Internal Division
A short story by Mark Simpson

Part of the Eighth Doctor Fiction collection
and sixth in the Division Series

As the TARDIS plunged through the space/time vortex, its two occupants considered the fate of the friend they had just left behind.

"Will Fitz be alright?" Sheri asked.

The Doctor looked up from the console in front of him, a slight smile forming on his handsome face.

"Fitz will be fine. He's a survivor. Anyway, he has his gardening skills to fall back on and enough money to set up anywhere he wants." He returned his gaze to the console, then frowned.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" Sheri had seen his change of expression.

"I'm not sure," replied the Time Lord. "The fault locator just came on, indicating a breach in the TARDIS' defences. But nothing else is showing up."

Suddenly, the floor beneath them lurched. Sheri found herself sitting down against the far wall. The Doctor had somehow remained upright, one hand clinging onto the console, the other flicking switches.

"Something is trying to collapse the local space/time envelope," the Doctor called, his hand movements becoming more frantic as the TARDIS' turbulence increased.

"What does that mean for us non-Time Lords?" Sheri inquired.

"It would disrupt the outer plasmic shell of the TARDIS," he explained. "We'd be vulnerable to the Time Winds."

Sheri shuddered as she tried to regain her feet. "I assume that's not a good thing."

The Doctor gave her a grim glance. "You assume correct," he stated.

"Is there anything you can do to stop it?"

The Doctor thought for a moment. "Something wants to get in so badly that it's willing to destroy the TARDIS to achieve its aim." His face brightened briefly. "Maybe we should help it."

"And maybe we shouldn't," Sheri declared.

"It won't stop trying," the Doctor told her. "Something will give eventually. It could be us."

She realised he was looking at her, waiting for her to make the decision. Under the circumstances, there was only one she could make.

"Go for it," she said.

Once more, the Doctor became a blur of motion, flicking switches and pushing buttons, dashing round the console as the TARDIS continued to behave like a bucking bronco.

"I'm remodulating the force field to the frequency of whatever is trying to breach it. That should allow it to slip through without subjecting us to the dangers of the vortex."

I just hope we're doing the right thing, Sheri thought.

The Doctor pushed home the final lever and stood back. The turbulence stopped almost immediately.

Then, the lights dimmed. A pattern of swirling blue light formed beside the inner doors. From out of this vortex stepped a figure.

It was a woman. Her long flowing hair and skin were white, her simple dress a deep blue. Her eyes were deep and dark, her pupils white like miniature galaxies against the blackness of space.

When she spoke, her voice seemed to fill the room, despite the fact she looked to be whispering.

"Doctor, help me!"

"Who is she?" whispered Sheri. She had taken advantage of the calm to move closer to the Doctor.

The Doctor looked mystified. "I have absolutely no idea!"

"Well, she seems to know you. Or, at least, to know of you."

The Doctor nodded. He stared at the wraith-like figure intently. The features were unfamiliar, but deep down, on some sub conscious level, he felt some connection.

"How can I help you?" he asked. "What do you want of me?"

"They have my body, but you have my mind. We must be reunited. We must be whole again."

"Does any of that make sense to you?" Sheri asked the Time Lord.

The Doctor shook his head in irritation. "It's almost as bad as talking to a Vorlon!" Again, a vague bell rang in the back of his mind.

Suddenly, the time rotor, which had been still since the turbulence stopped, started to rise and fall.

"We're moving!" Sheri said, then felt foolish for stating the obvious.

"The co-ordinates are changing," the Doctor announced. He glared at their visitor. "Are you doing that?"

The pale woman's expression didn't change. Her pleading look had been constant since she arrived.

"Help me. Free me. We need you. If we were ever friends, true friends, you'll know what to do."

The Doctor looked confused. "Friends? I don't know you. Who are you? What are you?"

"We have known each other for many years, but did we ever truly know each other at all?"

"I'll need facts if I'm to help you," the Doctor said, an edge of frustration creeping into his voice.

All of a sudden, the woman gasped. She began to fade from view.

"They have discovered me. Help me, Doctor. Save me, for both our sakes!"

Before the Doctor could say anything more, she winked out of existence.

Sheri and the Doctor exchanged a glance. "I have no idea what all that was about, before you ask."

"Well, that makes two of us," Sheri admitted. "At least the co-ordinates have settled down," she continued, peering over his shoulder.

He glanced at them, then looked harder. A frown creased his face.

"What is it now?" she asked, fearing the worst.

In reply, the Doctor read their co-ordinates from the screen. "Ten zero, eleven zero, zero by zero two from Galactic Central." He paused. "I'm going home. We're heading for Gallifrey!"

***

The bored technician was jerked from a semi-doze by an insistent beeping from his console. Quickly, he checked the source of the alarm, then decided he should contact his superior.

"Chief Technician Rodan, what's the problem?" came the voice from the communicator.

"It's Chend in monitor control, Chief. We have an unauthorised TT capsule approaching the Transduction Barriers."

"Is it transmitting an identity signal?"

"Yes. 70/A/SF79/2001C."

There was a pause while Rodan ran a check on the capsule registration.

"Let it through," she decided. "Send a detachment of Chancellery Guards to the landing bay. I'll contact the Cardinal."

"Very good, Chief," Chend replied. He was relieved to have someone make these decisions.

Fingers flying over the board in front of him, Chend hastened to comply with his orders.

***

The Doctor studied a screen set into the TARDIS console. "They're letting us through," he announced.

"Well, that's good," Sheri said. "Isn't it?"

The Doctor frowned. "Time Lords can be very unpredictable."

"You don't say?" she quipped.

He ignored her wit. "I didn't leave Gallifrey on the best of terms last time."

Sheri nodded. "Fitz told me. Made a bit of a mess of the place, then left them to clean up."

"It wasn't quite like that," the Doctor protested. "I did save the planet, and the web of time."

"Well, that's alright then!"

"It will be interesting to see how welcoming they are though. Somehow, I don't think they'll be rolling out the red carpet."

***

The blue box shrieked its arrival in Holding Area 2. A squad of red uniformed guards stood by, tensed for action, hands resting on their staser pistols.

A woman swept into the room, walking straight past the guards. She had short black hair, a haughty expression and she wore the robes of a Cardinal.

She regarded the box with a slight smile as it solidified with a thump.

The door creaked open and out stepped two people. The man was tall, with long chestnut curls, a handsome, if slightly sad looking face and he wore a green velvet frock coat, grey flannel trousers and a grey cravat. The woman had short dark hair, was pretty without being beautiful and she wore a rust coloured blouse and blue jeans.

The Cardinal stepped forward, extending an empty hand. "Welcome home, Doctor."

The Doctor smiled. "Hello, Romana."

Romana smiled icily. "So, Doctor, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"

The Doctor frowned. "I thought you wanted me for something. We were brought here on automatic."

A dark shadow flitted across Romana's face, but was swiftly gone. She looked baffled. "Nobody activated the recall circuit. I'm sorry if you've had a wasted journey, you must have lots to do."

The Doctor shook his head. "No, nothing special," he admitted. "As I'm here, I wouldn't mind seeing how the reconstruction is going."

Now it was Romana's turn to frown. "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure," the Doctor replied. "Unless there's a good reason why I shouldn't."

"Not at all," Romana said, forcing a smile.

"Good," the Doctor replied, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, by the way, this is my friend, Sheri. Sheri, meet Romana."

"I thought you'd forgotten me," Sheri muttered. She shook the Time Lady's hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise, I'm sure." Romana turned her attention back to the Doctor. "You got rid of that annoying young man then?"

"Fitz decided to return home, or close enough," the Doctor said as Romana led them from the holding area. "I see you've dropped the flapper image," he continued. "I must say, it never suited you."

Romana shrugged. "When I gave up the Presidency, I came to the conclusion I didn't need an image anymore."

"I was surprised you decided to step down," the Doctor told her.

"Why would Gallifrey need a War Queen, when there was no war to fight?" she replied.

He nodded. "Good point, I suppose."

"So, where would you like to begin?"

He thought for a moment. "Why not start at the top. The Panopticon, I think."

"The Panopticon it is," Romana confirmed, heading for a lift.

***

After the tour, the Doctor requested rooms for himself and Sheri. Romana grudgingly agreed.

A few minutes after the Time Lady had left, there was a knock on Sheri's door. It was the Doctor.

When she invited him in, he put a finger to his lips. Removing his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, he adjusted the frequency and placed it on a table in the centre of the room.

"Now we can talk freely," he said.

"So, you don't trust your old friend?" Sheri asked.

A sad expression clouded the Doctor's face. "She's hiding something, I can tell."

Suddenly, the woman in blue appeared between them. She was clearly in distress.

"You must help me, Doctor, they're killing me! Bay 34. Hurry!"

With an agonised scream, she vanished.

"What was that all about?" Sheri asked.

The Doctor's expression was grim. "I have some very nasty ideas. Sheri, I want you to go back to the TARDIS."

"Why? I want to help!"

"You can," the Doctor assured her. Quickly, he outlined what he wanted her to do when she got back to the craft. "Are you okay with that?" he asked.

She nodded. "You can rely on me, Doctor."

He smiled. "I know I can. Now, I should get along to Bay 34. I have a rescue to perform."

***

"He's still here?" Chief Technician Mali looked horrified.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he won't hang around long," Romana promised. "He'll soon feel the call of the stars."

"I hope so. He won't be pleased if he finds out about Bay 34."

"He won't find out, so long as you locked everything down tight this time."

"You can check, if you like," Mali retorted.

"I think I will," Romana said.

Mali sighed, leading the way to Bay 34.

***

The Doctor found his way to Bay 34 surprisingly easily. It was almost as if he was drawn to the place.

It was a small workshop area near the main TARDIS cradles. It was in semi-darkness when he entered.

The only light source came from the far corner, which was also where he could hear female voices coming from. Quietly, he approached the door that was spilling light into the room.

The light was coming from a tall blue box. A very familiar blue box.

"Hello, old girl," the Doctor murmured, placing a hand against the peeling paintwork. He felt a welcoming vibration through his palm. Squaring his shoulders, he walked through the door.

Inside was a plain white room. In the centre was a mushroom shaped console with a transparent cylinder at its centre. Two women stood beside the console, deep in discussion.

"I do hope I'm interrupting something," the Doctor said as he strode up to them.

Chief Technician Mali flinched. Romana looked at him stoically.

"It's not what it looks like," the former President said.

"Really? And what does it look like? Does it look like the two of you are torturing a Type 40 TARDIS? My Type 40 TARDIS, at that?"

"We all thought, yourself included, that your old TARDIS had been destroyed in the climatic battle with the Faction. After you had left in your new TARDIS, the time technicians picked up a faint time trace. We found a palm-sized box in orbit. It's been regenerating ever since."

"And because Compassion is beyond your reach, you decided to interrogate the parent. Is that it?"

"The Type 102, which you quaintly refer to as Compassion, would have revolutionised TARDIS design. But, if we can find out how your Type 40 influenced the metamorphosis from humanoid to TARDIS, we can re-create it."

The Doctor looked deep into Romana's eyes, his expression neutral. "Maybe I can help."

Romana's eyes widened. "You're offering to help? I can't believe that!"

"Why not?" the Doctor replied. "This was my TARDIS, it will respond to my commands. A little gentle coaxing from me and you can put away your torture equipment." He glanced at the toolbox at Mali's feet.

Romana thought for a moment, then nodded. "Very well, Doctor. But no tricks!"

"Tricks, moi?" he said innocently. He flexed his fingers like a concert pianist and approached the console.

"Watch him," Romana ordered Mali quietly. The technician moved over to the Doctor's side.

His face was still but his hands were a blur of motion, flicking switches, pressing buttons and moving levers.

Slowly, the time rotor came to life, rising and falling with an increasing rhythm. The familiar sound of dematerialisation filled the room.

"I thought you were watching him," Romana shouted over the noise.

"I was," Mali replied. "He was moving too fast for me."

The two women started to advance on the Doctor, who flicked a switch on the console. Romana and Mali were knocked across the room, into unconsciousness.

Smiling grimly, the Doctor initiated landing procedures.

***

Sheri stood alone in the console room of the TARDIS. A small holdall was at her feet and she had an outdoor coat over her arm.

She was surprised when the TARDIS materialised next to her. She wasn't surprised when the Doctor stepped out.

"All packed?" he asked, grinning.

"I've got everything I need," Sheri replied.

"My spare jacket?" he inquired.

Sheri pointed. On the hatstand behind him was hung a green velvet frock coat.

The Doctor grasped the hatstand. "Come on, then," he said, bustling his companion through the double doors into the TARDIS.

"What happened to them?" Sheri asked, indicating the insensate forms of Romana and Mali.

"Anti-hostile counter measures," he said, placing the hatstand just inside the doors. "Never worked before," he mused.

"Good job it did this time," Sheri commented.

"Help me get them outside," the Doctor asked. Together, they dragged the two women through to the other TARDIS.

The Doctor patted the console. "This has been a very serviceable substitute, but there's no place like home." He pressed a button and a slim rod slid out of a socket.

Immediately, the console room changed. The walls darkened, the console became more black and rounded, while the time rotor was replaced by three large rings.

The Doctor smiled at Sheri. "Let's go home," he said.

***

Mali woke with a groan. She looked about her. "This is a Type 70," she muttered.

"I know," said a voice from behind her. Turning, she saw Romana leaning against the console.

Mali rubbed her head, struggling to stand. "What hit us?"

"A hostile dampening field," Romana replied.

Mali cursed. She remembered repairing that circuit now. She never thought it would be used against her.

"He switched TARDIS' and left," Romana continued.

"Shall we go after them?" Mali said, studying the console.

Romana shook her head. "He'll never give up his TARDIS, not now." She smiled slightly, as if at a memory.

"So we just give up?"

"I don't see another course of action, do you? And we have this," she gestured around them.

"A Type 70? What good is that?"

Romana smiled. "It had the personality chip from his Type 40 installed. Maybe it's left an imprint that will help us."

***

The Doctor slid the slim rod into a socket on the console. Around them, the room changed. The light dimmed. Bookshelves appeared around the walls. The console became wood and brass, the time rotor stretched into the roof space high above.

"What do you think?" the Doctor asked.

Sheri frowned. "It's a bit gothic, isn't it?"

He smiled. "I quite liked it like this, for a while." He flicked a switch and it reverted to a more familiar pattern. Roundeled walls, a stark white console with black controls, a domed cylinder time rotor, inside which stars and galaxies could be seen spinning.

"That's better," Sheri said.

"I suppose it is," the Doctor replied. "I must say, I've got quite used to this."

A shimmering vortex appeared beside the inner doors. Inside was the woman in blue.

"Welcome home, Doctor," she said, smiling before disappearing again.

"So who is that?" Sheri asked.

The Doctor smiled. "That's the spirit of the TARDIS. She was right. The Time Lords had her body and I had her mind, in the personality chip. Now we're all reunited."

"So long as we're not returning to Gallifrey," Sheri said with feeling.

"No need to worry about that," the Doctor replied. "I've no intention of going anywhere near Gallifrey in the foreseeable future!"

