Note: I forgot to mention in the last chapter, Braxiatel new regeneration is based on Richard Armitage :) Thanks all for the lovely reviews!
Romana was sitting casually in the Captain's chair, her hands resting on her stomach as she listened to Rose explaining the rules and regulations to Adam as she waited for Braxiatel so they could talk about what happened on Gallifrey and with Van Statten. It was a close call with Van Statten as she was sure that she could have killed him but she knew that if she did, she would have been as bad as him and then, she would truly believed she would have become a Dalek. She briefly told Rose what happened with her and Van Statten when he tied her up in chains and she was horrified as was Braxiatel but he had endured worse and Romana couldn't bear to imagine what torture he had to endure.
She heard him in her mind before he even entered the room and she sharply turned her head in the direction of his foot steps and she saw Rose watching her out of the corner of her eyes but she ignored her and Braxiatel walked towards the console room, dressed in a pair of crimson time lord robes but without the silly head gear and he fiddled slightly with his Gallifreyan cuffs and Romana smiled slightly.
"Back to the old robes I see." She commented as she put her legs down and sat up right.
Braxiatel nodded. "All about pride Romana. I've noticed your new regeneration has taken a change to new clothing as well." Rose and Adam looked confused as the time lords talked, wondering what they were talking about but both time lords paid them no attention.
Romana shrugged. "This body was born out of war Braxiatel so it does have it's military sides to it." She turned to Rose. "Rose, why don't you go and show Adam around the TARDIS? I'm sure there is still plenty to look at."
Seeing the look in Romana's eyes, Rose nodded. "Come on, I'll show you around." She dragged Adam by the hand and they watch the humans leave before Romana turned her attention on Braxiatel who was eyeing Adam slightly.
"I'll keep an eye on him if I were you." He said, sitting down next to her.
"I can't keep my eye on everyone you know. How did you survive the Time War?" Romana asked, straight in to the question. She desperately wanted to know because if a Dalek and a Time Lord could escape the Time-Lock, more time lords could as well and that meant more Daleks.
"What do you know up to?"
"Everything up to the Pandora and what you did to Ronan with the cyber-controller and your collection." Romana replied, folding her arms slightly. "Which I was not very pleased when I found out about that."
"My collection meant everything to me, you must understand that Romana. Just like with you being President meant everything to you before I took over for a brief time to fill in for Rassilon." He told her coldly. "After the Collection incident, I was captured and tortured by the Deindums before I was rescued by a woman named Bernice Summerfield. We managed to escape the Deindum in the Time-War luckily and I dropped her back to her place in my TARDIS. After that, I was called upon by Rassilon to fight in the time-war and so I reluctantly did. I was put in the position to help our dear president," He sneered. "And was made to do his dirty work for him. Soon enough the Daleks managed to invade our home-world and were attacking everybody in the streets and at that point, I was running an errand for Rassilon when I came across the same Dalek that was in Van Statten's chambers and I had only my two blasters on me at the time and we engaged in fight before there was a bright yellow light, as though we were surrounded by the vortex and we were both pulled through it, both screaming and fighting before we fell to Earth in 1962. Of course, I regenerated then luckily before any humans saw me do it but I was to weak and was too busy recovering to escape from the Dalek to call for help when the humans captured me and well, you know the rest."
Romana sighed. "And since then have you tried to contact any other time-lords?"
"I've tried signalling for anyone. Even my own brother but I have no suck luck. But back in Van Statten's museum, you mentioned that we are the only time-lords left in existence." He leaned forwards, hands clasped. "I must know, is this true?"
The TARDIS gave a gentle hum as though to help Romana to calm her nerves and Romana nodded. "I'm afraid it is."
Braxiatel swore in high Gallifreyan and ran a hand through his hair before looking at her. "And Gallifrey?"
She swallowed. "Burnt."
"How?"
"Your brother and I created a time-lock to lock the time-war inside. We saw what it was doing to the rest of the universe and knew it must be stopped. I created the time-lock whilst The Doctor created the device to burn Gallifrey. Once I finished the time-lock, he made me escape in his TARDIS and I tried to make him come with me, I tried but..." She looked down and a tear escaped her eye before she blinked it away and looked up again. "He destroyed Gallifrey. I don't expect you to agree with what we have done but you must understand why we had to do it."
There was a slight pause as Braxiatel took the information in and for a few moments, the only noise was the TARDIS gentle humming before he gave a slight nod. "It will take me a while to accept what you have done Romana. Please, give me that time before I can truly forgive you." He looked at her serious.
"Of course, I didn't expect you to forgive me right away. It would have been very uncharacteristic of you." He stood up as did Romana.
"Now then, how about a little trip to take our mind of things mmm?" He said and he pulled a lever down on the TARDIS console and the TARDIS gave a slight jerk and Romana laughed.
Romana, Braxiatel and Rose stepped out. Braxiatel still in his time-lord robes, wanting to show his time-lord pride since he was the only remaining Time-Lord left and they looked around their surroundings. Braxiatel sniffing in the air slightly.
"I would say it's the year two hundred thousand and of course, we're on a space station." He commented.
"Two hundred thousand?" Rose asked, she wanted to act like she knew it in front of Adam. Romana didn't understand why, must be a human thing.
"Two hundred thousand." Braxiatel replied more stiffly.
Rose opened the TARDIS door and pulled Adam out and his jaw drops open in awe. "Out you come Adam." Rose said, grinning.
"Oh my god."
Romana grinned, looking at Adam's expression. It was priceless. "If you open your jaw any longer, you'll end up looking like that forever."
Braxiatel looked slightly amused. "This regeneration of yours, it's very cheeky."
"Where are we?" Adam asked, ignoring the time lords.
Rose pretended to look around. "Good question. Let's see, so judging by the architecture, I'd say the year two hundred thousand. If you listen." She looked pleased with herself.
Adam nodded. "Oh yeah."
"Engines. We're on some sort of space station. Yeah, definitely a space station. It's very warm in here, could turn the heating down. Tell you what, let's try that gate. Come on!" She led the three of them to a metal gate which revealed a massive window with a viewing of the Earth.
"Here we go! And this is it. I'll let Braxiatel or Romana describe it." She looked at the Time-Lords.
Braxiatel looked at Romana. "Ladies first."
Romana stepped forward. "The fourth great and bountiful Human Empire. Here is Planet Earth at it's height that is covered with mega-cities, five moons, with the population of ninety-six billion. The hub of a galactic domain stretching across a million planets, a million species with mankind right in the middle."
Adam fainted and Rose looked unhappy, the two time-lords sniggering slightly.
"He's your boyfriend." Romana shrugged.
"Not anymore." Rose sulked.
After Braxiatel retrieved Adam from his faint, the four of them walked onto what looked like a large room that had a central hub with wheels turning. His arms around Adam's shoulders.
"You humans." He shook his head as he and Adam walked and the ladies walked behind them. "Open your mind Adam! You're going to love this. Really, I have to admit this myself, this is one of the best periods of history. The human race at it's most intelligent with culture, art and politics. This era has got fine food and very good manners." As soon as Braxiatel said that however, a man in what appeared to be in a chef suit brushed past him.
"Out of my way!" Romana doubled over laughing and suddenly the room was filled with people bustling around, opening up food from vending stations and cashiers serving customers at the counters.
The same chef that just bumped into Braxiatel spoke to a customer. "Thank you very much. Now, what was it? Kronkburger with cheese, knronkburger with pajatos. Do you want a drink? Oi, you mate! Stop pushing, get back I said!"
Romana and Rose shared an amused look and Romana turned to Braxiatel. "Fine manners?"
Braxiatel walked over to her, his time-lord robes bellowing slightly as he walked. "You must have got the time wrong."
"I'm not the one who flew the TARDIS and besides, my history is perfect thank you. I passed all of my exams back in the Academy unlike your brother.."
Braxiatel looked around, frowning slightly. "My watch must be wrong." He looked down. "That's weird, it's fine. This is very strange."
"That's what it comes to showing off. You may be Time-Lords but your history is not as good as you both thought it was." Rose supplied.
"Our history is perfect thank you." Romana replied.
"Obviously not."
Adam walked back over to them. "They're all human. What about the millions of planets, the millions of species like you said?" He looked at Romana. "Where are they?"
Romana quickly scanned around the room. "That is a very good question Adam."
Braxiatel quickly slung his arm around Adam again. "Adam! Adam...you must be starving." He walked over to the food station.
Adam shook his head. "No, I'm just a bit sick."
"You just need some grub. You there, how much is a kronkburger?" Braxiatel asked and the cashier looked up.
"Two credits sweetheart. Now join the queue."
Braxiatel turned to Romana. "Got any money on you?"
Romana patted down her coat before digging through her left coat pocket and she produced what looked like a silver slim card and she handed it to Adam. "There you go. Always prepared you see." She sent Braxiatel a slight smirk.
"Now don't you start." Braxiatel huffed as Adam looked at the money.
"How does it work?" Adam asked.
"Go and find out. Stop nagging us. The thing is Adam, time travel's like visiting Paris. You can't just read the guide book, you've got to throw yourself in. Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double or end up kissing complete strangers. So stop asking questions and go and do it." Romana pushed Rose towards Adam. "Off you go then, your first date."
Rose pointed at her, smiling. "You're going to get a smack you are." She left them and Braxiatel turned to Romana, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Kissing complete strangers?"
Romana shrugged. "This new body seems to like it. Come on, let's find out what's wrong." She walked up to two smartly dressed young women.
"Hello, I'm Romana and this is my friend Braxiatel. We are here on business management-" She quickly showed them the psychic paper and the two young women looked wide-eyed and straightened their postures. "And we want to ask you both some questions. Is that all right with you?"
The woman turned to the dark skinned woman. "We were warned about this in basic training. All workers have to be versed in company promotion. I'm Suki and this is Cathica."
Cathica nodded. "Right, fire away. Ask your questions, if it gets me to Floor Five hundred. I'll do anything."
"Tell me where we are." Braxiatel asked.
"Floor One Three Nine on Satellite Five." Cathica replied but looking at them both as though they were mad.
"You mentioned Floor Five Hundred. What exactly happens on Floor Five Hundred?"
Cathica and Suki shared a look. "The walls are made of gold and you should know ma'am, this is what we do." She walked them over to a wall monitor where small television screens were built in.
Cathica pointed to each television screen. "Latest news, sandstorms on the new Venus archipelago. Two hundred dead. Glasgow water riots into their third day. Space lane seventy seven closed by sunspot activity. And over on the Bad Wolf channel," She walked over to it."The Face of Bo has just announced he's pregnant." Romana smiled at that, wondering when she would next meet her new friend.
Braxiatel nodded. "I get it. You are the news."
"We are. We're the journalists. We write it, package it and sell it. All six hundred channels." Cathica replied, looking serious.
On floor five hundred it looked cold and frosty and there was a line of people sitting at the computer monitors, watching the particular conversation.
"All coming out of Satellite Five broadcasting everywhere." Cathica finished speaking. A pale-skinned man with white hair and goatee watched the conversation behind the line of people, peering at the screen cautiously.
"Something is wrong. Something fictional. Those people." He instructs a very still, frost encrusted console operator before leaning in to talk to some of the people who were clearly dead in the ears. "Security check. Go deep."
Romana looked over shoulder to see Adam talking on Rose's mobile whilst she drank some of her drink. "Oi! Love birds, over here." The humans made their way over. "Cathica here is going to show us something interesting." Romana explained to the humans as Cathica led them to the newsroom. "Now watch and listen carefully. I'm not going to explain myself twice."
They found themselves in the newsroom where a large chair was placed in the middle with wires coming out of it and seven people were seated at an octagonal desk. Braxiatel, Romana, Rose and Adam leant against the railings, watching closely.
Cathica turned to them. "Now, everybody behave. We have two management inspectors with us today. How do you want it, by the book?"
Romana nodded. "Right from scratch."
Cathica turned back to her peers. "Okay, ladies, gentleman, multi-sex, undecided or robot-my name is Cathica Santini Khadeni. That's Cathica with a C, in case you want to write to Floor Five hundred, praising me and please do. Now, please feel free to ask questions. The process of news gathering must be open, honest and beyond bias. That's company policy."
Suki looked towards Romana and Braxiatel, smiling slightly. "Actually it's the law."
Cathica looked unimpressed. "Yes, thank you Suki. Okay, keep it calm. Don't show off for the guests here we go." Cathica settled down into the chair. "And engage safety." The seven people held their hands over the palm prints that were built into the table and lights started to come on around the room and Cathica clicks her fingers and a small portal opens in her forehead and the seven people put their hands into the palm prints. "And three, two, and spike." A beam of light shines into her head and Romana straightened looking intrigued.
"Compressed information that's streamed right into her. Reports from every city, every country, every planet and they all get packaged inside her head. She becomes part of the software. Her brain is the computer." Romana walked around the seven people, observing.
"If it all goes through her, she must be a genius." Rose commented.
Braxiatel shook his head. "She won't remember any of it. Too much. If she did, her head will blow up. The brain is the processor and as soon as that portal closes," He pointed at Cathica portal. "She forgets."
Rose pointed at the seven people sitting down. "So what about all these people around the edge?"
"They've all got tiny little chips in their head, connecting them to her and they transmit six hundred channels. Every single fact in the empire beams out of this place." Romana whistled. "Now that is what I call power."
Rose looked over to Adam who looked slightly pale. "You all right?"
"I can see her brain." He whispered.
"Do you want to get out?"
Adam shook his head. "No, just this technology. It's amazing." Braxiatel looked at Adam carefully. He was going to have to keep an eye on this young human. Something was off about him.
"No." Romana stated, looking serious as she turned to them. "This technology is wrong."
Rose sent her a grin. "Trouble?"
Braxiatel sniffed. Yup, definitely trouble. He was definitely taking after his brother. He shook his head. "Oh yeah, trouble all right."
Suddenly, Suki pulled her hands away as if she had just received an electric shock and the other six people lifted their hands of and the information beam shuts down, causing Cathica portal to close. Cathica sat up, looking at Suki. "Come off it Suki, I wasn't even halfway. What was that for?"
Suki frowned, rubbing her hands. "Sorry. It must've been a glitch."
Cathica nodded. "Oh."
"Promotion." The computer suddenly blurted out loudly and everyone turned to face a wall that had the word Promotion on.
Cathica crossed her fingers. "Come on. This is it. Oh god, make it me. Say my name. Say my name." She repeated over again, as if praying.
"Promotion for Suki Macrae Cantrell. Please proceed to floor five hundred." The computer blared out and Suki looked up, shocked.
Cathica rounded on Suki. "How the hell did you manage that? I'm above you."
"I don't know. I just applied on the off chance and they've said yes." She shrugged, standing up.
Cathica glared at her. "That's not fair. I've been applying to Floor Five Hundred for three years."
"What's floor Five hundred?" Rose asked Braxiatel as Romana was too busy watching the conversation.
"The walls are made of gold." He replied and they all made their way back to Floor 139 and went to the lift to say good bye to Suki who already had her suitcase with her.
She turned to Cathica. "I'm going to miss you." She turned to the four of them, offering them a hug."Floor five hundred. Thank you."
Romana and Braxiatel shrugged. "We didn't do anything." Romana replied.
"Well, you're my lucky charm."
"All right, I'll hug anyone. Mr Grumpy here," She punched Braxiatel lightly on the arm and he scowled. "Won't. He's not very huggable." She hugged Suki.
"Come on, it's not that bad." Rose said to Adam.
Adam glanced over at Cathica. "What, with the head thing?"
Rose shrugged. "She's closed it now!"
"Well, but it's everything. It freaks me out. And I just need to cool down. Sort of acclimatise."
Rose frowned. "How do you mean?"
"Maybe I could just go and sit on the observation deck. Would that be all right? Soak it in, you know. Pretend I'm a citizen of the year two hundred thousand."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Rose asked, concerned.
Adam shook his head. "No, you stick with Romana and Braxiatel. You'd rather be with them anyway. I'll be on the deck."
Rose nodded. "I would offer you the TARDIS key but Romana doesn't give out objects like that out easily. She has trust issues I guess." She shrugged.
Adam smiled slightly. "Yeah, not like it's not weird in there." He left Rose and grinned to himself, but he didn't notice Braxiatel eyeing him as he left.
The lift door opens and Suki looked slightly surprised. "Oh my god, I've got to go. I can't keep them waiting. I'm sorry. Say goodbye to Steve for me!" She went in the lift and waved them goodbye. "Bye!" She shouted and the lift closed.
Cathica folded her arms and looked at Romana and Braxiatel gloomily. "Good riddance."
Romana frowned. "You're talking like you'll never see her again. She's only going upstairs."
Cathica raised an eyebrow. "We won't. Once you go to floor five hundred you never come back."
They walked back to the Cafeteria where it was still busy. "Have you ever been up there?" Braxiatel asked, putting his hands behind his back as he walked.
"I can't. You need a key for the lift and you only get a key with promotion. No one gets to floor five hundred except for the chosen few." Cathica replied, not sounding very happy at all.