The frontal assault team had been in position for almost an hour before their earpieces chimed.
"You're good to go," Drax informed them, his voice shaking.
"We're going to get them back, Drax" Ushas promised.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Drax replied, pushing down the image of Joss's mangled body that kept resurfacing in his mind's eye.
"How's Jelpax holding up?" Millennia asked.
"I'm in position," Jelpax's voice answered. "And… woah. I can see everything. But Vansell's keeping me anchored."
"Good," Rallon nodded. "We're going in."
There were no more words exchanged, only meaningful looks and sharp gestures, as the assault team raced through the fortress. All too soon, it was time to go their separate ways. Only then did they turn to each other to say goodbye, but they found there was nothing to say.
Hours after Sahna had left them, when the Toymaker finally tired of his torture, the younger group of Time Lords found themselves slumped, breathless, on the floor of a windowless room.
Tense silence hung over the group, until Jazzlin and Lorzo exchanged startled glances.
"The Deca are here," Lorzo informed them all miserably. "Ushas finally responded to our telepathic signalling."
"They're planning to try and take down the Celestial Toymaker," Jazzlin added.
"But they won't, they can't, on their own," Julio interjected frantically. "Did you tell them they can't?"
"Repeatedly," Jazzlin answered. "Which, predictably, didn't faze them."
"I'm assuming they didn't get council approval?" Romana asked sardonically.
"I assume so too," Lorzo replied. "We didn't ask."
"I was hoping we'd have more time to plan something," Veera fumed.
Korvai raised his gaze. "What have you got in mind, Warlock?" By the time he'd realized what he was saying, it was too late.
Fortunately, Veera appeared unfazed. "Well, unless we want the Toymaker to turn them and us permanently into his toys, and/or the Council to show up and arrest them all, we've got to do something. We don't exactly have anything to lose, and, well, we've got a lot to gain."
Korvai's brow furrowed. "The Deca don't have much chance of taking down the Celestial Toymaker on their own," he mused, "but if we join them, attack from the inside, attack the Toymaker on all fronts-"
His tone lightened considerably, saplings of his characteristic drive and passion creeping back in. "We can take down the Toymaker, once and for all."
Veera grinned. "That's the Defier I know."
"Hold up," Joss interrupted. "What's this Warlock Defier thing?"
Korvai and Veera shrank back. "The-Vision, we shared," Korvai began to explain to his childhood friend. "That the Toymaker gave us. We were ma-older," he said, hastily correcting himself. "And we… we had titles. We kept our names, but had titles, too-I was the Defier, and she was the Warlock. I don't know what it means, or why we had them, but…"
Joss blinked at him. "Right, okay." He knew there was something Korvai wasn't telling him, but now really wasn't the time to press the matter. "So what do we do?"
"And what are they going to do?" Julio asked. "If we know what their plan is, we can help them out. Lorzo, can you get through to Ushas?"
"Let's see if she replies," Lorzo said grimly.
"Nope. She just told us to sit tight," Jazzlin said.
"Well, tell her that's not happening!" Veera insisted.
"Already did," Jazzlin informed her. "She says that Mortimus and Magnus are running interference from their ships, Drax and Kochei are, quote, "hacking bros", Ushas, Millennia, Rallon and Theta Sigma are the frontal assault team and, quote, we "don't need to worry" about what Jelpax and Vansell are doing."
"As if they've got the most juicy roles," Taloro mused.
"I… might be able to contact the Master," Korvai confessed, "since it appears he's formed a link with me at some point, without my consent."
"Everything about your childhood is tragic," Veera muttered.
Korvai glanced at her-she knew some of the details, but he'd never told her much. Except—in the vision, he'd told her everything. And she still remembered everything about him, just as he knew everything about her.
"It doesn't matter," Korvai said grimly. "I'm getting it removed as soon as we get home."
Joss placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't bother. I have a link with Drax, and they're working together. There's no reason you have to use your link too."
"Thanks," Korvai grimaced.
"Anyone else have secret illegal psychic bonds with their mentors?" Romana asked.
"Me," Julio entered weakly. "I have one with Millennia."
"And I have one with Mortimus," her friend Alleeva added.
"Good. Get in touch with them." Veera ordered.
Korvai grinned proudly. That's my wife. Except, well, no, it wasn't.
"Ushas says Theta is coming to find us, and to at least stay put until he gets here," Lorzo informed the others. "We'd better do that lest he go crazy and tank the whole operation."
Korvai groaned. "Again, his embarrassing overprotectiveness is my downfall."
"Hey, if you were my apprentice, I'd be overprotective too," Alleeva smirked.
"Alright, we'd better wait for Theta then," Veera conceded.
"Ushas also said that Rallon and Millennia are going to confront the Toymaker," Lorzo added. "She's staying hidden to scout around and provide backup wherever it's needed.
"On their own?" Julio's eyes widened. "They'll never—they can't—"
"Can you locate Millennia with your link?" Romana asked Julio, who nodded. "Then go. I'll come with you."
"Me too," Veera added.
"Nope. We need you here, team leader," Korvai refuted.
Veera raised an eyebrow. "Team leader?"
"Well you've been doing the job, and pretty well, too," Alleeva said. "Besides, Theta Sigma will freak if he doesn't find you here with Korvai. I'll go with them."
"So will I," said Jazzlin, "so we've got communication between groups. I'm linked to Lorzo as well as Ushas."
"Okay, that's a good team. Now, go!" Veera commanded, and the team began to leave.
"So," Taloro broke the silence, once Julio and her party had filed out of the room. "Are we just supposed to sit here and wait?"
"Oh, Theta won't be long," Lorzo snorted.
Minutes later, the man in question crashed into the room, taking stock of the younger Time Lords who sat silently, crumpled on the ground. He rushed immediately to Korvai and Veera, who were sitting together, apart from the rest of the group.
"Oh, stars, what did he do to you," Theta Sigma breathed.
The barest hint of a grin lit Korvai's face. "You took your time, old man. You look terrible."
Theta sighed. "I couldn't possibly look worse than you." By now, the rest of the group had gathered around, so Theta resisted the urge to pull his and his wife's former apprentices into his arms. "Come on, you lot. There's a passage leading to an exit in the next room, and my TT Capsule is waiting there for us. Let's get you out of here."
"Not on your life," Korvai shot back. "We're going to fight the Toymaker with you. We only stayed put to keep you from freaking out."
"Four of our own have already gone to find Rallon and Millennia," Lorzo added.
"Who?" Theta asked.
"Julio, Romana, Jazzlin and Alleva," Veera replied. "We have… contact with them, and they have contact with Millennia."
"You mean the apparent prevalence of illegal psychic links?" the Doctor bristled. "Well, good. The six of them should be able to get out safely. Look, I know you want to help, I get it. But the primary purpose of this mission is getting you all home safely. And none of you are in any condition to go up against the Toymaker right now, and I think you know that." His gaze softened, and flickered again to Korvai and Veera. "Please. It's my wedding day."
Veera's eyes hardened. "Okay. But only if the Deca retreats as well."
The Doctor nodded. "That's already in motion, now that I've found you. I've confirmed that with Vansell and Mortimus. There's no need to go deeper, and Rallon and Millennia are already on their way out.
"Jazzlin, Julio and the others have already made contact with Millennia," Lorzo added. "Mental contact, I mean. They have a way out."
"Okay," Veera nodded, her eyes narrowing. "Just one more thing. Next time you go against the Toymaker, we're coming with you."
"Wouldn't have it any other way," Theta smiled.
The group walked on in silence until they finally reached the exit. They leapt out of the accursed ship, desperate to breathe in the fresh air, to see daylight again.
But there was not a smile on every face.
"The TT Capsule!" The Doctor pulled at his hair, and began to pace. "Where is it?"
As if in response, an ominous red glow appeared around Theta's wrists and ankles. "Theta Sigma," a computer generated voice boomed. "You are under arrest for attempting an unauthorized mission. We have Mortimus, Magnus, Drax and the Master already in custody. Your current companions are to be taken into emergency medical custody. Resistance is futile."
"What? No!" Korvai exclaimed. He tried to surge forward, but Veera grabbed his arm. Moments later, a similar, green glow appeared around the former prisoners at the front of the group, and spread backwards.
Before the green glow could reach them, Korvai grabbed Veera's hand, their eyes locking. No words were needed. Korvai reached out and tapped his old friend Lorzo on the elbow and jerked his head back to inform her of their plan, and, missing the green glow by a millisecond, the three of them ran back into the ship.
In a different part of the Toyroom, Julio frowned, and turned to her companions.
"Did you hear that?" she asked. "It sounded like…"
"Transporter beams activating," Jazzlin finished. "Yeah, I did."
"So the others must be safe," Julio said with a sigh of relief. "Thank the stars, I wasn't sure."
Jazzlin frowned. "But we're still here."
"I'm sure Millennia and Rallon have a way to get out of here," Romana said. "We'll find a way to rig it to fit all of us." With a meaningful look at Julio, she added, "So we just have to find them."
"I'm on it," Julio said, a slight note of annoyance in her voice. "But the link is… it's weird, like it's acting up. The signal is faint, and fading-and sometimes it flickers out entirely. There's something wrong here, but I think there's still enough in the link for me to find her."
Carefully, they made their way through the labyrinthine corridors that webbed through the Toyroom.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Alleeva muttered.
"We'll be fine," Romana replied briskly, as Julio announced, "Through here!"
'Here' turned out to be an ominous-looking door set in the heart of the Toyroom. Alleeva, at a nod from Romana, reluctantly bent to the lock and started working on opening it.
Seconds later, Julio inhaled sharply, clapping her hands to her temples. She slowly sank to her knees.
"Julio!" Jazzlin cried, at her friend's side in an instant. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"The bond inverted," Julio was able to gasp. "The polarity of the neuron flow reversed, somehow, and I can feel Millennia's feelings."
"And?" Romana asked, fearing the worst.
Julio's next words confirmed it. "Nothing good. Anger, grief…"
The stakes set somehow even higher, Alleeva worked the lock furiously, trying everything she had to get the door open. Finally-after hours, it felt like-the door gave way, swinging open to reveal three figures in a glimmering stained-glass chamber. The tableau before them was silhouetted dark against the sparkling walls: the Toymaker standing triumphant; Millennia on her knees, distraught; and Rallon-Rallon was the worst of all, crumpled on the ground in an unnatural position, his head cradled in Millennia's hands as his lover wept over his lifeless body.
The four young Time Lords burst in on this scene and froze, horrified, as the weight of what they were seeing settled on them. Rallon was a trained Time Lord operative, one of the Deca, their best and brightest-and even still, the Toymaker had defeated him utterly. They realised, then, that everything they'd been through before was just the Toymaker playing with them-the being was near godlike in power, ruthless to the core, and gleeful in his sadism. All thoughts of capturing him were forgotten-it would take too high a cost. They needed to rescue Millennia, and escape.
Trying not to draw the Toymaker's attention, Romana signalled discreetly to the others. But even that small movement was enough, and the Toymaker's head snapped towards them. Seeing them, he smiled in wolfish delight, sending a chill down the spines of the four. With panic building in her veins, and the element of surprise lost, Julio screamed out to her mentor.
"Millennia, run!"