Reverse (Doctor Who)

Reverse is the seventh episode of the first series of Doctor Who produced by The 56Studios.

Story
New York City, 2014.

The city buzzed around Ned Harold as he walked home from work. Looking up, he saw that the night sky was completely black and devoid of stars. He looked down and chuckled. They called New York the city that never slept. It was quite the fitting name, he thought.

Personally, he hated how late he had to work at the precinct. Walking home at night in Manhattan always made him anxious. He had tried to change his hours, but the other civilian administrators wouldn’t trade shifts with him.

So here he was again, walking home at midnight through the constantly crowded streets of New York City.

Tightening his coat around him, he braced against the cold wind that rushed through the air. Another thing about this city, and the time of year, was that it was incredibly cold.

Ned turned a corner and continued on. A light snow began to fall. He smiled. He loved snow, always had.

The man was walking past an alleyway when he noticed something glimmering in the corner of his eye. Stopping, he turned to look. He saw a glittering ball of green light hanging in midair.

“What?” he muttered to himself, taking a step into the darkened alleyway.

It pulsated as he took a step closer. Looking back at the street, none of the passersby were taking notice of the mysterious green orb of energy floating in the air. Turning back to it, he continued toward it.

Drawing nearer, it pulsated again before there was a flash of light. He covered his eyes. Pulling his hands away, he gasped at what he saw standing before him.

A lanky figure, covered in strange armor, and with a horrifying face, had replaced the orb. But, much like it, it was glowing with the green light. He took a step back, and it inclined its head toward him.

“What are you?” Ned asked, as he continued to walk backwards.

The alien began walking forward, following him in his wake. It reached out its hand towards him, which glowed brightly in the dark. It appeared that there was something clutched in its claws, but before he could see, it exploded in a blast of energy that consumed the alleyway. Ned cried out in surprise before his yells dissipated.

A second later, the light faded, and the alleyway was empty, except for Ned’s bag and a flickering spark of green light. This hovered in the air for a moment before disappearing also.

New York City, 1983.

Their footsteps were drowned out by the busy city around them. Cars honked, people yelled, music radiated from street performers, and hundreds of people marched through the streets.

Clara looked around with a smile on her face as they crossed through lower Manhattan. The Doctor merely regarded the vibrant life around them. She noticed.

“What’s wrong, Doctor?” she asked.

“Too many people,” he replied.

“That’s New York for you,” the woman said, awing at a man juggling ten multi-colored balls at once.

“America,” the Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets. “Always a noisy land.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” Clara said.

“I’m not surprised,” he answered.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she looked at him as they crossed the street. She struggled to keep up with his long strides.

He continued. “I mean that you’re easily impressed.”

“You take me to a lot of impressive places.”

“If that’s how you want to dress it up,” he shrugged.

She rolled her eyes. “What I’m trying to say is ‘thank you,’ for bringing me here.”

The Doctor cast a sideways glance at her. “You’re welcome.”

“I always wanted to visit New York,” she said as they hurried through a crosswalk. “It’s such a brilliant city.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“Never had time,” Clara replied. “And you know why.”

He nodded. “Good thing that you know someone with a time travel machine now.”

She smiled.

They continued walking through the city for a while. They traveled several blocks. Eventually, two looming towers caught their attention.

“Oh my,” she said, slowing her pace. “Are those?”

The Doctor stopped and looked up at them. “Yes, they are.”

The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were reaching high into the sky above them, their majestic forms highlighted by the bright noon sun. Clara brushed the hair out of her face to look at the them.

“I never saw them in person,” Clara awed.

They stood staring at the skyscrapers when a soft beeping caught their attention, looking around, they realized that it was coming from inside the Doctor’s coat. Reaching into his pocket, he produced the Sonic Screwdriver. The green emitter was flashing on and off, producing a slightly uncomfortable noise in their ears.

“What is that?” she asked, cringing from the tone.

He extended the device and examined the readings. His brow furrowed as he read it.

“There’s a temporal disturbance close-by,” he said, pointing the screwdriver to his right. “Come on!”

Sprinting forward, the Doctor left Clara in the shadow of the Twin Towers before she ran after him. The two of them ran through the streets of New York, pushing through crowds and nearly knocking people over. There were angered yells as they passed, but they were barely heard as the two rushed through the streets.

“We’re almost there!” the Doctor yelled over his shoulder.

Clara’s lungs were burning, struggling to keep up with him. They crossed another street, nearly getting hit by a car in doing so. Despite this, they continued on. After a few more blocks, the Doctor came to a complete stop, the woman almost running into him because of the sheer abruptness. He was looking down an alleyway, his Sonic Screwdriver indicating it.

“There we go,” he said, striding into the alley.

Clara watched him for a brief moment before following. The Doctor continued forward before the screwdriver went dead. Lifting it up, he examined it. Nothing seems physically wrong with it. Activating it again, it flickered on and off, sounding damaging.

“What’s wrong with you?” he muttered, striking it against his hand. He tried it again. No change.

Pocketing it, he sighed. “I’ll deal with you later.”

The Doctor then turned to look at Clara, but found that the woman was nowhere in sight.

“Clara?” he said aloud.

Walking forward, he emerged from the alleyway. There was an ocean of pedestrians around, seemingly more than there had been before. Something else also seemed different, but he couldn’t tell.

Looking through his pockets, he found the phone that Clara had given him shortly after his regeneration. Turning it on, he tried to call her, but he was informed that the device had no signal.

“What? How?” he said, shaking it. “How can there be no signal? That’s impossible!”

He pulled out the Sonic Screwdriver and tried to fix the phone, but the screwdriver merely flickered out. He hit it against his hand again, but to no avail.

Angrily, he stuffed both back in his pockets, before walking down the street. Men and women passed on both sides of him, most looking down at their cellphones. He glared at them as they passed, his expression puzzled. Something was obviously wrong about these people, but he wasn’t sure what.

He continued walking for a while, retracing his steps, looking for his companion. Eventually, he made his way back to the World Trade Center complex, where they had first detected the signal.

Sitting himself on a bench, he pulled out the phone and the Sonic Screwdriver again and began fiddling with them. Around him, trees rustled gently in the wind. Tourists gathered around the massive square pools, looking at the names etched in the parapets that surrounded them.

Rising to his feet, he returned his inoperable devices to his pockets and made his way over to the crowd. He ran his hands over the names, looking at the pools. He looked up as he realized what was wrong.

Turning around, his eyes widened as he saw One World Trade Center towering high in the sky above them. It glittered in the sunlight, like a beacon.

Reaching into his pocket again, he retrieved a fob watch. Popping it open, he saw that the date displayed November 15, 2014.

“That, is not good,” he said to himself, looking back toward the skyscraper.

“Doctor?” Clara called, looking up and down the alleyway. “Doctor?”

The Doctor had been in front of her just moments prior, before he had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

She pulled out her phone and tried to call him, but found that she had no signal.

“What?” she frowned, trying again but receiving the same result.

Replacing it in her pocket, she turned towards the entrance to the alleyway. Immediately, she noticed something wrong about it. Walking forward, she came out into the street, which was not at all like the one she had left just moments prior.

“This is not 1983,” Clara said as a very old car drove past.

People, dressed in very outdated clothes, walked the streets of New York. They eyed her curiously as they passed. Running her hand through her hair, she struggled to figure out what to do. The Doctor was gone, and she was apparently stuck in the 1930s.

She decided that she shouldn’t stay in one place, and began to walk down the street. Maybe the Doctor was here too, just somewhere else in the city. As she continued walking, she earned herself more suspicious looks as she continued.

Once again, she was alone and without the Doctor. She hated it. Ever since he had regenerated, it seemed that they had been separated more and more often. Clara knew that this time it was not his fault, but she still felt left behind. She hoped that this new dynamic wasn’t permanent. What was the point of traveling with the Doctor if she wasn’t with him half the time?

Taking a deep breath, she stuffed her hands in her pockets and walked further into the city of New York.

Behind her, two shadowy figured watched the woman before following.

The Doctor continued to slam the Sonic Screwdriver against his hand in an attempt to get it functioning again. It still flickered on and off, much to his frustration. Turning it over, he pressed a button and the bottom of the screwdriver popped out. He removed it to reveal the power core, which appeared to be a small green bulb.

Holding it away from the body of the device, he blew into the hollow space inside the screwdriver a few times in an attempt to expel any dust that might be causing his device to fail.

Locking the power core back in place, he tried once again to activate the device, but was once more unsuccessful.

“When I get back to the TARDIS,” he said, letting it drop to his side. “I’m going to replace you.”

He continued walking when the screwdriver suddenly flared into life. An intense beeping followed. Picking it up, a smile broke across his face.

“That’s more like it!” the Doctor exclaimed.

Pointing the screwdriver ahead of him, he ran as he followed the signal. He pushed through crowds and crossed streets with no regard to the flow of traffic.

He chased the signal for several blocks before he came to the mouth of another alleyway. Looking down it, he saw green energy flickering in midair. He raised an eyebrow.

“That’s a new one.”

The beeping of the screwdriver was growing louder and more intense, stinging his eardrums. Turning it off, he pocketed it and strode towards the light. He held his hand in front of him as he approached the light.

“What are you…?” the Doctor asked, his hand mere inches from the energy.

A second later he was blinded by a brilliant blast of light. Stumbling backwards, he rubbed his eyes before looking up and seeing a man laying on the ground where the glittering energy had been. The man pushed himself off the ground, rubbing his head.

“Where am I?” he got to his feet. “What happened?”

The Doctor didn’t answer him, however, and instead rushed forward and began to hound him with questions.

“Who are you?” he barked. “What’s going on here?”

“I-I don’t know!” the man looked up in surprise, his glasses askew. “I’m Ned Harold! I’m a civilian administrator with the NYPD!”

“Did you cause the light?” the Doctor demanded. “Are you the one who sent me to this time?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Ned replied.

Yet he persisted. “I think you do! Now you will tell me!”

Ned got his confidence. “I honestly don’t know! All I remember is that alien that I saw!”

The Doctor stopped. “Alien?”

“Yeah! The one that glowed green!”

“Where did you see this alien?” he asked. “Can you describe its appearance?”

“I saw it here, last night, I think,” he began to recount. “I was walking home from work when I saw it. It was tall and lanky, and obviously inhuman.”

“Anything defining details? Marks?”

“No,” he shook his head. “It looked like it had something in its hand, though. Something that glowed.”

The Doctor stepped away and stroked his chin. “That could be how its doing all of this. But how does it work? What is it?”

“Hey… sir?” Ned’s voice came from behind him.

“Could it be some kind of Time Lord device salvaged after the Time War?” the Doctor ignored him. “Could it be something from the Daleks? The Cybermen?”

“Uh? Something’s wrong here!” Ned said again.

The Doctor whirled around, and saw that more green energy was glittering around them. He moved to pull out his Sonic Screwdriver when the lights exploded, engulfing them an abyss of white.

A second later the light disappeared, and the Doctor found himself standing in the middle of great field. He looked around for his companion, and saw that he was gone, and that he was alone.

New York City, 1935.

Clara continued walking the streets. She had no idea where she was going, and didn’t really care. She hoped that she would inevitably run into the Doctor, wherever he was. If history was any indicator, she knew that she would find the Doctor, eventually.

Alone, she couldn’t help but ponder her current situation. After everything that she had been through with the Doctor, and after everything she had seen, she was surprised to find herself wandering the streets of New York City in 1935. She chuckled to herself. They had seen the rings of Akhaten; been trapped in multiple timelines in the TARDIS; been inside the Doctor’s timestream; saved Gallifrey from destruction; saved the world from a Weeping Angel; and battled the literal manifestation of the darkness.

She stood on the street corner watching several automobiles move past before crossing to the other side. There, Clara continued walking. She had her head down, her hands in the pockets. She was passing by an alleyway when she noticed something glittering down it.

Her heart skipped as she saw green energy flickering in the air. Hoping that it was the Doctor, she ran towards it. She stopped a few feet from it. She watched it for a moment before it exploded in a blinding light. Regaining her sight, Clara saw a man standing before her, but it was not the Doctor.

“Who are you?” she asked, taking a step back from the man.

“Ned Harold,” he replied, adjusting his glasses. “You?”

“Clara Oswald.”

“What happened to the man?” he asked, looking around.

“What man?” Clara replied.

“The scary man. The guy with the velvet coat.”

A smile broke across her face. “Scottish?”

He nodded.

“That’s the Doctor,” she said excitedly. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know,” Ned shook his head. “There was a light and he was gone.”

“Then we have to find him,” Clara crossed her arms. “He’s the only one who can figure out what’s going on here.”

“How are we going to find him?” he asked. “I don’t even know where we are.”

“New York. 1930s,” she answered. “I came here from 1983.”

“1983?” he looked in disbelief. “Are you and the Doctor from there?”

“No. I’m from 2014. I don’t know where the Doctor’s from,” Clara explained. “He’s a time traveler.”

Ned held his head. “Time travel? Is that even possible?”

“Obviously,” she said with a half-smile.

“Oh, right.”

“Come on,” Clara said, turning around. “We should get moving if we want to find the Doctor.”

Before she could move, however, she was stopped by a number of figures standing at the front of the alleyway. They were dressed in sharp, dark suits. They all wore hats, and a few of them were brandishing guns.

“Hey there, pretty lady,” the lead one smiled, stepping forward. “What’s your deal?”

Clara took a step back. “What do you want?”

“I just told you,” he held his smile.

“My deal is none of yours,” she replied.

His smile broadened. “I like you.”

The man then produced a gun and pointed it at her.

“Now. You’re gonna come with me. Both of you,” he indicated Ned.

“We are not,” Clara stood her ground. “We aren’t going to do anything you say. You can point your guns at us, but it won’t change anything.”

The man’s smile disappeared. “Hm. You’re not as pretty as I thought.”

“That’s your opinion,” she shot back.

“You two are trespassing on our territory, and anyone in this damn city knows that trespassing on our territory is an offense punishable only by death,” the smile returned to his face.

Clara took a step back. “I guess we’re moving into straight-up threats now,” she said.

“Damn straight, little lady,” the man cocked his gun. “Now. Do you wanna do it here or back at my place?”

“Neither. We’re not coming with you.”

His smile became slanted. “Here, then.”

Turning on a dime, Clara ran deeper into the alleyway, grabbing Ned’s hand as she went. The man fired a shot from his revolver, narrowly missing the woman as she ran. The gangsters in turn opened fire with their own weapons, shooting at the two while they turned the corner and ran into the maze of alleyways.

Clara dragged Ned along with her for a little while before he managed to fall into his own pace. Behind them, they could hear the men giving chase behind them, but they didn’t dare look back. They dodged as bullets flew past them while gunshots like thunder rang in their ears.

“This is insane!” Ned yelled, a bullet striking a wall just feet from him.

“Keep running!” Clara replied, turning a corner sharply.

They weaved their way between trash cans and other garbage that littered the ground. Clara’s lungs were burning and sweat covered her brow. Bullets continued to fly past them, closer and closer with each shot. Ned suddenly cried out in pain as a bullet struck him in the shoulder. Immediately he lost his footing and fell to the ground.

However, as he hit the ground, there was a glimmer of green light, before he disappeared into nothingness. Everyone stopped for a moment to watch where the man had been. A second later, their ceasefire was broken by the lead gangster opening fire on Clara again.

Ducking under the bullet, she continued running, wondering where Ned had gone now.

North America. 1092.

The Doctor continued to walk through the field. The sky above him was dark and swirled like an oil painting. The grass crunched underneath his boots as he walked. Once again, he had removed the power core of the Sonic Screwdriver and was attempting to repair it, but to no avail.

“Typical,” he muttered, the device again flickering before going out.

Pocketing the screwdriver, he held himself as a piercing wind swept through the field, cutting through his clothes like a knife.

However, despite the cold, he pondering his current situation. For some reason, someone was manipulating the timestream to pull random people from their own times and send them to others. He wasn’t sure exactly what kind of strategy that was, or for what purpose, but it had to be stopped and reversed, otherwise the damage to the timeline could end up being irreparable. And that was a problem in and of itself.

He wondered how Clara was doing, and where she was. What time was she in? What dangers could she be facing? He didn’t know, but he knew that he had to get back to her as soon as possible.

The Doctor continued his lone trek through the expansive field. He didn’t know where he was going, but he was hoping that, if he kept walking, he would find another rift. After a while, he reached a treeline. Stopping, he surveyed it. It stretched to the right and left as far as he could see.

“Great,” he said, surveying the expanse.

Seeing it as his only way forward, the Doctor walked into the forest. The dark sky was obscured by the trees, occasionally being glimpsed through the leaves. With the minimal light, the Doctor reached into his jacket and again produced the Sonic Screwdriver and tried to activate the flashlight. To his great irritation, it flared into life.

“Good for you to work as torch,” he scowled.

Shining the light around, the blue-tinged pool of white spilled across the dark woods. He continued walking through, his eyes scanning the darkness.

Roughly half and hour later, the Doctor stopped in his tracks. He stood in the heart of the forest, the wind rustled the leaves of the trees. His senses heightened, he scanned his surrounding. For several moments, nothing moved.

Then, behind him, something moved.

Turning around, he saw several of the natives approaching him. They all held spears, bows, or other weapons. They watched him through their face paint.

He took a step back, and they took a step forward. He gave a half-smile.

“I’m not a threat,” he said, speaking in their native tongue. “I’m not here to harm you.”

They all looked at each other in confusion, because an obvious foreigner was using their language. The natives tightened their grips on their weapons. Pocketing the screwdriver, the Doctor raised his hands.

“I’m not here to harm you,” he repeated, taking another step backwards. “I’m merely passing through.”

“Who are you?” the lead one asked.

“A traveler.”

“You are trespassing on our land,” he growled.

“I didn’t mean to,” the Doctor replied. “I did not intend to come to this land.”

“How did you come to a land that you did not want to come to?” he asked with obvious skepticism.

He chuckled. “I doubt that your primitive minds could even begin to understand if I told you what has happened to me.”

They tensed at these words, glancing at each other again. They adjusted their grips on their weapons.

“You call us ‘primitives’?” the lead man spat, turning to his kinsmen. “A foreigner calling us primitives in our own land?!”

The others roared their agreement of outrage. The Doctor watched as they turned on him again, their expressions fierce.

“You have insulted us and our land,” the man said. “You will be brought to justice!”

At that moment, the Doctor realized his mistake. The group of men was continuing towards him, looking ready to strike. He took another few steps backwards.

“Attack!” the lead yelled.

The very next moment, several of the men threw their spears at him. Arrows flew through the air among them. Ducking under them, he stood up and saw them charging at him. Swinging on his heel, the Doctor about-faced, and ran into the forest. Behind him, the natives followed, grabbing their weapons as they did.

His footsteps pounded the ground as he ran. Behind him, the natives were in rapid pursuit. They threw their spears after him, arrows coming within inches of him. To avoid their attacks, the Doctor passed between trees, changing his direction every few seconds. This resulted in their projectiles striking the bark.

The Doctor continued running. He fumbled through his pockets, producing the Sonic Screwdriver and began trying to repair it once again. It flickered, a stilted humming to accompany it.

A river appeared ahead of him, and a second later he was splashing through the shallow waters and to the other side. Several paces away, the Doctor heard the water crash behind him as the men made their way across the stream and continuing their pursuit.

His legs burned as he kept running, his lungs screaming in protest. He knew he couldn’t keep going like this, even if he wouldn’t admit it. Over two thousand years of running, and he still got winded. He was beginning to slow down ever so much. Another arrow flying past his head gave him the motivation to keep running.

The forest was growing denser as they progressed. The darkness was almost engulfing them now. Even the dark sky wasn’t enough to illuminate the forest. Looking over his shoulder to glimpse his adversaries, he saw nothing but shadows.

Suddenly the darkness was pierced by an intense green glow, with a sharp buzzing tickling his eardrums. Holding up his hand, he saw that the Sonic Screwdriver had blazed into life shining like a flame in the dark.

“About time!” he roared, still running.

The Doctor noticed that the screwdriver was blinking. Examining the readings, he saw that the screwdriver had been scanning temporal signatures.

“You’ve been scanning the energy rifts that’ve been affecting us,” he panted. “Brilliant!”

There was another reading, which he squinted to see.

“Hang on…” he said before skidding to a halt.

The natives came to a halt also, their weapons ready. The Doctor turned, holding the screwdriver, which shone like a torch. Its reflection glinted in their eyes. He smiled broadly, his teeth shining.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” the Doctor grinned. “Take it in, because you won’t ever see it again.”

Pressing a button on the device, the light grew even brighter. The Doctor’s form began to shimmer, accompanied by a flickering green energy, before, in a flash of light, he was gone. The group of men watched where he had been, their eyes wide and their mouths gaping.

New York City, 1935.

Clara was still trying to find her way out of the complex maze of alleyways that filled New York City. Every turn seemed to lead her deeper into the labyrinth. There was also the fact that she was being pursued by several men who wanted to kill her.

Her whole body ached with the effort that she was exerting. She was beginning to slow down, and the men were gaining on her. Their footsteps were drawing progressively closer.

She turned another corner and skidded to a halt as she came face-to-face with a brick wall. Desperately, Clara ran her hands over the groves, trying in vain to find a way out.

“No,” she muttered. “No!”

There were a number of footsteps behind her. Slowly, she turned to see the gangsters there, slightly out of breath, but still with their weapons at the ready.

“You’re an incredibly difficult cookie to catch,” the lead one panted. “So difficult, in fact, that I don’t think that you’re worth giving a proper execution to.”

He aimed his gun at her head. “Goodbye, little girl.”

Clara closed her eyes when she saw glittering green light behind her eyelids. Opening them, she saw that there was green energy flickering around them. The gang members looked in surprise as the light, watching it shimmer through the air.

She was suddenly blinded by a blast of pure white. A second later, it faded, and she saw, to her delight, the Doctor standing there.

“What the hell?” the lead gangster exclaimed, raising his gun.

The Doctor, only having a second to take the scene in, lunged for Clara. She grabbed his hand, pulling herself close to him. She smiled quickly at him, and he returned it. Raising the Sonic Screwdriver again, the Doctor looked a the men before activating it. The bulb lit up before energy began to surround them and their forms shimmered.

A second later they were gone, and fraction of a second after the men fired, hitting the brick wall behind where the two had been standing.

New York City, 1983.

The alleyway stood empty for several moments before a ball of light materialized in midair before exploding. From the glare, two figures fell against the walls of the alleyway. The light faded, and they stood still, panting heavily. Clara ran her hand through her long hair before rushing at the Doctor and embracing him.

She hugged him for several moments before he managed to break free from her grasp.

“Come on,” he said, looking her in the eye. “We haven’t much time.”

Grabbing her hand, he pulled her after him as he bolted from the alleyway. The two of them rushed through the city. They pushed through crowds and ran in front of cars as they went, receiving angry yells and the blaring sound of horns.

They passed under the shadow of the Twin Towers as they continued their run. Several blocks later, Clara saw the familiar shape of the TARDIS come into view, shining in the sunlight.

Reaching the doors, the Doctor shoved his key into the lock and swung the doors open, rushing inside, followed by his companion.

“What are we doing, Doctor?” Clara asked as he bolted to console, plugging the Sonic Screwdriver into a socket He then descended the stairs to the lower deck.. “What’s happening?”

“The rifts in time are being created deliberately by some creature,” the Doctor said, rummaging through the mess of boxes and equipment he had scattered across the floor. “I need to find them and stop them before they destroy the continuum!”

Clara came down the stairs and watched him. “And how are we going to do that?”

“If I can find it… AHA!” he exclaimed, pulling what appeared to be some retrofitted harness. Pieces of technology dangled from it.

“What,” Clara gaped at it. “Is that?”

The Doctor climbed the stairs back to the main deck, followed by Clara. He approached the console and plugged one of the hanging parts of the device into the console. At once, it flared into life, flickering several different colors.

“When I was traveling through the rift,” the Doctor said, beginning to work at one of the panels. “The Sonic Screwdriver stopped functioning. Very annoying. But, in the background, it was analyzing the energy signature generated by the rifts, and it managed to lock onto it. This allowed me to use it to travel through time.”

“Is that even possible?” Clara asked, coming beside him.

“We wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t,” he replied.

“True.”

There was suddenly a loud beeping noise. The Doctor went over to the harness and disengaged it from the console. Swinging it over his shoulders, he strapped the bizarre piece of technology to his body as Clara watched with severe skepticism. Locking the last buckle, it lit up once again, making him look like some kind of velvet Christmas tree.

“You look awful,” she said.

“Perhaps. But this device will allow me to travel to the source of the rift, which the TARDIS has just disseminated from the screwdriver,” he explained.

“And where are you going to be going? Where is the source?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s the fun, isn’t it?”

Pressing a series of buttons on the harness, he grabbed the Sonic Screwdriver from the console, and with a last smile at Clara, activated the device.

Around him, the console room shimmered, glowing with a green light. He saw Clara watching him with a concerned expression when she, and the rest the room became a blur, becoming nothing but darkness.

The Doctor looked around the shadows before a shimmering light surrounded him. The light was several lines of color, which was various shades of green. They were endlessly shifting, creating a disorientating environment. He stumbled as he stepped forward, looking at the floor, or where the floor should’ve been, more accurately.

Finding his balance, the Doctor stood in the void.

“Show yourself!” he yelled, his voice echoing before being shredded into a million fragments of sound.

There was nothing for a moment, save for the final echoes of his voice dying away. Then there was silence, as the Doctor stood watching the ever-changing landscape of the void.

“Who are you?” a voice suddenly boomed from behind him.

Turning, he saw a strange figure standing there, its form lanky and tall. Its large eyes watched him with contempt. Something green glowed in its right hand.

“Who are you?” it repeated.

“I’m the Doctor,” he answered. “Who’re you?”

He stood there a moment before responding. “I… do not remember my old name. But, I know call myself the Timemaster.”

The Doctor stifled a laugh. “’Timemaster?’ Are you serious?”’

“I control time,” he said. “Therefore I am the Timemaster.”

“You could’ve gone for Time Lord,” the Doctor suggested. “But I’d rather you not.”

“What do you want with me?” the creature’s expression remained neutral.

“Me? I want you to stop destroying the universe.”

“I am not going to stop,” the Timemaster said. “I cannot stop.”

“Of course you can,” the Doctor gave a half-smile. “It shouldn’t be hard.”

The Timemaster looked down at the glowing object in its hand. “I can’t. It is part of me now.”

Curiously, the Doctor looked at it. “What is that?”

“I… found it. In the ruins of the city of New York, thousands of years from the year 2014. When I picked it up, my entire world faded away, and then I saw… everything,” he said with absolute awe in his voice. “All of time. All of time in this great city. I saw it all. I see it all.”

“How?” he replied in disbelief.

“It exists across all time, yet in the present. And the past. And the future. It is part of an ancient order; a relic and a remnant of a forgotten past. It is a fragment of a greater whole.”

“Well, whatever it is,” the Doctor outstretched his hand. “You must give it to me.”

“No.”

“Please. I won’t ask nicely again,” he replied, more fiercely.

“No.”

“If you don’t, this entire timeline could cease to exist. Trillions and trillions will die. Not just on Earth across its existence, but all the universe,” the Doctor pleaded. “You will be the butcher of the whole universe.”

“But, there is so much I can see. So much beauty. So much life. I can’t give it up.”

“You must!” the Doctor snapped. “You must!”

“I can’t,” the Timemaster replied. “I won’t.”

His expression became grim. “Then I’ll have to stop you.”

“I will not be beaten,” he said. “I am god.”

The Doctor was about to progress towards him when suddenly the object in its hand flared into life. It glowed brightly, shining like a sun in the colorful void. Immediately, the Timemaster keeled over in pain, holding his sides. The object seemed to be burning him. His entire form was beginning to shimmer, blurring in and out of focus.

“What is happening to me?” the Timemaster yelled out.

His form began to blur more and more out of focus, the Doctor watching in shock. The alien’s features became indistinguishable, before disappearing entirely, becoming one with the void.

The object, however, hung in midair, continuing to glow. Around him, he saw the colors begin to darken as everything shook violently. Cracks appeared in the lines of light, contorting them unnaturally.

“The timeline’s breaking apart!” he yelled, realizing what was happening.

Rushing forward, the Doctor came up to the object. It flickered, shining like a ball of energy. Slowly, he reached his hands out towards it. He felt the heat radiating from it. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the ball.

There was an explosion, consuming everything in the void. There was nothing anywhere around him except for white.

The next second, he was in the TARDIS. He fell to the ground, a loud clanging as he hit the deck. He felt someone rush to his side, and saw Clara beside him.

“Doctor! Are you okay? What happened?” she asked rapidly.

The Doctor was breathing heavily. He didn’t answer her, instead looking at his right hand. In it was what appeared to be a shard of crystal, looking like it had been cut from a larger ball of the same material. Clara saw it too.

“What is that?”

“I don’t know,” he answered. “But it has the power to destroy the universe.”

“Is that what was causing the rifts?” Clara inquired, helping the Doctor as he got up.

“In a way, yes.”

Clara paused as she looked at the shard. “What do we do with it?”

He looked at her, his pale blue eyes shining. “Keep it safe. At all costs.”

New York City, 2014.

In a lonely alleyway, a bag sat unattended. It was covered a thin layer of snow, having been abandoned a few days prior. No one knew what had happened to its owner, nor did they know where to begin looking.

Then, in a flash light, its owner reappeared, blood trailing from a wound.

Gasping, Ned rolled off his back, holding his shoulder. He got to his knees, using the wall to help himself up. He looked up and down the alleyway, completely bewildered.

“Doctor? Clara?” he said, now safe in his own time.

Deep inside the TARDIS, in a dark room, a singular pedestal stood. It was empty, serving no purpose at all.

A moment later, the doors slid open, and the Doctor and Clara entered. The Doctor was carrying the shard that he had recovered from the void. Reaching the pedestal, he placed it in the bowl. Glancing his companion, he turned and walked back towards the door.

Clara stood looking at the shard for a moment, and, without a word, turned and followed the Doctor. The doors closed, submerging the room in darkness again.

Characters

 * Twelfth Doctor
 * Clara Oswald
 * Ned Harold
 * The Timemaster

Trivia

 * This episode is based on a concept by Invader39 and Hero567.
 * Reverse was originally going to be seventh episode of Series 1 when the show was going to be live-action and was to be written by Hero567, before it was moved to be the fourth episode of Series 2. Invader39 however revived the concept and brought it back into Series 1.
 * The inclusion of the Twin Towers as a story point was inspired by Fringe, where the Twin Towers were used as a story point in the alternate universe.