Chapter Text
Citizens of the universe.
This is a critical update on the current galaxy-wide crisis. Lanwa's Disease is rapidly amassing forces, with its spread sending shockwaves across civilisations. Reports from across all known sectors indicate entire planets succumbing to the disease, as its army of the infected continues its advance.
In a concerning development, the whereabouts of the Time Lord known as the Doctor are now unclear. He was last observed entering Tuvala, a region notorious for its high instability. Since then, there has been no communication, and his current status remains unknown. The Neo Proclamation has urged citizens to report any sightings of the Time Lord to authorities immediately as he may be able to assist resistance efforts.
During this extraordinary crisis, planetary leaders and speakers are calling for heightened vigilance and cooperation with local authorities. We are committed to keeping you updated as events unfold. Good night.
On a quiet, uninhabited and undesignated moon in the uninfected Alpha Echo sector, the Doctor, the Master, Irving Braxiatel and Leah Tyler had been hiding for just over two weeks.
As the Universe crumbled to dust in the distance, they had stayed hidden, with their stolen, rusted ship parked between a purple ocean and a silver forest, sticking out like a sore thumb in the otherwise untouched paradise. The only noises in the moon’s serenity were the waves quietly lashing against the shore and the inhabitant wildlife going about its daily business, confused but accepting of the peculiar visitors to their shores.
Inside the rusted ship, the Doctor was helping his daughter to bed in the sleeping quarters. ‘Your birthday is next week,’ he said. ' You're going to be thirty-six, right?’
She smiled but didn’t laugh like she used to at his stupid jokes. ‘Seven,’ she corrected him.
‘Oh yes, seven,’ he said, grinning as he changed her top. ‘Big age. I remember when I was seven I nearly drowned, and to save me, Uncle Brax …’
‘... Shot you with a tether gun, yeah I know,’ she said. 'And you were fifty-five not seven, Daddy.'
'Well, I’ve always been very immature for my age,' the Doctor said and finished buttoning up her shirt before he drew back, hands in the air in triumph. ‘We did it! Not bad for two people in a coma three weeks ago.’
‘Yeah,’ she said, lacking enthusiasm.
‘Hey, long face,’ the Doctor noted, lightly bopping her nose with his finger. ‘What's wrong?’
‘I don't wanna be sick anymore,’ she said. ‘I'm so bored of it.’
‘I know,’ the Doctor said. ‘These things take time.’
She didn't answer that, disconnecting her gaze from his. He tilted his head.
‘Hey, you're going to be okay,’ he said. ‘It’s all temporary. Look at it this way—three weeks ago, you and me survived Tuvala. That’s amazing, Leah. It's the most hostile place in the universe. We spent that entire trip dodging vampires and being chased by Gallifreyan-eating clowns, yet we’re still here. We got a little dented in the process, but we’re getting better, and it won’t be instant.’
She looked away, not meeting his gaze. Her shoulders shook a little, and then she started crying. The Doctor saw it for what it was—tears falling from his eyes and running down Rose's face.
‘Hey,’ the Doctor said quickly, cupping her cheek. ‘You’ll set me off.’
‘I-I can’t do anything, D-Daddy,’ she said, sobbing. ‘I can’t w-walk anymore without everything h-hurting.’
‘You don’t need to right now. I’m your personal chauffeur. All you have to do is yell, “taxi,” and I’ll be there. If you said you wanted to go to the edge of the Universe, I’d carry you there.’
She didn't reply, just crying. He took her into a hug, feeling her shaking in his arms as she wept.
‘What’s wrong with m-me?’ she croaked.
‘We don't know,’ the Doctor replied honestly, kissing her forehead. ‘But we're working on it.’
‘I don't wanna be like this, Daddy, please,’ she sobbed, almost begging now. ‘I'm so tired all the time, and everything hurts, and it's not fair.’
‘Yeah. I know it’s not. But I’ll fix it, I promise. We’ll fix you before you turn seven,’ he said. ‘Nothing, and I mean nothing, is more important than you. Just remember Daddy's here, and I love you.’
‘I l-love you too.'
He stayed with her until she fell asleep, and then left the sleeping quarters into the main module of the ship. The Master was there, sitting at the table eating some protein out of a can. He looked up at the Doctor.
‘If I have to eat one more protein can, I’m leading a mutiny on your brother,’ the Master mumbled as he finished the food and pushed the tin away. ‘I could be anywhere right now—the Ritz, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, that little cafe down by Pluto—but I'm here with you and Captain Birdseye.’
The Doctor disguised a smile as he checked the fridge. It had been a very long time since he'd spent an extended amount of time with the Master where he wasn't trying to kill him. The Doctor was finding himself getting almost complacent with his presence. That was a scary thought.
‘Braxiatel has got the communications array working now, so you know,’ the Master told him as the Doctor took the opposite seat on the table and opened his own protein can.
‘I can contact Torchwood,’ the Doctor realised.
‘I’d leave them be if I were you,’ the Master advised.
‘Why?’
The Master rolled his eyes. ‘Come on, Doctor. The disease knows that you'll be heading straight back to Earth as soon as you can, so destroying Earth before you get there is a complete waste of time when there's nobody around to see it. She’ll be waiting for you to go there before she does anything to it. Advice from this villain is to leave it alone, and it might just survive this whole thing.'
The Doctor hated to admit it, but that made sense. ‘All right, fine.’
‘Is Leah sleeping again?’ the Master asked.
‘Yeah,’ the Doctor confirmed.
He watched as the Master seemed to dwell on that, drumming his fingers on the table.
‘She's not improving anymore. If anything, she's going backwards,’ the Master surmised.
The Doctor gazed at him. Whatever he thought of the Master, he'd spent the last few weeks taking extremely good care of him and Leah. And the Doctor knew he wasn’t low enough to harm her.
Probably.
‘Any theories on why she's not healing?’ the Doctor wondered.
The Master shrugged. ‘She's a hybrid, Doctor. It's not like there's a reference book anywhere.’
The Doctor thought for a moment, chewing on his tasteless protein. ‘ACS?’
‘Artron Collapse Syndrome?’ the Master scoffed. ‘Sure, let's also diagnose her with fairytale-itis and lock her in a tower.’
‘Think about it. You said it—she's a hybrid. She's never regenerated before, and she's never been this ill before. Maybe she can't manufacture her own artron to heal herself. Maybe she's just relying on Brax’s through the blood transfusions,’ the Doctor said. ‘It would make sense—the lethargy, the dizziness, the secondary fibromyalgia, the inability to heal.’
The Master paused, then sighed. ‘Oh, I really hate it when you're probably right,’ he groaned. ‘Doesn't help though. Without Gallifrey, the only treatment is blood transfusions, and that's not exactly working.’
‘We need to use my blood,’ the Doctor said. ‘Brax is a close match, but I'm closer.’
‘You're still not at normal artron levels either, and I really can't be bothered to deal with you going backwards again.’
‘Just a couple of bags …’
‘... Will destroy what I've spent three weeks trying to fix,’ the Master interrupted. ‘I know it's difficult for you, but please try not to be so stupid.’
‘Koschei,’ Brax suddenly said, stepping into the room. ‘The less civil you are, the longer we will stay here.’
‘Oh no, because I'm really enjoying my holiday with the Lungbarrovians,’ the Master said sarcastically.
‘Koschei …’ Brax began lowly.
‘Brax, leave it,’ the Doctor interrupted, refocusing everyone's attention. ‘We're talking about Leah.’
‘She's not improving, I know,’ Brax mused, sitting with them. ‘I am unsure how long we have until Lanwa takes this sector, Theta. We were only supposed to be here for a short while until you and Leah were sufficiently recovered. Do we know why she's not healing?’
‘We think she may have ACS,’ the Doctor said.
‘That would make sense,’ Brax said, nodding. ‘What's the treatment?’
‘Targeted artron therapy through a dosing machine,’ the Doctor answered.
‘And where can we get one of those?’
‘Gallifrey,’ the Master replied.
‘Ah,’ Brax muttered.
The Master looked at the Doctor. ‘Doctor, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I really think Leah needs to regenerate.’
‘No.’
‘We’re just keeping her above water here.’
‘No,’ the Doctor repeated firmly.
‘Koschei, this is not productive,’ Brax said. ‘She is not even near first maturation and still alive.’
‘But at what cost?’ the Master asked, homing in now. ‘If she really does have ACS then this is her life now. At least if she regenerates, she can be normal again.’
‘Koschei,’ Brax said firmly.
‘I'm just stating the facts, Braxiatel. You wanted me here to help these two - well, here it is.’
‘Master, stop,’ the Doctor murmured.
The Master turned his attention back to the Doctor. He gazed at him for an uncomfortably long time before his face changed, realising … ‘Wow, you don't think she can regenerate.’
‘She …’
‘Oh, that's it, isn't it? You don't believe she can actually regenerate. Great. So what exactly have we been doing for three weeks, just looking after some mortal kid pretending we can cure her?’
‘Koschei, that's enough,’ Brax ordered.
‘We've been stuck here eating protein packs and listening to each other complaining for weeks because Theta found a pretty Earth girl to play with …’
‘Koschei!” Brax barked.
‘... He got her pregnant, made a hybrid, and now we've ended up with a kid that's now no better than a slightly sentient vegetable.’
‘Shut up,’ the Doctor snapped.
‘She can't walk, she can’t feed herself, she can barely stay conscious, and she can’t be cured. Don’t tell me she’s not a complete waste of space at this point.’
The Doctor impulsively stood up, his voice raising, ‘if she didn't give you her artron she wouldn't …! - no, no,’ he stopped himself head in his hands before he spun on his heel and left the room. He decided to tune out the Master’s laughter at his reaction as he entered the sleeping quarters, seeing Leah there, fast asleep and linked up to her numerous IVs as she had been for so long. She looked like an angel - a delicate, perfect mix of him and Rose rolled into one beautiful little girl.
He dropped to sit on his bed, his head in his hands. He stared at her, trying not to let the Master’s words penetrate far enough to make him cry.
It was at least partially true. He didn’t know for sure if she could regenerate. Even though he’d put in all the education, made the regeneration simulation machine for her, and talked her through it whenever she’d asked, there was actually no telling if she was physically capable of it until the moment came. Maybe she was another Jenny—like him, but not quite enough.
The Master was right about another thing, too. Without Gallifrey’s medical devices, there was very little chance of getting her artron levels back to normal. She could be reliant on transfusions for the rest of her life, never fully recovering. Bedridden until she regenerated. That didn’t matter one jot to him, but for Leah, it would be very hard.
He stayed there for a moment longer, staring at the IVs as the fluids dripped steadily into his little girl, keeping her alive.
To hell with the Master, he decided.
He stood up, going to the cupboard to retrieve a direct blood-giving set.
‘Koschei, that was completely out of order,’ Brax rebuked the other Time Lord.
‘Do you even realise how much time we've wasted here?’ the Master said, completely ignoring that. ‘I thought the Universe was ending or something and we've been on a beach for weeks trying to fix something that's going to stay broken.’
‘She will thrive, Koschei.’
‘The kid’s a write-off, Braxiatel. She's useless. She's holding us all back and wasting everyone's time.’
Brax suddenly stood up, his patience snapped. ‘Koschei, you will be quiet!’
Brax’s tone of voice caused the Master to blanch a little, abruptly falling silent.
‘She is still alive, and right now she is very ill, and we are not turning our backs on her. You will retract everything you just said.’
The Master stared at him, utterly bewildered for a moment. ‘Oh, what do I care,’ he eventually muttered, deflecting. ‘She’s not my niece.’
Brax still didn't move, holding his form and staring the Master down. ‘Despite all your posturing, you do actually care about her.’
‘Me? Care about her?’ the Master said, laughing. ‘Why on Gallifrey would I care about a hybrid, especially one that's come from the Doctor?’
‘Because you are jealous.’
The Master was astonished. ‘... Jealous. You're calling me jealous.’
‘Throughout your entire miserable existence, you have not created anything of worth, Koschei. You could if you wanted to. You could be an incredible scholar, you could be a top scientist, you could matter. But you never have. You are jealous because Theta has. He has spent his life doing things that matter, and now Leah is a tangible, physical example of that, and she's wonderful. She's smart, fierce, beautiful, and brilliant, and you admire that. You like her. It really must be incredibly annoying to know who she came from.’
The Master stared at him for dinner seconds before disconnecting his gaze. ‘I'm going to bed,’ he said eventually, leaving without another word.
Brax watched him to ensure he was going where he said he was and then went to the door of the Doctor and Leah’s sleeping quarters. He knocked on the metal. ‘Theta.’
'Get lost.'
'It's just me. Koschei has gone. I am coming in.'
Brax opened the door to reveal the Doctor sitting on the bed beside Leah, linked directly to her through a tube that was pumping blood into her. She was fast asleep, and he was gently holding her tiny hand.
Brax said nothing momentarily, closing the door behind him and sitting beside him. ‘I am not sure you should be doing that,’ he noted, nodding to the transfusion line.
‘Stop me, then,’ the Doctor replied, not moving an inch.
Brax didn’t press on that. ‘It does not matter, you know.’
‘What doesn't?’
‘If Leah cannot regenerate.’
‘I know. Brax, I couldn't care less if I had to care for her for the rest of her life, but none of this is fair on her.’
‘I agree,’ Brax concurred.
‘It’s her birthday next week. She’ll be seven. I promised her I’d fix her before then,’ the Doctor muttered, clearly trying not to cry.
‘Thete, if you make promises you also have to make sure you can fulfil them,’ Brax pointed out.
‘What else can I do?’ the Doctor asked seriously. ‘I’ve lost my Tardis, and Jack and Millennia are who knows where, I can’t contact Torchwood to check on my son and my friends, and Rose is trying to kill me. Right now … Leah's all I've got left.’
There was a long, poignant pause as Brax considered that. ‘Thete, I know things have been a bit … up and down between us, and I am not very good at saying things like this … but I … well, I am here for you, too.’
The Doctor looked at him, his eyes shining. ‘What?’
‘I … I am really trying to help you,’ Brax continued. ‘A very long time ago I promised your mother I would look out for you, and I did not do that. I completely failed you, Thete, on every single possible level. I am trying to make amends. I know you do not fully trust me yet, but I promise I am trying very hard. In fact, I … well … oh, for Rassilon’s sake,’ he muttered and leaned forward to hug his little brother.
The Doctor was astonished. ‘... Right, okay,’ he muttered in Brax’s robot-like grip.
Time passed. Slowly.
‘Brax. You can stop,’ the Doctor told him.
‘When should I have let go?’ Brax wondered, still encasing him.
‘About twenty seconds ago.’
Brax promptly disengaged, and then they looked at each other and quietly laughed.
‘Get some sleep,’ Brax advised, getting up.
The Doctor nodded, giving a mock salute. ‘Night.’
‘Nighty night, Thete.’
It was 4 a.m., and Braxiatel was on the bridge, figuring out the ship's newly working communications array. He was trying to figure out if they could send a signal without being traced back. He hoped that with a few tweaks, Thete could talk to Earth and check on his son.
It wasn't going well, and he was just about to take a break when Hannah, their automatic hostile response droid suddenly activated, raising her head with her eyes flashing red.
‘Sensors detect the approach of a potentially hostile ship,' she stated in her usual robotic monotone.
‘What?’ Brax asked, startled. He quickly checked the radar and immediately saw she was right - a pulsing dot heading straight towards their location. It looked worryingly large.
Brax swore as the ship hailed. He ignored it. ‘Theta! Koschei!’ he said into the ship-wide announcement system. ‘On the bridge, now!’
The ship hailed again. Brax ignored it again. ‘Hannah, can we stay hidden?’ he asked.
‘Negative - ship residual ion trail is too dense for standard scanners to overlook.’
‘Okay, what is the probability we could outrun them?’ he asked as the Master entered, followed by the Doctor.
‘Four percent,’ Hannah responded.
‘Okay, what action has the best probability of us being alive in ten minutes?’ Brax asked.
‘Scenario with the highest outcome probability for the continued existence of current passengers is your complete and unconditional surrender.’
‘Oh come on, it's only one ship,’ the Master moaned, taking a seat at the weapons station. ‘Surely we can fight them off.’
‘Not an option,’ Brax said.
‘So we run,’ the Doctor concluded.
‘Thete, you are the best pilot, take point,’ Brax said, encouraging the Doctor to the helm as he took the tactical station and began to scan the area. ‘It is still just the one ship in range.’
The ship hailed for the third time.
‘Answer it,’ the Doctor said.
‘What are you going to do, give them some sort of moral choice?’ the Master said facetiously. ‘We need to go.’
‘Brax, answer that hail,’ the Doctor ordered his brother, ignoring the Master.
Brax obliged, hitting the button,
‘This is the SS, um, Gallifrey, state your intention,’ the Doctor said.
‘Hello,’ came the reply in an unfamiliar female voice. ‘I’ve never heard you in real life, but you have such dulcet tones, Doctor. I bet you have a lovely singing voice. Sing me Moon River - you’ll make me swoon.’
‘State your intention,’ the Doctor repeated.
‘Intention? Well, I’m a bounty hunter, so money in exchange for you, I guess.’
‘You cannot fire on us,’ Brax stated clearly. ‘By attacking us, you are endangering the Doctor’s life. If you want that bounty, you have to board us.’
‘With pleasure,’ the bounty hunter replied. ‘See you in ten minutes. Make some aperitifs.’
‘You’ll have to outrun us,’ Brax said.
‘Because a class E ship straight out of a junkyard is just so difficult to catch,’ the voice mocked. Was that a last-ditch resort, or are Time Lords dumber than Momma told me?’
‘I am warning you. Leave us alone,’ Brax stated.
‘Or what?’
‘Or … er,’ Brax said, suddenly at a loss for words.
‘Oh for …’ the Master muttered, and leant forward. ‘Hello. We're just trying to catch a tan, and you're ruining our holiday. Because on this ship are three Time Lords who are absolutely superior to you in every single way. If you don't turn back right now you'll find your lovely little ship in pieces across the Kasper Belt, with you in it.’
‘You’ve got nothing, Time Lord. You can't even fire on me.’
‘News for you - we don't need lots of weapons to blow your ship apart. Stop wasting our time.’
There was a pause.
‘Oh, that's a man of authority,’ the voice said. ‘I'll take the risk. Start running, boys. Or girls. Or whatever you are. Time Lords are so confusing.’
The comm went dead.
‘Well, that went well,’ the Master muttered.
‘Thete, time to fly,’ Brax ordered, though the Doctor was already firing up the engines. After twenty excruciating seconds, they lifted their juddering, wheezing ship off the ground using its almost burnt-out thrusters. It creaked and groaned, but eventually managed to get some lift.
‘Half of the helm control’s out,’ the Doctor said, frantically flipping switches to no avail.
The Master sighed. ‘I told you we needed to steal a better ship, Braxiatel.’
‘Just go as far as fast as you can,’ Brax told the Doctor.
‘Aye cap’n,’ the Doctor responded, and hit the thrusters. The ship started on her way, moving like a trolley with a wonky wheel.
‘I can't engage the weapons,’ the Master said.
‘That is because there aren't any,’ Brax replied.
‘Then why exactly am I sitting at the weapons station?’ the Master asked, annoyed.
‘Because you chose it,’ the Doctor pointed out, wrestling with the steering to keep the ship from drifting off to the right.
The Master sighed, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair. ‘I'll just sit here and wait to die, then.’
‘Backseat drivers,’ the Doctor moaned under his breath, then grimaced as he continued fighting the ship. ‘Oh, these controls are … ridiculous.’
‘That ship’s in range,’ Brax said.
‘Faster!’ the Master urged.
‘You know, I'd love to, but the thrusters aren't firing anymore,’ the Doctor said.
‘Please be kidding,’ the Master moaned.
‘Nope,’ the Doctor replied, stabbing at the controls and eliciting no reaction. ‘There's not enough fuel.’
‘Okay, land her, Theta,’ Brax ordered.
The Doctor obliged, picking a spot in between two hills. He slowly brought the old rickety ship down until it landed with a wild jolt. Something nearby cracked.
‘That sounded important,’ the Doctor mused.
‘Okay power everything down, we stay low,’ Brax said.
The Doctor obliged, flipping a few switches to turn the ship off to essential running only. For a few moments, they just sat there, listening to nothing.
‘Well, that was a fun thirty seconds, but what next?’ the Master asked.
‘Shh,’ Brax ordered, checking his handheld scanner.
‘Charming,’ the Master said.
‘I mean it, Koschei,’ Brax said, irritated.
The Master sighed, propping his feet up on the desk.
‘She is looking for us, and she will find us,' Brax stated. 'I highly doubt we can defend ourselves if she boards, even with Hannah defending us.’
‘Then we need to leave,’ the Doctor said.
Brax nodded. ‘Agreed.’
‘Err, to go where exactly?’ the Master wondered. ‘This is an uninhabited moon.’
‘We might be able to find a fuel source. Then once we are refueled, we can take off.' Brax stood up. 'Three minutes and I want everybody outside.'
Three minutes later, they were hiking through a field riddled with very scratchy, overgrown alien flora. Brax and the Master carried some bare minimum supplies and survival equipment, while the Doctor had taken Leah on his back in an improvised carrier. She was asleep again—exhausted.
‘Where exactly are we going?’ the Master asked as they walked.
‘Away from that bounty hunter,’ Brax replied, producing a scanner. ‘And as I said before, perhaps we can find a fuel source for our ship. Give me a moment.’
Everyone stopped walking. The Master sighed and sat himself down on a rock.
‘Daddy?’ Leah asked suddenly, waking up.
‘Here,’ the Doctor replied, reaching over his shoulder to offer his hand.
She took it, squeezing it. ‘Why are we in a field?’
‘We had to evacuate,’ the Doctor replied.
‘Why?’
‘Bounty hunter.’
‘Oh,’ she said, still holding his hand. ‘For us? Or just, like, a general one?’
‘Definitely for us,’ the Doctor answered. ‘Also we ran out of fuel.’
‘Well, that was stupid,’ she said.
‘I agree,’ the Master said, glaring at Brax who was still fidgeting with the scanner.
‘Remember your job, Koschei,’ Brax said sternly.
‘Oh, I remember it. I'm supposed to look after these two; you were in charge of the ship. These two are alive and talking to you, and meanwhile, our ship is a very heavy doorstop because you didn't fuel it. So who exactly isn't doing their job here?’
There was a pause.
‘Um, he's kinda right,’ Leah pointed out.
‘Honestly, don't get involved,’ the Doctor muttered to his daughter just before the scanner pinged a positive noise.
‘The scanner says there are two possible fuel sources,’ Brax said.
‘Hallelujah,’ the Master said facetiously, standing up again.
'The traces are faint. We will need both. I suggest we split into two groups, locate them, and then return here. If I take Leah, then…'
'Sorry, no chance,' the Doctor said, indicating Leah on his back.
'Fine. I will go alone, and Koschei will go with Theta and Leah. We will meet back at the ship in ten hours.’
'Going on your own, Braxiatel?’ the Master teased. 'It's a scary world out there.’
Brax ignored him. ‘There are two potential sources - one overground to the west, and one underground going north.'
‘Overground,' the Master said immediately. 'Right, let's get this over with so we can all go home. Theta,’ he said by way of a command and began to walk west.
'Take care,’ Brax told Theta. ‘And I will trust you Leah to not make you or your father endure any of the Master's unyielding bullshit.’
Leah giggled tiredly. ‘Okay, Uncle Brax.’
‘Hey, I can handle him,’’ the Doctor protested.
'I believe she has more control than you or I could ever wish for in this department,’ Brax said, a small smile tugging on the edge of his lips. 'Now go.’
The Doctor nodded and turned to follow the Master.