Chapter Eight.

WWDWD?.

The Doctor pulled himself away.

'That was. . . that wasn't what I wanted to see,' he said.

You said you wanted answers. Those were answers.

'They may well be, but not to the questions I have. Was that who I once was?'

No.

'Then. . . Why show it to me?'

You feel cheated?

'Well, yes, I suppose I do.'

You wanted a moment where you opened a magic box and a set of neat solu-tions to all the awkward questions you have ever had came pouring out?

'No. I know life isn't like that.'

No, it isn't.

'You can give me my memories back?'

Yes. Like. . . that. Would you like me to?

The Doctor hesitated. 'No.'

Why not?

'I don't know. I just know that. . . ' His voice trailed away. He stood there for a moment.

'Now I've seen what I did, it was terrible, but I don't know what I'd have done differently.'

If you had your time again.

'You could send me back, give me a second chance?'

Yes. Like. . . that. Would you like me to?

The Doctor hesitated. 'No.'

Why not?

'I don't know. I just know that. . . ' His voice trailed away. He stood there for a moment.

'You have the power to restore Gallifrey?'

Yes. Like. . . that. Would you like me to?

The Doctor hesitated. 'No.'

Why not?

137.

'I don't know. I just know that. . . ' His voice trailed away.

He stood there for a moment.

'I know you,' the Doctor said.

This is a mere echo of me. The ghost in the machine.

'The serpent in Eden.'

The fallen angel. You did what I tried to do but never could, you swept away Gallifrey and the Time Lords. Cracked the dome of heaven, toppled its towers, Gallifrey and the Time Lords. Cracked the dome of heaven, toppled its towers, put the G.o.ds to the sword. put the G.o.ds to the sword.

'For the greater good.'

Booming laughter rolled off the stone walls of the crypt.

Marnal doesn't know how to punish you. You never had a problem with the pithy sentence, though, did you, Doctor? You threw me into this black hole, pithy sentence, though, did you, Doctor? You threw me into this black hole, knowing that at the singularity there is infinite power; infinite command, everything I've ever dreamed of. More. Here, I am the master; I am the alpha knowing that at the singularity there is infinite power; infinite command, everything I've ever dreamed of. More. Here, I am the master; I am the alpha and the omega. You also knew that those powers only work here, and here you and the omega. You also knew that those powers only work here, and here you imprisoned me. Condemned me to G.o.dhood, with no chance of parole. imprisoned me. Condemned me to G.o.dhood, with no chance of parole.

The Doctor hurried back towards the control panel.

But you misunderstood me, Doctor, you always did. I didn't want power for its own sake. I wanted power so that I could take my revenge. You always denied own sake. I wanted power so that I could take my revenge. You always denied that to me. Until now. Marnal may not know how to hurt you, but I do. I have, that to me. Until now. Marnal may not know how to hurt you, but I do. I have, by using all my power to trigger the fusion device. An eye for an eye. Vengeance by using all my power to trigger the fusion device. An eye for an eye. Vengeance is mine, sayeth the is mine, sayeth the The Doctor pulled the lever, cutting the voice off and sealing the breaches.

Only then did he turn back. The iron sphere was set in the floor, inert. Time and s.p.a.ce had returned to normal.

This was his punishment? The destruction of some of his knickknacks and being forced to watch a digressive bit of s.p.a.ce opera? He didn't think that was so bad, he seemed to have been let off rather lightly. He didn't feel as though a weight had been lifted. Which left him wondering what he'd missed.

The Doctor checked his watch. An hour had pa.s.sed since he'd entered the crypt.

'YOU HAVE TO PROVE YOUR HOSTAGE IS SAFE,' the loudhailer told Marnal.

He'd been sitting slumped in a garden chair. He was just looking at the police box. An hour ago he'd told her that entering the TARDIS had been suicidal for the Doctor, that he would be dead in a firestorm that would burn for days. That was just about the last thing that Marnal had said or done.

Rachel could have made a run for it, but didn't want to be picked off by some overeager police marksman.

The police couldn't see into the garage there was only one window, and that was behind a thick curtain. Rachel imagined that, even if it hadn't been, 138 there would be so much dust and grime on the gla.s.s that no one could have seen in. It was dark now. She could just about see the street lights around the edges of the curtain and the garage doors. Without the fusion reactor, the gla.s.s bottle was just a gla.s.s bottle.

This meant that Rachel couldn't see out. She'd seen the police setting up, and enough episodes of The Bill The Bill to be able to picture what must be going on. to be able to picture what must be going on.

She knew they'd cordoned off the area. There were cars with flashing blue lights, dozens of uniformed officers huddled behind them for cover. Half a dozen snipers would be in position, there would be another team on standby to storm the garage.

They wouldn't go away, that was the point. There were a number of ways this would end, and all but one of them involved her getting killed. She was staying away from the window and the doors.

Without warning, Marnal stood up and strode over to the TARDIS. He rattled the door, but it didn't budge. He didn't seem surprised.

'You'll have to show your face,' he told her.

'What?'

'You heard them: you're my hostage, they want to see that you're safe.'

'They'll shoot me.'

Marnal shrugged. 'I doubt it.'

'You doubt doubt it?' it?'

'They've got the place surrounded. They can afford to ask questions first, shoot later.'

Marnal had found an old towel and was dusting it off.

'A white flag,' he explained, handing it over to her. It was damp and smelled of mould.

'It's not white.'

'It's not a flag, either. But it's the nearest we have.'

Rachel held it in her hands as though it was a dead squid.

'Hurry,' Marnal insisted.

She went over to the door.

'I'm coming out!' she shouted.

'WE HEAR YOU. YOU'RE SAFE TO COME OUT.'

She edged the door open, waved the towel.

'YOU'RE SAFE TO COME OUT,' the loudhailer repeated.

'Keep your feet inside,' Marnal warned.

Rachel poked her head out of the door. The scene hadn't changed much since they'd seen it in the bottle. A line of policemen, a mix of uniformed, plain clothes and body armoured, was positioned behind a row of cars.

'IS EVERYONE IN THERE SAFE?' the inspector with the loudhailer called.

'Yes,' she answered.

139.

'ARE YOU BEING HELD HOSTAGE?'

'Er. . . sort of,' she shouted.

No immediate response.

'It's complicated,' Rachel added.

'WHAT'S YOUR NAME, MISS?'

'I'm Rachel. I'm Marnal's nurse.'

'IS MR GATE IN THERE?'

'Who? Oh, that's who I mean: Marnal.'

'IS THERE ANYONE ELSE IN THERE?'

Rachel glanced back at the police box. 'Yes and no,' she said. 'THERE EITHER IS OR THERE ISN'T, MISS.'

'There are three of us. Two, er, hostages and Marnal.'

'WE HAVE BEEN TOLD MARNAL IS ARMED. IS THAT THE CASE?'

Rachel decided to consult with Marnal, and bobbed her head back in.

He nodded, patting the stun gun.

She returned her attention to the policemen. 'Yes, but we're all safe,' she shouted.

'UNDERSTOOD.'

Marnal came over and pulled Rachel back inside, being very careful to stay out of sight. He closed the door.

'Why did you want them to know you were armed?' she asked.

'They'll think twice before rushing in.'

'Oh. . . Right.'

The TARDIS had survived and was already beginning to cleanse and repair itself.