Light (Doctor Who)

Light is the twelfth and final episode of the second series of Doctor Who produced by The 56Studios. It features the return of many of the Doctor's allies. It also features the return of the Darkness as its main villain. The story of Light is concludes the story of Darkness.

Story
The sky was pitch black above them. It was like night, but without the comfort of the stars. It hovered there, like a black ocean in the sky. The Darkness had come to Earth, and it was threatening their whole existence. The group stood staring into the black, some in horror, others in cold looks. The Doctor was the only one who looked on in anger.

“Doctor,” the Darkness boomed. “'Darkness has arrived. You will reveal and surrender yourself to me within the next hour or humanity will be destroyed. There is no negotiation for the continued existence of the Earth. Do not delay.'”

They all turned to the Doctor.

“What are we going to do?” April asked.

The Doctor stared into the black before turning to face them.

“We have two crises to deal with: the Darkness threatening the world, and Olivia trying to make the world burn. We need to deal with both, otherwise the Earth is in danger no matter what we do, I suggest we split up.”

“Isn’t splitting up traditionally a bad idea?” Clara crossed her arms.

“There’s no time to argue,” he said. He reached into his jacket and produced the sonic screwdriver and handed it to her. She looked at it with confusion before looking back to the Doctor.

“Take this and use it on U.N.I.T.’s systems. It’ll help you track the source of the broadcast and find Olivia, and therefore Kate and Osgood. Take Jack, Gwen, and Mickey with you. I’ll take April, Martha, and Sarah Jane to stop the Darkness.”

“That doesn’t seem like a good idea,” Martha said.

“It’s all we’ve got. The Darkness must be destroyed, and Olivia must be defeated. We have to move now.”

After a moment of consideration, they all nodded their heads. He saw this and stepped back, before looking up to the dark sky above them.

“Alright. No time to waste,” he looked back to them, clapping his hands together with a smile on his face. “Let’s save the Earth. I’ve put a lot of work into it.”

Across the city, Olivia and her followers with looking out the windows of the warehouse at the shadowy sky. There was horror and terror in their expressions. Olivia herself was shaking slightly at the sight. She turned to Kate and Osgood, who were also looking out in horror. It wasn’t a look of fear of the unknown, but one of recognition.

“What is that?” she pointed to the sky.

The two women glanced at each other before returning to the small woman.

“That… is the Darkness,” Kate said.

“What the hell is that?” Olivia’s voice audibly trembled.

“Evil,” Osgood’s expression was grim, and her voice serious. “Pure evil. It is the literal embodiment of darkness and evil. It is ancient and very powerful – and very dangerous.”

“How can it be stopped?”

“It can’t,” Osgood replied.

Olivia turned away and ran a hand through her hair. Kate looked to Osgood, who now had a smile on her face. Kate raised an eyebrow at this before Osgood spoke again.

“Except for the Doctor.”

Slowly, the woman turned back towards them. “The Doctor?”

“Yes. The Doctor is the only person who can stop the Darkness from destroying the world. He is the only one.”

“Why is it here? What does it want?” Olivia asked.

Kate moved to speak but Osgood spoke first. The woman’s confidence was surprising, but when it came to the Doctor, nothing else filled her with confidence like he did.

“It’s here for the Doctor because he’s the only one who can stop it,” she smiled, but the look that Olivia gave afterwards caused her to frown.

“The Doctor is why it’s here? The Doctor brought it here?” her eyes flashed. “He’s endangered the Earth again?”

“No, it’s not like that-,” she tried to argue but Olivia talked over her.

She began walking around the room, rubbing her hands together as she thought. “Just another in a long list of examples of the Doctor bringing destruction to the Earth. He must be punished, and we must defend our home.”

“You can’t do tha-,” Kate protested, but there was no stopping her.

“No. We will stop the Darkness, the Doctor, and we will protect the people.” Her soldiers began turning to look at her while she spoke. She smiled as she saw them.

“That is why we exist, and why we will continue to do. Come on,” she clapped her hands together. “Let’s get to work.”

Elsewhere, Lewis Austin and his cabinet were sealed in the cabinet room at 10 Downing Street. Metal sheets covered the windows and the doors. The cabinet and their aids moved around while the Prime Minster stood and watched a wall of monitors that displayed many different feeds, from statistics, news, and other information.

They were under attack, and he was holed up here. The military was rolling out, and he was waiting to hear from U.N.I.T. The power had gone out temporarily when the entity arrived, but was quickly restored as they were evacuated here. This room was built to withstand any attack. They now needed the Doctor.

“Any word from U.N.I.T.?” he asked one of his aides.

“Not yet, Prime Minister,” she replied.

“Keep trying,” he said.

She turned away when there was a beeping. Turning back to it, she then looked at her tablet in hand.

“It’s President Alexandria Garcia Morales,” she said.

“Oh?” Lewis perked up. “Put her on.”

Hitting a button on her tablet, the main screen went blank before the President appeared. She was in the situation room at the White House, it appeared, with several aides moving around in the background.

“Prime Minister Austin,” she greeted.

“President Garcia Morales,” he nodded.

“What’s the situation in England?” Alexandria asked.

“We don’t know. That entity is still in the sky and we do not have contact with U.N.I.T. We don’t know what it is, or what it wants. No one has any answers for us.”

“Any word on the Doctor?” she inquired.

He shook his head. “No. But historically, he’s there when we need him, and he’ll be here now.”

She nodded, but still seemed worried. “I hope that, for your sake, Prime Minster, that he does.”

“Me too, madam President.”

The doors to the TARDIS burst open and the four entered. The lights pulsated around the room as the engine hummed. Quickly, the Doctor turned to April when they reached one of the stairs to the lower deck.

“April. Go to the vault and retrieve the Light Shard. We’re going to need it,” he said.

“On it,” she left the console room and disappeared down the corridor.

With her gone, the Doctor descended the stairs and began rummaging through boxes and desks that he had under the main deck. Martha and Sarah Jane followed him, with both of the women wearing very quizzical expression on their faces. He picked up a box and turned it over, spilling its contents onto the floor, but evidently, what he was searching for was no held within.

“Doctor,” Martha asked. “What are you looking for?”

“A power amplifier,” the Doctor replied before pulling a small projectile-like weapon with a large slot above the handle and a number of prongs and metal wires running along it.

“And what does that do?” Sarah Jane questioned.

“It amplifies power, of course,” he said. “It’s literally in the name.”

“How are you going to use it?”

“Going to place the Light Shard in it and use it to destroy the Darkness. It should theoretically work.”

“What’s the Light Shard?” Martha inquired.

“A powerful object that I recently recovered,” he dusted the amplifier off before tucking his arm underneath it his arm. “No time to explain how it works.”

He then began rummaging again for something else among his many boxes. The two women exchanged glances before following him.

“What are you looking for now?”

“I gave my sonic screwdriver to Clara,” he dug through a box. “I’m going to need another one in case I need it, which I always do.”

He didn’t find one in the box and moved to his desk. He was visibly frustrated. “I should have one or two older models lying around down here. Some retro stuff.”

Pulling open a drawer, he stopped as he saw the object lying on top. Confused, Martha and Sarah Jane strode over and looked in. Atop a pile of books, small objects, and a piece of parchment was a sonic screwdriver. It was visibly similar to the one carried by the Doctor’s tenth incarnation, but was gold and gray and was a bit more beat up and aged.

“I don’t remember that one,” Martha remarked.

“Neither do I,” Sarah Jane agreed.

“It’s old,” he said, slowly picking it up.

“That much is obvious,” Martha pointed at the wear and discoloration of the metal.

“Impossibly old,” he added, running his hand over the surface of the screwdriver.

“Isn’t it your screwdriver?” Sarah Jane asked.

“Theoretically,” he jerked his head slightly. “It’s a long story. And one we don’t have time for,” the Doctor said, pocketing the screwdriver.

At that moment, April reentered the console room, carrying the Light Shard in hand. The object glowed warmly in her hands. Returning to the main platform, they gathered around the console, staring at the stone.

“It’s beautiful,” Martha awed.

“Yes. It’s very beautiful,” the Doctor nodded quickly. “But we don’t have time for this. Time is running out, and we need to stop the Darkness before it destroys everything.”

“Where to, then?” April asked.

“We need a high vantage point for the plan to work. Therefore we need to go to the tallest building in London,” the Doctor leaned on the console.

“The Shard?” Martha guessed.

“Precisely,” he affirmed.

“What the hell is ‘the Shard?’” April was confused.

“The tallest building in London and the United Kingdom,” Sarah Jane explained.

“Ah,” she stepped back.

“When we get to the top of the skyscraper, I will use the power amplifier to amplify the power of the Light Shard and destroy the Darkness.”

“Sounds simple,” April remarked.

“It does,” he nodded.

“But it’s not, is it?” Martha leaned on the console.

“Of course not. We’re dealing with the embodiment of darkness in the universe. It’s going to be difficult, but it must be done. For the sake of humanity.”

“Then you we shouldn’t stall any longer,” Sarah Jane said.

The Doctor’s mouth twitched before he moved to the console and entered coordinates into the controls. Taking the lever in hand, he slammed it down, and the ship shuddered and began dematerializing into the time vortex. The gathered around the console, watching the Doctor pilot the ship.

They were in the endgame now.

At the Tower of London, U.N.I.T. officers ran up and down the corridors and through the command center. The power had been restored, and emergency lights flashed on and off around them. They were under attack, and it was chaos all over the base. Soldiers ran on their way out to defend the city from the Darkness.

Clara, Jack, Gwen, and Mickey were gathered around the main terminal. They were using U.N.I.T.’s systems to analyze the broadcast and trace it to Olivia’s location. Already, they had begun decrypting the transmission, but it was taking longer than anticipated, and longer than they had time for. Jack was working furiously at the controls, but they were having no effect on the sped of the process.

Gwen was growing frustrated. “Why is this taking so long?”

“She must have used a device she stole from the Black Archive to scramble the signal,” Jack speculated. “Also how she hijacked every frequency across the planet.”

“What device could she have used?” Mickey asked.

“Impossible to tell without knowing what she all took,” he replied.

“Could this help?” Clara held up the sonic screwdriver.

“The Doctor said to use it to help speed up U.N.I.T.’s systems, so let’s give it a shot,” Jack turned to her.

Clara nodded. Stepping in front of the terminal, she aimed the sonic screwdriver at it. She thought about detecting the frequency, and focused on that thought. Taking a deep breath, she activated the device. The terminal exploded with sparks before information began pouring onto the screen. It was moving too fast to read, but Clara continued using the screwdriver on it. It was strange, and impossible, but she felt that she could feel it working.

A second later, the scrolling information stopped, showing what appeared to be coordinates. Lowering the sonic, Clara and the others stepped closer to see the coordinates.

“That’s right here in London,” Gwen said.

“Yeah, and I know where it is,” Jack stepped away. “Let’s get going.”

He then walked across the room to where Walsh was standing in front of a number of monitors. They followed. She was watching various feeds of soldiers traveling out into the city, news broadcasts, and statistics. The colonel turned to him as he approached.

“Captain.”

“Ma’am,” he nodded.

“What do you have for me?” Walsh asked.

“We’ve located Olivia’s base of operations,” Jack replied. “We need reinforcements to accompany us.”

“We’re stretched pretty thin here,” she said, glancing at the monitors. “But rescuing Kate and Osgood and capturing Olivia are immensely important. I’ll get you the soldiers you need.”

“Thank you, Beth,” he smiled.

“Don’t call me that,” she said sternly, but the edges of her mouth twitched.

He saluted with his fingers and spun on his heel. Together, the four of them rushed out of the command center.

In the streets of London, civilians ran through the streets as the Darkness loomed in the sky. They didn’t know what they were running from, but their most primal instincts were triggered, and all they knew was that they had to run. It was the primal instinct to run from the dark.

The U.N.I.T. vehicles sped down the streets. Skidding to a halt, three of them were barely stopped before soldiers poured out. Acting quickly, they began shepherding the civilians into the surrounding buildings for safety. Once the civilians were safe, they then spread out and took position, looking to the sky. They did not know what to expect, but they were determined to be ready for anything.

The captain stepped forward and looked into the black void. He felt empty staring into it, like there was nothing there at all.

Pulling out his radio, he turned it on.

“Colonel Walsh,” he said.

“Captain Andrews,” her voice crackled on the other end. “What’s the situation?”

“It’s just sitting there,” Andrews replied. “It’s not doing anything.”

“Keep watching it,” Walsh ordered. “The Doctor’s working on it, but we need to make sure the citizens are safe.”

“On it, ma’am,” he nodded. “We’ll be here if anything happ-.”

Suddenly, there was a rumbling as the Darkness convulsed before a stream of shadows rushed down on them like rain. It hit the ground and flowed outwards in a tidal wave. The soldiers men cried in surprise as they were quickly consumed. Captain Andrews watched the wave coming towards him and stared into the abyss.

“Oh my god,” Andrews said before he was covered in shadow.

“''Captain Andrews? What’s going on?''” her voice buzzed.

A second later the street was filled the sounds of the men screaming from the darkness. Their screams howled through the city before dying out completely. The Darkness lingered in the street for a moment before it retreated back into the sky. The soldiers were still in the street, but they stood slouched over. They remained this way for several moments, before they abruptly lurched upright. Their skin was pale and their eyes were pitch black.

Captain Andrews, who was just the same as his soldiers, still had the radio in his hand. It buzzed as Walsh tried to get in contact with the Captain. His dead eyes looked down on it before he threw it to the ground and smashed it underneath his booted foot. Turning around, he looked at the other soldiers. Their heads hung limply on their shoulders.

“You are mine now,” the Darkness boomed.

Marching forward, the soldiers moved down the street and into the city, weapons at the ready.

Elsewhere in the city, the groaning of the TARDIS fading into existence filled the air before the blue box appeared. A moment later the door opened and the Doctor, April, Martha, and Sarah Jane emerged from the box. They looked around at their new surroundings.

“Where’s the Shard?” April ran a hand through her hair.

“Over there,” Sarah Jane pointed to the tall building, which appeared to be a few blocks away from where they were.

“Why’d we land so far away from it?” Martha asked.

“The Darkness must be generating enough spacial disturbance to throw the TARDIS off course,” the Doctor scanned with his new sonic screwdriver. “We’re going to have to do some walking.”

“Or running,” Martha said, looking down the street.

Following her gaze, she saw a number of U.N.I.T. soldiers approaching them. At first, the others were relieved, but then they saw what made Martha uneasy, and it did the same to them. Their skin was pale and their eyes were black. Their movements were unnatural, disjointed. They moved slowly towards them.

The Doctor was about to scan them when the booming voice of the Darkness filled the air.

“'Doctor. I have found you,'” they said, with a tone like glee in their voice.

Sighing, the Time Lord looked to the sky.

“Yes. It’s me. You’ve found me.”

“And now you are mine.”

“Am I?” he raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think so.”

“'There is no escape. This is the end for you,'” the Darkness replied. “'My soldiers are closing in. You are surrounded. They will kill your associates and then I will kill you.'”

“Well, it’s going to take you a while to kill me,” the Doctor said. “I’ve got a bit of a… stubborn trait.”

“I am well aware of the Time Lord ability of regeneration,” they answered. “It will not save you from the dark.”

“Do you really want to test that?” he retorted.

The Darkness paused for a moment before responding. “No.”

The soldiers continued moving down the street. Turning around, they were about to run the opposite way when they saw more soldiers approaching from the other way. The Doctor looked around, his eyes darting between the two forces for a way out, but there were none. The four of them stood back-to-back, staring at the aggressors.

“What are we going to do?” April asked, grabbing the Doctor’s hand.

He didn’t have an answer. It was just as the Darkness had said: they were surrounded.

Elsewhere, Olivia was pacing in the warehouse. Below, her soldiers were readying to roll out into the city to protect the people from the Darkness. She was thinking about her plan for finding the Doctor and punishing him for bringing this threat to Earth. Her heart was racing and she was shaking slightly. Her brow was glistening with sweat.

“Olivia,” Kate said, leaning forward in her chair. “You cannot do this. The Darkness will slaughter you.”

“We have to protect the people,” she said. “And the Doctor must face the consequences of his actions. He must die.”

“How many times do we have to explain this?” Kate was growing exasperated. “This is not the Doctor’s fault. He’s trying to save us!”

“That is what is always said, but I know for a fact that he is responsible.”

“Why do you hate the Doctor so much?” Kate asked. “What happened to you?”

She looked at her for a long moment before sighing. “My family was killed in the Battle of Canary Wharf. My parents were taken by the Cybermen. My brother and I managed to get away, but A few blocks later he was exterminated by a Dalek. I alone survived, an orphan on the streets. After the Dalek invasion, I pledged to destroy all alien life, and find those responsible for those invasions. I amassed forces, followers who shared a common vision, and we will not stop until the Doctor is dead.”

“Well, it looks like some of your followers are throwing in the towel,” Kate said, looking down to the lower level.

Turning, Olivia saw that her soldiers were packing up and moving towards the doorway. They weren’t preparing to fight, but preparing to leave. Her eyes flashing, she grabbed the laser screwdriver which had been sitting on the table and marched down the stairs towards them. Reaching the bottom, she quickly stepped in front of them.

“Where the hell are you going?”

“Look, Olivia,” one of the soldiers stepped forward. “This is more than any of us signed up for. We have to go home to our families.”

“No, you must fight for your families! This is our entire purpose!”

“If that thing is what they say it is,” he pointed to Kate and Osgood, “then we have no chance of defeating it. I’m sorry, but we have to run.”

He looked at her for a long moment before he moved past her and walked towards the doors. Others followed him. Shaking with rage, she held up the laser screwdriver and activated it. A beam of red energy shot from it and hit the first man in the back. He screamed in pain as his body lit up before he fell to the ground. The others turned in surprise as she shot them also. Spinning, she shot more of her soldiers, and more, and more…

Moments later, as the last of their screams died out, Olivia stood amongst the smoking bodies of her soldiers. She was breathing heavy, rattling breaths. Kate and Osgood stared in shock at her, eyes wide.

After a few more moments, Olivia ran a hand through her hair and looked up to her two captives.

“I will kill the Doctor, if it’s the last thing I do,” she said, shaking.

The convoy of SUVs and U.N.I.T. vehicles sped down the street. Inside the lead SUV, Clara, Jack, Gwen, and Mickey readied for their raid of Olivia’s headquarters. Jack, Gwen, and Mickey all had weapons ready, while Clara held the sonic screwdriver in hand. She could use a gun – she wasn’t afraid of that – she just preferred to not use them. That was something that she and the Doctor agreed on.

As they drove, Jack looked back from the front seat at her.

“Do you have a gun?” he asked.

“Nope.”

“…Do you want a gun?”

“Nope.”

He was confused. “You know we’re going against an elite strike force that wiped out U.N.I.T., right?”

“I don’t like guns,” she shrugged.

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Gwen looked at her.

Clara sighed. “Unless it’s a stunner, I guess,” she shrugged.

Jack held out a weapon. “Alright.”

Taking it, she turned it over in her hand. Clara saw that it was indeed one of the stunners. She was taken aback by how quickly he was ready to give her a weapon, but she figured it was probably better to have a weapon than to go in empty-handed.

“Anyway, we’re going to need all the help we can get. We’re running a skeleton crew here.”

“Here’s to hoping they don’t massacre us,” Ckara quipped nervously.

“Well, I’m immortal, so I’ll be fine,” Jack replied.

“You’re what?” Clara exclaimed.

He chuckled. “Funny stor-.”

“Hey Jack,” Gwen was looking out the window as another U.N.I.T. vehicle came up beside them. They swerved as they drove. “What’s that?”

Squinting, he looked into the car and saw that the front passengers were both pale-skinned and black-eyed. The driver rolled down his window. “Gwen. Get your gun ready.”

A split second later the passenger opened fire. Bullets cut through the vehicle and they ducked they whizzed over their heads. Glass and debris fell on them. The driver was unable to dodge the attack, being struck repeatedly. Blood splattered over the front of the SUV as his body went limp and the vehicle began to swerve.

“Jack! Take the wheel!” Gwen said, sitting up and opening fire on the vehicle.

Mickey joined her, using his assault rifle to spray the vehicle. Clara continued ducking as they fired. Jack lunged over and grabbed the wheel just as they were about to hit the curb. Shifting the driver’s body out of the way, he switched with the body. Taking control of the vehicle, he ducked under a new spray of bullets.

Suddenly, Gwen hit the passenger between the eyes, killing him instantly. A second later, Mickey hit the driver, and they immediately lost control of the vehicle. The car swerved to the right and ran off the road. It crashed into a building and exploded.

Pulling themselves up, they looked back at the burning wreckage of the ship. They were breathing heavily. They brushed the glass and other debris off of themselves. Clara wiped the hair out of her face.

“What was that?” Mickey asked.

“Those were U.N.I.T. soldiers,” Gwen replied. “But they were strange.”

“Do you think it’s possible that the Darkness did something to them?” Clara questioned. “Like possessed them or something?”

A moment later, the radio on the dashboard buzzed. The voice of a woman came crackling through it.

“''Captain! This is Sargent Adams. What was that? Are you okay?''”

Jack looked over to it and picked it up.

“I don’t know. They were U.N.I.T. soldiers, but possessed. They killed Lieutenant Reynolds, but the rest of us are okay,” he said.

“''Do you want to abort the mission? Report back to Colonel Walsh?''”

He shook his head. “No. Radio Elizabeth, but the mission is too important to stop now.”

She paused for a moment before responding. “Yes sir.”

“Thanks Sargent. I’ll see you there,” Jack smiled and returned the radio.

“Why are you smiling?” Mickey asked.

“Sounded like a cute girl.”

“Let’s just get to the warehouse and rescue our people,” Gwen groaned.

Jack nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

Clara leaned over to Gwen. “Thanks for that. Does he really do that a lot?” she whispered.

“You have no idea,” she replied.

At the Tower of London Walsh standing in the command center in front of the monitors. Prime Minster Austin and President Garcia Morales were on the screens. She had regained contact with them and explained the situation. She explained what the Darkness was and how the Doctor and his companions had split up to handle their dual crises. Walsh had also informed them she had lost contact with a number of the soldiers they had sent out into the city.

“Any word on the Doctor?” Alexandria asked.

“No, ma’am,” Walsh shook her head. “But I’ve heard that’s typical of him.”

She chuckled. “I suppose that’s true.”

“What about Olivia Angstrom’s whereabouts and where she’s holding Kate and Osgood?” Lewis inquired.

“Captain Jack Harkness is leading a team to where we believe her base of operations is located. She will be arrested and brought to justice.”

“Good. That broadcast has put international security in jeopardy. If we weren’t under threat of extraterrestrial incursion, there’d be rioting in the streets. The people will want to know what is going on,” the Prime Minister said. “She must be apprehended.”

“And we intend to do so, Prime Minister,” she nodded. “I’m well aware of the consequences of her actions. But discrediting her will need to come after the present crisis is over.”

“Understandable,” he agreed.

At that moment Walsh’s radio buzzed on the table next to her. She turned to it as a woman’s voice came crackling through.

“''Colonel Walsh. This is Sargent Patricia Adams. Come in, over.''”

Grabbing it, Walsh turned away from the screens and answered. “This is Walsh. What is it?”

“''Ma’am. Our convoy was just attacked by a group of U.N.I.T. soldiers. One officer is dead.''”

“What? Why did they attack?”

“''We believe they may have been possessed by the Darkness. They are dead but there are undoubtedly more out there.''”

“More-?” she said when Josh Carter ran into the room. He was panting heavily.

“Colonel. We have a situation developing outside the tower. We need you, now.”

She looked at him with confusion. “What is it?”

“We’re under attack. From U.N.I.T. soldiers.” he replied.

Her face became stony. She pressed the button on the radio. “Sargent. They’re here.”

Dropping the radio, and ignoring Adams’s response, she turned to the world leaders, who were looking on in shock.

“I have to go.”

“Is there any aid we can provide?” Alexandria stepped forward.

“No. Any aid goes to the people. Plus, you won’t get here in time. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go.”

“Go. Protect yourselves,” the President said.

“Good luck,” the Prime Minster added.

Nodding, Walsh pressed a button on a console and both feeds went dead. She then grabbed a pistol off the table and cocked it.

“Lead the way, Captain.”

He nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

Together, the two of them ran out of the control room.

The possessed soldiers were surrounding the Doctor, April, Martha, and Sarah Jane. They had their weapons aimed at them and were staring with their black eyes. The Darkness hung above them, seemingly ready to strike.

“At long last, Doctor, you will finally die.”

“Have I really been that much of a nuisance to you?” the Doctor looked into the darkness.

“'Ever since you learned of me, you have been searching the universe looking for ways to destroy me. You have not succeeded, and you cannot be allowed to continue.'”

“So you’re saying there is a way to kill you?” he inquired.

“That is irrelevant,” the Darkness boomed in reply. “Soon, you will be dead, and I can finally fulfill my destiny and conquer this universe.”

“Please,” the Doctor was growing desperate, “you don’t have to do this.”

“'Yes. I do. Only one of us can live forever.'”

The soldiers moved closer to them. Fingers around the triggers, they were ready to fire. They were out of time and options. The Doctor looked around at the soldiers with wide eyes. Suddenly, he realized what he had in his pocket. Reaching into it, he produced the Light Shard. Turning it in hand, it began to glow. Holding it up, it suddenly exploded in a brilliant blast of light. It consumed them all, and there was a demonic screaming as the Darkness recoiled from the light. The soldiers cried before their screams died out.

From the glare, the Doctor, April, Martha, and Sarah Jane emerged. They ran down the street as the light faded. Behind them, the soldiers laid on the ground, dead, but restored to their original appearance. Above them, the Darkness had faded, but quickly regrew. It roared in anger as the Doctor and his companions fled. More soldier rolled onto the street and saw them running away. Immediately, they gave chase.

“DOCTOR!”

They rounded a corner and kept running. The new soldiers opened fire on them, and they ducked as bullets whizzed by. They were growing dangerously close, so close that Martha felt one whiz past her head. More soldiers had joined their comrades, and were somehow eliminating the gap between them and the Doctor and his companions.

Suddenly, April screamed in pain as bullet struck her in the back. Her body convulsed before she felt on her face on the ground. The others skidded to a halt and looked in shock at her lying on the ground. The soldiers were pressing forward towards them. Martha and Sarah Jane went to help her while the Doctor held the Light Shard again. Activating it, he unleashed a powerful blast of light. The Darkness screamed as the light consumed their forces.

“Come on!” he said, running over to the women as the glare hung in the air. “Is she okay? We don’t have much time before more come.”

“She’s been hit in the lower back,” Martha said. “We’re going to have to carry her.”

“Right!” he nodded. “We have to move!”

Together, the three of them helped April to her feet. She groaned in pain, but bit her lip to stifle it. Quickly, they limped away from the scene just as the light faded and the Darkness returned.

“'Doctor? Where are you? Where are you, Doctor?'”

The four of them turned down an alleyway. Setting April down, Martha knelt down beside her, pulled up her shirt and began tending to her wound. She groaned in pain as Martha worked. The Doctor looked out into the street before returning to his companion.

“Are you okay, April?” he asked.

She coughed. Wiping her mouth, she found that there was blood on her hand. “Just fine.”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small silver device. He handed it to Martha.

“This will help with the bleeding until we can get her proper help,” he said. “It’ll get the bullet out, but the internal damage will need more.”

Taking it, Martha looked it over and pressed a button. It began glowing in her hand. Holding to April’s wound, the bullet immediately came out. Slowly, the bleeding started to stop. April sighed in slight relief, but was still in visible pain. Martha nodded to the Doctor, but worry still filled her face. Sarah Jane stepped up to the Doctor.

“We can’t stay here, but April can’t move. The Darkness needs to be stopped,” she said. “What are we going to do?”

“I need to get the Shard, but I can’t leave April and Martha here,” he ran a hand over his face. “There’s too many variables. We can’t get back to the TARDIS. We need something else.”

Sarah Jane’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Oh! I have an idea.”

Reaching into her pocket, she produced what appeared to be lipstick. Taking off the lid, she revealed that it had a small red emitter. Pressing a button, it ignited and hummed like the sonic screwdriver. Holding it to her mouth like a microphone, she spoke into it.

“K9! Out you come!”

For a moment nothing happened before they heard the low whirl of energy before there was a flash of light. The small metal form of K9 appeared in the alleyway with them. His ears wiggled as he rolled towards his master and mistress. The two women on the ground looked at him with confusion, but the Doctor’s face lit up. Kneeling down, he rubbed K9’s head.

“Hello, old dog,” he chuckled.

“Affirmative, master>” K9 replied.

He smiled. “Good dog.”

“You summoned me, mistress>” he asked, turning to Sarah Jane.

“Yes,” she knelt down. “I need you to protect April and Martha until the Doctor and I get back. Can you do that?”

“Affirmative, mistress>” K9 nodded his head.

“Good dog,” she echoed the Doctor.

Both of them stood up. The Doctor turned to April and Martha.

“You’re going to stay here and K9 will protect you. He’s an old friend. A very old friend. A very, very old friend, so you’ll be fine.”

“What about you?” Martha asked.

“I’m going to stop the Darkness,” he replied.

“By yourself?” April sat up, but quickly fell back in pain.

“No,” Sarah Jane stepped forward. “I’m going with him.”

“I don’t need you to come with me,” the Doctor turned towards her. “It’s too dangerous for anyone but me.”

“That’s why I’m coming,” she smiled. “You always need backup, Doctor.”

“Take her, Doctor,” Martha nodded.

“Yeah,” April said weakly.

He sighed. He checked his sonic screwdriver, the power amplifier, and the Light Shard and returned them to his pocket. Finally, he nodded.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

He looked to April and Martha. “Be safe,” he smiled, glancing at K9. Taking her hand, he and Sarah Jane ran out into the street and towards the Shard as the Darkness continued to stir above them.

The convoy rolled up to Olivia’s warehouse. Quickly, they spilled out and readied their weapons. The warehouse was large, but there was no sign of life anywhere around them. They were tense, ready for an ambush. Clara had her stunner and sonic screwdriver in hand.

“Alright,” Jack said. “We’re going to move quickly and as one. We have to kill them before they kill us. Understand?”

“Yes sir!” rang the chorus.

As one, the U.N.I.T. operatives moved forward towards the warehouse. Still not sign of their adversaries. Reaching the door, Jack grabbed it and nodded to Gwen. She returned, and readying his rifle, Jack pulled it open and Gwen slipped through, followed by Jack, Mickey, Sargent Adams, and the rest of the U.N.I.T. soldiers. Clara took up the rear, weapon and sonic screwdriver ready.

It didn’t take long after they entered the warehouse to see the bodies littering the ground. Dozens and dozens of bodies lay on the ground around tables with dozens of alien artifacts on them. Checking one of the bodies, Jack raised an eyebrow. There was something about the burn marks on their bodies that seemed familiar to him.

“Hang on,” he said. “I know this burn-.”

“Jack!” Gwen exclaimed as two figures appeared from the darkness.

Getting up, they saw Olivia standing with Osgood by a set of stairs. She was holding Osgood by her ponytail and had the Master’s laser screwdriver pressed against her cheek. Her hair was messy and her eyes wide. She was unraveling.

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” she said.

“Olivia. Put the screwdriver and let Osgood go,” Jack slowly stepped towards her.

“I already killed one of them,” Olivia replied, tugging on her hostage’s hair. “Why not get rid of these fangirls for good?”

Osgood struggled, Olivia quickly restrained her again. Despite Olivia being several inches shorter than Osgood, she was clearly in control.

“I’m leaving this damn city for good. Everyone else was going to abandon it,” she glanced at the bodies on the ground, “why can’t I? I’ll kill the Doctor one day, but maybe that monster in the sky will do it for me first.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Mickey adjusted his grip.

Olivia held up her wrist and revealed the vortex manipulator on her arm. Jack’s eyes lit up as he saw it.

“Oh wow. It’s been a while since I saw that,” he said. “I’m going to take that back.”

“No. You won’t,” Olivia said, letting go of Osgood but stepping back pointing the laser screwdriver at her back. Reaching over with her now free hand, she began pressing buttons of the manipulator. The U.N.I.T. soldiers quickly spread out, but Olivia corrected her aim.

“NO! I am leaving, and there’s nothing you can do!”

Pressing a final button, she began to shimmer with energy. She was about to teleport away, and they only had a split second to react. Clara, however, remembered how the Ninth Doctor prevented Iann teleporting away in Dallas with his sonic screwdriver. She aimed her sonic screwdriver at the vortex manipulator and activated it. The manipulator suddenly exploded in a spray of sparks, and Olivia was thrown backwards by the shockwave. She crashed to the ground, dazed.

She U.N.I.T. soldiers quickly rushed her and restrained her, tying a zip tie around her hands. She struggled, but was too disoriented to put up a fight. Jack came over and grabbed the vortex manipulator off her arm while Osgood ran to Clara and hugged her. Jack dusted off the manipulator and looked to Clara.

“Great work, miss Oswald.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t do that again, though,” he added. “This is very valuable.”

There was a beat before a new voice echoed through the warehouse. They immediately recognized it as Kate Stewart’s voice.

“Hey! Are you going to help me out?”

Looking up the stairs, they saw Kate tied to chair. Quickly ascending, they ran over to her and cut her loose. As they did, Jack knelt down beside her.

“How are you doing, Kate?” he asked. “Are you okay?”

“Going to be a lot better throwing that little bitch in prison,” she rubbed her wrists, looking down as Olivia was dragged kicking and screaming from the warehouse by the soldiers. “That sight makes feel better, though.”

Standing up, she dusted herself off. They gathered in a circle as Kate placed her hands on her hips.

“So what’s going on? Where’s the Doctor? Trying to defeat the Darkness, I guess?”

“He took April, Martha, and Sarah Jane to figure that out,” Clara said. “I don’t know where they are now.”

“Sarah Jane Smith? Interesting,” Kate seemed for a moment excited, but recomposed herself. “Anyway, we need to find the Doctor and give him as much aid as he needs. Clara, can you try and ascertain his whereabouts?”

“I guess I can call April-,” Clara moved to pull out her phone when it began buzzing. Picking it up, she saw that it was April. She took the call and out it on speakerphone.

“April? I was just about to call you-.”

“''It’s not April. It’s Martha,''” her voice came on the other end. “April’s been shot and the Doctor and Sarah Jane left to face the Darkness at the Shard.”

They all gasped.

“Oh my god? Is April-?” Clara’s voice cracked.

“She’s alive, but we’re going to need an extraction, now.”

“Doctor Jones. Kate Stewart here. Give me your location and I’ll get April help and aid to the Doctor,” Kate said.

“''Kate? Glad to hear your voice. We’re in an alleyway a few blocks from he Shard. I’ll try to text you the coordinates from my phone. Send the Doctor as much aid as you can spare. He’ll need it.''”

“On it. Thank you, Doctor Jones,” Kate said.

Clara hung up the phone. Kate stepped to the center of the assembly.

“We need to act quickly. Time is of the essence. April is injured, and the Doctor is facing the Darkness. The Earth is in danger, and it is our job to protect. Time to roll out.”

“Yes ma’am!” they all said in unison.

As one, the U.N.I.T. officers descended the stairs and ran out through the doorway.

The Doctor and Sarah Jane reached the Shard. The doors were locked. Using the sonic screwdriver, the Doctor unlocked the glass doors. They clicked open and they slipped through. Inside, they looked around for the elevator. Spotting across the lobby, they ran over to it. Pressing the button, they waited for it to open.

“So is the plan still the same?” Sarah Jane asked.

“As far as I know,” he replied.

“Just like old times, then?” she smiled at him.

“Just like old times,” he nodded.

The two looked at each other for a moment before they heard engines outside the building. Turning, they saw U.N.I.T. vehicles pulling up to it. The possessed soldiers emerged and began approaching the door. Producing the sonic lipstick, Sarah Jane turned to the Doctor.

“I’ll take care of it. Get to the Darkness.”

“What if they get through? They’ll slaughter you!”

“I’ll figure that part out when it happens. But I can hold the door while you destroy the Darkness. They’ll die without the dark, right?”

“Theoretically,” he said. “But I’m not risking your safety.”

“I’m a grown woman, Doctor,” she gave a half smile. “I can make my own decisions.”

The two looked at each other for another long moment before the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Sighing, the Doctor nodded.

“Be safe.”

“You too.”

Turning, she ran off towards the doors as the soldiers approached. He stepped inside the elevator as she locked the entrance with her sonic device. She smiled at him as the doors slid closed and he began ascending towards the top of the building. He checked the amplifier and Light Shard again before staring at the screen as the floor numbers increased rapidly.

Minutes later, the elevator bell dinged and the doors slide open. Slowly, he stepped out and looked around. It was abandoned. He could see the city spread out around him through the windows, extending forever. The Darkness hung in the sky still, submerging the floor in darkness.

Exploring, he found the stairs to the roof, and taking a deep breath, ascending. Reaching the door, he unlocked it with the sonic screwdriver and stepped through onto the roof. Wind whipped his face and rustled his clothes as he walked to the center of the roof.

The Darkness hovered the sky above the building. He felt a foreboding, like he was surrounded by the void. He pulled out the power amplifier and the Light Shard.

“'Doctor. I was not expecting you to offer yourself like this,'” the Darkness boomed. The Doctor’s ears stung slightly.

“Yeah, I couldn’t resist.”

“'You offer yourself up as a willing sacrifice. Why?'” they asked.

“I am not a sacrifice,” he held up the Light Shard. “I am here to destroy you. Once and for all.”

“That Shard,” they said. “How did you get that?”

“What do you know about it?”

“'It is a piece of the First Stone. The Light Shard is one of six pieces of the ancient relic.'”

“The First Stone? Six pieces?” the Doctor looked at the stone. “Tell me everything. You’re going to kill me anyway.”

“'The First Stone is an object of untold magical power. It has existed since the Dark Times. It is capable of controlling the whole universe. All of reality. It was considered too powerful by the ancients and split into six pieces containing its six main powers: time, gravity, matter, space, light, and darkness. They scattered the shards across time and space, and they will only be reassembled when its destiny is at hand.'”

“And when is its destiny at hand?”

“'When the universe ends and will begin anew. When everything wrong will be made right.'”

“I didn’t know you could be so poetic,” he said. “I have three of the shards so far, and if I find the others, does that mean the end is at hand?”

“'When the six shards are reunited into the First Stone, then the end will be at hand, and the universe will be reborn. But only when the six shards are found.'”

“Then I guess I should start looking for the other three so no one who wants the universe destroyed finds them and destroy the shards.”

“Unfortunately, you will never find all six shards,” the Darkness grew around him. Everything was dark now. “'Because you will be dead within moments. And with you gone, I will destroy the Earth, and then move on to conquer the rest of the universe.'”

The Darkness gathered, ready to strike. The Doctor, realizing this, quickly tried to ready his tools, but a split second later the Darkness descended and consumed him in black. He felt as if he were submerged in water, being dragged under the waves and forced towards the depths. He struggled, but there was no escaping the shadows.

Moments later, he was on his feet again, but he was standing in total blackness. The amplifier and Light Shard were gone, and he had no idea where he was. He couldn’t tell which way was up, and which was down. Strange noises echoed around him.

The Darkness’s voice then echoed through the void.

“Wait… something’s wrong… something’s not right…”

There was a sudden burst of light to the Doctor’s left. It was brighter than anything he had ever seen, burning his eyes. But he knew what it was.

“There you are.”

Running forward, he made his way through the darkness towards the light. It grew bright as he approached, shining like the sun. Reaching out, his hand wrapped around the Light Shard. As soon as he touched it, it exploded in a light so great, that it broke through the darkness and shone out across the city, growing brighter, and brighter, and brighter as the light covered the whole city, shining around for miles to be seen.

As April slowly awoke from her sleep, she realized that she wasn’t in the alleyway anymore. Instead, she was in a hospital room, and she wasn’t alone. Clara, Martha, Jack, Gwen, Osgood, Mickey, and Sarah Jane were with her. They all looked up at her as she awoke. She was disoriented and confused. She couldn’t remember anything past the Doctor leaving and giving Martha her phone.

“What… what happened?” she asked.

“You were shot, but you’re okay now,” Clara replied, smiling.

“That explains the sharp pain in my back,” she winced.

“You’ll be fine,” Martha said. “It was close, but you’re going to be able to walk again.”

“Awesome,” she said sarcastically.

“Anyway,” Clara began explaining, “we saved Kate and Osgood. Olivia is in prison in Geneva awaiting trial by the United Nations. The Darkness has been destroyed, and the Earth is safe.”

April smiled before she noticed that something was very wrong. “Hang on,” she looked around the room. “Where’s the Doctor?”

Silence filled the room. They all looked at each other uneasily.

“We… don’t know,” Jack said. “He went to the top of the Shard and destroyed the Darkness, but we don’t know where he went after that. The TARDIS is still here, but he’s gone.”

“We have to find him!” April tried to sit up, but fell back in pain again.

“And that’s what we’re going to do,” Clara grabbed April’s hand. “As soon as you’re recovered. We’re going to find the Doctor, and we’re going to bring him home.”

Across space, on a planet covered in snow and ice, a blizzard raged. The wind howled and the snow blew through the air sharply. The sky was dark with clouds, and stars twinkled through breaks in the vapor.

In the snow, below a cliff face, the figure of a man laid unconsciously. One his right side in the snow was a glowing white stone shard, and on his left was a black shard.

As the Doctor laid there, his eyes suddenly opened.

Characters

 * Twelfth Doctor
 * Clara Oswald
 * April Leigh-Morgan
 * Kate Stewart
 * Petronella Osgood
 * Jack Harkness
 * Gwen Cooper
 * Martha Jones
 * Mickey Smith
 * Olivia Angstrom
 * Elizabeth Walsh
 * Alexandra Garcia Morales
 * Lewis Austin
 * Josh Carter
 * Sargent Patricia Adams
 * Captain Andrews
 * K9
 * U.N.I.T.
 * The Darkness

Trivia

 * Darkness and Light feature the return of many characters that were prevalent in the Russell T Davies era of Doctor Who.
 * This episode features the largest cast of characters of any episode.