Emergency Program One

***

Click.

"Well then... This is Emergency Program One. Susan my dear, if you're listening to this, something truly terrible must have happened to me, but please don't worry for me, my child. The TARDIS is taking you back where you will be safe – back to home, to Galli-"

Click.

"-and you mustn't fret for me Victoria, not at all. Your father asked me to keep you safe when he and I were on Skaro and I promised him I would take care of you, even when I'm not there to do so. So I've ensured to have this program activated to make sure that the TARDIS takes you and Jamie-"

Click.

"-all the way back to UNIT Headquarters and the Brigadier where hopefully you'll be out of harm's way. Now I know you'll probably be yelling at me if whatever I'm facing at the moment isn't fatal and I come back Jo, but I always want to have your security at heart, not to mention the fact that Alistair and Mike Yates would never forgive-"

Click.

"- tell Harry Sullivan he wasn't always such a doddering imbecile, and there's a spare bag of Jelly Babies under the third on the left circular panel to remember me by. Oh and Sarah, I have some wonderfully suitable words for you to recite if this is to be my farewell to the universe. *Ahem* Once, when I was a mere Time Teen of seventy years, I held a piece of Prydonian Cheesecake to hand and stared up at the night's sky-"

Click.

"-as best as possible, but you know all too well how rather temperamental the TARDIS can be Tegan, so if you do end up in the Middle Ages or battle torn 22nd Century London, I can only offer my deepest and late sympathies. But you've always had a brave heart, and you were the person I could always could on most in the midst of-"

Click.

"-some over-rated, egotistical plan by a numb-skulled, half-wit despot who I'm sure I'll take care of most likely, but just because I want you safe Peri ,I've directed the TARDIS through Emergency Program One to take you home. And I do hope you don't launch into a string of Americanised absurdities to express your particular feelings at my quite reasonable-"

Click.

"-rrrrrrretching, but that's to be expected when you set the TARDIS on such a quick and unprepared emergency flight. And I hope you'll adjust back to life in Perivaile Ace, no matter how dull and mundane you see it to be, and choose to never forget the crazy old man with the blue box, who hopefully died fighting the universe's crrrrrrrrruelest evils and not from a terrible misunderstanding with a set of spoons-"

Click.

"-getting too long anyway, Madame President. But you know that you and K9 are some of my best friends and Time War with the most evil beings in the Universe or not, I'd sacrifice everything to save some of my best friends, particularly you Romana. And don't try anything foolish. Let the TARDIS take you safely back to Gallifrey. And beat the Daleks. Beat them because you know all too well that I -"

Click.

"-and if you want to remember me, then you can do one thing. That's all. One thing... Have a great life, Rose Tyler. Have a fantastic life."

And the form of the man in leather jacket and green t-shirt smiled back at him, flickered for a moment, and then vanished completely.

The Doctor sighed deeply, his face long and brooding in the dim green light that passed for a sleep mode aboard the TARDIS. So many memories of those he had cared for before, so many thankful blessings that those men and women, save Rose, had never had to hear those terrible words which only came from Emergency Program One.

One way or another, they were safe. Some of course were safe in a way which made his hearts ache painfully. Susan. Romana. Even Rose.

He'd been in two minds over what to constituted for an evening onboard the TARDIS in accessing the recordings he still could locate deep in the data systems of his old, beautiful ship. Perhaps in the wake of losing all those friends again after the battle with Davros, some part of him thought he needed to see them; to remind himself he'd gone through the motions before, and perhaps reflect sombrely on what tragedies he'd avoided in his long travels over the centuries.

He glanced back at the door of the TARDIS and he was able to bear a slight smile as a memory resurfaced. Had it really been so long ago that two troublesome schoolteachers had barged their way into his ship, and essentially started the adventures he'd been having ever since? Looking at all those past selves of his... he shook his head and gave a short chuckle.

But memories of happy times always seemed to resort to bad in time. Thinking of Ian and Barbara made him think of Susan and saying goodbye, made him think of the Dalek Invasion of Earth, of the Time War, of Skaro, of Davros, of...

His eyes snapped open, hard and bitter. He glanced back to his right hand, still wavering over the switch operating the projections on the metal floor in front of him. There was still the toughest file to go. The hand wavered. Courage won. The switch was flicked, one last time.

His own face appeared in front of him, equally hardened, only a blue suit instead of brown.

"This is Emergency Program One. Donna... if you're listening to this message it must mean that something has happened to me. Something I probably don't think I'm going to want to have you in the middle of. And yeah, I know I promised to show you the Galaxy and how wonderful it really is, but sometimes there are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible- No wait." His hologram form appeared to frown.

"Sorry, that's my second incarnation talking... Anyway the point is Donna that I made a promise to your grandfather that nothing would happen to you, so that's why the TARDIS is taking you home. And I know you'll be kicking and screaming 'Oi Spaceman!' and demanding to get back, but the important thing is that I'll know you're safe. So don't try anything with the TARDIS. Just let it rest on some corner, cause the old girl's probably due for a break anyway. And... And if you want to do anything for me Donna Noble... just have a good life. A brilliant, human life."

And the form of the man with the converses and blue pinstripe suit smiled, flickered for a moment, and the vanished, leaving the man with the brown pinstripe suit alone.

And a single tear rolled down the Doctor's cheek.

Then he let out a deep sigh, pressed a few buttons and watched the central console rise and fall once more, letting the TARDIS carry on through the Vortex, his only constant in an ever changing set of guises and faces, between dozens of allies and companions, whose who lived and those who died.

And then whose tiny few, just like Donna Noble, who had a fate worse than death. Who right now was out there, living that human life... without ever knowing she had ever had a brilliant one.

That was the worst of all.

THE END