Doctor Who - Legacy of the Doctor - Part 2

[fardell24]

The area they found themselves in was all brass and rivets. Various people were standing still along the walls. “Great!” Susan said.

“This isn't a real restaurant, is it?” Clara asked.

“It's an automated organ collection station for the unwary diner. Sweeny Todd without the pies,” Susan answered.

“So where are we now?” Clara asked.

“Seems to be an ancient spacship that has been buried for centuries, but now, it's a larder,” Susan answered.

“Why hasn't anyone come for us?” Clara asked.

“We're alive. Cheeper than freezing us.”

“Okay,” Clara said. She realized that she still had the sonic screwdriver in one of her pockets. “I have it!”

“You have what?” Susan asked.

“Your grandfather's sonic screwdriver!”

“Sonic screwdriver?”

“So, not common Time Lord tech then?” Clara considered. She managed to get the sonic out of her pocket and into her hands. She then used it to loosen her bonds.

“Quite a useful device,” Susan observed.

“Oh, yeah.”


Susan considered that Clara's last statement might have a hidden meaning, but she figured that she didn't want to know yet.

“Susan!” Clara called out.

Susan looked, there was a man in the nearest alove. “Dormant,” Susan declared.

“How do you know?” Clara asked.

“I don't, but I hope so,” Susan said. Despite her words, Susan was scared. They were both scared. They then came to the half-faced man they had met back up in the Restaurant. “The Captain.”

“Can he see us?” Clara asked.

“Dormant.”

“Hoping?”

“He's recharging. He's asleep. Doesn't even know that we're here,” Susan said.

“Are you sure?”

“No.”

“Okay. So, half-man, half robot. A cyborg, yeah?”

“Yes,” Susan answered. “Look at the hands.”

“What about them?” Clara asked.

“They don't match. Those hands don't belong to the same body.”

Clara looked. One of his hands was large and fleshy, a workman's hand. The other was slim and dainty, having never scrubbed a floor in it's life. “I don't understand,” she said.

“This isn't a normal cyborg. This isn't a man turning himself into a robot. It's a robot turning itself into a man, piece by piece.”

“That;s what the restaurant's for.

“It would need a constant supply of spare parts.”

The arms moved. Clara and Susan jumped back. “Is it awake?” Clara asked.

“Waking up! Let's go!”

They ran, narrowly escaping being trapped in the chamber.

The door opened again and the robot followed them out. “Surround them!” he said.

Robots surrouned Susan and Clara. “This isn't good!” Clara said.

“No, it isn't!” Susan said.

“Are there any others?” the half-faced robot asked.

“I'm not going to tell you,” Clara said.

“Nor I,” Susan said.

“You will tell us if there are others!”

“Nope!” Both Susan and Clara said.

“You will be destroyed.”

“Really?” Susan asked.

“Destroy us then. And if you don't either of us won't believe a single threat you make from now on,” Clara said.

Susan could see what Clara was doing. “Of course, if we're dead, then niether of us can tell whether there are more of us.”

“You need to keep this place a secret, don't you?” Clara asked. “Never start with your final sanction. You've got nowhere to go but backwards.”

“I'll destroy one. The other will talk!”
“Ah, Bigger threat to smaller threat. See what I mean? Backwards!” Clara said.

“Not going to work!” Susan said. 'I have eleven regenerations left. I'll sacrifice this incarnation for Clara if need be!' she thought.

“Humans feel pain!”

Susan scoffed. As a Time Lady, she could withstand it more than a human could.

“Ah!” Clara said. “Again, bigger threat, to smaller threat. Backwards again.”

“The information can be extracted by means of your suffering!”

“Are you trying to scare us?” Clara asked. She looked to Susan.

“We're already scared of dying! We'll endure a lot of pain before we give up the information that is keeping us alive,” Susan said.

“How long have you got?” Clara asked. “All you can do is offer us our lives. You can't threaten them. You can negotiate.” The robot removed his right hand and placed it on his lapel. This frightened Clara more. She glanced at Susan, if she was frightened, she wasn't showing it. “Okay, Okay, Okay. Yes, yes, yes I'm crying and it's just because I am very frightened of you. If you know anything about human beings, that means you, you're in a lot of trouble.”

The robot lit a flamethrower at the end of his arm. “We will not negotiate.”

“There is no choice. If you answer our question, we'll answer yours,” Susan said.

“We will not answer questions,” the robot said.

“Why did you kill the dinosaur?” Clara asked.

The robot repeated it's last statement.

Susan then repeated Clara's question about the dinosaur.

Again, The robot repeated it's last statement.

“Then you might as well kill us, because we're not going to talk again until you do,” Clara said.

“Within the optic nerve of the dinosaur is material of use to us in our computer systems,” the robot answered.

“You burned a whole...” Susan began. She paused as she realised something. “Wait. You know what's in a dino's optic nerve. You have seen them before!”

“You've been here a very long time,” Clara stated.

“Are there others?” the robot asked again.

“How long have you been rebuilding yourselves?” Susan asked.

“Is there any real you left?” Clara asked.

“What's the point?” Susan added.

“We will reach the Promised Land,” the robot answered.

“What is the Promised Land?” Clara asked.

“Are there others?” the robot persisted.

“I don't know,” Susan said.

“Not answering,” Clara added.

Susan gave Clara a look as if to say 'Now would be the time.”

“Fine!” Clara muttered. “Geronimo!”


Vastra and Jenny, clad in tight leather catsuits, rappeled down using long pieces of fabric. “Remain still and lay down your weapons in the name of the British Empire,” Vastra said. Strax then fell to the floor. “Strax!” Vastra admonished.

“Sorry,” Strax said.

“I've told you before. Take the stairs,” Jenny said.

“The Calvary!” Susan cried.

“I burned an ancient, beautiful creature for one inch of optic nerve,” the robot declared. “What do you think you can occomplish, little woman?”

Susan wondered who Vastra was. “Um, Silurian Lady?”

“Vastra,” she said. She turned to the robot and blocked the flamethrower with her sword. “The establishment upstairs has been disabled with extreme prejudice, and the authorities summoned.

“The Doctor never called the police,” Clara said.

“Destroy us if you want, but your restaurant will still be closed!” Susan said.

“Then we will destroy you,” the robot said. Suddenly, all the robots surrounding the group had swords for arms.

“No! This would be murdur! What is the point?” Susan asked.

“To find the promised land,” the robot answered.

“Millions of years and you haven't figured it out,” Susan said.

“I am in search of paradise,” the robot stated. He knocked Susan down.

“Susan!” Clara called out.

“I will leave in the escape capsule. Destroy where necessary,” the robot announced.

“Escape capsule?” Vastra asked. “This ship is millions of years old. It'll never fly.”

“It has been repaired,” robot returned.

“What with?” Clara asked.

“You,” the robot answered.

“Defensive positions, everyone!” Strax ordered/

“Susan, he's getting away!” Clara said. Indeed the robot was ascending on the bench seat.

“Your friend is intelligent. She'll know better than to follow me,” the robot said.

Clara grabbed onto the bottom of the seat.


In the empty restaurant, Clara poured a couple of drinks. “What are you doing?” the robot asked.

“If the Doctor is gone, and Susan is inexperienced, I have to be the one who makes the tough decisions, yeah?”

The robot turned to the control panel and pulled down a small lever. There was a grinding sound.

“Sometime in the future, a spaceship falls through a time warp, or something, yeah? So you're stuck in the past. You're trying to stay alive until your original time period.”

“I go to the promised land,” the robot said.

“Whatever that means,” Clara said, with a shake of her head. “This restaurant is your old ship. But it's a waste of time. It can't fly!”

“The escape pod is viable,” the robot said confidently.

“How? A spaceship can't be patched up with human remains. You'd need metal or something for that,” Clara pointed out. The room shook, as it began to move upwards. “Blimey, you've managed it somehow...”

“Skin,” the robot stated.

Clara shook her head and felt queasy. “No!”


Outside, Officer Gregson saw a large pink balloon rise above the restaurant. He turned to one the other officers. “Get to the Station, we need more men.”

“What should we tell them is happening?”

“Go!”


Underground, Vastra asked. “How many do you estimate, my dear?”

“More than upstairs. About twenty, thirty?” Jenny answered.

Strax turned to Susan. “Don't worry, my boy. We shall die in glory.”

“Where's Clara?” Susan asked.


The escape pod was high above London. Clara removed a board ans saw a plaque. “SS Marie Antoinette. Out of control repair droids cannibalising human beings. She thought for a moment. “No idea.”

“What are you going to do?” the robot asked.

“Something,” Clara answered.


Flashback – Clara temporal duplicate in 18th Century France
The Temporal duplicate was involved in the situation with the SS Madame de Pompadour's droids.

End Flashback

“Sister ship of the SS Madame de Pompadour,” Clara said. “Something has caused the droids to malfunction,” Clara said.

“I haven't malfunctioned,” the robot said. “How would you kill me?”

“Somehow,” Clara considered. She sat down. “Let's have a drink first. It's only human.”

“I'm not human,” the robot stated.

“I'm more than human,” Clara stated sadly. She then hardened herself. “I am the Impossible Girl!”


Back in the ship, Susan was paniking. She knew that Clara was facing the robot.

“Why, can't you stay dead, coward?” Strax asked.


Clara and the robot looked out of the escape pod at the city below. “What do you think of the view?” she asked.

“I do not think of it,” the robot answered.

“I know how to describe it. I study the language used to describe it, to teach it to others how to describe it,” Clara said, looking at the vista. “Poetry and descriptive language. How would you describe what is below?”

“It is beautiful,” the robot answered.

“And you were here before the city was here, before the settlement was established over 1800 years ago,” Clara stated. “Draw on your memories. How do you describe what it looked like then?”

“It was more beautiful,” the robot answered.

“There are other places on this world that are still like that, that will remain like that into my time,” Clara said. Her voice took on a sad tone. “That is why I have to do what I am going to do, so that people can look at those places without the fear of you cannibalising them.”

“That fear is irrelevant,” the robot said.

“Is it?” Clara asked, “I posit another question: Is there any original you left?” If you have replaced every part. Like some Greek guy has a ship, and over the course of time, he replaces every piece of wood. Is it the same ship?” She paused to allow the robot to think it over. “Are you still the same droid that survived the ship's crash.”

“I cannot end!” the robot declared.

“I'm afraid it has to,” Clara said sadly. “I need to save Vastra, Jenny and Strax, and Susan's current incarnation.” She wiped away some tears. “I don't want to have to get to know a version of her who looks like Jenny or something.”

“Explain,” the robot demanded.

“I don't need to!” Clara declared as she opened the door.

“Self-Destruction is against my basic program,” the robot said.

“Murdur is against mine,” Clara said as she began to sob. She began to struggle with the robot in the doorway.


Back in the ship, the situation was desperate. “Hold your breath, everyone. Hold your breath!” Susan said.

Vastra kissed Jenny as a means to exchange oxygen. Susan crawled to the door, using her respiratory bypass systen.


Clara managed to push the robot out of the escape pod. He fell and got impaled on the top of Elizabeth Tower, above Big Ben.


The robots deactivated.
“Clara did it!” Susan said.

“Very surprising,” Vastra observed.

“How?” Susan asked.

“I didn't think she had it in her.”

Susan was then in thought.


Clara was crying, in shock at what she had to do. Then the escape pod crashed...


Back at Paternoster Row, Susan, Vastra and Jenny conferred outside the TARDIS.

“You know if she survived?” Susan asked.

“There was no body in the wreck,” Vastra answered. “It is highly possible that she survived.”

“I'm not sure if I want to travel with her. I have to think,” Susan said uncertainly.

“You are going to leave her here?” Vastra asked.

“Yes,” Susan answered. “Look after her. Steer her on the right path. Bye Vastra, Jenny, Strax.”

“Bye, Susan,” Jenny said as Susan entered the TARDIS, which then dematerialised. “What now?”

“We shall watch out for Clara.”


Later that night, Jenny heard knocking at the door. She went and opened it. “Clara!”

Clara fainted from exhaustion.

“Vastra!” Jenny called out after catching Clara in her arms.


Jenny put Clara into bed. “Clearly, doing in the robot has given her a shock, possibly shell shock,” Vastra said.

“I'll stay here,” Jenny said.

“You don't need to dear, come to bed,” Vastra said.

“Sure,” Jenny said, she smiled with excitement as she followed Vastra out of the room.


5 September, 1893
“Please come in,” Vastra said.

“I'm not interrupting?” Clara asked.

“I'm fine. Really,” Clara said sadly. “I just had to make a difficult decision.”

“And can you live with that decision?” Vastra asked.

“I'm fine,” Clara said.
“Are you sure?”

Clara teared up. “I had to destroyed that robot to save you! I feel guilty.”

Vastra hugged Clara. “It's good to feel guilt. I'd be worried if you didn't.”

“Another thing. Seems like I'm stuck here now. Got a vacany?”

“You would be very welcome to join little household, but I'm certain you'll be leaving soon.”

“How?” Clara asked.

“You have already, perhaps by instinct, dressed to leave.”

“I simply wanted a change of clothes. I don't really know Susan.”

They could then hear the TARDIS materialising.

“It would seem, my dear, you are very wrong about that.

“Bye.”

“I knew you would change your mind, Susan,” Vastra said.


Clara entered the TARDIS and took in the changes that Susan had made. There were more roundles on the walls where the bookshelves didn't line them. There were also slight changes to the console. “You've redecorated,” she said.

“Yes,” Susan said.

“It suits you. It may not suit the Doctor, mind, but it suits you,” Clara said. She looked at Susan. She could see that she had cut her hair short, barely covering her ears, and was wearing a drab suit. “You've changed too.”

“I prefer short hair; it's practical.”

“It suits you,” Clara said. 'Does that mean it would suit me too?'

“Thanks.”

“Who put that ad in the paper?”

“I don't know.”

“And a woman in a shop gave me the TARDIS number. Who was she?”

“No idea,” Susan answered.

“It means that someone wanted your grandfather and I together.”

“Wouldn't that someone know that he has died?”
“Their plan may have failed to take that into account.”

“Or they want us to stay together for some reason,” Susan said.

“Possibly,” Clara considered.

“We'll be off in a moment. But I'll just get something,” she exited the TARDIS.


Susan returned, holding a sheathed katana. “Vastra says this may come in useful.”

“OK,” Clara said uncertainly.


27 December 2014
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
The TARDIS materialised on a quiet street. Clara and Susan emerged. “This isn't home,” Clara said.

“Of course not, but we can get some coffee here,” Susan said.

“Of course,” Clara said.