"Well, that was unexpected," said Clara matter-of-factly.
The Doctor slowly turned toward Clara and shook his head in exasperation. He then turned back toward Upshot.
"If you're a Time Lord, then why don't I recognize you?" he asked skeptically.
"Well, you don't look the same as the last time I saw you, either," Upshot smiled. "But I can understand your skepticism. Maybe it would be best if I started from the beginning. It might help if we took a walk."
Upshot extended his arm toward the door in a clear invitation and said, "After you."
The Doctor and Clara both stood up and walked to the door, followed by Upshot. They all passed through the door together into the sprawling space that was the interior of Gringott's. They walked through the lobby and out through the massive doors into the bustling street outside.
"I must say," began Upshot "that there has been much debate amongst the high council about what to do with you."
The Doctor stopped cold and leaned against the nearest wall. "There are more of you?"
Clara looked at the Doctor in concern, then turned to Upshot. "You'd better not be playing around," she warned Upshot. "If this is some sort of sadistic joke…"
"I assure you, it is not," responded Upshot. "As I was saying, when you froze us in a moment of time, a brilliant idea, if you ask me, Galifrey disappeared and the Daleks mostly destroyed each other."
"Mostly?" asked Clara.
"Of course mostly," interjected the Doctor. "If they had all been destroyed, we wouldn't have seen any since. I'm just wondering what happened to Galifrey and why there are Time Lords here on Earth."
"Both excellent questions, Doctor," answered Upshot. "I suppose I should begin with your first question. As for where Galifrey is, you are standing on it."
"What?!" exclaimed the Doctor as Clara gasped. "Impossible."
"I assure you, it is not," answered Upshot. "Perhaps we should sit down somewhere quiet where we can have a drink and I can explain further."
The Doctor held out his arm to Clara who took it and walked down the street beside Upshot. They walked all the way down the street until they reached a brick wall. Upshot took out a stick… or was it a wand? He tapped a series of bricks on the wall and a large archway opened into the backroom of what looked like a pub.
The Doctor had recovered himself by now and took his arm out of Clara's grip. They walked through the pub to a staircase against one of the walls. They ascended the stairs to find what looked like a hallway of rooms at an inn. At the end of the hallway was an ornate wooden door with a brass handle. They walked down the hallway and passed through the door into a plush office.
"Have a seat," offered Upshot.
"I think I'll stand," retorted the Doctor.
Upshot gave him a considered look, then shrugged. "As you wish."
"So you are saying I am currently on Galifrey. But how is that possible?"
"When you froze Galifrey, we disappeared from that spot in space, but reappeared in another. Here," explained Upshot.
"Reappeared here?" queried Clara. "Then why don't us humans know about this? You would think we would have noticed if a whole other planet just appeared here."
Upshot raised his eyebrows. "My dear Clara, you don't know this because you are not humans. You are, in fact, Galifreyans.
"I know that you are aware of the Chameleon Arch. A Galifreyan technology that enables a Time Lord to store his consciousness in an object, usually a watch. Something unexpected happened when Galifrey disappeared and became Earth. You created a massive Chameleon Arch that holds the consciousness of all Galifreyans. They now believe themselves to be humans, a completely manufactured identity, and have forgotten their Galifreyan selves."
The Doctor stood up, considering what Upshot was saying. He walked across the room to the window and looked out upon London.
He suddenly spun around and looked piercingly at Upshot. "If that is true, where is the Chameleon Arch located? It would have be rather large. About the size of…"
The Doctor stopped suddenly as a look of realization dawned across his face. He turned back to the window and looked out again. "No," he said. "No, it can't be. But I can see it now!"
When he turned back to Clara, he had a wily smile on his face.
"What is it, Doctor?" asked Clara.
"I am such an idiot," he laughed. "The most brilliant idiot in the history of the world! Do you want to know where the Chameleon Arch is?"
Upshot had a smile on his face as Clara stood rooted to the spot, confused.
"Come here," said the Doctor as he waved Clara over. She cautiously walked toward the Doctor and he put his hands on her shoulders, looking straight into her eyes. "Oh Clara, it is so simple, I can't believe I didn't see it before!"
"See what, Doctor?" she asked.
"I mean, it has been sitting right there the whole time and I never saw it… Of course, I wouldn't have. That's kind of the point. Oh, I am such an idiot."
"So now you see, Doctor," smiled Upshot.
"I do!" exclaimed the Doctor. He then turned to Clara. "Do you want to know where the Chameleon Arch is, Clara?"
"Of course," she responded.
He turned toward the window again and extended his arm toward the cityscape beyond. As Clara looked, she could only see dirty buildings across the street and some of London's taller landmarks beyond.
"What am I looking at?"
"The largest Chameleon Arch ever, Clara." explained the Doctor. "Or maybe I should say, the biggest."
Clara looked out the window again, then turned suddenly to the Doctor.
"No!"
"Oh yes, Clara," said the Doctor. "The largest Chameleon Arch ever created is sitting on the shores of the Thames. Right in front of our faces the whole time. The Chameleon Arch is actually Big Ben!"