The Doctor stepped over the now dilapidated door, cautiously.
"Well, what happened here?" Maxine whispered.
"No need to whisper, no one's here anymore. Not for at least a thousand years, I'd say."
"So what's the point in coming here? Surely whatever evidence was here is now not here?"
"Who said we were looking for evidence?"
Zane shrugged and started kicking the floor playfully. The carpet ruffled slightly, before clicking.
"What was that?!"
The Doctor lay down on the floor and placed his ear on where the click sounded from. He gestured for Zane to repeat what he'd just done.
"Oh ah ah! Ha! Knew it! Really obvious, bit of a waste really, thinking about it."
"And for those of us who don't speak floor?"
He ignored the question and rustled through every drawer he could see, eventually removing a pair of scissors. He got on his knees and hacked away at the floor revealing, after a prolonged period of time, a metal panel. Adjacent to this was a compact switch.
"Secret compartment...maybe secret room...only one way to find out!"
He grabbed the others close to him and kicked the switch with his foot.
"GERONIMO!"
But the drop was small, so small in fact that their heads were above the hole.
"Well that was a bit rubbish." The Doctor moaned, trying to kneel. He removed a torch from his pocket (Maxine presumed it was a torch. It resembled a tennis ball much more than it did a torch.) and rolled it, revealing a wide, tight chest.
"Told you there was something here."
He removed the lid and lifted out a dossier. He instantly recognised it as the Tempergron folder.
"Come on, let's...go..."
There were two men, holding guns to their heads.
"You will come with us."
Bokshollah
"...and that's all we need do?"
"Certainly. All we need on top of that is luck."
A guard entered and was promptly tackled to the ground. The Doctor hurriedly put on his uniform and helmet, looking extremely obvious but hoping no one would notice.
He led Ezekiel out, clutching the firearm as if it were a newborn baby in danger. They followed a cluster of identical guards, through twisting, reflective corridors until they reached a short, tight room.
"Leave them here." echoed a voice.
"Oh, so someone noticed." The Doctor sighed.
"Indeed, I did."
He looked at Ezekiel, who flickered and became a floating ball with a camera inserted, like an eye.
"Oh, so this has all been some clever ploy to imprison me?"
The voice laughed, and an invisible door slid upwards. A man in simple, black robes walked out. He had long, scraggly hair and slightly gnarled fingers, with pitch-black nails.
"I am Ghess, high priest of the Cult of the Guardian and the rightful placer of the Life Gem. Welcome, Time Lord."
"Why am I here? And where's my friend?"
"The girl is safe, returned to her botany convention. You are here for an audience with my Lord."
"And who's that when they're at home?"
"He goes by many names, but you would know him as The Black Guardian."
Bokshollah, present day
"So, we're here to meet the Black Guardian then?"
The trio were led down the same reflective corridor.
"Who?"
"The Black Guardian. One of the Guardians of Time, wore a dead bird on his head. Best not to ask. But if these guys are trying to do what I think they're trying to do, nothing is making sense."
"As opposed to things being crystal clear?"
They were shoved inside the small room and left alone.
"So, what's happening?"
"Well, to put it bluntly: these people, the Cult of the Guardian wants to resurrect the Black Guardian. I didn't know he was dead, because it's impossible."
"How?"
"Because he's the embodiment of chaos. He's not a physical, flesh and blood creature. Sure, when he's no longer needed he won't exist, but still!"
"Chaos has always come and gone, Time Lord."
"I guess you're Ghess?"
"Correct, Doctor."
"But you're at least 1,000 ye- oh. I get it. The Tempergron. It needed a test subject."
"Yes. We shall enter the chamber. There you shall witness our master's resurrection, and your beautiful destruction.
Maxine tapped him on the shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"If this is the same place as the past, surely you know the weak points? How to escape?"
"No. It's been...cut off. We're on our own from now on."
The Chamber was like a warehouse, with a large pillar in the center. There was an amassed crowd, all chanting, all bowing, all dressed the same as Ghess.
"BROTHERS," Ghess shouted, "TODAY WE WITNESS THE RESURRECTION OF THE BLACK GUARDIAN, OUR MASTER AND RIGHTFUL OWNER OF TIME! HE SHALL SMITE HIS GREATEST ENEMY, THE DOCTOR! THE FINAL LORD OF TIME SHALL FALL AT HIS MIGHTY HANDS! AND WE SHALL BE THE BRINGERS OF HIS LONG OVERDUE DESTRUCTION!"
The red gem, removed with considerable force, was hoisted carefully back into its place. The crowd chanted "Black Swaza! Black Swaza!", an ancient translation of "Black Rise! Black Rise!"
"Doctor, what do we do?"
"I wasn't sure, before. I thought I could be wrong, that the seams were just my mind playing tricks. But I know now. Maxine, Zane, we're going to do nothing. Because one of you won't allow anything to happen. One of you have messed too much, created too much dreams and fake things."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you seriously think I'm that stupid? That oblivious? This whole thing has been a long lie. Ever since I got to that apartment, nothing's made sense. And for good reason. You're weak, and possibly a bit thick."
Maxine looked confused.
"I still don't get it."
"Maxine, you never went out with Zane. You never knew a 'Lilly' because she never existed. You couldn't see through an obvious disguise...Your memories have been tampered with, for far too long."
Zane snarled
"Curse you, Time Lord. I cast the shackles of the illusion, and condemn you to death!"
(NB: I know this chapter REALLY sucked. But at least the story's drawing to a close!)