiders we’ve faced before!”

“This one may be a bit too much for just the Doctor to handle on his own, I’m afraid.”

“What do you suggest we do? From what you say we would be powerful against this woman! We cannot do anything more than the Doctor would be able to do!”

“Get UNIT! Get every defense this planet has! This woman could be about to attack our planet and kill more innocent people like she has done. We need to find a way back onto that planet to rescue the Doctor and stop Destari.”

“Right you are, Mrs Smith! I will do just that. If I see her, I will deal with her. Five rounds rapid, and she will be done for!”-In the tombs of Destaris world, the Doctor found himself greeted by the peculiar strangers who he had only recently encountered. They did not appear harmful, or deadly. It seemed as if they were only holding their knives to protect themselves for if any danger occured, with no intent on using them. Two of them aided each other in removing the Doctors coat and checking the pockets for supplies, or weapons, or anything. The pockets were empty. These people were too weak to do even the most menial tasks on their own. They were skinny, fragile, boney, and nearly falling apart. It seemed as if they had been deprived from almost anything that they could have in order to survive.

“It’s okay, I will not harm you!” The Doctor revealed. “We will be fine as long as you don’t harm me. Put the weapons down! You are safe in my hands.”

One of the beings nodded, dropping his weapon. “I am Javok, and we have become the natives of this planet since we found ourselves locked in these catacombs. We do not belong to this world. We were taken. We were placed here.”

“Who is it?” A voice muttered from the distance. “Bring them to me.”

“Our leader wants to see you.” One of the others announced. “Have you been here for long? Have you encountered our newest allies, Henerix, Cavax and Monroe. They were looking for supplies for us and fighting off the hunters. Have you seen them?”

“Yes, and I am sorry for your loss. The woman above, Destari, the queen of this world, she was the one who took their lives away. She did not need to, but she did. You know of her?”

“She was the one who placed us here!” Javok expressed. “Cavax and his men were responsible for providing us with the resources they had which kept us alive for a few more days, but those resources have run out now. We were eternally grateful for their gestures and wish them a kinder afterlife. We were hoping you would have supplies.”

“I may be able to get you out of here, but I would like to speak to your leader first.”

A man emerged from the distance. A familiar figure, recognised by the Doctor instantly. “Oh, Doctor, surely you expected me to be around here somewhere, didn’t you?” It was the Master. “It has been quite some time. I think we need to talk about our common enemy.”-Outside of UNIT HQ, a car arrived, holding both Sarah Jane Smith and the Brigadier inside, with the latter driving. They both got out, slamming their doors and rushing as quickly as they could towards the building. Once they arrived at the gate, they revealed their identities, and were allowed access inside. They raced through the corridors to reach the point they needed to be at, before they crossed paths with a familiar face: Brigadier Winfred Bambara.

“Well well well.” Alistair remarked. “Fancy seeing you here, Brigadier!”

“I always know that when you turn up here, trouble is brewing.” Winfred remarked. She analysed Sarah Jane, recognising her instantly. “We have never met, but I would know that face from anywhere. You are Sarah Jane Smith, right? You are a bit of a legend.”

“I am yes!” Sarah Jane remarked, shaking Winfreds hand. “Nice to meet you.”“Brigadier Winfred Bambara. I am in control of operations here now. What do you want from me? I assume that the world is in cataclysmic danger?”“As a matter of fact, it is Mrs Bambara!” The Brigadier explained. “Mrs Smith was explaining to me what could happen if we do not act soon, so I realised I had to receive your support. There is a woman called Destari with the potential to wipe this entire planet to a cinder.”

“Interesting!” Bambara exclaimed. “Well, we are used to that sort of thing. What resources do you need from us? Do you know if there is any way to stop her?”

Sarah Jane sighed. “We don’t know her weaknesses yet, but she has powers, and has killed lots of people. She has the Doctor, and I expect you know of him too.”

“Know of him? Our paths have crossed. If she’s unstoppable, then what do you suggest?”

“Mrs Smith says we need the TARDIS.” The Brigadier remarked. “Apparently that is the only way we can reach the planet that she is on and rescue the Doctor without her realising what we are up to. Luckily back in the day when the Doctor would disappear for hours on end in his ship, we had a button which could lure him back.”

“Destari is holding the Doctor prisoner.” Sarah Jane explained. “If we don’t get there quickly, he could die. And worse, Destari could take control of the whole universe. Apparently she put the whole planet under her spell and made them worship her.”

“That’s odd.” Bambara stated. “We all woke up about half an hour ago. Everybody was asleep with no memory of what happened to them. I’m guessing that is related.”

“It is!” The Brigadier replied. “I fell under the same spell that everybody else did.”

“I was immune for some reason.” Sarah Jane stated. “Look, we need to stop wasting time and get over to the laboratory and active that button. We need to save the Doctor.”

Bambara rushed through the corridors of UNIT headquarters, escorted by Sarah Jane and the Brigadier, who appeared out of place in this landscape. Eventually they reached a laboratory where a scientist was working on an experiment of some form. Bambara smiled at him, causing him to leave the room without a word, leaving the three of them alone.

“We need to make this quick.” Sarah Jane said. “I was meant to be doing a story for the local paper today, and I need to check if everybody at the paper is alright!”

“The fate of the universe is much more important, Sarah.” Bambara claimed, pulling forward a lever on the operating panel. “This is the lever, is it not? We have told our scientist, Dr Marsh, to keep away from it at all costs, so it should work fine and dandy.”

A great whirring noise sounded from the monitors following the pulling of this lever. Ahead of them, the TARDIS materialised, as if by magic, as they expected it to. Sarah Jane was delighted, just as much so as the two Brigadiers were. She knew this was important so she decided to race towards the TARDIS, opening the doors suddenly. However, as she walked inside, she was greeted by Destari, aiming a gun at her. Sarah Jane raised her hands, backing out of the ship whilst Destari slowly creeped towards her direction.

“Who the devil are you?” The Brigadier asked, unsure of who she was.

“I am Destari! You have probably heard of me by now, as I have become quite famous as a result of Sarah Jane’s actions. But here I am! You have met a celebrity! Well done.”

Bambara raised her gun. “Raise your hands behind your head. I have heard you are a threat to this world and that you have the Doctor as your prisoner. This world is not yours, and we will not stand for an invasion. Raise your hands in surrender.”

Destari sniggered, raising her hands. “Very well, if you say so!”

Bambara moved towards Destari, skimming down her pockets to see if she was holding any weapons. In the back, Sarah and Alistair quivered, aware of the threat this woman posed to their lives. Bambara moved down Destaris' body, checking for weapons or objects of any kind. Her coat was empty, as were the rest of her pockets or areas where she could have stashed her weapons. Destari reached out her hands, grabbing the back of Bambaras neck. Suddenly, electricity shot out of Destaris hands, causing Bambara to slowly collapse towards the ground, suffocating, whilst Destari laughed chillingly. Bambara was dead. The Brigadier raised his gun, but Sarah Jane reached over and pulled the gun down. She knew that they could not stop their enemy with a handgun.

“I am not happy with you, Sarah Jane!” Destari exclaimed. “I let you go, and you test my patience. The least you could do is leave me be, but as a consequence, I guess the whole of the human race needs to die, including yourself and the Brigadier here, like the other Brigadier did. I will make it quick and painful, if you kneel for me.”

“No, my dear woman!” The Brigadier expressed. “No we shall not kneel.”

“Suit yourself. You always were a stubborn old man, from what I could tell. Sadly, you have made your remaining hours very painful. Sarah Jane has a chance to change hers, even though I am very angry at her for testing my patience.”

Sarah Jane kneeled. “I thought you promised that you would leave this world be. Let the Doctor go! Stop this! Please, nobody else has to die. What do you even want?”

“I want the Doctor to pay, and the Doctor's friends to pay, for all of his and their wrongdoings over the years. All the genocide, and murder, and poverty, and destruction that the Doctor has brought us. He is not the Doctor. He is the Other. He always has been. While I have caught the Doctor, he will not learn until everything he loves is ripped apart, and unluckily for you, you are the ones who are about to be ripped into shreds. Maybe literally.”

The doors to the laboratory opened, and the scientist, Dr Marsh, appeared, oblivious to everything that had happened, and oblivious to the appearance of both the TARDIS and Destari. Destari ushered him to move into the room, as he cowered towards his operating table, unsure of what was happening or why Sarah Jane was kneeling. He noticed Winifreds remains on the floor, and mourned the loss of one of his closest friends.

“Dr Ian Marsh, I assume?” Destari questioned. “Come on in!”“Who are you?” Ian shuddered. “How do you know my name?”“Shut up you idiot and kneel.” Destari demanded, to which a nervous Ian did just that. “I am Destari, but I have done my introduction, and I don’t want the last moments for these two horrific allies of the Doctor to be horrific. I know your name because I have superpowers, although I loathe that term. By walking into this room, you have made your deathbed, so well done for that. You could not have failed more than you have.”

“Ian, flick the switch.” Sarah Jane demanded. “Flip the switch.”

Dr Marsh flipped the switch, causing the TARDIS doors to open and a light to project out of them which weakened Destari, causing her to drop to the ground. Sarah Jane and the Brigadier rushed into the direction of the TARDIS whilst she was distracted, closing the doors behind them. Ian flipped the switch once again, and the TARDIS disappeared. Whilst Destari was weakened, Ian ran out of the room, and approached a series of guards. 

“What’s happened, Ian?” One of the guards asked. “You look shaken?”“The Brigadiers dead!” Dr Marsh revealed. “There’s some woman in there who said she was going to kill us. Please, I think we could be in quite a lot of danger.”

Three of the guards looked at each other, and rushed into the room, noticing Destari who was half on the floor. Her powers had finally been limited. The three armed guards surrounded her, forcing her up from the ground and holding her at the tip of her gun. She was too weak to act, or speak, or surrender, or do anything that could stop them. 

“Identify yourself and how you managed to access this facility.” The guard demanded.“I was trying to stop them.” Destari stuttered, unable to complete her sentence. “They killed the Brigadier, and they escaped inside of this blue box. You need to help me stop them. They could be a threat to the world, and potentially the staff her.” She clicked her fingers, and immediately everybody became transfixed by her words. “Isn’t that right, Ian?”

“Yes, there were two people who were armed, and they shot down Bambara.” Ian said, put under Destaris spell of lies. He pressed down on the button, causing the TARDIS to materialise ahead of them. “This should stop them from getting back here.”-The TARDIS materialised on the terrain of the planet that Destari now owned, with Sarah Jane and the Brigadier inside. It was now complete once again, with a console, and walls, and a door, just the way it should have been. The Brigadier was still in awe of the vessel, struggling to take in the capacity of the ship, despite the fact that he had encountered many creatures of an extraterrestrial nature over his time with the Doctor. The doors opened onto the planet that awaited them, as Sarah Jane and the Brigadier entered onto a ground full of dead bodies, of all the guards that had been killed by Destari earlier.“Oh good gracious me!” The Brigadier declared. “I am guessing this was Destaris doing. Where the blooming heck are we, anyway?”

“We’re a long way from Croydon, I’ll tell you that.” Sarah Jane revealed. “Come on, we need to find the Doctor. He must be around these parts somewhere, surely.”

The Brigadier and Sarah Jane continued to wander the vast landscape that awaited them, searching for wherever the Doctor may be located. The Brigadier was still armed with a weapon that Destari had not managed to confiscate from him, which was rather lucky. Along the way they reached various sights, such as Destaris grand throne that stood tall before them. Soon, they reached Ace's body, lying there on the ground, her loud, sharp persona whisked away in an instant, replaced with a husk of what she had been before. The Brigadier kneeled down, and sobbed. He had met her before, and had gotten rather a good impression from her. He was saddened by her remains.

“I knew her.” The Brigadier remarked. “She was the Doctor's companion when we last met. Her name was Ace. That could mean she killed the Doctor too.”

“You forget Brigadier, the Doctor is not an easy man to kill.” Sarah Jane responded.

The Brigadier approached the entrance to the catacombs above where the Doctor was held, even if he did not know that yet. He noticed two dead bodies of the guards who had been patrolling the gates above it. He peered in, noticing piles of blood that had swept the sewers. Sarah Jane rushed towards him, noticing these same sights.

“The Doctor is probably down there.” Sarah Jane exclaimed. “Come on, we’ve got to go!”

The Brigadier shook his head. “Not so fast Mrs Smith, I cannot let you go down there alone. There is blood in those sewers, and it could be dangerous. You could get yourself killed.”

“Come with me then! At least then we'll die together!” Sarah Jane said, removing the entrance from the gate and hopping down. She fell onto her head, which did not feel great. The Brigadier followed, holding his weapon, and decided that he would lead the way. Sarah Jane stood slightly behind. From above her, she spotted Destari, standing tall, smiling, who hovered towards the ground menacingly, grabbing Sarah Jane. The Brigadier turned around, pointing his gun at Destari. By this point, Destari was gone, as was Sarah Jane Smith. The Brigadier rushed back in the direction he came from, with no result. Turning back around, he noticed one of the hunters heading towards his direction. He shot at it, killing it, but then another appeared. And then another. He backed into the corner, not able to crawl towards the top. He was surrounded by the creature, at the moment he had lost his friend.

Above, Sarah Jane was dropped onto the landscape by Destari, with the two of them being transported from the sewers to Destaris throne, which Destari placed herself on delicately, grinning away at everything she had achieved. From behind her, three armed guards and Dr Ian Marsh all emerged, pointing their weapons at Sarah Jane, cornering her. Sarah Jane sighed. She thought she had escaped from Destari.“I chose to hold off from destroying the Earth for the time being.” Destari declared. “I just wanted to torture you for a little bit first. Welcome to the beginning of my endgame!”-The Doctor was led deeper into the catacombs by those he now believed to be the minions of the Master. The Master was here. Maybe he could have been down the same path as he had to get here. He would be sure to find out within time. The two of them continued, escorted by the weak, torn beings who occupied the mines. Eventually they reached an area which was vastly populated by these humanoids, with seating areas and storage bays, but no food or refreshments in sight. It was a horrible sight to behold. All these poor people having to suffer through the horrors of these terrible conditions. It was obvious the Master did not care. He never did. But the Doctor did.

“How did you end up here?” The Doctor questioned. “How can I trust you?”

“I never said you could trust me!” The Master observed. “I just said that we have a common enemy, and I think you want to bring her down. With my supervision, and the supervision of the inhabitants of this world, we could do just that.”

“I expect you have a plan which involves harming innocent lives in the process. That is how it always works with you. How did you end up in these caves, anyway?”

“I was on Gallifrey, held as a prisoner. I had been captured after attempting to steal some of the key resources from the citadel to create something rather special. Anyway, Destari arrived, took control of the hand of omega, and tried to steal the memories of everybody there. She knocked the president out, and those who supported her, and tried to do the same to me. When I refused to allow her my memories for her to feed on, she laughed, and brought me here, claiming she wanted to destroy me.”

“I have been through a rather similar mess myself! She has the hand of omega, and she has used it to take over this world, which I am still not quite sure how she managed to achieve. We need to stop her, before she destroys more innocent lives.”

“I don’t care about the lives, Doctor. I thought you would realise that. I want her powers.”

“Well you are not getting them.” The Doctor demanded. “You are coming with me right now, alongside all of the others here. They need food, and water, and a more sanitary shelter.”

One of the inhabitants passed a gun towards the Doctor. “Take this.”“He doesn’t take guns, because he is that nieve.” The Master noted, taking one himself.The Doctor took the gun, against the Master's words. “I am not the same man I used to be. Destari took that away. She erased Ace from my mind, and then killed her, stole my ship, imprisoned me here, and killed lots of innocent people to punish me.”

“My condolences.” The Master responded. “Ace was a rather promising individual. I hoped I would convince her to join me one day. Alas, that shall never be.”The Doctor moved closer towards the Master. “She’s not dead yet. I will make sure of it. Destari made a deal with me to have the hand of omega in exchange for Ace's life, and I will make sure she lives up to her side of the bargain. Whatever it takes. Come along.” 

The Doctor led the way back through the catacombs that they had come from, with both him, and the Master holding guns in their hands, whilst the other inhabitants took knives along their side, holding them out in front of them. They strolled through the long, dark path that they came from, which seemed even more never ending than it had done before.

“These paths switch and change.” The Master revealed. “They change their shape and their form and their length to trick us. Maybe that is Destaris doing.”“I meant to ask, who are the people here?” The Doctor questioned, looking back at the torn apart people behind him. “They are dying, and you are just letting them.”“As I say, I don’t care what happens to them. 38 lives that I could not care about dying, especially since I figured out who they were, since I learnt the truth. The truth does not matter for the time being. You shall find out soon enough.”

The Doctor sighed. “Tell me. I will get the answer out of you eventually.”“Good things come to those who wait!” The Master replied, still surprisingly peaceful compared to his usual tratorous ways, making the Doctor realise something must have been wrong. “Have you ever heard about the Other? The one who was on Gallifrey at the very beginning, alongside Rassilon and Omega?”

“Yes, of course I have.” The Doctor returned. “Every Gallifreyan has.”“The hidden Gallifreyan legends speak of Destari. I found them whilst I was searching for what I needed for my experiment.” The Master revealed. “They say that the seven were created by the three founding fathers of Gallifrey. They say that the mysterious one known as the other created Destaris kind. What we know about Gallifrey, Doctor, is a lie.”

The Doctor glared at the Master. “Those days are not to be called up on. Those days are hidden for a reason. Keep it that way. Otherwise you never know what might happen. What does that have to do with the inhabitants of this world, anyway?”

“They were created by the founding fathers of Gallifrey, just like Destari was, and the other members of those known as the seven.” The Master stated. “They are the cousins of Gallifrey. We all are. These beings were not born. They were ma-”

The Master was interrupted by the appearance of a familiar face from the other end of the tunnel who was always bound to cross paths with them eventually: Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart. He grinned at the Doctor gleefully, delighted at the sight that laid before him. The Doctor did the same. They strolled up to each other, shaking each other's hands joyfully, pleased that they had both finally received some luck in crossing paths with some familiar faces. They continued to smile, unaware of one another's predicaments.

“At last, Doctor!” The Brigadier exclaimed. “I thought it was only a matter of time before you showed up. You usually do when the fate of the universe is at stake.”“Why are you here, Brigadier?” The Doctor asked. “What did Destari do to you?”

“Luckily she has not done anything to me as of yet, however she claims that she is planning to do things to you. She has Mrs Smith. Sarah Jane Smith, I mean. She killed Ace too, and the guards. We came down here looking for you. I was attacked by some creatures but I managed to escape in time. We need to get back to the surface quickly.”

The Doctor nodded. “She has Sarah Jane too? Oh dear, we are in trouble then. This woman is the greatest threat to my life and the lives of everybody in the universe that I have encountered for quite some time. She needs to be stopped, and we need to do it quickly.”

“Just a minute.” The Brigadier declared. “Who are your friends here? Your new companions, I assume? Surely you don’t need that many.”

“Brigadier!” The Master exclaimed, gleefully. “It’s been quite a while since our paths crossed. I am the Master. I thought you would recognise me from anywhere.”

“Oh no.” The Brigadier responded. “You must be in quite some trouble, Doctor, if you are using him for help. Why is he helping you, anyway?”

“We have a mutual interest: Killing Destari. I am guessing you have said mutual interest too, so we shall put our past differences aside to combat our enemy, as that is what has to be done. Maybe afterwards I will question keeping you alive.”

“Pick up the pace.” One of the inhabitants demanded. “If we do not get to supplies quickly, then we will die. We need to get to our destination immediately.”

The Doctor did just that, picking up the pace, rushing towards the end of what seemed to be an endless domain, now aware that Destari was holding another of his closest friends captive. The Master and the Brigadier followed, reluctantly joining one anothers forces in order to achieve their common goal. Following on from them came the inhabitants, who were limping through the infinite tunnels to reach a location where they could potentially receive a much more peaceful life. Eventually they came to the end of the corridor, reaching the entrance point to the tombs, where the hunters had collated together. The Master, without hesitation, gunned down the hunters, killing them instantly, before hurrying towards the gateway which could reach the surface above.

“I’m afraid this next part requires some team building.” The Doctor explained. “We will need to use one anothers support in order to reach the surface. I will crawl up as far as I can, and then Brigadier, use the support of my legs for your shoulders to help you climb up too.”

“We can’t go on.” One of the inhabitants declared. “We are too weak to support each other. Our bodies are not built that way. We have not eaten in days.”

“You can.” The Doctor assured them, placing his hand on their shoulder. “We will support one another regardless. Luckily the entrance point is still open, which makes things easier.”With that, the Doctor hoisted himself up the edge as far as he possibly could, before the Brigadier used his support to lead himself up to the surface. The Master did the same, followed by each of the thirty eight inhabitants, one by one. While they were still climbing, the Brigadier and the Doctor continued forward, passing Ace's dead body on the ground once again. The Doctor kneeled down, grieving her devastating loss. 

“I am sorry for your loss, Doctor.” The Brigadier stated.“It’s fine.” The Doctor replied. “Destari has the ability to bring her back, so we shall force her to bring her back once again. She has done it once before.”“No, I am not referring to that, Doctor. I am referring to what you are about to lose.”

Suddenly, the Brigadier and the Masters weapons turned on the Doctor. The Master pushed the Doctor onto the ground, forcing him to kneel. Following this, the various inhabitants, or the cousins of Gallifrey as the Master had referred to them as, crowded around the Doctor, surrounding him with their knives. The Doctor raised his hands, aware that if he made a move, then he could potentially lose his life, or at least this life. From the distance, Destari emerged alongside the three UNIT guards who she had placed under her spell.

“Oh, Doctor, you are ever so naive!” Destari declared. “You thought you had escaped me, but escape from me is impossible. Welcome to the beginning of my endgame, Doctor. You are not going to enjoy what is about to happen next.”

To Be Continued...