The two were promptly transmatted to a secure location, though neither were quite sure where to. Castiel was deposited into a large, gray room with no tables or chairs. In fact, the room itself was completely barren, with no visible windows or doors. To most eyes, it was a box that provided no obvious avenues for escape.

But Castiel was like no being they had seen before. As such, he was immediately aware that they had been transmatted to a place several miles above the planet's surface. The box was actually a hologram, produced by several projectors that were guarded over by six soldiers and one officer, each dressed in that same battle armor that all Gallifreyan soldiers wore. The officer, though, was dressed in one that bore gold bands with Gallifreyan writing on them.

He could also see another hologram box several yards away from him, and though he couldn't see through it, he was certain The Doctor was held within. He could very easily escape this box, overwhelm the guards and rescue the Time Lord, even with his diminished powers. But The Doctor had purposefully lead them here and wanted to gather intelligence from their captors...so the angel waited until he knew it was time.

XXX

The Doctor turned on his heel, idly noting the box that he had been placed in was holographic. They had been waiting for more than an hour now, but The Doctor wasn't worried. If he wasn't mistaken, he should have company any moment now.

"The last time we met," The Doctor turned around, finding himself confronted by a gold wearing officer with black hair and a thin frame, "You had been charged with transporting a criminal from Skaro."

"Castellan," The Doctor muttered, "I recall the mission you Celestials had for me. Transport my best enemy, The Master, from Skaro to Gallifrey."

"Much like that simple mission, you went and bungled this one up," The Castellan sighed, sitting in an ornate chair that appeared out of nowhere, "The renegade Time Lord, The Doctor. There are civilizations throughout all of time and space that know your name, Doctor, and they fear you. The sound of your obsolete TARDIS has become synonymous with the Time Lords, a sound of which we are not appreciative. And here you are, a mere stones throw from Gallifrey, with another human in toe. An especially odd one at that."

"Tell me something I don't know," The Doctor smiled, "Still, what's so odd about him?"

The Castellan gestured to The Doctor to sit in the basic metal chair. The Doctor smiled and thanked him as he did so.

"He's in his mid thirties, by Sol standards," The Castellan spoke as The Doctor reached into his pocket and produced a bag, "Remarkable health, and I do mean remarkable."

"Jelly baby?" The Doctor offered.

The Castellan shot him a dirty look, "Your companion, Doctor, is in optimal health for a human being. In the simplest of terms, it's as though he was just born. His body shows no signs of wear and tear, no injuries. Is he a duplicate or clone?"

"Quite possibly," The Doctor answered honestly, "Why don't you tell me?"

"He's human, as far as we can tell," The Castellan declared, "Regardless, Doctor, we're quibbling about trifles when we have a much larger concern. Why are you hindering our investigation?"

"Honestly, we were just out for a laugh."

The Castellan groaned, "Doctor, your lack of patriotism aside, you are one of the most capable minds the society of Time Lords has ever produced. I'm asking you, truthfully, with abject sincerity...what have you learned?"

The Doctor leveled his fellow Time Lord with a discerning gaze, examining him thoroughly. This officer before him was being very true with him, something the renegade Time Lord appreciated. He was wanting his honest opinion of the matter, and that spoke volumes to The Doctor.

"There's a Dalek loose in the colony."

"A Dalek?" The Castellan sputtered, "Ridiculous! Drornid would be in flames as we speak and the war between the Time Lords and the Daleks would have begun!"

"My thoughts precisely," The Doctor agreed, "Yet, the sound that set Castiel and myself on this chase was very clearly a Dalek weapon. The distinct smell of it flowed through the areas of our investigation. When I scanned the wall it had blasted through, the energy signature matched those of a Dalek energy weapon. With that evidence, I am forced to my conclusion. And yet, there is the matter of your dead soldier."

"Doctor-"

"He was pierced by a great blunt force," The Doctor ignored the interruption, "That is not standard for a Dalek. Why such brutality when there are so many more efficient methods at its disposal? And you are correct, Castellan...if there were a Dalek here, this colony would have been razed to the ground."

The Castellan let loose a weary sigh, "If you believe there is a Dalek loose, what would you recommend?"

"Evacuate the colony, immediately," The Doctor declared, "The only reason they aren't dead yet is unknown to us, and it would behoove us to make good use of the time we have."

The Castellan shook his head, "We are on the brink of war, Doctor. Declaring an emergency great enough to evacuate one of Gallifrey's prized colonies could be enough to push us over the edge."

The Doctor had to admit, he had not considered that. With that in mind, he made another suggestion, "Then we investigate, discretely. Put all the soldiers on alert, let me and my friend investigate."

"Not alone," The Castellan stipulated, "It's not that I don't trust you, Doctor, but...I really don't trust you."

"Well...needs must."

The Castellan rose to his feet, "I'll have your friend brought to you-"

"No need."

The Doctor and Castellan turned in shock, with The Castellan raising his stazer pistol. Both were absolutely dumbfounded to find Castiel standing inside the room, that same look of calm on his face.

"You were only a few yards away," Castiel explained, "I could hear everything."

The box faded away, revealing a large, black room, filled with soldiers in battle armor, each one trailing their weapon on Castiel. He glanced at them idly before returning his attention to The Doctor.

"Where do we begin?"