The Doctor's Wife
(Jared's POV)
TARDIS...
"At least we're away from that place for the time being." Weiss said.
"Yeah. There's something about that house I don't like." I said, leaning against the TARDIS console.
"Besides the corpses around that farm." Blake said.
"What now?" Yang asked.
"We see where the Doctor will take us." Ruby said, smiling.
"And then we'll go back there."
Ruby has the Relic of Knowledge on her waist.
"And then we discovered it wasn't the Robot King after all, it was the real one. Fortunately, I was able to re-attach the head." The Doctor said.
"Do you believe any of this stuff?" Rory asked.
I walked over to the steps to sit down there.
"We were there, Rory the Roman." I said, taking out a cup of bubble tea to drink it. "That was a fun day."
"Oh, it's the warning lights. I'm getting rid of those. They never stop." The Doctor said, walking towards the TARDIS console.
"What are we gonna do about them?" Blake asked.
"We saw the Doctor and Jared die." Ruby said, sadly.
"The Doctor's two hundred years older and Jared experienced Atlas in the future." Weiss said, crossing her arms.
"Well, that's still gonna happen." Yang said, scoffing.
Rat tat a tat tat on the Tardis door.
"What's that?" Ruby asked.
"I think the door knocked." I said, drinking the bubble tea.
"We are in deep space." Weiss said.
"Very, very deep." The Doctor said, while he got a shave and a haircut, two bits. "And somebody's knocking." He opens the doors. A small glowing box is outside. "Oh, come here. Come here, you scrumptious little beauty."
The box flies inside and ends up hitting the Doctor on the chest.
"A box?" Blake asked.
"Doctor, what is it?" Amy asked.
"I've got mail. Time Lord emergency messaging system. In an emergency, we'd wrap up thoughts in psychic containers and send them through time and space. Anyway, there's a living Time Lord still out there, and it's one of the good ones." The Doctor said.
"You said there weren't any other Time Lords left." Weiss said, crossing her arms.
"There are no Time Lords left anywhere in the universe. But our universe or your universe isn't where we're going. See that snake?" The Doctor asked, looking at the snake swallowing its own tail. "The mark of the Corsair. Fantastic bloke. He had that snake as a tattoo in every regeneration. Didn't feel like himself unless he had the tattoo. Or herself, a couple of times. Ooo, she was a bad girl."
Things go Bang!
"What's happening?" Ruby asked.
"We're leaving their universe." I said, still sitting on the steps.
"How can we leave their universe?" Weiss asked. "We dimension travel to come here to their universe and then back to ours."
"With enormous difficulty. Right now I'm burning up Tardis rooms to give us some welly. Goodbye, swimming pool. Goodbye, scullery. Sayonara, squash court seven." The Doctor said, pressing buttons on the TARDIS console.
Whoosh, thump, crash, then all is still and silent.
"Okay, okay. Where are we?" Amy asked.
"Outside our universe, Pond, where we've never, ever been." The Doctor said.
The lights go out in the Tardis.
"Is that meant to be happening?" Rory asked.
"The power, it's draining. Everything's draining. But it can't. That's, that's impossible." The Doctor said.
"What is that?"
"It's as if the Matrix, the soul of the Tardis, has just vanished. Where would it go?"
Idris gasps and sits up again. A little golden energy comes out of her mouth, to the accompaniment of the Tardis sound.
Junkyard…
To the rear of a large crashed spaceship.
"So, what kind of trouble is your friend in?" Ruby asked.
"He was in a bind. A bit of a pickle. Sort of distressed." The Doctor said.
"He doesn't know what trouble his friend faced." I said, grabbing Ruby's hand.
"But what is this place? A junk yard at the end of your universe?" Yang asked.
"Not end of, outside of." The Doctor said.
"How can we be outside our universe? The universe is everything." Rory said, looking at the Doctor.
"So, are we gonna go back to Uncle Qrow and the others after this?" Ruby asked, looking at me.
"Well, yeah." I said, squeezing Ruby's hand. "We can't leave them at that place."
"It still creeps me out." Weiss said.
"Same."
"We're all scared. Okay." Yang said, scoffing. "Not like we have anywhere else to go to over there."
"Armpits." Amy said.
"Armpits." The Doctor said.
"What about all this stuff? Where did this come from?" Rory asked.
"Well, there's a rift. Now and then stuff gets sucked through it. Not a bubble, a plughole. Rory, our universe has a plughole and we've just fallen down it."
"Thief! Thief! You're my thief!" Idris said, excitedly. "Dear! Dear! You're my dear!"
"She's dangerous. Guard yourselves." Auntie said.
Idris runs up to the Doctor and I, "Look at you. Goodbye. No, not goodbye, what's the other one?"
Idris kisses the Doctor. She tackle hugged me afterwards, making me fall down to the floor
"Oww…" I said, in a lot of pain.
"Watch out. Careful. Keep back from her. Welcome, strangers. Lovely. Sorry about the mad person." Uncle said.
"Why am I a thief? What have I stolen?" The Doctor asked.
"Me. You're going to steal me. No, you have stolen me. You are stealing me. Oh tenses are difficult, aren't they?" Idris asked.
"Yup. They are." I said, with Weiss lifting me off the ground.
"Are you okay?" Weiss asked.
"No…the way that hug…"
"How did it feel?" Ruby asked.
"Like Penny, I don't know. Since she died."
"Oh. Oh, we are sorry, my dove. She's off her head. They call me Auntie." Auntie said.
"And I'm Uncle. I'm everybody's Uncle. Just keep back from this one. She bites!" Uncle said, happily.
"Do I? Excellent." Idris said, biting the Doctor's ear.
"Ow! Ow!" The Doctor said, angrily.
"Biting's excellent. It's like kissing, only there's a winner."
"So sorry. She's doolally." Uncle said.
"No, I'm not doolally. I'm, I'm. It's on the tip of my tongue. I've just had a new idea about kissing. Come here, you." Idris said, running up to the Doctor.
"No, Idris, no." Auntie said, holding Idris back.
"Oh, but now you're angry. No, you're not. You will be angry. The little boxes will make you angry."
"Sorry? The little what? Boxes?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh, ho, no. Your chin is hilarious. It means the smell of dust after rain." Idris said, walking up to Rory.
��What does?" Rory asked.
"Petrichor."
"But I didn't ask."
"Not yet. But you will."
"No, no, Idris. I think you should have a rest." Auntie said.
"Rest. Yes, yes. Good idea. I'll just see if there's an off switch." Idris said.
Idris collapses.
"Is that it? She dead now. So sad." Uncle said.
"No, she's still breathing." Weiss said, checking Idris' pulse.
"Nephew, take Idris somewhere she can not bite people."
Nephew is the Ood.
"Oh. Hi!" I said, looking over at the Ood.
"Doctor, Jared, what is that?" Amy asked.
"It's okay, you guys. It's Ood. Oods are good. I love an Ood. Hi, Ood."
"Can't you talk? Oh, I see. It's damaged. May I? It might just be on the wrong frequency." The Doctor said, walking up to the Ood.
"Nephew was broken when he came here. Why, he was half dead. House repaired him. House repaired all of us." Auntie said.
"If you are receiving this message, please help me. Send a signal to the High Council of the Time Lords on Gallifrey. Tell them that I am still alive. I don't know where I am. I'm on some rock-like planet." The Corsair said, nearby.
Behind the message is a lot of other voices trying to speak at the same time.
"What was that? Was that him?" Yang asked. "Was that the Corsair?"
"No, no. It's picking up something else. But that's, that's not possible. That's, that's. Who else is here? Tell me. Show me. Show me." The Doctor said.
"Just what you see. Just the four of us, and the House. Nephew, will you take Idris somewhere safe where she can't hurt nobody?" Auntie asked.
"The House? What's the House?" Ruby asked.
"House is all around you, my sweets. You are standing on him. This is the House. This world. Would you like to meet him?"
"Meet him?" Rory asked.
"I'd love to." The Doctor said, happily.
"This way. Come, please. Come.��� Uncle said.
"What's wrong? What were those voices?" Amy asked.
"Time Lords. It's not just the Corsair. Somewhere close by there are lots and lots of Time Lords." The Doctor said.
(Open POV)
Brig...
Idris is in a barred chamber. Nephew stands guard.
"I'm, I'm. Big word, sad word. Why is that word so sad? No. Will be sad. Will be sad." Idris said.
Spaceship…
"Come. Come, come. You can see the House and he can look at you, and he…" Uncle said.
"What's that?" Ruby asked.
They lead the Doctor to the device where Idris had her soul drained and replaced.
"I don't know." Yang said, walking up the device. "It looks like a machine. For what?"
The Doctor looks down the grating on the floor, "I see. This asteroid is sentient."
"We walk on his back, breathe his air, eat his food." Auntie said.
"We could smell it's armpits." Jared said, grabbing Ruby's hand.
House speaks through Uncle and Auntie as if they are marionettes. It is a nice, refined voice.
"And do my will. You are most welcome, travellers." House said, nearby.
"Doctor, that voice. That's the asteroid talking?" Amy asked.
"So, what now?" Blake asked. "What can we do on this planet?"
"I don't know." Ruby said, sadly.
"We could hang here." Weiss said.
"So, you would rather see what's here than at that farm." Yang said. "I get you."
"It is creepy." Jared said, frowning. "If there's Grimm…"
"Why wouldn't there be Grimm?" Blake asked.
"True…"
"We're not actually going to stay here, are we?" Weiss asked.
"Well, it seems like a friendly planet. Literally. Mind if we poke around a bit?" The Doctor asked.
"You can look all you want. Go. Look." Auntie said, looking back at Amy. "House loves you."
"Come on then, gang. We're just going to, er, see the sights."
Brig…
"Are there a see zero that ito emo we. Ah! What was that? Do fish have fingers? Like a nine year old trying to rebuild a motorbike. What am I saying? Why am I saying that? Thief? Dear? Where's my thief and dear? Thief! Dear!" Idris said, angrily.
Corridor…
"Thief! Dear!" Idris said, nearby.
"Quiet. Do you hear that?" Jared asked, squeezing Ruby's hand.
"Okay, as soon as the TARDIS is refueled. Please tell me we can go." Weiss said, looking at the Doctor.
"No. There are Time Lords here. I heard them and they need me." The Doctor said.
"You told me about your people, and you told me what you did." Amy said.
"Yes, yes, but if they're like the Corsair, they're good ones and I can save them."
"And then tell them you destroyed the others?"
"I can explain. Tell them why I had to."
"You want to be forgiven."
"Don't we all want to be forgiven for something?" Ruby asked. "For losing people we love and care about?"
"What do you need from me?" Amy asked.
"My screwdriver. I left it in the Tardis. Take Bumblebee with you." The Doctor said, looking between Blake and Yang.
"Why us?" Blake asked.
"Why can't we stay here?" Yang asked.
"Because you two are huntresses. And you have weapons. You can protect Amy. My screwdriver is in my jacket." The Doctor said.
"You're wearing your jacket." Blake said, crossing her arms.
"My other jacket."
"You have two of those?" Rory asked.
"Okay, we'll get it. But Doctor, listen to me. Don't get emotional because that's when you make mistakes." Amy said, tossing the Doctor her mobile phone.
"Yes, boss." The Doctor said.
"We'll call you from the Tardis. Rory, look after the Doctor and Jared." Amy said.
Amy walked away with Blake and Yang.
"Rory, look after Amy. Blake and Yang can look after the both of you." The Doctor said.
"Yeah." Rory said.
Rory walked away, to catch up with Amy, Blake, and Yang.
Junkyard…
"I told you to look after the Doctor and Jared." Amy said.
"The Doctor will be fine. He's a Time Lord." Rory said.
"It's just what they're called. It doesn't mean he actually knows what he's doing."
"And Weiss can look after the Doctor, Ruby, and Jared." Blake said.
"It's not that big of a deal." Yang said, scoffing. "We'll be fine."
They go into the Tardis, which is then surrounded by neon green gas.
Tardis…
Amy phones the Doctor, "Hey, we're here. Screwdriver's in your jacket, yeah?"
Corridor…
"Yeah, it's around somewhere. Have a good look." The Doctor said, while he has the sonic in his hand.
"Oh, you're keeping them safe." Weiss said, watching the Doctor use the sonic to lock the Tardis door remotely. "Smart. We don't know what's out here."
Tardis…
"Did you do that?" Amy asked.
"I didn't do anything. Right. Jacket." Rory said.
Corridor…
"Come on. Where are you? Now, where are you all? Where are you?" The Doctor asked, pulling back a curtain to a small alcove.
"There's no way Time Lords can all be here." Jared said, letting go of Ruby's hand. "It can't be that easy."
"Yeah." Ruby said, as there are indistinct voices nearby. "I think it's them."
The Doctor opens a small cupboard and finds at least 10 of those message boxes all chattering away.
"How?" Weiss asked.
"Please do you read me." A man said, over a box.
"Structural integrity failure. Damage to dimensional stabiliser." A woman said, over a box.
"If you can hear, come and help." Man 2 said, over a box.
Uncle and Auntie come up behind them.
"We're just admiring your Time Lord distress signal collection." Ruby said, as Jared grabbed her hand.
"Nice job. Brilliant job. Really thought I had some friends here, but this is what the Ood translator picked up. Cries for help from the long dead. How many Time Lords have you lured here the way you lured me, and what happened to them all?" The Doctor asked.
"House, House is kind and he is wise." Auntie said.
"House repairs you when you break. Yes, I know. But how does he mend you? You've got the eyes of a twenty year old."
"Thank you." Uncle said.
"No. Oh, no, I mean it literally. Your eyes are thirty years younger than the rest of you. Your ears don't match, your right arm is two inches longer than you're left, and how's your dancing? Because you've got two left feet."
"You're like stuffed animals or scarecrows." Weiss said, rolling her eyes. "You've been repaired and patched up so often, I doubt there's anything left of what used to be you."
"I had an umbrella like you once."
Auntie's forearm has a snake tattoo, "Oh, now, it's been a great arm for me, this."
"That tattoo!" Ruby said, her eyes widening. "Didn't you say the Corsair had that?"
"He was a strapping big bloke, wasn't he, Uncle?" Auntie asked.
"Big fellow." Uncle said.
"I got the arm and then Uncle got the spine and the kidneys."
"Kidneys."
"You gave me hope, and then you took it away. That's enough to make anyone dangerous. God knows what it will do to me. Basically, run!" The Doctor said, angrily.
"Poor old Time Lord. Too late. House is too clever." Uncle said.
Auntie and Uncle leave. The phone rings.
Tardis…
"There's no sonic screwdriver." Yang said. "And the doors locked behind us."
"Rory and Blake think there's a perfectly innocent explanation, but I think you lied to us." Amy said.
Corridor…
"Time Lord stuff. Needed you, Rory, Blake, and Yang out of the way. Jared, Ruby, and Weiss can help me." The Doctor said.
Tardis…
"What, we're not good enough…" Amy said.
Corridor…
"...for your smart new friends?" Amy asked, her voice over the phone.
"The boxes will make you angry. How could she know?" The Doctor asked.
Tardis…
"Doctor, what are you talking about?" Blake asked.
Corridor…
"Don't move!" Jared said, walking up to the phone. "Stay exactly where you are."
Tardis…
"It's not like we have much choice." Yang said, annoyed.
Brig…
"How did you know about the boxes? You said they'd make me angry. How did you know?" The Doctor asked.
"Ah, it's my thief and my dear." Idris said.
"Who are you? And why can't I remember who you are? What happened to my foreknowledge?" Jared asked.
Jared clutched his head in pain, and he fell down to his knees. Ruby and Weiss walked over to Jared to lift him off the ground.
"It's about time." Idris said.
Tardis…
"I don't like this." Yang said, leaning against the TARDIS console.
The gas is working its way up the side of the Tardis.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you and the others." Blake said.
"The Doctor and Jared are not trusting us and they're being emotional. This is bad. This is very, very bad." Amy said.
"Yeah, I think it probably is." Rory said, sadly.
"Sometimes I hate being right."
Brig…
"I don't understand. Who are you?" Ruby asked.
"Do the four of you not know me? Just because they put me in here?" Idris asked.
"They said you were dangerous." Weiss said.
"Not the cage, stupid. In here. They put me in here. I'm the. Oh, what do you call me? We travel. I go…" Idris said, making the Tardis sound.
"The Tardis?" Jared asked. "Seriously? You think I would fall for that?"
"Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Yes, that's it. Names are funny. It's me. I'm the Tardis."
"No, you're not. You're a bitey, mad lady. The Tardis is up and downy stuff in a big blue box." The Doctor said, angrily.
"Yes, that's me. A Type Forty Tardis. I was already a museum piece when you were young, and the first time you touched my console you said…" Idris said.
"I said you were the most beautiful thing I had ever known."
"And then you stole me. And I stole you."
"I borrowed you."
"Borrowing implies the intention to return the thing that was taken. What makes you think I would ever give you back?"
"The thing is, I don't know how I ended up here." Jared said, walking towards Idris. "Like why did I end up in this universe?"
"Your kindness. Your heart. Your mind. Your soul And your knowledge. Your star sign." Idris said. "You were born on the 31st of May. Your Sun and Mercury signs are Gemini. Your Moon sign is a Sagittarius. Your Venus sign is Cancer."
"So, you're listing off facts. Why am I here? Tell me why."
"I will later. That Cancer bit explains why you're motherly to all your friends. You care about them. Your Mars is in Libra so you like planning ahead and protecting others. Your Jupiter sign is Aries. So you like being childish and helpful to others. Your Saturn sign is Taurus which is why you're cold and introverted sometimes."
"All you're doing is listing off Jared's birth chart." Weiss said, with a smug look on his face. "Like that's helping out his situation."
"I'm not done yet, Weiss. His Uranus and Neptune signs are Aquarius. Which is why he loves doing what he does. A mix of Shirabe Tsukuyomi and Kirika Akatsuki in him. His Pluto is in Sagittarius. That explains his double life between defeating monsters with Team RWBY and traveling with the Doctor. And his Lilith is in Scorpio. Scorpio is Ruby's star sign." Idris said.
"What does that mean?" Ruby asked.
"Jared doesn't want to get too attached to people. He didn't want to get intimate with Team RWBY. Or anyone he knows or doesn't know. But he did." Idris said, looking at Ruby. "He didn't want Team RWBY to be his family. But it happened anyway. Now he has you girls by his side."
"Oh. That explains why he hangs out with us."
"Well, his true north is in Leo. He needs to build up his self-confidence, getting personal. Jared here willingly wants to stand out from his friends and family. Like, everyone has superpowers and he had to figure out how to get it. He wants to call attention to himself."
"You're the Tardis?" Jared asked, his eyes widening.
"Yes."
"My Tardis?" The Doctor asked.
"My Doctor and Jared. Oh. We have now reached the point in the conversation where the Doctor opens the lock." Idris said, and the Doctor sonicks open the cage. "Are all people like this?"
"Like what?" Ruby asked.
"So much bigger on the inside. I'm, oh, what is that word? It's so big, so complicated. It's so sad."
"But why? Why pull the living soul from a Tardis and pop it in a tiny human head? What does it want you for?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh, it doesn't want me." Idris said.
"How do you know that?" Weiss asked.
"House eats Tardises."
"House what? What do you mean?" The Doctor asked.
"I thought you were annoying, Jared." Weiss said, rolling her eyes. "But this could get even more annoying. The TARDIS is saying things out of order."
"At least we're not there. At that farm." Jared said, grabbing Ruby's hand. "It just screams bad luck."
"We can find out more later, right?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah."
"We will." Weiss said, smiling.
"When do I say that?" The Doctor asked.
"Any second." Idris said.
"Of course. House feeds on rift energy and Tardises are bursting with it. And not raw, all lovely and cooked. Processed food. Mmm, fish fingers." The Doctor said.
"Do fish have fingers?"
"But you can't eat a Tardis. it would destroy you. Unless, unless…"
"Unless you deleted the Tardis Matrix first." Jared said, squeezing Ruby's hand.
"So it deleted you." The Doctor said, walking to Idris.
"But House can't just delete a Tardis' consciousness. That would blow a hole in the universe. So he pulls out the Matrix, sticks it in a living receptacle and then it feeds off the remaining Artron energy. Oh. You were about to say all that. I don't suppose you have to now." Idris said.
"Jared and I sent Amy, Rory, Blake, and Yang in there. They'll be eaten. Amy! Blake! Amy? Rory? Blake? Yang? Get the hell out of there." The Doctor said.
Tardis…
"Doctor, something's wrong." Amy said.
Corridor…
"It's House. He's after the Tardis. Just get out, the four of you." Jared said, standing next to the Doctor.
Tardis…
"We can't. The Doctor locked the door, remember?" Blake asked.
Junkyard…
"But I've unlocked it." The Doctor said.
Tardis…
"You stupid well haven't." Amy said.
"We're in danger." Blake said.
The Cloister Bell starts to toll and a wind blows through.
"Well, yeah, with the Cloister Bell going off." Yang said.
"Doctor, Jared, I don't like this." Yang said, sadly.
Junkyard...
The Doctor tries the screwdriver again, and snaps his fingers, "Open!"
Tardis…
"Doctor?" Amy asked.
Junkyard…
"Open this door!" The Doctor said.
Tardis…
"Rory, hold my hand." Amy said.
Junkyard…
"Amy. Rory!" The Doctor said.
"Blake! Yang!" Jared said, when the Tardis dematerialises.
Ruby and Weiss is standing behind the Doctor and Jared.
The Doctor tries the phone again, "Amy? Amy, can you hear me?"
Jared took out his phone and called Yang, ��Yang? Hello? Can you hear me?"
"Okay, right. I don't, I really don't know what to do. That's a new feeling." The Doctor said.
Tardis…
The Tardis is hurtling towards a Rift.
"Listen, whatever happens, at least we're together. And we're in the Tardis, so we're safe." Rory said.
"Yeah." Amy said.
"The TARDIS is the safest place in your universe after all." Yang said, smirking.
"So, it's not like we have to worry too much." Blake said.
"You're half right. I mean, you are in the Tardis. What a great adventure. I should have done this half a million years ago. So, Amy, Rory, Blake, Yang, why shouldn't I just kill you now?" House asked, nearby.
Spaceship…
"It's gone." Jared said, sadly.
"Eaten?" Idris asked.
"No, it left. Not eaten, hi-jacked. But why?" The Doctor asked.
"It's time for us both to go, and keep together." Auntie said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Go? What do you mean, go? Where are you going?"
"Well, we're dying, my love. It's time for Auntie and Uncle to pop off."
"I'm against it." Uncle said.
"It's your fault, isn't it, sweets? Because you told House it was the last Tardis. House can't feed on them if there's none more coming, can he?" Auntie asked.
"So now he's off to your universe to find more Tardises."
"It won't. It'll run out of power before it is able to do so." Weiss said.
"Oh, it'll think of something." Auntie said.
Auntie collapses.
"Actually, I feel fine." Uncle said.
Then he drops.
"They're not dead. They can't be!" Jared said, looking between Auntie and Uncle. "You can't just die!"
"We need to go to where I landed, Doctor, Jared, Ruby, Weiss, quickly." Idris said.
"Why?" Ruby asked.
"Because we are there in three minutes. We need to go now. Ow. Roughly how long do these bodies last?"
"You're dying." Weiss said, noticing how pale Idris is.
"Yes, of course I'm dying. I don't belong in a flesh body. I could blow the casing in no time. No, stop it. Don't get emotional. Hmm. That's what the orangey girl says. You're the Doctor and Jared. Jared, you have two members of Team RWBY by your side. Focus." Idris said, looking between the Doctor and Jared.
"How am I supposed to focus?" Jared asked. "On what exactly? Yes, I've got Ruby and Weiss with me. So what?"
Jared clutched his head in pain, not knowing why.
"And I'm a madman with a box, without a box. I'm stuck down the plughole at the end of the universe on a stupid old junkyard. Ooo." The Doctor said.
"Ooo what?" Ruby asked.
"I'm not."
"Not what?" Weiss asked.
"Because it's not a junkyard. Don't you see? It's not a junkyard." The Doctor said.
"What is this place then, Spaceman?" Jared asked.
"It's a Tardis junkyard. Come on! Oh, sorry. Do you have a name?" The Doctor asked, looking at Idris.
"Seven hundred years, finally he asks." Idris said.
"But what do I call you?"
"I think you and Jared call me Sexy."
"Sexy? Since when?" Jared asked.
"You have. Or will. You did know my nickname for a long time now." Idris said.
"You call the TARDIS Sexy?" Ruby asked. "Oh, look at me, I'm the Doctor, and this is Jared. We travel in a sexy time machine."
"Ruby." Weiss said, looking at Ruby. "Now is not the time for that."
"The Doctor and I only call the TARDIS that when we're alone." Jared said, squeezing Ruby's hand.
"We are alone." Idris said.
"Oh. Come on then, Sexy, Jared, and Ice Flower." The Doctor said.
The Doctor ran off with Idris. Ruby, Weiss, and Jared are following them from behind.
House…
"Corridors. I have corridors. So much to learn about my new home. But you haven't answered my question, children." House said, nearby.
"Er, question?" Blake asked.
"You remember. Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you four now?"
"Well, because. Yang, why?" Amy asked, looking at Yang.
"Because killing us quickly wouldn't be any fun. And you need fun, don't you?" Yang asked.
"That's what Uncle and Auntie were for, wasn't it? Someone to make suffer. I had a PE teacher just like you." Rory said, looking at the TARDIS console.
"You need to be entertained, and killing us quickly wouldn't be entertainment. It would be boring for you."
"So entertain me. Run." House said, nearby.
Amy, Rory, Blake, and Yang ran away from the TARDIS console.
Junkyard…
"A valley of half eaten Tardises. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" The Doctor asked.
"I'm thinking that all of my sisters are dead. That they were devoured, and that we are looking at their corpses." Idris said.
"Ah. Sorry. No, I wasn't thinking that."
"No. You and Jared were thinking you could build a working Tardis console out of broken remnants of a hundred different models. And you don't care that it's impossible."
"It's not impossible as long as we're alive." Jared said, grabbing Ruby's hand. "We're gonna take the fastest, shortest path! Steady, straight ahead! Amy, Rory, Blake, and Yang. They need us. We're gonna build a TARDIS, everyone!"
Tardis corridor…
"So are we having fun yet? I'm rather enjoying the sensation of having you running around inside me." House said, nearby.
Amy nearly falls down onto Yang into a perpendicular corridor.
"Careful." Yang said, as Blake caught Amy from falling down onto her. "Thanks Blake."
"I've turned off the corridor anti-gravs, so do be careful." House said, nearby.
"Come on." Blake said.
Amy, Rory, Blake, and Yang edge their way around the hole and keep running.
Junkyard…
"Bond the tube directly into the Tachyon Diverter." Idris said.
"Yes, yes, I have actually rebuilt a Tardis before, you know. I know what I'm doing." The Doctor said.
"You're like a nine year old trying to rebuild a motorbike in his bedroom. And you never read the instructions."
"I always read the instructions."
"There's a sign on my front door. You have been walking past it for seven hundred years. What does it say?" Idris asked.
"That's not instructions." The Doctor said.
"It is instructions." Weiss said. "There's an instruction at the bottom of the sign. What does it say?"
"It says pull to open." Jared said, kicking his foot back and forth.
"Yes. And what do you see the Doctor do?" Idris asked.
"He pushes the door open." Ruby said, happily. "I do too. Sometimes."
"Me too, but only when I'm bored." Jared said, sadly.
"Every single time. Seven hundred years of being with the Doctor. Police Box doors open out the way." Idris said.
"I think I have earned the right to open my front doors any way I want." The Doctor said, annoyed.
"Your front doors? Have you any idea how childish that sounds?"
"You are not my mother."
"And you are not my child."
"You know, since we're talking with mouths, not really an opportunity that comes along very often, I just want to say, you know, you have never been very reliable."
"And you have?" Idris asked.
"You didn't always take me where I wanted to go." The Doctor said.
"No, but I always took you where you needed to go."
"You did."
"How about me? How did I end up here?" Jared asked.
"I found you in the multiverse. You looked perfect from every angle for the Doctor. Along with the Impossible Girl."
"Yeah. But Team RWBY and Team JNPR. Me being able to travel from Remnant and back here."
"Oh. That was me. Wanted to keep you entertained and happy. As you see all of time and space. You needed somewhere laid back and to have extra adventures on."
"Is that why you found us?" Weiss asked.
"Yes." Idris said. "You huntsmen and huntresses bring the best of humanity out of Jared."
"Thanks." Ruby said, smiling.
"Look at us talking. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could always talk, even when you're stuck inside the box?" The Doctor asked, looking at Idris.
"You know I'm not constructed that way. I exist across all space and time, and you talk and run around and bring home strays." Idris said, buckling at the knees. "Strays that I didn't find for Jared. Or brought to him."
Ruby catches Idris, "Are you okay?"
"One of the kidneys has already failed. It doesn't matter. We need to finish assembling the console." Idris said.
"Using a console without a proper shell. It's not going to be safe." Weiss said. "It's like trying to fight some Grimm without battle armor."
"This body has about eighteen minutes left to live. The universe we're in will reach Absolute Zero in three hours. Safe is relative."
"Then we need to get a move on. Eh, old girl?" The Doctor asked, looking at Idris.
Tardis corridor…
A bulkhead slams shut, separating Amy and Rory. The same is separating Blake and Yang. Blake is with Amy and Yang is with Rory.
"No! Amy!" Rory said.
"No!" Amy said.
"Blake!" Yang said.
"Yang." Blake said, sadly. "No. Please. Not again…"
"Amy. Stay with Blake." Rory said.
"Amy? Amy? Amy?" Rory asked, nearby.
"Blake…" Yang said, nearby.
Rory and Yang are sitting at the other end of the corridor.
"Yang?" Blake asked.
"The hell have you been!" Yang said, angrily. "You said that you wouldn't leave me."
"I didn't." Blake said.
"You've been gone for hours with Amy. I was left here with Rory."
Yang began walking towards Blake. Amy grabbed Blake's hand and the two were backing away. And a bulkhead slams shut, separating them again.
"No!" Rory said.
"No! Oh." Amy said.
Junkyard…
The console is almost complete.
"You'll need to install the time rotor." Idris said.
The Doctor does with Weiss' help.
"How is this going to make it through the rift? How?" Ruby asked.
"Well, we're almost done." Weiss said, happily.
"Thrust diffuser? Er, retroscope. Blue thingy." The Doctor said.
Idris examines a wire coat hanger, "Do you ever wonder why I chose you all those years ago?"
"I chose you. You were unlocked." The Doctor said.
"Of course I was. I wanted to see the universe, so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away. And you were the only one mad enough. Oh, and Jared, about the Sword Art Online survivors."
"What about them?" Jared asked.
"I brought them here too. Well, the characters from Sword Art Online, ALFheim Online, and Gun Gale Online. I know how much you love video games." Idris said, walking over to Jared.
"So they appeared on Satellite Five all those years ago? When I first met them."
"That was me too."
"Okay, this TARDIS console might be made out of trash. But it's perfect!" Jared said, excitedly. "Look at that. What could possibly go wrong?"
A piece falls off the console.
"That's fine. That always happens. No, hang on. Wait." The Doctor said, getting a couple of pieces of red rope with hooks on the ends.
Tardis corridor…
An old bearded man is crouching by a stanchion. And a man with red hair wearing a Faunus mask is standing in front of the old man.
"Hello. Blake." Adam said, walking up to Blake.
"Adam? How did you travel between worlds?"
"I'm not finished with you yet." Adam said, walking towards Blake. "Is this who you replaced me with?"
Adam is walking towards Amy with his sword out.
"She's a friend." Blake said, taking out her Gambol Shroud. "Her name is Amy."
"Two thousand years I waited for you. You did it to me again." Rory said.
"I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. Rory, what are you doing?" Amy asked.
"What if I cut off Amy's arm too?" Adam asked.
"I won't let you do that!" Blake said. angrily.
"How could you leave me? How could you do that to me?" Rory asked.
Amy and Blake back away from Rory and Adam, and a bulkhead shuts, separating them.
Junkyard…
The ropes are safety lines.
"Okay, Ruby, Weiss, comfy?" Jared asked, looking between Ruby and Weiss.
"Yeah." Ruby said, sitting on a beanbag chain bolted onto the floor. "Where did you…"
"Found it somewhere on the planet."
Weiss is sitting on a comfortable recliner bolted onto the floor too, "And this recliner?"
"You've been worrying about me for a while now." Jared said, smiling. "Let's go, you guys. Follow that TARDIS."
The Doctor flicked a switch but nothing happened.
"Damn it, come on! I know you can do it. There's rift energy everywhere!" Jared said, flicking another switch on the TARDIS console.
"Okay, let's divert all power to thrust. Let's be having you." The Doctor said, getting bang, sparks from the console. "No, no, no, no."
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, sitting on her bean bag chair.
"It can't hold the charge. It can't even start. There's no power. I've got nothing." The Doctor said.
"Oh, my beautiful idiot. You have what you've always had. You've got me." Idris said, kissing her finger, and transferring golden energy to the console.
They dematerialise.
Tardis corridor…
Hate Amy Kill Amy Die Amy is written on the wall in blood. A decayed corpse is lying around the corner.
"No! No! Rory, I'm so, so sorry." Amy said, letting out tears.
"Amy?" Blake asked, walking in front of Amy. "It's okay."
Blake turned her back to see Yang and Rory there. The corpse and graffiti disappear from Amy's field of view.
"It's messing with our heads. Come on, we have to run." Yang said.
Amy and Rory ran off with Blake and Yang.
Rift…
"Whoo hoo!" Jared said, sitting on the beanbag with Ruby. "Now this is a lot of fun!"
"We've locked on to them. They'll have to lower the shields when I'm close enough to phase inside." Idris said.
"Can you get a message to Amy? The telepathic circuits are online." The Doctor said.
"Which one's Amy? The pretty one?"
Ladder…
Rory gets a headache, "Argh."
"Rory, what's wrong?" Amy asked.
"It's like I'm getting a message." Rory said. "I don't know how Jared is used to this."
"Hello, Pretty." Idris said, telepathically.
"What the hell is that?"
"Don't worry. Telepathic messaging. No, that's Rory." The Doctor said, telepathically.
"You have to go to the old control room. I'm putting the route in your head. When you get there use the purple slider on the nearest panel to lower the shields." Idris said, telepathically.
"The pretty one?"
"You'll have about twelve seconds before the room goes into phase with the invading Matrix. I'll send you the pass key when you get there. Good luck."
"What was that?" Blake asked.
"It was that woman. That mad woman and the Doctor." Rory said.
"The Doctor? Is he with Jared, Ruby, and Weiss?" Yang asked.
"I think so, yeah. We have to keep going." Rory said.
Rift…
"How is Rory going to be able to take down the shields anyway? The House is in the control room." Jared said, snacking on some chocolate chip cookies. "It's it hard?"
"No, it's easy, my dear. I directed him to one of the old control rooms." Idris said.
"There aren't any old control rooms. They were all deleted or remodelled." The Doctor said.
"I archive them, for neatness. I've got about thirty now."
"Do you have the one from the one with the eyebrows?" Jared asked.
"Yes, I do. You hang out in the console room a lot more in the future." Idris said, looking at Jared.
"That one? Awesome!"
"But I've only changed the desktop, what, a dozen times?" The Doctor asked.
"So far, yes." Idris said.
"You can't archive something that hasn't happened yet."
"You can't."
Tardis corridor..:
"What happened to the lights?" Amy asked.
"The lights are fine." Yang said, crossing her arms.
"Oh, it's messing with our heads again. Okay, stay there a second. Let's go, Blake and Yang." Rory said.
"What is it? What?" Amy asked.
"Hang on, Amy. We're coming back for you." Blake said.
"Don't leave me. I can hardly see, Blake." Amy said.
Rory, Blake, and Yang go round the corner into a bright light.
"Argh." Rory said, nearby.
"Rory? Rory?" Amy asked.
"It's okay, I'm fine. Blake saved me from almost banging my head. Come towards my voice."
"What happened? Where are you?"
"I'm fine, I didn't get hurt. I'm still with Blake and Yang. Just keep coming. Reach out your hand."
Amy walks past Rory lying unconscious on the floor and touches the Ood's tentacles. She screams, the lights come up and Rory, Blake, and Yang come to her.
"This way. Come on, run!" Rory said.
Rift…
"Keep going. You're doing it, you sexy thing." The Doctor said, happily.
"See, you do call me that. Is it my name?" Idris asked.
"You bet it's your name."
"Whoo! I love this!" Jared said, smiling.
Tardis corridor…
"I can see now, Rory, Blake, Yang. I can see." Amy said.
"It was the Ood thing, the Nephew and it's still coming." Rory said.
"I know. So where is this place?" Amy asked.
"Where are we supposed to go?" Yang asked.
"Are we here?" Blake asked.
They come to a dead end.
"This is where she told me to go. She said she'd send me the pass key. Ow!" Rory said, annoyed.
"Crimson. Eleven. Delight. Petrichor." Idris and Rory said, at the same time.
"Petrichor?" Blake asked.
"What do I do? Do I say it? Crimson. Eleven. Delight. Petrichor. I said it." Rory said.
"Petrichor. Petrichor." Amy said.
"I said it."
"Petrichor. She told you what it meant. The smell of wet dust. Jared said that it's a perfume." Yang said, sadly.
"So, oh, it's the meaning, not the word." Amy said, her eyes widening.
"The meaning of what?" Rory asked.
"The Tardis interface is telepathic. You don't say it, you think it." Amy said.
The Ood is at the far end of the corridor.
"It's coming." Blake said.
"Quiet. Crimson. Eleven. Delight. The smell of dust after rain. Crimson, eleven, delight, the smell of dust after rain. Crimson, eleven, delight, the smell of dust after rain." Amy said.
Amy pictures a flat, a birthday cake, her wedding, a raindrop falling into dust. The door opens.
Tardis…
"What is this place? Another control room?" Amy asked.
"Right. We spent our time here when he had big ears." Blake said.
"Yeah." Yang said.
Amy, Rory, Blake, and Yang flicked switches on the TARDIS console.
"Right, shields. Got it." Rory said, pressing a button.
Rift…
"They did it. Shields down." Idris said.
Tardis…
"How did you find this place? It's not on my internal schematics. I had hoped you two could join Nephew as my servants. But you two are nothing but trouble. Nephew, kill them." House said, nearby.
Rory gets another painful telepathic message.
"We're coming through. Get out of the way or you'll be atomised." Idris said, telepathically.
"Where are you coming through?" Rory asked.
"I don't know."
"Oh, great. Thanks."
Rift…
The console is closing on the Tardis.
"It's not going to hold." Idris said.
(Jared's POV)
Tardis…
"Hold on." Rory said, looking at Amy, Blake, and Yang.
The console materialises in a shower of sparks.
"Doctor. Jared." Amy said, looking between the Doctor and I.
"Not good. Not good at all. How do you walk around in these things?" Idris asked.
"It's okay." I said, walking over to Idris. "We're not there yet. To your world. Just hold on, okay?"
"Amy, Blake, Yang, this is, well, she's my Tardis. Except she's a woman. She's a woman, and she's my Tardis." The Doctor said.
"She's the Tardis?" Yang asked.
"And she's a woman. She's a woman and she's the Tardis."
"Did you wish really hard?" Amy asked.
"Shut up. Not like that." The Doctor said, annoyed.
"Hello. I'm Sexy." Idris said, happily.
"Sexy? As in attractive?" Blake asked.
"Oh. Still shut up." The Doctor said, angrily.
"The environment has been breached. Nephew, kill them all." House said, nearby.
"So, what's the plan?" Blake asked.
"I don't know." Ruby said, sadly. "Jared?"
"Nothing." I said, leaning against the TARDIS console. "I forgot what will happen next."
"It's okay." Weiss said, looking over at me.
"Yeah."
"Oh, come on." Amy said, crossing her arms.
"Another Ood Jared and I failed to save." The Doctor said.
"Doctor. I did not expect you." House said, nearby.
"Well, that's me all over, isn't it? Lovely old unexpected me."
"The big question is, now you're here, how to dispose of you? I could play with gravity."
We get pulled to the floor for a few seconds.
"Seriously?" I asked, annoyed. ��Dust is more manageable to use."
"Or I could evacuate the air from this room and watch you choke." House said, nearby.
"You really don't want to do that." The Doctor said.
"Why shouldn't I just kill you now?"
"Because then I won't be able to help you. Listen to your engines. Just listen to them. You don't have the thrust and you know it. Right now I'm your only hope for getting out of your little bubble through the rift, and into my universe. And mine's the one with the food in."
"Water, water." Idris said, sadly.
"You just have to promise not to kill us. That's all, just promise." The Doctor said.
"You can't be serious." Yang said. "This is an entity."
"I'm very serious. I'm sure it's an entity of its word."
"Doctor, Jared, she's burning up. She's asking for water." Rory said.
"Hey. It's okay." I said, running over to the TARDIS. "Hang in there, old girl. The Doctor's doing his best, okay? This will be over soon."
"I always liked it when you and the Doctor call me old girl." Idris said, smiling.
"You want me to give my word? Easy. I promise." House said, nearby.
"Fine. Okay. I trust you. Just delete, oh er, thirty percent of the Tardis rooms, you'll free up thrust enough to make it through. Activate subroutine Sigma nine." The Doctor said.
"Why would you tell me this?"
"Because we want to get back to our universe as badly as you do. And I'm nice."
"Yes. I can delete rooms. And I can also rid myself of vermin if I delete this room first. Thank you, Doctor. Very helpful. Goodbye, Time Lord. Goodbye, little humans. Goodbye, Idris."
Bright light. The Tardis returns to normal space with an empty console room. Then all of us appear.
"Yes. I mean, you could do that, but it just won't work. Hardwired fail safe. Living things from rooms that are deleted are automatically deposited in the main control room. But thanks for the lift." The Doctor said.
"We are in your universe now, Doctor. Why should it matter to me in which room you die? I can kill you just as easily here as anywhere. Fear me. I've killed hundreds of Time Lords." House said, nearby.
"Fear me. I've killed all of them." The Doctor said.
"This is a long adventure." Weiss said. "When will it end?"
Idris is still telepathically telling Rory stuff.
"I don't understand. There isn't a forest in here. And what goddess of light?" Rory asked.
"Yeah, you're right. You've completely won. Oh, you can kill us in oodles of really inventive ways, but before you do kill us allow me and friends Amy, Rory, Jared, and Team RWBY to congratulate you on being an absolutely worthy opponent." The Doctor said.
"Congratulations." Amy said, clapping.
"You won." Weiss said.
"You defeated us." Blake said.
"Nice work." Yang said.
"Yeah." Ruby said.
"The House is the winner of this battle!" I said, excitedly.
"Yep, you've defeated us. Me and my lovely friends here, and last but definitely not least, the Tardis Matrix herself, a living consciousness you ripped out of this very control room and locked up into a human body. And look at her." The Doctor said, looking down at Idris.
"Doctor, she's stopped breathing." Rory said, checking Idris' pulse.
"Enough. That is enough." House said, nearby.
"No. It's never enough. You forced the Tardis into a body so she'd burn out safely a very long way away from this control room. A flesh body can't hold the Tardis Matrix and live. Look at her body, House." The Doctor said.
"And you think I should mourn her?"
"No. I think you should be very, very careful about what you let back into this control room. You took her from her home. But now she's back in the box again, and she's free."
The golden energy streams from Idris into the console then out again and through the Tardis.
"No. Doctor, stop this. Argh! Stop this now." House said, nearby.
"Oh, look at my girl. Look at her go. Bigger on the inside. You see, House?" The Doctor asked.
"Make her stop."
"That's your problem. You're the size of a planet, but inside you are just so small." I said, smiling. "You messed with the best ship in the universe. And my family. You get this!"
"Make it stop." House said, nearby.
"Finish him off, girl." The Doctor said.
"Ow. Don't do this! Argh!"
Golden Idris is standing on the stairs.
"Doctor, Jared, are you there? It's so very dark in here." Idris said.
"I'm here." The Doctor said.
"Me too." I said, grabbing Ruby's hand. "I'm here, old girl."
"I've been looking for a word. A big, complicated word, but so sad. I've found it now." Idris said.
"What word?"
"Alive. I'm alive."
"Alive isn't sad. It's okay to live, even if there's no greater point to living." I said, squeezing Ruby's hand. "Come on, you lived with us all this time, you're this amazing blue box. That lets us see the universe."
"It's sad when it's over. I'll always be here, but this is when the three of us talked, and now even that has come to an end. There's something I didn't get to say to the both of you." Idris said.
"Goodbye?" The Doctor asked.
"No. I just wanted to say hello. Hello, Doctor. It's so very, very nice to meet you. You're gonna have a trustworthy friend someday, along with a family." Idris said. "And Jared, it's nice to have you by my side. My favorite stray the Doctor ever picked up."
"Please. I don't want you to. Please." The Doctor said.
"Don't go…" I said, squeezing Ruby's hand. "You have answers to give me someday."
Idris dematerialises.
Where?" The Doctor asked.
Game room…
"That was a long day." Weiss said.
"Can't believe I saw Adam." Blake said, sadly.
"The House was messing with your head, Blake." Yang said.
"Shouldn't we head to the console room?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah." I said, smiling. "Let's go."
I walked out of the game room with Team RWBY. Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition is playing on the Nintendo Switch.
TARDIS...
The Doctor is doing some work below the console.
"How's the maintenance going?" Weiss asked.
"Just putting a firewall around the Matrix. Almost done." The Doctor said.
"Can you make her talk again?" Ruby asked.
"I can't." The Doctor said, frowning.
"Why not?" Rory asked.
"Spacey wacey, isn't it?" Amy asked.
"Well, actually, it's because the Time Lords discovered that if you take an eleventh dimensional matrix and fold it into a mechanical then. Yes, it's spacey wacey." The Doctor said, annoyed.
"Sorry. At the end, she was talking. She kept repeating two things. I don't know what it meant." Rory said.
"What did she say?" I asked, leaning against the TARDIS console.
"The only water in the forest is the river. She said we'd need to know that someday. And Jared, she said that a goddess of light has given you songs and magic. She said you'd need to know that someday. It doesn't make sense, does it?" Rory asked.
"Not yet." The Doctor said.
"Songs and magic?" Weiss asked.
"A goddess of light?" Blake asked.
"What's that?" Ruby asked.
"I don't know if it involves Silver Eyes or not." I said, shrugging my shoulders. "It could mean another thing god related. I'll find out someday."
"Yeah. Of course you will." Yang said, scoffing.
"You okay?" The Doctor asked, looking at Rory.
"No. I watched her die. I shouldn't let it get to me, but it still does. I'm a nurse." Rory said.
"Letting it get to you. You know what that's called? Being alive. Best thing there is. Being alive right now, that's all that counts. Nearly finished. Two more minutes, then we're off. The Eye of Orion's restful, if you like restful. I can never really get the hang of restful. What do you think, dear? Where shall we take the kids this time?"
"Look at you pair. It's always you and her, isn't it, long after the rest of us have gone. A boy and his box, off to see the universe." Amy said.
"Well, you say that as if it's a bad thing. But honestly, it's the best thing there is. The House deleted all the bedrooms. I should probably make you two a new bedroom. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Okay. Er, Doctor, this time could we lose the bunk beds?" Amy asked.
"What do you think, Jared?" The Doctor asked.
"No! You're keeping the bunk beds. They're incredibly dangerous, super awesome and incredibly efficient." I said, standing behind the Ponds.
"Is that why our room looks like what we had at Beacon?" Weiss asked.
"Yup."
"Of course…" Blake said, sadly.
"You can't let go of the past, now can you?" Yang asked.
"That's a no." Ruby said. "Jared will never let go of the past."
"And bunk beds are cool. A bed with a ladder. You can't beat that." The Doctor said, angrily.
"Fine, you two can lose the bunk beds." I said, crossing my arms. "It's your room after all…"
"Out those stairs, keep walking till you find it. Off you pop."
"Doctor, do you have a room?" Rory asked.
Amy pulls Rory away.
Team RWBY's bedroom…
"It's a perfect recreation of our bedroom at Beacon still." Weiss said.
"Tell me about it." Blake said.
"You miss our days at Beacon a ton, huh?" Yang asked.
"I do." I said, leaning against the wall. "I said things haven't been the same since the Fall of Beacon."
"So, you, uh, hung out here while Team RWBY was separated." Ruby said, sadly.
"Yeah…"
TARDIS...
The Doctor's work is finished.
"Are you there? Can you hear me? Oh, I'm a silly old." The Doctor said.
"No, you're not, Spaceman." I said, entering the TARDIS console room. "I don't care where we have to go this time."
"Okay. Right. The Eye of Orion, or wherever we need to go." The Doctor said, while levers move on their own. "Ha ha! Whoo hoo."