The doctor and Rose hurtled once again through space and time, the doctor flipping switches left and right as they went.
'Rose flip that switch!" The doctor yelled as Rose fumbled for the switch, barely grabbing hold of it as the TARDIS lurched backwards. The momentum from the lurch pulled the lever and the TARDIS slammed into the ground. "Another happy landing," the doctor said.
"Yeah," said Rose catching her breath, "So where are we?" The doctor looks at a screen for a second before making a face.
"I've never heard of this planet before, but it says we're on... Tria IV," The doctor says. "It's inhabited by intelligent life and they're quite advanced. They used the gift of technology to advance their life on the planet instead of expanding outwards. It's odd though. The readings show very little life compared to the amount the TARDIS has on historical record. I wonder how long it's been since a Time Lord has been here..."
"Anyway!" The doctor said throwing on his coat. "Let's go check out the planet."
Rose smiled and stepped out of the TARDIS into a barren landscape. "Where's all the technology doctor?" Rose asked. There was barely anything in sight other than some mountains far off to one side. The doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and looked around with it.
"I think there is something off in this direction, I could be wrong though. The readings are faint. Let's use the TARDIS and see if we can't get closer," the doctor said, jumping back into the TARDIS. Rose rolled her eyes and followed.
A short trip later they stepped out into what appeared a broken tower. The doctor checked around with his sonic screwdriver and turned towards a broken throne at the back of the room. There seemed to be lots of smashed machines around and a few decaying bodies of strange creatures. The doctor stepped over them and went up to the throne. The pushed a button on the arm and a voice asked "What is your command?"
"Ah... who lived here?" the doctor asked.
"Answer pending. Please enter the pass phrase," the dashboard said.
'Uh... pass phrase?" the doctor asked.
"Pass phrase incorrect. Please try again."
"I don't know the passcode," the doctor said.
"Would you like to retrieve it?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Please answer this security question: In what kingdom did you first meet the worker?" The doctor opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He had no idea about any of the culture of this planet and did not know about the names of any kingdoms, much less anything about this worker.
"I don't know that either computer," the doctor said but instead of giving up he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and waved it in front of the screen a few times.
The screen flashed and then came back to life. "Access granted. Welcome home Radriar."
"Radriar?" Rose asked. "You know him?"
"Never heard of him. Let's go find out who he is. Computer. Who is Radriar?"
"Radriar is the God King of this domain. He has been reborn 1472 times. He slew Ausar on the plains of Koroth and secured the Infinity Blade. No more information available."
"Hm. What does it mean reborn? Computer. What do you mean by reborn?"
"The rebirth process involves the Quantum Identity Pattern of a slain deathless moving to a new host body and being reborn. Radriar has been reborn 1472 ti..."
"What?" The doctor said, interrupting the computer. "How do these people know about QIP? That's Time Lord technology. And I know there're no Time Lords here."
"Wait doctor what's QIP?" Rose asked.
"A quantum identity pattern is someone's soul basically. It can carry your thoughts and skills from body to body. That's how when I regenerate I still remember everything. It's very advanced Time Lord technology. But the computer said 'rebirth' not 'regeneration'. What is rebirth?"
The computer started talking again and the doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver at it, making it go silent. "I think we should take a look around aye Rose?" said the doctor.
Rose smiled. "Sounds great, doctor."
In the front of the room there was a wide circular hole in the floor with a chain in the middle. "Some sort of elevator I'd imagine," the doctor said. "I can't get it working from here though. The engine is too high up."
"So what now then?" Rose asked.
"I'll be right back," the doctor said as he jumped forward and spun down the chain, falling not-so-gracefully onto the floor below. "Rose wait for me right there ok? Please don't go anywhere this time I just need to reset the main generator, assuming there is one. I'll get the elevator working in one second Rose!" Rose sighed and sat down. Since her only options were to get back in the TARDIS or go down the chain after the doctor she would just wait.
"He's mad, complete and utterly mad," Rose laughed to herself.
Meanwhile the doctor was exploring the downstairs area. He was in a large circular area with three doors leading into the chamber he was in. The elevator was hanging suspended at the end of the chain at the very top of a long staircase leading down into darkness. The generator didn't seem to be on that floor, so he descended down into the pit.
The staircase was many flights, and it continuously got darker as the doctor went down. The bottom of the staircase opened up into a large cavern with flames on the walls, lighting the room. There were 4 doors on one wall and a collapsed bridge on the other. The doctor looked around with his sonic screwdriver until he found a secret panel, which hid the generator. After a few seconds the tower had power again and the doctor heard the elevator grind to life upstairs. He ran up just in time as Rose came down in the elevator. "Rose I found the generator, clearly, but there were some more rooms downstairs. Let's go take a look. What do you say?"
"Well sure I guess," Rose laughed. "I didn't really have any other plans."
"Great lets go then! Allonsy!" The doctor said as he ran down the stairs with Rose right in tow.
The two checked the rooms one at a time, starting from the far right. The first room was almost empty, except for another dead creature on the floor. "Why are there so many dead things around?" The doctor asked. "It's like there was a battle but the cleanup crew never showed up. I wonder who this Radriar fellow is."
"What business do you have here?" a voice behind them asked.
The doctor spun around to face the sound and there was a figure standing there, clad entirely in yellow and black armor. He was holding a shield made of the same material as the armor and across his back the doctor could see the hilt of a sword. "Radriar, right? That's who you are?"
"Yes. Who are you? I can feel you are deathless like me but I do not recognize your face and you are wearing no armor. Why have you come to the ruins of lantimor? There is nothing here anymore but corpses and ruins," Radriar said.
"I'm the doctor, and we kind of just happened to have stumbled in here it seems. Where are we again?"
Radriar hesitated. He expected a trap from this stranger. His words and personality were unnerving, especially since he had just reactivated the ruins of lantimor's generator, also activating the rebirth chamber. Radriar had tried to keep it quiet so the Worker would be unable to make soulless versions of him, and this stranger had just activated it. "You're in the dungeon of the ruins of lantimor. How did you activate the generator and why did you do that? The Worker's minions will be here soon."
"The Worker?" The doctor asked. "Who is this Worker?"
Radriar did not have time to answer, for just then a large figure fell down from the ceiling and landed in front of Radriar. "Daerils! I'll take care of it," Radriar shouted, pulling the sword off of his back and entering into the Aegis battle stance with the daeril. "Doctor, whatever you did to turn that generator on, do the opposite. They'll keep coming until the signal is shut off."
The doctor and rose ran over to the generator and the doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver, already pulling out bits and bobs of the machine. Rose turned around and saw Radriar plunge his sword deep into a daeril's throat just as two more slightly smaller ones landed next to him. "Hurry up doctor..." Rose pleaded as the doctor ripped out more and more wires.
"I'm trying Rose! It was shut off by a computer before which is why it was so easy to reset but now I have to actually break it."
Radriar slashed off a piece of a daeril before spinning and yelling to the doctor, "Cut line Au82."
"What?" The doctor shouted back.
"Line Au82 doctor!" Rose said. "Hurry!"
More daerils were coming now. "Ah ha! Got ya!" The doctor exclaimed, triumphantly holding up a circuit. The generator went out and the signal stopped, but the daeril still had to be taken care of. Radriar was more than a match for them though. In a few minutes all the daeril had been slain. Radriar sheathed his sword and walked back to the doctor and Rose.
"I ask it again now. Who are you doctor? And who is this mortal servant with you?"
"Mortal servant?" Rose asked, agitated.
"Oh no she's not my servant, Radriar. She's my companion and friend. Her name is Rose. I already told you who I am too. I'm the doctor."
"What is a 'doctor'?" he asked.
"Ah don't worry about it Radriar. Quick question for you however. Why did you call me deathless?"
"Are you not deathless?" Radriar asked. "I can sense it with you. The deathless can feel when others like them are around."
The doctor made a face. It was true. Those with their quantum identity pattern manipulated could feel others who have the same thing. He could feel that Radriar was a time lord, and yet he knew Radriar wasn't. Was it possible that these people had followed the same path as time lords? Surely it was possible, but very highly unlikely.
"Yes I'm deathless. Say Radriar you used to live here right? Do you have a rebirthing chamber around?" the doctor asked.
At this Radriar drew his sword. "Why do wish to know where my rebirthing chamber is? All of the empty bodies were disposed of when I left anyway."
"Ah yes it all makes sense now!" the doctor exclaimed. "You aren't advanced enough to have discovered the time vortex and the regenerative genes but you guys did discover that if you clone yourselves and hone your QIP you can pass between identical bodies when you die. Ingenious, truly." Both Rose and Radriar looked lost now, as much as one can look lost through a helmet.
"Where did you learn so much doctor?" Radriar asked.
"Experience. So you said you moved out. Where are you living now?" The doctor asked.
Radriar had put his sword away when the doctor had thought out the rebirth process but now it was back in his hands. "How do I know you and... Rose aren't spies of the Worker?"
"Uh... you'll have to trust me."
The sword was thrust towards the doctor's throat. "You're lucky today doctor. If we didn't need someone who can fix machines at our base, I would have killed you and Rose already."
"Wait but I'm deathless," the doctor said. "You wouldn't really kill me then."
Radriar laughed. "Do you recognize this sword, doctor?" He held it out and the light from the fires shown on it for the first time. The doctor's face went white. The sword was beautiful and ornate, made entirely out of white metal with engravings covering the blade. The pommel of the sword was a hollow circle with a tiny space careening into the center. On that little space there was a small device implanted in, almost as a decoration, but the doctor knew better.
"That's... a quantum identity disrupter. Where did you get this Radriar? That is Dalek technology." the doctor said.
"I did not forge this sword, doctor. This was made by the Worker of Secrets to keep the deathless under his command. I have never heard of this Dalek you speak of however."
"Nevermind that then," the doctor said. "We need to get to shelter though. Where do you live?"
"It is far from here, and I used a teleport ring. Do you still want to come back with me?"
"Oh yes definitely," the doctor said. "However I need to go and get something. May I borrow the ring for a few seconds?"
Radriar hesitated. "Where are you going?"
"Oh just upstairs. I need my ship you see."
Radriar said nothing, but Rose assumed he would be narrowing his eyes at the doctor. If their appearance and how the doctor talked didn't give it away, asking to borrow a teleport ring certainly would. "Put this on," Radriar said, handing the doctor a small camera that could be worn on the front of a shirt or in his case, armor. "Take the ring, but if you try to pull anything I will detonate that ring at a moment's notice."
"Alright. Thanks mate!" the doctor said, taking the ring and slipping it on. He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and made some adjustments to the ring before waving to Rose and the activating the ring. The doctor faded and was gone. Rose was alone with Radriar now.