FD 3

The third issue of Four Doctors was originally released 26 August 2015.

Summary
''Into the lion's den! The Doctors take the fight to the enemy... but have they already been outmaneuvered? The Doctor Who event of 2015 continues!''

Plot
Clara is furious, due to the three Doctors taking the poses in the photo. The conversation is cut short, due to more death rays being fired at the group, forcing them to split up. Alice ends up with the Tenth Doctor, who both notice that the trench they entered is part of a maze. The Doctor surmises that the maze is part of another trap, meaning that whoever is responsible still wants something from them.

Gabby has ended up with the Twelfth Doctor, as they end up running into another area of the maze. She expresses her worry about the others, but the Doctor states that the other two Doctors are fine, because they each have "one of you lot" with them. Gabby can only wonder why this Doctor sees people the way he does.

Clara is with the Eleventh Doctor, who have also ended up in the maze. The Doctor confronts Clara on the fact that she is familiar with his particular incarnation. Clara, of course, can't tell him anything. The Doctor can easily see that something big will happen in his future, but he is glad that there is another incarnation in his future, which takes the burden of being the final incarnation off his shoulders. He also believes that his next incarnation must be a "very cool" one, if he has someone like Clara travelling with him.

The three groups reunite at the center of the maze, where they find a weapon from the Time War: a Dalek Continuity Bomb. The three Doctors start fighting over how to disarm the bomb, which gives it the time to go off. As the group is flung through time, the Doctors explain what the bomb does. It alters an individual's timeline by reaching forward or backward along it and changing a single decision from whatever happened before, to whatever the bomb's programmer chose.

The group materialises as ghosts in a different point of the Doctor's timeline. Specifically, they are in the Tenth Doctor's timeline, at the Naismith mansion. The six watch another Tenth Doctor let Wilfred Mott die in the glass chamber, stating that of the two of them, he is more important to the universe and must continue living.

The Tenth Doctor is horrified at seeing this, as he would never place his life over Wilfred's. The Twelfth Doctor points out that, as they can see, the bomb has found at least one alternate timeline in which he did. The Tenth Doctor watches the scene continue to play out, musing on seeing what he is capable of.

The group is engulfed by a flash of light, and find themselves in the future of this alternate timeline. In it, the alternate Tenth Doctor has now fully succumbed to his darker impulses and has become the Time Lord Victorious, a tyrant who rules over the universe. The Eleventh Doctor tries to reassure his former self that there are only very few timelines in which he could turn out like this, but it has no effect, as the Tenth Doctor states that very few is too many. They watch as a Raxacoricofallapatorian pulls out a gun and shoots the Time Lord Victorious, stating that the gun prevents regeneration, meaning he is now dead.

The Twelfth Doctor asks what is happening as he and the Eleventh Doctor should now be dead, having died as the Tenth Doctor. The three Doctors realise that the bomb was only meant to work on one Gallifreyan, but it went off in the presence of three Doctors, meaning it's going to show alternate futures for each Doctor.

The group find themselves in the Eleventh Doctor's timeline, when River Song refused to kill him at Lake Silencio, and all of history is happening at once. However, this time they glitched past the decisive moment, and are instead seeing the future of the altered decision. It doesn't take the group long to realise what was changed. In this timeline, the alternate Eleventh Doctor decided not to convince River to let him die. Instead, the two live together as a married couple. The Eleventh Doctor is saddened, as he can sense the universe dying in this timeline, and his alternate self is letting it happen.

The Twelfth Doctor notes that if they get trapped in this timeline, then Clara's prophecy will come true. Alice asks why they're even seeing this timeline, if it contradicts the previous one they saw. The Twelfth Doctor explains that the bomb is shifting them between possible futures, which means they will shift into another one soon, which they do.

The group find themselves in the Twelfth Doctor's timeline. They are in the TARDIS and see the alternate Twelfth Doctor. He's older, with his hair longer and having facial hair, and his clothes are all ragged. He's rambling to himself on how "she" betrayed him and how he told her to go to hell. Clara is worried that he's talking about her. They continue to watch the alternate Doctor ramble to himself on how he must never let anyone get close to him again. The Twelfth Doctor has had enough of this and thinks they should all leave this room until they cycle back to the Tenth Doctor's alternate timeline.

The Tenth Doctor states that they have found the way out. He explains that the Twelfth Doctor is right, and they will soon cycle back to his timeline. The group will be stuck glitching between the three alternate timelines forever. The Eleventh Doctor realises what his former self is getting at. A Continuity Bomb timeline is usually inescapable. But, they're seeing their alternate futures while remaining as Time Ghosts. This means the bomb has malfunctioned and has split its energy between the three Doctors. If they commit to one of the alternate timelines, they will fully materialise in that timeline, as it will become real. As the alternate timelines of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors lead to death and destruction, their best bet is the Twelfth Doctor's alternate timeline. As he has a TARDIS, he can take them all home. The Twelfth Doctor touches the shoulder of his alternate future self, and the group fully shifts into his timeline.

The alternate Twelfth Doctor takes immediate notice of Clara, happy that she has come back. Clara tells him that she doesn't know what she'll do to him, but she's sorry. She asks him if he remembers this incident. He says he does, something about needing a lift. He starts to say that he will take Clara anywhere she wants to go, when the normal Twelfth Doctor intervenes, saying that he doesn't trust this alternate Doctor. The Eleventh Doctor tells the alternate Doctor that they do need a lift, so the alternate Doctor sets the controls.

The TARDIS materialises in a city. The Twelfth Doctor notes that they are in a pocket universe. The alternate Twelfth Doctor states it must have been built next to the Continuity Bomb's timeline, as it was the only way out he could find. The Eleventh Doctor notices that the coordinates are all over the place. The Tenth Doctor states that in order for them to find their way back into regular spacetime, they will need to go outside to take some dimensional compass readings. The alternate Twelfth Doctor is against this, as he hasn't left the TARDIS in years. Clara manages to convince him otherwise.

The group steps outside. The Tenth Doctor notes that he doesn't recognise the architecture of the city. The Twelfth Doctor scans the forcefield surrounding the city, and notices that it's holding back a sea of acid. The phrase sounds familiar to the other two Doctors, and yet isn't at the same time. Clara notices a welcoming committee approaching them.

The alternate Twelfth Doctor takes charge, as he is the oldest one there. The normal Twelfth Doctor notices that his alternate self is unsurprised about all of this, as the creatures offer a giant capsule to the alternate Doctor. The three Doctors note that while they don't recognise the creatures, they feel like they should, and the capsule being offered to the alternate Doctor is a costume of some kind. They watch in horror as the costume turns into a liquid that starts merging with him. He reveals that he was responsible for all of this. The six are now the prisoners of the Voord, and the alternate Twelfth Doctor is the leader.

Characters

 * Twelfth Doctor
 * Eleventh Doctor
 * Tenth Doctor
 * Alternate Twelfth Doctor
 * Clara Oswald
 * Alice Obiefune
 * Gabby Gonzalez
 * Voord
 * Wilfred Mott
 * River Song

Continuity

 * The continuity bomb's effects on the timelines of the Doctors are shown in key moments of each Doctor's future.
 * The Tenth Doctor giving his life to save Wilfred Mott is changed to the Doctor saving himself and letting Wilfred die. (TV: The End of Time) The alternative Tenth Doctor talks about himself as the Time Lord Victorious. (TV: The Waters of Mars)
 * The Eleventh Doctor convincing River Song to kill him is changed to him choosing to live with her in the dying universe. (TV: The Wedding of River Song)
 * The change to the Twelfth Doctor's timeline involves Clara betraying him, (TV: Dark Water) but the exact details of said betrayal are not specified.
 * The Doctors encounter an evil future incarnation of themselves, similar to the Valeyard. (TV: The Trial of a Time Lord)
 * In an alternate timeline, the War Doctor is converted into a Dalek spy while he is still young. Near the end of this Doctor's life during his proper timeline, the Daleks of the Eternity Circle tried a similar but more extreme approach at making him their living weapon by attempting to hook him into a Dalek casing and create the Predator Dalek. (PROSE: Engines of War)