Doctor Who and the Eternity Cage

by gilbo77

The rediscovery of one of the Doctor's oldest, deadliest foes sets in motion a chain of events that could spell the end of the renegade Time Lord's adventures in time and space.

Doctor Who and the Eternity Cage

Prologue

The Doctor stood on a precipice and gazed at the smoking ruins of the planet Damnos's only settlement. He heard crunching footsteps on the gravely ground behind him but didn't bother to turn, there was no need, he already knew who it was.

"Were they all killed?" The Leader asked looking away from the city in an attempt to make eye contact with the Doctor.

"Yes, every single one of them died in their capsules."

The Doctor ran a hand through his long black hair and without warning span round to face the Leader. Lunging forward he gripped the lapels of his suit and pressed his face close to his.

"Where the hell did their leader go?"

A startled look spread across the Leader's face as he stammered a reply "He...he just disappeared from the sealed cabinet Doctor." he swallowed hard, fear in his eyes.

"How many casualties were there in the rest of the city?" the Doctor asked, momentarily dismissing his concerns over the missing leader.

"Thousands Doctor, thousands, it'll take us years to recover from this."

The Doctor shook his head disapprovingly "That's what happens when you meddle with forces beyond your control."

Rummaging in his coat pocket the Doctor produced his sonic screwdriver, pointed it to his right and pressed a button on the side. A wheezing groaning sound filled the air and gradually a flashing light appeared in mid air slowly followed by the transparent outline of a blue Police box. Within moments the box was solid and the door had swung inwards to reveal a gloomy interior.

"Sadly I can't stand around all day, someone has to tidy up the mess you made." stated the Doctor through gritted teeth

"But Doctor," the Leader implored "Look at what you did, don't you feel any remorse at all."

A look of irritation flashed across the Doctor's face "I'm not accountable for your mistakes, if the population wants someone to blame then they need look no further than you." he pointed an accusing finger at the Leader.

Without saying goodbye he ran towards the open door of his Tardis, his coat tails flapping behind him.

The Leader turned from the dematerialising Tardis and gazed once more at the landscape of destruction, a solitary tear rolled down his cheek.

Chapter One

A thick mist drifted across the flickering lamplight obscuring what little illumination it gave off. Dr Munro lifted the collar of his heavy woollen coat against the biting cold January night and strode towards his destination, eager to be in front of a roaring fire.

Stepping off the pavement onto the frozen cobbles he stopped suddenly, craning his neck to listen, unsure of what it was that had caused his uneasiness. Then in the distance he saw it, a bright flash and a rapid bolt of lightening that lit up the street ahead. The unnatural phenomenon was over before he could work out where it came from, the street once again being quiet and deserted.

Dr Munro shook his head as if trying to tell himself that he'd imagined it, after all it had been a long and tiring day at work. He smiled to himself for being so stupid, until the sound of his own rapid heartbeat caused the smile to fade.

A lone demented screech penetrated the near darkness and it was getting closer, whoever it was would be visible within seconds. Dr Monro held his breath not daring to make a sound for fear it might bring unnecessary attention upon him.

Any attempt at anonymity was however in vain, the deranged creature that careened around the corner instantly alighted upon him standing by the dim light of the lamppost. He cursed his stupidity for standing so close to the only source of light on that side of the street, but Dr Munro of the Royal Bethlem Hospital shouldn't have been scared. Everyday he worked with lunatics and listened to their mad ravings and he viewed it as his responsibility to look after London's mad however mysterious their circumstances.

Taking a deep breath he turned to face the hysterical woman, for the first time taking note of her age and appearance. Her short grey hair and age worn face placed her at around sixty years of age, the torn and seemingly scorched robe she wore gave nothing away. What caught his attention the most though was her piercing silvery grey eyes, in his experience they weren't the eyes of a mad woman. The mad tended to be lost in their own world, their eyes mostly vacant, unaware of their surroundings.

"Madam, are you alright?" enquired Dr Munro, holding his arms out to catch her as she approached him.

She grabbed his arm in a vice like grip and stared straight into his eyes.

"I'm in the wrong time." she shook her head laughing to herself "he'll still have to face the Rassalox and the eternal cage though, there's really no other way."

Dr Munro's eyes widened as she gripped his arm even tighter and leaned forward to whisper into his ear "do you understand, he has to face the beast, there's no other way."

Upon termination of that last strange comment she collapsed at his feet. He shook himself out of his puzzlement, bent down, picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Dr Munro sighed, his plan for a quiet night beside a warm fire were looking increasingly unlikely.

Chapter Two

"So what's this planet we're going to called Doctor?"

The Doctor turned his attention away from the antique looking mahogany control console and faced his young companion

"It's called Damnos Lucy."

"Is it nice?"

The Doctor grinned "Of course, everywhere we go is nice. Although I'm not entirely sure if I've been there before." the Doctor chuckled to himself "that's the trouble with living so long, you get forgetful."

Lucy let out a short laugh "You don't look half bad for someone who's over a thousand years old."

The Doctor walked over to her, placed a hand on each shoulder and kissed her on the forehead "Why thank you, you're so kind."

Lucy brought a hand to her mouth, coughed and nodded her head at the console in the centre of the room behind him "the thingy's stopped moving."

He twisted around "Excellent we've landed." then turned back towards her and prodded her on her nose "and it's not a thingy it's a time rotor."

The Doctor walked across the dimly lit console room to an antique full length mirror in the corner. He pulled down his waistcoat, readjusted his black tie and wiped away some imaginary dirt from his white collar.

"Perfect." he said to himself as he returned to the console and pressed a series of buttons resembling typewriter keys. An empty picture frame on the wood panelled wall in front of him sparked into life showing a gigantic domed city.

"Quite an advanced civilisation." he muttered to himself.

Memories of his home world flooded back as he adjusted the scanner to get a better view of the extravagantly tall and ornate buildings. He'd been brought up under Gallifrey's great dome and as a child had gazed up in wonder at the towering buildings, but all that had ceased to exist a long time ago, there wasn't any point in dwelling on the past.

Lucy looked herself over and smiled, satisfied that her boots, black jeans and black shirt were smart enough.

The Doctor turned and smiled "very nice Lucy, we'll be sure to make a good impression. Lose the hat though it's considered rude to wear hats."

Lucy muttered under her breath and removed the woollen hat, ruffling her short blond hair.

"Tell me why we're here again Doctor."

"Well according to the Tardis data banks the museum on this planet." Lucy let out a short sigh, the Doctor flashed her an annoyed look before continuing this time speaking louder "the museum on this planet has the last surviving chameleon circuit."

"What's that do."

"It enables the Tardis to take on any form and blend in with its surroundings."

"What makes you think they'll just hand it over to you?"

"I have a plan Lucy, don't worry."

A look of false shock played across her face "What, the great Doctor resorting to stealing."

The Doctor straightened his back and held his head up high "I'm the last of the Time Lords and therefore Gallifreyan technology belongs to me."

Lucy bowed low, a broad grin on her face "I believe you my lord, thousands wouldn't."

The Doctor returned his attention to the console and picked up a black Bakelite telephone and dialled a number.

"Hello, my name is the Doctor would you kindly put me through to the Leader."

After a short silence the Doctor began talking again, this time in a deep commanding tone.

"Ah hello, I wish to see your museum." the Doctor narrowed his eyes and frowned "Well tell the Grand Curator that the last of the Time Lords wishes to view his collection. I'm sure he's well aware of the penalties for possessing Gallifreyan technology."

He smiled and delicately placed the telephone back on the console.

"Best behaviour Lucy, it appears we're to receive a special welcome."

The Doctor tucked his thumbs into the sides of his waistcoat and rocked forward on his toes "The personal guests of the Leader no less."

The Doctor reached over to a mahogany coat stand, grabbed his long black coat and held out his hand out. Lucy walked over clasped her hand in his and with a flick of his other wrist the Doctor pulled a lever and the main door opened.

Chapter Three

Dr Munro's back ached terribly but he'd managed with great effort to carry the woman to the door of Bethlem hospital. With no hand spare though he had no option available other than to bellow for assistance.

"Mr Lockheart, some assistance please."

Within moments the large oak panelled door opened and a dishevelled old man bearing all the signs of having just woken up stepped out.

"Would you be so kind as to fetch two orderlies and a strait jacket?"

"Certainly Sir." Lockheart scuffled away embarrassed at having been caught sleeping on duty.

Dr Munro groaned as he walked through the door and lowered her body to the floor, then straightened and dusted himself down.

He craned his neck upwards to gaze at his new hospital hall. The large open space that was Bethlem's reception contrasted sharply with the small cells that the patients inhabited, but the hospital wasn't all darkness and solitude. He deemed it worthwhile to the patient's health to have large, well lit and airy communal areas for the non violent patients. Time would tell with regards his new patient, that intelligent look in her eyes could spell trouble.

Dr Munro was awoken from his thoughts by an insistent cough. In front of him stood two orderlies dressed in black trousers, white shirts and black waistcoats, he always insisted that his staff dressed smartly.

"Thank you for coming so promptly. Can you put this lady in room 47 and inform me the moment she wakes."

Dr Munro walked towards a door marked private, behind him he could hear the jingle of the buckles as they put the strait jacket on her.

As the Doctor and Lucy emerged from the Tardis the sight that met their eyes was awe inspiring. They stood on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the enormous doomed city that had been visible on the scanner.

"How are we supposed to get over there?" Lucy asked.

The Doctor scanned the horizon and lifted his arm to point towards their right.

"Looks like there's a bridge over there Lucy and if I'm not mistaken a welcoming committee."

Following his gaze Lucy immediately noticed three figures waiting at the far end of a long flat chrome bridge. The central figure was dressed in a bright white suit, while the two men that flanked him both wore black three piece suits.

"Well let's not keep them waiting."

The Doctor strode forward forcing Lucy to run along after him, reaching the chrome bridge he felt a sharp tug on the back of his coat.

"Are you sure that things safe, where are the handrails?"

The Doctor twisted round to face her, a mischievous look on his face.

"Close your eyes and clear you thoughts."

Lucy closed her eyes and immediately felt the Doctor's hands on her shoulders.

"Right you can open them now."

Lucy blinked against the strong sunlight and was shocked to find the three previously distant figures were now right in front of her.

"What the hell was that?"

"TCT or thought controlled travel. A much safer way to cross your average long drop." The Doctor replied, clearly pleased with himself for shocking his companion.

The man in white forced a smile and held out his hand.

"Welcome to Damnos Doctor, I'm the Leader."

"Pleased to meet you." the Doctor looked intently at the man before him, keen as always to know what sort of person he was dealing with. He was roughly forty five years of age but his short grey hair combed into a side parting made him appear slightly older but perhaps more distinguished. The hand that he now gripped was soft and smooth, the hand of a man unused to physical labour.

"Now this man to my right is Assistant Jarrow. He will show you to my private refectory where you may partake of refreshments before meeting the Grand Curator."

With over exaggerated politeness the Doctor bowed slightly.

"We appreciate your hospitality."

As the Doctor and Lucy were being led through an airlock and into the city the Leader turned and whispered into the remaining assistant's ear.

"Go at once to the Grand Curator and make sure the project and anything pertaining to it is out of sight. He's to meet with the Doctor in thirty minutes."

The assistant turned to leave but the Leader grabbed his arm in a vice like grip.

"He's to comply with the Doctor's wishes. The last thing we need right now is a suspicious Time Lord."

As the Assistant left him The Leader craned his neck skywards and spoke his innermost thoughts aloud.

"Before to long we'll rise to become the dominant force in the universe and one Time Lord won't stand in our way."

Chapter Four

"You like being feared don't you Doctor?"

Feigning ignorance the Doctor looked up from his food.

"What do you mean?"

The Doctor placed his hands in the air in mock submission.

"Ok I'll admit that…"

He stopped mid sentence as the door at the end of the long thin refectory opened. The thin man who strode in was probably about sixty years of age, he peered intently at the Doctor over the top of a pair of small round spectacles that were perched on the end of his nose. It was clear to the Doctor that he was trying to assess what sort of man he was about to deal with. The Grand Curator's white shirt and grey waistcoat were somewhat crumpled as if he was much more interested in his scholarly endeavours than in his appearance. The Doctor stood up and motioned Lucy to do the same.

"Good morning Doctor. May I introduce myself I am the Grand Curator."

The Doctor smiled.

"Pleased to meet you."

The Grand Curator returned the smile and took a step back, looking the Doctor over.

"Do you realise Doctor that your garments closely resemble those of the servile class?"

The Doctor winked at Lucy who grinned.

"Well I do like to blend in and go unnoticed."

"And who is this beautiful creature we have here?"

The Grand Curator walked towards Lucy and placed his hand over hers.

"Lucy, pleased to meet your Sir."

She struggled to hide her disgust at the unwanted attention she was receiving.

"Well Lucy," he said patting her hand gently "how would you like to have a private tour of our complex while the Doctor and I conduct our business?"

Lucy rolled her eyes slightly causing the Doctor to let out a short cough. Lucy's demeanour changed instantly and she turned to the Grand Curator smiling sweetly.

"That would be lovely, thank you so much."

"Wonderful I'll organise that for you now."

Reaching into his pocket he brought out a thin rectangular device which he tapped a few times and then spoke into.

"Attendant Larkin, could you please join me in the refectory as soon as possible?"

"Yes Grand Curator, but we have a problem down here." a high pitched scream followed by a low gurgle came through the speaker "I'm afraid another one has died Sir, that's the third this week. We just don't know the correct sequence."

The pleasant smile on the Grand Curator's face instantly vanished, replaced by a look of intense anger. He turned around to face away from the Doctor and hissed into the communicator.

"May I remind you this is an open channel and I am with the Time Lord."

The voice of Attendant Larkin came through straight away but the Grand Curator detected a slight quiver in his voice.

"Sorry Grand Curator, I'll be with you right away."

"I'm sure you will." he pocketed the communicator, composed himself and turned around.

"I apologise for that. I'm afraid Attendant Larkin is new and therefore prone to exaggerating minor problems."

Moments later Attendant Larkin wearing the black waistcoat and trousers of the servile class entered. The red rims around his eyes showed a lack of sleep and his ruffled black hair hinted he was suffering some stress and anxiety.

The Grand Curator approached Lucy and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Attendant Larkin would you be so kind as to escort this young lady on a tour?"

Attendant Larkin managed a weak smile.

"That would be my pleasure," he turned to Lucy "please follow me."

He immediately left the room prompting Lucy to quickly follow him.

"Now Doctor, if you care to follow me. I'm sure you'll find my collection of some interest. I have to admit I'm rather proud of it."

Placing his hands in his pockets the Doctor followed him out of the room. Throughout all his regenerations he'd always enjoyed history, so despite his instincts telling him something was wrong he was looking forward to seeing the museum.

Chapter Five

A knock on his study door woke Dr Munro from a troubled sleep. All night he'd been going over and over the mad ramblings of his new patient, until he fell asleep in his chair.

"Enter."

A hospital orderly entered, the crisp white shirt he was wearing showing that he'd just begun his shift.

"The patient's awake Sir and asking for the Doctor."

Dr Munro leapt from the chair and grabbed his suit jacket, eager to make some sense of the woman. As he made his way to cell 47 he wondered how best to deal with her and just how dangerous this elderly woman might be.

"Has she shown any violent tendencies?" he asked the orderly walking next to him.

"No Sir, quiet as a church mouse, no trouble at all."

For some unknown reason this troubled Dr Munro more than if she was still raving, patients normally resisted their confinement for a good deal longer than one night.

"Would you like me to go in there with you Sir?" asked the orderly.

"No thank you. I don't intend to take off her straitjacket so I'll be perfectly safe." behind his smile there still lingered a small worry for his personal safety but it wasn't strong enough to counter his curiosity.

Dr Munro took a deep breath and gripped the cold metal handle of the cell door, pushed it downwards with the necessary force and took a small step backwards pulling with all his strength. The heavy iron door swung open by the momentum of his pull releasing a blast of cold stale air, although he himself condoned well ventilated rooms he rarely opened his own window. He shuddered, quickly buttoned up his jacket and stepped inside the sparse interior.

Dr Munro was instantly surprised at how clean and tidy the small space was, so often he entered his patient's cells to find that what little furniture they contained was in pieces. He was also pleased to see that the woman had been cleaned and was wearing the course linen suits that patients who came in with no possessions had to wear. Something was wrong though, he could sense it, the woman hadn't moved since he walked in despite the noise of opening the door. She sat on the narrow iron bed with her head down and her arms resting on her legs, there was no rocking back and forth, no muttering just stillness and silence.

"Hello, how are you feeling this morning?"

Dr Munro's voice echoed unnerving in the near empty space but it had the desired effect, the woman looked up at the sound of his voice. He stepped back a look of shock on his face, his brain working fast to try to work out what had happened overnight. Without taking his eyes from her now smiling face he reached out with his right hand for the emergency bell pull and yanked it down as hard as he could. The orderly who unlocked the cell only a few moments before came running in almost colliding with him as he stood puzzled near the doorway.

"Is anything wrong Doctor?" he asked as he scanned the room, unable to notice anything wrong.

Dr Munro swept his arm across to where the woman was still sat smiling.

"If this is your idea of a joke you'll find yourself on the street before the days out."

The orderly visibly paled unsure of how best to respond to the accusation.

"Sorry Doctor, I've no idea what you talking about."

A look of irritation crossed his face, causing the orderly to swallow hard.

"This is not the woman I brought in last night."

Dr Munro examined the woman's face more closely and gauged that she must be at least twenty years younger. It was then that he noticed the eyes, silvery like the old woman's with the same look of intelligence deep within them.

Chapter Six

Lucy stifled a yawn as she listened to Attendant Larkin drone on and on about the history of the city. There was only so many bland, minimalistic rooms and corridors that she could look at in one day. One thing did intrigue her though, the whole city looked so new, there were absolutely no signs of wear. In order to decrease her boredom a little Lucy decided to enquire about the history of the planet.

"When was this city built?"

Attendant Larkin stopped mid flow, mildly irritated at being interrupted by a young woman who'd hardly shown any interest in what he had to say so far.

"The city was built around one hundred years ago, when the first settlers arrived from our home planet of Xeros."

"Well all I can say is that you've looked after it well." replied Lucy with a cheeky grin that was altogether wasted on the still visibly nervous Attendant Larkin.

"Out of interest, why did you leave your home planet?"

Attendant Larkin looked uncomfortable but still made an attempt to answer the question.

"Basically we had no space left, the population had increased to an unmanageable level. May I continue with the tour?"

"Of course."

As she followed him down yet another corridor she wondered how long the Doctor was going to be, her politeness could only last so long. Nearing the end of the corridor Attendant Larkin's pace seemed to quicken slightly as he passed a set of double doors on their right. Lucy stopped, trying to peek through the small arrow slit windows set into each door but she couldn't see anything. However, she was convinced she could hear a sound coming from the other side, the distant hum of machinery followed by a high pitched alarm.

Sensing the lack of footsteps behind him Attendant Larkin stopped and turned around, this woman was starting to annoy him immensely, why couldn't she just pay attention?

"There's nothing of interest in there I'm afraid, just a storeroom."

"Thought I heard an alarm through there." said Lucy tapping on the door.

"I'm sure everything is fine, no reason to be concerned."

Lucy shrugged her shoulders and walked forwards catching him up. Attendant Larkin continued to walk towards the end of the corridor but then stopped hesitantly outside a door, wondering whether he should go into his office and check on things. Given the tone of the Grand Curator's voice earlier he didn't want to risk upsetting him further so he turned to face Lucy and offered her his best smile.

"Would you excuse me for a few short moments. I just have a small job to do before we can continue."

Attendant Larkin opened the door to his small office, taking extra care to close it behind him. He could definitely do without any of what he was about to say reaching the ears of the Time Lord. The room in which he now stood was as stark and minimalist as the rest of the city but there was more to the small rectangular glass topped table in front of him than met the eye. He reached forward tapped the front of the table and waited a few moments until a projected screen appeared at eye level above the table showing static.

"Contact Warehouse one, priority red."

The screen flared into life showing the face of his close colleague Attendant Jacobs looking gaunt and worried. Attendant Larkin wondered if he looked that bad, it was true that the Grand Curator's demands had increased lately. Perhaps the appearances of a Time Lord so close to such a crucial stage in their plan had unnerved him and brought forward the completion date.

"Is there a problem Attendant Larkin?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. Why did I hear an alarm coming from the warehouse?"

Attendant Jacobs coughed nervously and momentarily looked away from the screen.

"I was sure that I'd completed the correct logical sequence this time."

"But you didn't though did you. Wait until I'm back to carry out more tests and if you get impatient try and get him to talk but don't use excessive force he's no use to us dead."

Attendant Larkin shuddered at the thought of the creature they had locked up a short distance away in the warehouse, the more they tortured it the more deranged it became. He tapped the front of the table, closing down the communicator screen and turned to leave his office.

Chapter Seven

Lucy stood as close to the door as she could possibly get without being discovered, she needed to find out what her guide was so worked up about.

"Damn it, can't hear a thing." she muttered under her breathe, wondering what to do next.

What would the Doctor do she asked herself. She smiled as she realised there was really only one option, check out the warehouse.

Making sure the coast was clear she headed back the way she had come, back to where the alarm had been sounding. Surprisingly the door wasn't locked but maybe that was because there must be at least one person working in the room beyond. Passing through the door she found herself in a small metal room with a heavy door at the other end. As she walked towards it she felt herself getting colder, her breath misted in front of her. She reached tentatively for the handle her previous bravado failing her as she gave serious thought to what might be beyond the door.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." she whispered as she gently turned the handle and felt an uncomfortable blast of cold air ruffle her hair.

The lighting was minimal in the vast space that now confronted her, making it difficult at first to make out what was there. Directly in front of her was a large bank of computers but they didn't look anything like any computers she had seen before. They consisted of an upright screen with a rectangular desk below filled with moveable magnetic symbols. Her brow furrowed as she tried to imagine how the machine worked and then it dawned on her. Attendant Larkin had mentioned something about a sequence earlier, it seemed quite likely that he was talking about the symbols. The one thing he failed to mention though was what the sequence did, that would require further investigation.

"Well I've got this far, it'd be a shame to stop now." Lucy muttered to herself as she approached the machine.

Her hands hovered over the first section of symbols, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The symbol made her hand tingle slightly as she moved in to the left, she slowly opened one eye not knowing what to expect but all she saw was the same gloominess as before. Taking a step back Lucy opened her other eye, still nothing, but then she held her breathe listening to the silence, waiting for something to happen. A clicking sound originating from the gloom in front of her broke the silence. Her heart beat faster, adrenaline coursed through her body, she braced herself. Moments later a series of powerful spotlights burst into life from the ceiling just above her. Her eyes widened in shock as she brought her hand to her mouth.

"Oh my God, Doctor I think you might want to see this."

Chapter Eight

"As you can see Doctor the museum collections are quite extensive and ever expanding I might add."

The Doctor gazed in admiration at the rows and rows of glass cases that held artefacts from hundreds of different planets.

"I'm sure a man as well travelled as yourself has a favourite planet. Name it Doctor and I'll show you what we have."

"Well I'm rather fond of the planet Earth. I've had the pleasure of visiting once or twice." replied the Doctor with a knowing smile.

The Grand Curator gestured to a table in the centre of the room.

"If you wait there Doctor I'll bring out two of our most intriguing objects from Earth. I'd quite like your opinion on them actually, as they've baffled us for years."

The Doctor's eyes lit up at the prospect of a little mystery to solve, but before that there was something he needed to know.

"Grand Curator."

He stopped mid stride and turned round.

"To my knowledge, which is extensive by the way, there's only one museum in the known universe with a collection like this."

"And where would that be Doctor?" he asked, his face visibly paler.

"The planet Xeros."

"How could you possibly know that Doctor, the collection hasn't been held there for centuries."

"I was there centuries ago."

"That's impossible."

"You're forgetting that I'm a Time Lord, we live for rather a long time. Now enlighten me because I recall putting a stop to the Morok's, so what happened?"

Realisation hit the Grand Curator, this man before him was the same Doctor mentioned in the legends of his people. He hadn't thought about the stories for such a long time but now it all came flooding back to him. The questions that bothered him now though was, did the Leader know who he'd allowed into his city. Had the stories about their defeat at the hands of an elderly alien and his companions been exaggerated over the centuries, if they hadn't then they were heading for trouble.

"A small group of my ancestors rescued some of our collection and managed to escape on board an old spacecraft before the Xeron's destroyed it. The fuel cells got us as far as this planet, which was an uninhabited wasteland before they built this city. The defeat they received at the hands of you and the Xeron's crushed their fighting spirit, since then we've become renowned for our learning and scholarship. I implore you Doctor don't judge us by our past."

The Doctor leaned on the table and stared straight into the Grand Curator's eyes.

"I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. So I suggest we continue with our business and forget the past for now."

The Grand Curator let out a deep sigh.

"I can't tell you how relieved I am Doctor. It's so difficult to live in the shadow of ones past."

He turned and walked towards a large metal safe at the far side of the room. Holding his hand up to a small square panel he waited a few seconds until a door slid across revealing two shelves full of clear containers. He took a few moments to read the labels before selecting two off the bottom shelf. The safe closed itself with a quiet hiss as he turned away securing the precious artefacts inside.

"These items came into our possession quite some time ago through one of our many contacts. So far we haven't been able to explain how they came to be on Earth."

He gently placed both containers on the table in front of the Doctor and gestured to them.

"Please, be my guest and take a look."

The Doctor lifted the nearest container, reading the label before opening it.

'Found: Southwark, London, 1815. Origin: Unknown. Material: Unknown'

Inside was a manacle with a short length of chain still attached, he looked up at the Grand Curator.

"Looks like an ordinary manacle, probably from an asylum."

The Grand Curator reached inside his pocket and produced his communicator.

"Use this Doctor, it doubles as an analyser."

"Thank you but I'll use this."

The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his inside pocket and pointed in directly at the manacle, it emitted a series of beeps and then fell silent. A small screen on the side of it lit up, he twisted his head to read the results.

"That's strange, no reading. There's never no reading."

"There are markings on it Doctor if you care to examine it more closely."

He carefully took the object from the container and turned it over, tilting it towards the light and instantly dropped it onto the table. Running a hand through his hair he stared in surprise.

"It can't be, it's just a myth, told to scare children."

The Grand Curator looked on, concerned at the Doctor's sudden change in mood.

"You mean you know what it is."

"Yes I'm afraid I do. It bears the seal of Rassilon the first Lord President of Gallifrey."

The Doctor picked up the discarded manacle and held it up for the Grand Curator to see.

"It's made from silver impregnated with validium, a living metal that's completely escape proof."

"What was it used for Doctor?"

"Well, Rassilon was said to have been a cruel dictator who forced his will upon his subjects and those that wouldn't comply he killed. However Time Lords as you now know have the ability to regenerate, so troublesome people had the habit of sticking around for a long time. Rassilon found a solution to this problem by creating a nightmarish creature called the Rassalox that was capable of devouring all the remaining lives of a Time Lord, therefore making them vulnerable. The chains were used to control the creature as it couldn't differentiate between friend or foe, it would devour the lives of any Time Lord it encountered."

"Does the legend say what happened to the creature?"

The Doctor looked straight into the Grand Curator's eyes.

"Yes it does actually but it's not very encouraging. Towards the end of Rassilon's reign the creature was seen by several witnesses to simply vanish into thin air."

The Grand Curator narrowed his eyes.

"So what you're suggesting Doctor is that somewhere out there this creature could still exist."

Before he had a chance to reply The Doctor heard a short beep coming from his inside pocket. Reaching inside he pulled out his mobile phone and tapped the screen, a picture instantly appeared and his eyes widened in shock.

While the Doctor was distracted the Grand Curator collected the two containers and turned towards the safe. As soon as he was hidden from view he opened the second of the two containers and stared intently at a second manacle fragment, he'd never bothered to examine this one before assuming that it was the same as the first, but he was wrong. He ran his fingers along two inscribed words on the surface of the object and smiled before continuing on his way.

Chapter Nine

Lucy struggled to take her eyes off the enormous structure in front of her. It consisted of dozens of individual glass fronted compartments. The strange thing was that the glass on each and every one seemed to be iced over and the entire structure was surrounded by a thin wispy mist.

Lucy scanned the area trying to take everything in and spotted something else, just in front of the big structure was an individual capsule similar to the others except the glass was tinted. She reached into her jeans pocket and retrieved her phone, holding it at arms length she took a photograph then scrolled through a menu and tapped send.

Deciding that she'd seen enough she turned to leave only to be confronted by two men pointing what looked like metal rods at her. She smiled sweetly at them and quickly made a run for it, getting as far as the door before she felt a cold sensation on her neck then nothing.

Dr Munro knelt down in front of the woman and looked into her eyes.

"What's your name my dear?"

She looked at him and smiled.

"Romana, what's yours?"

He stared blankly at her for a while slightly stunned by her apparent sanity.

"My name is Dr Munro and I'm in charge here at Bethlem Hospital. Do you remember how you got here Romana?"

The smile faded from her face and she laughed a little to herself.

"I knew a Doctor once, he was a truly great man."

She began to shake her head.

"It's such a terrible shame. I wish it could be stopped but it's too late, far too late."

Dr Munro believing her to be grieving someone close to her tried to comfort her a little.

"I'm truly sorry for your loss my dear."

Romana suddenly snapped out of her reflections and once more addressed him personally.

"May I visit the chapel, I feel the need to pray?"

Dr Munro considered the request and against his better judgement decided to allow it. After all the woman in front of him wasn't the same hysterical person he brought in the night before. Remembering the orderly was still there he turned to him.

"Can you recall what the woman I brought in last night looked like?"

Looking puzzled the orderly responded.

"Like the woman sat there." he pointed to Romana.

Dr Munro turned his gaze back to Romana and found he couldn't turn away from her eyes, he could feel them boring into him.

"You brought me in last night Doctor. I must apologise though, I rather embarrassed myself by screaming and ranting."

He shook his head trying to clear it.

"Ah yes so you were. Never mind my dear we'll have you right as rain soon enough."

Standing up and stretching his stiffened limbs he turned to the orderly.

"I must have been more tired than I thought last night. Could you unlock the chapel and then return to your duties."

The orderly nodded and left the cell.

"If you'd care to stand my dear I'll remove those restraints before we proceed to the chapel."

The Doctor looked up to find the Grand Curator standing opposite him. He pushed the phone across the table and watched him catch it.

"I think you've got some explaining to do, don't you?"

The Grand Curator stared at the image, his eyes widened briefly before he regained his composure.

"That, Doctor is the legacy of my predecessor. He found it on a deserted wasteland of a planet and brought it here for conservation"

"Do you have any idea what it is you've got?"

"Yes Doctor I do and I can assure you my interest in it is purely scholarly. Live specimens here are dealt with very carefully and in this case securely."

"But this isn't just any artefact, it's the lost tomb of the cybermen."

"That's what makes it so important Doctor. The cybermen were a fascinating race, I shall spend years studying them."

"I have to confess I know little about them." the Doctor lied, he didn't want the Grand Curator to know more than was necessary until he could fully trust his motives.

"Why don't we take a closer look Doctor. It might help to allay your fears."

"Yes why not." he replied returning to his previous pleasant manner.

Chapter Ten

The Doctor stared at the tomb a grim expression on his face, he thought he's seen the last of the tomb centuries ago when he'd helped to seal it up. The Grand Curator stood beside him and spread his arms wide.

"Isn't it astonishing Doctor and so well preserved. It was rescued with the computer systems intact."

The Doctor faked a smile.

"Yes very impressive."

"Unfortunately," the Grand Curator sighed "we've had limited success reviving the specimens."

"What exactly do you mean by limited success?"

"It'll be easier to show you rather than explain."

The Grand Curator walked over to the capsule and entered a four digit code into the keypad, with a hiss the panel slid across.

The Doctor couldn't do a thing to hide his shock at what he now saw in front of him. The cold metallic features of the cyber leader stared back at him, there was no movement, no sign of life.

"This Doctor, is the only living specimen of an original cyberman."

"He's alive." the Doctor exclaimed.

"Absolutely, although he's not very active at the moment Doctor. It took…"

The Grand Curator tailed off as the cyber leader began to emit strange croaking noises, which formed into slow rasping robotic words.

"The Doctor…" he turned his head as much as the restraints would allow and looked directly at him.

"The Doctor is an enemy of the cyber race, he must be destroyed."

The Doctor visibly paled before addressing the cyber leader.

"Nonsense, we've never met before."

"The Doctor arrived on Telos in a blue box and sealed us back in our tomb."

The Grand Curator turned to face the Doctor.

"Is this true?"

The Doctor sighed, there was no point in lying.

"Yes it is," he pointed to the cyber leader "and you have to freeze him again. They can never be allowed to exist, they'll make everyone like them until there's no one left." his voice began to rise in volume "My actions on Telos kept them at bay for centuries."

"But Doctor you must understand that all we want to do is study them. As you can see they can be kept securely."

"Don't underestimate their intelligence." the Doctor warned.

"With respect Doctor we don't need your permission but we would like your help. Our dilemma is that we don't wish to harm them unnecessarily but we haven't been able to work out the correct reanimation sequence."

"You must be joking. I absolutely will not help you. I've seen what they're capable of and believe me you don't want to experience that. They have no emotions, which makes them very dangerous indeed."

"I'm sorry you feel that way Doctor, I really am."

The Grand Curator reached into his pocket, brought out his communicator and pressed a red button on the side. Seconds later out of the corner of his eye he saw two attendants enter the room and stand silently either side of the Doctor. They produced metal rods from their inside pockets and touched them to the Doctor's neck, he instantly crumpled to the ground.

Chapter Eleven

Dr Munro led Romana down the corridor towards the chapel wing, being careful to keep pace with her in case anything untoward happened. As requested the chapel was unlocked, so he opened the door and strode straight in. The room was fairly large with a cavernous ceiling that caused every footstep to echo back.

"Please feel free to approach the altar." he gestured to the back of the room where a simple table stood with a plain wooden cross on top.

"I'll be sat on the back row of pews, so as not to disturb you."

He lowered himself onto the hard uncomfortable pews and watched as she solemnly processed to the altar and knelt before it. Something told him he might be here sometime, so he made himself as comfortable as possible. Before long he felt his eyelids grow heavy, until he could no longer keep them open.

Dr Munro jolted awake and immediately felt twinges of pain in his back and legs, damn pews he thought to himself as he stretched in an effort to ease the pain. The crack of his knees echoed in the silence of the chapel, looking up it dawned on him that it shouldn't be that silent. He scanned the far end of the room and immediately felt a rising sense of panic, she wasn't there. As he rose to his feet he realised why he couldn't see her, she had collapsed and was lying in a heap at the foot of the altar.

"Damn." he cursed out loud, in his desperation to reach the unconscious Romana he had banged his knee on the end of the pew. Kneeling down beside her he checked for a pulse and was relieved to find one even if it was a little too fast for his liking. Dr Munro grasped her shoulder and turned her body over to make sure she was breathing properly. The last thing he needed was a patient dying in his care, he'd had enough trouble lately with accusations of poor treatment and the use of excessive force.

"What the…" he began to speak but a bright white light filled his vision and then he blacked out.

Lucy could barely open her eyes the pain was so intense and when she finally did the well illuminated white room in which she found herself did little to ease it. As she sat up on the small clear plastic bed memories flooded back into her foggy mind. She had been knocked out and imprisoned because of what she'd seen, the only plus point was the picture message she'd managed to send. She just hoped and prayed he'd know what to do.

The door in front of her appeared to be made from frosted glass with the exception of a small letterbox shaped area at head height. She headed straight for it, hoping to find out where she was and if she could escape. The corridor outside was empty but opposite she could make out more cells. Unguarded cells always worried her, it usually meant they were escape proof.

A soft clicking noise followed by a hiss offered her some hope but this was immediately followed by a procession that put an end to all her hopes of escape. Two attendants came down the corridor dragging an unconscious Doctor between them. Once they reached the cell opposite hers the door slid across and they unceremoniously threw him in. Lucy couldn't take it anymore, she banged her fists hard against the glass door.

"Let me speak to your boss. You can't treat us like this."

The noise had the desired effect, the two attendants turned and approached her cell. One of them tapped a space next to the narrow window and it slid down.

"What's all the noise about, what do you want?"

"What I want is to know why I'm being held here." she demanded sternly, hoping her nerves didn't show. The attendant laughed as he considered a reply.

"You're plan b," he nodded towards the Doctors cell "in case he can't be made to comply"

Without waiting for a reply he closed the window and walked away. Lucy kicked the door in anger, it didn't budge an inch, she had a bad feeling about this.

Chapter Twelve

Dr Munro swallowed hard to stop himself being sick, his head felt like it'd been cleaned out with wire wool. Even before he opened his eyes he knew the numbness he could feel in his arms and legs could only mean one thing, he'd been restrained. He was beginning to think he'd been switched with one of his patients, his day couldn't possibly get any stranger.

As he slowly opened his eyes he received more of a shock than he'd anticipated, the floor of the chapel was twenty feet below but not all of it was visible. Extending from the entrance to the altar step above where he was chained was a metallic rectangular box with no windows and only one door at the end, although he guessed the chapel door must serve as its main entrance.

"Help, somebody, please help." he shouted at the top of his voice.

The door below him slid open and Romana walked out, but she no longer wore the linen suit, instead she had on a long flowing golden gown with an unusually high collar. On the back of the collar partly obscured by her head was a large round symbol that reminded him Celtic designs. Who was this woman and what the hell was she doing in his hospital.

"I'm sorry Dr Munro but no one will hear you, this room is completely soundproof."

"What do you think you're doing with my hospital?"

"You wouldn't understand if I told you. All you need to know is that no harm will come to you. You're not part of my plan Dr Munro, so once it's over your hospital will return to normal."

"One of my orderlies will come and look for me, I have my rounds to do"

"I can assure you they won't, this entire hospital is time locked. That means everybody with the exception of you is quite literally frozen in time. They'll be released once this is over."

Reaching into her robe she brought out a small cylindrical device, she was rather proud of it as in her humble opinion it was better than the Doctor's sonic screwdriver any day. Romana raised her arm and flicked a switch on the side of the screwdriver causing the small sphere on the end to spin.

"This is the last time you'll see me Dr Munro. Whatever sounds you hear coming from below have no fear as I've said before no harm will come to you."

Using her free arm she gestured behind her "All of this is for the benefit of one man."

The screwdriver began to emit a shrill beeping sound that filled the entire room. After thirty seconds this stopped and was replaced by a whooshing noise reminiscent of a hurricane.

Dr Munro blinked to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him and they weren't. A faint outline was taking shape around Romana, steadily becoming more substantial as he looked until it was completely solid and she was lost from view. It was a square metal box made from the same material as the rest of the structure but there was no door at the end. Whoever made it to the end of this structure had only one way out, so clearly it was meant as a trap for some poor soul.

Dr Munro stared ahead unsure of just how long he might have to stay chained to the wall. As he contemplated his situation his eyes were drawn to his right, where a part of the wall seemed to flicker. The flickering stopped abruptly but in its place appeared a tiny dot that began to expand. His heart skipped a beat as he realised that if it continued it would reach him within seconds, there was nowhere for him to go, he had to accept that something was going to happen.

Then without warning the shrill beeping restarted although slightly muted by the structure below. Once again it stopped suddenly, he wished it hadn't though as the sound that replaced it chilled him to the very core. A primeval roar echoed around him, hardly dulled by the structure at all. That was the least of his worries now though, the expanding dot had reached his hand and the moment it did he lost all feeling and movement. As the feeling spread through his body his last thoughts were what Romana had said about no harm coming to him. He hoped to God that she could be trusted.

Chapter Thirteen

The Doctor jolted awake, he felt unsteady and disorientated for a few moments, unsure of his surroundings. He rested one arm against the cold white wall of the cell, the other he brought up to his neck where it still ached from whatever they'd used to knock him out. A thought quickly entered his head, had they the foresight to take his sonic screwdriver from him. Reaching into the inside pocket of his coat he grabbed the sonic screwdriver and pulled it out. He gave it a quick kiss and laughed a little.

"What would I do without you?"

Now to give you a try on the cell door and then with luck get out and stop a madman. Flicking a switch on the side he hovered it over the left side of the door, nothing happened.

"What." he said aloud in disbelief. He repeated the procedure again and again nothing happened. The Doctor frowned and tightened his grip on the screwdriver.

"Useless piece of junk."

He threw it across the room, immediately regretted it and stooped to receive it.

"Maybe you'll come in useful another day."

Plan b it is then he thought to himself, sit tight and inevitably something will happen. The Doctor spun on his heel, walked over to the clear plastic framed bed and sat on it stretching his feet out and putting his hands behind his head. Whistling a Venusian lullaby he wondered how best to pass the time, then he remembered, he always carried something for just such an occasion, simply because these occasions happened rather a lot.

With his right hand he delved into the front pocket of his coat and produced a small leather bound book, he ran his fingers over the gold lettering, the Time Machine had always been a favourite of his. He settled back comfortably, opened the book and smiled to himself as he read the dedication 'Thank you for a most extraordinary experience. I hope you enjoy my humble attempt at a time travel adventure' The Doctor sighed and turned the page to the first chapter, but before he'd even read a paragraph the cell door opened and in walked the Grand Curator. He looked up nonchalantly as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"I'll give you one last chance Doctor. Will you help us reanimate the tomb or not?"

The Doctor rested the open book on his knee and looked straight at him, the care free attitude no longer evident.

"I'll never help you, in fact I see it as my duty as a Time Lord to do everything in my power to stop you."

"I was afraid you might say that, I wish you weren't so stubborn Doctor."

"You don't get to my age without being a little stubborn." smiled the Doctor.

"The Leader has sanctioned the use of force so we will get what we want."

The Doctor stood up, letting the book clatter to the floor. He could feel anger welling up inside him, an anger he strived so hard to keep in check.

"I've faced more foes than you could possibly imagine" he spread his arms out "and I'm still alive." The Doctor walked forward until he was only a foot away from the Grand Curator and jabbed his finger into his chest.

"I'm sick and tired of people like you thinking that they have a right to conquer worlds and destroy civilisations."

The Grand Curator's jaw dropped.

"Don't act so surprised did you really think that your scholarly intentions deceived me for even a minute."

Regaining his composure the Grand Curator took a step backwards.

"No one has ever held out indefinitely Doctor. Of course the added advantage you give us is that if you die we can still carry on." The Grand Curator twisted his head towards the empty doorway "Switch on the beam please, we may as well get started."

The Doctor was confused, something was wrong, he looked down and saw he was standing in a small circle but there was no time to react, a beam extended from the ceiling and immobilised him. This was precisely why he never allowed himself to get angry, it clouded his judgement and led to mistakes.

"I'm disappointed Doctor I expected more from you, I really did." he turned as Attendant Larkin walked into the cell carrying a large tray that held a variety of objects and stood next to the Grand Curator.

"Your intelligence will be a hindrance now Doctor, as I'm sure you'll recognise a good many of these devices."

He picked up a device that closely resembled a headset, looked at the Doctor and shook his head.

"No, no, no this won't work. You're too clever for this aren't you Doctor. But don't worry I've just the thing for you, I acquired it years ago and never dreamed I'd get to use it."

Attendant Larkin picked up an object resembling a plunger with a trigger on the end and handed it to the Grand Curator. The Doctor's eyes widened in shock as the plunger was placed on his chest.

"That's Dalek technology, how on earth did you get hold of that. The Dalek's haven't been seen for centuries."

"You're well informed Doctor."

"It was me who saw them and sent them to the farthest corner of the universe."

"I have contacts everywhere, who are always on the lookout for alien technology. Tell me Doctor if your so clever do you know what this thing is?"

"I've no idea."

The Grand Curator smiled, pleased to have got one over on the Doctor.

"This device was made for one purpose, to torture a Time Lord. It would seem the Dalek's don't think too much of your people Doctor."

The Grand Curator pressed the trigger and watched as an electrical spark travelled up the device and into the plunger. The Doctor winced as it hit him, before he lost consciousness as his hearts stopped.

Chapter Fourteen

The Grand Curator rubbed his chin thoughtfully, slumped in front of him suspended by a beam was a dead Time Lord. Any number of his enemies would pay a fortune for his dead body, but that was immaterial, he needed him alive. He pressed the trigger again and the moment the spark hit the Doctor's chest he breathed in deeply and opened his eyes. Pain showed on his face but he remained quiet.

"Well how was that Doctor, what's death really like?"

The Doctor coughed and replied in a weak croaky voice. "There's no need to tell you, you'll see for yourself soon enough."

"You stubborn fool." replied the Grand Curator, his irritation showing on his face.

The Doctor watched as the spark progressed towards him again, it wasn't often that he felt fear but he did now. Death scared him, it was the one thing a Time Lord rarely had to worry about but he had experienced it several times. When the beating of his two hearts ceased for the second time all he found was an impenetrable darkness.

His chest heaved upwards as life returned, intense pain coursed through him, he couldn't stop himself screaming out loud. Gritting his teeth he looked up at his tormentor, defiance in his eyes.

"I could do this all day and still you wouldn't get what you want."

The Grand Curator turned and slammed the device back on the tray.

"I believe you Doctor, that's precisely why I have a plan b."

He turned to Attendant Larkin "Prepare for plan b, I think we'll relocate to the warehouse."

Lucy stared in disbelief through the open door of the Doctor's cell, tears streamed down her face. She felt utterly hopeless, there was nothing she could do to help him. What if he died, whatever they were doing to him was obviously extremely painful. Once his screams stopped she noticed the Grand Curator slam something down and talk to the attendant. Squinting a little she watched the Doctor, his chest was moving, relief washed over her as she realised he was still alive. That relief turned quickly to fear though as the attendant placed the tray he was carrying on the floor and walked towards her cell.

As the door slid across her eyes immediately fixed upon a set of handcuffs in his right hand, they seemed totally out of place in her clean modern surroundings.

Attendant Larkin saw her gazing down at his hand and raised the handcuffs so she could get a better look.

"The Grand Curator doesn't like all of his collection to gather dust on a shelf. These were used by a Dr Munro of Bethlem hospital London to keep insane people in check. Fascinating man Dr Munro, shortly before he left Bethlem he insisted he was visited by an alien who took over his hospital."

With his free hand he grasped her shoulder, spun her around and placed her hand inside one of the cuffs, then switched hands and completed the procedure. Before she could protest he held onto the middle of the handcuffs and pushed her forwards and out of the cell.

Chapter Fifteen

The Doctor fell forward onto his knees the instant the beam was switched off, his breathing heavy and laboured. The Grand Curator loomed over him menacingly, things hadn't been this bad for a long time.

"Stand up Doctor, it's time we moved on."

Pain coursed through his entire body as he rose unsteadily to his feet, dying and returning to life without using his regenerative powers could well have damaged his hearts. Sweat glistened on his forehead as he concentrated on putting one foot in front of another, the Grand Curator held onto his arm and guided him forwards.

Even in his weak state he knew he was being taken back to the warehouse where he would face a further attempt to force him do what they wanted. If he was to prevent that happening he needed to recover his strength somehow. What do Time Lords do when they suffer heart failure he thought trying to wrack his brain and recall any useful events from his time on Gallifrey. Yes that's it, there was a Lord President who suffered heart failure, records stated that when he collapsed he curled up into a ball and shut down all his vital organs and simply meditated. It's worth a try he thought, there's nothing to lose.

He groaned loudly causing the Grand Curator to halt and slacken his grip, this was his chance. Letting his muscles relax he dropped to the ground and curled into a tight ball. Shutting his body down was fairly simple, he'd accomplished it on more than one occasion but the coldness that enveloped his body was always disconcerting. The purpose of this though was to focus his mind on his hearts, he pictured them surrounded by a regenerative orange glow and instantly felt a warmth spreading through his body. The Grand Curator kicked the Doctor's prone body.

"Don't you dare die on me Doctor."

The Doctor's muffled voice soon put his fears to rest.

"I'm fine thanks for your concern," he replied sarcastically "shall we continue"

"I warn you Doctor don't cross me."

Attendant Larkin was met at the warehouse door by Attendant Jacob's, who fiddled nervously with the handle of a metal case. He nodded towards the door.

"Let's go in and prepare the weapon, we don't want him to get impatient."

Attendant Jacob's laughed nervously as he held open the door for his colleague. They were already behind schedule, the Grand Curator wouldn't stand for any further delays.

Once inside they both halted, the red communicator on the wall was buzzing, it was the Leader's private line. Attendant Jacob's swallowed hard and pressed the green receive button, the Leaders face appeared on the screen in front of him.

"Where's the Grand Curator?" the Leader enquired impatiently.

"On his way Sir."

"Excellent, I'll be there when he arrives. Everything must go to plan."

"Yes Sir, everything will go as planned."

"I hope so for all our sakes. The power drain is starting to attract the attention of the population and they look to me for answers."

In all her years of travelling with the Doctor Lucy couldn't recall a time when their situation had been so serious, in fact she hadn't even felt this scared when the Doctor had first rescued her from the daleks. The Doctor was all she had left after they'd exterminated her entire family, but at least they were predictable, you always knew their intentions. Her family and many others had fled the earth to a new colony before the sun went supernova but little did they know that another race had their sights on their chosen world. They had done their best to defend themselves but the death toll had been high, then a lone traveller in a blue box had appeared from nowhere and banished the Daleks to the edge of the universe. It was still hard to believe that such a powerful race as the Daleks panicked at the presence of one man, one brilliant man. All brilliant men have their weaknesses though, maybe the Grand Curator found his, maybe he wouldn't be able to save her this time.

She stared at the double doors waiting for something to happen, while at the same time wondering just what was in the case that Attendant Jacobs held so tightly. Without warning the doors swung inwards and the Grand Curator strode in with the Doctor's arm in his vice like grip. The Leader followed closely behind them, his overall appearance was immaculate and his face betrayed no emotion.

"Right, it's time to get down on your knee's." Attendant Larkin whispered into her ear before kicking the back of her knees.

Lucy's legs buckled from under her and she fell painfully to the floor. Seeing this the Doctor wrestled uselessly in the Grand Curators grip.

"Calm down Doctor, no harm will come to her if you co-operate."

He looked towards the Leader who was stood near the door with his hands behind his back and received a nod.

"Ok Doctor, I'm going to let go of you now but understand this if you try anything your companion dies."

The Doctor nodded meekly.

"Excellent lets take a look at the computer shall we." with a sweep of his arm he motioned him towards the centre console.

"This I'm sure you're aware controls the life support systems and is the key to defrosting the cybermen. It's quite simple Doctor all I need you to do is arrange the symbols to make the correct sequence and then you're free to go."

"If its quite simple then do it yourself." he replied defiantly.

"Ah I see your feeling better Doctor. How can I put this, enter the sequence or she dies." He spun round and pointed at Lucy.

At her feet was an empty case, the packing material inside bore the impression of a small hand held weapon, a weapon now in Attendant Larkin's hand.

"As you can see the chameleon circuit isn't the only Gallifreyan artefact we have."

The Doctor looked puzzled but then it struck him, the small pistol like weapon was a staser once used by the Chancellery Guard.

"Oh and in case your wondering we're well aware that it has both stun and kill settings."

He had to think fast, was the Grand Curator bluffing. How far am I willing to go to stop the slaughter of millions he thought?

"Come on Doctor, we haven't got all day."

"As I've already told you I'll not give the cybermen the opportunity to wreak havoc in the universe again. One life isn't worth the millions they would kill." he winked subtly at Lucy, who responded with the merest flicker of a smile.

"Believe me Doctor this gives me no pleasure."

The Doctor watched in horror as the signal was given, from that moment everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Attendant Larkin raised his arm until it was level with Lucy's head and without a moment's hesitation fired. The shot echoed around the warehouse even as her lifeless body fell to the ground.

Chapter Sixteen

The Doctor attempted to run towards Lucy but found he couldn't move, two strong hands held him in their grip.

In the few seconds it had taken for the shot to be fired Attendant Jacob's had positioned himself behind the Doctor in the anticipation that he might run.

"We had a feeling you'd remain stubborn, so it formed the basis of our plan." stated the Grand Curator matter of factly.

The Leader began to walk towards them and as he did so the Doctor noticed a headset in his hand. Once he got close enough he placed it on the Doctor's head and stepped back, his face never betraying any emotion.

"When your mind was strong Doctor you could resist the mind probe, but the death of your companion will have weakened you more than you realise."

He reached into his pocket and brought out an earpiece and a small remote control with a dial in the centre.

"Try not to block the signal Doctor or it'll just hurt more." he warned as he put the earpiece in and began to twist the dial.

Remembering his training at the academy the Doctor focused his thoughts on building a mental brick wall around his mind, this ancient technique hadn't failed him yet.

The Grand Curator laughed "Very good Doctor, I am impressed." he twisted the dial as far as it would go.

An intense pain spread from the front of his brain until it felt as though his skull might split open, the mental barrier he'd so carefully constructed crumbled in an instant. He dropped to his knees and held his head in his hands, trying desperately to reconstruct the barrier and protect his mind but it was too late. he could sense an alien presence rooting around in there.

With all the strength he could muster he craned his neck upwards, the Grand Curator stood motionless, his eyes had glazed over. The last thing he saw was a smile spreading across his face before he collapsed onto the floor.

"Did it work, have you acquired the sequence?" the Leader enquired, a glimmer of emotion discernable in his voice.

Rather than answer straight away, the Grand Curator began to rearrange the symbols on the panel and once he was finished he stood back to assess his work.

"To answer your question, yes I have acquired the sequence." he pulled a lever next to the panel and the computer screen burst into life, displaying a timer counted down from ten.

"All of our plans are about to come to fruition Leader, all that we've worked for has led to this moment."

The Leader nodded his head towards to closed metal cabinet in front of the tomb.

"Release him, maybe he'll be more active once he sees the tomb defrosting."

Attendants Larkin and Jacobs had joined them both in front of the tomb, so the Grand Curator turned to them.

"Would you be so kind as to release the locking bolts securing the cyber leader and bring him over here?"

They looked at each other nervously, nodded and made their way to the cabinet.

A long low moaning sound made the Grand Curator turn, an amused look spread across his face.

"Ah splendid Doctor I'm so glad you're able to experience history in the making with us. Today's only the beginning for the once mighty Morok empire, we'll take our army," he pointed towards the tomb "and whole worlds will fall at our feet."

The Doctor struggled into a sitting position, the strain showed on his face, he made no attempt to reply to the Grand Curators comments instead he just stared beyond him at the tomb transfixed.

"Sir, Sir come quickly it's the cyber leader, he's gone." Attendant Larkin shouted.

The Leader spun round and for the first time since entering the room he lost his composure. He grabbed the Grand Curator and twisted his body around forcefully so that he faced the empty cabinet.

"Where the hell has he gone?" he placed his hand on the back of the Grand Curator's neck and squeezed tightly

"Can you tell me how we're going to control that army without him?" he jabbed his finger at the slowly defrosting tomb "We needed his influence."

The Doctor slowly rose to his feet and started to smile, in no time at all this turned to laughter.

The Grand Curator turned, a look of mild irritation on his face, he could do without the Doctor now. A high pitched alarm filled the air, the Doctor nodded his head towards the computer behind them and loosed his tie.

"Getting rather warm in here don't you think?"

The Grand Curator's jaw dropped "What have you done Doctor?"

"Nothing, you retrieved the sequence from my brain. So what could possibly have gone wrong, it's like you said my mind was weak." he replied a sinister smile on his face.

The Grand Curator ran the short distance to the console and frantically began moving the symbols around in an effort to halt whatever the Doctor had begun. Panic set in as he quickly realised that in a matter of minutes the Doctor had managed to ruin year's of meticulous work.

"Your wasting your time, it's irreversible, nothing can stop it now. This is what happens when you don't specify a maximum temperature. The temperature within the tomb will continue to rise until the contents simply melt." the Doctor defiantly folded his arms across his chest.

Chapter Seventeen

Within the last few minutes the Grand Curator seemed to have aged, the Doctor could no longer see evil in his eyes just anguish and despair.

"Do you realise what you've done Doctor. We couldn't power this machinery locally, we had to connect it to the cities main power supply. When this blows it'll feedback through the entire grid and cause explosions across the whole city."

The Doctor's face remained impassive, he could sense that something had changed about him, the compassion had gone from his eyes, replaced by a burning intensity.

"You already knew this though didn't you Doctor?"

The Doctor nodded "In a few moments we'll hear their screams and once we do I wouldn't advise remaining here for too long."

He whipped his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, pointed it at the console, it emitted a short beep and the alarm stopped. Raising his hand in the air the Doctor began counting down from five, with his other hand he put the sonic screwdriver back into his pocket.

The moment he reached zero a low rumble caused the floor to shudder, but the accompanying noise was far worse than the Grand Curator had imagined. The distorted metallic screams of the cybermen filled the entire warehouse, ten times louder than the alarm the Doctor had so kindly stopped. It was a stark reminder that the metal men trapped in their capsules had once been living organisms.

He looked around him at his colleagues, the petrified faces that stared back at him all thought the same thing, now was the time to make a run for it. With all the power he could muster he launched himself forward towards the main doors and away from the upcoming blast.

With all his concentration focused on the exit the Grand Curator had failed to notice the Doctor's raised arm, it caught him square on the neck and floored him instantly. The Doctor watched as his foe struggled to his knees, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to draw breath.

"Get up." the Doctor kicked him hard in the stomach. His patience was wearing thin, he grabbed hold of the Grand Curator's shirt and dragged him up until they were face to face.

"You killed Lucy, I can't allow you to escape unpunished."

"But it wasn't me, I didn't do it Doctor." he croaked.

"You think you weren't responsible just because you didn't pull the trigger." he replied incredulously.

Something inside him snapped, it was as if the dam that was holding back all his anger had burst, he could feel it coursing through his entire being. Long forgotten memories came flooding back, faces he'd put to the back of mind, faces of all those who'd died at the hands of his enemies. Suddenly the man before him stood for all that was wrong in the universe, all that had happened and all that was going to happen. His hands felt like they belonged to someone else as they moved slowly towards the Grand Curators throat and tightened their grip.

The Grand Curator's eyes widened in shock as he realised that this was the end, the Time Lord was going to kill him. He rued the day this man set foot on the planet, everything had gone downhill since he arrived. He'd always dismissed the legends of the man in the blue box and the fear he instilled in his enemies but now when it was too late he wished taken them seriously. The Doctor's face was so deeply contorted with anger he was barely recognisable and then his vision faded until he could see no more.

The Doctor stared in disgust at the lifeless form in his grasp and then let go, letting him fall to the floor. As he looked up he caught sight of the tomb, even from where he stood halfway between the door and the computers he could feel the intense heat coming from it. It wouldn't be long now he thought, there was already nothing left of the cybermen except a pool of metal at the bottom of each capsule. Scanning the tomb one last time the Doctor paused and felt a sinking feeling, the capsule at the very top had been removed. He shook his head angrily, remembering the cabinet next to the computers and the incident that had been the beginning of the end for Lucy.

He retrieved his sonic screwdriver and strode over to the cabinet, pointed it at the empty space inside and pressed scan. It emitted a sequence of beeps that got steadily closer together until a flashing blue glow signalled the end of the scan. The Doctor read a tiny readout screen and ran from the room heading for the nearest exit, he had one last piece of unfinished business to attend to before he left this planet.

Chapter Eighteen

The Doctor slammed the sonic screwdriver into the Tardis console, twisted a nearby dial all the way around and pulled a lever. The time rotor began to move up and down, slowly at first but then gaining momentum as the Tardis raced towards its destination. Moving towards the opposite side of the console the Doctor held down a red button and spoke out loud.

"Destination please?"

A female voice came from within the console "Destination Bethlem Hospital, Southwark, London, 1815."

Where had he heard that before he thought, he couldn't remember, his mind was too clouded by anger to think properly. All he could concentrate on was the complete destruction of the cyber race and that meant finding the last one and for reasons unknown to him he was in 19th century London.

Romana paced the corridor, the rhythmic tapping of her shoes on the polished metal floor helped to concentrate her mind. Her trap had been activated and there was no going back, any regrets she had now were pointless. She reminded herself of just why she was doing this but somehow that didn't make it any easier.

She caught her reflection in the darkened glass that ran along one side of the corridor and smiled, she never got used to seeing herself for the first time following a regeneration. Romana's smile faded as a series of three beeps brought her back to reality, she knew exactly what they signalled, the arrival of the first of her two guests.

The Tardis shuddered and creaked, fighting against an invisible force, a barrier. Smoke rose from the console as the Doctor frantically pressed a multitude of buttons and flicked countless switches in an effort to keep the Tardis from ripping apart. He ducked his head as a shower of sparks sprayed out above him and then there was silence as the time rotor stopped.

There was no time to be thankful for his survival, he opened the door, grabbed the sonic screwdriver and made to leave but stopped dead in his tracks. A bell was tolling from deep within the Tardis, the cloister bell. He hadn't heard that for such a long time, normally it wasn't something that could be ignored but right now he just didn't care.

He continued making his way to the door, poked his head around it and looked around him. The Tardis had landed right in the middle of a large reception hall but something was wrong, it was far too quiet for an asylum.

The sonic screwdriver in his hand flashed and beeped, it had found the signature left by the disappearing cyber leader. The Doctor held it in front of him at arms length and walked towards a door to his left. The door opened without a sound onto a long corridor, the signal was coming from behind a door at the far end marked chapel. Having no further need for it he put the screwdriver back in his pocket and ran for the door, he grasped the handle and gently began to turn it but stopped suddenly.

The silence still bothered him, even new doors squeaked on their hinges but here there was nothing. He had to get to the bottom of this before taking on the cyber leader. There was another door to his right so he opened that, it was an office with a desk and a couple of padded armchairs. Everything about the room was normal apart from one startling thing, it was occupied and the occupier hadn't moved a muscle even though the door was directly in his field of vision. He gingerly walked across the threshold and stopped in front of the desk, he was close enough now to confirm his worst fears. There was only one thing that could cause such phenomena, Bethlem hospital was time locked, maybe he should have taken notice of the cloister bell after all.

He couldn't put it off any longer, he left the office and without hesitation opened the chapel door. A blinding light shone into his eyes, he tried to move away from it but found he was completely paralysed. Soft footsteps seemed to be making their way towards him.

"I'm so sorry Doctor, I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me for what I'm about to do. Believe me there is no other way."

Chapter Nineteen

The paralysing light faded to nothing and the Doctor got his first glimpse of his surroundings. He was in a long chrome corridor with an airlock at the far end, a far cry from interior he'd expected to see. He focused his attention on the woman stood in front of him, expecting to recognise her but he didn't. His jaw dropped though as he took in what she was wearing, the high collared golden gown was unmistakably of Gallifreyan origin.

"What do you mean you're sorry, I don't even know you?"

"You do Doctor and I'm sorry that we had to meet again under these circumstances. I've travelled a long way to be here."

"Where did you come from?" he enquired totally confused by the situation.

"A call came from such a great distance Doctor, from before the Time War. A summons beginning with the words, stop the Doctor or watch the universe fall. Using a colossal amount of energy they managed to transport me from E space to normal space but it came at a cost. Without the protection of a time ship, travelling through the vortex is extremely dangerous. The person you would have recognised lasted less than twenty four hours before regeneration was necessary."

The Doctor felt faint, he found it hard to take in what he was being told. He didn't understand what was going on and what part he played in it.

"Romana, is it really you?"

She offered him a weak smile "Yes it is, I never thought we'd ever meet again Doctor."

"Me neither," he confessed "they told you why the universe will fall didn't they?" he asked.

"Yes and I didn't believe them to begin with but the message came through from the Lord President himself."

"Which one Romana?"

"Rassilon himself Doctor, from the dawn of time travel they knew what would happen. They knew one of their own would wreak havoc."

"They must have got it wrong, all I've ever done is help people." he replied pleadingly.

"That's what I thought Doctor but the message also came with a video log."

"What did it show?"

"You're future Doctor, it showed unspeakable things. I didn't want to believe it but the evidence was overwhelming."

"I don't understand, what are you trying to tell me?"

"Something inside you has changed Doctor and from this moment onwards it only gets worse. You lose your conscience, your compassion, all you do is destroy lives. The rest of your timeline is a disgrace to the Time Lord race and more importantly Doctor a disgrace to your previous lives."

She turned around and tapped the darkened glass behind her, he shielded his eyes against the sudden harsh glare. He blinked and rubbed his eyes forcing them to focus on what was behind the glass, eleven pale emotionless faces stared back at him.

"They must be here to witness what is about to happen. Of course they won't remember anything from today except for that inexplicable feeling of dread, that indistinct unreachable memory that will always stop them before they go too far. Tell me Doctor, have you ever been close to destroying an entire civilisation but then just as you got to that crucial moment, stopping for reasons you couldn't explain?"

The Doctor looked from one ghostly face to another, as long forgotten memories came flooding back, he walked over to the window and stopped opposite his forth incarnation.

"It was on the planet Skaro that I was given a rare opportunity to end the daleks once and for all," he held up his hands "I held the two wires in my hands, all I needed to do was touch them together and they would be gone."

"You couldn't do it though could you?" She asked.

He closed his eyes and shook his head, Romana walked up behind and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What's going to happen to me Romana?" He pleaded

"I sense that you know the answer to that already Doctor."

Searching his mind he couldn't come up with an answer, so many thoughts were racing around his head.

"Sorry I can't think straight."

Romana reached into her robes and threw a metallic object into the floor in front of him.

The Doctor looked down, at his feet lay a set of manacles, his hands trembled as a reached to pick them up. Examining them closely he noticed an inscription, holding it up to the light his hearts skipped a beat as the words 'The Doctor' flashed before his eyes. All of the pieces of the puzzle came together in an instant, he dropped heavily onto his knees and held his head in his hands.

"It can't be true, the Rassalox is a myth, a legend to scare children."

She gently took the Doctor's hands, secured them in the manacles and took a step backwards.

"As with all legends this one contains a grain of truth. The Rassalox is real Doctor, but it wasn't created by Rassilon to rid him of his enemies."

The Doctor looked shell shocked as he turned and stared into Romana's eyes.

"Why did he create it?"

"He created it to stop you Doctor, he looked into the future and foresaw a time when one man would risk the entire universe to destroy his enemies without even a glimmer of remorse." a tear rolled down her face "I'm sorry it's time."

"Please answer one last question, why you, why couldn't he do his own dirty work?"

"He believed it would be easier for you to take if it came from a friend, he was well aware of your feelings regarding the High Council of Time Lords."

Romana's face paled as out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a door slide silently open.

Heavy footstep approached the Doctor from behind, he felt a cold metal hand on his shoulder and as he looked up at the reflection in the glass it all made sense. The cold expressionless face of the cyber leader stared back at him, his disappearance had been part of this trap, he was meant to follow him to this moment. He winced as the hand tightened around his shoulder, pulled him to his feet and twisted him round to face Romana.

"He chose to involve the cyber leader for two reasons Doctor. Firstly you took it upon yourself to destroy his race, for which you had no right and secondly he was worried that you wouldn't accept your fate."

"Very wise." he replied gritting his teeth against the pain.

A loud bang from the direction of the airlock caused Romana to twitch nervously.

"I can't delay this any longer." she stated sadness evident in her eyes

His hearts were beating so fast it felt as if they might rip from his chest, he'd faced dangers on countless occasions but this time it felt different.

"Will it hurt Romana?"

She was too upset to answer so instead she just nodded and turned her back to him as she made her way to the airlock controls. The cyber leader clearly following prearranged instructions walked slowly behind her. He watched as she inputted a four digit code and with a hiss the airlock slid open.

Chapter Twenty

"No no, please, no, don't put me in there with that thing. What if Rassilon got it wrong?" he pleaded struggling in vain against the cyber leaders iron grip.

The Rassalox snarled furiously at the sight of the Doctor, the chains that held its hands together strained as it tried to reach out to its target. Its appearance was like something out of a nightmare, on earth the creature would have been likened to a devil or demon with its red scaly skin, large claws and razor sharp dripping teeth. There was no mistaking where it had come from, emblazoned on its silver breastplate was the seal of Rassilon.

Through deep ragged breathes the Rassalox addressed the Doctor "Your time has come renegade, enter and accept your destiny."

Whether he accepted it or not was immaterial, he was slowly being pushed forward into the airlock. The nearer he got to the beast the more agitated it became, a hiss from behind him told him that the door had closed behind them but he couldn't take his eyes from the Rassalox.

The cyber leader applied a tiny amount of pressure to the Doctor's shoulder and he fell to his knees. Reaching out the Rassalox placed its hands on the Doctor's cheeks and tipped its head back letting out an ear splitting roar.

He could feel a tugging sensation but he wasn't physically moving, this sensation increased with each passing second, so this was what it felt like to have you life devoured he thought. His jaws clamped together and he closed his eyes tightly as the pain increased until he could take it no longer, he let out a scream as an orange haze ripped from his body. Opening his eyes he witnessed the last of his regenerative energy seeping through the mouth of the Rassalox, he was no longer a Time Lord, he was mortal.

Now the ordeal was over the door hissed open and Romana walked in, in her hand she held a remote control which she pointed at the Rassalox. A black triangle appeared from the corner of the room and came spinning towards the creature, as it did so it got larger and larger until it completely enveloped the Rassalox and vanished.

"You can let go of him now." Romana addressed the cyber leader.

He slowly turned his head towards her.

"You are a coward. The Doctor will die for his crimes against the cyber race." it stated matter of factly.

He released his hand from the Doctor's shoulder and placed his arm around his neck, tightening his grip.

The Doctor gasped for breathe, too weak to fight back, was this the end, was he going to die here.

Romana reacted fast, reached into her robe and brought out a round disc with a button in the centre and slapped it onto the cyber leaders back. The instant she pressed the button he disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the Doctor to collapse to the floor painfully drawing air into his empty lungs.

"Thank you." he croaked as he rolled up his left sleeve to reveal a digital device attached to his wrist.

"Goodbye Romana." the Doctor pressed a button on the device and vanished. She continued to stare at the space where the Doctor had been and slowly shook her head from side to side.

Chapter Twenty One

The Doctor reappeared in the console room of his Tardis doubled over with pain, his confrontation with the Rassalox had left him weak and fragile. Is this what it's like to be human he thought, if it was he didn't like it. There had to be a way to get his life back and prevent the destruction of the universe but before that he needed some breathing space.

He pressed a seemingly random series of buttons, pulled the flight lever down and watched with relief as the time rotor began moving up and down. Something was wrong though he could sense it, he craned his neck listening for a distant sound. It was the cloister bell again, as its toiling increased in volume he realised that he was still in danger.

A gentle rumble was discernable under his feet, steadily rising until it felt like an earthquake. The Tardis was on the verge of tearing apart, some external force must be battling for control but all wasn't lost, if he applied the brakes and restarted her he might just regain control.

He pressed a pedal underneath the console and watched as the lever slowly moved back into the upright position. Once it reached the top he yanked it down again, the Tardis shuddered to a halt causing him to fall sideways onto the floor.

"No, no, no that's not right you should still be moving." he said aloud staring intently at the time Rotor willing it back into life.

Maybe the scanner would shed some light on what had happened, he raced round the console and flicked a switch, nothing. He slammed his fist down, the console was completely dead and if that was the case then the rest of the Tardis would soon follow. As if reading his mind the lights dimmed and turned to red as the emergency power kicked in. He had no way of knowing what was outside the doors, apart from actually opening them and that would need to be done manually.

The Doctor reached underneath the console, brought out an object resembling a starter handle and walked over to the door. With his free hand he felt for a tiny hole and inserted the handle into it and began to vigorously turn it in a clockwise direction.

A sliver of light appeared on the opposite wall and slowly expanded as the doors gradually opened inwards. Once they were open enough to step through he stopped, sweat glistened on his forehead despite to coldness of the Tardis. There was only one way find out what waited for him outside, there was no point skulking around a cold silent Tardis.

He squeezed himself through the gap and emerged into a white space that was completely empty save for a small clear cube fifty feet from him. It was absolutely impossible to gauge how big the space was as there were no visible lines or curves, in theory it could go on for miles.

His footsteps made no sound as he approached the cube, as he considered exactly what it was the realisation hit him, his head was clear. His head had never been clear since becoming a Time Lord, the twenty seven senses they possessed kept their minds constantly active. He paused to reflect on this, he was no longer a Time Lord, time travel was now beyond his understanding. The Doctor turned to look at the police box behind him, even if the Tardis's power could be returned he didn't have the knowledge to fly it, all of that was fading away with each passing second.

A hand touched his shoulder making him jump slightly, this time it wasn't the cold metallic touch of a cyberman but the light delicate touch of a friend. He turned to face Romana, whose red rimmed eyes betrayed that she'd been crying.

"Sorry to startle you Doctor, I forgot we don't share a telepathic link anymore." she said sadly.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Technically speaking nowhere, we're outside of time and space. When Rassilon planned your downfall he considered all possible outcomes." she spread her arms out to emphasise her point "so whatever you'd have done Doctor you would still have ended up here."

"How does the rest of his plan unfold" he asked wearily, his mind struggled to cope with the enormity of his increasingly desperate situation.

Romana pointed to the cube in front of them.

"That is an eternity cage Doctor, designed and built by Rassilon himself. It's the final stage of the plan but don't be fooled by its name it wasn't his intention to let you live forever. The cage will keep you sealed off from the rest of existence, preventing you from interfering and at the same time stopping your enemies getting to you."

"So what your trying to tell me is that I'll grow old and die in there" he pointed a shaky hand at the cage.

"I'm afraid so and with nothing to do but reflect it'll feel like forever."

The Doctor felt complete and utter despair but the impulse to run was strong despite knowing it was futile. He spun round and launched himself towards his Tardis, with no plan beyond getting safely inside. His lungs burned as he struggled to draw breath, something was wrong, however hard he ran he got no closer to his destination.

He turned around to confront Romana and slammed straight into the side of the cage, she stared sorrowfully at him from the other side. Slamming his palms against the wall the Doctor felt panic rising through his body, his breathing became ragged. He frantically looked from left to right but all he saw was the side walls of the cage, somehow he was inside.

The Doctor backed himself into the corner and slid down until he was on the floor with his arms resting on his knees. It was game over, Rassilon was evidently far cleverer than him, he'd been beaten and this time there was no escape.

Romana leant forward and closed her eyes tightly, he could see she was carefully regulating her breathing but without a telepathic link he couldn't tell what she was doing. In the distance he could just make out his Tardis gradually sliding towards him, slowly at first but picking up speed until it was only five feet away, then it halted.

"Let this Tardis stand as a monument to past glories and a warning of future perils." she lowered her head "I'm sorry Doctor I can't remain here any longer, we won't meet again but please don't think badly of me, believe me I had to do what I did there was no other way."

The Doctor struggled to his feet, he wanted to look into her eyes one last time, but it was too late, she faded from view and was gone forever. The Doctor rested his forehead against the wall, all that confronted him now was a desolate Tardis and a wall of silence.

Copyright 2012 by Paul Gilbert