The Obelisk stretched up and up and up. The Professor could see it from the room where they were stationed at the moment. They had fled the streets after being attacked and had barely managed to slip silently into this room due to Billie's quick spell work.
Below, there was an almost gorilla like monster patrolling the streets, slamming its massive arms down on the street as it did.
"How much longer are we going to have to hide up here," said Drake, boredom and anger edged in his voice.
"Until that thing down there is gone," said Rosie, frowning. "I don't like it any more than you do, but we can't just run out there with those things hunting us." Drake sighed and muttered something.
The Professor looked over at the Marines, who were scanning the surroundings. They had hardly gotten along since they had met, but the Time Lord wasn't going to press the matter. However, the matter of Lexus was perplexing; the way knight had described the 'storm' that had dropped both him and the obelisk here sounded far too much like the untempered schism back on Gallifrey.
He thought about his initiation into the Prydon Academy back before the Time War. The schism had felt as though it were staring back at him, though he knew that wasn't possible. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something watching him now and despite his best efforts to shake it, it was the same feeling of being watched as he had felt those two centuries previously. Though whether or not that watched feeling had to do with the psychic presence surrounding them or not was yet to be seen.
"Alright," said the Professor. "Drake and Billie, I need you two to come with me." The crew looked at him. "We're going to get the TARDIS," he explained. "I need Billie to make us invisible again and Drake in case that doesn't work. The rest of you wait here." The witch nodded, pulling out her wand as the Professor stepped to the door. Billie waved her wand, rapping the Time Lord over the head, then following suit with Drake and herself. The Professor shivered at the feel as the spell washed over him, but was pleased, nonetheless.
"Billie," said Athena, looking slightly to the left of where the three were standing. "Why don't you just apparate?" The Hufflepuff smiled, though no one saw it.
"I could," she said. She grabbed the Professor's sleeve, and Drake's arm. "I passed my test on the first go," she assured them. "So I don't think we should splinch too bad."
"Splinch," repeated Drake, raising an unseen eyebrow.
"If it happens," said Athena, still looking to their left. "You'll know what it means."
"I don't know about this," said the Professor. "Is this really a safe mode of transport-" he was cut off as Billie turned on the spot, pulling them with her.
To the Professor, apparition felt quite a bit like being subjected to intense gravity and then pulled along on his stomach. The feeling went on for what felt like several minutes until, with a sudden crack they decompressed, standing on the street barely a block from the TARDIS.
The two men panted slightly, looking at Billie. "You people do that thing often," asked Drake. The witch nodded.
"All the time," she said.
The Professor sighed, smiling slightly. "I will never understand humans," he said.
A low growl made the Time Lord realize what he was missing; they were visible. And had made a loud noise upon their arrival. Drake had already drawn his sword when the Professor told them to run. Billie waved her wand and several creatures fell, paralyzed as Drake darted forward, deftly slicing the legs out from under one, following through with the swing to hack through the torso of another.
They ran, the Time Lord fumbling the key to the TARDIS for a second before the door swung open. The Professor pulled out his sonic, the device giving off its usual whirr as the doors sealed themselves.
The Time Lord sighed, smiling despite the banging against the door as he stepped to the console. He pushed the controls, looking at the monitor. He worked the controls quickly, setting the ship into motion; the group back in the room was bracing the door, though the metal of the door was bending and crinkling.
"Right," said the Professor, working the ship swiftly. "When we land, get those doors open. We have to work fast here."
The TARDIS landed just as the door began to give way. The doors opened, Billie and Drake holding open the way into the sphere. The group flooded into the ship, Rosie running up the steps to the console.
"Couldn't have been a little quicker there, could you," she asked, panting slightly.
"Sorry," said the Professor, smiling slightly. "But this old girl only moves so fast."
"Where are we going," said Athena, sighing as she leaned against the wall.
"That should be obvious," said the Professor, pulling a lever as the TARDIS set down. "We're going to take a closer look at that obelisk." The Time Lord dashed down the steps, stopping beside Lexus, looking up at the Marine, who was marveling at the size of the ship's interior.
"You doing alright," he asked.
"It's…" stammered the Marine. The Professor smirked.
"Yeah, it's bigger on the inside. You get used to it." The Time Lord opened the doors, looking up at the spiraling black obelisk.
"Now," said the Professor, pulling out his scanner, running it across a section of the obelisk. "What are you?"
"Professor," said Rosie, who had followed the Time Lord out of the ship. "This thing doesn't feel right. It's like it's watching us." The Time Lord nodded.
"I know. I feel it too," said the Professor, looking back at the open doors of the TARDIS. "Everybody else, stay there. This thing is intelligent somehow." Lexus and Stern stepped out, Lexus looking at the obelisk, Stern watching his brother. "I thought I said to stay in the ship," said the Professor, sighing heavily.
"Sir," said Stern. "I couldn't leave you alone out here with him. And besides, I'm accustomed to resisting Chaos." The Professor sighed, stepping around the tower.
The Time Lord stared blankly at the middle of the two spiraling pillars, where a swirling blue vortex was raging. "What is going on here," he said.
"That," said a voice from the vortex. "Should be obvious by now, Time Lord."
"Who are you," called the Professor to the voice.
"Sir," said Stern. "You shouldn't speak with it. The gods of the warp are tricky with their words."
"Aah," said the voice. "The Marine speaks the truth. However, I am going to speak the truth with you, as I was ordered." The Professor looked up at the warp vortex.
"Then who are you?"
The voice chuckled. "I am Tzeentch, god of change."
The Professor's eyes scanned the obelisk. "Okay then, Tzeenech, why are you here?"
"I was ordered." The reply was simple, and if there was any sort of emotion in it, it was lost on the Time Lord.
"By who?" The voice was silent, but this didn't stop the Professor. "Okay then, how do I stop the signal you're broadcasting?" The Chaos god remained silent. The Time Lord's eyes lit up. "Well," he said. "You can stay quiet if you want. But tell your boss that I'm going to be coming for him soon." He pulled a small panel from the obelisk. The vortex flickered for an instant, but didn't go out.
"You win," chuckled the voice. "But I have stolen from you, Time Lord." The Professor glared.
"Professor," called Athena from inside the ship. "Something's wrong. Help!" the Professor turned to see Pi-edi collapsed on the floor of the TARDIS. The Time Lord ran to their side, kneeling beside the fallen Jedi.
"My head," said Pi-edi. "It hurts." The Professor touched his fingertips to the man's temples. And turned, rage filling his eyes at the obelisk.
"I'm sorry," said the Time Lord, looking down at the Jedi. "I can save you, but you won't remember anything from your travels. I have to lock your memories of this time."
"Well," said the Jedi. "It is for the best, perhaps."
And The Professor acted. He didn't think of the friend he was losing or how he wanted nothing more than to kill the one who had caused this; those thoughts would come later. For that moment, there was only action. If he stopped to think he would burn just as quickly as Pi-edi's mind. So he acted, and nothing more. That was his first loss, but far from his last, for such is the path of a Time Lord.