After Rassilon made his speech to his supporters, he marched down a corridor with two body guards as pieces of the ceiling above them began to fall. Everything around them was falling apart but Rassilon would make sure his Presidency would not fall and he quickly entered the citadel chamber and sat at the head of the council table, sitting tall and proud. "What news of Lady Romanadvoratrelundar?" He demanded, looking at his council members, the ones that were meant to be loyal to him and only to him. Oh, Rassilon knew full well that there were still a large amount of supports who still supported Romanadvoratrelundar's council but after he took control, he made sure that they quickly saw his way. If not, he could always find somebody to replace them with ease. All of these people were nothing but puppets where he could control their strings.
"The CIA have no records of her current whereabouts. It seems to us that she has disappeared, my Lord President." A Time-Lord near the middle of the table reported.
"And Lord Braxiatel? Has he returned from his...errand?" Rassilon lips twitched, knowing he practically blackmailed the other Time-Lord. He blackmailed Braxiatel into joining his council. Rassilon knew the love that he held for Romana, he knew of her desire for her and he used it against him so he could be one step closer to killing Romana himself.
"He was last seen fighting off against a Dalek before being caught up in a Time storm vortex. He has not been seen since." A Time-Lady replied somewhat nervously, trying to remain calm underneath Rassilon's angry gaze. "It has been known that she and the Doctor have been sending encrypted messages to each other to steal the moment which Lady Romana now possesses and she will use it to destroy Daleks and Time-Lord's alike."
Suddenly, a voice chuckled bitterly and the Time-Lord's glanced towards the darkest shadows of the room. "She won't. She may be an Ice Queen, but I know Romana would never betray her own people like that." A familiar voice spoke bitterly and a man with floppy, brown hair stepped out, wearing a tweed jacket and a blue bow-tie, the only Time-Lord not to be wearing the usual red robes and caps and he stood at the other empty end of the table next to the visionary, Rassilon lips twitched slightly as the Doctor glared coldly back. The Visionary who was sat down had long, straggly grey hair. Across her face and hands were tattooed lines and dots and in front of her sheets of paper bearings writing and drawings. "Sorry, it was the dark shadows. I couldn't resist."
"Alas Doctor, the Visionary confirms it." A Time-Lord looked at the Doctor with distaste. Knowing the reputation the Doctor had for wearing Earth clothes and really, he did look ridiculous in wearing that bow-tie of his. He was in his eleventh regeneration for Gallifrey's sake!
"Ending, burning, a Storm brewing, all of it falling, the black and pitch and screaming fire in amidst the Storm. So burning." The Visionary voice spoke, her eyes wide as her visions came before her.
"Storm? What Storm?" The Doctor scoffed. He never believed in Visionary's. Even back on Karn when they made him change who he was meant to be. "We're living in a Storm right now! Actually, worse than a Storm. This is hell we're living in." He looked at Rassilon once more darkly. "Perhaps your time as Lord President has come to an end once and for all, Rassilon."
Rassilon snarled angrily, the other Time-Lord's in the room looking somewhat fearful at him as he stood up and pointed with his hand, the hand that held a gauntlet glove and for a moment, everyone thought he was going to disintegrate him the Doctor. But he didn't, knowing Rassilon needed him as much as he hated to admit. The Doctor was one of the few only Time-Lord's on his council that Rassilon could not control. One of the only few people he could not use as a puppet for he knew he could be useful if he had his own mind intact. "I will not resign! A billion years of Time-Lord history riding on our backs. I will not resign and I will not perish! I will not!"
"You may scare the council Rassilon, but you will never scare me!" The Doctor spat. "You haven't even been out there! At least when Lady Romana was President, at least she fought for us. She went on the front line, middle, underground, oh-ho! You name it. But you, Rassilon, you're just sitting here like sitting ducks and thinking up of experiments to change who we really are!" The Doctor slammed his palms on the table angrily, glowering at Rassilon. "And don't you think for a nanosecond I haven't forgotten what you have done to Borusa too!"
The Time-Lord's shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Borusa, remembering how Rassilon had changed the Time-Lord and created a Time engine out of the very Time-Lord himself, making him see into the future for Rassilon's own will. Everybody on the council knew about Borusa but they all hated talking about him or even thinking about him because they knew that was what Rassilon was going to do to them. To rewrite every fibre of their very beings so that they weren't even Time-Lord's anymore but were something else entirely.
A Time-Lord next to the Visionary cleared his throat before picking up one of her scrolls. "There is, um...There is one part of the prophecy, My lord." He hurriedly brought the scroll to the President who sat back down in his chair. "Forgive me. I'm sorry. It's rather difficult to decipher. It talks of three survivors and a fourth one who is a child of the eye of a Storm beyond the final day of Gallifrey's end."
"Does it name them?" Rassilon asked eagerly, glancing at the the scrolls.
"It foresees them locked in their final confrontation. Two Time-Ladies and Two Time-Lord's. It says here; Irving Braxiatel-" The Doctor perked up at his brother's name, relieved at the fact his brother managed to get out of the Time Vortex Storm and was safe and sound. "The Master, another which has been born during the eye of the storm, Thyra and of course-"
"Lady Romanadvoratrelundar!" Rassilon hissed, clenching his hand that didn't have the metal glove on. Rassilon wanted her dead. She still had plenty of followers on Gallifrey and he knew any members of his council would betray him the moment Romana came back home. She was the one with the help of the Doctor who put them all in a Time-Lock. She was the one who started this blasted war!
"One word keeps being repeating, my lord, one constant word-" The Time-Lord continued shakily and he glanced at the visionary who began to speak.
"Earth. Earth. Earth! Earth! Earth!" Her voice began to chant throughout the council room.
The Doctor chuckled slightly, leaning against the Visionary's chair. It always did lead down to Earth didn't it? "Ah, Earth. The fantastic planet of the human race." A Time-Lady put up a hologramatic projection of Earth above the table and the Doctor looked at it longingly, wishing he was on Earth rather than on Gallifrey. He knew that if his brother was on Earth, then he knew he was safe. But he couldn't help but wonder who this Thyra the prophecy mentioned was. A child born in the eye of a storm? What a load of nonsense.
Rassilon raised an eyebrow at the Doctor. "Sol Three has always been your favourite planet, Doctor. Perhaps this is where our salvation lies." He laughed but nobody dared laughed with him for fear of risking their lives.
Romana and Braxiatel were strapped two large chairs that had large straps and buckles covering their bodies, straps across their mouths as they were sat next to each other and were unable to escape. Thyra and Wilf were tied in a regular chair opposite them, however Thyra had stronger straps around her wrists so she could not move her hands at all. The Master had tied them rather tightly even for her.
The Master leaned into Romana, smirking as he saw Braxiatel narrow his eyes at him. The Master knew it annoyed the other Time-Lord when he leaned in far to close to Romana. He liked to see him get irritated and angry. He wanted to see Braxiatel duty as a Mate to Romana unleash. "Now then, former Madame P, it's my turn to run a planet!" He walked to the centre of the room where he could see a communication screen and he could speak with each and every major versions of himself. "Is everybody ready?"
"6,727,949,338 versions of us awaiting orders." Naismith-Master told him through the computers behind Thyra.
"This is Washington. As President of the United States, I can transfer all the United Nations protocols to you immediately, putting you in charge of all of the Earth's defences." President-Master replied.
"Unit H1. Geneva reporting. All under your command, sir." The General Master from UNIT HQ saluted him.
"And this is the Central Military Commission here in Beijing, sir, with over 2.5 million soldiers, sir." The Commisssion-Master spoke on screen.
The Master looked very satisfied with himself before he turned to face Romana and Braxiatel. This was something he has always dreamed of. He had wanted Romana and Braxiatel to be the Doctor so he could gloat at him for taking over his favourite race, but alas, they were Romana and Braxiatel and thought the human race to be primitive, very much like him. At least the three of them had something in common. "Enough soldiers and weapons to turn this planet into a warship. Nothing to say about that, Madame P?" He glanced at Braxiatel with a smirk. "Even your lap dog doesn't have anything to say." Braxiatel growled and the Master walked over to him mockingly. "What's that? Pardon? Sorry?"
"You let them go, you swine!" Wilf glared at the Master. The Master was nothing more than a lunatic! Now he understood why Romana and Braxiatel craved revenge upon the Master. He understood why they hated the other Time-Lord and he know that he knew how Thyra got her scar, he wanted the Master to get what he deserved. His punishment but Wilf knew deep in his heart there were other methods of serving justice rather than just killing.
The Master chuckled, Wilf's threats not fazing him at all. "Oh, you're dad's still kicking up a fuss."
"Yeah? Well, I'd be proud if I was." Wilf told him truthfully. And Wilf would be proud if he was Braxiatel's or Romana's father. To him, they were like another son or daughter and they have done so many wonderful things to him, Donna and to everybody else as well and Wilf wished he could just make them see how wonderful they truly are.
The Master put his finger to his lips. This was his time! This time he will be the messiah and he will allow nobody to stop him or take his control of power away from him. "Hush, now. Listen to your Master."
"We won't listen to you." Thyra told the Master bravely. Despite the fact she feared the Master more than anything else, she had to stand up to him. She had to be brave like the pirate she desired to be. "Why can't you just leave us alone?"
"It would be so boring if I did." The Master grinned manically at her. "But I'm very interested in you."
Thyra raised an eyebrow at him. She knew he would focus his attention on her sooner or later. Yes, she was the daughter of Lady Romanadvoratrelundar and Lord Irving Braxiatel but the Master was the main one that designed her. That designed her and all of her brothers and sisters to be the perfect killer. "Why? You killed all my brothers and sisters. That is something I will never forgive you for."
"Oh, you just sound like your mother." The Master tutted and rolled his eyes but Thyra merely looked proud at the compliment as Wilf watched the interaction. "No, I'm interested in you because you are my design. I designed you for one specific purpose. Why haven't you killed your parents yet?" He pointed behind him angrily at Romana and Braxiatel. "You're what, twenty years old now? Why haven't you killed them?"
"Because they're my true parents and I'm not just someone who you can use for one purpose before discarding them with ease." She snapped and she could see her parents looking on proudly at her despite them being unable to move or speak. "But we will help you because we do not have a choice. That noise in your head, it's no ordinary drumming noise. If you let us help you, then maybe we can stop it."
"Would it stop, then? The noise in my head?" The Master asked somewhat hopefully. The Master wanted the noise to go away. He's had it ever since he was a child and it was one of the main reasons why his friendship with the Doctor went astray. It was because the drumming noise ripped them apart from being good friends. He wanted it gone.
"We can help you."
"I don't know what I'd be without that noise." He admitted honestly. Every waking hour, even when he was asleep the noise would constantly be there. It made him who he was today and if the drumming noise in his head wasn't there anymore, would there finally be peace?
"A better person." Thyra told him reassuringly. She hoped to give the Master a second chance despite all he has done to them. But she held firmly onto her belief that everyone deserves a second chance, no matter how evil they are and she knew in a way, that it wasn't the Master's fault for being like this and couldn't help but have a feeling there was more to it than meets eye.
The Master sniffled, causing Thyra to be somewhat surprised. "Yeah."
Wilf frowned, not understanding what they were talking about. "What does he mean? What noise?"
"It began on Gallifrey when I was child." He snorted, turning bitter as he walked back to the centre of the room. He hated his childhood. The only good thing about his childhood were the friends he chosen and look where they are now. Dead in dust and space. "I was taken for initiation. To stare into the Untempered Schism." He glanced at Thyra. "You're lucky, you will never have to look into it."
"Actually, I did." Thyra corrected him, making the Master startled. "I looked into the Untempered Schism when I was eight years old, just like you." The Master looked at her curiously. "Father contacted his past self and took me to Gallifrey with him. It's only right that I should follow the traditions of the Time-Lord's."
"What does that mean?" Wilf asked, frowning. None of this made any sense to him but now he thought about it, he did remember Donna telling him about going up to the Torchwood hub one time to greet the Time family when Thyra came back from her Untempered Schism ceremony and he wondered if this is what it was. He reckoned it must be a big ceremony amongst the Time-Lord's if it was to be done to every child of Gallifrey.
"It's a gap in the fabric of reality. You can see into the Time Vortex itself. It's different to every Time-Lord who looks into it, some don't even make it but I found mine to be a somewhat peaceful experience." Thyra explained, remembering how she had met her father's previous incarnation and how she went to House Lungbarrow before looking into the Untempered Schism. "But...it did hurt."
The Master nodded. "They took me there, in the dark. And we have to stand there and look into Time itself, old man and I heard it calling to me. Drums, the never-ending drums."
"The Untempered Schism, it's where it all began." The Doctor explained to the Time-Lord's around the table in the council room. He was the only one who knew the Master well so it only seemed fitting that he should be the one to explain his tragic back-story. The Doctor could remember the times they had when they were children, running through the Master's father fields of red pasture and shouting up towards the red sky in delight before the drumming ruined it all. "It was a torment that stayed with him for the rest of his life. It was...one of the main reasons why our friendship went astray."
"What was the sound he heard?" Rassilon enquired.
"A drumbeat. A four rhythm drum beat." The Doctor replied, grimacing as he fixed his bow-tie.
"A symptom of insanity, Doctor." A Time-Lord replied coldly when suddenly the visionary repeated taps out of a four-beat rhythm with her forefinger.
"A rhythm of four! The heartbeat of a Time-Lord!" Rassilon gave out a wicked grin.
"Listen to it." He turned around to Romana and Braxiatel. They had to listen to his sufferings. They deserved to listen to what he has to suffer to every day. "LISTEN TO IT."
"Only you can hear it Master." Thyra told him unflinchingly as he shouted.
"Except..." The Master stood up, before throwing his head back and laughed. "Oh! Oh, wait a minute. Oh, yes! Oh, that's good!"
Romana and Braxiatel looked at each other through the corner of their eyes, Romana tried to squirm out of her chair but couldn't. "What is it?" Thyra demanded, knowing if the Master thought of something 'good' it usually was the complete opposite.
"The noise exists within my head. And now within six billion heads. Everyone on Earth can hear it. Imagine! Oh...Oh yes!" He began to laugh once more before there was a skeletal flash and he dropped into a crouch, groaning in pain.
Wilf let out a yelp of fright but Thyra glanced at him anxiously. The flashing of the skeleton. She knew something went wrong with the Master's resurrection. She knew that the man himself was still dying despite the fact he tried to put on a facade to appear that he was fine. "The Gate wasn't enough. You're still dying."
"This body was born out of death. All it can do is die." He stood up, grimacing. "But what did your parents say to me, back in the wasteland? They said, 'something is returning."
"We were shown a prophecy. The prophecy was; It is returning through the dark and then, Lord Braxiatel, he may return for good. But then, he will knock for times.'" Thyra quoted Carmen, leaving the bit out of her mother's song ending soon. It was best that the Master didn't know about her mother's ending for she knew he would only make it worse and Thyra couldn't bare that. She loved her mother too much to see anything happen to her. "We need your help."
"See? See?! I'm a part of this prophecy! The drumbeat is calling from so far away, from the end of time itself. And not it's been amplified six billion times. Triangulate all those signals. I could find its source! Oh, Thyra...that's what your prophecy was! Me!" He turned around and slapped Romana across the cheek, causing Braxiatel to struggle against his bounds heatedly. "Now, where's the TARDIS?" Romana merely narrowed her eyes at him hatefully. "Oh, don't give me that look Madame P. Kill her." He pointed towards Thyra and a helmeted soldier walked over to Thyra and aimed his gun at her.
"Leave her alone! I'm older than Thyra!" Wilf shouted, not liking how Thyra was being used against Romana and Braxiatel.
"I need that technology, Romana and Braxiatel. Tell me where the TARDIS is or your daughter will be dead." The Master warned. "I've killed the rest of your children before, I will not hesitate to kill your last child."
"Don't tell him!" Wilf cried out, noticing how Thyra was unfazed by all this.
Thyra couldn't help but let her lips curl up into a smile, knowing she has an advantage in this situation. "Actually, for a Time-Lord who is older than myself, you really are bone-dead stupid aren't ye?"
The Master rolled his neck in her direction. "Take aim." The soldier took aim.
"You have six billion pairs of eyes, but ye still can't see the obvious?"
"Like what?"
Thyra nodded towards the soldier. "The guard is one inch too tall." She told him somewhat cheerily and the Master turned to look at the soldier who hits with his rifle. The soldier then takes off the helmet to reveal the male Vinvocci, Rossiter as Thyra used her telekinesis power to undo the ropes around her.
"Oh, my god, I hit him. I've never hit anyone in my life." Rossiter replied, awestruck as he looked at the Master's unconscious form and Braxiatel rolled his eyes before mumbling something through his gag, jerking from his chair as Addams came in rushing in. Rossiter was never the one to be violent. He was always too nice, too polite but he couldn't help but admit that the Master did deserve a good slap and he was the one to give it and he couldn't even be more proud of himself.
"We can give you a medal for that later, for now, help me untie my parents and Wilf." Thyra told him sarcastically, getting out of the chair and Addams and went to untie Wilf as Rossiter undid the gag around Romana's mouth as Thyra made her way to her father.
"God bless the cactuses!" Wilf said gratefully as Addams helped to untie him.
"That's Cacti!" Romana corrected him once her mouth was free, so glad to be able to speak. "Now work faster before the Master wakes up!" As soon as Rossiter finished she scrambled out of the chair and began to help Thyra with Braxiatel.
"Did he hurt you?" Braxiatel asked Romana, concerned once Thyra removed the strap away from his mouth. It felt so good to be able to talk once more.
Romana shook her head. "No, it was just a slap. After his torture in the year that never was, I can endure his pain." It was true. The Master has used unspeakable methods of torture on her in that year but it made her tough. It made her immune to certain methods of pain which was a good thing because then Romana knew what to expect.
"There's too many buckles and straps!" Rossiter protested as he struggled to untie Braxiatel's feet.
"Shall we just wheel him?" Addams suggested.
"It looks like we have to. Rossiter, you push Braxiatel along. Thyra, Wilf, Addams, stick close with me!" Romana grabbed Thyra's hand before she ran out of the room and through the corridor, Rossiter and Braxiatel following behind.
"Not that way, Romana! We have the TARDIS!" Braxiatel yelled out. They couldn't seriously be thinking of going back to the basement now could they? In the state that he was in?
"Too risky father! Addams, you must have a ship in orbit somewhere right?" Thyra replied as they ran down the hallway.
"Yes! Follow me, we'll go back down to the basement." Addams replied, heading towards the basement and they ran down the stairs.
"Not the stairs! Not the stairs!" Braxiatel cried out but they ignored him and Rossiter continued to push the chair down the wide steps leading down to the cellar, each bump has Braxiatel grunting in pain. "I am at least 2000 years old and this has to be the worst rescue plan ever invented!"
"Oh hush, I'll make it up to you later." Romana rolled her eyes as they reached the basement, Wilf and Thyra in the rear. "Addams, where's your transmat to get to your ship?" However, as soon as she said that, guards began to appear, blocking the room and the original Master arrived and gave them a cold smile.
"Gotcha."
"You think so?" Addams raised her wrists and pressed her watch and before the Master could do anything, the six of them disappeared and reappeared on the Vinvocci ship. Ha! Bet the Master never expected to see that one coming!
"Get me out of this thing!" Braxiatel cursed, struggling to get out. Whoever invented these sort of chairs, he was going to have words with the inventor about using less buckles and straps. Honestly, they were ridiculous with the amount of buckles and straps they used.
"Here father." Thyra went to help him as Romana went over to some controls, flickering some buttons.
Addams looked mildly annoyed at the Time family. "Don't say thanks, will you?" They rescued them from their near death experience and yet they didn't even get a single thanks from them? Were they always this rude and arrogant? Addams wouldn't be surprised if they were.
Wilf looked out of the window with wide eyes, awestruck by the sight he was seeing. "Oh, my goodness me. We're in space!" He looked down at the planet Earth. All his life he had dreamt of being up in the stars but never did he imagine it to be something like this. Now his dream has come true and he wasn't quite sure how to react! He never expected to be in space like this or at his age. Oh, he couldn't wait to tell Donna!
"The Master is not going to let us go that easily." Romana retorted coldly and she used her sonic screwdriver on one of the control panels which exploded just as Braxiatel scrambled out of his chair, flexing his muscles. Romana turned to Addams and Rossiter. "Where's your flight deck?" She demanded.
"But we're safe! We're a hundred thousand miles above the Earth!" Addams pointed out.
"And the Master has every single missile on the planet ready to fire!" Braxiatel snapped. Honestly, they should realize that they would be under attack if they left all the engines on their ship. The Master would find them in orbit and send up missiles within minutes!
Addams winced. "Good point." She leads the way and Thyra stopped when she realized that Wilf wasn't following and she gently took the older man by the arm and helped him out.
Wilf looked at her, still in awestruck. He didn't want to leave the view behind. "But we're in space!"
"Oh yes. This is only the beginning Wilf." Thyra told him with a smile and Wilf laughed and they hurriedly followed the others, the six of them running through the ship to the flight deck.
"We need to close it down!" Romana shouted as she ran over to the flight deck with Braxiatel.
Rossiter looked unimpressed. They weren't closing down the ship! They were escaping as fast as they can. This was none of their concern. "No chance lady. We're going home."
"We're a salvage team. Local politics has nothing to do with us. Not unless there's a carnival. Sooner we get back to Vinvocci space, the better." Addams told them, far from happy at having been dragged into the Time-Lord's affairs. They just wanted to fix the gate! But now these pompous Time-Lord's showed up and were ruining everything they have worked so hard for.
"You're not leaving." Romana snapped and she used her sonic once more and the ship went dead and Braxiatel stood next to her in the dark, listening patiently. Thyra was about to speak but Braxiatel gently shushed her until the only sound was the ship creaking.
Addams looked out of the window, angry and irritated. "No sign of any missiles...no sign of...anything." She shrugged her shoulders before glaring at Romana. It was all her fault! It was her fault for dragging her into her business! Addams just wanted to help them escape the Master, not wanting to wreck her own ship! "You've wrecked the place!"
Rossiter quickly glanced over the engines, grimacing at the sight. "The engines are burnt out. Just auxiliary lights. Everything else is kaput. We can't move. We're stuck, in orbit."
Addams pointed an angry finger at Romana. "Thanks to you. You idiot!"
"Would you rather have this ship blown up?" Romana shouted back, not letting Addams get away with her temper. She knew she was angry about the state of her ship, Romana could understand that, but Addams had no right to treat her that way after Romana just saved all of their lives. "Would you rather be killed by missiles the Master had aiming up at us? Be thankful otherwise you would be dead in space by now." She stood tall despite the fact Addams was nearly a good inch taller than herself.
At first, it looked like Addams was going to say an angry remark but instead, she let out a scream of frustration before storming out of the room, Rossiter following after her quickly.
Romana sighed, leaning into Braxiatel who pulled her into an embrace, Thyra went over to them and Romana stroked her daughter's hair. Wilf looked at them hopefully. "I know you three, though. One of you will have a plan , eh? Come on! One of you must have a trick up your sleeve. Nice little bit of the old Time family flimflam, ha-ha-ha, sort of thing? Eh?" The Time-Family merely looked at him solemnly and he bit his finger nails nervously. "Oh blimey."
"The signal has been sent. A simple task of four beats transmitted back through time, and implanted in the Master's mind as a child." The Time-Lady stated, pursing her lips in disapproval though she knew not to say anything against Rassilon for she knew he would only kill her then. Half the council wished they still had Lady Romanadvoratrelundar still acting as President but alas, many are still angry with her and she is trapped outside the Time-Lock but at least she was never violent against her own people like Rassilon was.
"Then we have a link, to where the Master is right now." Rassilon brought up the hologram of the Earth once more. There was a chance of escaping this wretched hell hole! They had a chance to return to reality and to end the Time War once and for all. He had salvation!
"You seriously can't be trusting the Master with this, Rassilon." The Doctor told him wearily, looking at the hologram of the Earth with longing. Wishing he was there rather than here. Anywhere was better than here right now and he knew that was where his brother was at the moment with Lady Romana. He hoped they were dealing with the Master well. "The Master will betray us all at any given moment. I've fought against him for centuries and let us not forget he was the one who ran away from the Time-War when Romana brought him back to life."
"Of course I know not to trust him, Doctor. He has a silver tongue the Master, always has but then there is your brother and Lady Romana and this...this Thyra to consider about. Who is this Thyra, do we know?" Rassilon questioned.
"A child...a child born in the eye of a storm." The visionary spoke, not looking up from her parchment as she scribbled down what she was saying. Thyra had been a vision for many centuries. Even before the war itself. She had a great destiny before her and the visionaries of Gallifrey kmew she had powers of her own that Rassilon must not get his hands on. "Born to the Ice Queen and the Icicle but she is the coldest of them all."
The Doctor shifted uncomfortably, knowing exactly who this Ice Queen and Icicle were. His brother and Lady Romana? Together as in Mates? He could never see as Braxiatel to be the fatherly type figure or Romana as the motherly type but he knew Romana would be excellent at whatever given task was given to her. She always did things twenty times better than he would have done. "A child born from Lady Romana and Lord Irving Braxiatel?" How could they even be romantically involved with one another? The idea of his brother with Lady Romana was...very odd indeed despite his feelings for the Time-Lady had vanished long ago. "How very...unusual."
A Time-Lord turned to look at Rassilon. "But we're still trapped inside the Time-Lock that Lady Romana has created, sir. The link is nothing more than...a thought, an idea."
"Then we need something to make the contact physical. Something simple." The Doctor told him, scratching his head. Knowing that none of this was going to end well at all. Nothing ever ended well with Rassilon and the Doctor wished that if he wasn't the one to ditch duties so quickly, he wished to be President once more until they found a more suitable person to take over. More importantly, Romana.
"So small and shining, shining bright and cold amongst the storm, the tiny, tiny star, falling, burning, burning." The Visionary spoke, her eyes wide.
Rassilon stood up, holding his staff in front of him. "Small enough to follow the link." He removed the diamond from top of his staff. "And if this were on Earth..." He threw the diamond at the hologram.
Romana and Braxiatel were working on some wiring on the flight deck when Thyra was looking out through the window and she saw a meteor heading for Earth. "Mother, father! Come and see this!" She turned and pointed towards the window and Romana and Braxiatel stopped working and stood by her side, watching with their eyebrows furrowed in confusion, all of them somehow having a feeling it was no ordinary meteor.
Wilf was walking through the Vinvocci ship, looking for the Time family. He had taken a walk, needing to clear his head and seeing the Time family so depressed and hopeless, it made him depressed and hopeless too. He entered a large empty room, trying to search for them. "Thyra...? Hello? Hello?" He heard clanging in the distance. "Is that you?" He walked forwards hesitantly. "Thyra...? Anyone? Anyone?! Oh, I'm think I'm lost." He looked extremely worried and he paused to try and get his bearings. This spaceship was far to large and he briefly wondered about how large the Time family's TARDIS actually was and he wouldn't be surprised if it was bigger than this one.
"And yet you are found." A familiar voice spoke and Wilf turned around, startled to find it was the woman from the church behind him. "Events are closing. The day is almost upon us. But tell me, old soldier, did you take arms?"
Wilf pulled the revolver from his pocket. "I brought this. But...Braxiatel has his own gun, a better gun. What am I supposed to do with this?"
"This is the Lady Romana's final battle. At the end of her life, her Mate must take arms or she will lose herself and her daughter and all this world, to the end of time."
"Braxiatel and Lady Romana are soldiers. Much better soldiers than I have ever been. But...who are you? Why do you care about the Time family so much?"
The woman looked at him sadly, her eyes telling him she wanted to explain but she couldn't for she simply could not understand. "I was lost...so very long ago."
Wilf looked down at the gun in his hands, wondering what she meant by that and when he looked up, he found the woman had disappeared once more but somehow, this didn't even bother Wilf in the slightest. He gave a heavy sigh and went in the direction of the flight deck, having a feeling that's where they'll be.
He finally found them and he saw Romana and Braxiatel working with the wiring, Thyra sitting on some steps as she stared out of the window glumly. "Aye, aye. Got this old tub mended?"
"We're just trying to fix the heating. It gets very cold otherwise." Romana replied, handing Braxiatel some spare wires as she and Braxiatel sat down to fix them next to Thyra. If they were staying put for a while, they might as well get the heating working at least. But Romana didn't care about the heating. She didn't care about anything apart from her family anymore. Her family was the only important thing to her right now but she knew she would finally be at rest if the Master was defeated.
Wilf sat down next to Braxiatel. "D'you know, I've always dreamt of a view like that." He chuckled, looking down at the Earth. He knew the Time family must be used to seeing this space but Wilf will never forget how beautiful it is out here or how magical it was. "I'm an astronaut! It's dawn over England, look. Brand new day. My wife's buried down there. I might never visit her again now. D'you think he changed them, in their graves?"
"We're sorry."
Wilf swallowed, shaking his head. "No, not your fault." If it was anyone's fault, it was the Master's. The Master was the one that caused the Time family suffering. The one that caused all of his people to turn them like him. The Master was the one to blame, always.
Romana let out a bitter laugh before her head hung low. "When is nothing ever our fault? We wanted justice for our children, look where it got us in the end." Braxiatel wrapped an arm around her shoulder and Romana kissed him on the lips, trembling slightly. She was just so old and so tired despite Romana being nowhere near as old as Braxiatel. "He killed our children. Don't they deserve justice at all?"
Wilf didn't know what to say to that. He knew they deserved to get justice after what the Master has done to all of Thyra's brothers and sisters but Wilf wondered if they were seeking out justice in the right way. He gazed out of the window. "Ooh...1948, I was over there. End of the Mandate in Palestine." He pointed towards the direction and Thyra looked at it with interest. "Private Mott. Skinny little idiot, I was, stood on this rooftop, the middle of a skirmish. It was like a blizzard, all them bullets in the air. The world gone mad." He shook his head before glancing at he adult Time-Lord's and Thyra. "Yeah, you don't want to listen to an old man's tales, do you?"
"We are older than you." Braxiatel pointed out and he felt old. Really old. To a Time-Lord, being 2000 years old meant nothing to him. What the days just pass by easily but Braxiatel has lived a long, adventurous life and know he had a family of his own and he knew he has lived well.
Wilf did hear Braxiatel mention he was at least 2000 years old before but Wilf thought he was joking and he looked at Braxiatel, thinking he was taking the mickey. He couldn't be 2000 years old! It was impossible! "Get away."
"I'm really am 2000 years old." Braxiatel told him with a small smile and Wilf looked into his eyes, seeing how old he really was.
"I'm...I'm at least 867 years old. Most of the time I feel older than that." Romana told him truthfully, knowing this was the first time she has revealed to a human her true age. She has told Braxiatel her age until now. She has never liked to reveal it for it showed her how ancient she was. Romana hoped she lived long enough to see her daughter grow old and be happy and perhaps, find a family of her own.
Thyra snuggled into her mother's side, smiling tiredly at Wilf. She wondered how long she will live for with her Time-Lady life but Thyra knew that if she was sensible enough, she would practically live forever. "They're telling the truth Wilf. We Time-Lord's can live forever barring accidents. We're practically immortal."
Wilf's mouth dropped open and he turned to Romana, stunned. 867 years old?! That's how old Romana was? He knew not to reveal her true age to anyone else but he couldn't believe how young these Time-Lord's looked. All those wasted years resting on youth's shoulders. "You're 867 tears old and he's 2000 years old? We must look like insects to you." Wilf took out his gun and handed it towards Braxiatel. "I...I want you to have this. I know you have your own gun with you but I've kept my gun all this time, and I thought..."
Braxiatel glanced at the gun, seeing how rusty it was. He knew what Wilf wanted him to do and Braxiatel wanted to do it. He wanted to kill the Master. He wanted to make the Master suffer after everything he has done to them. It was only right, wasn't it? It was only fair that if all his children died, the Master should be dead with them. "You had that gun in the mansion. You could have shot the Master there and then."
"Too scared, I suppose." Wilf admitted. It was true. Despite the gun being meant for Braxiatel to shoot the Master, he could have shot him on his own free will but he didn't. He had seen how crazy and mad the Master was and Wilf was frightened of the other Time-Lord. Terrified of him even and he knew Wilf couldn't kill anyone even if he wanted to. Deep in his heart, Wilf knew that he was no killer.
"I'd be proud."
"Of what?"
"If you were my dad." Braxiatel gave a slight smile and Romana eyes brightened, knowing Braxiatel meant it for it was rare for Braxiatel to compliment a mere human. "My own father...Gallifrey, I can barely just remember my own father's face and barely just remember the sound of his voice." Braxiatel sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes. His father had been dead for many centuries and Braxiatel had no photographs or holograms or anything that once belonged to his father. Everything that did was left on Gallifrey and now Gallifrey was gone to. "I really am getting old."
Wilf felt himself tearing up at the compliment, knowing for a fact that Braxiatel rarely gave compliments out and Wilf was going to treasure his words. "Oh, come on, don't start. But you said...you were all told that he may return just for good and that he will knock four times and then you-" He pointed towards Romana. "You will die. Well, that's him, isn't it? The Master? That noise in his head? The Master killed all of your wonderful children and you said yourself your children deserve justice. The Master will kill you Romana."
"Once and for all." Romana ran a hand through her messy black hair tiredly. She was just so tired of everything. So tired of fighting. She couldn't understand how the Doctor had managed to keep on fighting the Master or the Daleks after all these centuries even though he was now dead. "I always thought it would be Rassilon to kill me or even a Dalek. Never did I expect it to be the Master."
He held out the gun towards her. "Then kill him first."
Romana pushed his gun back towards him. No. She will not take that gun. If she was to kill the Master, she will kill him with something that belonged to the Time-Lord's. Not a mere human weapon. "We have a plan to kill him, but not with your gun. Your gun cannot kill a Time-Lord properly." She grimaced. "But you have to hear this Wilf. We're not innocents. We're just as bad as the Master. I've started the Time War and I brought that man back to life for him to fight for us. I've destroyed a lot of lives as well as my own."
"Mother-" Thyra protested, her eyes watering as listened to her mother.
"No Thyra, it's the truth. If it weren't for us trying to stop the Master then all of your brothers and sisters would still be alive. If I hadn't brought the Master back to life, then none of this would have happened. I'm sorry, all of you. But everything that has led up to this moment is all my fault." Romana sniffled, wiping away her tears as she tried to remain proud. She couldn't cry. She couldn't but yet, she felt herself breaking down, overcome with emotions.
Wilf looked down at his gun once more. "If the Master dies, what happens to all the people?"
"The template will snap and they will go back to being human as though nothing never happened." Braxiatel replied truthfully. He knew they would turn back to normal if the Master dies and that was another reason why they had to kill the Master was so they can restore humanity once more.
"Alive and human? Then don't you dare, Time-Lord's. Don't you dare put him before them. If you won't take my gun, then at least use your gun. That's an order Braxiatel. You use your gun to save your Mate's life. And please don't die Romana. You're the most wonderful people I have ever met and I don't want you to die!" He sobbed and Thyra put an arm around him comfortingly, also sobbing.
"That's a promise." Braxiatel vowed as he kissed Romana on the lips once more. He will not let his Mate die. Even if that meant Braxiatel dying himself, he vowed not to let Romana die permanently. They had to do something to save her. There had to be a way around her death!
Suddenly, the Master's voice came from over the tannoy of the Vinvocci ship, breaking up their conversation. "A star...a star fell from the sky. Don't you want to know where from? Because now it makes sense to me, Lord Braxiatel and Lady Romanadvoratrelundar. The whole of my life. My destiny. The star was a diamond. And the diamond...is a Whitepoint star."
Romana and Thyra gasped, both glancing at Romana's engagement ring which was also a Whitepoint star diamond and Romana lifted up her hand, showing all of them the engagement ring as it sparkled underneath the dim light she sat under.
"And I have worked all night to sanctify that gift. Now the star is mine and I can increase the signal and use it as a lifeline. Do you get it now? Do you see? Keep watching, Thyra. This should be...spectacular. Over and out."
"What's he on about? Why are you looking at your engagement ring like that Romana?" Wilf asked confused.
"Mother?" Thyra asked worriedly. But there weren't any other Whitepoint stars about! Romana had the last one left. Unless, unless the meteor they saw earlier was a Whitepoint star heading straight for Earth. "Mother, what does the Master mean?"
Romana swallowed, looking at them with wide eyes. She didn't want to admit it but she had to. "My engagement ring is a Whtiepoint star and a Whitepoint star can only be found on one planet, Gallifrey which means that our people are returning. The Time-Lord's."
Wilf looked at them hopefully. The Time-Lord's were returning! Oh, that was wonderful! The Time family could go back home once and for all! "Well, that's good, isn't it? That's your people!"
Romana stood up, looking down at Braxiatel with her cold facade. "You have fought for me once before Braxiatel. Once more I ask for you to take arms to protect our family and the people of planet Earth. Will take up your position as a soldier once more for us?"
Braxiatel held her hand before kissing her knuckles, kneeling and he grabbed his blaster out once more. "I will always fight for you Romana." He vowed in Gallifreyian. "I will fight for you until my very last breath."
With a determined look, Romana grabbed Braxiatel's spare hand and ran from the room, leaving Thyra and Wilf looking at each other, bewildered before they quickly followed them. They entered the flight deck once more and Braxiatel went straight to the PA and switched it on where they all heard the four beats rhythm being repeated.
"What's that?" Addams demanded, still cross with Romana.
Rossiter quickly checked the computer. "It's coming from Earth. It's on every single wavelength!"
"Contact! At last!" Rassilon hearts leapt with joy as the Master's signal traced back to them. At last they had something to draw them out. At last they had something to pull them out of this reality that they were now in.
"I won't let you do this Rassilon! I won't let you do it!" The Doctor snapped him angrily, slamming his palms against the table angrily. "I have defied you before, I will do so again!"
"You and Lady Romana are the ones who locked us in this endless Time-Lock! And now you have made your choice as I have made mine! I will not see Gallifrey fall! If you want Gallifrey to fall, then you shall fall with it!" Rassilon seethed and he strode forward into the council chamber, the Doctor at his heels angrily as he began to face the large gathering of Time-Lord's in the large amphitheatre. "Now the High Council of Time Lord's must vote. Whether we die here, today or return to the waking world and complete the Ultimate Sanction, for this is the hour when either Gallifrey falls, or Gallifrey rises!" He held up his staff.
The Doctor quickly stood next to his mother and another Time-Lord who were against Rassilon's plans, the three of them standing in behind him, watching Rassilon carefully. "Be careful, my son." The Doctor's mother whispered quietly and she searched her hand for second born son and the Doctor squeezed it reassuringly. Both knowing that Rassilon was a man filled with nothing but evil.
"Gallifrey rises!" The Time-Lord's around them chant.
"Gallifrey rises!" Rassilon raised the staff proudly once more above his head.
Wilf scratched his head in confusion, trying to piece what was going on like a jigsaw puzzle. "But Romana, you said your people were dead, past tense."
Romana and Braxiatel were furiously working on the equipment on the flight deck. She had no time to explain the proper terms of the Time-Lock. She was in too much of a hurry to do so. "Inside the Time War they are dead. I sealed the whole war with a Time-Lock, think of it like sealed inside a bubble except it's not. But, nothing can get in or get out of the Time-Lock which myself and Braxiatel's brother, the Doctor, placed. Don't you see? Nothing can get in or get out, except something that was already there."
"The signal that the Master has had since he was a child!" Thyra gasped, realization dawning on her.
Braxiatel quickly nodded. "Correct. If they can follow the signal, they will be able to escape before they die."
Wilf still didn't see what was so bad about this and why Romana was getting so worked up on her people returning. She longed to be with her people so what made her change her mind so suddenly? "Well, big reunion. We'll have a party."
Romana scoffed. "A party met in blood more like." Ha! As if she would be working with Rassilon. She knew Rassilon was behind all this somehow. He always was. He ruined her life despite her worshipping him for many years like many Time-Lord's did before the War. Romana regretted every moment of worshipping Rassilon and in a way, could sympathise with Omega.
"But I thought that this is what you both wanted! You ruled your people, Romana! You were President of the Time-Lord's! Aren't the rest of your people as wonderful s you?"
"They were before I sent them to war. An endless, bitter war and it changed us, all of us right to the very core of our souls. In the war itself, I was hunted by the Daleks and by own people Wilf. Even ask Braxiatel! I was hunted both sides because both of them wanted me dead! Besides, if I am correct in thinking that if Rassilon is still alive, then Rassilon himself will be the current President and he will bring hell with him!"
Addams threw her hands in the air, looking irritated and puzzled. "Time-Lord's? President of what? What war? Anyone want to explain?"
"The Time-Lord's is our species and the Master is a Time-Lord." Thyra quickly explained. "And my people went to war to fight against the Daleks for the sake of the whole of creation." Addams blinked, surprised. "But they were meant to be dead in a Time-Lock but the Time-Lock has been somewhat broken so now they're coming to Earth and are bringing hell with them."
Braxiatel pointed at Addams urgently. Now they were getting the ship working, they had to defend themselves with the upcoming missiles that the Masters were going to be aiming at them in a little bit. "Addams! You must have asteroid lasers on board this thing right?"
"Yeah, but they're all frazzled." Rossiter pointed out before Addams could reply and Addams whacked him on the arm and Rossiter pouted, rubbing the spot where she had hit him.
Romana flipped a lever and two doors on the opposite room slide open. "Now they are unfrazzled! Addams, I'm going to need you and Braxiatel on navigation. Rossiter, get in the laser pod. Wilfred?"
Wilfred looked up eagerly at Romana. "Yeah?"
"Laser number two. Will you fight for me and stand by my side?" Romana asked seriously.
Wilf saluted her. "Yes ma'am." He tapped her on the arm before squeezing Thyra's shoulders as he stood up, standing near Rossiter near the doorway. He will take up his position as a soldier once more for Romana. No matter what, he will fight for this family for he could not repay them in any other way.
"What do you want me to do mother?" Thyra asked, bouncing over to her mother. She wanted to help her mother. She wanted to prove her worth to her mother and do something useful.
Romana took her daughter by the shoulders, giving her a small smile. She knew how much her daughter wanted to prove how good she was and Romana knew that already but she would let her daughter prove herself that she can be more than just 'good.' "I want you to fly this ship." Romana told her.
Thyra mouth dropped open, unable to believe her mother was giving her the opportunity to do so. "Really? Are you really going to let me fly her?"
"Of course sailor." Romana tipped her daughter's tricorn hat and Thyra gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before making her way round to the steering wheel, gripping onto it excitedly.
"This ship can't move. It's dead!" Addams reminded her. They couldn't possibly fly the ship when it was in this state! After all, Romana was the one who made it this way and Addams expected her to fix it or at least owe her back someway if she couldn't.
"I fixed the heating!" Romana replied, pushing a large lever on either side of the control panel and the ship starts up once more. Now they were getting somewhere!
"But now they can see us!" Addams stressed, shaking her head. They were mad! Barking mad!
"Yes, we can see the obvious!" Romana replied, moving around the engine control.
Addams put her hands on her hips. "This is my ship and you're not moving it. Tell your daughter to step from the wheel." She gestured for Thyra to step away from the wheel, wanting to get as far away from this planet Earth as possible.
"I'm afraid, Addams, it looks like I'm the Captain now." Thyra tipped her tricorn hat at her before turning to the wheel, Romana rushing over to Braxiatel and Addams quickly. "There's an old Earth saying. A phrase of great power, and wisdom and consolation to the soul in times of needs."
"Oh, our daughter is getting almost as bad as you Braxiatel." Romana joked and Braxiatel tapped her on the nose cheekily.
"What's that, then?" Addams snapped, glancing at the adults Time-Lord's with a frown.
"Bring me that horizon!" Thyra cried with delight and she quickly took control of the ship and drives forward to Earth as fast as she could.
Braxiatel, Romana and Addams clung onto whatever they could hold on to keep their balance. Braxiatel looked at Romana anxiously. "Are you sure this is a good idea?!" He yelled as the ship began to burn as it entered the Earth's atmosphere. He loved and trusted his daughter more than anything, but right now Braxiatel was unsure about her flying skills for sure.
"She's our daughter Brax! Trust her." Romana yelled back, squeezing his hand.
"He-ho!" Thyra laughed madly, enjoying every minute of flying the ship. She was born for this! All her live she was obsessed with ships. She was even born on one! And she lives in the TARDIS which is the best ship in the universe. She knew deep in her blood that she loved sailing any type of ships more than anything and that any type of ship was made for her to set sail.
"You are blinkin', flippin' mad!" Addams shouted at Thyra, clinging onto the railings tightly, fearful at how fast Thyra was driving the ship. Even Addams never drove her ship in this manner before!
"I was born for this! Haha!" Thyra laughed, knowing this was where she belonged.
Braxiatel looked in the direction of Wilf and Rossiter who were clinging onto each other. "You two! What did Romana tell you to do? Lasers!"
"What for?!" Rossiter asked, petrified.
Braxiatel rolled his eyes. Honestly, the Vinvocci were just as dim as the humans. "For pretty lights!" He replied sarcastically. "No, really, for the missiles. We have to fight off an entire planet!" Rossiter and Wilf quickly head for the laser pods.
Wilf and Rossiter arrived at the laser pod and sat in the chair, the pod looking extremely advanced for him as he looked around. He whistled in Rossiter direction. "Hey! How does this thing work?"
Rossiter was climbing into his own chair. "The tracking's automatic. Just deploy the trigger on the joystick."
Wilf tried to get the hang of the controls as the pod rotate, reminding Wilf very much of an old computer game. "Oh, whoa, whoa!" He cried.
Romana looked at the navigation screen. "Incoming missiles!" She yelled over the comm. "You two, open fire!"
"Oh, my god!" Rossiter cried as Wilf was still getting used to the controls and Braxiatel let out a Gallifreyian battle cry to try and encourage Wilf and Rossiter and Rossiter let out a Vinvocci war cry whilst Wilf was just to awestruck to do anything. With Braxiatel's war cry ringing in his ear, Wilf finally found the courage to fire the missiles and they fired at the oncoming missiles.
Wilf laughed. "Whoo! Oh, I wish Donna could see me now!"
Addams rushed on the other side of the computers that she and Romana were on. "And there's more! 16 of them. Oh! And another 16!"
"Go for the rear-gun lasers!" Romana ordered her and Addams headed towards the door. "You two, open fire! NOW!"
Rossiter and Wilf take out a large number of missiles. Thyra's evasive flying sent Addams, Romana and Braxiatel back and forth across the room.
"Oh, I'm loving this!" Thyra grinned and she sent the ship into a spin. Through Thyra's piloting and the shooting of Rossiter and Wilf, they destroyed all the missiles. In the course of the battle, the front window got blown away and the wind began to seep through.
"We need to lock the navigation!" Romana yelled as she began to type in the codes and Romana put up a second shield around the window to stop them all from flying away.
"Onto what?" Addams yelled back, trying to make her way back to the computer, slipping and sliding onto the deck. Addams has never dared to fly her ship like this! Never! She was surprised that Romana even allowed her daughter to fly the ship in this method and wondered if she even had proper flying lessons at all.
"England! The Naismith mansion!"
Rassilon strides forward past a Time-Lord where he saw two others standing, hands over their faces in shame. The Doctor standing beside him as he narrowed his eyes. He was so tired of fighting him. So tired of trying to make Rassilon see sense. But nothing the Doctor said or did could change Rassilon's mind and the Doctor knew there was no stopping him. Not without the help of Romana herself. "I will stand against you Rassilon. Like I have always done. I once admired you, but I am not a fool any longer."
"Not a fool Doctor, merely someone who has made the wrong choice for this will be the day where I shall see to Lady Romana's down fall at long last." He gave a cold smile towards the Doctor who growled angrily at him but Rassilon turned back to face the crowd of Time-Lord's in the council room. "The vote is taken. Only three stand against will stand as monument to their shame, like the Weeping Angels of old. Now the vanguard stands prepared, as the children of Gallifrey return to the universe, to Earth!" Rassilon raised his staff once more as they were enveloped in a bright light.
"Destination?" Thyra shouted as she was still flying the ship, the Vinvocci ship has now reached England and were heading along the English coast, skimming over the tall buildings as the ship flew as fast as it could go.
"50 klicks and closing!" Addams replied before looking worried. "We've locked on to the house. We are going to stop, though?"
"Mother, do you want me to stop?" Thyra asked as she flew the ship over the countryside. They had to stop somewhere, hadn't they? They couldn't keep going on like this as much as she enjoyed it.
Wilf and Rossiter arrived back on the flight deck. "Lady Romana! Lady Romana, you said you were going to die!" Wilf cried, clinging onto the railings to help him keep his balance.
Addams snapped her head around to Wilf. "She said what?!"
"But is that all of us? I won't stop you my lady, but do you really want Thyra to continue like this?" Wilf asked.
Romana glanced at Braxiatel. "Thyra, take us directly over the mansion! Then pull up!" She ordered.
Thyra did as she was told, pulling the ship up at the last moment. "Addams, take charge!" Thyra ordered as she joined her parents at a hatch that Braxiatel lifted from the flight deck floor, his blaster in his hand. The Time-Family crowded around the hatch and paused to look at Rossiter, Addams and Wilf before they held hands, Thyra jumping out first, Romana second and Braxiatel last. The three of them were falling through the sky and as they neared the Naismith mansion and Thyra used her telekinesis power to smash the glass dome so they didn't have to crash into it and Thyra held them land on their feet, standing in the midst of the broken glass at their feet. They gasped, shocked and relieved at the fact they were unhurt before the looked up to see Rassilon striding forwards. Braxiatel quickly stood in front of Thyra protectively upon seeing Rassilon meters away from them.
"My Lady Romanadvoratrelundar and Lord Irving Braxiatel. My lord Master. And this...this must be Lady Thyra that I have been hearing so much about." Rassilon gave a sinister smile at Thyra and Braxiatel tensed. "We are gathered for the end."
"Lord President, sir." Romana gave Rassilon a mock bow. Next to the Master and the Daleks, Rassilon was definitely up there in her enemies. "I would have worn suitable robes but alas, we have been extremely busy with saving the universe. And you've regenerated! I don't like your face. Then again, I never did."
Rassilon snarled at the insult before turning to look at the original Master. "It is fitting paradox that our salvation comes at the hands of our most infamous child."
"Save? Saving who? Yourself?" Romana scoffed. Their salvation? He had to be kidding. "You've never cared about anyone other than yourself Rassilon! You crave immortality! That is all you will ever desire!"
"Hey, no, hey! That's mine. Hush!" The Master put his finger to his lips angrily at Romana before looking back at Rassilon. "Look around you. I've transplanted myself into every single human being. But who wants a mongrel little species like them? Because now I can transplant myself into every single Time Lord. Oh, yes, Mr President, sir. Both you and former Madame P over there-" He jerked his thumb towards Romana. "Standing there all noble and resplendent and decrepit. Think how much better you're going to look as me!"
"Not much better really." Thyra muttered underneath her breath, causing the Doctor to chuckle and Thyra looked up, startled as she saw him, staring at him with wide eyes as the Doctor gave her a small and reassuring smile. "Father, look!" She whispered, too awestruck to see that it was her uncle and she raised a shaky hand in the direction of the Doctor and Braxiatel looked in the direction of his long lost brother.
"Brother?" Braxiatel whispered in Gallifreyian, his voice sounding hoarse and he felt himself overcome with emotions. Wanting to reach out and embrace his brother. Wanting to slap and punch him and yet cry with him all at the same time. His brother! The prophecy was right! It was talking about his brother all the time! His brother had returned and had come for them.
"Hello brother." The Doctor replied back in Gallifreyian, his eyes looking pained and Braxiatel wondered what regeneration he was in now. He hadn't seen his brother in so long and to see that he has survived until the very last day of the Time War, it made him the brother that he was meant to be towards the Doctor.
Before the brothers could do anything else, Rassilon held out his guantlet-covered hand and it began to flow energy and the human race returned to back to normal once more after a fast shake of their heads.
"No, don't...! No, no, no, stop it! No!" The Master let out an anguish cry as all the humans returned to their normal selves. His whole plan! His whole hard work had vanished within seconds. He was going to use his army against the Time-Lord's to take over Gallifrey! But now all that was destroyed and he was nothing more than a deer caught in the headlights.
"On your knees, mankind." Rassilon ordered and the humans in the room kneeled, too scared. Oh, it felt good to see the primitive species bowing before the mighty Time-Lord's! All primitive species should be bowing to them. After all, the Time-Lord's did went to war for them. They deserved respect!
"No, that's fine, that's good, because you said salvation. I still saved you, don't forget that!" The Master protested, his arms flailing wildly about him.
"The approach begins." Rassilon glanced up towards the broken dome where there was a low rumbling and the room gets brighter.
"Approach of what?!" The Master quaked, actually sounding slightly fearful as he had no idea of what he had truly done.
Romana turned to him angrily. "This is your problem Master! You never listen! The prophecy was that something was returning and that he may return just for good! And you have never been good!" She pointed to the Doctor, the prophecy now making sense to her. "It is you who has returned to us!"
"Then what is it?" The Master demanded.
Thyra glanced over at him, managing to tear her gaze away from the Doctor. Her Uncle. The one her parents always talked about fondly. "They're not just bringing back the species. They're bringing back Gallifrey."
In the Noble household, Shaun, Sylvia and Donna were in the parlour when they felt the loud rumbling. "What the hell?" Shaun asked as the Earth began to shake and they ran through the door where they saw people running through the streets, screaming. Shaun, Donna and Sylvia clinging onto one another fearfully before Donna gasped, recognizing the planet.
"I know that planet!" Donna pointed at it with wide eyes. She knew that planet for the Time family have only shown it to her once and only once when she was travelling with them. "But that's impossible! How can it even be here?!"
"Donna, what planet is it?" Sylvia whimpered. "What's happening?"
"The Time family have shown me this planet only once before on the TARDIS databanks. That planet is Gallifrey!" Donna cried. "But it's impossible to be here! Lady Romana told me it was destroyed in the Time War!"
"Oh Romana, Braxiatel...I hope they do something!" Sylvia whimpered, too scared to do anything s the Time family's planet loomed in even closer to them.
