CHAPTER SUMMARY: Genesis finds out there is another person out there with the same abilities as her...and the Pythia of Gallifrey has plans for him that could threaten Gallifrey's future.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is where the story starts to be based/inspired by the Doctor Who Virgin New Adventures Novel's: Lungbarrow and Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible.
All the characters are from it except for Genesis. I own her.
The Founders of Gallifrey
Chapter 3: The Individuals
Genesis found herself in a room full of women dressed in red robes, their faces covered in paint with different designs. The room smelled like ash and wood with herbs mixed in, causing Genesis to cover her nose. They were all gathered around a woman who sat on a throne surrounded by a cage. Smoke rising up from where she sat. A sense of dread came over Genesis, staring at the woman known as the Pythia.
"The future-," she called out, "I cannot see it! It doesn't call out to me!" The elder woman shrieked.
The women in the room gasped, looking panicked at each other.
"What will we do, my lady?" asked one.
The Pythia raised her arms, having the cage be lifted. As she opened her mouth to speak, she suddenly paused. Genesis could feel her heart racing, feeling she had been detected. The Pythia directed her attention, looking directly at the red head. The other women looked over, causing her to gasp.
"We will find someone who can be our eyes ."
Genesis woke up in her bed, breathing heavily, realizing it was just a dream. She could have sworn it was real. Her attention was diverted at a sudden stir in the room. It was Omega, hunched over at his workstation, tossing in his sleep.
He had stayed up all night working on his projects. Genesis got up and grabbed a blanket, putting it around her brother with a smile, eyeing the experiment. "Good work, brother." she whispered.
Even if she didn't fully understand the contraptions the three guys were making, Genesis would always be there, cheering them on.
Rounding the corner, she was taken by surprise at what was currently down the hallway: a dark haired young man was talking with another person, a female. They seemed to be in a classroom of sorts all by themselves; except for Genesis who stood a good distance away, watching.
"What's wrong, Vael?" the female asked.
He sighed, frustrated. "I failed my final assessments. I don't know what I'm going to do, Loie."
"Head up. At least you aced the temporal physics one."
"Maybe I'm not good enough to be a Young Hero cadet. Should I just drop out of the Academia already?" Vael asked, looking down.
Loie sighed, hands on her hips. "What kind of talk is that?"
It seemed they hadn't noticed her watching them yet, leaving Genesis to wonder if she was just dreaming again. However, her attention was deeply caught by the current situation. It was as if her mind couldn't turn away from it.
"A logical one. I'll never fit in no matter where I go." he huffed, a sad look coming over him. Genesis suddenly felt misunderstood and frustrated because of it, a chill running down her back. "You're the only one here who will talk to me. Why is that?"
The girl shook her head, frowning. "Vael, stop."
He was starting to become angry. Genesis could feel it, his blood like water beginning to boil. "Is it because you take pity on an outcast like me?"
"Stop it!"
"Everyone else avoids me. They don't bother to waste their time with me all because I have certain abilities...except you?" Vael paused, leaning towards her, causing Loie to flinch. "Why?"
"Stay away from me Vael!" she yelled at him, frantically looking around for an exit.
Genesis held her breath when Loie looked directly at her, but she seemed to have not seen her. And despite how bad the situation was getting, she didn't dare call out to them.
"What's wrong, Loie?" he asked, "Am I scaring you now?"
"Yes. You're being really weird." she shouted, inching back into a wall. "Everyone was right about you."
An amused smirk came to Vael's lips. "And what's that?"
"You're one of those Individuals who are born every 1,000 years. It was obvious the minute you stepped into the building with that shield around your mind, no one could connect with you." Loie remarked, standing her ground against him. "It's why you'll never fit in. You're nothing like us."
His eyes narrowed at her, and Genesis felt the room shake slightly from his wrath. "You're just jealous because that means I can focus without the voices of others in my head and become something you could never reach."
Loie looked at him in disgust, "If that were true, then how could someone who can't even pass all their final assessment's achieve anything, much less become a hero?"
This was the breaking point for Vael. The point where the water began to boil with a fiery rage and spill out of the pot, burning anyone in its presence. Genesis's eyes widened in horror, watching as Loie began to combust into flames. The sight and smell of burning flesh was too much to take.
Loie's screams echoing in her ears caused Genesis to do the same. Feeling hands engulf her, she was surprised to see her brother appear before her, the nightmare before her suddenly gone. "Hey, hey…" Omega said, trying to comfort her, "It's okay, I'm here."
Realizing her reality, Genesis slumped into the safety of her brother's arms, sobbing.
"What did you see?"
"A-A young man killed his fellow student." she muttered, trying to process what she had just seen. She could still feel the emotions of the other. "He was lonely, frustrated and felt so misunderstood. I think- I think he's like me ."
Omega's eyes went wide. "How is that possible?" she shrugged, not quite sure herself. "Did you get a name?"
"Vael." Genesis tried to recall the young man from the brief psychic connection she had with him. "He was about my age. The person he killed was a woman he called Loie." There was something she was missing. "He's a student at the Academia."
A frown came upon her brother's face, making her question it. Omega knew how serious this was, especially if Genesis was unconsciously making contact with an individual from such a place. What further raised a question, was another person out there, similar in abilities to his sister. Only one Individual was supposed to be born, but why were there two? And what would this mean for Gallifrey?
Rassilon and the Other would want to know.
"I'll tell the Neo-Technologist's what you've told me. We'll get to the bottom of this."
"My lady, news has begun to spread of your misfortune."
"No!" The 508th Pythia of Gallifrey screeched in fear. "How could this have happened?"
Her mind began to wander, going over every possible scenario that could have foreseen this. Rassilon and his group of Neo-Technologists might taunt the Pythia and her sisterhood, but they were smart enough to not send spies around her area for fear of getting caught, not to mention their reputation they were trying to build.
They had to get the favor of the people...and now with this news out, they were one step closer to getting their wish. She continued to fear for the future she couldn't see, knowing Rassilon was looking for any opportunity to bring her down.
The Pythia bit her lip. "We need to find whoever is responsible for this disaster!"
And suddenly, she felt it, the raw power of unstoppable anger. It rushed through her like a gust of hypnotic wind, daring to knock her over. Someone powerful had just used their powers. "I sense an Individual , ladies."
Their mouths opened in shock, chatter filling the room before dying down. The women began to surround the Pythia, chanting and lighting candles. The head of the sisterhood focused her mind, searching for the remaining power source still radiating.
They were here on Gallifrey. "I found them," she said. "A young male."
"The Prophecy!"
"You think the Prophecy refers to him?" she questioned, focusing her psychic powers, trying to get any information on him. "Ah, his name is Vael Voryunsti Sheverell. He attends the Academia."
"Shall I inform the Council of Principals?" asked one of the sisters.
The Pythia smiled, feeling reassured about her future now. "Yes, we have plans for him."
