Istituto di Acqua Fredda, Belermo, Alpine Europa, 12/6/11243

"This is easily my favourite part of the vault," Ivo explained, eyeing the gathering of people carefully to ensure that all were following. "You probably all learned about the Time Lords in history class, but in case any of you skipped school or something, the Time Lords were an ancient race originating from the planet Gallifrey. They could not only travel in time, but they could change and manipulate timelines, weaponise time, and create alternate realities. Their power was far, far greater than what can be written in a history book. In fact, it has been suggested that their power was even beyond the perception of the human mind."

'Doctor… Time Lord…'

'Not now…' Ivo protested.

"Of course, you'll probably all know their history here on Earth, how in the 88th century they built this city as their capital, and selected humans from across the world to come to what was then known simply as 'The Citadel', adopt powers such as regeneration and time travel, and rule the Earth under their guidance. This continued until the 105th century, when Empress Valentina I rebelled against the Time Lords and became the first fully-human ruler of Earth, banning all Time Lord practices. As for the Time Lords of Gallifrey, nobody truly knows what has happened to them. Some say that they became too powerful, too clever, and wrote themselves out of existence. Others argue that they decreed existence to be too restrictive for them, and chose to leave this universe for their own creation. However, what is remarkable is that you could take a time machine and travel back to a time before the Time Lords of Gallifrey disappeared, and you could never meet one of them. It's like they edited themselves out of history. And yet, they have left behind all this!"

Ivo stretched his arm out to present the small selection of robes, weapons, and bizarre pieces of technology which sparsely populated the Time Lord exhibit. It was always the chameleon arch, the shiny silver headpiece that hung from the ceiling that captured his attention, his eyes drawn to it like a convict staring at a noose.

'Doctor… Time Lord…' The whispers were relentless.

"Feel free to have a look around," Ivo invited. "Unfortunately, most Time Lord artefacts are considered to be so dangerous that they must be stored out of the way of humanity inside the Under Vault, a secret place where only the Emperor himself is allowed. Even I can't go in there, and I run this place!" A light chuckle passed itself around the crowd. "The door to the Under Vault isn't actually next to the Time Lord exhibit, of course. That would be far too obvious."

"Then where is it?" piped up one man among the crowd.

"Well, if I told you that then the Emperor himself would come and sentence us both to death," Ivo chuckled.

"Have you ever been inside it?" asked a woman standing beside him.

'Doctor… Time Lord…'

"As I said," Ivo said, coolly, "Even I'm not allowed in there." He paused. "So if I did go inside, I certainly would tell any of you!" He smiled his signature tour guide smile as the crowd chuckled obliviously to itself like it always did. "Take a look. If you have a question, please don't leave without asking me." As the crowd dispersed with a hustle of chatter, Ivo joined a few nearby guests in looking precariously at the chameleon arch.

"Is this what they used to evict the Time Lords from Earth?" a man asked Ivo.

"No," Ivo answered. "They gave up their Artron energy – everything that makes them a Time Lord – directly into the Matrix through an opening which is believed to be somewhere in the Under Vault. The chameleon arch was used by a Time Lord, usually Gallifreyan, who specifically wanted to convert to another species. So if we… they… wanted to become a human, they would simply set the arch to human, place it on top of their head, and it would rewrite every cell in their body so that they became a human. They would even forget who they were, taking on a whole new life as a human wherever they happened to land. That life would feel so real to them, that they would actually believe their own cover story."

'Until they realised it was all a lie.' Ivo stared at the ground uneasily.

"Anyway," he said, smiling at his guests and wandering into the centre of the exhibit, trying to catch the eye of anybody with a question to ask. As the minutes ticked by, a few grabbed his attention, requesting his expert knowledge of the headdresses or the defunct Artron crystals or the hyper-technological object covered with a surprising number of flashing lights.

"Yes, nobody has ever found a Time Lord touch screen before," Ivo explained to an inquisitive woman with a narrow face and even narrower eyes. "I know, you'd think such an advanced species would have developed such primitive technology."

"Oh, really?" she beamed. "Reminds me of how the Daleks developed indestructible tanks without ever creating a robotic leg."

"Ah, the Daleks," Ivo said. "You certainly don't want to meet any of them!" 'And I should know.'

"Perhaps not, but they still amuse me. The most deadly race in the universe, yet they literally have to fly in order to climb stairs! I love how varied alien tech can be."

"Alien technology is certainly fascinating," Ivo said. "It could kill us all at any moment, but it is fascinating."

"Could it?"

"Could it what?"

"Kill us all at any moment?"

"Well, yes, take a look at this." Ivo slid across to a gold-bladed, narrow sword which sat underneath another glass casing. "The Time Lords developed a sword which can turn even the most amateurish of fighters into a perfectly precise warrior. When this technology is out there, why would we ever want to risk fighting against something like that?"

"I think I would want to be allied with something like that, myself," the woman said, turning sharply away from Ivo.

A family of four stood beside the artefact which Ivo perhaps felt the greatest compulsion to avoid. Closest to the exhibit was a curly-haired boy no older than eight years old, his hands pressed against the glass casing. "Excuse me," the boy said, looking up into Ivo's eyes.

"Yes," Ivo said, with a warm smile, as he reluctantly joined the family. A thin, silver cylinder with a light on one end stood atop a crimson pedestal, with a golden piece of cloth draped underneath it.

"Whose sonic screwdriver was this?" the boy asked.

"Ah, that's mine," Ivo said, laughing nervously to himself.

"Yours?" the boy asked, curiously.

"I'm just kidding," Ivo said to four blank faces. "That belonged to the Doctor. Have you heard of the Doctor?"

The boy nodded. "They were the Timeless Child, weren't they?"

Ivo frowned. "Actually that claim has dubious historicity," he said. "There is a story claiming that the Doctor was the very foundation upon which Time Lord history was built. But it's most likely that that story was just a myth. The Doctor was just an ordinary person like you and me." 'Especially me.'

"Oh," the boy said, looking a little disappointed. "But did they do all those incredible things?"

"They did," Ivo said, squirming a little. "Even though they were nobody special, they still saved lives and even entire worlds more times than the history books have managed to count."

"Even though they were an alien?" the boy asked.

"Weren't they half-human on their mother's side?" the boy's mother asked.

"That turned out to be a lie as well," Ivo said. 'Unfortunately.' "The Doctor believed that all life was valuable, whether that be Time Lord, Gallifreyan, human, or any species or planet of origin."

"So why don't we let any of it come to Earth if people like the Doctor valued it so much?" the boy asked, wide-eyed.

"Evaristo!" the boy's mother snapped, before looking at Ivo. "I'm sorry," she said.

"No, no, it's okay, it's a valid question," Ivo said with a forced smile upon his face.

'Doctor… Time Lord…'

"The Doctor may have been heroic, but they were misguided," Ivo continued.

"Why?" the boy asked.

"Well…" Ivo squinted, trying to recall the boy's name. "Evaristo, was it?"

The boy nodded.

"Well, Evaristo, if you and your sister would be brave enough to be my volunteers at the next exhibit, then perhaps I can show you what the Doctor got so wrong."

Evaristo gave Ivo an excited nod. Ivo looked up at the teenage girl standing beside him, apparently more interested in her watch than in the conversation.

"Wha-" the girl mumbled.

"Ivo's asking if you and Evaristo would like to be his volunteers at the next exhibit, Marisa," the father told her.

"Whu… okay…" the girl said.

"Then Evaristo and Marisa shall be my volunteers," Ivo said. "Perfect." He glanced at his watch. "Ooh, is that the time?" he muttered. "Ok everyone, if you would like to take any final photos, we need to head over to the next exhibit!" Ivo marched back into the corridor, slowly followed by a gradual scurry of people. "This way." He rounded a single corner before bringing the crowd to a stop once more. Several fragments of a black cane sat alongside a rectangular yellow object the size of a large book, whilst beside it an enormous mannequin considerably taller than Ivo rested underneath a white sheet.

"Where are my volunteers?" Ivo asked, looking out across the crowd that gathered in front of him.

Evaristo and Marisa scrambled forward, standing directly in front of Ivo.

"Please may I have a big round of applause for Evaristo and Marisa, ladies and gentlemen?" Ivo said, a subdued clap responding to his request.

"Now, Evaristo," Ivo said, handing the boy the yellow book-like object. "Would you like to hold this for me please?"

Evaristo took the artefact from Ivo, barely able to lift it.

"Now, how old are you, Evaristo?" Ivo asked.

"Seven," Evaristo replied.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have just handed a seven-year-old a deadly weapon capable of destroying an entire city!" Ivo announced. As the crowd chuckled, Evaristo glanced up worriedly at Ivo. "Don't worry," Ivo assured him. "You can only do anything dangerous with it if you turn on a sequence of switches and leave it for several minutes." He looked upwards at the crowd. "This object which young Evaristo is holding is known as the Tablet of Fortitude," he explained. "There are more powerful weapons out there for sure, but an object this size being capable of such widespread damage is almost impossible. I was working on this device just this morning in fact, trying to understand how it works so that we can get our replica version to work properly, however the technology behind this is perhaps beyond the scope of just one species.

"So," Ivo continued, eyeing a selection of his audience individually. "Who could be responsible for such a device? Anyone?"

"A team of scientists from different planets?" the woman who had enquired about the Time Lord sword suggested. "Different species have wildly different technology trees, so could have come together using the best of their individual talents to create something better than any one race could have done on their own?"

Ivo spared her an impressed nod. "Not bad," he said. "And pretty close. This device is indeed the product of the collaborative efforts of a plethora of different alien civilisations, however the certainly weren't a team. Only one species took part in the development of this weapon willingly. And who might that be, you may ask?"

Ivo grabbed onto the corner of the white sheet covering the mannequin, tugging at it to reveal a disgusting, sloppy green creature with soulless, black eyes deeply entrenched in its sockets, its enormous body almost dripping with what appeared to be a gloopy, fatty substance. "This is a Clombite from the planet Clom," Ivo explained. "More colloquially known as an 'Abzorbalovian' or even 'Abzorbaloff'. Don't worry, it isn't a real one. In fact, if it were real, then without a shadow of a doubt, all of our worst fears would have been realised already. And Marisa here is going to demonstrate why. Marisa, would you like to come round here?"

Ivo lead the nervous teenager to stand in front of the model's gaping belly, a thick, clawed green hand now separating them from the crowd.

"Have you heard of a Clombite before, Marisa?"

Marisa shook her head.

"Now, Marisa, in a moment I'm going to ask you to place your hand against the centre of the creature's belly. You'll get a bit of a shock, but I promise you, you'll be fine. Is that alright?"

Marisa nodded nervously. As usual, Ivo could see from the crowd's faces that a few of them knew what was going to happen. He always loved watching the reactions of those who didn't.

"Ok, Marisa – when you're ready, place your hand against the model."

Immediately, Marisa pressed her palm against the middle of the creature's round belly.

"How does that feel under your hand?" Ivo asked.

"It's… sort of slimy… eep!"

Marisa's hand vanished underneath the model's skin, her arm being pulled inside like she was falling into quicksand.

"Keep steady, Marisa, you're doing great," Ivo assured her.

Marisa gave a small shriek as the model swallowed her whole, not a trace visible on its slimy green skin.

Ivo studied the audience's faces closely, their bemused reactions always far preferable to what they were watching. Evaristo pointed his finger at where his sister had vanished with his arm fully outstretched, a horrified gasp spread upon his face.

Suddenly, the crowd started to break out into a subtle round of applause. Ivo looked over his shoulder with a smirk across his face. Marisa's face, as green as the skin that surrounded her, was embedded in the centre of the mannequin's chest, curiously exploring where she was with what little movement she had.

"Thumbs up if you're alright, Marisa," Ivo said. Marisa responded with a chuckle, as though she had actually tried to respond with a thumbs up.

"Great, let's move on now!" Ivo said, starting to walk down the corridor.

"Wait!" Evaristo protested.

Ivo scowled. "What's wrong?" he teased.

"We can't go now!"

"Why not?"

Evaristo pointed at his sister's face.

Ivo looked into Evaristo's stunned eyes. "Oh, right, yes," he said. "Your sister has been absorbed." He returned to face the crowd. "If this were a real Clombite, it would have just gained the ability to take on Marisa's form and pose as her whenever it pleased, moving with all her physical capabilities. It would also have gained all the knowledge, all the memories, and all the skills that are stored in Marisa's brain. Marisa would take a few months to fade away into nothing, but this creature would hold onto all of its newfound abilities and knowledge until the day it crawls sorrowfully back into the ground. Who was the lady who said that the bomb was a collaborative effort… yes… you… what was your name?"

"Asianah," the woman replied.

"There you go, Asianah," Ivo said. "That's how creatures up there collaborate with one another. That is how such a mindbogglingly stupid creature managed to develop such an advanced weapon of mass destruction as the one that this boy is holding."

Asianah returned a disgruntled stare. Ivo addressed the crowd once more. "The universe is teeming with dangerous creatures such as the one you see before you. And that is why we must do our best to stay away from the affairs of other planets and creatures. I was asked earlier about a Time Lord once known as 'the Doctor.' They used to travel through time and space, saving worlds from death and destruction. But what the history books never record is that this so-called 'Doctor' was responsible for bringing the threat of death and destruction with them to these worlds in the first place!"

"Here here!" came a voice from the crowd. Ivo puffed out his chest as he received the applause, before looking down at Evaristo, staring furiously into the boy's eyes.

"Take a good look at your sister, Evaristo," he whispered. "This is what happens when we allow alien creatures into our world. This is what happens when we start mixing around with other species. This is what the Doctor got so terribly, terribly wrong. Understand?"

Evaristo nodded, his terrified eyes wide open.

"I'll take that from you now," Ivo said, sharply, snatching the tablet from the boy.

"Any questions while we're here?" Ivo asked.

"Is this reversible?" Marisa asked. A subdued laughter worked its way around the crowd.

"No," Ivo said. "Once you've been absorbed, that's it." He paused, and smiled to himself. "But since this is just a model, you can get out. Just lean your head backwards and… oh… you're doing it already!"

Marisa clambered out through the creature's front, alive and unharmed.

"May I have a round of applause for our wonderful volunteers!" Ivo declared, presenting a disoriented Marisa and a heavily shaken Evaristo to the clapping crowd. "Any more questions before we move on?"

"What are the black rods for?" somebody asked.

"Ooh, these!" Ivo squealed, holding up the largest fragment like it was a trophy. "These are several fragments of a Clombite cane. A Clombite cannot walk upon planets similar to the Earth without their cane intact and on the same planet, as the planet's surface will simply eat them alive. This particular specimen once belonged to a particularly dangerous Clombite known as 'Chaac'. He resides above our heads inside the prison, and was made famous for his breakout in which he killed four security guards before he was returned to the prison, this time in a cell which has so far contained him. I snapped this into pieces when we recovered it about a month ago now, meaning that the moment he leaves this prison, the Earth will feast!" A long smirk spread across Ivo's face, moments away from maniacal laughter.

"Good job!" came a shout from the crowd.

"Thank you," Ivo said, bowing a little.

Ivo's watch beeped, louder than he could compete with.

"Ooh," Ivo said. "Excuse me a moment…"

"Emergency! City-wide evacuation!" the watch chimed. "Please make your way to the escape capsules immediately." Around him, several watches gave a similar order.

Ivo exchanged confused glances with members of the crowd.

A choir of sirens let out an ear-pitching wail, flashing red across the corridor. Worried mutterings sounded from across the crowd.

"Let's all stay calm…" Ivo said, quietly, hesitating for a moment before picking the yellow tablet back up and holding it securely across his chest. "Everybody follow me…"

"Do as he says," Asianah added, tapping her watch to reveal an identity hologram similar to Ivo's, reading 'Dr. Asianah Cruz, medical division.' Lead the way, Ivo, I'll keep the rear and make sure everyone's out.

Ivo paused for a confused moment.

"Go! Now!" Asianah insisted. "Everybody, follow Ivo."

"Behind me," Ivo ordered, clutching the yellow tablet as he walked sharply down the corridor.