Appendix I: Deacon's Confession

After returning from their mission at Outpost 31, the Doctor grew suspicious on what he had discovered at the outpost. Things did not make sense for him, regarding the period of events, starting from Operation Travesty to the supposed last days of the CIA, the Deacon, and those CIA agents who became Celestial beings of light. After going the debriefing, the Doctor requested Romana to hold a secret meeting with the rest of the High Council and the Deacon himself.

Doctor took Romana with to his TARDIS and entered a secret room. Doctor pulled out a chair for Romana to sit and sat down next to a table.

"Romana, I have been thinking. The things what the Deacon had said back Outpost 31 do not line up with what we knew about the CIA," said the Doctor.

"Like, what do you mean, Doctor?" asked Romana.

"The last time we found the Deacon, he acted like he does not know what's going on like he's been in that stasis pod for who knows how long. Then, he mentioned about Operation Travesty, which was approved by then Lord President Borusa before the Death Zone Incident. The Death Zone incident was recent for me and if members of the CIA had disappeared like let's say around the Second Time War, thousands of years ago, then something does not add up."

"I know what you mean. But it's possible that to ensure complete secrecy of the CIA and all of their covert activities, the CIA headquarters and Gallifrey existed into two different zones or temporal dimensions. I mean time could run slower or faster on CIA relative to that of Gallifrey."

"Maybe. But, how would Lord President Borusa know to contact the CIA many eons in their past. According to our history, the Second Time War or the Second War in Heaven happened like nearly twenty or thirty thousand years ago. We were not even born yet, including Borusa."

"Maybe that's the thing. If you remember Doctor, Borusa did use the time snatcher to stanch your prior selves into the events of the Death Zone. It's possible that Lord President Borusa used that time snatcher to snatch someone from the CIA many years in the past."

"How's that possible? Last time, I reviewed that time snatcher can only go within a small time period not some eons ago. Also, not only that, the coordinates to find the CIA headquarters is a close guarded secret. Not even members of the High Council, the War Council or even the Lord President knew the location."

"Not always, Doctor. Not always," Romana replied.

"What do you mean?"

"During my administration as Lord President, Oslin and I were able to uncover classified information in regards to past Time Lords and their activities. You will not believe the things I have uncovered.

"Such as?"

"There's a lot of political corruption and secrecy amongst members of the High Council, the Cardinals, and within the War Council. You will not believe the existence of different factions fighting for control of Gallifrey and numerous worlds under our jurisdiction. There were past assassinations, blackmail, and even secret activities on extortion, racketing. Through these uncovered documents I have uncovered that Borusa was part of an unknown faction of Time Lords, calling themselves the Immortals. Their aims was to achieve immortality not only for themselves but for all of Gallifrey to ensure its security."

"And it was through this clique that Borusa knew the exact spatial-temporal coordinates to find the last vestiges of the Celestial Intervention Agency and made modifications to the time snatcher?" the Doctor asked with excitement.

"That's correct, Doctor."

"Then drawing upon that, do you think that the Deacon was snatched away before he was in that stasis pod?"

"It is possible. Before we departed to Outpost 31, I have taken time to go back with Deacon to the CIA HQ to uncover more equipment, machinery, and even star maps of the whole universe at different points in time. During that time, I was able to sneak by another computer and looked at Deacon's work logs. According to his logs, there's a big list of missing information before his last log on putting himself in stasis. It's like as if something was expunged."

"Then whatever was expunged could be the events in regards to Operation Travesty," said the Doctor.

"Yes, but there's more. In case you have not realized Doctor, our friend The Monk was a member of the CIA. I was right there when Deacon told him that he knew of his record. And do you remember seeing the Monk reaching out to forgive him back at the Outpost. He had this face that he knew what was going on with Operation Travesty or at least was aware of it."

"I knew the Monk can be a strange man at times. I don't know too much about him. I remember hearing from second hand accounts of those who used to joke about the Monk like he's always hiding something."

"Well, Doctor. Based on what we just discussed, it's possible that Borusa and the Monk were involved in the distant past of the CIA. Not necessarily working together but had some involvement within the intervention agency."

"Now, that reminds me. I remembered that the CIA is also known to abduct people from the distant far future in order to carry out their activities without causing any sort of paradoxes. By the time their mission was completed, those taken usually had their memories wiped before being restored to their proper timeline."

"But for the Monk, he did remember. So, it's more than likely that the CIA got to the Monk first before having any contact with Borusa."

"I tend to agree. But, any case, let's compile up with what we have before attending this secret meeting."

"Sure thing," Romana said.

Few hours later…

Everyone sat down around the semi-circle table with two podiums held in the middle. The secret meeting is being held very late at night at a secret chamber deep inside the Lord President Quarters. Romana and the Doctor both came to the high podium and convened the meeting.

Romana began the proceedings, "Greetings everyone, I brought you today at the request of the Doctor in regards to our latest findings that could help clear up any potential confusion or possible distrust amongst us."

"Romana, with all due respect, what potential confusion or distrust are you talking about?" asked the Second.

"The Doctor will help to explain. Doctor it's all yours," Romana said giving the floor to the Doctor.

"During the last mission at Outpost 31, there was some revealing information in regards to history of events that led to the supposed disappearance of the CIA's members."

"What do you mean supposed, Doctor? What I have told you is the truth. Members of my brethren did became transcended beings," said the Deacon.

"That is true, Deacon. But, you also mentioned about Lord President Borusa and the Death Zone incident. According to this time line on Gallifrey, the Death Zone incident was a recent phenomenon that occurred in my time line. If it's true that your CIA members became transcended beings of light during the Second Time War, twenty or thirty thousand years ago, then how is it that Lord President Borusa came to you then Deacon?"

"I truly don't understand what you're getting at here, Doctor. Are you trying to prove that I am some sort of criminal or traitor against the Time Lords?"

"Deacon, according to the non-intervention protocols, innocent life forms cannot be abducted for any sort of experiments even in the name of security," Romana came in.

"What? Romana, you know that the CIA had to operate above any Time Lord protocol or convention in order to provide protection to our people. You know that we have to do many things not just to protect our past but the future as well and I told you before that I was not aware of what was going on at Outpost 31."

The Doctor interjected, "By protecting the future, does that mean recruiting the Monk who was from our time line into your distant time line for illegal covert operations? Was he involved with Operation Travesty? How do you explain this work log of yours just before it mentioned about you getting into stasis?"

"What?" Deacon, shocked and confused, retorted back, "I am aware of the Monk's activities, but I have never met him nor have any working relations with that Time Lord."

"Romana, what's the point of this meeting? This is not a meeting. This is some sort of Tribunal," shouted Interim Lord President Cassius.

"Not a tribunal, Lord President Cassius. The Truth. All we need is the truth," said the Doctor.

Romana, then quickly explained everything, "I have evidence to show that after Borusa's death, we had files that uncovered his secret involvement with a Time Lord faction called the Immortals. The Immortals had information on contacting the CIA thousands of years in their past. We guessed that Borusa used the time snatcher to connect with someone with the CIA many years ago to help with his political agenda. And through that we believe that the Deacon was that very same person that Borusa contacted before the Deacon went into his statsis bod. Am I correct, Deacon?"

Deacon started to feel anxious and his hands was shaking on what was being uncovered. Other Time Lords of the meeting looked at the Deacon with more suspicion on who is this person anyways. Can he be trusted?

"I'm not sure I'm following you, Romana. And where did you pull find that log?" Deacon replied with much hesitation.

"In case you were not aware Deacon, the last time we visited the HQ, I went to a nearby computer and downloaded your work files to understand where you come from and how you work. You once said that you needed three superiors to approve an intervention operation, two CIA superior officers and the Lord President who happened to come from the future."

Romana continued, "Tell me Deacon. Was it only you and Lord President Borusa that approved Operation Travesty and no one else? An illegal operation where you were totally aware that people from Earth, Gallifrey and those from the colonies like Elysium were abducted for these experiments?"

Once Romana said that, other Time Lords in the room looked at Deacon in more anger and distrust. Deacon hesitated to answer, but one of the Time Lords at the table with him shouted, "Deacon, answer the question!"

Deacon feeling like he was about the faint, made his confession, "Yes." Then there was silence.

Deacon stood up and with all his might debated back his side of the story, "But, I only did that because it was what the Book of the Other prophesized in being ready for this third Time War. Before I went to the stasis pod, I did some early research on possible finding locations of ancient weaponry just so they can be easily found. When Lord President Borusa snatched me from my time line, he came to me for help and I acted alone to take this opportunity to ensure the means to fight this third Time War. Those scientists that we have found at Outpost 31 were actually scientists taken from various worlds including those of Gallifrey. We only abducted the scientists who were disgraced in their society and gave them a second chance in fighting for a better cause, to save the whole of reality. However, I was foolish."

Deacon sat back to his seat and sighed with regret as he continued on, "Lord President Borusa wanted the Operation Travesty for his own political amends. I argued back and forth with him that we should not push the outpost scientists into the direction of creating uncontrollable monsters. Lord President Borusa did not care. He wanted Operation Travesty to not only obtain the genetic modification to achieve immortality, but to have an army as well to rule the whole universe, so he can become the premiere god to prevent future wars from destroying our people and any lesser allied races under our care. Then, everything else was history. Outpost 31 became overrun with the Horde of Travesties, a false message was sent to us that the Outpost was destroyed, and then Lord President Borusa abandoned me. As punishment, Borusa had stolen much of our advanced snatching equipment and disabled any communication from the CIA HQ to anywhere else. I was all alone with guilt and failure that a low-ranking agent like me has shamed the reputation of the Celestial Intervention Agency."

"Then that's when you deleted the log about what happened before entering your stasis pod?" asked the Doctor.

"Yes," Deacon answered.

"Then, if Borusa took much of the equipment to allow you to know what happened to present Gallifrey, then how did you know about the Death Zone Incident?" asked Romana.

"It was only after you found me that I took to time to learn your current history and find the whereabouts of Lord President Borusa. I'm glad that bastard got what he deserved," Deacon replied.

"Then, how about the Monk? Was he ever involved with Operation Travesty?" Romana asked another question.

"No, he was not. Monk was involved with the CIA way before I was recruited into the agency. The Monk served more as Time Mercenary, specializing in theft, hijacking, and retrieving valuable items for us. Thus, how he became the Time Meddler. The Monk never knew about Operation Travesty, but due to his past experience with the CIA, he understood that CIA is capable of doing questionable things and forgave me for the tragedy that befell Outpost 31."

"Well, then in any case," the Doctor walked over, grabbed the Deacon's collar with both his hands, and then threw a punch at the Deacon's right eye.

Doctor continued to yell, "Do you understand what you just did? You monster? You Dalek? You're just as worse as Davros! You took away innocent lives from the planets that I care so much, including the Earth. How dare you to put your trust in the hands of a corrupted future Time Lord?" Before the Doctor threw another punch, Romana ran by and grabbed the Doctor's arm.

"Doctor, stopped!" Romana screamed. Other Time Lords rushed to restrain the Doctor as the Deacon stood his back to the wall behind him and touched his black eye.

"Doctor, behave yourself!" ordered the Interim Lord President Cassius.

"I think this concludes this meeting. As Interim Lord President, I think it's wise we deem the Deacon as innocent. This because the Deacon, as he just said, was only a low-level CIA agent acting under good intentions to save what's left of this terrible conflict. He was under orders of a high-ranking Time Lord official, Lord President Borusa. If there were anything to blame, it would be him and it would be this current administration's responsibility to never repeat this again. Once this conflict is over, I will transfer my presidency back to Romana and recommend that the CIA be revived under new rules and regulations on how it should operate."

"You can let go of the Doctor," ordered Cassius. The other Time Lords released the Doctor and as the Doctor got up, he gave one bad look at the Deacon. The Doctor walked across to the table and with all the internalized rage in him, he lifted the table and smashed it on the floor.

"For Gallifrey's sake, are you still mad? Do you have enough anger for one day?" shouted Cassius.

"I do and right there is a reminder that if there's another operation travesty again," the Doctor then pointed at the table and said, "Then, this will happen to you."

The Doctor finally walked out of the room to spend some time with Daxx to let out some steam. The Second suggested reprimanding the Doctor for his angry behavior, but Cassius shut down that and ordered rest of the other Time Lords to pick up the damage table for repairs. Cassius and Romana finally turned their attention to Deacon to get him reacquainted with the war effort. There's work to be done.

Author's note: presented here is one out of a series of appendices to help provide clarity on various key dialogue on events leading to or relevant to the Great Time War as presented in this fanfic. The event in this appendix took place between "Chapter 17: Outpost 31" and "Chapter 18: The Other TARDIS," thus explaining more about that incident on where the Doctor gave the Deacon a black eye.