Gallifrey, present-day

"Your father and I spoke, after that failed mission," Braxiatel told Jenny. "About the War. And how to end it. I told him I had a plan. And I think… that gave him the hope he needed to go on."

"How long did the War last?" Jenny asked.

Braxiatel paused.

Thinking.

"I… don't know," he admitted. "I don't think anyone knows. By the end, the whole fabric of time started falling apart around us. People dying and coming back just to die again. Reality skipping time tracks like a broken record. Battles being won or lost before they were ever fought. And past battles… coming undone and unravelling, around us. To be fought again."

Jenny cringed.

Trying to imagine what it would be like to fight in those conditions… but she couldn't imagine it.

"That's why we designed the Moment," Braxiatel said. "A way to finally get all those timelines straight, so that they could be condensed… to a single point. And then… the explosion. Enough power to destroy a world or fleet forever, and make sure they stayed dead."

The Moment.

Jenny's eyes went wide. "Did you build it?" she asked.

"One of many who did," Braxiatel replied. "I can scarcely take all the credit. But… I did see…"

He trailed off.

Hesitating, once more.

"…I did see its potential," Braxiatel admitted, at last. His voice very quiet. "I may have had the ability to communicate with my other selves — but that wasn't enough. To make my plan work, I required this… energy field, surrounding the Collection. Problem was, I knew that energy field would be conquered and used by a race called the Dynadum. Bernice and the others had told me so."

He ran a hand through his hair.

"But I still needed that energy field," said Braxiatel. "I tried warning my alternate-self about the Dynadum. I told him — make sure you deal with the Dynadum before you start mucking about with it! But… apparently… it didn't work."

"I don't understand," said Jenny.

"Whatever the alternate-Braxiatel did, with the Dynadum," said Braxiatel, "it caused the energy field to be depleted. And if I was going to save the Time Lords… I needed the field at full strength! I needed that power, to bring them…!"

He stopped.

Cleared his throat.

"Yes, well," Braxiatel resumed. "I suppose the long and the short of it is… I needed something more than simply contacting my other selves. I needed something that could actually transport me through the mess of timestreams before-after-and-during the War. I needed to be able to manipulate it all, myself."

"Transport yourself through your own…?" Jenny thought back. "But Dad said that's what happened to him when he used…!"

"Yes, well, naturally," Braxiatel replied. He ran a hand down his face. "Unfortunately, it seemed the Moment was more… powerful than we first anticipated. Then some cretin went in and mucked about with it enough that it became sentient. I can't recall who."

Jenny nodded, slowly.

"No one never told me, of course, that it was sentient," Braxiatel continued. "I only learned of it when I tested the Moment — intending to cross into my own past and defeat the Dynadum, myself."

"And the Moment talked to you?" Jenny asked.

Braxiatel sat down in his chair. His eyes fixed on Jenny, the whole time. "What it showed me…" he said, very quietly. "What it could do…" He shook his head. "It was too powerful, Jenny. It was terrifying. I locked it up, and made sure no one ever used it."

"It scared you," said Jenny.

"It scared all of us," said Braxiatel. "Even your father."

"What did it show you?" Jenny asked.

"The truth."

Gallifrey, during the Time War

Braxiatel had slipped down into the secret lab, when no one else was about. Just to tinker with the Moment, see if it could do what he needed it to. If he could just… if only he could find the Dynadum, and take care of…!

"I really wish you'd stop that," came a familiar voice, from behind him. "How would you feel if someone kept coming in and sticking their hands inside you?"

Braxiatel's breath caught in his throat.

Because he knew that voice.

"Bernice," Braxiatel said, turning to face her. There she was, standing right in front of him. Except… she couldn't be! Could she? "Benny, how…?"

"Guess again," said the replica of Bernice Summerfield. Crossing her arms. "I don't know — maybe I should have shown up as someone in your future, not your past. I think you're finding this a little hard to cope with."

Braxiatel looked between the replica, and the machine he'd been tampering with. A shudder came over him, as he suddenly realized… the only explanation.

"Oh, dear," Braxiatel muttered. "This shouldn't have happened."

"My being alive, you mean?" the Moment shrugged. "Well. I'm pretty happy about it. Even if you're not." She stepped forwards. "What's the matter, Brax? You built me to be able to see any point in time. And wipe it out. Isn't that what you want?"

Braxiatel found himself lost for words.

"Or… no," the Moment said, reflecting. "That's what the others want. But not what you want." She stepped even closer to him. "You want to be able to step through and interact with your own timeline. You built me… so you could break the First Law of Time."

"I… have a responsibility," Braxiatel insisted. "A destiny. I've known, since I was eight years old — I will end this war. I will save the Time Lords."

The replica of Benny laughed. "You?! I don't think so."

Braxiatel stared.

Unnerved.

"You've been lying to yourself since age eight," the Moment told him. "Brilliant!" She stepped forwards. "Instead of bringing you to your past, Braxiatel… how about I show you your future? How this war really ends?"

Gallifrey, present-day

"Of course, I didn't want to believe what the Moment said," Braxiatel told Jenny. "Or what she showed me. It just… couldn't possibly…!"

"She told you that you wouldn't end the war?" Jenny guessed. "Because Dad would?"

Braxiatel stared down at the table, in front of him. "And… in the end, she was right," he muttered. "About everything."

"Is that what stopped you from carrying out your plan?" Jenny said. "Because you knew you wouldn't be the one to end the War?"

"On the contrary," Braxiatel replied, "I went through with my plan. When the Iron Leaves fell, and Rassilon announced his Ultimate Sanction… I met with Romana. And she told me the solution to my problem with the Dynadum."

"What happened?" Jenny asked.

Braxiatel told her.

Everything.

Gallifrey, during the Time War

He trudged through the sand, outside the capital. Was able to see her, in the distance — waiting for him at the entrance to a cave. She looked even more disheveled and worn-out than usual.

"The Iron Leaves have fallen," said Romana. "The Dagger of Rassilon failed. The Daleks are coming — and there's nothing we can do to stop them."

"This is the end," Braxiatel confirmed.

"And Rassilon knows it," said Romana. "He's preparing what he calls 'the Ultimate Sanction'. He's utterly mad, Braxiatel! He's determined to win this war, even if he has to destroy the universe to do so."

Braxiatel frowned. "Destroy the universe?"

Romana explained the whole thing to him. The Ultimate Sanction, in complete detail.

"Whatever your plan is, Braxiatel," Romana concluded, "you need to put it into action, right now. Before the Daleks wipe us out — and before Rassilon begins his Ultimate Sanction."

Braxiatel hesitated. "My plan?"

"Yes; the Doctor told me you had a plan," Romana said. "That's why I wanted to meet you out here. Where I was sure no one could overhear. Whatever your plan is, I'm in. But we have to do it now."

"Yes, well… there's a small problem," said Braxiatel. "With energy."

"Energy," Romana repeated.

At which point, Braxiatel outlined his plan to Romana. And explained how it hinged on the power he could get from that energy field — and its depletion, due to the Dynadum.

"The energy field is at half power," said Braxiatel. "Perhaps less. Not nearly enough for the purpose."

Romana said nothing for a long moment.

Pacing, in front of Braxiatel.

"Then maybe… it's time," she muttered, "to finally use our little secret."

"Secret," Braxiatel repeated.

Romana looked up at him. "You know I met the Doctor," she said, "while seeking out segments to the Key to Time."

Yes, he did.

"The White Guardian predicted that at some point, in our future, we'd need to use it," said Romana. "To stop everything from falling apart. So when the Doctor and I met at the Chaos Pool, to destroy the Key to Time… we didn't destroy it. We only pretended we did."

"I thought the segments were leaking energy," said Braxiatel. "Enough to collapse the universe."

"We used the Chaos Pool to fix the damage," Romana said. "The Doctor hid the Key to Time, and we both lied to the rest of the universe — pretending it had been destroyed. It was the secret we swore we'd go to our graves with, if need be. But we both knew… one day… we'd need that Key. For something like this."

Braxiatel met Romana's eyes.

"The Key to Time, combined with the remaining energy from your energy field," Romana said, "should be enough to do what you're planning. But you'll need the Doctor to get it for you."

The Doctor…

Braxiatel remembered what the Moment had said. Looking deep into time…

You will not end this War, Braxiatel. You cannot save the Time Lords. The only one who can… is the Doctor.

Was this what she meant?

"I'll stay behind," Romana told him. "Someone needs to distract Rassilon, so you can put the plan into action. After all, if your plan succeeds… Rassilon will never have been resurrected from the Matrix. And Rassilon will do anything to prevent that."