Lieutenant Adventures Series 16 Episode 5 29 July 2022. Cosmos Part 5.

The TARDIS hurtled through a golden-glowing Time Vortex which was partially regenerating and healing.

The Lieutenant noticed the difference in the flight of the TARDIS. It no longer rattled, buckled, and shook when in-flight. It was a sign, for him, that his work was bearing fruit but there was still a lot of work to do to save the rest of the Universe, Time War II raged on, he was aware.

The TARDIS did experience some turbulence as it materialised in Gallifrey's orbit.

The Lieutenant gripped the console and when the TARDIS came to a stop, he looked up at the central column and smiled slightly. 'You're good at the home landings, it's great that you still recognise our home,' he said. He let go of the console, straightened up and strode to the door of the TARDIS, opened it and leant against the frame, looking down at his destroyed home. Nothing prepared him for what he saw, and a tear came to his eye.

The Lieutenant wiped away the tear and tried to occupy his mind with the analysis of the area he knew what he had to do to get this next task right. The fighting on the planet's surface was no longer time locked, though, he was sure that once the planet was back in the part of the Universe it should be in, the Shadow Proclamation would have no problem re-sealing the time lock.

Behind Gallifrey was Earth. The Lieutenant looked down at the massive crater he had created, which had once merely been a massive crack. It would not close, he knew, until Gallifrey was back where it was. Although, he was delighted that, this time, the Gate was still intact, it would simply re-seal once he put things back where they should have been. The difficult part would be putting everything back. He was aware it would be a tragedy for Florida, much damage would be done, but he had every confidence the emergency services there could pick up the pieces after him. They would not thank him for that, but it was stick around on Earth and ignore the Universe or save the Universe and ignore Earth and he was going for the latter.

The Lieutenant closed the door and strode to the Steering panel, where he pulled the Master Lever and the TARDIS tilted and jolted.

The TARDIS jolted and buckled as she flew downwards, through Gallifrey's orbit, dodging gun fire on the way down. When she got to the other side, she came to a sudden stop as if hitting a brick wall, almost visibly sending ripples through the atmosphere.

Inside the TARDIS, the Lieutenant gripped the console and almost jabbed at the Telepathic Panel. 'Pull it, go on, you know you can,' he said, dreadfully aware he could not currently do this manually.

The TARDIS started to move forward slowly, starting to drag Gallifrey downwards. As she got used to its weight, she sped up, faster and faster, the planet following behind her, back into the crater on earth. Once back inside, the TARDIS broke free of the planet and flew upwards and back out of the crater just in time. This Gate, now recognising the present planet again, snapped shut, causing further disruption on the planet below, people fell in and died instantly, buildings collapsed, smoke and dust clouds rose everywhere.

The TARDIS made her way to Earth's orbit and came to a stop.

The Lieutenant strode to the door, opened it and, leaning in the frame, looked down at Earth. He felt sorry for the extra pain he had caused but knew it was necessary. He thought about visiting the scene briefly, then decided it could probably cause no extra harm. He closed the door and dipped his little finger into the Telepathic panel.

The TARDIS dematerialised and rematerialized on the ground in Florida, 1969, where the crack had been.

The sound of sirens filled the TARDIS from outside, but not much other noise, an eery silence.

The Lieutenant moved to the door slowly, opened the door slowly and peered out before stepping out and closing the door behind him. He strolled slowly away from the TARDIS, turning in circles, looking around himself at the damage. This location, he remembered, had once housed millions of shop fronts, skyscrapers towering overhead. In the aftermath of his damage, there was nothing for miles around. Dust covered the remains of the roads, wires were strewn all over the road, some of them humming, spitting sparks, there was rubble all around. Dust clouds still hung in the air, blocking out the sun. The sirens were getting closer. It hit the Lieutenant, how miserable he had made this place and time, a misery the locals would not forget for a long time. He decided it was time to leave, another planet was due a visit, if he could get to it, and he really did not have time aid the recovery effort. He strode back to the TARDIS, opened the door, stepped in, and closed the door behind him. He made his way to the Telepathic panel and stuck his fingers into it.

The TARDIS dematerialised and then shuddered seconds into the flight.

The Lieutenant lost his footing and caught himself on the console. He looked up at the central column, looking very black, burnt out and tyred, and kept his fingers firmly inserted into the Telepathic panel. 'Come on, now, we have to get there, we both know we do,' he said. He pushed his fingers into the panel, deeper.

The TARDIS stuttered as it continued its flight path, materialising on Gallifrey moments later.

The Lieutenant pulled his hand out of the panel and straightened up. He heard the familiar sounds of the Time War outside, muffled. He still hated them as much now as he once had. He reluctantly headed for the door and opened it and stood staring out of the TARDIS, into the cloisters, where he had materialised, staring at an all too familiar face which was staring back. It was the Master.

The Lieutenant

Liam Hickey

The Master

Sacha Dhawan

Director

Darwin Meads

Writer

Liam Hickey

Producer

Caitlin Parker

M/S 2022