The Medical wing was silent. The black and silver robed intruder crept silently through the empty wards until he came upon the bed that was his target. He sneered at the still form of Claire Mason and the sleeping, leather-clad figure of Leela in the chair beside the bed. His gloved hand moved slowly towards the artificial respiration machine's on/off switch before stopping. "No," he whispered, "even I do not win my battles this way. You shall suffer Doctor, oh by Omega you shall suffer." The Valeyard wheeled all the autonomic machinery onto a hover pad before using chloroform to make sure Leela did not interrupt his plans.


The Time Ring's power faded now and the three figures began to slow down their relativity defying motion. They blinked back into reality with a sudden lurch that made all three of them stumble to the floor.
Hannah checked out their surroundings, it was nice and Earth-like. They were in a field, a grassy field, and a wet grassy field at that. Her jeans were soaked through now as she cursed the manner of her arrival. She picked herself up before helping the others to their feet. This method of travel must have drained them a bit because they lurched all over the place like drunk teenagers sharing a can of ace lager, something she had fond memories of. "Is this Earth?" she asked, hoping to confirm her feelings.
The Doctor scanned the surrounding with bleary eyes. "Looks like it. It has that Earthy smell, too much jet fuel and too little ozone. Why did the Time Ring bring us here I wonder? This is nowhere, I mean it could have dropped us off somewhere near a shoe shop."
"Prioritise Doctor," Andred urged.
"I'd rather accessorise," the Doctor retorted with a grin. "I mean this outfit simply does not go with this scenery."
"I think it's affected her reasoning," Andred said to Hannah as they began to head off in no particular direction.
"I think you're right, she's far more scatterbrained than usual. I wonder if that Time Ring did something to her."


Claire opened her eyes slowly. She felt weak. She tried to talk but could not utter a word. A face came into view, a woman's face with strange pointy teeth. She felt an urge to panic but a pain in her neck and shoulders replaced this. She started to cry but then stopped when she realised that her heart was no longer beating. A voice told her she was dying but that she would soon live again. Something was forced into her mouth, warm and wet. It tasted funny but there was nothing she could do as her vision dimmed and her body grew cold and still.


Andred pulled the Time Ring off his wrist and handed it to Hannah. "It all seems pretty standard to me. The pattern of the bands indicates the programming." He spotted something slightly suspect about the final recurve. "This is odd. This parabola would mean that we are locked inside a time loop. This is a curved section of space and time, outside of the normal universe. We've walked straight into a trap."
The Doctor stopped and started to pick a bunch of tulips. "This must be Amsterdam, I always liked Amsterdam." She started to plait the flowers into her hair before Andred and Hannah could drag the confused Time Lady along with them.
"Come on Doctor," Hannah urged.
"Ooh where are we going?" The Doctor started to skip along after her two friends.
"I think that gizmo's really affected her brain." Hannah looked at the bracelet herself. "What does this bit here do?" she asked.
"That would explain everything." Andred gasped at the slight permutations of the third band. "It's somehow simplified the Doctor's brain, right now she's got the mind of a child."


Claire opened her eyes, she felt different. Stronger, more powerful, hungry. The woman's face came into view again and she could see now that her teeth were sharp, like a vampire's on that TV show. Somehow she knew that she was one too now and this pleased her, she would be young and beautiful forever. Now if only she could get something to drink she would feel even better.


"How come it didn't work on us?" Hannah asked.
"It's set up specifically for Time Ladies. As I'm a Time Lord and you're human it would ignore us completely." Andred looked sympathetically at the Doctor as she tried to cartwheel down the slight incline. "We'd better stop her before she hurts herself."
"Perhaps but from what I gather she never had much of a childhood so maybe we should allow her a few minutes, perhaps the effects will wear off in time." Hannah wasn't sure what to do with a two thousand year old woman acting like a ten year old but she felt sure it had something to do with cookies and TV. Why hadn't she listened in Biology class when they talked about this stuff? Instead she had fantasised about kissing Debbie Denton and drew little hearts on her notebook. She was in her early twenties, what did she know about kids? They were fed at one end and made a mess at the other and both of those were messy and gross.


The Time Ring was just a diversion on his part; he just wanted that meddlesome woman out of his way long enough to do what needed doing. Everything was falling into place; soon he could begin the final phase. His new companion Claire had recovered from her treatment; she would make an interesting diversion to delay the Doctor while he achieved victory.


They wandered through the secular bubble of matter. They did not know how large or small it was. They never passed the spot of their arrival so it must be pretty big. In the distance they spied a house, well more of a hut really, but it was the only marker they had in this expanse of grass. They headed along a small stony path and finally they knocked upon the thin wooden door. A slight innocuous man, who glared at them, answered it. Hannah was about to ask for help then the Doctor barged her aside, shouting "Daddy!" of all things.
The man looked surprised to say the least as the blonde woman flung her arms around his shoulders and hugged him. "Yes? Can I help you at all?" He asked finally as he disentangled himself from the strange woman.
"She's lost her mind, literally," Hannah explained quickly. Somehow this wotsit screwed up her memory, she thinks she's just a kid."
"You had better come in." He beckoned them into his humble abode, which inside was a vast cathedral-like structure of stone and steel. "My TARDIS, but I think you know that already. It's a type 40 you know; don't make them anymore though which is a shame. I suppose I should introduce myself, I'm being terribly rude. They call me Rassilon, not that I expect you've heard of me."
Andred almost fainted, his legs felt like they were made of paper. "R...R...Rassilon, the mighty, the conqueror, the slayer of the great vampire, the father of time."
"Oh." Rassilon looked crestfallen "you have then. I thought they would have forgotten about me by now. They wouldn't let me leave you see, so I had to fake my own death. I made them bury that fake body out in the Death Zone to make sure none of the Cardinals would drop by on a pilgrimage and accidentally discover that it's all smoke and mirrors."
This time Andred did faint but somehow Hannah managed to cushion his blow, mainly because he took her with him.
Rassilon examined the brass Time Ring for a second. "My, this is crude. Oh my, this is wrong, no wonder you ended up in here. Ah ha we'll soon solve your friend's little problem." Twisting the metal wire slightly the Time Ring glowed brightly for a second before returning to its inactive state.
The Doctor shook her head. "Where am I?" she asked before seeing, "Father? I thought you were dead."
"What is it with you woman? I've never seen you before in my life." Rassilon looked at the blonde Time Lady for a second. There was something familiar about her, something very familiar indeed. "You know you do remind me of your mother."
The Doctor gave her number five grin, a wide toothy smile. "So you do recognise me then?"
"I'll admit the female figure blinded me for a minute. It's rare for one of us to change gender during regeneration but given your half-human heritage I guess it was more likely." Father and daughter hugged briefly.
The Doctor looked into her father's soft liquid brown eyes then panic and horror swelled up inside her as they were transformed into the blank eyeholes of a Cyberman. He hearts started to beat faster and faster when it took a hold of her upper arms. She struggled of course but it tightened its grip on her and she screamed involuntary. She spat in its face, to show her defiance but it did not and could not respond in kind because the Cybermen were emotionless creatures.
"You know our ways." The Cyberman intoned. "You will become like us, resistance is useless."


The Valeyard swept into President Thalia's office, his two companions at his side. Casually they gunned down the guards, allowing their master to address the white robed leader of the Time Lords. "You always were weak Thalia, time for a strong leader to rule our people."
Thalia turned her head slowly to look at the intruder with distain. "So you dare to show your face on Gallifrey? Guards, kill them all." Upon her command a squadron of guards burst out of the adjoining rooms and trained their weapons on the Valeyard. "My personal bodyguard. I heard that you were a corrupted creature Doctor, to think that there are two of you. One a pure and virtuous being and the other a sick cancerous being, who pollutes everything with his corruption. Guards obey my order, shoot to kill." She took a sip from the decanter of water and paused. "This water does not taste right."
"No, it's been poisoned with aspirin." The Valeyard pointed at the shocked leader. "Kill her," he ordered. As one the guards turned and shot the President. The Valeyard laughed. "Loyalty to the office of the President, not the person in office it would seem." He turned to the red and white uniformed guards and addressed them. "You have done well, now you shall receive the reward to deserve."
Claire Mason opened the door to the Presidents office and smiled as ten tall, silver Cybermen filed past her into the office. Her pointed teeth showed slightly as she smiled.
The Cyber Leader pointed at the guards. "You will become like us." He turned to the Valeyard. "You have done well Doctor, this planet is now under our control."


Hannah found a convenient glass of water and threw it on Andred's face. "Wake up, it's hurting the Doctor."
Andred opened his eyes to see a Cyberman holding the Doctor a clear foot off the floor. He drew his patrol staser and fired at its booted foot. He did not take pleasure as the foot burst open revealing a mass of circuits and a few scraps of sickly grey flesh oozing a thin green liquid. He fired again at the other foot and it was forced to release the Doctor to retain its upright stature.
Feeling returned to the Doctor's bruised arms slowly but surely. She stood back and watched as Andred fired repeatedly at the chest panel. The Cyberman finally fell and it writhed around on the floor as it's electronics short-circuited. Foam began to pour out of the damaged chest panel and the mouth slot in great quantities. The Cyberman seemed to scream as if it was remembering its long lost humanity. Finally its body caught fire but the foam extinguished it.
Alone now in the deserted TARDIS the Doctor set the controls for Gallifrey before collapsing into a nearby sedan chair and falling asleep.
Hannah and Andred set about transferring the remains of the Cyberman to another room.


The Valeyard sat on the simple oak and silver throne. He had had the right to sit here three times before but each time his putrid good nature had prevented him from doing so. Gallifrey had suffered because of his absence, it was weak and it was decadent. Time to sweep away the stuffiness and replace it with order, efficiency and only the Cybermen could be relied upon to do all this. He looked at his two companions, the cold-hearted killer that was David Mason and the rabid creature that was his twin sister, Claire. He had taken them one at a time from his weak, spineless incarnation and moulded them into something better. The Doctor had found another one of course, she always did. She needed an audience to impress with her bad jokes, her innane chatter and her feckless charm. He instructed Claire to find this brainless wonder and keep her out of the way while he dealt with the Doctor. He then instructed David to do the same with the Castellan if he should start to interfere.


The TARDIS column stopped its lethargic rising and falling just after the Doctor opened her eyes. "We're here," she said simply before opening the doors and exiting.
Hannah discovered that Gallifrey had changed a great deal since they left for Babylon 5. The place was tidier, neater, cleaner even. She felt uneasy, uncomfortable and almost unwelcome. It was as if the genius loci had changed for the worse. Everywhere was covered in a strange silver face-like icon. She saw fear and loathing in the Doctors eyes when she saw them too. She wanted to speak, to ask what these symbols meant but the look in the Doctors eyes was more than enough for her to remain silent.


The Valeyard sat casually on the seat of power. It suited him he felt, to be the most powerful individual in the entire Universe. He would exercise that power too, he was not afraid to do what must be done. He would wipe out that pestilent plague called the Daleks; he would sweep aside the Sontarans, the Rutans and all the rogue elements that threatened the peace. The Master, the Rani and even that fool Mortimus would all be vaporised, for the public good, and besides he really didn't need them anymore. They had served their purpose and like broken toys it was time to throw them away.
He smiled coldly at the assembled group of Cardinals. Many of them were shocked and angry. He quite understood their defiance; they were part of a stagnant culture. They were not opposed to the change in leadership, only opposed to change. They would have to be broken of course, then they would be better able to realise the glorious future he envisioned. "Serve me," he commanded. "Serve me and I will secure the safety of our people forever."
"That is impossible," Cardinal Maxil piped up.
The Valeyard looked at the Cardinal and remembered that once Maxil had shot him with a stun blast. Maxil was a bully who liked throwing his weight around. He would be valuable in keeping the other weaker Cardinals in line. "Claire, he's yours; don't kill him though."
Claire sauntered casually over to the blonde haired man and almost wrenched his arm out of his socket as she pulled the clothes away from his neck. "This won't hurt - much!" She laughed before sinking her teeth into his neck, blood escaping from the corners of her mouth. Finally she pulled away, her thirst quenched for now. She caught the Cardinal before he fell to the floor and forced his mouth open. Popping open a vein in her wrist she forced her own blood into his mouth, nipping his nose when he tried to spit it out. "You cannot win, we are stronger, faster and just so much sexier." Once he had swallowed on reflex she patted his head. "There, that wasn't difficult now was it? Now be a good little victim and die, then you will live forever."
Cardinal Maxil stared through groggy eyes at the vampire. She was one of the ancient enemy, but what would that make him? These thoughts faded away as even his efficient respiratory system couldn't handle the severe blood loss and he collapsed to the floor.
Claire watched as his features started to shift and blur but then suddenly the process halted and reversed until he was back to normal, better than normal in fact. She smiled, exposing her fangs in delight as he stood up, revealing a similar set of teeth before standing behind his sire. "I just like this planet." Claire admitted before burping, the blood was rich and filling.
"Manners young lady." The Valeyard ticked his finger playfully. "Remember we must not upset our new friends lest they think that they will be next for your supper. Now my dear loyal Cardinals let us welcome in the dawning of a new age by getting down to business. I want a dozen war TARDISes filled with the new Chancellery Cyberguard ready for a little invasion I have in mind. Tomorrow we wipe out the Daleks once and for all, if that's not cause for a celebration I don't know what is?"
The Cardinals muttered quietly as they left the Presidents office. Only Maxil remained behind with his sire. He felt a need to consume blood, he looked longingly at the necks of the guards, just wanting to reach out and taste one.


The Doctor and her entourage continued through the eerily empty corridors of the Capitol. There was no sign of anyone at all. Even the rooms were empty; it was as if they were all hiding somewhere waiting to spring a surprise on them. She did not like this; she did not like this at all.
"Doctor," Hannah asked slowly. "If I was to tell you that there were five silver giants behind me what would you say?"
"That depends Hannah, are there?"
"Yes," she replied meekly.
"Oh, in that case I think I would probably say RUN!" The Doctor took off as fast as she could, the fact she was wearing four-inch heels did not deter her in the slightest.
Andred and Hannah followed the Doctor as they dodged left and right down corridors at random until Hannah was quite lost in the sprawling maze of passageways. Finally they came to a halt in a large circular area with lots of steps leading up and down to different levels.
"The...Panopticon," the Doctor explained to Hannah while catching her breath. "Need to find the artefacts. Must claim my heritage. I always wondered why my mother was human, now I know."
"That was all a trap Doctor, just a mind game to get you out off balance. The Valeyard knows your weaknesses and how to exploit them."
"No, no. That was father; his mind touched mine for the briefest of seconds. He told me things, things I don't want to know. Things no one should know. We wanted to tell me earlier but he had to leave. Borusa discovered his secret and he was forced to leave before he could reveal it." The Doctor sighed. "Things are clear to me now, the path I chose for myself. I was to rule Gallifrey, but I ran away from it all to try and prove that I could do things my own way."
"Doctor, no." Andred said. "You've more than proved your independence over the centuries. You don't have to blindly follow someone else's agenda, and besides you've already spent three terms in office. If you didn't want it before then you won't like it now, the paperwork's a pain I can tell you."
"What about all those people who need your help Doctor? All those people who have no voice, those who are too afraid or unable to help them selves. They need you Doctor and so does Claire."
"Did somebody say my name?" Claire asked stepping around the corner. "It's so good to feel needed."
"Claire!" Hannah ran over to her girlfriend and threw her arms around her and hugged and hugged. "I am so happy to see that you've recovered. I was afraid you would never hear me say I love you again."
"I'm touched, I really am but you see we're finished now lover. All you are to me now is a meal." Claire exposed her vampiric teeth and enjoyed Hannah's look of fright. "This is the way it's got to be, sorry."
The Doctor walked quickly over to her two companions, pulling a large wooden cross out of her jacket pocket. She used it to force Claire back away from Hannah. "Rule number one, no biting without asking." She removed a second cross and handed it to Hannah. "Rule number two, don't even think about it. We'll sort this out Claire, I know someone who can sort this out. If anyone can do it Willow can, probably. Rule number three no bad language please."
Claire hissed at the blonde Time Lady. The enemy was powerful but not invincible. She could bide her time and strike when her guard was down. She had a taste of their blood now; it was sweet, juicy and plentiful. "Just a few drops Hannah and a kiss for old times sake?"
"I want to Claire but you're not well right now. The Doctor can help us get through this I'm sure of it." She touched Claire's cheek, feeling the coldness of her skin. "We'll sort this out."
"Then what? When you're getting up I'm going to bed, where's the fun in that?"
"We'll find our own fun Claire, I promise." Hannah smiled, trying to reassure Claire.
"Oh what the hell, the Valeyard's taken over this planet. He's turning people into Cybermen and he made me turn some fat bloke into a vamp. Poor creature follows me around, holding onto my skirts like I'm his mommy. Oh and that whole Rassilon thing was a deception, in fact it was pretty much my idea to keep you out of the way just long enough." Claire owed the Valeyard her life, or rather unlife, but the Doctor was still her friend and she did want to make things work out with Hannah. She wasn't sure if Hannah could love her now she was a vamp but she seemed keen enough so maybe it was enough. "Just one thing, your other self doesn't trust me, well why should he since I've betrayed him. He has holy water and I'd rather not loose my eternal beauty if it's all the same."
"I'll take her somewhere safe Doctor." Andred said, taking one of the crosses. "I'm not stupid however. I won't tell you where we're going in case we're being monitored."
"I'll come with you," Hannah volunteered, realising that the Doctor needed to do this on her own. "Give him hell for me" she whispered as the Doctor set off to find the Valeyard.


The Valeyard was holding court again. Maxil was proving to be a most useful servent, persuading the Cardinals to accept his rule. It really was a most effective plan of his and slowly his Cybermen allies transformed the Chancellery guards into his most devoted servants. He had promised them an equal share in Gallifrey's destiny; with their power to backup his own there was not a single force in the universe to stand against him, except one...her. Only she could undo all the good work he had patiently achieved.


She stalked the streets looking for her nemesis. Like a proud warrior she carried herself towards the President's office. A cardinal tried to grab her wrist but she levelled him with a right hook, fracturing his jaw in seven places and knocking him unconscious. She had been pushed too far now to bother playing the captured prisoner routine. She found Maxil outside the office standing guard. He smiled when he saw her and casually he walked over. "Get out of my way Maxil, get out of my way or be destroyed."
Maxil stood there; this weakling did not intimidate him. "You cannot win Doctor, you don't have the..." His words were cut off by the sharpened piece of wood stuck in his chest. "Oh my" he uttered in surprise before falling to the floor, his body decaying.
The Doctor stepped over the desiccated corpse and opened the door. Inside she found the Valeyard seated upon the throne of the President.
"Ah Doctor do come in, I had hoped you would be dead by now but killing you myself will make the experience that much more memorable." The Valeyard gestured to his companion. "You remember your former companion of course. Say hello to the good Doctor David."
"Hello Doctor," David Mason intoned.
"David died, murdered by the Cybermen. That monstrosity is a gross perversion of his memory." Fishing into an inside pocket the Doctor brought out a small red velvet bag. She took a handful of the yellow contents and threw it at the creature the Valeyard created. She took no pleasure as the gold dust reacted explosively with Cyber-technology. "Ooops, I did it again," the Doctor said softly. "Now for the final act, the killing of oneself."
"You cannot kill me Doctor, I am you. We may have different viewpoints but out goal is still the same. Tomorrow I intend to wipe out the Daleks utterly. You cannot tell me that is the act of someone acting against the universal good?" Sitting back upon the throne the Valeyard smiled.
"You would commit genocide so easily? You're nothing like me at all Valeyard. You may call yourself the Doctor but you will never BE me." She pointed a finger at the Valeyard "surrender now and throw yourself on the mercy of the High Council. They may be lenient towards you."
"The High Council has been dissolved Doctor, I have created a War Council in its stead. Behold my council of war." The Valeyard pressed a button on the arm of the throne and two gilt doors opened. Into the Presidents office marched ten Cybermen, each was dressed in the robes of the High Council. "You see my council Doctor? Totally loyal to a man, a Cyberman."
"What have you done?" the Doctor demanded. She stepped backwards, edging towards the door she had entered through.
"Why I've secured Gallifrey's future, Doctor. Join me and we shall rule this planet for all eternity." The Valeyard extended his gloved hand towards his weaker self.
"Immortality is a curse Valeyard. Do you not know the Game of Rassilon?" The Doctor pulled off her jacket and pushed her blouse sleeves up, leaving her arms bare. "He who wins shall loose and she who looses shall win."
"I'll show you immortality Doctor." The Valeyard stood up and glided over to the Doctor. He unfastened his long black robes and opened them to reveal that underneath was the body of a Cyberman. "Yes that's right." The Valeyard sneered as he saw the look of shock on the Doctors face. "Organic life has had its day, it's out of fashion. The Cybermen will soon become the Lords of Time and I will be their god."
"Now I know you're mad." The Doctor smiled suddenly. "I just wanted to be sure." Releasing the handful of gold dust, she had palmed from the bag in her jacket, at the Valeyard she turned and ran out of the office and down the corridor.
The Valeyard lurched about violently, as the gold clogged key systems. "Find her," he ordered. "Kill or capture all organics. The Cybermen will seize this planet and all of time and space will be ours."


The Doctor ran for her life, Cybermen burst from out of nowhere firing at her but somehow she made it safely back to Andred's office. She found he had locked Claire inside one of the detention cells behind a force wall. Hannah tried to hug her but their wasn't time. "Come on, we have to get to the TARDIS before it's too late. I have an idea but it involves being inside it rather than outside." She grabbed Claire's arm after deactivating the force wall. "The Valeyard is planning to wipe out all organic life forms and you're still a member of that illustrious group. If you want to stay that way, then come with us."
"Ok, ok. I'll be a good girl, no biting. I promise, now lets get out of here." Claire took hold of Hannah's hand. "I'm sorry about what I said before, about you being just a meal. I didn't want you to like what I've become but all I can think about is being with you."
"I still love you too," Hannah replied.
"Save the Mills and Boon stuff for later you two, we have work to do." The Doctor picked up a staser from the rack of weapons. She looked at the other three questioningly. "What? It's a gun; I've fired them before. I've killed Cybermen with guns before."
"Doctor, you don't use guns remember." Hannah was worried about the Doctor; she had been through so much.
"Life's a bitch sometimes Hannah and right now so am I. Lets go people."


They made their way slowly through the corridors, the Cybermen were ill equipped to handle hit and run tactics. They tried of course but their circuits weren't programmed in battle tactics yet. The TARDIS bay had been sealed off of course but it only took the Doctor fourteen seconds to rewire them and that was one handed. They spotted the TARDIS easily; it was the only blue object in a sea of light green time machines. They hurried inside, quickly locking the doors behind them.
The TARDIS was just as she had left it, the Persian carpet was clean and the internal sensors reported no activity onboard. The Doctor let out a breath before setting the controls.
Andred recognised the flight data the Doctor was entering. "No," he said, "you can't. It is against my oath of office to allow you to do this."
"What's she doing Andred?" Hannah asked.
"Rewriting history," the Doctor replied. "There is a reason why we do not change Time, long ago our people fought a horrible and costly war against another race of Time Travellers."
"The Time Wars," Andred announced.
"Since that time we have sworn never to abuse our powers lest we destabilise the continuum and open up a closed past into our history. I hope that doesn't happen but either way Gallifrey is screwed."
"It is too risky Doctor," Andred shouted. "You'll get us all killed. Leela is down there and my child." There was no choice anymore, he had to make this insane woman see sense so he drew his weapon and pointed it at her. "Doctor, do not activate those controls or I will shoot you."
"No you won't." Claire grabbed the gun out of Andred's hands. "Listen to the Doctor, she knows what she's doing, more than you do anyway. Do you think I want to be like this for the rest of god knows how long? Maybe this way I can be a normal girl again and from what the Doctor says none of this will have happened. Leela and your child will be safe."
Her mind made up, the Doctor pressed the final button. The TARDIS lurched from side to side as it fought against itself to obey both sides of its purpose. The central column rose and fell; the lights came on and off. The walls shook as if they were made of plywood rather than machinate and everywhere there were small explosions with showers of sparks.
The TARDIS materialised in the landing bay. The Doctor carefully opened the doors and peered outside all seemed deserted. Hannah, Andred and Claire soon joined her. This was strange, if Claire had been returned to the condition she had before then she should not this active, she should be comatose.
"What's wrong?" she asked feeling self conscious all of a sudden."
"I don't think you've been affected Claire." The Doctor used her crucifix to confirm her theory.
"Well of course I won't be. We have to stop fashion disaster from body napping me first." Claire wondered how little the Doctor actually knew about time travel.
"Well then we had better get there then hadn't we?"


The Medical wing was silent. The black and silver robed intruder crept silently through the empty wards until he came upon the bed that was his target. He sneered at the still form of Claire Mason and the sleeping, leather-clad figure of Leela in the chair beside the bed. His gloved hand moved slowly towards the artificial respiration machine's on/off switch before stopping. "No" he whispered, "even I do not win my battles this way. You shall suffer Doctor, oh by Omega you shall suffer."
"I don't think so, Brickyard!" The Doctor stood in the doorway, her arms crossed. "Here's a health tip, gold is bad for your health." She casually waved the bag of gold dust in front of her opponent.
"How do you know?" he asked. "No one knows I am part Cyberman."
The Doctor smiled. "Lets just say that when it comes to breaking the laws of Time, I break them good and hard. Now leave before I'm forced to do something unladylike." She waved as her corrupted incarnation stormed past. "Don't be a stranger now," she called after him.
Claire looked down at the unmoving version of herself. She realised how peaceful she looked and how innocent this younger version was. "I hope you don't turn out like me," she whispered before turning back to Hannah. "Make sure I get better, do you hear me. I love you so much, so very much."
Hannah pulled Claire towards her and kissed her. "I know, I know. I love you too." Then as reality sorted itself out Hannah was left holding an empty space where a possible future had gone. A tear rolled down her cheek, as she walked over to the Claire she still had and loved so dearly. "Get well do you hear me? Get well." She kissed Claire's forehead.
Leela woke up; she heard noises. "Doctor? Andred? You should have woken me." She wondered why the three people laughed so much.


Hannah entered her quarters and flopped down onto the bed. She missed Claire so very much and it hurt to almost have her back, even if she was a vampire, only to lose her again. There was a knock at the door and she opened it to find Rodan standing there with Lucky. She handed him over quickly, explaining that he had tried to eat her hair yet again. Hannah apologised and offered to take the Time Lady on a beauty spree the next time the Doctor was headed towards Earth. On her own again now she hugged Lucky, glad to feel that she was not totally alone.


The Doctor filled out the report. She hated paperwork, always had done well maybe her original self had tolerated it when necessary but she absolutely hated it. She signed it with a question mark, before throwing it heartily into the out tray. Let one of the President's minions come and collect it if they were that eager she thought. She was in no hurry after all and it would be good to stretch her space legs once more.


The Valeyard found the Cyber-Controller waiting in his TARDIS. "The Doctor defeated us," he reported. "She managed to travel from the future into the past and stop us."
The Cyber-Controller listened impassively. "The Doctor has fallen into our trap then?" he asked.
"Yes Controller, she has weakened the past. She has also proved that access is possible. This vessel, under control of the Cybermen can make sure that Gallifrey loses the Time Wars. Mechanical life will be the only form of life in the universe."
"It is inevitable once we use this TARDIS to breach the barrier. Begin at once," the Cyber-Controller ordered. "Organic life is imperfect and must be eradicated."