55 replies to this topic

[diaper24/7]

Wow I'm a big fan of Doctor Who and you pull this off amazingly with a plot you have her so far.

[diaperpt]

Catching up on the story...the tide seems to be turning. Good chapter.

[JDL23]

Ten

"...So that's the plan." The Doctor claps his hands together and looks expectantly at the two women like a schoolteacher. "Any questions?"

"I've got one." Veronica cradles her cheek in her palm. "What kind of sad excuse for a plan is that?"

The Doctor looks down at the disassembled sonic stockade on the floor and begins sticking the modified bits back inside. "Well, what did you expect?"

"I dunno! Something more... explosive!" Veronica gestures madly, unable to think through her frustration. "Er, a massive uprising! Getting everyone all riled up! Getting the Cabinet on camera for a public confession or... something!"

"The problem with that strategy is that it won't do much good." The Doctor fumbles around for the final panel and glances quickly at Hanna. "Governess, if I recall correctly, the Sestran Defense Forces have contigency orders in the event of riots and civilian protests?"

"Sadly, yes," the Governess confirms.

As he snaps the last piece onto the device, the Doctor looks Veronica in the eye. His voice drops an octave and loses all its casual mirth. "If we do the typical revolutionary tactics, the government will just respond with the typical counterrevolutionary tactics. We need a plan that goes outside the box." He slowly smiles as he holds up the sonic stockade to Veronica. "Not to mention a plan that involves just a little dramatic irony, don't you think?"

She wants to disagree, but she remembers how futile that was in their last three adventures. Veronica nods and takes the stockade from the Doctor. She examines it for a moment and then puts it on her head. Hanna steps up to help her adjust the pads around her ears.

The Doctor puts both hands on her shoulders and asks, "Can you hear me?" When Veronica says she can despite the mufflers, he smiles and spins her around toward Hanna. The Governess extends her hand, which Veronica accepts, and they walk together for the door.

At a nod from the Doctor, Hanna knocks three times on the door. It slides open, revealing a pair of masked Sestran soldiers with rifles at the ready.

"Sorry in advance," the Doctor says quietly and reaches up to pinch Veronica on the back of her neck. She squeezes her eyes shut and screams her head off.

The soldiers suddenly drop their rifles and fall to their knees. As soon as the Doctor lets go of her neck, Veronica leans over into Hanna's comforting arms, half-amazed at how much that hurt.

Meanwhile, the Doctor examines the twitching soldiers. When they don't respond to his touch, he mumbles something about "psionic and sonic residue" and walks around them to go further down the corridor.

Hanna and Veronica follow quietly after him, exchanging a surprised look. Then Hanna smiles and pats Veronica's shoulder when the young woman realizes that she's wet herself in the middle of all that screaming. After all this, she can't believe that she's starting to find the Governess's sympathy to be the only good thing about this mad Sestran city.

---

They go on like this for the next three levels, with Veronica screaming and the sonic stockade projecting her pain into the minds of Sestrans and Puerin wherever they go. The Doctor briefly explains it having something to do with the nervous system going into shock, though he doesn't seem to enjoy the procedure anymore than Veronica does. He stays quiet and stern throughout their journey to the upper levels. Veronica knows better than to question him when he gets that way. She's seen what happens to monsters and tyrants when they've made the Doctor this upset.

"Watch your step," Hanna warns. She leads the younger woman around the twitching bodies of Sestran workers on the floor, who don't seem capable of noticing the skulking trio as they make their way onto Level Ten, Section Nzar, Subsection Dyrcles. The Doctor marches confidentally ahead of them, whistling a cheery tune despite his grim expression. It takes Veronica a second to register that he's whistling the 1812 Overture.

Cheeky boy, she thinks sullenly. I'd whistle too if I hadn't worn out my throat two levels ago...

The screaming has been brutal. Even though it was fortunate of Hanna to find a water canteen along the way, it's not enough to soothe the rasping ache in the back of her throat. And she feels terrible about the people they've had to incapacitate along the way. The soldiers she doesn't mind so much, but those poor, innocent Puerin...

Which only reminds Veronica that she'll need to be changed--again--when this ordeal with the Cabinet is finally over.

"Here we are, then!" the Doctor announces. He comes to a stop in front of a pair of ornate white doors at the end of the corridor. A pair of security cameras overhead swivel toward him as he glances up and waves.

The lights on the cameras flash red, then green, and the doors swing open.

Hanna continues to half-shield, half-guide Veronica as they follow the Doctor through one small room of white circular couches and holographic portraits of distinguished Sestran statesmen. Through another pair of smaller doors, the Doctor waves the two women inside, where they discover a glossy black conference table in the middle of a blank white room, around which sit sixteen Sestran officials. Including a very surprised Health and Science Minister and an upset Premier.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning!" The Doctor claps his hands together, looking and sounding very much like a teacher on the first day of school. "Now you all know who I am and why I'm here. The only question is..." He looks around, smiling in an unfriendly way. "Will you still be here when I'm through with you?"

Everyone at the table looks to the Premier. The eldest Sestran glares at the Doctor, then nods. "Take a seat, Doctor. We've a lot to discuss."

[diaperpt]

Wow! Another great chapter. I think I want the Doctor on my side at every turn.
but psionic and sonic residue? Why is it that the Doctor and Hanna are not affected yet the Sestrans and Puerin? Earplugs??? This is a small detail but I'm curious.

Still, I can't wait to see what happens next. It seems the Doctor has the upper hand at this point and The Premier knows it.

[JDL23]

but psionic and sonic residue? Why is it that the Doctor and Hanna are not affected yet the Sestrans and Puerin? Earplugs??? This is a small detail but I'm curious.

I could just cheat and say it's all based on Time Lord technology (i.e., magic), but I suppose it comes down to the Doctor's reverse-engineering the sonic stockade's energy output--that is, the energy that directs all the psychic/sonic energy in one place. Instead of focusing the energy on one person (The Doctor), it's now redirected out in front of Veronica (with The Doctor and Hanna staying behind her and outside the "line of fire").

Bit technical and probably not something I'd expect you to pick up on, but that was what I was picturing when I wrote the scene. I hope that helps.

(And yes, I was wearing brainy specs in RL when I wrote the explanation above)

Same time, next week!

[diaperpt]

OK! Good explanation. Now, on to see what happens with the council.

[JDL23]

I'll be posting the next chapter tomorrow. Just finished the whole story last night (14 chapters altogether). I may post the last chapters a bit faster than the usual weekly installments and I'm also considering putting the whole story up on Fanfiction.net (that site could use more ABDL fiction, don't you think?).

[JDL23]

Eleven

"When we released the kybertine virus," Premier Bardein begins, "we had two goals in mind: the neutralization of the Puerin threat and the reclamation of our plundered treasures. The raiders had taken so much of value from us: precious cargo and armaments, financial reserves, historical records. We thought we could restore our economy once we discovered where they'd put all their plunder, which we assumed had to be in one well-hidden and well-protected location."

The Doctor rubs at his forehead as soon as it hits him. "You mean the Golden Vault."

"Precisely." The Premier glances left at the Health and Science Minister, who cringes in his chair, and then over at Veronica. "Unfortunately, we hadn't counted on mental regression as a major side effect, which ultimately cost us the secret to the Vault. We've spent more than six years mounting deepsea expeditions and combing through subconscious Puerin minds for leads."

"Combing?" The Doctor waves his hand at Veronica, who looks away in shame. "You're putting the minds of innocent beings at risk and you call that combing?"

"Hardly innocent." The Premier's eyes shoot him a withering glare. "If you'd seen what they'd done to our people, to our outlying settlements--"

"That excuse is never going to work on me, Premier." The Doctor meets his glare. He has to fight to hold back the memories of Gallifrey burning and keep the rage out of his voice. "War is an ugly thing. Your predecessor knew that. Your whole society has known it for centuries."

"And you did nothing to help!" Now Premier Bardein stands up, shaking indignantly while the rest of the Cabinet leaps to their feet, too. "Where was the mighty Doctor when we lost our fleet at the Bajar Sea? Where was your precious TARDIS when Sestropolis itself was being invaded? You have the power to go to any point in time and space and yet you've done nothing--nothing, I say!--to help save thousands of innocent lives!"

Now all eyes are on the Doctor. Having been confronted with such accusations before, he sits and waits for the tension in the room to build. He's asked himself those same questions every time he came to Sestra Prime. Premier Arstani wouldn't have questioned him like this, which made the Doctor think of him as a good leader. But then, didn't Arstani give in and authorize the release of the virus in the end?

"I can see that citing the Blinovitch Limitation Effect won't mean a thing to you," the Doctor finally says. "I know you've suffered. I know what it means to fight a war that never ends. I know what it means to take desperate measures and to lose your mind fighting an enemy that never quits." He slowly looks up at Premier Bardein. "I also know that the TARDIS is more than capable of finding the Golden Vault. But we could have avoided"--he gestures back at Veronica and Hanna--"all this. You didn't have to fight me like you fought the Puerin. All you had to do was ask me nicely."

No one in the Cabinet has a response. The Doctor looks each Minister in the eye, lingers on the Health and Science Minister, and then settles on Bardein's scowling, tired visage. With a nod, he stands up and waits for Veronica and Hanna to do the same.

"All right," he says with a quiet smile, "you win."

The Premier blinks. "I beg your pardon?"

"You win, mate. You got yourself an expedition, courtesy of the TARDIS." The Doctor then lifts a finger and points at Veronica. "But first, you're going to undo the damage you did to her and then you're going to call an emergency session of Parliament. I want all MPs watching the progress of the expedition in real-time. No tricks, no censorship--they see what we see and get to decide what happens after that."

When everyone offers him a blank look, he slaps his palm onto the table and gives them his best Furious Time Lord voice. "Do I make myself clear?!"

"Perfectly clear, Doctor," the Premier says quickly. It's refreshing to say a little fear in his eyes. The Doctor likes it when people in authority are afraid; it makes them so much easier to persuade.

He stops himself from following up on that thought. It's not good to be thinking like that. Reminds him too much of another Time Lord he knows, one he hasn't seen in a long time.

"I've give you an hour to make the arrangements," the Doctor announces. Then, with a smile, he turns to the two women at his side. "If you need me, I'll be in the nearest dining hall. There's bound to be a gerry ale with my name on it."

---

Exactly one hour and two gerry ales later, the Doctor returns to the Cabinet room, where the Premier has reassembled all his Ministers. Standing off to the far right are Veronica and Hanna, both holding hands. Veronica has changed back into her original clothes, although it's hard to miss a telltale bulge below her waist. Hanna had mentioned that regaining full bladder control would still be an issue, even with the kybertine reversal.

Food for thought, the Doctor muses. He looks at Premier Bardein and clears his throat.

The Premier nods and waves at a Sestran attendant in green coveralls to come around the table. The young man anxiously walks up to the Doctor and holds up his sonic screwdriver.

"Thanks very much," the Doctor says as he takes back the device. Now he feels more comfortable about the situation. He looks at Bardein again and asks, "Is she ready?"

"Yes." The Premier turns to the Health Minister. "Bring her in."

A side door opens and two City Security officers escort a familiar young Puerin woman into the room. She's sucking anxiously on a pacifier, though when she looks at the Doctor, her eyes brighten.

He smiles warmly as the officers bring her over. "Hello, little Clarent. Are you being a good girl?"

"Ba," the Puerin mouths around her pacifier.

The Doctor holds up his sonic screwdriver and turns on the same biometric function he used on Veronica. The Puerin stares at the glowing green tip. Her mouths open just enough for the Doctor to pull the pacifier out, which she doesn't notice. He begins to move the tip of the screwdriver back and forth, which her eyes follow.

"Now then, Clarent, I need you to think very carefully." The Doctor holds the sonic screwdriver in place and looks at her over the tip. "Think very hard. Do you know where the Golden Vault is?"

"Dah yab," the girl replies confidently.

The Doctor smiles. "Where is it?"

"Baj ba, ya ya ya ya!" The girl giggles and starts to reach for the glowing tip. The Doctor makes sure the device's other functions are locked and then hands it over for her to examine. Unless she had the grip of a Cyberman, it would be impossible for the child to break the thing.

"I don't understand," Governess Hanna says, frowning. "How does that help us?"

"Oh, not too worry." The Doctor favors Veronica with a knowing smile. "I speak Baby."

"I'll get you for that, too," she mutters back, but smiles anyway.

"Doctor, please." The Premier's face is strained with frustration. "Where is it?"

Slowly, the Doctor turns to address the whole Cabinet and smiles sadly.

"Inside an underwater cavern," he tells them. "Eight hundred meters below the surface of the Bajar Sea."

[JDL23]

Twelve

Within half an hour, the Doctor, the Premier, Veronica, and Hanna stand at the bridge of a Vayrn-class submersible making its descent into the mesopelagic zone of the Bajar Sea. Hull-mounted scanners show only an infinite void this deep below the sea. Not even the bachals can be found here. Only tiny bioluminescent sea creatures flitting through the endless night.

Veronica watches as the Doctor and the Premier converse in low tones near the control section, where a crew of six Sestran navigators and sailors are busy manning the vessel. The Doctor's hardly said a word to her since they started the expedition. He seems distracted, which for a moment reminds Veronica of how her dad used to be when he was off with his criminal associates.

Hanna, though, has been a relief. She keeps a calm hand on Veronica's shoulder, which has helped her cope with the fact that she still has a diaper on under her clothes. At least the Sestran health workers were good enough to give her one that wasn't so thick as the last few.

"Is this what space is like?" Hanna asks quietly. Veronica looks over and sees that the Governess is watching the screens on the wall, which show only darkness with the occasional pinprick of light.

"Pretty much," Veronica answers. She smiles as she remembers her first voyage on the TARDIS. "But it can be a lot more beautiful than this. It's an incredible thing when you can see your homeworld from orbit for the first time. Everything looks so small and it's so big..."

The Governess nods. "It's bigger on the inside, you mean."

Veronica snorts, then covers her mouth to keep from laughing. Hanna stares at her, befuddled.

"Sorry," says the younger woman, slowly regaining her composure. "Mm. Sorry, I... it was just your choice of words. It's what I said when I started going with the Doctor."

Hanna glances over her shoulder. "Well, we should probably stay focused. We don't want the other MPs to think we're not taking this seriously."

Veronica nods, feeling sober again. It's easy to forget that there are cameras mounted all over the sub's interior, giving a time-delayed broadcast to the chambers of the Sestran Parliament and wherever the MPs can be found. She can only imagine how terrified the Premier must be, knowing that every Member of Parliament is watching.

What they find at the Vault will either exonerate him as a leader or be the death knell of his government. But having faced off Jovian warlords and watched her father's criminal family fall apart, Veronica has come to expect some upheaval when the Doctor's around.

---

"Remarkable," the Premier comments. The Doctor turns and looks at the nearest scanner display. He sees the faint outline of a massive battleship; its stern juts upward like that of the sinking Titanic--and hadn't that been a fun voyage?

"These are the remains of Quadrant Defense Force Three," Bardein continued solemnly. "We've found some flotsam on our early expeditions, but never the main bulk of the fleet. This is just as historic a find as the Vault itself."

"Doubt it'll jump-start your economy, though," the Doctor comments. He can't resist a wry smile. As true as the Premier's words ring, he knows it's mostly for show. A little patriotism to stir the hearts and minds of the MPs watching their every move, especially if the Vault proves disappointing.

One of the technicians up front taps his finger on the same display. "I think we've got it, sirs. Hajr, magnify by six degrees."

"Magnifying now," his partner replies.

The display flashes blue for a second, showing a thermal scan of the cavern. Faint yellow lines cross each other in a vicious tangle of low-heat signatures. Probably aquatic life, the Doctor surmises, but he's just as interested as the Premier to see what's there.

"Deploy Probes One, Two, and Four," one crewman orders.

"Deploying probes, sir..."

The scanner display changes again, showing a real-time feed of the cavern with bioluminescent drones being propelled into the void. Pings are emitted to give everyone on the submersible a clearer view of the scale of the Vault--about the size of a city subsection in Sestrapolis.

One drone swims through a gap in the vast surface of corrugated metal built into the bedrock. The Doctor hears Premier Bardein's breath catch as they wait for the next report.

Two pings, then silence.

The submersible commander, a tall Sestran in a pale blue uniform with three bars on his chest, turns to the Premier with a grim frown. "I'm sorry, sir. We're not finding a positive match."

"But it has to be here, it has to be!" Bardein wrings his hands and looks like he's trying very hard not to glance at any of the cameras focused on him. "There must be something, Commander. Munitions, cash reserves, food supplies! Something of value!"

The commander glances over his shoulder at one of the displays, then shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Premier. At this depth, the pressure broken the Vault's seal. There weren't any Puerin to keep a containment field running."

Slowly, Bardein sinks to his knees. He stares blindly at the floor next to the commander's boots. "Gone. It's all... gone..."

From behind, the Doctor hears Governess Hanna step forward and say, "Then it's decided. As MP for Subsection Karn, I move for a vote of no confidence in the Bardein government."

A synthetic male voice issues from one of the bridge speakers overhead. "The motion has been seconded. Please cast your vote and await the count."

The Doctor moves and stands next to Veronica--whom he reassures with a quick smile--as the Governess steps around the still-kneeling Premier and taps in a command on the nearest touchscreen. There's a loud ping as her vote is transmitted and the bridge falls silent again as everyone waits for the result.

The speaker crackles again as the same voice from before declares: "By a unanimous decision, the Bardein government has been dissolved--"

"No!" Bardein snarls. He springs to his feet and throws himself at Hanna, who falls back against the console and barely manages to hold him off. The crewmen around them shout and struggle to pull the now-former Premier off of her, but he resists with biting and kicking.

"You've ruined me!" he shouts over the din. "You've ruined us all!"

The Doctor shakes his head. It's never a pretty sight to see a fallen leader, least of all one so bitter as Bardein. He turns to Veronica and quietly hands her the sonic screwdriver. "You know what to do, my dear. Adjust by two degrees. Big green button."

"Thought you'd never ask," she replies with a sinister grin. He watches his companion quickly sneak around the pair of sailors who are trying to pull Bardein's hands away from Hanna's throat. No one seems to notice her until Veronica sticks the tip of the sonic screwdriver up against Bardein's neck and hits the button.

A psychosomatic wave puts him out in one go. Bardein slumps peacefully into the arms of the sailors while Veronica offers the Governess a hand.

"I know it's not much at a time like this," Veronica says as the Sestran woman stands back up, "but for what's it worth, you were the best babysitter I've ever had."

[JDL23]

Double post for the last two chapters today. Thanks for reading, everyone! Remember you can find the whole story at Fanfiction.net.

---

Thirteen

The next morning, Veronica wakes up in a strange off-white room with the lights turned down low. She blinks and stretches, slowly recalling the previous day's expedition and the public frenzy of when they'd returned to Sestrapolis. She'd never been a celebrity before, though the Doctor seemed to have no problem facing the eager crowds.

As she gets up, Veronica looks around the guest room she'd been assigned, but had never been able to use until now. It's fairly cozy if Spartan in its decor. Not much better than her tiny flat in the West End. She smiles and throws off the covers from her bed.

With a slight grimace, she gets out of bed and stands up despite the crinkling from under her nightgown. Although the virus is wearing off and she's regaining her bladder and bowel control, it isn't fully restored yet. The Sestrans had been decent enough to upgrade her protection from a thick and awkward diaper to a form-fitting pullup that didn't make walking into a chore.

Her pullup is only a little wet, which she supposes has to count as progress. Veronica goes over to the dresser and pulls the top drawer open. There are over a dozen folded-up pullups inside, along with powder, wipes, and rash cream. She grabs a pullup and a bottle of powder before heading into the bathroom for a much-needed shower.

---

The Doctor is sitting in the living room, idly flipping through channels on the TV and dipping biscuits into a jar of custard like usual. When he sees Veronica come in--now properly dressed and made up--he offers a biscuit and a friendly smile.

She takes one from the package and glances at the TV. "Was that Hanna just now?"

"Not just Hanna," he reports, still smiling. He taps a button on the remote, showing her live footage of Hanna sitting down with sixteen Sestran officials in the Cabinet room. "You're now looking at the new Minister of Health and Science."

"Well, good for her." Veronica can't resist a smile of her own. "She deserves a raise."

The Doctor pauses before taking a bite of another biscuit, then turns to her. "Well, it's not a totally happy ending," he says while chewing. Stopping to swallow, he adds, "I just got in twenty minutes ago. The Ministry had me up all night with the Puerin, seeing if I could do to them what I did to you. Try to reverse the effects of the kybertine with the right biometric data."

Veronica sits down on the couch next to him. "And?"

He sighs and shakes his head. "It's not likely to change. Not for this generation anyway. They're regressed, but they'll grow up eventually. The younger ones will properly go through their adolescence with Sestran assistance and they'll eventually reproduce and mature like they used to do. The difference will be there that, once the Puerin regain their minds, they'll learn what the Sestrans did and they'll hate them for it. Or maybe not. Maybe they'll see how good parents they had--provided the Sestrans do as good a job as Hanna did with you."

The thought makes Veronica blush a little, but she nods. "True enough. So, it's a long-term recovery?"

"It always is." The Doctor is staring toward the TV, but he doesn't seem to actually be watching it. "But it also got me thinking. I know the Sestrans have been at war for such a long time, but that psychic technology. The kybertine virus and the sonic stockade... it's far beyond their level. Even for all the usual innovations a wartime society can create."

"Well I'm sure they had someone brilliant coming up with those inventions." Veronica playfully nudges him in the shoulder. "Some genius like you."

The Doctor smiles briefly. "As a matter of fact, they kept mentioning this one Sestran engineer. Dr. Seth Trema of the Kheva Academy. Sounds like he was their own Robert Oppenheimer. 'The Creator of the Kybertine,' they called him. 'The Master of War' and--"

He breaks off and suddenly glances at Veronica. "No. No, that couldn't be right."

"What?"

"Well, it's the name. Seth Trema. It seems familiar somehow. And so did the sonic stockade when I took it apart--and how you overcame it." The Doctor scratches at his beard thoughtfully. "Like in The Year That Never Was...."


He gets up and walks over to the comm screen on the desk in the corner. "Excuse me. I need to make a quick call."

Veronica waits and watches as he punches in a call code. He leans forward and says into the screen. "Yes, hello. This is the Doctor. I'd like to speak to the Minister of Health and Science. Yes, I'll hold."

Slowly, as her curiosity gets the better of her, Veronica gets off the couch and walks over. She glances past the Doctor's shoulder at the comm screen, just as Hanna steps into view. "Oh, hello, Doctor. Hello, Veronica. How can I help you?"

"Sorry to interrupt your first meeting at Cabinet," the Doctor says quickly, "but it's urgent. I need to know about this Dr. Trema of yours."

"Dr. Trema?" Hanna frowns. "Well, we didn't want to bring it up, but... it would seem that he disappeared yesterday."

"Disappeared?"

"City Security says he was last seen taking a private ship out of the Academy docks at Twelfth Watch. About an hour after we set out on the expedition. There's been no recovery of either him or the vessel. No one knows why he suddenly took off like that."

"An impeccable record, I'd imagine."

"He'd have to be. He's the highest-rated scientist in both the Academy and the Ministry of Defense."

The Doctor suddenly grips the comm screen for dear life. "I need you to check your records and remember this very carefully, Minister. Did Dr. Seth Trema have anything in his possession that looked like this?"

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small gray fob watch. The sight of it makes Veronica's breath catch. She remembers when he showed it to her on Jupiter.

It's part of a Chameleon Arch. A Time Lord's disguise kit.

[JDL23]

Double post for the last two chapters today. Thanks for reading, everyone! Remember you can find the whole story at Fanfiction.net.

---

Fourteen

A pair of City Security agents flank the Doctor and Minister Hanna as they cross a well-lit threshold and enter a workstation on Level Twenty, Block Hass, Subsection Ftar--otherwise known as the Kheva Academy of Science and Engineering. The workstation is a cubicle in a row of seventeen stations in a vast hallway; like the others, it's filled with bits of technology, holographic readouts, and a touchscreen on the table.

The Doctor frowns at the touchscreen. Someone had drawn several interlocking circles in black marker on the surface. Though the Sestrans wouldn't understand, he recognizes the pattern as Gallifreyan, which only makes him feel worse about the situation.

"'Hello, Doctor,'" he reads quietly. "Never my friend, but always friendly, aren't you?"

"Doctor, what is it--?" Hanna stops when he lifts his hand and taps the touchscreen. Unsurprisingly it turns on at his touch.

The Minister and the Security agents lean over his shoulders to watch a video recording appear on the screen. The face that comes on is that of a male Sestran, but the Doctor can tell something about him is fake. The skin around the eyes doesn't seem real enough. And he could recognize that ghastly smile anywhere.

"Sorry you just missed me, Doctor," says the Master. He leans forward, his grin widening. "And if this recording's playing, I know you're the one watching. Don't bother trying to trace me through it. I had more than enough time to cover my tracks while you were off chasing that treasure chest."

He leans back and claps his hands together, mocking the Sestran salute. "Oh and I also took my blueprints for the kybertine virus and the sonic stockade with me. Deleted the originals. I doubt the Sestrans will be needing them anymore."

The Doctor stares at the screen. His stomach goes tight at the thought of what that implies. He's seen what the virus and the stockade could do to an entire species. He can only imagine in horror what they could do to an entire universe...

"I really couldn't have done it without you," the Master continues gleefully. He lifts a sonic stockade into view. "It was the Archangel Network all over again. I knew you'd find the same way around it as before. I was counting on it. But the stockade's just a toy. It's the virus that's important and this waterworld was the perfect testing ground. All I needed was you and your companion to show up."

The Doctor slams his fist against the touchscreen. His anger with the Cabinet was mere irritation compared to the helpless rage that burns within his chest. The Sestrans draw back from him immediately.

The Master casually tosses the sonic stockade over his shoulder, letting it crash somewhere off-screen. "Well, I must be going now, Doctor. I'd say it's been fun, but I think we both know..." He winks and adds in a lower octave, "The fun's just beginning."

And with that, the message ends.

---

Veronica is waiting inside the TARDIS when the Doctor and Hanna finally show up. The way the Doctor walks with such a miserable expression, you'd think he was still trapped in the sonic stockade. He manages to lean onto one of the consoles around the Cloister Bell and starts flipping a few switches; the interior of the vessel begins to hum with rising power in a way that Veronica now finds familiar. Comforting, even.

She supposes he takes comfort in it, too. It is his home, after all.

"Hanna, I'm leaving you an encrypted frequency that you and the Premier can use to contact me," the Doctor says quietly. He doesn't bother to look away from the controls. "If you discover anything vital about his plans or anything about containing the virus, let me know right away."

"Of course, Doctor." Hanna walks past him as he continues to fiddle with the controls. She comes up to Veronica and smiles with embarrassment. "Well, Miss..."

Veronica smiles and shakes her head. "Oh, I think we're beyond 'Miss' now."

The Governess nods and suddenly enfolds the younger woman in a hug. Veronica returns it, trying to commit every detail of this moment to memory. The warmth of her body, the smooth texture of her jumpsuit and cloak, and the strong arms encircling her. She hasn't felt such warmth and affection since her mom left, though the Doctor--bless his heart--has tried his best.

As they pull away, Veronica looks up into Hanna's eyes. "And don't forget. You can use that same channel if you ever want to chat."

Hanna nods again and touches her on the cheek. "I'll remember, Veronica dear. Thank you for everything, and may your journey bring you fortune."

Veronica puts her hands on the nearest console and watches the former Governess leave the TARDIS. The door shuts quietly and soon the Cloister Bell is ringing and everything starts vibrating. She rushes to take the nearest chair and waits.

The Doctor emerges from the other side of the Cloister Bell, looking down at his sonic screwdriver like it's an old friend--which she knows full well that it is. When he looks up at her, he smiles and ducks his head like an embarrassed teenager.

"It's a long way back to Earth," he explains, sticking his screwdriver into his pocket. "Have you got enough, er, supplies for the trip?"

"Plenty of underwear changes, rest assured."

"Oh, good." The Doctor walks closer and puts his hand on her shoulder. "Hate for you to be inconvenienced."

Veronica grins. "Listen to yourself. You're turning into a nanny, too."

"Am not!" He pulls back, sounding offended despite the casual grin on his face. "I'll have you know, Veronica Hyde, that I was once a grandfather. I've forgotten more about family matters than you'll ever know!"

"I'll bet you have, old-timer."

He throws up his hands in mock despair. "Humans, these days! No respect for the elder races! Why, I could tell you a thing or two about a lovely young woman named Susan who used to travel with me--and she wasn't that much older than you either..."

And so they go, sharing their stories and patching up their wounds as the TARDIS travels ever onward.

THE END

[diaperpt]

What a fantastic journey! Thanks so much for your work on this story. It's been amazing.

You've left yourself wide open for the next episode...we can always hope...

[Bettypooh]

Superb, and a nice ending leaving a chance for more. Yes, MORE-MORE-MORE Very well done JDL

Bettypooh

[ausdpr]

Thanks for the story . It may have ended on a somewhat kinder note than I usually prefer, but it was still very good, and I look forward to anything which you may write next. It also got me to finally watch Doctor Who which made a few friends very happy, so win-win.

[Sarah Penguin]

I really enjoyed your story, it was very well written and really evoked the feeling of the show, I think you've got some skills there I hope there will be a sequel, we need the obligatory bit where the MAster gets hoisted by his own petard, or in this case the kybertine virus

[PUP-E]

Wow! i can't believe i didn't read this story months ago as a whovian i love it!.
It's so cool the way you made your doctor an original (and ginger to boot) great job.
I did read another Dr. Who story i think it was on the AR Archive.
The writing was pretty good but it was very Very! short yours on the other hand was like a real episode.
Again great job JDL your one of my favorite writers a big thank you for sharing.