VTV Series Episode 13: The End

2009 – Real World

The TARDIS span out of control, whizzing through space, above the Earth. The slim, blue spaceship in front of it was firing energy bolts, and the Doctor struggled to avoid them.

“Woah girl!” he cried, patting the console.

Then the TARDIS was chasing the blue ship through the Time Vortex, passing by the year 3000, and then nearly hitting the 1980s back in place. Suddenly, the blue ship turned around, and faced the Doctor’s ship head on.

“What’s she doing?” the Doctor muttered.

Mary Poppin’s ship zoomed towards him, firing ejector rays. One hit the TARDIS and enveloped it in a blue light. The Doctor grasped the console, but felt himself fading away.

2009 – Katie’s World

The TARDIS span out of control, whizzing through space, above the Earth. The slim, blue spaceship in front of it was firing energy bolts, and the Doctor struggled to avoid them. Then the TARDIS was chasing the blue ship through the Time Vortex, passing by the year 3000, and then nearly hitting the 1980s back in place, before the blue ship disappeared around the early 1900s.

“Damn it!” the Doctor cried, hitting the console with his fist. “Lost her.”

The TARDIS dematerialised, leaving the blue ship to its victory.

Unknown Time – Real World

“That’s better,” Mary Poppins said, leaning over the Doctor. “I hope that isn’t too comfortable.”

The Doctor was unconscious, strapped to a metal bed. There was a continual bleep-bleep of machinery that was wired into his skin.

“How the mighty Time Lord has fallen,” Mary Poppins chuckled, leaving the room.

But as the Doctor slept, he dreamed. He dreamed that Mary Poppins had escaped, and that he’d continued his travels. He dreamed that he went to the Health Centre, and chanced across Katie Parker, and she’d joined him on his travels. They flew across the stars, stopping Krynoids, Badgers, the Hacek Dral and other terrible creatures. But then it ended, and they were captured. That was when Mary Poppins had revealed the terrible truth; that the Doctor was strapped to a bed, unconscious in her ship, and Katie wasn’t real.

2009 – Katie’s World

“Doctor?” Katie said. “You haven’t said much. Haven’t you got an escape plan?”
“No,” the Doctor replied quietly.
“Well we could start with taking over the ship,” Katie thought. “Ha!”

There was a click, and Katie’s shackles broke. She slid off the table and ran to the Doctor’s bed. She pulled his shackles apart, but he took her hand to stop her.

“Leave it,” he said.
“But aren’t you going to do anything?” Katie asked. “Doctor, this isn’t like you. My parents need help, I need help. Mary Poppins has gotta be stopped.”
“We can’t,” the Doctor said hollowly.

Katie sighed and sat down on her bed. This wasn’t like the Doctor. Something was wrong.

“What’s the matter?” Katie asked. “She told you something, didn’t she?”
“Yeah,” the Doctor said, staring at the ceiling.
“What did she say?” Katie asked.
“She told me the truth,” the Doctor said. “None of this is real. She captured me, and I’m stuck on some bed somewhere, dreaming all this. You aren’t real Katie. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Katie said.

The Doctor sat up, and stared at her.

“What?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Katie repeated. “If we can get you to wake up in the real world, you can stop her.”
“But don’t you see Katie?” the Doctor snapped. “If I wake up, you die. I stop dreaming, this whole world stops existing.”
“But at least you stop her,” Katie said.
“You’d do that?” the Doctor asked incredulously. “You’d die, for me?”

Katie nodded. The Doctor sighed, looking down at his feet.

“But… What if I could save you?” the Doctor suddenly thought.
“How?” Katie asked as he leaped to his feet.
“By creating you from my memories,” the Doctor grinned. “There’s enough equipment on this ship to do it, easy.”
“Create me from your memories?” Katie said.
“Yup,” the Doctor said, leaping around, looking for equipment.
“Doctor…” Katie said. “What aren’t you telling me?”

The Doctor stopped running round, and looked at her.

“I’ll have to forget you,” he said.
“But, I’ll remind you of me,” Katie smiled brightly.
“You won’t be able to, you’ll be at home, and I wouldn’t think to pop round,” the Doctor sighed. “By taking the memories and creating real things, the memories are gone. But you’ll be alive, and so will your parents, and everything that happened here will have happened.”
“Do it,” she said.

The Doctor continued to race round, and gathered up cables and piles of equipment. Katie followed his instructions and strapped wires to his head and chest. She was nervous, but at least she’d live.

“Right,” the Doctor said. “Where’s the button? Ah, here it is. Do you want to do the honours?”
“Sure,” Katie replied, taking a deep breath. “Goodbye Doctor.”
“Goodbye Katie,” the Doctor said sadly. “Sorry the Wedding didn’t work out.”
“I’d have probably divorced you anyway,” Katie teased.

And with one last deep breath, she pressed the button. There was a rush of air, and the Doctor began fading away.

Unknown Time – Real World

Mary Poppins walked back into the room triumphantly. But as she looked at the metal bed the smile vanished from her face. The Doctor wasn’t there. The door swung shut behind her.

“Doctor…” she said. “Let’s talk about this…”
“It’s too late,” the Doctor said from somewhere in the shadows. “You never should have captured me.”
“I… I wanted to help,” Mary Poppins said. “Please…”

The Doctor ignored her and stepped out from the shadows. The lights flickered, and Mary Poppins screamed her last.

2009 – Real World

Katie stepped out of the house into the sun, and sighed. This world was exactly the same as the Doctor’s, but with one crucial detail missing – the Doctor himself.

“Still,” she said to herself. “It was fun, while it lasted.”

She ran her hands along the side of the house, feeling the wood and paint underneath her fingernails. She looked at the sky, the sky that was new to her, and yet as familiar as ever. She had so much to experience now she was ‘real’. But it would never be the same; nothing would be the same without the Doctor.

“Katie!” her mother Sandra called to her. “Come inside, your father’s playing on the Wii Fit!”
“I’m really not that bad!” her father Derek protested.
“Oh Dad, you really are!” Katie laughed, heading inside the house.

Unknown Time – Real World

The Doctor travelled alone for a while. But as he faced his enemies and rescued civilisations, he couldn’t help but think there was something, or someone, he was missing. He’d had companions before, but he could remember each and every one of them. But when he tried to remember what happened on Mary Poppin’s ship, he could only see a blur. He knew there was only one place to go when there was something you needed remembering. He slipped into the TARDIS and started her up, spinning through the vortex to reach his destination.

The Doctor pulled back the red velvet curtains and entered the small, dimly lit room. The tent made everything look dark, and gave Madame Rene ten times more mystery than the average milkman. He sat at the small table and stared at the crystal ball.

“I know why you’re here,” Madame Rene said. “To remember. But first, you must cross my palm with silver. Or pretzels, I’m not fussy which.”

The Doctor pressed a salt and vinegar pretzel into Madame Rene’s hand. After gobbling it up, she clutched his hands. The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

“I see… Planet Earth…” Madame Rene said, as if experiencing a vision. “I see… David Attenborough. No wait - that’s the wrong Planet Earth. Sorry. Ah yes, I see… America.”
“America…” the Doctor muttered, the memories becoming clear.
“I see a girl, a blond of 24. Her name… What is her name?” Madame Rene asked.
“You’re supposed to tell me,” the Doctor said.
“K… It begins with K. Ah ha! I have it! Katie! Her name is Katie!” the fortune teller smiled in triumph.
“Of course, how could I forget Katie!” the Doctor said, unsure of who Katie was.
“Now that is a long story in itself,” Madame Rene replied. “But first we must start with how you met. Are you sitting comfortably? Good, then we’ll begin.”

The End