She walked around the console, and he followed her. “Tegan, listen to me. Whatever you think is happening, this isn’t real.”
She laughed softly. “That must be convenient.”
“What?”
“Whenever something hurts, call it unreal.”
The Doctor’s face hardened. “Who are you?”
“You know who I am.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
His voice echoed through the console room. Tegan stared at him, and then her expression softened. For a second, she looked almost sorry for him.
“You couldn’t save him.”
The Doctor said nothing.
“You knew what was going to happen.”
“No.”
“You did.”
“I didn’t.”
“You’re a Time Lord.”
“That doesn’t mean I know everything.”
“You always act as though you do.”
The Doctor turned away. “Enough.”
“Adric trusted you.”
“Enough.”
“He thought you’d save him.”
“Stop.”
“He waited for you.”
The Doctor slammed both hands against the console. “STOP!”
Silence.
The lights flickered. The Doctor breathed heavily and slowly looked back.
Tegan was gone.
He was alone.
The Doctor gripped the edge of the console and remained there for several seconds before something caught his attention.
The doors.
The main doors of the TARDIS.
There were two sets.
Side by side.
Identical.
The Doctor stared at them. “That is definitely wrong.”
Behind the left door came three slow knocks.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The Doctor looked at the right door. Nothing happened at first. Then a young man’s voice came from behind it, quiet and horribly familiar.
“Doctor?”
The Doctor went pale. “Adric?”
A pause.
“You left me.”
The Doctor took a step towards the door.
The cloister bell began to ring, deep and slow and impossible. Somewhere beneath it, almost too faint to hear, somebody laughed. The Doctor stopped. He knew that laugh.
Or thought he did.
Then both doors opened.
There was no space outside. No stars, no planet and no time vortex. There was only another white TARDIS corridor.
At its far end stood a boy.
Adric.
He looked exactly as he had on the day he died.
The Doctor couldn’t speak.
Adric looked at him and smiled.
“Are you coming?”
The lights went out.
TO BE CONTINUED...
7