Chapter Text
The Doctor looked out upon the crowd.
Human, within acceptable deviation anyway. They could be easily swayed if it came down to it, but the CIA worried him. They probably had authority here.
Not to mention they would be difficult to persuade on ethical matters, they usually blindly devoted themselves to an unsurprising illogically ultranationalist world view more commonly known as time-imperialism supported by popular feelings of spoken and unspoken time lord supremacy prevalent on Gallifrey.
I mean how could they not be supreme, it was in the name. And after all, they were the ones who invented time travel, which made them smarter than everyone else. And they didn’t have to die like everyone else did what with their regeneration.
In reality, after personally experiencing most of their history, it was quite easy for him to make the call that they were anything but.
Anything of note commonly attributed to them was invented by others first or better and stolen or the product of an inconvenient genocide or two.
There were a surprising number of species capable of time travel other than his but none who used it as much and for as trivial things as the time lords.
“I suppose you lot are responsible for this pile of junk blotting out the sky.”
“We have brought you here so you may serve trial for your crimes against the time lords.”
“I assume you're referring to the war, so it’s only fair to warn you to steer clear of that topic. After all, you don’t exactly have a good track record with them.”
“You will be silent Doctor.” The time lord’s face became wrinkled with hatred until she almost looked like a vampire.
“What are you going to do? Change my face again?”
He wanted to upset the woman. If he could, he would have a much easier time interrogating her.
“No. Your punishment will be far more severe this time. You will pay for your role in the extermination of all time lords.” She sneered, a wicked grin spreading across her face.
“Why don’t you think about what comes out of your mouth before you say it. Otherwise, you’ll just keep calling the kettle black.”
“This is your trial Doctor, not ours. Now hush so we may get the formalities out of the way.”
He opened his mouth to retort before finding himself unable to speak.
He flapped his gums desperately inciting a devilish grin and lazy wave from the time lady judge while the time agents began their long ramblings.
As they began talking Charley leaned in to talk to him.
“Doctor, are you okay?”
He tried to speak but was still unable.
“What did you do to him, let him defend himself!”
The Time Lady never took her eye off the Doctor.
“In time. We have a trial to conduct, and as long as he can speak he’ll talk.”
“All the stories and legends he told of the Time Lords, and this is what it amounts to? You're putting on a show trial without any intent to hear his side of the story?”
She wasn’t entirely sure she would be able to sway their minds but she had seen the Doctor improvise speeches enough that she had faith in her chances.
“Curious, you think there is a defensible position for what he did, girl?”
“Allegedly. And watch it with the girls, will you. I’m a fully grown woman and I’ll thank you for addressing me as such.” She put on an act to make it seem like she was confident in her position. She wasn’t.
“Very well then. I’ll respect your wishes. And being such a mature woman,” she grinned, “perhaps you’d find it within yourself to defend him as is the custom of your home planet.”
“Well-I,” she stuttered searching for an answer. Her eyes caught her companions for a second reflecting a look she had seen quite a bit.
“I’d be more than happy too.” She spoke up, hoping her voice would fill the farthest sections of the court.
“The Doctor stands accused of conspiring against the high council of Galifrey to destroy the time lords, as well as accounts of treason too numerous to name in their entirety. How does your client plead Mrs…”
“Pollard, Charlotte Pollard. And he pleads innocent to everything.”
The time lady watched the Doctor attempt to furiously shake his head in denial. It brought a twisting smile to her face to see him helpless.
“So do you deny his part in the destruction of our species?”
Charley thought about this for a moment. She had been very clear earlier he was responsible for it, but she had traveled with the Doctor for a good amount of time.
She had seen the man break, she had seen him try to run, she had seen him afraid, but he never gave up completely.
Every escape was an opportunity to return with a plan. Every scheme was full of holes. And every day he went somewhere new to help someone else.
“I do,” she said with conviction.
“You realize by his own account he is responsible for these crimes and many more,” she picked at her.
“You realize you are a society out of science fiction,” she returned sarcastically mocking the Time Lady's voice, “I believe he believes he did it, but it wouldn’t be too surprising to me if there was a greater story here that no one, not even he, knows.”
The Doctor became motionless behind, simply opting to stare at the crowd.
“It’s curious how much you defend this man given his lies to even you.”
“What do you mean?” Asked Charley.
“Well, you are aware that the man behind you has no memory of any of the things you say, or of what you feel?”
Charley looked to the Doctor with a pained expression before returning to the time lady.
“I know.”
She couldn't see it but was acutely aware of the exact lines which sculpted his confused expression.
With that, the Time Lady’s face contorted into rage at this.
“And you're okay with this! Right now you’ve got a hole in your head the size of the andromeda galaxy and your leaking psychic energy from here to Garsennon. I can feel what you're feeling, and so can he. But he’ll never be able to reciprocate even an ounce of the feelings you have.”
“You're thinking about this all wrong. He doesn’t owe you or me anything. We aren’t owed revenge or love simply because we feel it. You work for it, both hate and love. You work every day. Live it to its fullest and work as hard as you can for the people who love and hate. And one day, after you’ve done your work, you just might hear the telltale sound of blue box show up.”
The lady's face remained unmoved by her pleas.
“That is enough nonsense for one day I think. The court finds you both-”
She was cut off by wheezing sounds and a powerful gust of wind which made to blow her away.
“What in Omega’s name is that?” she spoke up in confusion.
A blue police box materialized in the center of the room.
Everyone held their breath as a withering old man in a brown leather coat stepped out.
They were so caught up they failed to hear the muted bleating of machines being activated all around them.
“Hello, I’ve been led to believe this was where my trial is being held. Is this correct?”