Running Through the Stars (Book One of the Bad Wolf Chronicles)

Interlude: All Comes To Dust

"It's ready!" the Doctor announced, then looked up to see Daleks pouring into the room from all sides. He quickly put a hand on the switch. "You really want to think about this," he warned, "because if I activate the signal, every living creature dies."

"I am immortal," the Emperor replied.

"Do you want to put that to the test?"

"I want to see you become like me. Hail the Doctor, the Great Exterminator."

The Doctor gripped the lever tighter. "I'll do it!"

"Then prove yourself, Doctor," the Emperor challenged. "What are you? Coward, or killer?"

The Doctor swallowed, closing his eyes. He let go of the switch. "Coward," he replied firmly. "Any day."

"Mankind will be harvested because of your weakness."

The Doctor nodded in acknowledgement. "And what about me? Am I becoming one of your angels?"

"You are the heathen. You will be exterminated."

The Doctor sighed. "Maybe it's time," he admitted, closing his eyes.

As the Daleks closed in, he could've sworn he heard the sound of the TARDIS's engines. His eyes snapped open as the sound increased in volume. Wait a minute!

"Alert!" one of the Daleks shouted as the TARDIS materialized behind them. The Doctor spun, looking at his ship in shock. "TARDIS materializing!"

"You will not escape!" the Emperor called in reply.

The doors to the TARDIS opened, and the Doctor threw up his hand as bright golden light flooded out from inside. Jessie stepped out, her eyes glowing gold, her Asgardian armor forming over her body. The Doctor's eyes widened in astonishment as she approached. "What've you done?" he shouted at her.

She looked at him. "I looked into the TARDIS," she replied, her voice echoing. "And the TARDIS looked into me."

The heart of the TARDIS, the Doctor realized, his fear and horror growing. "You looked into the Time Vortex. Jessie, no one's meant to see that!"

"This is the abomination!" the Emperor shouted.

"Exterminate!" a Dalek declared.

The Doctor braced himself as it fired, but Jessie raised a hand, her eyes turning to the Dalek. The beam was stopped by her hand, to the Doctor's astonishment. "I am the Bad Wolf," she announced, looking around. "I create myself." She looked up at the words on the sign. "I take the words. I scatter them in time and space." She raised her hand and made a wiping motion, and the words spun out. "A message to lead myself here."

"Jessie, you've got to stop this," the Doctor pleaded to her, even as she stood tall, not moving. "You'e got to stop this now. You've got the entire vortex running through your head. You're going to burn!"

And then she finally looked at him, the glow in her eyes dimming so he could see her eyes, and he was astonished to see tears streaking down her cheeks. "I want you safe," she whispered. "My Doctor." He inhaled at her possessiveness. "Protected from the false god."

"You cannot hurt me!" the Emperor protested. "I am immortal!"

"You are tiny!" Jessie spat, looking back up at the viewscreen. "I can see the whole of time and space." She raised a hand to one of the Daleks. "Every single atom of your existence, and I divide them." The Dalek disintegrated gently in a shower of gold light, and more enveloped the Dalek legion, even as the Doctor saw ripples of dark red and black beginning to run over her skin, the Aether reacting to the power of the Bad Wolf. "Everything must come to dust. All things. Everything dies." She glowed more, and the Aether was released as well as Daleks everywhere began to crumble. "The Time War ends!"

"I will not die!" the Emperor yelled, even as he himself began to disintegrate. "I cannot die!"

The Doctor turned back to Jessie, surrounded in a cloud of gold, black, and red. The power of the Time Vortex and the Aether combined scared him almost as much as the Daleks did. "Jess, you've done it," he told her. "Now stop. Just let it go."

Jessie swallowed, still staring straight ahead. "How can I let go of this?" she asked. "I bring life."

The Doctor felt a pull in his gut as she felt her bring Jack back to life outside of the doors. He shook his head at her. "But this is wrong! You can't control life and death!"

"But I can," she insisted, looking at him, glowing more gold as the red and black began to fade. "The sun and the moon. The day and the night." More tears began streaming down her cheeks. "But why do they hurt?" she asked, a crack in her voice.

"The power's going to kill you," he told her hoarsely. "And it's my fault!"

Jessie's eyes flared in pain, but she still continued on. "I can see everything," she whispered, looking at him . . . but at the same time, not at him. "All that is . . . all that was . . . all that ever could be."

The Doctor stood, making a decision as he walked closer to her. "That's what I see," he told her gently. "All the time. And doesn't it drive you mad?"

"My head," she sobbed.

The Doctor held out his arms, gesturing to her. "Come here."

She slowly approached, the pain in her voice more evident. "It's killing me!"

He took her arms and looked down at her with a sad smile. "I think you need a doctor."

Had Jack been there, he would've snorted. The Doctor leaned down and kissed Jessie gently, tilting her head up slightly and beckoning to the Time Vortex in her head. The energy swirled from her eyes into his, and he felt the crushing weight of all of time and space begin to bear down on him. When he had taken it all, he slowly pulled away from Jessie. Her eyes slowly opened, back to their dark color, and he had time to give her a small smile before she fainted.

He caught her quickly and laid her down on the Game Station floor, brushing a few of her tears away, smiling as he finally admitted to himself that this was worth the violet and bronze Asgardian who had somehow managed to steal his hearts without himself realizing. He stood, looking back towards the TARDIS, and he exhaled slowly, sending the Vortex back into the console.

He closed his eyes, feeling the pain begin to build up more. He had been right when he said the Time Vortex would kill Jessie. Now it was killing him. He picked Jessie up bridal style and carried her into the TARDIS, closing the doors behind them. He draped her on the floor, then stood and walked over to the console, flicking switches. He watched as regeneration energy rushed up his hands, and he bowed his head, closing his eyes. This life was almost over. The least he could do was make sure the next one could be better for Jessie.

***

The TARDIS finally understood as her Asgardian took in the Vortex. She finally knew why this girl was so special. This girl had healed Her Thief, more than She could've ever imagined. He needed her like he needed nobody else. But she couldn't stay with him forever the way she was.

So, as Her Thief spun her through the Rift, She cracked open Her heart a little, and some of the Vortex spiraled out once more, seeping into the violet and bronze Asgardian's body. As they danced through time, She steadily began to change the girl . . . not enough to be noticeable.

But enough that when the time came, the two would never be separated.

Her Thief and Her Wolf in the TARDIS. Just as it should be.

***

So . . . whaddya think the TARDIS is up to? Guess, and comment down below! One more part left to go!