The high council of the Time-Lords sat around an oval table in a chamber high in a tower in New Arcadia. There was a knock on the door. An irritated man at the head of the table looked at a guard by the door indicating to open it. A very scared looking young man entered the room and bowed to the council. "Lord President!" he greeted.
"Lord Sivnea" the Lord President Rassilon stated haughtily as he faced the man, "I thought I said no interruptions unless it was extremely urgent".
Even though the messenger had seen the features of the infamous ruler of the Time Lords before, he always struggled to not react to the scar. A red hand print still covered over half of the man's visage. It remained from the Master's attack on the man. Rumor had it that it still caused the Lord President pain, even 200 years after the fight and the fall of Gallifrey.
"It is sir!" Sivnea said anxiously in return. "There has been activity at the Untempered Schism"
The President responded with bitterness, "What kind of 'activity'?"
"A blue light burst forth," explained the runner, "that is all we could see from the watchtower".
The President turned toward the council, all who gave him blank looks.
"What does it mean, Lord President?" the young man asked.
"We shall send an investigation" the President said impatiently. He looked again toward the runner who remained in the room standing nervously, "Is there anything else?"
"Yes sir," Sivnea told him, growing more nervous.
"Well lad, tell me" the President demanded.
The runner hesitated, "The guards of the prison have disappeared and the prisoners are gone".
"What!" The president stood angrily and glared at the man.
Sivnea feared the Lord President knowing he could easily kill a man with a wave of his gauntlet. His eyes widened. "Please sir, I'm just a messenger".
"Leave," the President seethed, "now".
Sivnea obeyed the order, giving a brief bow before exiting the room.
Silence fell upon the room, the members of the council fearful to trigger their President. Rassilon looked toward them. "General," he addressed one of them, "send an investigation team to the Untempered Schism immediately". The General pushed a button on the table and Gallifreyan writing appeared as holograms above the table. The General prodded at them until the order was sent.
"Done, sir," he confirmed.
"Administrator," Rassilon addressed, this was a title given to a Time Lady who was in charge of operations within the city of New Arcadia. All of the Time Lords now lived in this city as it was the only one built to withstand the current climate. Many of the people of Gallifrey had been frozen in time, as the Doctor intended, with no awareness of the happenings around them. The Time Lords, however, the nobility and rulers of the planet remained alive and alert. Time could not stop for them. They all migrated to a single citadel, New Arcadia. They harvested geo-thermal energy for light and warmth, but even that was becoming more of a challenge. The core of the planet itself was cooling rapidly. A fact that the high council was not keen on letting the other Time Lords know for fear of rebellion and chaos. A limited amount of food grows in the hydroponic farms, though rations were severe. The Secretary of the Interior was responsible for overseeing all of this.
"Yes sir," the Time Lady answered obediently.
"Administrator, remind me of the hearsays."
The Visionary had left the council after Gallifrey fell. She was no longer useful to the Lord President as she either would not or could not communicate with him. Word had passed that she was now dead anyway. While Rassilon was suspicious of any anecdote or prophesy, he had discovered during the Time War that sometimes there was a place for them. But now he depended upon the ears of the Administrator and her spies to know the tales in the city.
"Rumors tell of a Hidden Temple beneath the city which awaits an Avatar of Time. It is told that The Avatar has the ability to communicate with our original dimension and bring about the return of Gallifrey. Some say it is a prophecy. Some say it is a story meant to give hope. Some conspirators even believe the Council created the story in order to raise moral within the citadel," informed the Administrator.
To some extent Rassilon wished the last statement was true. A Hidden Temple right beneath their noses was an unsettling thought, though he would not let that show. He had been so involved in the planning of the city that he knew the architectural details of each building. Rassilon had used his skill with engineering and invention to design much of the high tech city. He even built a powerful projection for the bubble surrounding citadel which imitated the light of the suns. "This Hidden Temple must be secured or destroyed," he ordered. Rassilon also knew that sometimes prophesies were true. He wanted to control them though. "If there is indeed an Avatar," Rassilon spoke, "he is to be brought to me immediately." He paused as he directed his gaze at the General. "Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," he nodded, as he once again engaged with the hologram mechanism in front of him to delegate commands.
"As for the prisoners, they couldn't have gone far," he pondered. He thought he had those two disruptive women under control when he had started to petrify them. Since Time Lords could not be so easily frozen in time, Rassilon had had to get creative in imprisoning them. The time-locked facilities in New Arcadia were not enough. How fitting to slowly turn these 'traitors' into stone. Yet they has somehow resisted. Apparently, they discovered how to move about and feed, taking on more of the properties of the nightmarish Weeping Angels of old. The metaphor that the women would "stand as monuments to their shame" was meant to be symbolic. These consequences were beyond Rassilon's plans. They must never have the opportunity to feed on time energy again. "They are limited to just this planet. They must be re-captured" he said out loud. When he had them again, he would need to invent further precautions to ensure they would not be able to escape. He would have to successfully lock them in time or starve them so they were too weak to move.
The General spoke up, "Perhaps, Lord-President sir, the risk of their existence is too high," he hoped Rassilon didn't see this as him being disagreeable, "Perhaps, sir, they need to be destroyed". He kept his head up, trying to avoid showing his fear of the man.
Rassilon stared at the man, as though trying to assess whether or not he was being too uppity. "If necessary," he eventually agreed. They could leave it at that for the moment.
~.~.~.~.~
Upon the frozen fields of Gallifrey, Jenny and Benjamin trekked together in the light of his torch. It had been several hours, and the man would not let them rest. Jenny felt she was near collapse, but somehow managed to keep placing one foot in front of the other without complaint. Benjamin halted in front of her. She nearly bumped into him. It looked as though he was listening for something. "There are others coming" he said. He snuffed out his torch and took Jenny's hand. "They are searching for you," he told her "They must have seen the abnormal light from the Untempered Schism".
He led her in the darkness off of the path they were following toward New Arcadia. It was pitch black, so neither could see very well. They walked slowly holding their free hand in front of them so as to avoid hitting any potential obstruction face first. Their hands then hit something like a large rock. They tried to feel their way around it. It was huge, and cold. Jenny was grateful for the gloves. Eventually they believed they were on the other side of the giant rock on the opposite side of the road. They knew to avoid lighting the torch though, as any light on such a dark planet would easily give away their position. Jenny, exhausted, propped herself against the stone. "You can rest here," Benjamin whispered, "I'll keep watch". Appreciative for the opportunity Jenny sat on the ground, raised her hood, wrapped her cloak around herself, and leaned her back onto an incline. She closed her eyes.
When she awoke, she finally felt restored. She stood and called out quietly for the watchman, "Benjamin?"
"Yes?"
"Are they gone now,"
"I believe so, he answered, it has been nearly a day,"
Jenny a little unnerved by her long 'nap' was uncertain how he could tell, as there was never a sunrise, or a sunset for that matter. She inched towards his voice.
"Do you need to rest?" she asked, "I could keep watch," she offered.
"I'm alright," he state, "I think I drifted off for a few moments," he admitted.
Jenny would normally be tempted to tease a watchman who slept during his shift. Under these more serious circumstances though, and with Benjamin still being a near stranger, she decided against it. She nodded with understanding, not that he would be able to see the gesture in the pitch black.
"Are you ready to go?" the man asked.
"Yes," she confirmed, "Do you think it is safe to light the torch again?"
"Should be," he said. Within a few seconds there was light again, yet immediately Jenny let out a gasp as she saw a couple of figures standing only a couple of meters away from them. At first it looked like the women were made of stone, but upon second glance it was flesh. Their skin was greying. Even the hair and eyes were a duller shade than normal. The figures were still. They were women, whose hands were kept over their faces. The pose reminded Jenny of the Weeping Angels. "Don't blink!" Jenny exclaimed to Benjamin. The man stepped in front of her, standing in a defensive pose.
"I know," he said. "I use to be their prison guard". The pair stared at the women. "I knew you would be pursued by the High Council, but I didn't expect the Lord-President to send them."
One of the women gradually removed her hands from her face.
"I'm lookin' righ' at her!" Jenny stated, "How is she movin'?"
"They are not quite real Angels. They are not quantum-locked," Benjamin told her, "They were supposed to be petrified, but the transformation is not complete".
The woman, the shorter and stouter of the two, had opened her eyes and looked at Jenny.
"Don't look into her eyes," the guard voiced to Jenny.
It was too late. Jenny had made contact with the almost Angel. Her mind felt funny, like someone was trying to reach into it. She winced. "Jenny?" Benjamin addressed her with growing concern as he continued to look at the women, uncertain if it was helping.
"I think she is trying to communicate, telepathically," Jenny stated.
"Block her!" Benjamin urged excitedly.
The woman who had shown her face had a tear strolling down her cheek. Could it be that she was really weeping?
"No," Jenny responded gently, "I think… I have to help her".
Jenny heard a voice within and closed her eyes. "Do not fear me, grandchild," a woman's voice uttered in Jenny's head. Words from the hymn Jenny had been singing earlier filled her mind,
"There let the way appear steps unto heav'n;
All that Thou sendest me in mercy giv'n;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!"
"Let me show you the way," the woman emitted to Jenny. She shared images of the fallen Gallifrey, and also of the Gallifrey to come. A Gallifrey rebuilt, as the red planet circling two suns. A Gallifrey that the Doctor could return to and once again call home. She also gave Jenny pictures that indicated how much danger she was in. A furious Rassilon calling upon all forces to bring the Avatar to him. His desire to either control or destroy her. He was a powerful and intelligent man, used to getting his way.
"What must I do?" Jenny asked the woman through their link.
The greying woman responded psychically, "Learn, train," she showed Jenny the Hidden Temple, a library filled floor to ceiling with books, and the Visionary.
"The Visionary!" Jenny said out loud.
"What is she telling you?" Benjamin asked her. He was unclear whether Jenny could hear him, "The Visionary is dead!"
Jenny started humming the hymn as the words continued in her head.
"Then with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!"
"Or if on joyful wing, cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upwards I fly,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!"
"The Visionary will teach me," Jenny told Benjamin. "The Angels will give me the time!"
Benjamin's hearts skipped a beat as Jenny stepped toward the women, "No!" he yelled. Jenny embraced the greying woman with whom she had been telepathically connected. The woman wrapped her arms around Jenny, and held the younger woman for a moment, as though she was hugging someone dear to her. Benjamin watched the scene unfold, and then saw as Jenny disappeared. "No!" He repeated. "Bring her back!" he demanded. The greying woman shook her head silently and solemnly. "Fine!" he exclaimed, "Then bring me to her." He continued to stare at the women to show his insistence.
The man then heard the woman's voice in his head, "look away".
He did so. The woman touched her companion's shoulder without looking directly at her. The other woman lowered her arms and grasped at the man in front of her. He too disappeared.
"Benjamin!" Jenny exclaimed upon seeing the watchman, "You didn't need to follow me". Her tone was pleased though. She was glad for his company.
"I am your guard," he said simply.
The fact that the man was willing to leap through time with her demonstrated to Jenny that he really was loyal to her. "Thank you," she said, and smiled at him.
"Do you know where we are?"
It was warmer and brighter. They no longer required the torch. He snuffed it. They were indoors. He recognized the tall walls draped with red tapestries adorned with blue Gallifreyan embroidery. "We are in the Hidden Temple," he informed her. He was pleased to be at the location they were heading toward. "Do you know when we are?" he asked.
"We are seventy years in the past from when we were," she stated.
"I didn't know you arrived here so early," he said, "You do a good job of keeping your secrets!"
"Oi! Shush you," Jenny said jokingly, "spoilers!"
~.~.~.~.~
A/N: Again credit to Sarah Flower Adams for the lyrics to Nearer My God to Thee.