"I am a Time Lord, yes, but I have no loyalties to Rassilon."
The Pythia squinted her eyes skeptically. "Why is this?"
"It has been eons since your time," said the Doctor. "Rassilon faded into legend."
"Revered, no doubt," she scoffed.
"Yes," the Doctor admitted. "By most."
"But not by you? Why?"
"Because I met him. Because he returned and overthrew the president. Because that president was my friend. He had ambitions for Gallifrey that I could not abide."
"Where is he now?" She got up slowly, bones creaking and cracking quite audibly. "Where is that cursed bastard now?!"
"I killed him," said the Doctor.
Rose watched this exchange, shocked at the revelations. The Doctor had shared so much with her, but she forgot sometimes that there was so much more he kept to himself.
"Did the rest of the Time Lords thank you or curse you for your troubles?" She approached him, leaning on her triton.
"They didn't get the chance," said the Doctor with that familiar darkness in his eyes. "They died with him."
"All of them?"
"Yes," the Doctor answered sadly.
Then the old witch began to laugh. Small at first, but it grew into a loud heartfelt cackle. It was the most terrifying laugh Rose had ever heard. "Then they got what they deserved!" she spat.
"They were good people!" shouted the Doctor.
She continued to laugh. "Good people? The only good Time Lord I ever knew was my dear, sweet Peylix. Rassilon manipulated him, took credit for his work. How did your 'good people' thank him for his contributions? They left him to die in a black hole!"
"You mean Omega," whispered the Doctor.
"He hated that moniker!" she screamed. "He was my best friend," she whimpered. "He and Thomas were the only ones that tried to persuade Rassilon not to overthrow me."
"Who is Thomas?" asked Rose.
"Who is he? Who is he?! He's the reason for Rassilon and Peylix's experiments! He's the reason you ever became Time Lords at all! At least Peylix was remembered! You don't even remember my Thomas!"
"The Other," whispered the Doctor.
"Who's that?" asked Rose.
"There are some references," the Doctor told her, "to a third person being responsible for bringing time travel to Gallifrey. My people just called him the Other."
"The Other," the Pythia said. "Time Lords were so fond of using titles. What is your title?"
"The Doctor."
"Do you have a real name as well, Doctor."
"Yes," he answered. Rose looked at him in shock. "But to speak it would bring devastation to the universe."
"Did Rassilon do that to all Time Lords?"
"No. He forbade our true names except for use in special circumstances, yes, but only my name is locked within the fabric of the universe."
"How came you by this curse, Doctor?"
"Long story," he brushed the question aside. "What I'd like to know is how did you get down here? Legend says you threw yourself into the Crevasse of Memories That Will Be."
"I tried," she said sadly. "But Rassilon found me. He revived me and cursed me with his immortality and trapped me here in this vat of his relics of achievement, just to remind me of everything he took from me!"
"That's terrible," said Rose.
"As I cursed the Time Lords to sterility, he cursed me to an eternity alone."
"But we can take you out of here," said Rose. "Can't we, Doctor?"
"We can," said the Doctor. "We can save you. Bring you back into the light."
"You said the Time Lords were gone, Doctor," said the Pythia. "What of the rest of Gallifrey?"
"It's gone, I'm sorry. It all burned. But your followers survived. They live on Karn."
"My sisters?" she said hopefully. "You can take me to them?"
The Doctor's face fell. "I'm not sure."
"Why?" she was beginning to sound angry again.
"Once we exit this cavern," said Rose. "We'll be in another universe."
"Another universe?"
"Yes," said the Doctor. "And Gallifrey never existed in this universe."
"Never existed? How?! How is that possible?!" she screamed at him. "You're lying! You must be!"
"You didn't know it in your time," said the Doctor, "but Gallifrey existed in a nexus of the universe. It touched all points in time and space at once. That was why the Pythias could see the future. It was why Omega could create the Eye of Harmony. It was completely unique to our universe. At the space where it existed the veils between universes were thinner, so-"
"LIES! Time Lord lies!" she pointed her triton at them.
"He's not lying, I swear," Rose pleaded.
"And why should I believe you?"
"Because…" Rose fumbled. "Because I'm not a Time Lord."
She lowered her triton a fraction. "No? What are you?"
"I'm a human," she said.
"A human?" she marveled. "Like my Thomas?"
"The Other was human?!" exclaimed the Doctor, and the Pythia raised her weapon again.
"Shh," Rose hissed. "Yes," she continued addressing the Pythia. "Just like Thomas."
"Why do you consort with this Time Lord?" she asked suspiciously.
"Because," Rose said. "Because I love him."
"He is fooling you, girl."
"No, he's not. He's different than the other Time Lords," she said. "He was an outcast all his life because of it. He's kind and compassionate. He respects all life, and he is not lying to you."
They waited with bated breath as the Pythia pondered this. After a moment she shook her head. "No. I will not believe you. He has twisted your mind like Rassilon twisted Thomas's. I loved Thomas and he made be believe that Rassilon wished to negotiate, that he just wanted to talk, but when he left the hall I could not see the future anymore! He took my sight! He took my world and my best friend and my lover. He took them all. That's what Time Lords do! They warp your mind and they take what they want from you and they leave you with nothing!"
"That's not true," said Rose.
"Leave his side, girl or you will die with him."
In defiance, Rose took the Doctor's hand.
To their shock, the old woman moved with lightening speed, thrusting her triton at them.
"That should do it," said Mickey. He had traded places with Spencer at the front of the sub to rewire the communications box. "Try it now," he said to Spencer.
Spencer looked doubtful, but tried the com anyway. "Sub-2 to topside. This is Adams. Come in topside."
Up top Dean attempted to reply to Spencer, but Pete grabbed the radio. "This is Director Tyler. Are you alright?"
"Dunno about alright, but we're alive," said Spencer.
"Give me that," said Mickey. "We're fine, Pete. Navigation is down, but I'm working on it."
"What about Rose?" Pete asked.
"I'm sorry," Mickey said. "They were sucked in." He heard Pete sigh over the com. "But I'm sure they're alive!" said Mickey quickly. "We just gotta figure out a way to get them out."
Pete took a moment to collect himself. "I'm sure you're right," he said. "If anyone can find a way out, it'll be them. Just, try to reestablish communications with sub-1."
Mickey smiled. "Aye-aye!"