The Master's Game (Doctor Who)

The end of time

"EX-TER-MI-NATE!"

The Dalek's scream came from nearby, followed by the familiar sound of their guns. Someone screamed, more silhouettes ran through the smoke of a burning war machine, then the sworn enemy of the Time Lords came in sight. It was only a single one, chasing after the fleeing people. All the dense smoke seemingly made it lose sight of them though and it turned around to search for a new target.

It found one, standing in the middle of a wide field, only strewn with debris and fire.

Too late Roka remembered the coat that made her visible. No time and no place to run for her. Hastily she reached inside the cloth and pressed the button to deactivate the cloak, begging to every god and devil in existence that the Dalek would forget her soon enough, while she slowly stepped closer to a pillar of black nauseating smoke.

It moved closer, not too fast, as if unsure whether or not it had found an actual target, but it's ocular never moved away from Roka.

She froze in place, tried not to move a muscle and steadied her breathing as much as ignoring the pungent stench of the smoke. The Dalek still came closer, it was only a few feet away now. Why didn't it shoot her? And if it had forgotten her, why did it still come closer? Roka could smell the hot metal, could feel the vibration the heavy machine creature caused in the air around. Her heartbeat rebelled, begged her to move. But she stayed where she was and finally closed her eyes when it stood right in front of her.

Moments later she heard it move away.

Gasping for air Roka opened her eyes and stared at the Dalek's back. Then she ran. Towards the nearby ruins of some houses and into their shadow.

This couldn't be! How in the universe had she ended up on Gallifrey? Roka shook her head and stared at the Vortex Manipulator at her wrist. It probably wasn't safe to use, after it had thrown her into this. But if not with that, how would she come back?

She made sure that there were no Daleks around, before she left her cover and wandered through the ruins of what probably used to be a city at one point. Everywhere around her rose the skeletons of buildings high into the sky, burned to black monstrosities, many still smoking and in flames. Here and there timelines collapsed and something flickered, reverted back to its unbroken state, only to crumble above Roka's head and snap back to normal before the debris could hit the ground. Sometimes there were people, running and screaming. Then they were gone, as if they had never been there in the first place.

Once she observed a scene of a soldier fighting a whole group of Daleks, decimating them with a big weapon. A moment later the scene flickered and the soldier had no gun and instead was running away and was shot dead. Seconds later he was alive again and shooting at the Daleks, then he was surrounded by three other soldiers and they won the battle. Then he was alone and no Daleks were around at all. The scenes kept repeating and changing endlessly as if that spot had created an eternal loop.

Roka kept seeing countless of these things. Timelines, created and collapsing everywhere around her. The city crumbling and screaming under the attack of thousands of battle ships, fires bursting out everywhere, only to vanish and then reignite in other places.

It felt like walking through a broken videogame and Roka started to wonder how many versions of herself were now stumbling in different timelines through the battlefield. How often had she already died? Crushed by debris, killed by Daleks or worse creatures? The thought made her shiver.

Roka had no idea where to go, didn't dare to try another jump, but also not to stop moving. It was weird to feel this lingering fear in her throat at all times. Had she changed so much? She must have, or otherwise the thought of maybe dying still wouldn't bother her much. Now it was horrifying, because dying meant she wouldn't be able to return.