Just for reference, the photo has the dress I imagine the Alchemist wearing. It's pretty, but I think it looks pretty uncomfortable. I just don't see the Alchemist wearing it. Dianna Agron looks good in it, though.

Speaking of the Alchemist, how does she fare during the year that never was, and how is she treated as the Master's "wife?" Let's find out!

Without further ado, the finale episode, "Last of the Time Lords!"

***

Martha climbed out of the row boat and walked up to the man waiting with an oil lamp on the shore. "What's your name, then?" she asked.

"Tom Milligan," he answered. "No need to ask who you are. The famous Martha Jones. How long since you were last in Britain?"

"Three hundred and sixty five days," Martha answered with a sigh. "It's been a long year."

"So what's the plan?" Tom asked as they walked on.

"This Professor Docherty," Martha answered. "I need to see her. Can you get me there?"

"She works in a repair shed, Nuclear Plant Seven. I can get you inside. What's all this for? What's so important about her?"

"Sorry," Martha shook her head. "The more you know, the more you're at risk."

"There's a lot of people depending on you. You're a bit of a legend."

"What does the legend say?" Martha wondered.

"That you sailed the Atlantic, walked across America. That you were the only person to get out of Japan alive. Martha Jones, they say, she's going to save the world. Bit late for that."

"How come you can drive?" Martha asked as they walked up to a flatbed van. "Don't you get stopped?"

"Medical staff. Used to be in pediatrics back in the old days, but that gives me a license to travel so I can help out other labor camps."

"Great," Martha rolled her eyes. "I'm traveling with a doctor."

"Story goes that you're the only person on Earth who can kill him," Tom said. "That you, and you alone, can kill the Master stone dead."

Martha got into her side of the van. "Let's just drive."

***

The Alchemist despised being the Master's wife.

She felt like a trophy wife, displayed for the entire world to see. Granted, since the Master was "Master of all," the entire world did see her when the Master made his broadcasts. She also swore that she was never going to wear any color of red again, as the Master preferred her in that color. She was only grateful that Lucy hadn't been dropped off in the middle of nowhere. She had requested that Lucy attend to her, which the Master had allowed. Despite Lucy being bitter at being divorced, she had been entirely grateful to the Alchemist for asking her to stay. They had been close friends since, and Lucy had been the one to deliver necessities to the Doctor and Jack.

The Master had absolutely forbid her to see either of them . . . alone, at least. Whenever she saw the Doctor, the Master bragged entirely about how the Doctor had lost everything. The Alchemist and Lucy had just exchanged exasperated looks, and Lucy went off to plan a way for the Alchemist to see him alone.

And the Doctor hadn't lost. The Alchemist had made sure that she was the Master's wife only in name. She fought the Master tooth and nail when he wanted to sleep with her, and made life hard for him whenever she could. All in all, it had been one hell of a year.

Currently, as maid Francine served tea to the Alchemist and Lucy, the Master wheeled the Doctor around in a wheelchair. The Alchemist winced, watching, and Lucy shook her head sadly. "Was he always like this?" the human woman asked.

"He wasn't this insane," the Alchemist whispered.

"It's ready to rise, Doctor," the Master grinned. "The new Time Lord Empire. It's good, isn't it? Isn't it good? Anything? No? Anything?" The Doctor said nothing, only gave him a blank stare. "Oh, but they broke your hearts, didn't they? Those Toclafane, ever since you worked out what they really are. They say Martha Jones has come back home. Now, why would she do that?"

"Leave her alone," the Doctor glared.

"But you said something to her, didn't you? On the day I took control, what did you tell her?"

"I have one thing to say to you. You know what it is."

"Oh, no you don't!" the Master pushed the Doctor's wheelchair away. The Alchemist cringed, looking away, Lucy putting a supportive hand on her shoulder. The Alchemist gave her a weak smile, which Lucy returned.

"Valiant now entering Zone One airspace. Citizens rejoice."

"Come on, people!" the Master shouted, clapping his hands and taking the Alchemist's hand, pulling her to him, and she plastered an obviously fake smile on her face. "What are we doing? Launch Day in twenty four hours!"

As the Master whisked her away, the Alchemist met the Doctor's eyes. He placed three fingers on his thigh, and as Francine passed, the Alchemist blinked rapidly three times.

***

Jack was dangling by his chains when Tish, dressed as a maid, entered to feed him. "Morning, Tish!" he grinned. "Ah, smell that sea air! Makes me long for good old British fish and chips. Yeah, what do I get? Cold, mashed swede. Some hotel. Last time I book over the Internet."

Tish just held three fingers against the container, and Jack winked in reply.

***

"All over the Earth, those things," Martha rolled her eyes as she took in the statue of the Master standing on the rocks. "He's even carved himself into Mount Rushmore."

"Best to keep down," Tom advised her. "Here we go. The entire south coast of England, converted into shipyards. They bring in slave labor every morning. Break up cars, houses, anything, just for the metal. Building a fleet out of scrap."

Martha looked out at the space rockets and shook her head. "You should see Russia. That's Shipyard Number One. All the way from the Black Sea to the Bering Strait, there's a hundred thousand rockets getting ready for war."

"War?" Tom asked, startled. "With who?"

"The rest of the universe. I've been out there, Tom, in space, before all this happened, and there's a thousand different civilizations all around us with no idea of what's happening here. The Master can build weapons big enough to devastate them all."

Tom stared at her, then asked, "You've been in space?"

Martha quirked an eyebrow. "Problem with that?"

"No," Tom shook his head weakly. "Just, er . . . wow. Anything else I should know?"

"I've met Shakespeare," Martha said smugly.

Two spheres suddenly flew in from behind the statue, and Martha froze. "Identify, little man," one sphere said.

"I've got a license!" Tom held up his ID, Martha staying where she was. "Thomas Milligan, Peripatetic Medical Squad. I'm allowed to travel. I was just checking for - "

"Soon the rockets will fly, and everyone will need medicine. You'll be so busy."

Tom watched the spheres fly off, laughing, and he turned to Martha, stunned. "But they didn't see you."

"How do you think I traveled the world?" Martha held up her TARDIS key. "Because the Master set up Archangel, that mobile network, fifteen satellites around the planet, but really it's transmitting this low level psychic field. That's how everyone got hypnotized into thinking he was Harold Saxon."

"Saxon," Tom sighed. "Feels like years ago."

"But the key's tuned in to the same frequency. Makes me sort of not invisible, just unnoticeable."

"Well, I can see you."

"That's because you wanted to."

Tom considered. "Yeah, I suppose I did."

"Is there a Mrs. Milligan?"

"No, no," he shook his head. "What about you?"

"Nah," Martha shook her head. "Come on. I've got to find this Docherty woman."

"We'll have to wait until the next work shift," Tom folded his arms. "What time is it now?"

Martha checked her watch. "It's nearly three o'clock."

***

"Condition red."

The Master shot up from where he was getting a massage when the alert rang out. "What the hell?"

"Repeat, condition red."

The Alchemist snatched the Master's jacket from where it had been hanging over a chair, and she tossed it to Tish, the closest to the Doctor. She handed it over to him, and he retrieved the Master's laser screwdriver, aiming it at him. "Oh," the Master chuckled darkly. "I see."

"I told you," the Doctor warned. "I have one thing to say."

The Master just laughed as the Doctor couldn't work the sonic screwdriver. "Isomorphic controls," he said, yanking it away and punching him in the face. "Which means they only work for me . . . like this!" He aimed at Francine and narrowly missed her, but it was enough to make Francine drop to the floor worriedly. "Say sorry!"

"Sorry!" Francine held up her hands, eyes wide in fear. "Sorry, sorry!"

"Mum!" Tish ran over.

"Didn't you learn anything from the blessed Saint Martha?" the Master tsked. "Siding with the Doctor is a very dangerous thing to do. Take them away," he ordered the guards. "And get my wife out of my sight."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," the Alchemist snarled, shoving the guards' hands away from her as they led her off, Lucy glaring at the Master before following.

"OK," the Master moved over to the Doctor, helping him up. "Gotcha. Oh, boy. There you go, Gramps," he put him back in a chair. "Oh, do you know, I remember the days when the Doctor - oh, that famous Doctor - was waging a Time War, battling Sea Devils and Axons. He sealed the rift at the Medusa Cascade single handed, and look at him now. Stealing screwdrivers. How did he ever come to this?" He grinned. "Oh, yeah. Me!"

"I just need you to listen," the Doctor began.

"No!" the Master hissed, eyes flashing. "It's my turn. Revenge, best served hot . . . and this time, it's a message for Miss Jones."

***

"Professor Docherty?" Tom asked as they entered a rundown workshop.

"Busy!" the woman smacking a tube attached to a TV said.

"They, er . . . they sent word ahead. I'm Tom Milligan, this is Martha Jones."

"She can be the Queen of Sheba for all I care. I'm still busy."

Martha tilted her head. "Televisions don't work anymore."

"Oh, God, I miss Countdown," Docherty sighed. "Never been the same since Des took over. Both Deses. What's the plural for Des? Desi? Deseen?" She shook her head. "But we've been told there's going to be a transmission from the man himself." The television suddenly switched on with a staticky black and white image of the Master. "There!"

"My people," the Master grinned. "Salutations on this, the eve of war. Lovely woman. But I know there's all sorts of whispers down there, stories of a child, walking the Earth, giving you hope. But I ask you, how much hope has this man got? Say hello, Gandalf!" Martha narrowed her eyes as the Doctor was hoisted up, and faintly in the background, she could see the Alchemist tense, Lucy by her side. "Except he's not that old, but he's an alien with a much greater lifespan than you stunted little apes. But what if it showed? What if I suspend your capacity to regenerate? All nine hundred years of your life, Doctor. What if we could see them?" He aimed his screwdriver at the Doctor. "Older and older and older . . . down you go, Doctor. Down, down, down the years."

Martha couldn't see the Doctor as he disappeared from view, but the Alchemist's hands were over her mouth, her eyes tearing up, and Lucy looked just as stunned. "Doctor," the Master tilted his head.

The camera suddenly tilted down, and Martha's eyes widened, seeing a Gollum-like creature peering up from the Doctor's clothes. The camera panned back up, and as the Master grinned wickedly, the Alchemist turned away to Lucy. "Received and understood, Miss Jones?" the Master raised an eyebrow.

The feed cut out, and Tom looked at Martha. "I'm sorry," he said.

"The Doctor's still alive," Martha shook her head, "and the Alchemist isn't going to give up without a fight. She stopped him from burning Japan. She may not be able to stop him, but she's sure as hell going to fight him with everything she has."

"Obviously, the Archangel Network would seem to be the Master's greatest weakness," Docherty said. "Fifteen satellites, all around the Earth, still transmitting. That's why there's so little resistance. It's broadcasting a telepathic signal that keeps people scared."

"We could just take them out," Tom offered.

She snorted. "We could. Fifteen ground to air missiles, you got any on you? Besides, any military action, the Toclafane descend."

"They're not called Toclafane," Martha shook her head. "That's a name the Master made up."

"Then what are they, then?"

"That's why I came to find you. Know your enemy. I've got this," she held up a computer disc. "No one's been able to look at a sphere close up. They can't even be damaged . . . except once. The lightning strike in South Africa brought one of them down, just by chance. I've got the readings on this."

Docherty took it and slipped it into her computer, thumping it so she could read the data. "Oh, whoever thought we'd miss Bill Gates."

"So is that why you traveled the world?" Tom frowned. "To find a disc?"

"No," Martha shook her head. "Just got lucky."

"I heard stories that you walked the Earth to find a way to build a weapon," Docherty said casually, then nodded when the readings cleared. "There! A current of fifty eight point five kiloamperes transferred charge of five hundred and ten megajoules precisely."

"Can you recreate that?" Tom asked.

"I think so," Docherty nodded. "Easily. Yes."

"Right, then," Martha smirked. "Doctor Milligan, we're going to get us a sphere."

***

"I'm going to kill him if I have to wait a hundred years," Francine declared as the Joneses sat in a cell. "I'm going to kill the Master. One day, he'll let his guard down. One day, and I'll be there."

"No, that's my job," Clive shook his head. "I'll swear to you, I'd shoot that man stone dead."

"I'll get him," Tish nodded, "even if it kills me."

"Don't say that!" Francine stared, eyes wide.

"I mean it," Tish insisted. "That man made us stand on deck, and if it wasn't for the Alchemist, we'd've watched the Islands of Japan burning. Millions of people. I swear to you, he's dead."

***

"Tomorrow, they launch," the Master smirked as he paced the flight deck, in front of the Doctor's bird cage, the Alchemist standing at the top of the stairs, still in her fiery red dress, her teeth grinding together so hard, she was certain the Master could hear. Lucy stood only a few feet away,silent support behind her. "We're opening up a rift in the Braccatolian space. They won't see us coming. It's kind of scary."

"Then stop," the Doctor glared.

"Once the Empire is established, and there's a new Gallifrey in the heavens, maybe then it stops. The drumming, the never ending drumbeat, ever since I was a child. I looked into the Vortex, that's when it chose me. The drumming, the call to war. Can't you hear it?" He leaned forward to the Doctor. "Listen, it's there now, right now. Tell me you can hear it, Doctor. Tell me."

"It's only you," the Doctor shook his head.

The Master grinned. "Good!"

A sphere materialized nearby. "Tomorrow, the war," it said. "Tomorrow we rise, never to fall."

"You see?" the Master gestured. "I'm doing it for them. You should be grateful . . . after all, you love them so very, very much."

***

"There's some sort of magnetic clamp," Docherty frowned, trying to open the sphere. "Hold on, I'll just trip the - " The sphere suddenly opened the four quarters on top, and Docherty screeched. "Oh, my God!" The wizened head inside opened its eyes, making them all jump back. "It's alive!"

"Martha," the sphere looked to Martha. "Martha Jones."

"It knows you," Tom blinked.

"Sweet, kind Martha Jones. You helped us to fly."

"What do you mean?" Martha frowned.

"You led us to salvation."

"Who are you?"

"The skies are made of diamonds."

Martha's jaw dropped, remembering when Creet had said those words to her as the passengers boarded the rocket to Utopia. "No . . . you can't be him!"

"We share each other's memories. You sent him to Utopia."

"Oh, my God," she put a hand over her mouth.

"What's it talking about?" Tom asked. "What's it mean?"

"What are they?" Docherty asked.

"Martha," Tom shook Martha's shoulder as she stared, still stunned. "Martha, tell us. What are they?"

"They're us," Martha said hoarsely. "They're humans. The human race from the future."

***

"I took Lucy to Utopia," the Master smirked, making the woman look up. "A Time Lord and his human companion. I took her to see the stars. Isn't that right?"

Lucy's eyes slid to the Alchemist, and she nodded curtly. "Trillions of years into the future, to the end of the universe," Lucy nodded slowly.

"Tell him what you saw."

"Dying," she said honestly. "Everything dying. The whole of creation was falling apart, and I thought . . . there's no point, no point to anything, not ever."

"And it's all your fault," the Master glared at the Doctor.

"Who was the one who created the line to the rocket?" the Alchemist raised an eyebrow.

Without even looking, the Master aimed his screwdriver over his shoulder and shot at the Alchemist. She dodged quickly. "Quiet now, sweetheart," the Master smiled sickly. "I'm talking here."

***

"I'd sort of worked it out with the paradox machine, because the Doctor said, on the day before the Master came to power, he said the Master had the TARDIS, this time machine, but the only other place he could go was the end of the universe," Martha explained. "So he found Utopia."

***

"You should have seen it, Doctor," the Master grinned. "Furnaces burning, the last of humanity screaming at the dark."

***

"The Utopia Project was the last hope, trying to find a way to escape the end of everything."

"There was no solution, no diamonds," the sphere said. "Just the dark and the cold."

***

"All that human invention that had sustained them across the eons, it all turned inwards," the Master shook his head sadly. "They cannibalized themselves."

"We made ourselves so pretty," the sphere trilled.

"Regressing into children, but it didn't work. The universe was collapsing around them."

***

"But then the Master came with his wonderful time machine to bring us back home," the sphere continued.

"But that's a paradox," Docherty frowned. "If you're the future of the human race, and you've come back to murder your ancestors, you should cancel yourselves out. You shouldn't exist."

"And that's the paradox machine," Martha said simply.

"But what about us?" Tom frowned. "We're the same species. Why do you kill so many of us?"

"Because it's fun!" the sphere cackled.

Tom scowled and shot at it.

***

"My masterpiece, Doctor," the Master smirked. "A living TARDIS, strong enough to hold the paradox in place, allowing the past and the future to collide in infinite majesty."

"But you're changing history," the Doctor frowned. "Not just Earth, the entire universe!"

"I'm a Time Lord," the Master shrugged. "I have that right."

"But even then, why come all this way just to destroy?"

"We come backwards in time all to build a brand new empire lasting one hundred trillion years," the sphere said.

"With me as their master," the Master smirked. "Time Lord and humans combined. Haven't you always dreamt of that, Doctor? Human race, greatest monsters of them all. Night, then."

The Master strode off, the sphere following, and the Alchemist ran down the stairs to the Doctor's cage. "Just a little bit longer," the Doctor promised, his tiny hand resting on top of her fingers as she clutched at the bars. "It's nearly done."

"I know," she whispered, shaking her head. "I just wish it would come sooner."

***

The three of them sat in Docherty's room later, mulling over their discovery. "I think it's time we had the truth, Miss Jones," Docherty said finally. "The legend says you've traveled the world to find a way of killing the Master. Tell us, is it true?"

"Just before I escaped, the Doctor told me," Martha looked up. "The Doctor, the Alchemist, the Master, they've been coming to Earth for years, and they've been watched. There's UNIT and Torchwood, all studying Time Lords in secret, and they made this, the ultimate defense." She opened her case and held up a gunlike device, four slots in the top, three vials of colored liquid still in the case.

"All you need to do is get close," Tom shrugged, holding up his gun. "I can shoot the Master dead with this."

"Actually," Docherty frowned, "you can put that down now, thank you very much."

"Point is, it's not so easy to kill a Time Lord," Martha said. "They can regenerate, literally bring themselves back to life."

"Ah, the Master's immortal," Docherty rolled her eyes. "Wonderful."

"Except for this," Martha patted her device. "Four chemicals, slotted into the gun. Inject him, kills a Time Lord permanently."

"Four chemicals?" Tom frowned. "You've only got three."

"Still need the last one, because the components of this gun were kept safe, scattered across the world, and I found them," Martha nodded. "San Diego, Beijing, Budapest, and London."

"Then where is it?" Tom asked.

"There's an old UNIT base, north London. I've found the access codes. Tom, you've got to get me there."

He nodded, leading her to the workshop. "We can't get across London in the dark. It's full of wild dogs. We'll get eaten alive. We can wait till the morning, then go with the medical convoy."

"You can spend the night here, if you like," Docherty volunteered.

"No, we can get halfway, stay at the slave quarters in Bexley. Professor, thank you."

"And you," Docherty nodded. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Martha smiled.

"Martha . . . " Docherty hesitated. "Could you do it? Could you actually kill him?"

"I've got no choice," she shrugged.

"You might be many things, but you don't look like a killer to me."

Martha just turned her back and followed Tom out the door.

***

Tom led Martha around a patrol outside the quarters, then knocked on a door. "Let me in," he said. "It's Milligan."

A woman opened the door, and Martha's eyes widened, seeing the place packed full of people. "Did you bring food?" she asked.

"Couldn't get any, and I'm starving."

"All we've got is water."

"I'm sorry," Martha apologized, looking around.

"It's cheaper than building barracks," Tom said. "Pack them in, a hundred in each house, ferry them off to the shipyards every morning."

"Are you Martha Jones?" a little boy asked suddenly, and the entire place quieted.

"Yeah," she nodded. "That's me."

"Can you do it?" he asked eagerly. "Can you kill him? They said you can kill the Master. Can you? Tell us you can do it. Please, tell us you can do it!"

"Who is the Master?" the woman asked.

Martha shook her head as everyone started talking at once. "Come on, just leave her alone!" Tom glared. "She's exhausted!"

"No, it's all right," Martha shook her head. "They want me to talk, and I will."

***

Later, Martha settled on the stairs, the children piled around her as everyone else crowded near to hear. "I traveled across the world, from the ruins of New York to the fusion mills of China, right across the radiation pits of Europe," she began. "And everywhere I went, I saw people just like you, living as slaves. But if Martha Jones became a legend, then that's wrong, because my name isn't important. There're two others, the man who sent me out there and the woman who fearfully stands to defy the Master. The man who told me to walk the Earth and the woman who trusted me enough to agree. And their names are the Doctor and the Alchemist. They have saved your lives so many times, and you never even knew they were there. They never stop, they never stay, they never ask to be thanked, but I've seen them. I know them. They're my best friends, and I know what they can do."

"It's him!" the woman from before shrieked as she ran inside, her eyes wide. "Oh, my God, it's him! It's the Master! He's here!"

"But he never comes to Earth!" the boy's eyes widened. "He never walks upon the ground!"

"Hide her!"

"Use this," Tom tossed an old sack over.

Martha was covered, but she could still hear the Master clearly. "Martha!" he sang. "Martha Jooooones! I can see you! Out you come, little girl. Come and meet your master. Anybody? Nobody? No? Nothing? Positions!" She could hear the guns click, too. "I'll give the order unless you surrender. Ask yourself, what would the Doctor do?" Martha gritted her teeth, then took off the sack and headed outside, taking off her TARDIS key as well. "Oh, yes," the Master applauded sarcastically. "Oh, very well done! Good girl. He trained you well. Bag, give me the bag. No, stay there. Just throw it." Martha obeyed, and the Master fired his screwdriver at it. "And now, good companion, your work is done."

"No!" Tom burst out of the house, running forward.

Without sparing Tom as much a glance, the Master shot him dead. "But you, when you die, the Doctor should be witness, hmm? Almost dawn, Martha, and planet Earth marches to war."

***

"Citizens of Earth, rejoice and observe."

Martha was brought in by armed guards, her family to one side, Jack and the Doctor on the other. The Master grinned from where he stood on the stairs, the Alchemist above him playing the "faithful" wife, Lucy at her side. "Your teleport device, in case you thought I'd forgotten," the Master held out his hand. Martha glared and threw it at him, which he easily caught. "And now, kneel." Martha looked at the Alchemist, who silently nodded, and Martha got on her knees. "Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. Two hundred thousand ships, set to burn across the universe. Are we ready?"

"The fleet awaits your signal," came the answer. "Rejoice!"

"Three minutes to align the black hole converters," the Master smirked. "Counting down." He grinned. "I never could resist a ticking clock," he gestured to the countdown clock. "my children, are you ready?"

"We will fly and blaze and slice!" the spheres answered. "We will fly and blaze and slice!"

"At zero, mark this day, the child Martha Jones will die," the Master grinned. "My first blood. Any last words?" Martha just glared at him. "No? Such a disappointment, this one. Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the Time Vortex."

"That was me," the Alchemist muttered.

The Master ignored her. "This one's useless. Bow your head." Martha obeyed, her face expressionless. "And so it falls to me, as Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords. From this day forward - "

The Alchemist snorted, and she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth. The Master glared at her, but then Martha started giggling under her breath, and the Alchemist's shoulders shook as she tried to stop laughing. "What?" the Master narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny?"

"A gun," Martha grinned.

"What about it?"

"A gun in four parts?"

"Yes. And I destroyed it."

"A gun, in four parts, scattered across the world?" Martha grinned.

"Oh, don't tell me he believed that!" the Alchemist grinned, eyes alight like they hadn't been since before the Master took over.

"Oh, yes, he did," Martha grinned.

"What do you mean?" the Master frowned.

"As if I would ask her to kill," the Doctor said simply.

The Master shrugged. "Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her."

"But I knew what Professor Docherty would do," Martha said. "The Resistance knew about her son. I told her about the gun so she'd get me here at the right time."

"Oh, but you're still going to die."

"Don't you want to know what I was doing, traveling the world?"

The Master held out his arms. "Tell me."

"I told a story," she shrugged. "That's all. No weapons. Just words. I did just what the Doctor said. I went across continents all on my own, and everywhere I went, I found people, and I told them my story. I told them about the Doctor and the Alchemist, and I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor and the Alchemist."

The Master scowled. "Faith and hope? Is that all?"

"No," Martha shook her head as she stood up. "Because I gave them an instruction, just as the Doctor said. I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time - "

"Nothing will happen," the Master interrupted. "Is that your weapon? Prayer?"

"Right across the world, in word, just one thought at one moment, but with fifteen satellites."

The Master blinked. "What?"

"The Archangel Network," Jack grinned.

"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together," Martha nodded, "with all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word . . . is Doctor."

The countdown hit zero, and the Doctor's cage suddenly started to glow. "Stop it," the Master's eyes widened. "No, no, no, no, you don't!"

"Doctor," Jack closed his eyes. "Doctor."

"Doctor," Francine's eyes closed as well.

"Don't!" the Master shouted. The television screen flickered, showing crowds of people all chorusing Doctor. "Stop this right now!" the Master looked around. "Stop it!"

"Doctor," Lucy closed her eyes.

"Doctor," Jack said again.

"Doctor," Martha closed her eyes.

The Alchemist looked over at the Doctor and smiled. "Kasterborous," she said strongly telepathically.

The Doctor turned back to the form he'd been in before the Master had aged him more. "I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices," he said.

"I order you to stop!" the Master shouted.

"Doctor," the crowd continued. "Doctor. Doctor. Doctor."

"Doctor," the Alchemist closed her eyes.

The Doctor smiled as he returned to normal, the cage disappearing, an energy field protecting him. "The one thing you can't do, stop them thinking. Tell me the human race is degenerate now when they can do this."

"No!" the Master shouted, aiming his screwdriver.

The shot did nothing. "I'm sorry," the Doctor shook his head. "I'm so sorry."

"Then I'll kill them!" the Master threatened, aiming his screwdriver at the Joneses as Martha ran to them.

The Alchemist made the next move, shoving one hand forward. The Vortex shot out of her hand and slammed into the Master as the screwdriver flew into the Doctor's hand. The Master cried out, more stunned than anything, but the Doctor threw the Alchemist an alarmed look. "What I told you, on the eve of the Time War, is that once a Creator touches the Vortex, it never fades," the Alchemist told the Master as she descended down the stairs, her eyes glowing gold. "I could have fought back any time I wanted to. But only one threat would make me stay my hand. Never threaten my Bonded in front of me." She looked at the Doctor. "And I want a divorce," she jerked her head at the Master.

He laughed, startled. "We'll get to that later."

"You can't do this!" the Master shouted. "You can't do it! It's not fair!"

The Doctor turned back to him as the Alchemist strode across the room to free Jack. "And you know what happens now," he said.

"No!" the Master shook his head, nearly hysterical. "No! No! No!

The Doctor approached the Master, his face expressionless. "You wouldn't listen."

"No!"

"Because you know what I'm going to say."

"No," the Master whimpered, curling up into a ball in the corner.

The Doctor sighed and crouched down, hugging his friend. "I forgive you."

"My children!"

"Protect the paradox!" the spheres chorused. "Protect the paradox! Protect the paradox!"

"Alice, the paradox machine!" the Doctor turned.

"Let's go!" the Alchemist took off with Jack.

"You men, with us!" Jack gestured to a group of armed guards.

As they ran off, the Doctor caught sight of the Master strapping the vortex manipulator around his wrist. "No!" he shouted, grabbing it.

He caught on just in time, and the two of them appeared on the quarry, and the Master turned, holding out his arms as sirens sounded. "Now it ends, Doctor," he spat. "Now it ends!"

"We've got control of the Valiant," the Doctor eyed him. "You can't launch."

"Oh, but I've got this," the Master held up a trigger. "Black hole converter inside every ship. If I can't have this world, Doctor, then neither can you. We shall stand upon this Earth together as it burns."

***

The Alchemist looked around the corner, then shot back as the spheres started shooting. "Found them," she said unnecessarily.

"Can't get in," one guard shook his head. "We'd get slaughtered!"

"Yeah," Jack sighed. "Happens to me a lot."

"You didn't have me," the Alchemist winked, then spun around the corner and made a pushing motion with both hands. Spurts of Vortex energy hit the spheres, spiraling them out of control. "Come on," she grinned, running for the TARDIS.

***

"Weapon after weapon after weapon," the Doctor shook his head sadly. "All you do is talk and talk and talk. But over all these years and all these disasters, I've always had the greatest secret of them all. I know you. Explode those ships, you kill yourself. That's the one thing you can never do. But perhaps even more . . . " He stepped forward. "You could never kill Alice," his brown eyes darkened. "And I never like threats against my Bonded," he emphasized the possessive term. "Give that to me."

The Master swallowed and handed the trigger over. The Doctor in return grabbed the Master's wrist, yanking him closer and punching the correct coordinates back into the vortex manipulator.

***

The Alchemist and Jack raced inside the TARDIS, looking around at the paradox machine. "You can do the honors," the Alchemist offered.

Jack gave a wide grin and started shooting his machine gun at the paradox machine, emptying his entire clip.

***

The Doctor and the Master teleported back onto the flight deck as the Valiant trembled. As Martha was thrown from her station, the Doctor caught her, letting the Master fall to the ground. "Everyone, get down!" the Doctor ordered. "Time is reversing!"

When everything settled, the Doctor went to the window, grinning when he saw London restored. "The paradox is broken," he said. "We've reverted back, one year and one day. Two minutes past eight in the morning."

"This is UNIT Central," a voice said worriedly over the comm. "What's happened up there? We just saw the President assassinated!"

"Just after the President was killed, but just before the spheres arrived," the Doctor sighed in relief. "Everything back to normal. Planet Earth restored. None of it happened. The rockets, the terror, it never was."

"What about the spheres?" Martha frowned.

"Trapped at the end of the universe."

"But I can remember it," Francine blinked.

"We're at the eye of the storm," the Doctor nodded. "The only ones who'll ever know." He then turned, grinning at the stunned man behind them. "Oh, hello! You must be Mr. Jones. We haven't actually met."

The Master took off for the door, but slams of Vortex energy shot him back to the ground. "Ohoho, no," the Alchemist glared as she entered, out of her dress, back into her normal clothes, Jack right behind her. "You stay right where you are, mister."

"Cuffs," Jack held out his hand, and he handcuffed the Master's hands behind his back. "So, what do we do with this one?"

"We kill him," Clive answered.

"We execute him," Tish confirmed.

"No, that's not the solution," the Doctor shook his head.

"Oh, I think so," Francine narrowed her eyes, holding up a pistol and aiming. "Because all those things, they still happened because of him. I saw them."

"Go on," the Master taunted. "Do it."

The Doctor put his hand over hers. "Francine, you're better than him."

Francine swallowed, then allowed the Doctor to take the gun from her. He gave her an encouraging hug, then Martha hugged her. "You still haven't answered the question," the Master frowned. "What happens to me?"

"Well, since the year never happened, you never married my Bonded," the Doctor turned. "But you're still our responsibility, and you are from now on. The only Time Lords left in existence."

"Yeah, but you can't trust him," Jack raised an eyebrow.

"No," the Doctor shook his head. "The only safe place for him is the TARDIS."

"You mean you're just going to keep me?" the Master blinked.

"If that's what we have to do," the Doctor shrugged.

"You were still our best friend at one point in time," the Alchemist reminded him. "I don't remember when that - "

Whatever else she was going to say was interrupted by a gunshot. The Master stumbled back, falling to the ground. The Doctor rushed forward, catching him, and the Alchemist turned, eyes wide. Lucy swallowed, looking at her, and Jack quickly went over to her. "Put it down," Jack ordered, taking the gun and shoving her to the guards.

"There you go," the Doctor laid the Master down, the Alchemist running over. "I've got you. I've got you."

"Always the women," the Master rolled his eyes.

"I didn't see her," the Doctor shook his head.

"Should have expected it, really," the Alchemist admitted. "Good woman, though."

"Dying in your arms," the Master looked at the Doctor. "Happy now?"

"You're not dying," he shook his head. "Don't be stupid. It's only a bullet. Just regenerate."

The Master just grinned. "No."

"What?" the Alchemist asked sharply.

"One little bullet, come on!" the Doctor insisted.

"I guess you don't know me so well," the Master shrugged. "I refuse."

"Regenerate!" the Doctor shook him slightly. "Just regenerate!"

"Come on, just regenerate," the Alchemist pleaded. "Come on!"

"And spend the rest of my life imprisoned with you, watching you with him?" the Master looked at the Alchemist.

She closed her eyes, looking away. Had she really lost the Master just because she was in love with the Doctor? "Come on, it can't end like this," the Doctor shook his head. "You and me, all the things we've done. Axons, remember the Axons? And the Daleks."

"We're the only three left," the Alchemist tried one last time. "There's no one else. Just regenerate!"

"How about that," the Master chuckled darkly. "I win. Will it stop? The drumming . . . will it stop?"

The Alchemist closed her eyes and sobbed as the Master fell silent, and the Doctor let out an anguished cry. Jack and Martha looked at each other before hastily leading the others out of the room, giving the Time Lords time to grieve.

***

Later, the two of them stood in the dead of night, watching the Master's funeral pyre burn. "I'm sorry," the Alchemist whispered finally.

The Doctor knew what she meant. "Why did you never say anything?"

"About the Vortex?" The Alchemist snorted. "You died taking it out of me. I know, first chance you got, you'd do it again. No way in hell was I going to let that happen. I was going to tell you, I promise I was. I just . . . " She chewed her lip. "Cooped up as the Master's little trophy wife, not being able to be near you whenever I could be . . . "

The Doctor put his arm around her shoulders, holding her to him. "Never again," he promised. "You won't be taken away from me again."

She smiled a watery smile. "Some promises can be broken."

On that note, the Doctor turned her away from the Master's funeral pyre, and the two of them walked off.

***

"Time was, every single one of these people knew your names," Martha said as the quartet stood, looking out over the Plass. "Now, they've all forgotten you."

"Good," the Doctor shrugged.

"Back to work," Jack ducked under the railing.

"I really don't mind, though," the Doctor said. "Come with us."

Jack smiled, turning. "I had plenty of time to think that past year, the year that never was, and I kept thinking about that team of mine. Like you said, Doctor. Responsibility."

"Defending the Earth," the Alchemist smiled. "Captain of Earth's defense."

Jack smirked, and the Doctor held out his hand. Thinking he wanted a handshake, Jack took it, but the Doctor slid his sleeve up, revealing the vortex manipulator. "Hey!" Jack complained as the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "I need that!"

"I can't have you walking around with a time traveling teleport," the Doctor shook his head. "You could go anywhere, twice. The second time to apologize."

"And what about me?" Jack looked at the Alchemist. "Can you fix that? Will I ever be able to die?"

"My control only goes so far," the Alchemist shook her head sadly. "I wish I could help, Jack, I really do. But I can't take it back."

"You're an impossible thing, Jack," the Doctor clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Been called that before," Jack smirked before saluting. "Sir. Ma'am. Sister." All three gave lazy salutes back, but Jack gave the Alchemist a huge hug before turning to go. A few footsteps later, he turned back. "But I keep wondering . . . what about aging? Because I can't die, but I keep getting older. The odd little grey hair, you know? What happens if I live for a million years?"

The Doctor and the Alchemist looked at each other, both . . . not knowing the answer. "I really don't know," the Doctor admitted.

"OK, vanity, sorry," he nodded. "Yeah, can't help it. Used to be a poster boy when I was a kid living on the Boeshane Peninsula. Tiny little place. I was the first one ever to be signed up for the Time Agency. They were so proud of me. The Face of Boe, they called me." The Doctor blanched, and the Alchemist's jaw dropped. "Hmm," Jack tilted his head, thinking, completely unaware of the shellshocked trio in front of him. "I'll see you."

"No," the Alchemist stared after him. Her brother would become the Face of Boe?!

"It can't be," Martha shook her head wildly.

"No," the Doctor shook his head. "Definitely not." He started laughing, and the girls joined in. "No! No!"

***

Later, while Martha caught up with her family and explained everything that had happened, the Alchemist fixed the hand in the jar to the base of the console. "That should do it," she said, brushing her hands off. "Now, all we need to do is wait for . . . Martha . . . " She frowned. "What the hell?"

"What is it?" the Doctor moved around.

"These readings," the Alchemist pointed to the scanner. "I don't like them."

"Ooo," the Doctor knitted his eyebrows, seeing the numbers rapidly oscillate back and forth. "That . . . that's not good."

"That's not the scary part," the Alchemist frowned. "Haven't we done this before?"

***

It begins. *cackles* For any person confused . . . yes, they have done this before. Who remembers what episode is next for "Apocalypse Rising?" ;)

So this book will not be finished until after the next round of updates. But . . . if you want to know what's up with the TARDIS, you'll want to read the "Apocalypse Rising" upload before the epilogue comes out. *grins evilly*