Chapter 7

When the morning came, it was still pitch black in the cavern, though both Alex and Rega insured that all the party were awake. Since the cavern didn't allow for much ventilation, breakfast consisted of berries and jerky made from various animals. With breakfast done, the travelers collected their belongings and followed Rega further into the cavern, the pale green "glow stick" lighting their way as they meandered through corridors ranging from very narrow to eight feet wide.

The deeper they went into the cavern, the more uneasy Rose seemed to become, causing Alex to worry. "What's wrong?" he asked her quietly, insuring that the others couldn't hear their conversation.

"Nothing," she replied, gaining an incredulous look. "Well, not nothing," she corrected, though her tone indicated she was still slightly troubled. "Something's… different up ahead. Like it shouldn't be there but is."

"Dangerous?" he queried.

"Maybe."

He took a deep breath, glancing around to assess their location. "I seriously doubt that we'd be able to find our way out of here without their help."

"I don't think we need to," she stated.

"Okay, now I'm confused," Alex told her bluntly. "You're saying that we're heading towards something potentially dangerous, something that shouldn't be there but is and we won't need an avenue of escape if necessary."

"Basically."

He exhaled loudly. "Your Bad Wolf is weird sometimes, you know that?"

"What else is new?"

The group walked through the darkness for several hours before a red glow appeared in the distance. The closer they came to the glow, the brighter it appeared until the "glow stick" wasn't needed anymore. A few more feet later and the source of the glow became abundantly clear.

The Doctor gaped in awe of the sight. "But that… that… that's impossible! How can that be here? Underground in a cavern!"

Rega's laugh echoed through the large area they currently occupied. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Rose looked on the phenomenon with interest. It looked like a large uneven sphere, red light seeping out of it. It seemed to ripple on the surface as if someone had tossed a stone into it. "What is it?"

"It's a traversable spatial-temporal anomaly!" Alex exclaimed, clearly excited by the discovery.

"A what?"

"A wormhole! It's tiny!" he commented, clearly impressed. "How did this get here?"

Rega grinned as he went to the hybrid's side. "It's always been here."

"No way! But how is that possible? I've never heard of anything remotely like this, especially not on Gallifrey. And if it's really always been here, it has to be stable which in itself is incredible!" Alex exclaimed, awed by the sight. "Where does it go?"

"Where we're going."

The half-Gallifreyan raised his eyebrows with surprise. "We're going through it." A moment later, he realized he shouldn't have been so stunned by the pronouncement as there had to be a reason they'd walked over two miles through dark rocky corridors.

"Yes, we are," Rega confirmed. He gestured for his men to go before him. He and Ltrief stayed behind, waiting for Alex and Rose to follow the others through the wormhole.

Alex immediately took his beloved's hand and gave her a gentle smile. "You ready?"

"Is it safe?"

"Well, given that some of Rega's men went before we did, I'm pretty sure that it is." He gave her a wide grin. "Never went through a wormhole before. Well, without a time travel capsule, that is. So… Allons-y, Miss Tyler?"

She returned the grin. "Allons-y, Dr. Smith."

Together they stepped into the anomaly… and a moment later found themselves again surrounded by a pale red light. It was almost as if they had never left the cavern. As soon as he arrived, Rega did a head count to ensure that all of their party was still present and accounted for, not paying any heed to the couple's confusion.

"Where are we?" Rose questioned.

"In a cavern about five thousand kilometers from the city of Arcadia," the Shobogan replied. It was clear from his tone that he didn't think Rose or Alex would understand what that meant.

"But that means we're on the other side of the planet," the hybrid stated, clearly surprised. "Are you sure the Time Lords don't know about the wormhole? Something like that has to be noticed."

"Of course, they know about it. It's officially being watched by the Imperial Chancellery Guard of Arcadia. The wormhole is fairly close to the entrance of this cavern, which makes it very easy to find on this side and an ideal way of sending prisoners into the Zone."

"It's how you came to be in the Death Zone," Alex realized.

"All the convicted are put in the Zone through the wormhole rather than transmatted as you two were. It's the Time Lords' way of making an example of the convicted. There's a sentry standing guard at the cavern's entrance with orders to kill anyone who may come out. The maze is very elaborate, as you saw, so unless you know where you're going, you can easily be lost in there. I've run across a few people who died in the maze trying to escape. With the maze being so elaborate and the entrance being guarded, the Time Lords firmly believe that there's no escape from the Zone."

"But there's more than one entrance to these caves," Alex stated firmly. "There's the large entrance which is likely the one being guarded by that sentry you mentioned. But there's a smaller one, barely large enough for an adult to fit through in..." He turned for a moment to orient himself. "… that direction," he finished, pointing to the left of where he had exited the anomaly.

"You've been here before," Rega stated, clearly surprised by the knowledge the hybrid had conveyed.

"Once a long time ago on a field trip. Only the cavern I was in didn't have this anomaly or a guard at the large entrance. Funny how different it is to what I remember." He pondered on the subject for a moment. "Different physics... a destabilization of the universe at the point when Gallifrey was formed, perhaps." He abruptly ran his hand through his hair, his eyes wide with realization. "Oh, I'm thick! Of course! Gallifrey's creation made a tiny rip in the fabric of reality, thus creating the Untempered Schism. But, in this case, it also created this wormhole. The energy involved resonated through the Untempered Schism to every corner of the universe, rewriting the universe ever so slightly and eradicating an element which we, Rose, have had around us our entire lives!"

"Which is why Bad Wolf is stronger here!" Rose concluded.

"Exactly! A tiny tiny change in the fabric of reality and look what it did! You couldn't have a better example of the butterfly effect! Brilliant!"

Rega stared at Alex, suspicion on his features. This new recruit and his mate certainly were an odd couple, especially the Nere'i. Alex was obviously intelligent, far more so than any other Nere'i he'd ever encountered. However, based on the hybrid's words, the Time Lord wasn't certain that he hadn't just collected a mad man for his community, despite that he seemed perfectly sane most of the time. Rega's own senses were telling him that there had to be a rational explanation for Alex's odd behavior. "Come on. We still have a long day's travel and there's no guarantee a guard won't come into this cavern. They do so occasionally just to relieve their boredom."

Taking one more look around, the Doctor took Rose's hand before they followed Rega and his men to the secondary hidden entrance and out of the cavern. The moment they stepped out, they were enthralled by bright yellow-red sunlight and surrounded by brownish-red grass. In the distance there was a large forest, silver leaves reflecting the sunlight.

Rose looked over at her boyfriend to see tears in his eyes, a reflection of the sheer joy that filled his features. She smiled as well at the sights before her, not needing an explanation to know that this was the Gallifrey he'd dreamt of seeing again without any hope of his dreams coming true.

The Doctor, feeling her eyes on him, turned towards her. "I told you it was stunning. Oh, how I've missed it." He pointed to the forest in the distance. "That is Chervud Perpalot, the largest forest in this hemisphere. Mind you, it looks a lot denser than I remember it to be."

"It's amazing," she agreed. She allowed him to pull her close and just enjoy the scenery for a moment. "Wait…" she stated, confusion in her voice. "Did you say Sherwood? As in Sherwood Forest?"

Alex frowned at her for a moment. "No, no, no. Chervud," he corrected.

"Our settlement is located deep in the forest," Rega told them.

Rose grinned slightly. "So, you and your people live in Sherwood Forest. What, you're like Robin Hood and his Merry Men?"

"Rose, it's Chervud," the hybrid corrected again. "Like a chair you sit on and… well… vud. I seriously doubt Rega is anything like Robin Hood."

Rega raised an eyebrow. "Who's Robin Hood?"

"Blimey, don't know much about Earth culture, do you."

Rose decided to change the subject quickly before it spiraled out of control. "Well, whatever the forest's name, I hope it's as warm as it is here. The Death Zone was freezing."

The Doctor straightened slightly, a smile forming on his lips. "You're right. It is warmer here. What season is it?" he questioned Rega without looking at him.

"Huranta," the Time Lord replied. "In human terms, that would be…"

"The beginning of summer," Alex finished. "It explains the warmth. It's going to get hotter from here on. A lot hotter. I should have been able to judge the season by the location of the suns when we were in the Death Zone but the weather threw me off. If we were just outside of the Death Zone, it would have started to snow." Seeing the confused look on Rose's face, he explained, "Time Lords are able to manipulate their environment on a small scale. During the Dark Times, they used environmental technology to change the Death Zone into a permanent wasteland, which they obviously continue to do here, making the environment just barely habitable if you have the wit and resources. They'd sometimes even allow the regular environment to seep into the Death Zone, especially during the winter. Made the Death Zone more challenging and entertaining. But they don't dare manipulate the environment on a global scale because it would cause such massive environmental upheaval that you might as well say goodbye to the whole planet. Even the Time Lords understand that nature needs to stay in balance in order for a planet and her inhabitants to survive."

Rega raised an eyebrow at Alex's words, intrigued even more by him. "You know a lot about Gallifrey and yet nothing at all. You call the Zone 'the Death Zone' and yet it hasn't been called that for millennia. You spoke about a tower at the center of it but there never was one there. You know about Grentarii but you say they're just fantasy where you're from. You didn't know about the wormhole and yet you explained quite clearly its formation and the consequences of it. And now you have tears in your eyes as if you've just seen a miracle, talking as if you've been here before. You speak of Gallifrey in the past tense, talk about missing it, point out areas as if you're a tourist guide and yet you're Nere'ii. It's like you've been here, forgotten, and got everything you now know about Gallifrey from a poorly researched history book, a traveler's guide, and fiction."

The half-Gallifreyan sniffed slightly, understanding Rega's confusion. "It's a long story."

"Yeah, I just bet it is." He motioned his men to start their hike before ensuring that Alex and Rose followed suit.

The Shobogan hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said they had a long journey yet as it took all through the day and into the beginnings of dusk, with very few stops to rest, before they reached the settlement several miles into Chervud Perpalot. As they entered the site, Alex and Rose could see that it consisted of various different kinds of shelter, most of them being pagt'horiolii, the traditional homes of nomadic Gallifreyans. The advantage of pagt'horiolii, which resembled square Mongolian yurts, was that they could be taken down and packed up in a relatively short amount of time. The two Terrans also couldn't help but notice the general poverty around them. While it was clear that they were making the best of their situations, it was also obvious that those living in the settlement lacked in many necessities. At the edge of the community, they passed several who were blatantly sick, a couple of them severely so.

"You have a sickness amongst your people," Alex commented, wanting to stop but unable to do so as Rega herded them through the dwellings.

"We do what we can for them with the resources that we have," the Time Lord replied bluntly. "It's an unfortunate reality but we make due." He quickly changed the subject, as if to avoid an argument. "If you and your mate are going to be part of our community, you need to contribute to it. We can discuss what that contribution will be tomorrow morning. Tonight, we settle you in after visiting Nona."

"Who's Nona?" Rose asked.

"She's our visionary."

Still not understanding what he meant, she turned to Alex with questioning eyes.

"A visionary is a Time Lord whose time sense is so strong that they're psychic. A Time Lord can see general possibilities concerning the past, present and future. A visionary can see specific details, though sometimes their visions are symbolic in nature."

"So, they're like me," she realized, lowering her voice to prevent Rega from hearing her.

"Sort of. But their visions are more focused due to intense training throughout their childhood." He frowned slightly, turning to Rega and raising his voice to be heard by the Time Lord. "I'm surprised your visionary isn't in the Citadel. One would think the Emperor would be interested in keep such a person under close observation."

"She had a vision of the fall of his reign. He disagreed, gave her to the Shades, and then banished her to the Zone."

"The Shades?" Rose questioned.

"A race of healers the Time Lords conquered a long time ago," Rega explained. "They're telepaths, like us. Nearly their entire species was wiped away, though the Emperor of that time decided he wanted a few to use for his own purposes. He left fifty in a locked room without any food or water for nearly a month. They tried to sustain each other with their healing abilities but it became too much. Eventually, they turned on each other in desperation to survive, using their healing powers to hurt instead. By the time they'd finally received food and water, there were only twenty-seven left. The realization of their actions brought such a heavy guilt upon them that they allowed themselves to be enslaved rather than be reduced to such a terrible level of depravity again."

"What did the Emperor make them do to Nona?"

"He told the Shades to prevent her from ever having a clear vision again, effectively making her, in his view, worthless."

"But she still has visions," Alex concluded.

"Apparently the Shades were unable to shut off her psychic abilities. So, instead of destroying her ability to see into the future, they enhanced it to the point where she can't shut them off. She's clinically insane but nonetheless very reliable with her visions." He led them to a tent set several feet from the two that flanked it, an apparent oddity given that most domiciles were close to each other. "We take care of her best as we can. She trusts only a small handful of people, me being one of them. She does have moments of clarity when she can actually interact with those around her. It's at those times she expresses her visions to whoever is with her."

"And we are seeing her because…" Alex pressed gently, wondering what Rega's intentions concerning this visit were.

"Because she's asked me to bring all new members of our community to her," the Gallifreyan answered. "If she accepts you, then you will be accepted by all." He gestured towards Ltrief who took Alex's backpack from him. "Your possessions will be placed in your new dwelling while we're in Nona's pagt'horioli. Please show her due reverence." He then lifted the structure's flap, inviting them to go in ahead of him.

It was a simple abode with very little decorative touches. A couple of fur rugs adorned the dirt floor as did a couple of pillows. There was also a large metallic dish at the entrance, the remnants of a meal sitting on the bottom. On the other side of the small structure, a small female was using a piece of charcoal to draw on the walls. The two travelers immediately identified it at the pictorial language of the Time Lords, though Alex was the only one of the two who could possibly translate it. However, the words the female was drawing were so distorted that they didn't make any real sense to him. As for the female herself, her face was hidden from view, her attention focused on her work. The only thing that told them the person in front of them was female, aside from Rega's previous statements, was her long brown hair and thin frame.

Rega moved to the female and gently took her hands before removing the charcoal she held. "Nona, you have visitors."

"Visitors?" she questioned. She abruptly turned her head towards Alex and Rose. Their eyes widened in surprise at the face they beheld. There was a large jagged scar that ran the length of her face, running from her hairline passed her right eye and to her chin. Her eyes were dazzling light blue. What really drew their attention was the girl's young appearance.

"She's just a kid," the hybrid commented. "She's… What? A hundred?"

"A hundred three," Rega corrected though his eyes never left the girl.

Nona walked over to the couple and silently regarded them for a long moment. Standing in front of Rose, she gazed into her eyes before giving her a broad smile and hugging her. "Welcome, my sister Fellugr Moro! I've been waiting for you."

Rose blinked in surprise, returning the hug before gently extracting herself from Nona's grasp. "Umm… thanks… Nona." Glancing at Alex, she noted the stunned expression on his features. "She's very… friendly."

The Doctor took a deep breath. "Rose, Fellugr Moro is Gallifreyan for Bad Wolf."

"You know of Bad Wolf?" she questioned the young visionary, her own expression reflecting her awe of the revelation.

"How could I not know you? You're my sister," Nona replied, clearly disconcerted with Rose's reaction.

Rega gently placed a hand on the blonde woman's shoulder. "It's quite all right. All females she approves of are referred to as her sisters. All she accepts, she gives a new name. But she's mentioned Fellugr Moro long before you came. You two are the first to give any indication of understanding what that means. What is Bad Wolf?"

Alex furrowed his eyebrows and gritted his teeth slightly, clearly unwilling to divulge the information, before sighing with resignation. "Well… she is," he answered, pointing a thumb towards Rose. "Sort of. It's a long story."

"Seems you two are full of long stories."

The hybrid shrugged slightly in acknowledgement, though it was clear that he wasn't going to explain the reference. A moment later, he found himself enveloped in a hug, Nona apparently deciding that the Doctor was worthy of her affection.

"My brother Ligsankal, don't be sad," she said softly. No one noticed Rega's eyebrows raising upon her words.

"I'm not sad," the Doctor assured her, allowing her to hug him for as long as she wished. "In fact, I'm quite pleased to meet you."

"But you are sad. You've been sad for a very long time, even more so after you lost all your brothers and sisters. But you don't have to be sad anymore. You have the Wolf now and you have many brothers and sisters!" The Doctor was startled by her words but quickly hid the emotion from his features as she pulled away and looked into his eyes. "I didn't notice that before," she stated after a long moment.

"Didn't notice what?" he questioned gently.

"You have three faces."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Do I?"

Nona nodded firmly in confirmation. "Remember, you must trust the wounded soul."

"I'll remember that," he assured her, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes.

Smiling widely, Nona returned to the wall before sitting on the floor and staring up at her drawings.

Rega waited for a minute before nodding to himself. "She won't speak to us again today. We should leave her in peace." He strode out of the dwelling, indicating that Alex and Rose should follow.