CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

 It was time to reveal their secret weapon, even though everyone kind of already knew about the Time Lord and his friend’s last hope of saving the Universe. Anna Bailey ran across the TARDIS control room and scooped up the shimmering time key in her hands; nervous that it was going to jump out of her hands like a jittery kitten its form constantly rearranging. There was no denying it was sentient and did not belong to anyone and yet Anna sensed that it wanted to remain with them in the TARDIS though Anna had seen how the key had corrupted the shadow armies in the museum. The Doctor had entrusted her with the time key and disposing of it because next to himself he knew she would be the least corruptible.  Anna’s heart was pounding with excoriating nerves though also excitement, everyone watching her as she stood on the threshold of the TARDIS door. Now she had to concentrate and get the right level of velocity which the Doctor had demonstrated earlier because her sporting exploits had been a few years ago… Anna peered down and saw the Doctor awaiting her, balancing somewhat alarmingly on the edge of the precipice with trusting, open hands; she glanced over at Adam who smiled giving her all the encouragement she needed.

 “Stop her she has the time key! Bring it to me!” Raynor yelled frantically every fibre of his being aching to possess this powerful weapon.

 The ancient ones dived into action heading straight towards the TARDIS but Adam Tallis was ready for them, his gun already firing at the hideous, shrieking creatures, with breath taking speed the trained soldier had already shot one, it plummeted falling hundreds of feet down.

 “Now Anna!”

 Adam shouted over his shoulder whilst firing at the remaining creature which was coming in for another attempt. It was a brief window of opportunity as Anna swung her shoulder back and released the time key like a catapult from her hand; she held her breath as it flew down, hoping the time key didn’t get caught up in the storm. It felt like an eternity, the seconds counting down, for a moment Anna thought it was going wide but with Ida’s arm supporting the Doctor around the waist, the Time Lord managed to stretch out and catch the time key. Anna’s heart began to beat again as she exhaled with relief giving the Doctor the thumbs up. At the same time Adam shot the remaining ancient one before it even had a chance to reach the Doctor, though the shot wasn’t fatal as the creature clung onto the ledge with its claws, its weight threatening to break the remaining edge of the floor and take everyone down with it. Remembering how the creatures had hurt the woman he loved, Adam switched off his compassion and fired again, this time finishing the job as the last of the ancient ones fell pitifully down the jaw dropping chasm. Anna watched the monster sinking like a stone until she could only see a tiny speck of blue and then it was swallowed up in the darkness. For a moment she had a flashback to Ava, though the sadness didn’t last for long as Anna felt Adam’s arm around her, every part of him responding and knowing instinctively what she needed. Although he was somewhat perplexed as he asked rather sweetly.

 “Anna what’s rounder’s?”

 Anna smiled at him; she would never feel alone again. Raynor collapsed onto his knees, weak with despair after watching the last of his loyal creatures destroyed and now powerless as he watched the Doctor remove his bow tie and use it to bind the time key to the arrow.

 “Doctor…You’re going to use the time key to close the untempered schism and thereby put time back in its place and fix the Universe!” Ida exclaimed with excitement, finally working out what the Doctor had been up to all this time.

 The Doctor drew back the taut bow string, sweat beading his brow with a combination of nerves and effort, like Anna he was seriously out of practice.

 “Well that was always the plan…” The Doctor glared triumphantly at the broken Professor Raynor and then stared nervously down at the rapidly decreasing untempered schism, its watery light beginning to diminish. The Doctor glanced at his friends and though the Doctor had changed, Anna knew he simply wouldn’t be the same man if he didn’t have something witty to say. The Doctor always had the last word. “Dear Arthur Eddington would be proud…” The Doctor smiled to himself. “The arrow of time to set time back on course!” The Doctor stared down with steely determination though it was with infinite compassion that he uttered. “This one’s for Ivana.”

 Everyone watched as the arrow with the time key attached to it, left the bow and flew through the air a little wobbly at first but nevertheless heading straight for the untempered schism that was beginning to rapidly close up like a sleepy eye. Everyone except the Doctor looked on with shock as Professor Zan Raynor suddenly leapt from the ledge, his insanity at its height as he decided to go after the time key. At the last moment the deluded Verdopolitan, looked up wild eyed at the Doctor as though he’d just awoken from a bad dream but it was too late as he plummeted helplessly to his death, hundreds of feet to the foundations of the tower. The Doctor wrapped his arm around Ida but then everyone’s attention soon switched back to the arrow; relief flooded through the room when it finally landed inside the untempered schism, exactly on target, the medicine to cure the poorly Universe. Anna glanced down at the Doctor and raised an eyebrow with an expression on her face of “is that it?” an uneasy stillness had settled in the decaying glass towers, the storm had receded but as the Doctor glanced up at Anna with a nervous smile on his face she should have known better really…There was a planet shattering bang and the Doctor yelled at everyone to shut their eyes as the room was momentarily flooded with blinding light as the closing untempered schism suddenly erupted open, almost stretching to the width of the floor everything that had happened was coming undone, all that time had to go back to where it belonged.

 “Doctor what’s happening?” Ida stammered anxiously, clinging desperately to the wall as the towers shook, not wanting to share the same fate as Raynor even though she somehow felt she deserved it, for in being Raynor’s assistant she was complicit in the Universe nearly ending.

 “The clock is being reset on the Universe…Normal service will shortly be resumed.” The Doctor smiled delighted, his sonic screwdriver taking a reading but then he gulped. “Actually I think it’s time we were leaving the glass towers of Verdopolis on account of the fact that in approximately a minute from now there won’t be very much left of them.”

 Though fortunately the Doctor’s companions knew what to do, a plan of hasty retreat had been organised as the pair of them raced across the control room where conveniently upon one of the control panels a winch had been erected in place, the kind that are used for helicopter cliff top rescues. The Doctor who had an eclectic collection of items stashed away always knew it would come in handy one day, Anna pressed the button and the rope uncoiled, Adam guiding it and then lowering the rope down until it reached the Doctor and Ida.

 “Come on my friend.” The Doctor held out his hand and smiled encouragingly. “Everyone deserves a second chance Ida.”

 With all of the team safely inside the blue box it was hugs all around but as the TARDIS began to violently shake while the closing untempered schism finished distributing time back in the Universe the Doctor dashed over to the control panel and with his usual dynamic flourish he set a course for a safe destination in the Arteyu galaxy away from the impact of the time explosion. The once majestic and imperial glass towers tumbled down, smoke from the debris rising up into the skies of Verdopolis, along with the explosion, time had finally caught up with the ancient towers. While the Doctor no doubt checked stabilizing entropic readings on the control panel, Adam moved over to the console and switched on the screen, still unable to believe that he had flown this brilliant time machine earlier today, even if the Doctor had helped him.

 “The Silva system…”

 Ida gasped; Anna had to admit that the Verdopolitan had taken her first trip inside the TARDIS pretty much in her stride. Ida pointed at the screen; the oval shape reminded Anna of a mirror from a fairy tale. In fact at this precise moment in time it wouldn’t have surprised Anna all that much to suddenly wake up and discover that this latest adventure with the Doctor had all been a wonderful dream… So many crazy things had happened today, though the most miraculous was that she was standing beside Adam Tallis. She closed her eyes and pinched her arm. The TARDIS engines still hummed quietly in the background so after a few seconds Anna opened them again and saw the Doctor smiling fondly at her, for all Anna knew the Doctor could read her mind as he simply shook his head as though answering her thoughts.

 “We did it, didn’t we Doctor… We saved the Universe?”

 Anna smiled and the Doctor was still smiling only this time he simply nodded. This was life with the Doctor, it didn’t get any better than this. But as Anna turned away and stood beside Adam to look at the Universe outside, reassuringly lit up with dazzling constellations and filled again with planets brimming with life the Doctor took a deep breath and closed his eyes with exhaustion; it had been a close one…

 “Look Sinda Callesta as its supposed to be, everything back to normal!”

 Ida exclaimed with joy, pointing out the familiar constellations to the couple. Anna had never been to this part of the Universe before, it really was a big old Universe out there; her only regret was that she hadn’t seen more with the Doctor. And though they had a time machine, Anna Bailey knew there would never be enough time.

 The phone rang in the TARDIS control room.

 “Oh I wonder who that could be…” The Doctor picked it up and the others waited on tenterhooks to find out. The Doctor put down the receiver slowly; solemnness crept into his features, for a moment Anna thought something terrible had happened. “That was Zalona on the line…” The Doctor lifted his downcast face; there was a twinkle in his playful eyes that told Anna he was teasing them. “And he wants to know if you would all like to come to…” The Doctor’s face broke out into a big smile as he did a little gleeful jump on the spot, clapping his hands together. “A party! A celebration of the Universe coming back to life.”

 “Zalona!” Anna screeched with girly excitement at the thought of seeing an old friend again. “And a party!”

 Adam laughed at the pair of them.

 “I know Bailey… A party with dancing and lots of cake. I haven’t been invited to one of those…For oh gosh, at least a millennia…To tell you the truth I usually gate crash…” The Doctor confided linking Ida’s arm in his. “Now to find an outfit…A fez that’s definitely what’s required for a special occasion.”

 “A fez?” Professor Ida Givanny mumbled in a daze as the Doctor lead her away to the TARDIS wardrobes.

 Alone at last Anna wrapped her arms around Adam’s waist and pulled him close to her and kissed him with so much force that she took his breath away. The pair of them had never felt so alive.

 “Come on lets go and find some outfits for the party! I wish I’d bought my camera.” Anna started running up the steps towards the rest of the TARDIS interiors.

 “You and the Doctor, you’re crazy the pair of you!” Adam laughed following her up the stairs, never wanting to let Anna Bailey out of his sight again but also partly because he didn’t want to get lost in the TARDIS corridors again…

 “You know that’s what Brian said…” Anna teasingly threw that comment over her shoulder, knowing full well Adam Tallis would be jealous and smiled. “Race you there!”

 “Brian… You mean Professor Brian?” Adam frowned and then leapt up the stairs, quickly catching Anna and then sweeping her off her feet as he carried her down the TARDIS corridors, knowing that the Doctor would utterly disapprove.