Author's Note: HOLY CRAPOLY! Wow. It's been a while. Sorry. But it's still Sunday where I am, so hopefully we can return to our regularly scheduled chapter releases! Even if I am, what, two or so months off... I can explain, really! Well, June I have no excuse for, but I was lifeguarding at a summer camp for two weeks in July and then work. So there's that. Also Olympics have been distracting. GO TEAM CANADA! And Team GB. And I suppose I'm rooting for the States too, though they don't exactly need my support... ANYHOW. Here's another chapter, hopefully of satisfactory quality and length. With any luch the next chapter will be out next Sunday, but I'm not 100% certain. Reviews certainly help though. Not that I'm asking or anything... ON WITH THE SHOW!
Chapter Twelve- Speed Bump
He was free. Using the Key to the Time Lock was the easy part. The hard part, actually creating the damn thing, had been completed long ago, though it had been no easy task. The other two Keys – both in the form of small, silver balls – were nothing more than secondary escapes. But this, his Gauntlet, was his masterpiece. Harvesting the Matrix energy to create his backups had been child's play compared to the work that had gone into this beauty.
It had taken years of hard work, but finally Rassilon had created the ultimate tool and the ultimate weapon. It was more than just a Key to the Time Lock. With this Gauntlet, all of reality was at his mercy. He could manipulate matter and energy, warp Time and space and bend the universe to his will. Brimming with Matrix energy, this Gauntlet would secure his place at the head of reality, as he was always meant to be.
In the new universal order, Rassilon would need subjects. They all needed to know just who was at the top, who had always been at the top. So he decided to give them a chance. Whatever planet he landed on, he would give them a chance to join him, to bow at his feet and accept him as their Lord. If they refused, the planet would be destroyed. Then he would seek out the Doctor and the Master.
With the combined power of a TARDIS and his Gauntlet Rassilon would be able to pinpoint the location of the Doctor's TARDIS and bring it to him. Certainly the Doctor would be able to escape him, but if Rassilon left them messages in the form of genocide, perhaps they would be a little bit more willing to oblige his will. And if they weren't, then he would find other ways to bring them to him.
He would not go to them. That was another matter of pride. They had to be brought to him and obey his will. He would not bend to their whims. Was it practical? No, but the Doctor and the Master were not his priority. They would pay one way or another, and he would prefer to have them in his grasp, but he always had a backup plan. Rassilon was the one with the power and there was no escape for the Doctor and the Master.
For all of his power, the Matrix and his immortality, the one thing that meant the most to Rassilon was the one thing he could not save. His life had become all about preserving the Time Lord society, his creation and his life's work, but that was one goal he ultimately would not succeed in. Saving Gallifrey meant damning the universe, which in turn meant becoming beings of pure consciousness. Wild and convoluted, yes, but if it meant survival then so be it. Except that plan had been thwarted by the Doctor, who always did seem to have such a romantic attachment to the universe.
So now Rassilon was left to rebuild. He had done it once, he could do it again. Things would go differently this time. The horrors they could not stop resided safely within the War, but outside of the Time Lock there was nothing that could stand in Rassilon's way, not even the Daleks. He could keep all opposition at bay and rebuild the Time Lord society, bigger and better than ever. Sure it hurt to let the original Gallifrey burn and leaving it behind was no easy feat, but it was time to learn from his mistakes and move on. A new Gallifrey would be born and the entirety of the universe would be moulded in the image of the Time Lords. Nothing would stand in his way.
Not even the Doctor and the Master.
Their interference would not hinder him. In fact, he welcomed it. He needed it. He needed one of them to survive, but he preferred taking them both alive. He could rebuild without them, but it would be far less interesting. Having the three of them would provide greater diversity in their genetic material, allowing larger numbers of Time Lords to be produced. Harvesting their genetic material required their presence, which really just led him back to getting his hands on them.
Resourceful as he always was, Rassilon decided to stomp on two pests with one boot. Causing destruction was a means to two ends, and that was exactly the way he liked it. Quick and efficient.
There was a number of confounding factors and infinite possibilities for interference with his plans. It was of the utmost importance that he did not underestimate the Doctor and the Master. He had seen what they were capable of, and he knew both of them to be wild cards. The two of them working together increased Rassilon's chances for failure.
There was always a preferred means to his end, and having the two of them at each other's throats was the ideal situation. Their squabbling would keep them distracted enough to make his job easier. Still, he was nothing if not adaptable. As far as he saw it, he had two options. He could reinstate their rivalry somehow to keep them distracted. This gave him an extra activity. Or he could take them both head on. This gave him a bit more of a challenge. The former option was preferred for its simplicity, but he chose to continue with the latter.
It was more fun that way.
Still, perhaps there was some way to even the odds. His last two attempts at getting their attention had been through simple violence and an engineered pandemic. It was brutal genocide, yes, but it was sloppy and inelegant. This next time he would use something with a little bit more... grace. He could give them all a fighting chance. Any survivors would instantly capture the Doctor's attention, leaving Rassilon free to take them by surprise. Perfection.
Initially, he had been driven solely by revenge. When he first escaped the Time Lock, he was determined to make the Doctor pay for his actions. Now that he'd cooled down and taken time to think, Rassilon concluded that revenge was simply a bonus. There were larger things at stake, and obtaining absolute power was his focus. He was attempting to use revenge as a means to achieve absolute power. If he failed in the revenge portion of his plan it would not matter so much. Once he achieved absolute power, revenge would be something he could carry out at his leisure.
He would need to slow them down, however. If he could keep them occupied with cleaning up his messes then he would have the time to focus his efforts where it counted. The Doctor and the Master would continue to believe he was driven solely by revenge, but his attempts to draw them in would simply be a distraction. He needed them out of the way, and he knew just the way to do it.
OK. Hi. Narrator here, interjecting for a moment. I'll be quick, I promise! I just wanted to confirm that you guys didn't understand that bit either. He's... insane, right? Because I found that hard to follow and I'm the one telling the damn story. Please tell me it's not just me who thinks it. I don't think he has a very clear grasp on his plan, or at least the bits regarding the Doctor and the Master. Well, whatever the case, the confrontation sure is going to be something to see. And I'm going to tell you all about it sure enough. But first, let's head back to the Shadow Proclamation and check our heroes' progress there...
It was quite the standoff. The Judoon were unlikely to stand down, the Architect was determined to keep galactic order, and it wasn't in the Doctor's nature to simply give up. He glanced around at his companions as he considered the escape that would result in the fewest casualties.
The Master was uttering a steady stream of profanities and threats, enraged by his incapacitation and proposed incarceration. No, he would not be taken in easily, that much was clear. The Doctor needed to tread carefully though. An angry Master was a force to be reckoned with, but that force was unpredictable at best and counterproductive at worst.
The girl seemed to have cleared her head, eyes fixed on the Doctor. She was waiting for the cue to make their move. She wasn't meant to be there, and this entire mission was far too dangerous for human presence, but he had to admit that she was sliding into the role quite nicely.
Turning his attention back to the Architect, the Doctor sighed. "Listen, just let us all leave now and you can get right back to your work. I'm sure you've got a lot of it waiting for you. There doesn't need to be anymore madness here today. But if you insist on standing in our way I assure you we will get out, no matter what resistance you throw at us. These meetings don't always need to end like this you know."
"I am sorry, Doctor," the Architect said solemnly. "I'm afraid we cannot allow him to get away. Not this time."
"Then I'm afraid you've forced my hand," said the Doctor as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver. As he activated the device, the weapons the Judoon held began to overheat. They released their captives who proceeded to turn tail and run towards the TARDIS.
"Stop them!" shouted the Architect.
A fair amount of resistance stood between the trio and the TARDIS, but they refused to be stopped. They ran, turning down corners, ducking under arms and narrowly avoiding blasts from various stun guns. The Doctor disabled as many weapons as he could to make things easier, but wave after wave of Judoon arrived in an attempt to stop them.
"You know what would be wonderful right about now?" shouted the Master as they rounded a corner. "If you unlocked these shackles! It would sure make this escape attempt much smoother."
"Can't," replied the Doctor, taking out another stun gun. "I would have to change the settings. No time. I'll free you once we get back onto the TARDIS."
"You didn't think to unlock them before you started firing that thing willy-nilly at the space rhinos?" asked the Master.
"I had other things on my mind. You know, like getting us off this rock!"
Leah rolled her eyes and yelled "Both of you, shut up and duck!" The Judoon had got their hands on some rather large and painful-looking club type weapons and were now swinging them at the trio. They narrowly avoided having their heads taken off and kept running.
"How far?" panted Leah.
"Not very," replied the Doctor. "Just down this hall and... oh my"
They skidded to a halt as the only way to the TARDIS was blocked by a horde of Judoon, all pointing their stun guns at the group. "Halt!" one of them grunted. It appeared to be the leader of the group. "You are forbidden from leaving the station until further notice. Interrogation is required."
"You know, you're surprisingly well-spoken for a Judoon," said the Doctor. He was stalling as his mind raced for a way out of this mess. Vaguely he wondered why the escape always fell on him to take care of.
"Please stand down," ordered the Judoon. "You have two minutes to surrender before we open fire."
"Oh yeah, antagonize the big rhino holding the guns, that's a great idea," mutterd the Master.
"All their weapons are nonlethal. They won't kill, they'll just hurt a lot and be counterproductive to our stopping Rassilon," he said back.
"Wait, is there a setting on that thing that'll make their guns backfire on them?" Leah whispered.
"I think so..."
"OK, I have a plan," said Leah. "That won't hit them all at once, as evidenced by our mad dash here, but when I give the word, you're going to aim that at the one in the front on the far left. From there, just keep shooting. I think I can get us out of here."
The Doctor fiddled with the settings as the Master rolled his eyes. "So you have time to change the settings now, but you can't unlock me?"
"Oh shut up, Harry, do you wanna get out of here or not?" snapped Leah. "Ready with that thing?" she asked the Doctor. He nodded. "Alright, on my word." Grinning, she made eye contact with the Judoon platoon leader. Without warning she began to run fowrard to the disbelief of everyone in the room.
The girl was tiny in comparison to the alien and she looked much like a chipmunk charging a tank, but that was the plan. When she got close enough, Leah launched herself at the Judoon, her right shoulder connecting with its chest. When she made impact she yelled "Now!" and thought to herself just how badly her shoulder would be bruised tomorrow. The Doctor fired the sonic screwdriver and the guns began to backfire. Meanwhile Leah had seized the gun from the hands of the Judoon she had charged and began to fire. She knew that she stood no chance of toppling it, but she figured that she could stagger it enough to grab the weapon, if only because her tactic would take them by surprise.
"Run!" she cried. With the combined efforts of her newly acquired stun gun and the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, they managed to stun enough Judoon to clear a path to the TARDIS. Her plan had been so crazy it had to work. Eventually they reached the police box and piled in. The Judoon left standing opened fire on the TARDIS as it dematerialized, not seeming to realize how fruitless that action was.
As they were jostled about by the bumpy ride, the Master grumbled through gritted teeth. "Remind me, what exactly did we need from there again?"
"Information!" the Doctor shouted back.
"And we got what we needed then?"
"Yep."
"Excellent," the Master drawled. "Now how about unlocking me?"
"Right, there you are," said the Doctor as he shot the shackles with the sonic screwdriver.
As the TARDIS steadied, Leah took a seat, looking a little uneasy. "Information on what, exactly?"
"The planets that were destroyed," replied the Doctor. "Contrary to popular belief, as clever as I am I don't have encyclopaedic knowledge of every single planet at every single point in time. Do you have any idea how enormously huge the universe actually is?"
"OK, I get that part, by why did we need to get information from a place with a bounty on my head?" asked the Master. "Doesn't the TARDIS have access to information like that."
"Well yes," said the Doctor, rubbing the back of his neck. "But our databases aren't quite as comprehensive. The Shadow Proclamation's got everything. It's their business to know all of the galaxy's dirty little secrets, I figured they'd have the best information. Besides, we were going there anyway to drop off the Ambassador."
"Great!" chirped Leah. "So how does that help us?"
The Doctor continued to fiddle with the TARDIS controls as he heaved a huge sigh. There were some adventures he relished showing off to his companions by answering their questions and looking all clever. This was not one of them, and it was beginning to remind him why he travelled alone for so long. "Every single detail is important, and the Shadow Proclamation's database contains every single detail. Assuming these attacks are not random, these details may be able to help us determine which planet may be targeted next, taking into account every factor and extrapolating trends based on billions of possibilities. We have access to the database now so that we can add information to the string of planets as we go."
"Extrapolation after only two worlds?" Leah asked disbelievingly.
"The TARDIS is a very clever girl," the Doctor retorted. "It's not foolproof by any means but it's certainly better than flying about blind. I'll take any advantage I can get. If we can get the jump on Rassilon we just might have some chance of success. I just need to figure out what I'm going to do with you..."
Before Leah had a chance to interject, the Master raised an eyebrow. "Care to tell us what happens if these attacks are just random?"
"Well then I'm afraid we're doomed," answered the Doctor matter-of-factly. "That also means we wasted our time at the Shadow Proclamation and risked everything by going there." He shrugged. "But you know Rassilon, it really could go either way."
The reality of what had just happened sunk in during a heavy moment of silence in the TARDIS. Leah, who had simply been enjoying the ride, was starting to have her doubts about this little adventure. She was exhausted, confused and more than a little scared, but up until now she had been having fun and feeding off the adrenaline coursing through her. She didn't want to go home just yet – because how could she after all of this? – but she decided that she definitely didn't want to be there when they finally faced off against Rascal-whosit.
"By the way," the Doctor piped up, finally breaking the silence, "brilliant escape back there. Barking mad of course, but it certainly got the job done."
The Master scoffed. "Hardly. What would you have done, pray tell, if the Judoon had stunned you before you got to him? That would leave us to escape while worrying about little incapacitated you, and you can bet that I wouldn't haul you to the TARDIS."
"Oh come now, Master, give her some credit," chided the Doctor. "The Judoon would have stunned the two of us long before we made it to the TARDIS."
Leah scowled. "I didn't see you coming up with any brilliant plans. It was simply the best I could think of on the spot."
"Well, however badly it could have gone, it didn't so let's count that as a win, shall we?" said the Doctor. Turning to Leah, he added "Now let's get you home before we – ah, spoke to soon." The TARDIS gave a sharp lurch that threw Leah forward. Somehow the two Time Lords remained standing. "Looks like we're off somewhere new after all. Oh, and we didn't get to test out our new data extrapolation system! Next time."
Their flight was the shortest yet, mostly because the TARDIS didn't try to fight the temporal pull exerted on her. The Doctor looked puzzled as he danced around the console yet again, but eventually just gave up and let the TARDIS do her thing. He had flown in her enough times that he trusted her judgement and allowed her to do whatever it was she needed to do to keep them safe. If that meant going with the flow then so be it.
They landed with the signature THUNK sound, and the three TARDIS occupants approached the door apprehensively. Leah decided that she would never get used to this, and braced herself for what they would find outside the doors. As they swung open, they revealed something that nobody had been expecting.
"What the... Well that's odd, this looks to be a perfectly normal planet," the Doctor mused. And indeed there appereared to be nothing out of the ordinary. The TARDIS had landed in a field a ways off from civilization, but in the distance shone the light from a thriving city. "Why would she bring us here? Has she gotten the jump on Rassilon for once? Excellent as that would be, we simply aren't prepared to face him yet, and certainly not on a populated planet."
The Doctor began to pace back and forth, muttering to himself. Meanwhile Leah exchanged an uncomfortable glance with the Master and perched herself on a boulder not too far off. Rubbing her eyes, she assessed the situation and tried to decide whether she believed what was happening, or if it was just some sort of vivid and elaborate dream. So far it felt pretty real, and the fatigue was starting to get to her. She got the feeling that this was far from standard fare for the Time Lord, and had they met under different circumstances she might have been on the adventure of her life. Instead, he seemed eager to get her home, and she was starting to agree with him.
Instead of dwelling on it however, she decided to survey the scene in front of her.
There really did appear to be nothing wrong with this world. The city in the distance looked to be running smoothly, though because it was night time it was rather quiet. To her left stood a range of cliffs with dark caves dotting the side. The field they sat in was brown and dusty, a clear contrast to the colour emanating from the city. It seemed to be very similar to Earth, perhaps somewhere like Nevada or the Alberta badlands, however there was something in the air that felt a little bit off and ever so alien.
"Yes!"cried the Doctor, snapping Leah out of her reverie. "I've figured it out. At least, I know which planet we're on, and I can draw a pretty reasonable conclusion about why we've been brought here."
Before he could explain it, a deep, gutteral growl rumbled from the largest of the caves on the cliffside.
"What the hell was that?" asked Leah.
"Ah yes, that would be the reason we're here," said the Doctor. "And if we value our lives, which I'm assuming we all do, I suggest we start running now!"