The End of Time:Part 2
Black void...
Gallifrey is in ruins. Only the Citadel stands inside its protective dome. The man we saw as the Narrator in part one strides across a bridge followed by two acolytes and takes his seat at the head of a table. Six time lords sit, three on each side, whilst a woman is at the far end, scribbling on parchments. The rest of the space is in darkness.
"What news of the Doctor?" Rassilon asked.
"Disappeared, my Lord President." The Chancellor said.
"But we know his intention. He still possesses the Moment, and he'll use it to destroy Daleks and Time Lords alike." The Partisan said.
"The Visionary confirms it."
The Visionary is the woman at the end of the table. She has henna tattoos on her face and hands, "Ending, burning, falling. All of it falling. The black and pitch and screaming fire, so burning."
"All of her prophecies say the same. That this is the last day of the Time War. That Gallifrey falls. That we die, today." The Chancellor said.
"Ending. Ending. Ending. Ending!" The Visionary said.
"Perhaps it's time. This is only the furthest edge of the Time War. But at its heart, millions die every second, lost in bloodlust and insanity. With time itself resurrecting them, to find new ways of dying over and over again. A travesty of life. Isn't it better to end it, at last?" The Partisan asked.
"Thank you for your opinion." Rassilon said.
The Lord President stands and aims his blue metal gauntlet at the Partisan. Energy strikes her, she screams and is atomised.
"I will not die! Do you hear me? A billion years of Time Lord history riding on our backs. I will not let this perish. I will not!" Rassilon said, angrily.
"There is, er, there is one part of the prophecy, my Lord." The Chancellor said.
The Chancellor brings a paper to the Lord President, "Forgive me, I'm sorry. It's rather difficult to decipher, but it talks of two survivors beyond the Final Day. Two children of Gallifrey."
"Does it name them?" Rassilon asked.
"It foresees them locked in their final confrontation, The Enmity of Ages, and there's a third person there in their confrontation that's in between the two who's part of the Law of Cycles, which would suggest…"
"The Doctor! And the Master. And who's the third person?"
"It doesn't say. But he'll be known as the Storyteller. He's human, but not Time Lord." The Chancellor said. "One word keeps being repeated, my Lord. One constant word. Earth."
"Earth. Earth. Earth. Earth. Earth. Earth." The Visionary said.
"Planet Earth. Indigenous species, the human race. With Magical Girls and the Incubators keeping it alive and going."
A projection of the planet appears above the table.
"Earth. Earth. Earth." The Visionary said.
"Maybe that's where the answer lies. Our salvation. On Earth." Rassilon said.
(Jared's POV)
Naismith's study…
The Doctor has been bound and gagged, strapped upright to a trolley. Wilf and I are tied to chairs nearby.
"Now then, I've got a planet to run. Is everybody ready?" The Master asked.
"Six billion, seven hundred and twenty seven million, nine hundred and…" Naismith-Master said, on screen.
Gate room…
"Forty nine thousand three hundred and thirty eight versions of us…" Naismith-Master said.
Naismith's study…
"Awaiting orders." Naismith-Master said, on screen.
"This is Washington. As President of the United States, I can transfer all the United Nations protocols to you immediately, putting you in charge of all the Earth's defences." Obama-Master said, on screen.
"UNIT HQ, Geneva reporting. All under your command, sir." General-Master said, on screen.
"And this is the Central Military Commission here in Beijing, sir, with over two point five million soldiers, sir. Present arms!" Chinese-Master said, on screen.
"Enough soldiers and weapons to turn this planet into a warship. Nothing to say, Doctor? What's that? Pardon? Sorry?" The Master asked.
"You let him go, you swine." Wilf said, angrily.
"Oh, your dad's still kicking up a fuss."
"Yeah? Well, I'd be proud if I was."
"Hush, now. Listen to your Master."
"Crap, not now, super temp." I said, annoyed. "I forgot she was gonna call."
Ring, ring.
"But that's a mobile." The Master said.
"Yeah, it's mine. Let me turn it off." Wilf said.
"No, no, no, no, no. I don't think you understand. Everybody on this planet is me. And I'm not phoning you, so who the hell is that?"
"It's no one important. Just ignore it. Please! It's just a telemarketer! Or a spam caller!" I said, looking at the Master. "Don't answer it!"
The Master searches Wilf's pockets and finds the revolver, "Ooo, and look at this. Good man! Oh, don't think I forgot about your weapon fetish."
The Master went up to me and unlatched Aqours off my neck. He tossed the pendant and the revolver on the floor and gets the phone.
"Donna. Who's Donna?" The Master asked.
"She's no one. Just leave it." Wilf said.
"Gramps, don't hang up. You've got to help me." Donna said, her voice over the phone.
Alleyway…
"I ran out, but everyone was changing." Donna said.
Naismith's study…
"Who is she? Why didn't she change?" The Master asked.
"She's my super temp." I said, smiling. "Donna Temple-Noble. The most important woman in the whole of creation. She's more important than Madoka Kaname, who's the Law of Cycles. Donna met the Doctor and me a couple times, and she stopped the Reality Bomb the Daleks created. It was supposed to wipe out the entire multiverse."
"Gramps, I can't hear you." Donna said, her voice over the phone.
"Well, why didn't she change?" The Master asked.
"Well, it was this thing the Doctor and Jared did. They did it to her. The Metacrisis." Wilf said.
"Oh, Jared, you and the Doctor love playing with Earth girls. Ugh!" The Master said, annoyed.
"Are you there?" Donna asked, her voice over the phone.
Gate room…
"Find her. Trace the call." The Master said, on screen.
"Trace the call." Naismith-Master said.
A scientist-Master obeys.
Naismith's study…
"Are you still there? Can you hear me?" Donna asked, her voice over the phone.
"Say goodbye to the freak, Granddad, fanboy." The Master said.
"Donna, get out of there!" I said, trying to break free but can't. "Please! For the love of god! Run! You're brilliant! Just run!"
"Just get out of there. I'm telling you, run!" Wilf said.
Gate room…
"She's on Wessex Lane, Chiswick. Open the phone lines. Everyone on Wessex Lane. Red alert." Naismith-Master said.
"What do I do?" Donna asked, her voice over the phone.
"Run, sweetheart, that's all. Run for your life!" Wilf said.
Alleyway…
Two Master lookalikes block Donna in.
"There's more of them." Donna said.
"Donna? What's happening? Are you still there?" Wilf asked, his voice over the phone.
"They're everywhere." Donna said.
"Oh, I'm starving." Chiswick-Master said.
"Look, we're telling you to run, Donna." Wilf said, his voice over the phone.
"I'm still hungry." Chiswick-Master 2 said.
Naismith's study…
"Just run, sweetheart." Wilf said.
Alleyway…
"Just run. Please run, super temp." I said, my voice over the phone.
All the local Masters advance on Donna.
"It's not just them. I can see those things again. Those creatures. Why can I see a giant wasp?" Donna asked.
Naismith's study…
"Donna, don't think about that. Donna, my love…" Wilf said.
Alleyway…
"Don't!" Wilf said, his voice over the phone.
"And it hurts. My head. It keeps getting hotter, and hotter, and hotter, and hotter, and hotter!" Donna said.
Golden energy surges from Donna, travelling along the alleyway and knocking down the Chiswick-Masters.
"What did I…" Donna said, collapsing.
Donna collapses.
Naismith's study…
"Donna? What was that? Donna? Donna, are you there? Donna! Donna! Donna!" Wilf said,
The Doctor and I are smiling, and the Time Lord winks.
"Can't believe that still worked." I said, laughing a lot. "Man, I'm smart for the redheads I love. And want to protect."
The Master goes over and removes the Doctor's gag.
"That's better. Hello. But really, did you think we'd leave one of our best friends without defence mechanisms?" The Doctor asked.
"Doctor? Jared? What happened?" Wilfred asked.
"Donna, my super temp, your granddaughter. She's fine. I promise. She's asleep. There's a 50/50 chance she could recover her memory or not after her second wedding day." I said, happily.
"Tell me, where's your Tardis?" The Master asked.
"You could be so wonderful." The Doctor said.
"Where is it?"
"You're a genius. You're stone cold brilliant, you are. I swear, you really are. But you could be so much more. You could be beautiful. With a mind like that, we could travel the stars. It would be my honour. Because you don't need to own the universe, just see it. To have the privilege of seeing the whole of time and space. That's ownership enough."
"Would it stop, then? The noise in my head?"
"Well, we can help. There's some certain Magical Girls out there that could possibly extend that help." I said, looking at the Master.
"I don't know what I'd be without that noise."
"I wonder what I'd be, without you." The Doctor said.
"Yeah." The Master said.
"I know what I was like without Team RWBY." I said, letting out a sigh. "I was really reckless, full of blood, and anger, and revenge. Sarah Jane made me better."
"What does he mean? What noise?" Wilf asked.
"It began on Gallifrey, as children. Not that you'd call it childhood. More a life of duty. Eight years old. I was taken for initiation, to stare into the Untempered Schism." The Master said.
"What does that mean?"
"It's a gap in the fabric of reality. You can see into the Time Vortex itself. And it hurts." The Doctor said.
"They took me there in the dark. I looked into time, old man, and I heard it calling to me. Drums. The never ending drums." The Master said.
(Open POV)
Black void…
"The Untempered Schism. That's when it began." Rassilon said.
"History says the Master heard a rhythm. A torment that stayed with him for the rest of his life." The Chancellor said.
"A drumbeat. A warrior's march"
"A symptom of insanity, my Lord."
The Visionary taps the rhythm for them with her long fingernail on the metal surface of the table.
"A rhythm of four. The heartbeat of a Time Lord." Rassilon said.
Naismith's study…
"Listen to it. Listen." The Master said.
"Jared, Mommy and Daddy are on their way to you now." Yui said, appearing in Jared's neural receptors.
"Okay." Jared said, looking straight ahead. "Got it."
"Got what?" Wilfred asked, feeling out of the loop. "Who are you talking to?"
"The noise exists within my head, and now within six billion heads. Everyone on Earth can hear it. Imagine. Oh. Oh, yes." The Master said, and his skeleton becomes briefly visible again.
"The Gate wasn't enough. You're still dying." Jared said, sadly. "Maybe with Elfnein and Hinano's help, we can find a cure to your dying body."
"This body was born out of death. All it can do is die. But what did the two of you say to me, back in the wasteland? Doctor, you said the end of time." The Master said.
"Jared said something is returning. We were shown a prophecy. That's why we need your help." The Doctor said.
"What if I'm part of it? Don't you see? The drumbeat is calling from so far away. From the end of time itself. And now it's been amplified six billion times. Triangulate all those signals. I could find its source. Oh, Doctor, Jared. That's what your prophecy was. Me!" The Master said, slapping the Doctor. "Where's the Tardis?"
"No. Just stop. Just think."
"Kill them." The Master said, and a helmeted guard goes over to Wilf and a helmeted guard goes over to Jared. "I need that technology, Doctor. Tell me where it is, or the old man and the fanboy are dead."
"Don't tell him." Wilf said.
'They should be there now.'
Text appeared in Jared's visual receptors.
"Sinon?" Jared asked, smirking.
"Yes. It's Sinon." Yui said, floating in front of the Master, but the Time Lord can't see her.
"I'll kill them right now!" The Master asked.
"Actually, the most impressive thing about you is that after all this time, you're still bone dead stupid." The Doctor said.
"Take aim." The Master said.
"You've got six billion pairs of eyes, but you still can't see the obvious, can you?"
"Like what?"
"That guard is one inch too tall. And the other guard is two inches two short." The Doctor said.
The shorter guard knocks out the Master with his rifle butt, then removes his helmet to reveal a Japanese man with black hair.
"Took a while to get through copies of the Master." Kirito said.
"Sinon looking after the TARDIS?" Jared asked.
"She is." Yui said, smiling. "The TARDIS has been informing me of her state. She's still hidden."
Green Addams and Asuna runs in.
"Well, come on. We need to get out of here fast." Adams said, freeing Wilf.
"You really are like Kirito." Asuna said. "No wonder you need Weiss. You need someone to stop you. From being a reckless idiot."
Kirito frees Jared while Rossiter releases the Doctor. Asuna tosses Jared Aqours, and she wrapped the pendant around his neck.
"God bless the cactuses!" Wilf said, happily.
"That's cacti." Jared said, leaning against the wall.
"That's racist!" Rossiter said, angrily.
Gate room…
"This prophecy of yours, Doctor, Jared, where did it come from? Doctor? Jared?" Naismith-Master asked.
Naismith's study…
"Come on! We've gotta get out of here." Kirito said.
"That will take a while." Asuna said, looking at Rossiter and the Doctor. "Going through all the buckles and straps."
"Damn. We don't have enough time." Jared said, smirking. "Just wheel him. Sorry, Spaceman."
"No, no, no. Get me out. No, no, no, don't. Don't! No, no, no." The Doctor said.
Gate room...
The Doctor is wheeled across in front of the camera feed to the screen.
"What's going on? Doctor!" Naismith-Master said.
Corridor…
"So, we're high tailing it out of here." Kirito said.
"Yup." Jared said, running behind the couple.
"No, no, no, no, no. The other way. I've got my Tardis." The Doctor said.
"I know what I'm doing." Addams said.
"No, no, no, just just listen to me!"
Naismith's study...
The Master comes to as three guards run in, "Find them. Find them!"
Corridor…
"Not the stairs. Not the stairs!" The Doctor said, annoyed.
Basement corridor…
"Worst rescue ever!" The Doctor said; angrily.
Gate room…
"Underneath the Gate room, sir." A guard-Master said.
"Basement. Get them." Naismith-Master said.
"Yes, sir." Guard-Masters said.
Basement…
"Just, just stop and listen to me!" The Doctor said.
"Yui, Sinon can home in on Aqours, right?" Jared asked.
"I believe so." Yui said, sitting on Kirito's shoulder. "The TARDIS is sending her instructions as to how to do it."
"Good. That's just a prototype teleport. It'll have to work with Aura and Magical Girl's Soul Gems soon."
The Master runs in with armed guards, "Gotcha."
"You think so?" Addams asked, pressing her wristwatch.
"No, no, no, no, don't!" The Doctor said, angrily.
Addams, Rossiter, Wilf, the Doctor, Jared, Kirito, and Asuna vanish. Sinon then vanished from inside the TARDIS console room. And Yui wipes the teleport link to the blue box with the spaceship's help.
Teleport room…
"Now get me out of this thing!" The Doctor said.
"Don't say thanks, will you." Addams said.
"He's not going to let us go. Just hurry up and get me out!"
"Yeah, that doesn't beat Aincrad or the World Tree." Jared said, holding a Sinon's hand. "Kirito, you released the Seed back then. That was awesome."
"Glad to know you like it. Being able to visit virtual reality worlds."
"When does it come out in your time?" Asuna asked.
"To your extent?" Jared asked. "Back home? Not for a long, long time."
"That's a shame." Sinon said.
Wilf looks out of a nearby window, "Oh, my goodness me. We're in space!"
"Come on." The Doctor said.
"All right!" Addams said.
"Oh, get a move on."
They are on a spaceship made from very large round modules.
Basement…
The Master works at a keyboard.
"Open the teleport and follow them!" Naismith-Master said.
Teleport room…
"Come on!" The Doctor said.
"All right." Addams said.
They finally get the Doctor free.
"Now you can stop complaining, Spaceman." Jared said, rolling his eyes.
The Doctor zaps the teleport controls with his sonic screwdriver.
Gate room…
"They're still up there. Target practice." The Master said.
Teleport room…
"Where's your flight deck?" Jared asked.
"But we're safe. We're a hundred thousand miles above the Earth." Addams said.
"He still has every single missile on Earth ready to fire right at us." Kirito said.
"Good point."
Addams, Rossiter, the Doctor, Jared, Kirito, Asuna. And Sinon runs out. The Doctor returns to gently lead Wilf away from the window.
"But we're in space!" Wilf said, in awe.
"Yep." The Doctor said.
Gate room…
"Turn everything you've got to the skies. Find me that ship. And prime the missiles." The Master said.
UNIT HQ Geneva…
"Open up the radar. Maximum scan." General-Master said.
"Yes, sir." The operative-Masters said.
Flight deck..
"We have to shut it down!" Jared said, looking at Rossiter. "We don't want missiles against us and the rest of the universe."
"No chance, mate. We're going home." Rossiter said.
"We're just a salvage team. Local politics has got nothing to do with us. Not unless there's a carnival. Sooner we get back to Vinvocci space the better." Addams said.
"We're not leaving." The Doctor said, sonically sabotages the flight controls.
"Yui, still there?" Jared asked, as the daughter of Kirito and Asuna came into view of his visual receptors. "How?"
The whole spaceship goes dark.
"The data for me is stored in the Torchwood Eye Fives." Yui said. "I'm always here with you, Mommy, and Daddy. And everyone else."
UNIT HQ Geneva…
"Anything?" General-Master asked.
Flight deck…
Silent running.
"Shush, shush, shush, shush, shush, shush." The Doctor said.
UNIT HQ Geneva...
"I'm sorry, sir. Nothing." Operative-Master said.
Gate room…
"Lost them." General-Master said, on screen.
"What about teleport coordinates?" The Master asked. "Jared must have used it too."
Basement…
"I need that information." The Master said, over the speaker.
"They've cut the link, sir." Guard-Master said.
Gate room…
"No trace. All dead." Guard-Master said.
Basement…
"Still, open fire!" Guard-Master said.
The guards shoot up the computers.
"No way back now. They're stranded." Guard-Master said.
Flight deck…
"No sign of any missiles. No sign of anything. You've wrecked the place!" Addams said.
"The engines are burnt out. All we've got is auxiliary lights. Everything else is kaput. We can't move. We're stuck in orbit." Rossiter said.
"Thanks to you, you idiot!"
Addams leaves.
"I know the both of you, though. I bet one of you has got a plan, haven't you? Eh? Come on. You've always got a trick up your sleeve. Nice little bit of the old Doctor and Jared flim-flam…" Wilf said, doing a Tommy Cooper impression. "...sort of thing? Eh?"
"Not this time. It's a stalemate between us and the Master." Jared said, sadly. "And Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon. They're strategists. But this is beyond any virtual reality world. This is real."
"Oh, blimey."
Gate room…
"Night has fallen. Are we ready?" The Master asked.
Naismith's study…
"Every single one of us is prepared." Naismith-Master said.
Gate room…
"Then we listen. All of us, across the world, just listen." The Master said.
The whole Master population of Earth holds their breath and listens.
"Concentrate. Find the signal. There! The sound is tangible. Someone could only have designed this. But who?" The Master asked.
Black void…
"The signal has been sent. A simple task of four beats transmitted back through time, and implanted in the Master's mind as a child." The Chancellor said.
"Then we have a link to where the Master is right now." Rassilon said.
"But we're still trapped inside the Timelock, sir. The link is nothing more than a thought, an idea."
"Then we need something to make the contact physical. Something so simple."
"So small and shining. Shining bright and cold. The tiny, tiny star, falling, falling, burning, burning, burning." The Visionary said.
The Lord President takes a diamond from his staff, "Small enough to follow the link. And if this were on Earth."
He throws the diamond at the image of the Earth. The Doctor is working on some wiring and Jared is admiring the view of the planet with Kirito, Asuna, Sinon, and Yui when they see a bright object streaking towards the planet.
Naismith's study…
"The sound. It's coming from above." Naismith-Master said.
Gate room…
"It's coming from the sky!" The Master said.
Terrace...
"There! Find it. Get out there and find it!" The Master said.
The diamond falls to Earth with a big bang.
"Yes, sir." Master-guards said.
Field…
Two Land Rovers drive up to the burning crater. The diamond is intact, sitting at the bottom of the hole.
"It's a diamond, sir. Oh. The most impossible diamond. You won't believe this." Guard-Master said.
Gate room…
"It's a Whitepoint star." Guard-Master said.
Spaceship corridor…
"Doctor? Jared? Hello? Hello? Is that you? Doctor? Jared? Anyone? Anyone? Oh, I think I'm lost." Wilf said.
"And yet you are found. Events are closing. The day is almost upon us. But tell me, old soldier. Did you take arms?" The woman asked.
"I brought this. But what am I supposed to do?"
"This is the Doctor and Jared's final battle. At the end of their lives, they must stand at arms, or lose themselves and all this world, to the End of Time."
"But the Doctor never carries guns. The Doctor doesn't do. And Jared only fights with guns whenever necessary. He likes to be friends with everyone he likes. Who are you?"
"I was lost, so very long ago."
(Jared's POV)
Kirito and Asuna's home…
"Can the Master trace us?" I asked, looking around.
"I don't think so." Kirito said. "We're safe."
"So, what do you want to do?" Sinon asked. "We've heard the prophecy. Something is returning."
"What is that something?" Asuna asked.
"Do you know?" Sinon asked, looking at me.
"I know it's something important. A detail." I said, sitting on the couch.
"But do you want to kill the Master?" Kirito asked. "He's acting like a god. Down on Earth. Our world. Our home."
"No. I don't want to. I can't take arms against him."
"It's the right thing to do. You've got to kill him before he kills you."
"We'll support you." Asuna said, smiling. "Whatever decision you make."
"The only problem is. I got smarter, I got more reckless." I said, sadly.
"When are you ever not reckless?" Sinon asked. "You're like Kirito."
"What do you mean by that?" Kirito asked. "Me and Jared are nothing alike."
"You totally are." Asuna said, laughing a little. "You might have lost people. But you haven't lost us."
"And you haven't lost Team RNJR either." Yui said, turning back into her human self. "Weiss, Blake, and Yang are heading to Mistral too. So don't give up."
"What if I want to?" I asked, looking at the three SAO survivors and the sniper. "I've gone on for so long. Fighting for whatever I was fighting for."
"Weren't you fighting to see Team RWBY reunite?" Asuna asked.
"No. I wasn't."
"That was what you told us." Sinon said, sipping a cup of tea. "A while back."
"So, what is it now?" Kirito asked.
"To do it to preserve life. To help people. Protect the little guys. And save them along the way too." I said, smiling.
"That's a different goal." Asuna said.
"It is." Sinon said, frowning.
"You've decided what you want to do, huh" Kirito said. "How will you accomplish that?"
"With help. From my friends. Family." I said, looking at Kirito, Asuna, Sinon, and Yui. "I still don't want to kill him."
"To save all of humanity…" Kirito said.
"You might have to." Sinon said.
"Even if we think it is wrong." Asuna said.
"Is Wilfred having the same talk with the Doctor?" Sinon asked.
"Yes." I said, sadly. "He will offer the Doctor the gun four times."
"Why four?" Kirito asked.
"Spoilers."
"A star fell from the sky." The Master said, as Yui opened up the broadcast.
Gate room…
"Don't you want to know where from?" The Master asked.
Flight deck…
"Because now it makes sense, Doctor, Jared." The Master said, over the speaker.
"It's an open broadcast. Don't reply, or he'll know where we are." Addams said.
"The whole of my life."
Teleport room…
"My destiny. The star was a diamond." The Master said, over the speaker.
Gate room…
"And the diamond is a Whitepoint…" The Master said.
Kirito and Asuna's home...
"...star. And I have worked all night to sanctify that gift." The Master said, over the speaker.
Gate room…
Scientist-Masters are working on a gizmo.
"Now the star is mine. I can increase the signal and use it as a lifeline. Do you get it now? Do you see? Keep watching, Doctor, Jared. This should be spectacular." The Master said.
(Open POV)
Teleport room…
"Over and out." The Master said, his voice over the speaker.
"What's he on about? What's he doing? Doctor, what does that mean?��� Wilf asked.
"A Whitepoint star is only found on one planet. Gallifrey. Which means it's the Time Lords. The Time Lords are returning." The Doctor said.
"Well, I mean, that's good, isn't it? I mean, that's your people."
The Doctor takes Wilf's revolver and runs.
Gate room…
"Open up the Nuclear Bolt. Infuse the power lines to maximum." The Master said.
Two scientists swap duties in the glass booths.
"Nuclear bolt accelerating, sir." Technician-Master said.
"Send the signal back and the link becomes a pathway." The Master said, placing the diamond in a bed of wires within the gizmo. It begins to transmit the four beats. "Come home."
Flight deck...
The Doctor, Jared, Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon runs in. The signal can be heard here.
"What's that?" Asuna asked.
"It's coming from Earth. It's on every single wavelength." Yui said, looking at Asuna.
Jared, Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon have Augma headsets on their heads.
Black void…
"Contact. At last." Rassilon said.
Gate room...
"We have contact." The Master said.
Citadel...
The Lord President addresses the serried ranks of Time Lords, "Now the High Council of Time Lords must vote. Whether we die here, today, or return to the waking world and complete the Ultimate Sanction. For this is the hour when either Gallifrey falls, or Gallifrey rises!"
"Gallifrey rises!" The Time Lords said.
"Gallifrey rises!" Rassilon said.
Flight deck…
"Why's he worried?" Sinon asked.
"It's because it's complicated." Jared said, looking at the sniper. "And a good amount of it is spoilers."
The Doctor is rushing around, working on bits and pieces.
"But you said your people were dead. Past tense." Asuna said.
"Inside the Time War. And the whole War was Timelocked. Like, sealed inside a bubble. It's not a bubble but just think of a bubble. Nothing can get in or get out of the Timelock. Don't you see? Nothing can get in or get out, except something that was already there." The Doctor said.
"The signal. Since he was a kid." Kirito said. "Is that what they've been tracking?"
"If they can follow the signal, they can escape before they die." The Doctor said.
"Well, then, big reunion. We'll have a party." Wilf said.
"There will be no party."
"But we've heard you talk about your people like they're wonderful."
"That's how I choose to remember them, the Time Lords of old. But then they went to war. An endless war, and it changed them right to the core. You've seen my enemies, Wilf. The Time Lords are more dangerous than any of them."
"Time Lords, what lords? Anyone want to explain?" Addams asked.
"Okay, I got a plan, and it's really stupid and reckless. It could buy us enough cover." Jared said, looking down at Aqours. "Aqours, set up."
The fanboy took out the pendant and the armor went onto his body, a single sword appeared in his hand, and he knows what he wants to do.
"One sword?" Kirito asked.
"Well, this is a salvage ship. And they like going through asteroid fields for junk." Jared said, smiling. "And I can always put this thing to two swords if I want to."
"What mode is it on?"
"Virtual Reality."
"Oh. Starburst Stream, Quadruple Pain, Mother's Rosario. And a bit of sniping too." Asuna said, her hand on her hip. "That's your plan?"
"Yeah." Jared said, happily.
"No." The Doctor said. "You need us to back you up."
"Why?"
"Because two swords aren't enough. Against the Master. You know this more than me."
"So?"
"So, they've got asteroids lasers."
"Yeah, but they're all frazzled." Rossiter said.
The Doctor throws a lever and two gun alcoves open on either side of the flight controls, "Consider them unfrazzled. You there, what's your name?"
"That's Addams." Jared said.
"Addams, I'm going to need you and Asuna on navigation." The Doctor said.
Addams and Asuna ran to their spots.
"And you…" The Doctor said, looking at Rossiter. "...get in the laser-pod. Wilfred."
"Yeah?" Wilfred asked.
"Laser number two. The old soldier's got one more battle." The Doctor said.
"This ship can't move. It's dead!" Addams said.
"Well, I fixed the heating." Jared said, throwing two levers forward, and the ship powers up. "I hate the cold. So, so much."
"But now they can see us."
"Yup! They can!"
UNIT HQ Geneva…
"Sir, we've got a fix. Hundred and five thousand miles in orbit." General-Master said.
Flight deck…
"This is my ship, and the two of you are not moving it. Step away from the wheel." Addams said.
"There's old Earth sayings, Captain. Phrases of great power and wisdom, and consolation to the soul in times of need." The Doctor said.
"What's that, then?" Addams asked.
"Allons-y!" The Doctor said, happily.
"This is for some of my favorite girls!" Jared said, angrily. "They're taken over by the Master! This is for them!"
Jared closed his eyes for a moment to remember the lyrics Hibiki and the others taught him, their Superb Song, as he felt grief over what the Master did to them, "Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal. Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl. Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal. Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl."
The Doctor and Jared power the spaceship down towards the Earth, together.
UNIT HQ Geneva…
"They're moving, sir." Operative-Master said.
"Get a fix on them." General-Master said.
"They're moving very fast." Operative-Master said.
Flight deck / Space…
The spaceship dives through the atmosphere. Jared then jumped out of the spaceship hatch, as he is heading down towards Earth, wearing his armor.
"Come on! Come on!" Jared said, keeping up with the spaceship. "Aqours, how long have I got?"
"Jared, I've got good news and bad news. About you doing this." Aqours said, it's voice coming out of the pendant.
"What's the bad news?"
"Five minutes until Aura level reaches zero."
"And the good news?"
"You can slice through how many missiles the Master sends at you. Until your Aura level runs out."
"Then let's do it with three."
"Let's try our best to get this done."
"The two of you are blinking, flipping mad." Addams said, annoyed.
"You two. What did I say? Lasers. Back up Jared!" The Doctor said.
"What for?" Rossiter asked.
"Because of the missiles. We're gonna fight off the entire planet!" Jared said, happily. "God, I've been waiting for this. Carol might have done it first, but I can do it so much better."
Gate room…
"All NATO defences coordinated, sir, awaiting your command." General-Master said, on screen.
"I don't need them. Any second now, I'll have Time Lords to spare. Take them out. Launch missiles!" The Master said.
UNIT HQ Geneva…
"Launch missiles." General-Master said.
"Missiles launching in three, two one, zero." Operative-Masters said.
Laser pods / Space…
Wilf and Rossiter take their places in the transparent gunner's domes.
"Hey! How does this thing work?" Wilf asked.
"Have you ever played Space Invaders before? Or at least a shooter game?" Jared asked, holding out one sword from Ebb and Flow. "Use the joystick to move around. Everything's automatic."
Flight deck / Space…
"We've got incoming." Asuna said.
"Oh, my god. That missile's up close." Asuna said,
"Open fire!" Jared said, slicing some missiles with his sword. "I need some support here. Things could get a lot worse from this point onward."
The Doctor skims the ocean, dodging the missiles, giving the opportunity for Jared to slice more missiles.
"How long do I have?" Jared asked.
"4 minutes and thirty." Aqours said.
"Jared's fighting them mostly by himself." Asuna said, sadly. "While we're supporting. What do we do?"
"Open fire! Come on, Wilf!" The Doctor said.
Wilf shoots down a missile, "Whoo! Oh, I wish Donna could see me now."
UNIT HQ Geneva...
"Second wave. Launch missiles." General-Master said.
"Yes, sir." Operative-Master said.
Flight deck / Space...
"And there's more. Sixteen of them. Oh, and another sixteen." Addams said.
"I can handle it from here." Jared said, as the second half of Ebb and Flow appeared in his hand, a second sword. "Aqours. Go full out with it!"
"Jared? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kirito asked. "Using my signature sword skill."
"Yes!" Jared said, as the missiles are heading towards him and the spaceship. "Starburst Stream."
He lets a good amount of Aura go into Ebb and Flow. And he began slicing and dicing all 32 missiles at once, "I'm almost there. Almost done…"
"Aura levels have been depleted…" Aqours said, and Jared transformed back to normal, falling towards the ground.
But then something happened, something unexpected, a grass covered platform appeared below Jared, stopping him from falling.
"Who's that?" Kirito asked.
"Who are you?" Asuna asked.
"Right, well, I'm not supposed to be here. This is a couple fan fiction books too early." Viridi said, telepathically. "I thought you could use some help."
"Who are you?" Sinon asked. "Tell us."
"The name's Viridi, I'm the Goddess of Nature. I don't want to help out Jared. But I have to. Since I'm indebted to him. And he is to me."
Viridi landed the platform right where the front window gets blown in, "There. You'll see me in a couple books of this fan fiction."
"How long will it take for him to recover?" Asuna asked.
"Him. A couple minutes at most. When he reaches where you have to go. He'll be fine." Viridi said, telepathically. "I hope."
Asuna picked up Jared and placed him inside the spaceship.
"Lock the navigation." The Doctor said.
"Onto what?" Addams asked.
"England. The Naismith mansion." The Doctor said.
Gate room…
"They're heading straight for you." General-Master said, on screen.
"But too late. They are coming." The Master said.
Black void…
The Lord President walks past two Time Lords who have their faces covered with their hands. One man, one Woman. The Woman.
"The vote is taken. Only two stand against, and will stand as monument to their shame, like the Weeping Angels of old. Now the vanguard stands prepared, as the children of Gallifrey return to the universe. To Earth." Rassilon said.
He raises his staff and they vanish in a bright light. The Gate fills with that light.
Flight deck…
Jared opened his eyes, and he felt weak as hell, so Sinon offered him a cup of coffee. The fanboy drank the cup and he feels better, "I'm back in the game. Kirito, Asuna, Sinon. You three have to go home."
"But..." Asuna said.
"Why?" Sinon asked.
"Do you want our help or not?" Kirito asked.
"There's a time and a place for you guys." Jared said, looking at the three VR MMO players. "Aqours, send them home."
"Yup." Aqours said.
Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon were teleported away, back to the year they came from.
"How far away are we?" Jared asked.
"Fifty kliks and closing. We've locked on to the house. We are going to stop, though. Doctor? Jared? We are going to stop?" Addams asked.
Gate room...
"Closer! And closer! And closer!" The Master said.
Flight deck…
"Doctor? Jared? Doctor, Jared, you said you were going to die." Wilfred said.
"They said what?" Addams asked.
"But is that all of us? I won't stop you, sir. But is this it?"
Gate room…
Naismith-Master is looking out of the window at the approaching spaceship, "I think I should warn you…"
"Not now!" The Master said.
The Doctor pulls the spaceship's nose up at the last moment, then opens a hatch in the floor and, with the revolver ready, jumps down through the glass dome with Jared.
Jared is going all in without wearing his suit, and solely relying on his regenerative Aura, "Geronimo!"
They land hard on the marble floor.
"Owww…" Jared said, in a lot of pain. "Never gonna do that again...Gah…"
The Doctor cannot hold the revolver, "You shouldn't have come."
The Doctor and Jared cannot stand up.
"I'm sorry, Spaceman. I didn't want to leave you alone for this." Jared said, sadly.
The five Time Lords have arrived - the Gate has been replaced by a white space with raised up two steps.
"My Lord Doctor. My Lord Master. And a part of the Law of Cycles. We are gathered for the end." Rassilon said.
Flight deck…
Addams grabs the controls.
"Just turn it round. Land it!" Wilf said, angrily.
"We are not going in there." Addams said.
"I am not leaving those men on their own. Not today. Land it!"
Gate room…
"Listen to me. You can't!" The Doctor said.
"It is a fitting paradox that our salvation comes at the hands of our most infamous child." Rassilon said.
"Oh, he's not saving you. Don't you realise what he's doing?"
"He's doing something ridiculously stupid." Jared said, sadly. "Which is what I didn't want."
"Hey, no, hey! That's mine. Hush. Look around you. I've transplanted myself into every single human being. But who wants a mongrel little species like them, because now I can transplant myself into every single Time Lord. Oh, yes, Mister President, sir, standing there all noble and resplendent and decrepit. Think how much better you're going to look as me." The Master said.
The Lord President holds up his metal gauntlet. It glows and everyone who looks like the Master goes through the head blur thing again.
"No, no, don't. No, no, stop it! No, no, no, don't!" The Master said.
Finally, everyone on Earth is restored to themselves.
"On your knees, mankind." Rassilon said.
The people and Jared obey.
"No, that's fine, that's good, because you said salvation. I still saved you. Don't forget that." The Master said.
"The approach begins." Rassilon said.
"Approach of what?" The Master asked.
"Something is returning. You idiot! Don't you ever listen? That was the prophecy. Not someone, something." Jared said, annoyed.
"What is it?" The Master asked.
"They're not just bringing back the species. It's Gallifrey. Right here, right now." The Doctor said.
"And Gallifrey coming back is worse than Walpurgisnacht and Shem-ha combined!" Jared said, angrily. "That was the one thing I was trying to prevent! But no, you wanted to be resurrected!"
A big burning planet appears close to the Earth.
Nobles' home…
"Donna. Where's Donna?" Shaun asked.
The tidal forces of the new planet make the Earth shake. Things fall off shelves.
Outside the Nobles' home…
People are panicking as Gallifrey fills the sky.
"Donna? Donna! Donna!" Shaun said.
"Oh, Doctor, Jared. Please!" Sylvia said.
Flight deck…
"We're getting out of here. This whole planet's going to be knocked out of orbit." Addams said.
"What about the Doctor and Jared?" Rossiter asked.
"Well, they said they were dying."
(Jared's POV)
Gate room…
"Everyone, get out of here!" I said, looking at the crowd. "Gallifrey isn't a force to be reckoned with!"
The people run from the room.
"But, I did this. I get the credit. I'm on your side." The Master said.
Wilf pushes his way in, "Come on, get out of the way. Get out of the way! Doctor? Jared?"
A technician is hammering on the door of his locked glass booth, "Help me, please. Somebody, please."
"All right! I've got you, mate. I've got you." Wilf said, going into the open booth.
"Wilfred, no. Don't!" I said, knowing Wilfred sealed the Doctor's fate.
Wilf unlocks the other booth, "I've got you. Come on. Go on."
"You idiot…" I said, sadly.
The freed technician runs.
"But this is fantastic, isn't it? The Time Lords restored." The Master said, happily.
"You weren't there in the final days of the War. You never saw what was born. But if the Timelock's broken, then everything's coming through. Not just the Daleks, but the Skaro Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, the Could-have-been King with his army of Meanwhiles and Never-weres. The War turned into hell. And that's what you've opened, right above the Earth. Hell is descending." The Doctor said.
"My kind of world."
"Just listen! Because even the Time Lords can't survive that."
"And Magical Girls can't survive that!" I said, looking at the Master. "They were made to fight Witches! Not those! They barely had a chance against the Walpurgisnacht alone."
"So those special girls of yours had to work together to get the best outcome. How about this? Isn't this one of those outcomes?" The Master asked.
"Oh, fuck no! It isn't! Symphogear was able to beat Shem-ha and the Alchemists. I beat criminals and gang organizations with Team RWBY. And none of us stand a chance against the hell you just put Earth through."
"We will initiate the Final Sanction. The end of time will come at my hand. The rupture will continue until it rips the Time Vortex apart." Rassilon said.
"That's suicide." The Master said.
"We will ascend to become creatures of consciousness alone. Free of these bodies, free of time, and cause and effect, while creation itself ceases to be."
"You see now? That's what they were planning in the final days of the War. I had to stop them." The Doctor said.
"Then, take me with you, Lord President. Let me ascend into glory." The Master said.
"You are diseased, albeit a disease of our own making. No more." Rassilon said.
The Doctor is on his feet, aiming the revolver at the Lord President. And I am standing next to the Doctor, wearing my normal clothes, with Ebb and Flow in bow form.
"Choose your enemy well. We are many. The Master is but one." Rassilon said. "And I know one of you is terrified of the Master."
"I am. But that doesn't stop me from saving the Earth." I said, holding Ebb and Flow, with an arrow coming out of it.
"But he's the President. Kill him, and Gallifrey could be yours, Doctor. Jared, if you kill him, you can have your Impossible Girl and Team RWBY back." The Master said.
"Clara. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang." I said, looking down at Ebb and Flow for a moment. "I need them back in my life."
The Doctor and I turn and aim our weapons at the Master.
"He's to blame, not me. Oh, the link is inside my head. Kill me, the link gets broken, they go back. You never would, you cowards. Go on then. Do it." The Master said.
"Yeah, especially since I'm a fan of your next regeneration. Missy may be a psychopath, but she will want to stand by the Doctor and me in the end." I said, looking at the Master. "Without hope, without witness, without reward…"
The Doctor and I aim at the Lord President again.
"Exactly. It's not just me, it's him. He's the link. Kill him!" The Master said, angrily.
"The final act of your lives is murder. But which one of us?" Rassilon asked.
Behind the Lord President, the Woman lowers her hands and looks over the Doctor's shoulder. And behind the Woman is Ashildr, looking at me with grief and guilt.
"Ashildr…" I said, sadly. "Hi."
"You know what to do." Ashildr said, sadly. "You'll see me again. The long way around."
The Doctor and I turn back to face the Master.
"Get out of the way." The Doctor said.
The Master moves and the Doctor shoots the diamond in its gizmo. The link explodes and the Time Lords are sucked away.
"The link is broken. Back into the Time War, Rassilon. Back into hell." The Doctor said.
"Gallifrey falling! Gallifrey falls!" The visionary said.
"You and your companion will die with me, Doctor." Rassilon said.
"I know." The Doctor said.
"Looks like I won't see Team RWBY reunited after all." I said, frowning.
Rassilon aims his gauntlet at the Doctor and I. The Woman covers her face again and Ashildr looked away with pity.
"Get out of the way." The Master said. "Stun him!"
"R...right!" I said, stepping back with the Doctor. "Got it."
I aimed an arrow at the Lord President's knees, making him not move at all.
The Master attacks Rassilon with his energy, "You did this to me! All of my life! You made me! One! Two! Three! Four!"
Rassilon is forced to his knees. The Time Lords and the Master disappear in a bright light and Gallifrey fades away from the sky. The people rejoice.
"We're alive. We've. There was. We're still alive." The Doctor said, happily.
"Yeah, we are Spaceman." I said, happily. "Come on, TARDIS! I want to go and see…"
Knock, knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock, knock.
"They gone, then? Yeah, good-o. If one of you could let me out?" Wilfred asked.
"Yeah." I said, sadly.
"Only, this thing seems to be making a bit of a noise." Wilfred said.
"The Master left the Nuclear Bolt running. It's gone into overload." The Doctor said.
"And that's bad, is it?"
"No, because all the excess radiation gets vented inside there. Vinvocci glass contains it. All five hundred thousand rads, about to flood that thing."
"Oh. Well, one of you'd better let me out, then." Wilfred said.
"Well, that thing had gone critical." I said, looking down. "If one of us touch one control in that thing. It floods with radiation…"
"Jared's right. Even this would set it off." The Doctor said, taking out the sonic screwdriver.
"I'm sorry." Wilfred said.
"Sure."
"Look, just leave me."
"Okay, right then, we will. Because you had to go in there, didn't you? You had to go and get stuck, when Jared told you not to, since he knows the future, oh yes. Because that's who you are, Wilfred. You were always this. Waiting for me and Jared all this time. One of us to save you."
"No really, just leave me. I'm an old man, Doctor, Jared. I've had my time." Wilfred said.
"Well, exactly. Look at you. Not remotely important." The Doctor said.
"This is why I wanted to leave in the first place. It's either me or him. I can't survive that!" I said, annoyed. "I really can't! I've got a lot to look forward to with Team RWBY!"
"I know you do, Jared, but you're still human. You're not remotely important either. But me? I could do so much more. So much more! But this is what I get. My reward. While your reward has you reunite with Team RWBY. Someday. I can't see Rose, Martha, and Donna without guilt. And it's not fair! Oh. Oh. I've lived too long." The Doctor said, sadly.
"Doctor, I'm sorry, I really am. Don't do it! Please!"
"No. No, no, please, please don't. No, don't! Please don't! Please!" Wilfred said.
"Wilfred, Jared, it's my honour. Better be quick. Three, two, one." The Doctor said, and he quickly goes into the open booth and unlocks Wilf's side.
Wilf runs out and red light floods the Doctor's booth, "Why couldn't you go in there?"
"Aqours and I can't handle that much radiation." I said, watching the Doctor be in pain. "If I could take his place, I would."
The Doctor curls up into a ball. Then the power shuts down. After a few moments, the Doctor gets up.
"What? Hello." Wilfred said.
"Hi." The Doctor said.
"Hey, Doctor." I said, letting out some tears.
"Still with us?" Wilfred asked.
"The system's dead. I absorbed it all. Whole thing's kaput. Oh. Now it opens, yeah." The Doctor said, coming out of the booth.
"Well, there we are, then. Safe and sound. Mind you, you're in hell of a state. You've got some battle scars there." Wilfred said, and the Doctor rubs his face and the cuts vanish. "But they've. Your face. How did you do that?"
"It's started." The Doctor said.
"Well then, here we go again." I said. "I know you want to see your Rose again. Before you change. I don't want to mess with that history."
Wilf and I hug the Doctor.
(Open POV)
Nobles' home…
Donna is out cold on the settee.
"It's no good. She's freezing. How long was she lying there? It's like hypothermia. Try them again." Shaun said.
"I did, it's engaged. Everyone's dialling 999. I can't get through." Sylvia said.
"We've got to do something. Wake her up. Donna? Can you hear me? Donna?"
Sylvia hears the sound of the Tardis materialising outside. Donna opens her eyes.
"Donna? It's me. I'm here. You're safe. You're home." Shaun said.
"But I was. What happened? Did I miss something again?" Donna asked.
(Jared's POV)
Outside the Noble's home...
Sylvia runs to the front door and sees Wilf, the Doctor, and I come out of the Tardis.
"Oh, she's smiling. As if today wasn't bad enough." The Doctor said.
"Wilfred, this isn't goodbye. Not one bit. We'll see you again, one more time." I said, happily.
"What do you mean? When's that?" Wilf asked.
"Just keep looking, we'll be there. I promise." I said, smiling. "Today is the last day I'm earthbound and grounded. I don't want to be down to earth anymore."
"Where are you two going?"
"To get our rewards. Let's go Jared, keep me company for some of them." The Doctor said.
Abandoned factory…
Martha and Mickey Smith are running from explosions.
"I told you to stay behind." Mickey said.
"Well, you looked like you needed help. Besides, you're the one who persuaded me to go freelance." Martha said.
"Yeah, but we're being fired at by a Sontaran. A dumpling with a gun. And this is no place for a married woman."
"Well then, you shouldn't have taken Jared's offer for you to marry me."
"No way are you taking out their lives." I said, walking with the Doctor
A Sontaran - Commander Jask, apparently - is on a catwalk behind them with a clear shot.
"All yours." The Doctor said, looking back at me.
"Thank you." I said, hitting the Sontaran with my copy of Ember Celica on the probic vent. "So, who do you think I care about?"
"A good amount of people. I'll take you to see them all. If you want. Before I change."
"If we go in here and down to the factory floor, and down past that corridor, then he won't know that we're here." Mickey said.
"Mickey." Martha said, when she sees the Doctor and I on the catwalk. "Mickey."
"Hey!" Mickey said.
They hug to the sound of the Tardis dematerialising.
Bannerman Road…
Young Luke Smith is on the phone, "That was the maddest Christmas ever, Clyde. Mum still doesn't know what happened. She got Mister Smith to put out this story saying that Wi-Fi went mad all across the world, giving everyone hallucinations. I mean, how else do you explain it? Everyone with a different face…"
Luke crosses the road without looking.
"No jaywalking, Luke." I said, dragging Luke away from being run down. "Be careful, next time, okay?"
"But it's you! You're…" Luke said, as the Doctor and I walked back to the Tardis. "Mum! Mum!"
"What? What is it?" Sarah asked.
"It's them. It's the Doctor and Jared." Luke said.
"See ya, Sarah Jane, Luke." I said, frowning. "Thanks for everything. Don't know when I'll see either of you again."
The Doctor and I wave goodbye.
Alien bar...
Complete with Raxacoricofallapatorian, Graske, and a little Adipose. Jack Harkness is drinking alone and that Murray Gold song is being sung.
"Cho no fro jo ko fo to do." The Judoon said.
"I'm a country girl, I ain't see a lot, but you came along and my heart went pop. You took a little street car to my heart…" The singer said.
The barman puts a piece of paper in front of Jack.
"From the men over there." The barman said.
Jack looks up and sees the Doctor and I.
"Hey, Jack." I said, telepathically. "I know you can hear me. Read the paper."
"And an apple of love fell off my apple cart. You looked at me, my heart began to pound. You weren't the sort of guy I thought would stick around." The singer said.
The paper says, his name is Alonso. A young man in Edwardian naval uniform sits next to Jack.
"I'm sorry about making you lose your team. After I reunite with Team RWBY, I'll fight for them, in their honor." I said, telepathically. "I promise. Go on, have a bit of a flirt with Alonso."
"Hey, but it don't have to be eternally. My bad, bad angel put the Devil in me! You put the Devil in me." The singer said, while Jack salutes the Doctor and I.
The immortal former Time Agent then turns to the young man.
"You lured me in with your cold grey eyes." The singer said.
"So, Alonso, going my way?" Jack asked.
"How do you know my name?" Alonso asked
"I'm kind of psychic."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know what I'm thinking right now?" Alonso asked.
"Oh, yeah." Jack said.
"My bad, bad angel, you put the devil in me." The singer said.
(Open POV)
Menagerie...
A lively, crowded town in Menagerie has Faunus going about their everyday business. Blake Belladonna pauses to look at a vendor's flower display.
Jared is wearing his TARDIS perception filter key, not wanting to be noticed by Blake or Sun, "Doing it for Blake. Doing it for Blake. I want to see her again."
Rooftop...
Blake's thoughts clearly going elsewhere as her gaze slides to the side.
"Can I ask you something?" Blake asked.
Blake, wearing her older outfit, stands on a rooftop while Ilia Amitola sits cross-legged nearby.
"Sure." Ilia said.
"Why...why'd you join the White Fang?" Blake asked.
"Same reason as you."
"But…"
"But why fight when I pass for Human?"
Blake looks over at her friend and Ilia smiles at her.
Menagerie...
In current day Menagerie, Blake looks around at the people in the crowd. Sun Wukong comes up to her and places a reassuring hand on her right shoulder. Throughout all this, Ilia tells her story.
Jared closed his eyes as he is remembering what Ilia said in his head, "Oh, Ilia. Man, I never knew how sad it was."
The fanboy is trying his best to keep up with Blake and Sun.
"It's okay. You're not the first person to ask. I know I look just like any other Human girl." Ilia said, in Jared's mind.
Blake spots a scaly-skinned Faunus male twirling a switchblade at a stand, checking out the merchandise. Blake narrows her eyes and reaches behind her.
"And for years, that's how I was raised." Ilia said, in Jared's mind.
Blake takes out a Scroll and looks up the person in front of her. He appears under the label "ILIA ASSOCIATES". With a tap of the screen, the photograph of the man enlarges and small text appears beneath it.
"We lived in Mantle with the other Faunus working the mines." Ilia said, her voice in Jared's head.
Sun and Blake nod at each other and separate, moving forward and maneuvering their way through the crowd.
"But my parents wanted something better for me. They managed to enroll me in an Atlas prep school. Imagine that - a little Faunus girl from Mantle going to the city of dreams." Ilia said, her voice in Jared's head, he remembers her sighing at some point. "I felt like a princess."
"Ilia." Jared said, right behind Sun and Blake. "Blake. Man, this is still really sad. Since I felt so out of place as I've gotten older."
The Faunus identified as Ilia's associate pays for the switchblade and tucks it into his back pocket, smiling and satisfied with the transaction. The shopkeeper behind the booth suddenly looks toward Blake and Sun. Noticing this, Ilia's associate follows his gaze, and his expression changes as he spots Blake.
"But I had to follow a set of rules." Ilia said, her voice in Jared's head.
Blake takes out Gambol Shroud and her jaw drops a bit when she realizes that they have been made.
The male Faunus grunts and immediately draws his revolver and shoots at Blake twice.
"Oh, no, you don't." Jared said, jumping in between Blake and Sun, cutting the bullets with Ebb and Flow. "Don't you dare kill either of them."
The associate flees while Blake and Sun give chase, as Jared is right behind them.
"We were saved." Sun said. "How?"
"I don't know." Blake said. "Someone's protecting us."
Around them, as they run, other Faunus are drawing back in alarm at the unexpected fight happening in their midst.
"No bringing friends home, no talking about my parents…" Ilia said, her voice in Jared's head.
Rooftop...
On the rooftop, Ilia is counting off the rules with the fingers on her left hand.
"...and absolutely, under no circumstances, was I allowed to change colors. No one could know I was a Faunus." Ilia said.
"That...sounds terrible." Blake said.
"It wasn't."
Menagerie...
Blake and Sun continue chasing the associate with Jared following BlackSun, who turns around and fires two more shots before running out of ammo.
"Who do you think it could be?" Sun asked.
"It couldn't have been Jared." Blake said. "Could it. No. He doesn't care about me as much."
The associate looks at his revolver, then quickly tucks it away in his sash and runs down another street.
"It was confusing at first, but it wasn't hard...especially if it meant being in Atlas." Ilia said, her voice in Jared's head.
The chase leads to a less populated area, down an alley where someone is under their tractor doing some maintenance or repairs.
"Sometimes, the other girls would say things about the Faunus. That they were animals, that they were dirty, or they lied, and...I'd say these things with them...because I felt like I was one of them. And then, one day, there was a cave-in at the mines." Ilia said, her voice in Jared's head.
The fleeing Faunus takes out the switchblade he had just purchased. With a flip, he uses it to detach the tractor from its hitched-on wagon. The wagon goes rolling downhill toward Blake and Sun, while the associate continues down another alley.
Blake is watching her friend with increasing empathy and concern.
Rooftop...
Ilia tells about the day of the cave-in, "I was at school, when the news broke. Apparently, one of the workers there tripped while handling some agitated Dust crystals. The explosion caused a chain reaction. And my...friends…"
"...snickered." Ilia said, looking away, her eyes turning blue.
Menagerie...
Pedestrians jump out of the way of the runaway wagon while Blake stops and tensely assesses how to handle it. Before she can do anything, Sun uses her shoulders as a springboard to leapfrog over her and activate two clones while he holds his meditative position midair. The clones run forward on all fours, rising up on either side of the wagon to slow its inertia. Once his clones stop actively moving, Sun, who is now standing on the ground, is free to move.
"Go!" Sun said, rushing forward to help his clones hold back the wagon, while Blake leaps into the air and tosses the kusarigama form of Gambol Shroud at the crates on the wagon.
"I lost control. Every inch of me turned blue as I wept." Ilia said, her voice in Jared's head.
Once it sinks into the wood, Blake swings herself through the air, runs along a wall to keep up her speed, and slings herself into the alley that her target retreated into.
"Wow, Blake definitely improved." Jared said, wearing the perception filter TARDIS key.
Jared is still keeping up with Blake and Sun as much as he could.
"And suddenly…" Illia said, her voice inside Jared's head.
As she chases the associate, Blake tosses Gambol Shroud forward and wraps it around his ankle, tripping him.
"...all the girls that I'd laughed and played with…" Ilia said, her voice in Jared's head.
Blake pulls on the ribbon to reel her target in, only for Gambol Shroud's ribbon to suddenly be cut, leaving her to collapse to the ground.
"...were scared of me." Ilia said, her voice in Jared's head.
Blake's face is surprised at first before it hardens.
Rooftop...
On the rooftop, Blake is still looking with concern at her friend, "I'm sorry."
Ilia's eyes turn yellow, and as she rises to her feet, her skin gradually turns red while her hair turns yellow.
"Don't be." Ilia said, striking a pose, proud, fists by her sides. "I broke their teeth."
Menagerie...
Ilia takes on the same pose in the present moment, revealed to be the reason why the ribbon was cut. Ilia's right hand is grasping her weapon as she stares down at Blake. As Blake stands up to square off with Ilia, the downed Faunus also rises to his feet, staggering slightly. Ilia removes her White Fang mask and turns her head to once again look upon Blake. She raises her weapon and Blake steps forward, angry and undaunted.
Ilia gasps and directs her gun to shoot at the counterweight of the pulley in the alley that was raising a large wooden platform. The rope, no longer taut, loosens rapidly and loudly while Ilia's associate makes a run for it. The platform and several boxes crash to the ground, the splintering wood and resulting dust cloud causing Blake to shield her eyes.
When the crash is over, Blake turns to glare at Ilia but finds that her opponent is leaping up over the buildings and out of reach.
Sun comes rushing up at the moment and stops beside her, looking at the wreckage before turning to her, "What happened?!"
"He got away." Blake said, while she turns and walks off, not giving Sun any further explanation.
Though not looking back, Blake lowers her face and briefly speaks over her shoulder.
"I'm sorry." Blake said.
Sun looks around suspiciously before deciding to follow Blake. Once he's gone, Ilia looks down from the roof. Her expression is sad before becoming resolved. Ilia puts on the mask again before leaping and flipping out of sight.
Jared then opened a portal with his free hand and he walked through it, closing the portal behind him, not looking back at Menagerie, knowing he would be back later, someday. And he also knew Sun will look after Blake for him, so that's less of a worry.
Outside a church…
The bells are ringing for the end of a wedding ceremony. Donna and Shaun are married.
"You look lovely. Come here." Wilf said, and he kisses them both. "Everybody, three cheers. Hip, hip…"
"Hooray!" Everyone said, at the same time.
"Hip, hip…"
"Hooray!"
"Hip, hip…"
"Hooray!"
"Right, come on then, you lot. This photo is just with friends. Come on. And I want all of you in it. Come on. That's it. Well, friends, and Nerys. Oh, I'm only joking. Oh, look at her." Donna said.
"You made me wear peach." Nerys said, annoyed.
"That's because you are a peach. Furry skin, stone inside, going off."
"Okay, smile." The photographer said.
"Cheese!" Everyone said.
"How about it, Wilfred?" Minnie asked.
"Eh?" Wilf asked.
"Well, it's never too late."
"Will you behave, Minnie. Honestly."
"I'm going to catch that bouquet."
"Oh, dear." Wilf said.
Sylvia sees the Doctor, Jared, and the Tardis just outside the lych gate, "Dad."
They go over to them.
"And here the both of you are, eh? Doctor, you've got the same old face. And Jared, you're wearing a flaming blue and flaming orange hoodie. That means you've got your spark back. Didn't I tell the two of you you'd be all right?" Wilfred asked.
"So, what happened, Wilfred?" Jared asked. "While I was away for a couple months with the Doctor."
"Oh! They've arrested Mister Naismith. It was on the news. Crimes undisclosed. And his daughter. Both of them, locked up. But I keep thinking, Doctor, Jared, there's one thing you never told me. Those women. Who were they?"
"We just wanted to give you this. Wedding presents." The Doctor said.
The Doctor and Jared took out envelopes.
"Yup, I've been wanting to do this for like, forever." Jared said, smirking.
"Thing is, I never carry money, so I just popped back in time, borrowed a quid off a really lovely man. Geoffrey Noble, his name was. Have it, he said. Have that on me." The Doctor said.
"Meanwhile, I popped forward in time, to the 2020s, I stopped by Asuna Yuuki's home. I got a check off of her. She said, 'give it to Donna. That'll keep her financially stable for my decade.'" Jared said, happily. "And I went over to Tsubasa's house. The Kazanaris. They gave me a check too, so Donna can be financially stable for the 2010s. It's not gonna be pretty. I know that from experience."
Sylvia is nearly in tears.
"Smile!" The photographers said.
Wilf gives the envelopes to Donna.
"Oh, don't tell me, it's a bill. Just what I need, right now. A lottery ticket? And two checks? What cheap presents. Who was that? Still, you never know. It's a triple rollover this week. I might get lucky. Who's the Yuukis and the Kazanaris? They sound like Japanese lot to me. Oi, Shaun! Come on, we're on a tight schedule. Oxtail soup at two thirty." Donna said, angrily.
Wilf salutes the Doctor and Jared before they leave.
Schnee Mansion…
'It starts...with the unexpected…'
Song lyrics play over a visual of two frozen white roses, snow gently falling down over them. Weiss Schnee stands alone in a snowy courtyard, facing an ornate fountain that features the Schnee snowflake. The full moon remains broken and a practically cloudless sky... so who knows where those flakes are coming from.
Weiss adjusts her fully centered ponytail and brings Myrtenaster to her side, spinning the Dust cartridges. She turns and there is no scar over her eye. As she steps into the center of the courtyard, a swarm of cold air, complete with shiny sparkles, envelopes her. Weiss looks around, holding Myrtenaster, waiting.
A white Beowolf steps out of the swirl toward her, its eyes glowing bright blue-green. Three more are in the circle of cold surrounding Weiss, pacing it while the first one faces her. While her back is turned, it leaps out at her. Weiss immediately shoves her blade into its mouth, disintegrating it. Two more growl and move in, but Weiss does a high backward leap and beheads the first. She uses her glyphs midair to give herself something to leap toward the other off from while using a second to shield her from it as she strikes it down with the driving point of her sword.
Weiss lands atop the fountain posed with Myrtenaster held in front of her face while the cartridges spin. Her eyes widen at what she sees and Weiss immediately uses her finger along her blade to pull out a line of flame, channeling fire Dust through it. She flings the slash before her, taking out three of the white Beowolves. Around the courtyard, ice starts to melt.
Weiss smiles, allowing herself a victory swing of her sword. However, she loses her moment of pride with a gasp as she sees more of the Beowolves generate and approach her. Weiss stares at them for a minute, stunned, before taking a deep breath and bringing Myrtenaster to the ready again.
With a swing akin to a dance move, Weiss creates a black glyph behind her and jumps from the fountain. She slashes through one, repeatedly stabs another and dismembers yet another. More and more keep coming at her, and she takes them out, once even with a toss of her sword. When still surrounded Weiss causes ice to protrude around her, the largest points stabbing her opponents into disintegration.
Weiss takes a moment to breathe after this, but the cold swarm comes up again. This time it slashes at her itself, rising from the ground until it succeeds in disarming her. She puts her hand to her head in consternation and is immediately set upon by another Beowolf. It knocks Weiss to the ground, holding her left arm back. Her right arm holds off its head as it growls at her.
Several more Beowolves start approaching in a circle around the two combatants. Four leap in and Weiss can see three of them midair above the one atop her. She cries out.
"Winter!" Weiss said, terrified.
Five more Beowolves land around Weiss, but all six disappear. Weiss rolls over and rises only to her knees. Myrtenaster is cast into the ground before her by her approaching sister. Winter is not pleased and she sighs.
"I am not always going to be around to save you, Weiss." Winter said.
Weiss stares at her sister before looking away, ashamed, "I'm sorry. I'll get better."
Winter turns and walks away, "You'll have to if you ever want to leave."
Without getting up, Weiss just looks down pensively.
"And you will leave Weiss." Jared said, smiling.
Jared is wearing the perception filter TARDIS key, he opened a portal and entered through it, closing it from behind, "You'll meet me, Ruby, Blake, and Yang."
Airship...
On an Airship to Mistral, Weiss opens her eyes abruptly, giving a soft gasp. She looks miserable and turns her head to gaze out the window. Her shoulders lift as she inhales and the exhale of her sigh can be heard after the screen cuts to black.
Patch…
Somewhere, someone is riding a motorcycle. Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long are sparring without the use of their weapons in the woods, the former falling to the ground.
"Ow." Ruby said.
"Come on. You totally could've dodged that." Yang said, offering a hand up, which Ruby quickly takes.
"Yang! I've already told you, I'm just not cut out for hand-to-hand. Why can't I just use my beautiful Crescent Rose?" Ruby asked.
Ruby brings her hands to her cheeks while a little thought bubble of a chibi version of said scythe pops up next to her.
"That's exactly why I wouldn't let you bring it." Yang said.
"Ugh." Ruby said.
"I'm gonna be leaving for Beacon soon. I wanna make sure my little sis can hold her own while I'm gone."
"Fine."
As Yang readies her stance, Ruby barely has time to block as the blonde lands the first punch with her left arm, forcing Ruby to block with her wrist, before taking a defensive stance and ducking under the second punch, and then sidestepping to Yang's right, away from the third.
"Man, I forgot this is how Ruby learned hand to hand combat." Jared said, laughing a little.
Jared is still wearing his perception filter TARDIS key. He is leaning against the trees and he's sipping on some bubble tea, unnoticed by the two sisters. The fanboy knows to not interfere too much to change history. His own personal history with Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long.
Yang then turns around 180 degrees in order to finish her punch, forcing Ruby to awkwardly walk back with her arms outstretched to avoid it. She then ducks underneath Yang's left leg, as the latter uses it to spring herself up to perform an airborne high kick with her right leg. As the two ready their stances, Yang wastes no time as she immediately punches again, forcing Ruby to block it with her left forearm, and then with her right. Another sidestep is taken to avoid Yang's third right jab.
"Come on, come on, fight back, Little Red." Jared said, smiling.
Ruby then retaliates, stretching her left palm open in order to deliver a right hook from behind - which then misses as Yang casually moves her head to dodge it. A leg sweep with her left leg trips Ruby as she falls to the ground, at the mercy of Yang's right hook - until the redhead uses her Semblance and speeds away into the trees, dispersing into the rose petals that appear.
"Nice one, sis! You're not always going to be able to run away from your problems, though. Sometimes, you just have to stand your ground and fight, no matter what." Yang said, pausing and she waits for an answer. "Alright, enough rest! Get back out here."
"Right, that knocked her down for a bit." Jared said, sadly.
"Ruby?" Yang asked, getting no response from her younger half sister.
Yang brings her hand to her forehead as she looks through the bushes, instead seeing a dark bear-like creature with red marks glowing, growling menacingly, "Ruby!"
The Ursa reveals itself from the bushes with a roar and starts to charge at Yang. Yang answers in kind and propels herself towards the Ursa with her gauntlets and a roll. As Yang gets closer to the Ursa, it swipes her but Yang dodges to the side with help from her gauntlet and delivers two normal punches to the Ursa and a third one with a Dust round which manages to harm the Ursa.
The Ursa takes a second swipe at Yang and sends her flying. Yang flips back on to her feet midflight and fires two shots from her gauntlets which only angers the Ursa. The Ursa charges Yang, who cocks her gauntlets, and does an overhead swipe, however, Yang blocks the attack with her left arm and stands her ground. She then uppercuts the Ursa and jumps around it and of it in order to land in front of it. As she lands in front of it, the Ursa tries to face her but Yang runs at it and slides underneath it in order to fire off a barrage of six shots into it from behind.
"Why did I rely on Yang for everything?" Jared asked, observing the blonde. "Was it because she was all brawn? Instead of being smart?"
The Ursa is unfazed, so Yang decides to rush in. She punches it twice in the head but the momentum of the second punch propels her to the left side of the Ursa with her back facing its way. The Ursa swipes her from behind but Yang grabs its arm, twists, and punches the Ursa again.
Yang propels herself in front of the Ursa's face and dodges a swipe, she propels herself underneath it to dodge another before launching herself into the air to kick the Ursa's face and dodge another set of swipes.
Yang charges it again but the Ursa finally manages to land a blow on her that is strong enough to send her into several trees whilst tearing up the ground and uprooting any tree she hits directly.
"Ooo, that'll leave a mark for a while." Jared said, frowning. "Thank god Aura heals our bodies."
Just as Ruby Rose wakes up, the Ursa notices her. It tries to attack her but Yang puts herself between them and gets her midsection chomped on. Yang's Aura shimmers and the Ursa throws her away.
"Yang!" Ruby said, worried.
Finally, Yang activates her Semblance and jumps off against a tree to land a last punch against the Ursa. The Ursa counters with its own claw. The resulting clash blows several trees and Ruby back. The clash ends up snapping the Ursa's arm and both fighters get thrown in the directions they were facing, the Ursa disintegrating while it does so while Yang crashes against a tree.
"Yang!" Ruby said, when she runs over to her sister. "Yang, are you okay? Oh, I didn't know how to help without my scythe! I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay. I've always got your back, sis." Yang said.
The two smile at each other. Jared opened a portal, he entered through it, and it closed behind him.
Anima…
Present day Yang is riding Bumblebee in Anima, accelerating towards her destination.