Days Even Darker [Complete Story]

[John Darnacan]

Days Even Darker

"An old Type-40 capsule arrives on Gallifrey with a dying Time Lord on board, a Time Lord who shouldn't even exist. His dying words are a cryptic warning. What is the "ancient conspiracy"? Why is it such a threat to Gallifrey, and the universe? And what answers does the Doctor possess? As usual, he's not telling all he knows, much to the frustration of both Faye and President Romana."

This was my third story, a 24-parter, originally posted on DW2005. It came out of two story ideas that I decided to combine. One idea was about manufacturing religions, while in the other, I wanted to explore the reason for the Doctor. It became a very complicated story, yet it came together in the end. It follows on from my story, The Phoenix Destinies. Enjoy...

[John Darnacan]

Part 1 - Endings and Beginnings

President Romanadvoratrelundar surveyed the Gallifreyan sunrise through the window of the presidential suite.. Very few rooms in the Capitol had windows, and certainly not as grand as this one. It was an architectural feature she always found unusually insular, even for Gallifreyan culture. Romana had this particular window specially installed. The more agoraphobic Time Lords detested being received here. She admittedly used that for political advantage sometimes.

She found she enjoyed the Gallifreyan sunrise above all, watching the early morning rays fight valiantly to break through the fog. Having breakfast by this early golden light invigorated her. It gave her hope that perhaps she could indeed bring about change within the stagnant Time Lord culture. She treasured her daily ritual of meditation and personal renewal. Accordingly, the beeping of her communication console at this early hour was particularly irritating.

"Yes" she said in an annoyed voice. It was Dirkred, the new Captain of the Chancellery Guard.

"My apologies, Madame President. I wouldn't be disturbing you if it weren't..."

"What is it, Captain?" she blurted out impatiently. "There seems to be a time capsule on course for Gallifrey, specifically the Panopticon.

"All TARDISes are preprogrammed to materialise in the Time Capsule Bay".

"All except Type 40s and earlier" the Captain answered. He lowered his voice. "And as you know, there is only one Type-40 capsule still in operation..."

"I'll meet you in the Panopticon immediately".

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When Romana arrived, there was a full detachment of Chancellery Guards lined up. She wished the Captain had used a little more discretion. The familiar grinding sound of a TARDIS materializing echoed and was amplified the Panopticon's unique acoustics. Romana was expecting the usual blue police box. Instead, a stone obelisk appeared.



Romana smiled to herself. The Doctor had finally mastered block transfer computation and fixed the chameleon circuit. She waited for him to emerge. After a few awkward moments, the captain and Romana looked at one another. Then they heard a door open. It was on the opposite side. They came around to find a man hanging tentatively on the doorway. He collapsed to the floor.

"Doctor?" She held up his head. It was not a face she recognized. Clearly, the Doctor had regenerated again. He looked up at her without recognition. Perhaps he was suffering from post-regeneration disorientation. He glazed eyes stared beyond her. He began to mutter.

"So no massive thought
For past futures bought
Four to hide, one to run
To shepherd the last one
Sanity thus then sought"

"Doctor?" Romana inquired

"The Doctor. Yes!" he coughed.

She suddenly sensed this was not the Doctor at all. Whoever it was, he was not in a post-regeneration disorientation. He was dying. He forced one last breath.

"Tell the Doctor, we've been betrayed. The ancient conspiracy..." he whispered With that, his head slumped back, releasing his last breath.

"He must have been at the end of his last regeneration" commented the captain.

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The Doctor stood on the Gallifreyan parapet waiting. The dusky light reflected brightly on his long white hair. He clutched the lapels of his robe high on his chest. He was lamenting the conclusions he had arrived at. Telu climbed up the steps. The Doctor turned from the setting sun. "I know what youÕre thinking" Telu said

"Are you making jokes? Hmmm?" Doctor playfully retorted in a tetchy tone. "Best you stick to your poetry."

"I know you've been restless. Now, we bring this you. I'm sorry".

"No, you were right to bring it to me. This situation is far too serious to ignore, as many might. Pelegrin has confirmed the potential of what you found is quite real. Gallifrey will never know the debt it owes you. It is a shame you must suffer for what you have uncovered".

"Are you sure we shouldn't bring the matter to the High Council?" asked Telu, in a final appeal.

"My dear fellow, what do you suppose those corrupt dolts would do? Hmmm? We each know in our hearts, that the revelation of what Peligren calls the 'historic side effect' would strike at the core of Gallifreyan society. No, the risk of this discovery being used for political advantage is too great. Our course is clear. IÕve already made the arrangements for you, Pelegrin and the others. IÕll cover your tracks, as it were. No need to worry about that".

"What about you?" Telu inquired. The Doctor frowned.

"Yes, I will leave Gallifrey. I've thought about doing so for some time now. I've had a dozen reasons, you know. Yet, I vacillated. Now, you have brought me a reason that makes the difference".

"What about your granddaughter?"

"I will take her with me. I pray it will not be too hard on her, becoming a wanderer in the fourth dimension. She is so young." The Doctor seemed lost in thought for a moment.

"Well, time grows short. Farewell, my friend. We take separate journeys, yet with the same goal".

"Good bye, Doctor". Telu watched the Doctor leave, regretting that because of his discovery, Gallifrey would now loose such sage counsel.

[John Darnacan]

Part 2 - Barcelona

For Faye Austin, Barcelona in 1904 was turning out to be quite a romantic setting. It had been a while since Faye had been in one place and time long enough for a young man take an interest in her. Faye's travels with the Doctor had made such entanglements difficult. However, there was no doubt of Pablo's interest in her. She was admittedly attracted to the young painter with the wildly unkempt hair, who had insisted Faye sit for a portrait. Posing for Pablo provided her with a lovely diversion. Despite being from times a century apart, they had much in common. They both enjoyed Paris because it was a center of their respective arts, (painting and cuisine). In fact, Pablo had plans to return the following summer, where he would share a flat with his friend Henri. Faye wasn't sure when she would get back to Paris, especially now.

Lately, there had been some tension between her and the Doctor, ever since they left London. This was largely because the Doctor left without saying good-bye to his granddaughter Susan, something Faye still didn't quite understand. Since then, the Doctor seemed to have lost interest in going anywhere, focusing only on moving books around his library. Faye couldn't tell whether he was organising them or not. There were times when he was quite meticulous, and other times when his methods appeared quite haphazard. She had offered to help as a way of easing the tension, but he seemed to prefer solitude.

So Faye asked him to land the TARDIS somewhere quiet and out of the way of galactic wars or alien encounters, while he was playing librarian. She had suggested Paris in the 1920s. However, she gladly settled for Barcelona of the early 1900s, especially since meeting the fiery, but endearing Pablo.

"Mi Senorita Faye" Pablo exclaimed in his thick Castilian accent.

"Muy bonita. Most beautiful". It was a ritual they went through at the end of every session."Por favour, you must have dinner with me tonight!" The dinner invitation was also part of the ritual.

"Not tonight. I think it's going to rain" Faye answered.

"You toy with me, my dear Faye. You disappear into the countryside. To where, I know not. What can I do to convince you to have dinner with me?" Faye smiled and nodded toward the canvas.

"No, no" Pablo answered petulantly. "No one can see the painting until it is finished". Faye smiled at him as she approached. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"That's too bad" she whispered. She walked toward the door and turned. "I'll see you tomorrow?".

"Si" Pablo answered in disappointed, yet hopeful tone.

Faye walked back along the edge of a cork tree orchard, where the TARDIS had landed. The Mediterranean breeze blew through her long brown hair. She looked up at the forming clouds. She wondered to herself, "Does the rain in Spain fall mainly on the plain?" She laughed in manner more carefree than she had felt in long time. Faye was completely unaware of the figure hiding in the shadows of the Spanish cork trees.

As Faye was passing through the TARDIS control room, she heard a beeping sound. She went over to the console to discover a flashing light on a section of the console the Doctor rarely used. The flashing light was above two ebony disks about a quarter of an inch thick and five inches in diameter. She had no idea what function they served, but decide she should apprise the Doctor. She went down to the library to tell the Doctor. A moment later, the figure from the orchard entered the TARDIS.

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Romana canceled her entire schedule for the day, much to the annoyance of two ministers and a cardinal. The captain arrived to make his report. She offered him tea and gestured him to sit. The new captain's training in proper protocol made him feel rather awkward with the informality the President was offering. The Castellan had warned him the President used a number of methods to through people off balance, including tea and panoramic windows. He sat down, determined to remain focused on his duty.

"Your report" commanded Romana.

"Madame President, it is most perplexing at this point. Although we can confirm the stranger was Gallifreyan, there is no genetic record of the man. And ever stranger is that there's no obvious reason for him not to have died, no identifiable trauma or illness."

"What about his TARDIS?"

"The time capsule is just as disturbing. It is indeed an old Type 40 design, but we have no record of its specific manufacture."

"Couldn't the record been lost? The Type 40s were created a long time ago."

"The records of time-capsule manufacture are quite complete, even going back to Rassilon's time. We might loose a TARDIS, but not the records of its manufacture."

"Or so we would think. Perhaps, it was manufactured off-world, copied by another race?" "Unlikely. All components are within the strict fabrication tolerances of a Type 40 time capsule of that particular era. I believe the machine is of authentic Gallifreyan construction". Romana looked into her tea. The angle allowed her to see the reflection of the Captain. She pondered whether she could trust his judgment.

"Keep investigating" she ordered. "TARDISes don't just appear out on nowhere".

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Faye entered the TARDIS library. The Doctor didn't seem to be about. She suddenly noticed that there was a door on the other side of the room. Either she hadn't noticed it , or the Doctor had recently added it. She went over to the newly discovered door and tried to open it, but it was locked. Faye had never come across any locked doors anywhere inside the TARDIS.

She crossed back across the room to resume her search for the Doctor. She stopped as she noticed an odd-looking pair of spectacles. The lenses were quite thick, yet there was none of the optical distortion one would expect from prescription lenses. She put them on. The glasses actually clamped themselves onto her head. She quickly wrenched them off in shock. She braved putting them on again. Once more, the glasses contracted around her temples. She looked around the room. She couldn't detect any optical distortion, magnification or any other effect, whatsoever. She picked up a book to read. The cover read the "Sensorite Cerebral and Genetic Structure". Faye disliked textbooks. She much preferred a novel or a good cookbook. She put it back on the stack. As she looked around the library she was perplexed as to what the Doctor was trying to accomplish; it was untidier than ever. She started to leave as she realized the glasses were still on. She pulled them off, and returned them to were she found them.

Then, she noticed something quite odd. The old textbook had changed. The cover was now in a different language, indecipherable symbols. How could it have just changed? She picked the book and surveyed it from different angles, thinking perhaps it was a holographic trick. The book remained unchanged.

"I didn't know you could read Sensorite" commented the Doctor, laying a stack of books on the table. He stood there looking quite serene in his green frock coat and longish brown hair. "Doctor, this book just changed languages. It was in English a moment ago."

"Nonsense"

"It's true".

"I take it you were using these?" The Doctor picked up the spectacles. Faye nodded. "They are fitted with translation lenses". He handed them to Faye who once again tried them on. The Sensorite textbook was once again in English.

"Wow. Do these translate every language?"

"No, just the ones they are programmed for". The Doctor took the textbook and flipped through it. "Ah, the Sensorites."

"Were they nasties, like the Grenzalki or the Daleks?"

"Oh, no. For the most part, they are quite pleasant and retiring" the Doctor replied. He turned. "But they confirmed what I had feared most" he softly murmured.

"Doctor" said Faye, remembering why she came down. "The console is beeping."

"Oh?" At that moment, the cloister bell began to gong. "Oh dear" he sighed.

[John Darnacan]

Part 3 - Round Thingies

"What's the matter? Isn't that the cloister bell? Doesn't that mean impending disaster?" Faye asked urgently.

"The answers to your questions, in order, are: I don't know. Yes. And not necessarily" the Doctor replied. "You said the console was beeping?"

"Yes. And a light was flashing above those round thingies".

"Round thingies?"

"The two flat, round disks"

"Oh, the round thingies". The bell gonged again. "I heard you the first time" he yelled impatiently at the ceiling. They returned to the control room. The Doctor observed the beeping and flashing coming from the hexagon-shaped console. He looked quite disgusted. He started to walk out, then came back and stared at the two ebony disks. He opened a panel on the console and ripped out a wire.

"There" he said with satisfaction. He began to leave again. Gong went the cloister bell. "Arrgh" he cried. "You really should butt out!" he yelled at the TARDIS ceiling.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Faye, after witnessing the Doctor's more-bizarre-than-usual behavior.

"The TARDIS" he answered.

"Yelling at an inanimate object?"

"Inanimate object? There's nothing inanimate about the TARDIS. The TARDIS is a living, thinking machine, perhaps not thinking in the same way we do, but still."

"Doctor, why are you so agitated over a simple malfunction?"

"It isn't a malfunction. It's worse!"

"Worse?"

"Yes, it's...it's a telepathic message from Gallifrey."

"Telepathic?"

"Would you stop repeating everything I say?"

"Repeating everything you say?" she teased. He gave her a mock-withering look.

"So how do we access this telepathic message?"

"As such". The Doctor approached the ebony disks, and placed his palms on them and closed his eyes. After a minute, he opened his eyes and removed his hands. "It's a summons, from the President of the High Council of Gallifrey" he sighed. "Wait a minute. You're telepathic?" "All Gallifreyans are, to a certain extent".

"So you've been reading my mind, all this time!"

"Mind reading? What a ridiculous concept! Minds are not like books, where just you just read from a beginning straight on to an end. Minds are complex, non-linear, entities with infinite variety of algorithms with extraordinary depth and texture. Mind reading? Whoever came up with that phrase has a lot to answer for. Telepathy is the willful projection of thought. Properly encoding one's thoughts telepathically requires training and practice".

"Sorry. No offence intended. So, are we off to Gallifrey?"

"Unfortunately, yes".

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The Doctor expected the TARDIS to materialise in the central travel bay. Instead, the TARDIS was guided to land in the Panopticon, the central hall of Time Lord society.

"Oh dear" muttered the Doctor as he looked at the monitor to see Romana and the Captain.

"Who are they? Friends of yours?"

"That is President Romanadvoratrelundar of the High Council of Time Lords"

"Are you in trouble?"

"On Gallifrey...usually".

"I suppose I should go out and say hello, given that she's gone to so much trouble".

"Should I change into something nicer?" Faye asked, looking at Romana's presidential regalia. "How should I address her?"

"Not at all. As I'm not sure what this is about, I'd prefer you'd stay inside".

"Why? Am I not good enough to meet your president?" Faye taunted him. The Doctor snapped her a sharp look, but then softened.

"I know things have been a little awkward between us lately. And, I'm sorry" the Doctor answered. "You are more than good enough to meet Romana, and expect you will. But I doubt she called me just to play a game of 11-dimensional chess ".

"You know, you get quite peculiar when things get close to home".

"With good reason. Now remember, stay out of sight". The Doctor threw the lever and exited.

"Hello, Madame President" he addressed Romana formally.

"Hello, Doctor" she smiled. "So what is so important that it drags me back to this most elegant mausoleum?"

"A little more respect would be in order, Doctor".

"That still doesn't answer the question".

"Perhaps we should talk more privately in my office". Once in the presidential suite, Romana explained about the Type-40 TARDIS and the dead, but unidentifiable, Gallifreyan. She even showed him a hologram of the dead man.

"I've never seen that face before." The Doctor's face was expressionless.

"I'm afraid I'm in the dark as much as you. So, I guess I'll be off then.

Romana began to recite:

"So no massive thought
For past futures bought
Four to hide, one to run
To shepherd the newest one
Sanity thus then sought"

"What?"

"It was the last thing he said, except for 'Tell the Doctor, we've been betrayed'. Something about an ancient conspiracy. So, are you still in the dark?"

"Yes, completely. But I'd be glad to take a look at that this mystery TARDIS for clues, as a personal favour to the President of the High Council".

"Thank you, Doctor. I'll be right along in a few minutes". The Doctor left for the Panopticon. Romana sat down looking quite sad. The Doctor had never lied to her before.

[John Darnacan]

Part 4 - Leap of Faith

Quanon, the Supreme Deity of Mendrass surveyed his temple. The bluish-white marble stood out from the surrounding landscape, it complemented blue-green foliage quite well. He was impressed with the speed in which it had been erected. Workers were attending to the final floral displays. Dremack approached. "Greetings, Your Supreme Magnificence". Quanon responded with a weak smile.

"Come now" Dremnack continued. "You should get used to it. Your divine premiere will be in only a few days. You don't want your worshipers to think you're not used to being addressed in such adoring terms".

"I know" sighed Quanon. "Still, there's so much to remember about being a god". He suddenly noticed a young woman at the edge of the clearing. She seemed to be walking straight for them.

"The holo-emitter must be malfunctioning" said Quanon . "I think that woman can see us." Dremnack looked at the approaching woman and smiled.

"Don't worry, neither she or anyone else can see us or the temple until we turn off the emitter. And when we do, your temple will miraculously appear".

"Yes, I know the plan" said Quanon impatiently.

"But if we are invisible to anyone beyond the perimeter, how is it that she is headed straight for us?"

"That is Clemissa, one of our best agents" Dremack smiled. "She has infiltrated and been accepted by the local tribes. At the appropriate time, you'll want to make her your high priestess. Now if you excuse me, I have to go back to the main office. I'll see you tomorrow, Your Magnificence".

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The Doctor reentered the Panopticon. As he went to enter the TARDIS posing as a stone obelisk, a rather large imposing guard step between him and the obelisk.

"I'm sorry. No one is allowed inside. Orders of the President of the High Council"

"No matter, she'll be along in moment to revoke that order." The Doctor went back into his own TARDIS.

"So what is this all about?" asked Faye "Well, the President has asked for my help in a certain matter."

"Well, that's obvious. You're going to keep me out of it aren't you?"

"No actually I've got a rather important job for you. You're even going to get to fly the TARDIS.

"What? I can't operate the TARDIS".

"It will be quite all right. I'm pre-programming the coordinates" the Doctor replied, as he stepping over to the console.

"Doctor, the TARDIS doesn't always end up where it's supposed to."

"If for some reason it doesn't, press the auto-return button, and you'll return right back to me. "So, what is it that you want me to do?

"I want you to find someone and bring that person back."

"Who?"

"I can't say right now" he answered as he looked at the open TARDIS door. "But you'll know as soon as you arrive, who I mean. Bring no one else! And most important, once you return, keep you and your passenger inside the TARDIS".

"Doctor, what is going on?" Faye pleaded.

"I wouldn't ask you to do this, if it weren't important. I am trusting you to do something I've never trusted anyone with. And you must trust me".

"I do trust you. I don't understand you, but I trust you".

"Good".

The Doctor activated the monitor. They could see the stone obelisk with the enormous guard still standing in front. President Romana had arrived. Apparently, she had shed her robes of high office, in favour of a more utilitarian outfit. She was talking to the guard who was indicating where the Doctor had gone.

"Once we enter the other TARDIS, dematerialize". He went to the door and turned. "Good luck".

Faye was watching the Doctor and Romana on the monitor. They eventually went inside the stone obelisk. Faye looked at the dematerialisation switch with great anxiety, as if it were taunting her for not having the courage to do what had to be done. She gulped and flipped the switch. Knowing the potential of becoming lost in time and space, it was the greatest leap of faith she had ever made.

[John Darnacan]

Part 5 - Departures & Arrivals

Pablo had followed Faye to find out where his English muse was staying. For days, he had inquired around the countryside, asking if anyone knew everyone where the gorgeous English visitor Faye had been staying. No one knew. So he made up his mind to follow his heart, and his mysterious Faye after one of their sittings.

He had carefully and quietly followed her through the cork groves to a small blue shack. In amazement, she entered, but did not come out. He wondered whether it was a latrine of some sort. However, it had English writing: Police Box. The mystery deepens, he thought with excitement. After a while, Pablo began to doubt his eyes in the fading light, so he went down to the blue shack.

He pushed the unlocked door open, and entered an unimaginable place full of things he did not recognise. Most of all was the impossible size. He was crazy, loco en la cabesa. Yet, he was drawn in. Could his mysterious Faye be in here? Was she a witch? Was he loosing his mind? He searched, for Faye, and for answers.

Now hours later, he had gotten lost in corridors that made no sense. He trapped in an evil maze.

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The Doctor and President Romana entered the old Type-40 TARDIS. It was dusty, as if it hadn't been used in centuries. The only place that where the dust was disturbed, was on the old six-sided console, where its deceased owner operated the controls. The console had the same configuration as the Doctor's TARDIS, before he upgraded it years before.

"Except for the dust, it looks to be in perfect condition" commented Romana. The Doctor nodded.

"So, when are you going to tell me the truth?" she asked.

"The truth? About what?"

"About what's going on here."

"I'm not sure"

"Not sure what's going on, or when you're going tell me?" she snapped.

"You know, remaining on Gallifrey has jaded you, in you don't mind my saying" he accused nonchalantly. He turned his gaze at the console.

"Another reason I stay away" he murmured. He paused, and turned back to Romana.

"I honestly don't what's happened here."

"But you suspect" retorted Romana. The Doctor was about to say something, but then thought better of it. He went to the console and pulled the lever, closing the exterior door.

"I suspect that the fellow who died in front of you was named Telu".

"Who is this Telu?"

"A Time Lord who left Gallifrey a long time ago".

"Why did he leave?"

"I'm not prepared to say".

"Doctor, we are friends. We've traveled together through both N-space and E-space. I've kept your secrets, including Professor Chronotis and Shada. Are you saying that you still don't trust me?"

"I'd trust you with my life. But it's not my life that is at stake".

"Then, what is?"

"I'm not exactly sure. Shall we find out?" he said indicating the dematerialization switch.

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Faye was quite anxious. As far as she knew, she was alone in the TARDIS, headed to unknown destination. She probably wouldn't even know if she made it to the right place on not. She dutifully watched the console, even though she had no idea what most of the settings meant. Finally, the central column lowered and came to a rest. The TARDIS had materialised. Faye activated the scanner. She stepped outside and realised that she was back in London.

The Doctor knew many people in London, Faye lamented. How was she supposed to figure who the Doctor wanted her to retrieve? Then, her fear reemerged about being in the wrong place and/or time. Realising that she had to at least look around before she used the auto-return switch, she stepped out of the TARDIS and locked it. The ship had landed next to the old College of Arms near St. Paul's Cathedral. She walked about a block, noticed the empty streets and looked at the skyline. Instantly, she realized exactly whom the Doctor wanted her to retrieve: Susan Foreman Campbell.

[John Darnacan]

Part 6 - Initial Investigations

Captain Dirkred was shocked beyond belief, upon hearing of the events in the Panopticon. Apparently, shortly after the President and the Doctor entered the unidentified time capsule, the Doctor's own TARDIS dematerialized. Several minutes later, the stone obelisk also dematerialized. Dirkred was in a panic. Had the President of the High Council of Time Lords been kidnapped under his very nose? To his frustration, the Castellan was off world. In the absence of the President and Castellan, the only one he could report to was his mentor, Cardinal Tegrum, which he did immediately. Tegrum remained completely quiet during the Captain's exacting report of the events.

"Interesting" Tegrum commented. His aquiline features expressed his sober consideration of the situation. "However, I doubt the Doctor kidnapped the President. Things are rarely so straightforward, when the Doctor is involved.

"Well obviously, he had an unseen accomplice."

"Perhaps, perhaps. The Doctor has been known to travel with non-Gallifreyans. However Captain, the primary mystery remains the same: Where did the other type-40 time capsule come from? Once you find out the answer to that question, I suspect other pieces of the puzzle will fall into place."

"My main concern is the safety of President Romanadvoratrelundar. If the Doctor hurts her in any way..." Dirkred was interrupted by Tegrum's chuckle. The Captain was shocked that the Cardinal might find a threat to the President's welfare amusing.

"Forgive me. Apparently, you are not as familiar the Doctor's relationship with our President as I thought. I doubt very much that the Doctor would deliberately bring harm to our Romanadvoratrelundar. Our esteemed president was once his traveling companion. She may very well be in danger, but the threat is not likely to come from the Doctor. That is why the other type-40 time capsule is where you should focus your investigation?" said Tegrum in a manner and tone that clearly signaled that this audience had come to an end.

"Thank you, Cardinal." Captain Dirkred saluted smartly and departed. The Cardinal leaned back in his chair and looked up at the rather ornate ceiling.

"Oh Doctor, what are you up to now?" Tegrum mused.

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The stone obelisk materialised. The Doctor and Romana stepped out into the subdued light of a vast stone hall. They looked back and noticed that the TARDIS still looked like stone obelisk.

"A defect in the chameleon circuit. What a coincidence." Romana commented.

"Perhaps not. The chameleon circuit is my TARDIS failed after it stayed in one place for several months. Perhaps, there is a design flaw triggered by a period of long disuse" answered the Doctor.

"Just like old times" said Romana in an effervescent tone. She realised she liked being 'just ÔRomana' again, even if just for a little while.

"Perhaps, too much like old times" muttered the Doctor, as he surveyed the remarkable columns of this grand interior. Unlike straight Doric or Ionic columns, these spiraled upward in a helical display of glowing orbs.

"A representation of DNA?" Romana ventured.

"I'd say so, unless the orbs do more than provide illumination" They approached one of the columns, each examining a different orb.

"The finest craftsmanship, I think you'll agree" beamed a voice from behind them. They turned around to find a stocky, but pleasant-looking man addressing them. "We're really quite proud of it".

"Yes, quite striking" answered Romana.

"The excellent craftsmanship, it almost speaks for itself" the Doctor continued.

"Almost?"

"Yes, well, I hope you fill us in on the finer points, as it were"

"Well, I'm not really a materials expert. It's all part of a special contract. Apparently, the inhabitants of the target market are scientifically advanced, so the genetic harmonics are very much a part of the dogma. So you see, the double-helix motif is quite symbolic and artistically supportive of the designed faith.

"Designed faith?" queried the Doctor. "You create religions" concluded Romana.

"We prefer the term, belief systems" responded the man. There was an awkward pause. "Did you have a specific appointment with one of our representatives?"

"No, when we heard about your fine work, we rushed right over"

"So you're in the market for a belief system?"

"I believe we just might".

"Excellent! My name is Dremnak, Senior Marketing & Services Director of Belief Systems Corporation.

"Yes, I'm the Doctor. And this is President Romanadvoratrelundar". Romana shot a look at the Doctor. She wasn't sure whether she was more shocked over him revealed her office, or using her full name. Not once in all the time heÕd known her had he used her full name. Apparently, the Doctor could still surprise her.

"Welcome, Madame President" said Dremnak, obviously impressed.

"May I ask who was so kind to refer you to us?" Romana and the Doctor looked at one another.

"A fellow named Telu" the Doctor answered.

"Telu? Mmmm, I don't seem to recall that name. No matter. Let's go to my office". They went out of what looked like the front entrance, into a corridor of a completely different architectural design. The temple interior was apparently a showroom of some sort. Dremnack continued on, "At Belief Systems, we are able handle all aspects of belief design including: strategic belief development, dogma design, missionary recruitment, miracle engineering, prophesy development, ritual design, liturgical applications, even heresy control".

"Heresy control, that sounds ominous" remarked Romana.

"No, not at all. We find heresy is easily diffused through misdirection". Dremnack beamed.

"We use very sophisticated socio-psychological techniques. Ah, here we are". They had arrived at Dremnack's office. "Please come in and make yourself comfortable."

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Faye walked to the Campbell's London flat, but found no one at home. She then went to 76 Totters Lane. The wreckage, caused by the Kaltarian ship crashing there, had been cleaned up, However, Cafe Foreman had not been rebuilt. This left Faye with only one alternative, to go to the ministry where David Campbell worked. After some searching, she found the Science & Technology Ministry. She approached the receptionist.

"I'd like to see David Campbell, please."

"Do you have an appointment?" asked the receptionist warily.

"No, but... I'm a friend of the family."

"I'm afraid the Minister is not seeing anyone, without an appointment" said the receptionist in her most efficient voice. "However, I'll be glad to deliver a message."

Faye wrote a note and left it with her. Faye had forgotten that David was a highly placed official, and probably even more so since the Kaltarian first contact. Frustrated, the only thing she could think to do was go back to the Campbell's flat and wait. Eventually, one of them would have to come home. As she walked back, it was getting later and darker. She had no idea that she was being followed. When she reached the Campbell's flat, she saw a severe-looking woman standing at the door.

"Can I help you?" she asked with a forced cheerfulness.

"I'm not sure" she said, reluctant to say anything. But then, she thought perhaps this woman might know Susan's whereabouts. "I'm looking for Susan Campbell."

The woman gave a nod. Suddenly, two men up came up behind her and firmly grabbed her by the arms. She struggled, but they were far too strong for her.

[John Darnacan]

Part 7 - More Questions than Answers

Faye was taken to a room deep underground. The severe-looking woman demanded to know what she relationship was with Susan Campbell. Not knowing why she was being interrogated, she said little beyond that she was the wife of David Campbell. The woman was not pleased.

There was a beep on a small communications panel on the wall. Her interrogator pressed a button, and walked out of the room. Faye had no illusions about being able to walk out, herself. She was a prisoner, but had no idea why. The Doctor had entrusted her with retrieving the most important person to him. Now she was failing him. And who knew what fate awaited her?

Suddenly, the door opened. In came a stocky man, who looked familiar.

"Hello, Faye" said Clive Renton. Minister Renton had been David Campbell's political opponent, until events during their Kaltarian first contact made them allies.

"I don't know if you remember me. We met last year, on the Drendara."

"Yes, I remember you". Faye was surprised when he said 'last year'. For her, it had only been a few weeks ago.

"My apologies for the way our security forces treated you. Everyone is rather tense, all things considered."

"I don't understand."

"We haven't made this public, but unfortunately, Susan Campbell has disappeared".

"How?"

"No one knows. She disappeared without a trace." It was clear from his expression, that he was seriously concerned. Faye remembered that Susan had been trying to construct her own TARDIS. Could she have finally been successful? "Is the Doctor with you?" Renton asked. "As I recall, he was quite the detective. Perhaps, he might have some ideas."

"No, I'm in London on my own this time. But he'll want to know as soon as possible. What about David?"

"He's off world right now, working out another diplomatic treaty. He doesn't know yet. We were hoping to have some answers before his next transmission."

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Romana and the Doctor were seated in plush chairs in front of Dremack's desk.

"So what type of belief system were you interested in?"

"We're not really sure" replied Romana. "What do you suggest?"

"Well, it depends on your needs and objectives. Doesn't it?"

"Such as?"

"Well, some of our clients seek to create a moral construct for their society, or create unity and social cohesion. We have also assembled belief systems that foster peaceful coexistence with nature. In fact, we have an unusual client, an off-world philanthropist really, who is trying to convince a primitive society to migrate towards to their equator to avoid an oncoming ice age."

Suddenly, someone caught Dremnack's eye from the corridor.

"Will you pardon me for a moment?" he said as he stood up and left the room.

"So Madame President, do you think Gallifrey could use a 'belief system'?" asked the Doctor.

"You could use it to cement you're power base." Romana realised he wasn't serious.

"Yes, I could become a living god" she laughed. "Didn't you play god once? Leela told me about Xoanon."

"Ah yes, the Mordee expedition. Well, that wasn't me really" explained the Doctor. "That was a super computer. Unfortunately, when I repaired it, I neglected to erase my personality print. So, it projected my image".

"Perhaps, you could become a consultant for Belief Systems" she suggested playfully. Then, a sudden realisation dawned on them, as they looked at one another.

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Dremnack stepped out of the office into the corridor.

"Who are they?" asked a slim blonde man called Eplinger.

"Business prospects."

"I thought we agreed that we were too busy to take on new clients" said Eplinger.

"Yes, but our work for Quanon is going quite smoothly. His divine premiere will be tomorrow, and after that Clemissa will be doing most of the work.

"I need to focus on Draist, right now. Do you understand? You don't realise how time-consuming it is to develop and implant prophecies. Writing ancient texts alone takes an age. We don't have time for a new client."

"We don't know that yet. I'm still assessing their needs. We may be able to provide them with an off-the-shelf belief system."

"The last time we sold an off-the-shelf belief systems, it resulted in a holy war. And we never got paid for that one, did we?" Eplinger reminded him.

"We don't have the resources to waste."

"I'm just prospecting, at this point. Should their faith be too labour intensive, we'll pass on the project. DonÕt worry. By the way, how is Draist doing? "Draist is becoming... 'distracted'. Now, Draist insists on playing with the Srylans. That is why I need time to focus" Eplinger insisted. Assess the needs of those two, if you must. I'm going to Salumbra."

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Clive Renton had arranged for Faye's release. She decided to leave a note for David, before she went back to Gallifrey to tell the Doctor of Susan's disappearance. She slipped the note under the front door and headed back to the TARDIS.

Suddenly, before she left the yard, she heard the sound of a TARDIS materialising. Or was it dematerialising?

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Captain Dirkred returned to Cardinal Tegrum's office.

"I've looked very closely at the records of the type-40 period. There were no apparent signs of tampering with time-capsule manufacturing records" Dirkred explained. "However, I did find something quite interesting about the Doctor's departure from Gallifrey. When he stole his TARDIS, he tried to cover the theft with a proton pulse into the security system network. However, the security system had a back-up which reloaded within several micro-seconds. It essentially failed."

"Your point?" asked Tegrum with a touch boredom in his voice.

"From what I've learned, the Doctor is far more clever than that. A proton pulse seems enormously clumsy. Then, I remembered what you said about the Doctor: 'things are rarely straightforward with the Doctor'. So I checked the records further. I even did sub-atomic scans of the recording media." The Cardinal squinted at the absurdity of such an action.

"So what did you find?" Tegrum asked with a weary impatience

"Replication traces on the recording medium. The proton pulse was always thought to be an attempt at covering the theft. While in reality, it was may have obscured a complete overwriting of our time-capsule records instead" explained the captain. Cardinal Tegrum leaned back in his chair, considering this carefully.

"Then, one might conclude that the Doctor's self-imposed exile from Gallifrey was merely a diversion to obscure something else. What would be so important to hide, that it would warrant a life-long exile?" Tegrum wondered out loud.

[John Darnacan]

Part 8 - Past Tense, Future Tense, Very Tense

Faye ran around the corner to find a blue police box 25 feet away. 'Did the TARDIS follow her?' she asked herself. She had never seen it do that before. The door of the TARDIS opened. Out stepped an old man with long white hair, followed by Susan. Faye. She watched, thoroughly confused.

"Goodbye, my dear" the old man said.

"Won't you please stay Grandfather, at least for a little while?" Susan pleaded. Faye realised that the old man was the Doctor, some time prior to his current regeneration. Here and now, he truly looked the part of a grandfather.

"There's so much I want to tell you" Susan continued.

"And apparently you will, from what you've told me will see one another in the future."

"Yes, your future, but my past" Susan replied. "I don't know if I'll ever see you again in my future".

"Just as well, my dear. It's not healthy to know too much of our own future. I've just learned far more than I ever desired to"

"Besides, let us not forget why we left in the first place. Hmmm? Right now, my time stream is in jeopardy, thanks to Borusa and that wretched 'Death Zone'. I mustn't dawdle. I must return to my proper place in the timeline".

The first Doctor kissed Susan on the forehead. She hugged him back tightly.

"Farewell my dear." With that, the Doctor went back into the TARDIS, which after a moment dematerialised. Susan looked quite sad, but then she caught sight of Faye. Her face brightened.

"Faye, what are you doing here?" she called out. Susan ran and embraced her.

"Susan, everyone has been very worried about you!" Faye looked to where the TARDIS just dematerialized.

"I'm confused. What just happened?"

"The President of Gallifrey tried to destroy Grandfather by scooping him out of time at various points in his life, and dumping them, I mean him, into the Death Zone." Faye looked alarmed.

"It's alright, the Doctors sorted it out."

"No, you don't understand. The Doctor is with President Romana right now!"

"Who is Romana?" Susan asked.

"The President of the High Council of Time Lords! Isn't that who you were talking about?"

"No, I was talking about President Borusa."

"Gallifrey has two presidents? I'm all confused. All I know is that I'm supposed to bring you back to Gallifrey. That's what the Doctor said."

"Back to Gallifrey?" Susan looked quite sober."Are you sure? Back to Gallifrey?"

"Yes!"

Susan nodded her head in resignation.

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Dremnack returned to Romana and the Doctor in the office.

"Sorry for the interruption. Where were we?" asked Dremnack.

"We were wondering how you are able to insert the religion, (pardon me, 'belief system') into the local culture. Aren't most based on ancient writings, legends, and so forth?"

"Quite so. There is often local mythology and folklore that we take into account. However, sometimes we need to imbed custom-tailored creeds and tenets."

"Fascinating. How do you do that?" Romana asked. Dremnack just smiled. "I'm afraid that is a trade secret."

"No offence, but you don't expect us to take that on faith" quipped the Doctor.

"Well, it just so happens, you've arrived at a critical time for the client I mentioned earlier, Quanon. In a few hours, he is making his divine premiere. Perhaps, there you could observe the quality of our work.

"That would be marvelous" smiled the Doctor. "It could be quite an epiphany."

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Pablo lay on the floor of the TARDIS nearly in the fetal position. He could feel a dull vibration through the floor. He couldn't imagine would make a floor hum like that. He was not sure how long he had been trapped in this diabolical maze. Was it an hour? Was it days? 'No it couldn't be days' he thought. He would be hungry by now, if it were. He started to hear noises. No, there were voices. But where were they coming from?

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Faye pressed the auto-return switch just as the Doctor had instructed. The TARDIS dematerialized smoothly. She was feeling rather proud of herself.

"I'm impressed. In all the time I traveled with Grandfather, he never let me fly the TARDIS" commented Susan, with a touch of envy.

"Well, to be honest, the Doctor preset the controls. All I did was throw the auto-return switch. If anything went wrong, I wouldn't know what to do". "Witches!" cried Pablo, who had just entered the control room.

"Let me out of here!" Pablo ran to the exterior exit, and desperately tried to claw the door open.

"No" called Susan. She remembered the devastating consequences when the doors were opened once before, while in flight. "It's too dangerous" she explained.

"Pablo, how did you get here?" Faye asked. His unkempt hair now gave him the look of a madman. He didn't seem to hear Faye.

"Brujeria! Witchcraft!" he cried out. Pablo pulled a knife out. "You brujas cannot steal the soul of an artist." He pounded his chest and lunged forward, smashing his fist into the console, causing the auto-return switch to shatter.

[John Darnacan]

Part 9 - Under Pressure

"Brujeria! Witchcraft!" Pablo cried out. He pulled a knife out. "You brujas cannot steal the soul of an artist." He pounded his chest and lunged forward, smashing his fist into the TARDIS console, causing the auto-return switch to shatter.

Susan, Faye and Pablo were all thrown across the floor as the TARDIS shuttered violently. Already in motion, Pablo's momentum caused him to smash against the wall. Susan grabbed the console in an attempt to stabilise the TARDIS. The central column settled as the TARDIS materialised.

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Dremnack, Romana and the Doctor arrived at Quanon's temple on Mendrass, via a Belief Systems TransMat beam. They materialised in private room off the main hall. For a room so small, it was amazingly light and airy.

"Welcome to Mandrass" beamed Dremnack, who promptly led them into the larger hall. The hall had a most unearthly look and feel. It took a moment before one realised it was caused by the complete absence of shadow. The wall themselves emitted just enough light to balance out shadows without actually appearing as a light source.

"Quasi-illumination, a very sophisticated technological and psychological effect" commented the Doctor.

"Even if I don't buy a belief system, I could hire them to redecorate the presidential suite" quipped Romana. "I know certain cardinals who would be completely unsettled by such a decor." The Doctor couldn't help but smile at the discomfort certain old cardinals might feel.

Suddenly, from the top of a twelve-foot platform, emerged a luminous being, whose features were radiant with a bluish light.

"Welcome to the Temple of Quanon" echoed a thunderous voice. The luminous being floated down to the ground with dignified grace. "As foretold in the Ancient Scrolls of Anoxril, my return was prophesized over a thousand years ago."

"Really?" asked the Doctor. "For thousands of years? That's amasing. And we only just decided to drop in. Absolutely remarkable." He turned to Romana. "Don't you think so?"

"Yes, quite remarkable" answered Romana. The Doctor approached the luminous Quanon.

"The bio-luminescent effect would be a straightforward radio-phosphorescence. However, the floating effect... Was it created with a gravitic dampener or an inertial stabaliser?" The Great Quanon stared at him dumbfounded.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" yelled the thin blond man named Eplinger, who was walking toward them at a fast clip, followed by Clemissa.

"We are in final dress rehearsal!" Dremnack intercepted the angry Eplinger.

"They are the potential clients. Remember?"

"What are they doing here?" snarled Eplinger.

"Observing some our best work, I hope" Dremnack intoned in whisper. "Besides, I thought you were going to Salumbra to attend to Draist."

"I was. However, Clemissa indicated that Quanon needed more coaching and practice. He's starting to feel the pressure."

"The pressure? Yes, he seems a bit unsteady. We did try to talk him out of a "living god" package, didnÕt we?"

"That's beside the point. Quanon needs to rehearse without any 'distractions'." Eplinger snapped, staring at the two unwelcome intruders.

"Very well. I'll take them outside, so you can finish. But do come and say hello, as a courtesy to President Romanavortrelundar and the Doctor." Eplinger stared intently at the Doctor and Romana chatting with Quanon.

"I have no time for this! Quanon and Draist are my priorities. Now get them out of here!"

"Very well, customer relations never was your forte." Dremnack turned and ushered Romana and the Doctor out of the temple. Eplinger turned to Clemissa.

"Did you see those two people that fool Dremnack is showing around?" Clemissa nodded. "The one called the Doctor is a Time Lord and could be very dangerous. Keep your wits about you. If he becomes a problem, eliminate him."

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Faye was tending to Pablo's injuries. He had slammed his head against wall, and been knocked out cold. She bandaged his head as well as she could. Meanwhile, Susan was trying to repair the TARDIS console. She realised that it was going to take a while to make any repairs.

"How does it look?" asked Faye.

"Well, we have at least three things working against us. One, it's been a long time since I helped Grandfather make repairs to the TARDIS. Two, he's made a lot of changes and upgrades since then, that I'm not familiar with. And three, even if I could repair the auto-return switch, I'm not sure that Gallifrey or Earth are still in the auto-return memory circuit."

"That sounds pretty grim. Do you at least know where we are?" Faye asked.

"To be quite honest, I haven't even checked."

"So, we could be back on Gallifrey" Faye ventured.



"I suppose." Susan searched and found the switch to turn on the scanner. All they could see outside was a field of blue. Susan adjusted the contrast on the monitor.

"Blue clouds? I've seen blue skies with white clouds, but never blue clouds" commented Faye. Susan checked some other instruments.

"Those blue clouds are completely poisonous. My god, we're in a gas giant, larger than Jupiter!"

"Cool."

"No, you don't understand. The extreme gravity will pull the TARDIS down to its core."

"But the TARDIS is indestructible, isn't it?"

"I don't think even the TARDIS can withstand the trillions of pounds of pressure that we'll experience near the core. We'll be crushed like an egg!"

[John Darnacan]

Part 10 - Dance of the Jellyfish

The TARDIS was in free fall inside the blue gas giant. "The extreme gravity will pull the TARDIS down to its core," explained Susan. "But the TARDIS is indestructible, isn't it?" Faye asked nervously.

"I don't think even the TARDIS can withstand the trillions of pounds of pressure that we'll experience near the core," answered Susan. "We'll be crushed like an egg!"

"How long do we have?"

"Minutes, an hour at best." Suddenly there was a loud thump.

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Dremnack led the Doctor and Romana outside Quanon's temple.

"We must stay within the holo-emitter's range, so we are not seen by the prospective believers."

"Prospective believers?"

"Those who will worship Quanon" clarified Dremnack.

"Ah" grunted the Doctor. Suddenly Dremnack noticed something that displeased him. He went over to reprimand a groundskeeper.

"So Doctor, do you have any answers?" asked Romana.

"Answer? Answers to what?" responded the Doctor.

"To what your Telu was talking about. You know, 'The ancient conspiracy', etc." The Doctor may have been ignoring her, for all she knew. While she was talking he had picked a blue leaf from a nearby tree, and licked it.

"Would you settle for a more modern conspiracy?" he asked.

"Doctor?" she asked. He picked another leaf, and offered it to her.

"Have a taste." She looked at him strangely, but took the leaf and tasted it, as he suggested."

"A rather metallic taste" she observed.

"Zerlantium, I'd say. There must be a very concentrated vein of it for it to be evident in the plant life." The Doctor turned and looked at the temple. "Why did Quanon want these people to move again?"

"The coming ice age" Romana answered.

"Odd, don't you think? Ice ages come slowly, over centuries in fact. So what's Quanon rush?" asked the Doctor.

An expression on enlightenment crossed Romana's face, as she looked down at the leaf. She realised what the doctor was implying. "Obviously he wants to mine the zerlantium. But what does this have to do with an ancient conspiracy?" Neither of them noticed Clemissa stalking them from behind some brush.

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Pablo stood up, holding his head. "Mi cabasa!" he complained. Susan and Faye turned around in fear that he might become violent again. Faye took the initiative.

"Pablo? Are you all right? You had a nasty fall." Pablo reached for his head, feeling the bandage Faye wrapped around his head.

"Si" he muttered. "No. Mi cabasa. My head hurts." He stopped to stare at the monitor. "Que es?"

"It's a monitor, like a television, only..." Then Faye realized Pablo wouldn't know what a television is. Pablo smiled.

"Es muy bonita." He seemed mesmerized by the blue colours of the gas giant's atmosphere. Even though he had no comprehension of what it was, he appreciated the aesthetics. Faye turned back to Susan.

"Do you have any idea what to do?" Faye asked.

"I'm not sure. But if you get Grandfather's tool kit, I'll give it a try" offered Susan. Before Faye was able to leave the control room, Pablo let out a cry of delight. Both Susan and Faye turned to see. On the scanner, there was an odd billowing shape floating in the atmosphere. It was a bluish translucent ball with something glowing at the center.

"It looks like a jellyfish" Faye observed.

"You may not be that far off. It must be an indigenous life form in this gas giant." Suddenly, there was a bump from below. A second 'jellyfish' appeared from below.

"We must have hit one of them. I hope we don't make them angry." There was another bump. There were now three of these creatures on the monitor, which brought a wider smile to Pablo's face. There was yet another bump.

"Fascinating. I think these creatures are playing with the TARDIS. Look at their movements. It's like they're dancing, in a floaty kind of way."

"Or toying with us" worried Faye.

"Whichever they're doing, they're also slowing our fall" Susan answered, looking at the console. Faye ran and brought the Doctor's toolbox back to Susan. Nervously, Susan tried to take the auto-return switch apart carefully so she would be able to put it back together. Fay looked on helplessly. She looked back at Pablo and the monitor. There was a new object outside, a yellow-orange sphere in the distance.



"Susan, I think there's a planet out there." Susan looked at the scanner, then the console.

"That's impossible. It looks like a very small moon, but a moon would not be able to withstand the immense gravitational forces inside a gas giant. It just shouldn't be here. It would be crushed or ripped apart."

"Well, it's getting closer" warned Faye.

"Yes. Those creatures are pushing us toward it. We're going to crash against that moon!"

[John Darnacan]

Part 11 - False Gods, False Demons

Clemissa led the Mendrassian villagers to the temple. The Doctor and Romana watched the approaching village elders using a holo-transducer that Dremnack had given them, so they could observe Quanon's divine premiere undetected. Within the holo-emitter's field, the transducers rendered the wearer invisible.

"See! Do you doubt me now, Bordren?" Clemissa called out. Bordren, the white-haired chief elder of the village, looked at the temple in awe. He and others had passed through this field hundreds of time. It had always been empty. Now, a temple of unbelievable size stood where nothing had ever existed before.

"It is a truly amasing thing" Bordren murmured.

"Miraculous" Clemissa prompted.

"How could such a thing be?" asked Grenden, another elder with close-set eyes and mane of brown hair.

"The Ancient Scrolls of Anoxril prophesised the coming of Quanon. This must be his temple!" concluded Clemissa.

"Maybe, maybe not"countered Bordren, with mixed look of awe and consternation on his face.

"Well, let us see then" Clemissa said, as she turned toward the entrance to the temple. Grendan stopped her.

"It may not be safe" Grenden warned.

"Quanon is a god of salvation! He would not harm us" she countered. "Or are you just a coward?" She turned and headed into the temple. The elders followed and entered the temple with trepidation. Would the owner of this magnificent palace take offence at their presence? They entered the main hall, awed by the eerie lighting.

Quanon appeared at the top of a twelve-foot platform, just as he had in rehearsal, emerging as a luminous being whose features were radiant with a bluish light.

"Welcome to the Temple of Quanon" echoed the thunderous voice. The luminous Quanon floated down to the ground with dignified grace. "As foretold in the Ancient Scrolls of Anoxril, my return was prophesized over a thousand years ago." Suddenly, Clemissa knelt down on one knee in reverence. The elders were startled by her action. Grenden followed her example, only kneeling on both knees. The other elders did likewise, some on one knee, some on two, leaving only Bordren standing. Quanon turned to Bordren and smiled.

"Elder Bordren, you are a skeptic," smiled Quanon." Skepticism, in moderation, is sign of wisdom."

"How do you know my name?"

"I know many things. I know when you were born, when you became an elder, even how you acquired that scar on your forehead."

With a wave of Quanon's arm, a younger Bordren appeared in hunting skins. There was a rustling of leaves. The image of the younger Bordren turned. Suddenly, a large beast jumped on the young man, ripping and tearing. Luckily, the young Bordren impaled the beast with his spear. With its last breath, it swiped a claw across Bordren's head. The blood dripped down his face. Quanon approached the real Bordren and pulled his white hair aside revealing the deep but old scar.

"It was exactly as it had happened. If I had turned a moment later, the brackabeast would have killed me. How did you...?" Words failed Bordren to describe what he had just seen.

"Elementary holography," commented Romana quietly.

"Yes," replied the Doctor. "But the historical accuracy is quite disturbing."

"He is Quanon, the Supreme Deity of Mendrass," Clemissa announced. "Knowing and showing the past".

Quanon smiled, then hesitated, suddenly realising he was missing a cue.

"I know the past, the present... and the future, which is why I have come to warn you a danger from the cold north." Suddenly a voice came out of nowhere.

"Excuse me, Quanon, Supreme Deity of Mendrass." Everyone looked around to see where the disembodied voice was coming from. "Isn't it really true that you just want these people to migrate away from the vein of zerlantium?" the Doctor continued. Quanon's luminescent special effect covered how white his face turned.

"Who calls out? Show yourself!" called out Bordren. The Doctor removed his holo-transducer and seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Hello Quanon. Good to see you again. How's the hoodwinking going?"

"Hoodwinking?" asked Bordren, having never heard the term.

"He is a demon!" cried out Clemissa. "Protect us, oh great Quanon!" Quanon stared at the Doctor blankly.

"Be gone, demon" Quanon yelled with an alarmed look in his eyes. He waved his hand. The Doctor was suddenly pulled backwards and disappeared.

"Oh thank you, oh great Quanon," said Clemissa. Again, Quanon paused. He turned to the elders.

"Return to you village" he commanded. "There may be other demons nearby. I will dispose of them and send for you. Clemissa, you have been the most faithful. I shall make you my high priestess. You will stay. Now return to you village and sleep well, and sleep safe." The villagers obediently left. As soon as the elders had left, Quanon collapsed almost apoplectic. Suddenly, the Doctor and Romana reappeared, each restrained by two burly guards. The holo-transducers had all been deactivated. Dremnack and several other armed agents also appeared

"What were y...you d...doing?" stuttered Quanon. Dremnack rushed to console Quanon.

"Thank goodness, we gave you a radio earpiece. This was a bit unexpected," soothed Dremnack. "But it may work to our advantage. Afterall, they just saw you vanquish a demon. We can blame the coming ice age on demons. IÕll get the scriptwriters and faith designers to make the appropriate adjustments."

Dremnack shot the restrained Doctor a cold look.

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"Yes. Those creatures are pushing us toward it" cried Susan. "We're going to crash against that moon!"

The "jellyfish" creatures were pushing the TARDIS closer and closer to the orangish moon. Susan checked the console again. Meanwhile, Pablo still seemed oblivious to the danger. He was absorbed by the incomprehensible images on the monitor.

"Maybe the TARDIS can't withstand being crushed at the center of a gas giant, but couldn't the TARDIS withstand banging into that small moon?" asked Faye.

"I'm sure the TARDIS can. I'm just not sure we can." Outside of materializing, the TARDIS had no way of maneuvering. So they could only watch the monitor helplessly.

"So this how it ends" Faye mumbled. "And I don't even know where or when."

"Wait. Look." Susan said. "There is a hole opening up on the surface, a square hole." Susan suddenly realized that the 'jellyfish' were slowing their descent. "They're guiding us into that hole."

The hole was exactly the right size to accept the police box shape. Once the TARDIS was in the hole, it sealed itself up, not leaving a trace that the opening ever existed.

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The Doctor and Romana were taken to a cell below the main hall.

"Funny how so many religious orders have dungeons. They're always prepared for the heretic. Although, I have to say this dungeon is far more aesthetically pleasing than most."

"I'd put it down to new construction," replied Romana. Dremnack came storming down, quite agitated.

"You really created quite a little problem."

"Only a little" asked Romana. "Good, that was part of the test, to see how well you reacted to the unexpected."

"A test?" asked Dremnack.

"Yes, after all we are considering giving you a very important and lucrative contract. And after the excellent job you did today, I'd say you've earned the contract. The earpiece was just brilliant."

"Why thank you," Dremnack smiled.

"Don't be taken in, you fool!" barked Clemissa, who just entered.

"These two are Time Lords." Clemissa turned to the Doctor.

"Time Lords?" Dremnack muttered in near hysteria.

"What are you doing here?" Clemissa demanded.

"Oh I thought that was obvious, exposing, your little sham. Ice age indeed. Ice ages take millennia. In time, the Mendrassians would have moved on their own. However, the concentrated vein of zerlantium created an incentive to get things moving a bit early. Didn't it?"

"You are very clever. And as Eplinger said, very dangerous."

"Eplinger? That chap from earlier in the hall?" replied Romana "Yes, of course, Eplinger is also a Time Lord, isn't he? That's how you were able create that holo-record of a young Bordren. You found out the important events of his life, and Eplinger went back in time to record them for playback in your little show."

"Quite demeaning, really," commented the Doctor. "Using the power of time travel to create cheap parlour tricks."

"Cheap parlour tricks? Having a Time Lord on staff that can implant 'authentic' ancient writings and create historically accurate visions is far more than a parlour trick. You clearly don't grasp the potency of what we do," snarled Clemissa. "Speaking of time, it's time for you to die."

"Really? That time already?" asked the Doctor, as he pulled a watch out of his pocket.

"My watch must be slow. I should need to have it looked at."

Clemissa raised her copper-chrome energy weapon, and aimed at the Doctor.

[John Darnacan]

Part 12 - Outside In

"Speaking of time, it's time for you to die," snarled Clemissa.

"Really? That time already?" commented the Doctor as he pulled a pockethingych out of his vest pocket."My watch must be slow. I suppose I should have it looked at". Clemissa raised her copper-chrome energy weapon, and aimed at the Doctor.

"Yes, and your friend Romana Vortlinder too."

"Romanadvoratrelundar" corrected Romana.

"Luckily, I won't have to remember it for long" snarled Clemissa.

"No, no violence" demanded Dremnack, in a slightly panicked tone. Clemissa pulled the stocky man aside in annoyance.

"You don't actually still believe they are potential customers?" she snapped.

"No, of course not," he blurted out defensively.

"But Eplinger has been preoccupied with Draist, and neglecting business. You can't deny that. Having another Time Lord around may be of value."

"You honestly think they will be willing to work with us?"

"I'm not sure. But it is an area worth exploring. All I'm saying is let us not execute any irreversible options. You can always kill them later." Clemissa, looked back at the two Time Lords in the cell and realised Dremnack might be right. She nodded in agreement. After all, these two were not going anywhere.

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While Susan checked the instruments, Faye and Pablo watched the monitor, as it revealed stone corridors inside the mysterious moon.

"We're about 120 meters below the surface and the opening has completely sealed up."

"Is there anything out there besides rock?" Faye asked. "A breathable atmosphere surprisingly" Susan paused.

"This canÕt be by chance." Susan checked the instruments further.

"Well, we're not going to learn anything staying in here" said Faye. She pulled the exterior door level. Pablo was slightly startled by the doors opening by themselves. Faye waved for Pablo to follow. The three of them left the TARDIS and set out into the stone corridor. The corridor opened into a larger space. Pablo looked back at the police box. He went to circle the TARDIS.

"Look, carvings" said Pablo. "In the wall."

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The Doctor and Romana remained confined in the cell beneath the temple for hours. The Doctor had already scoured their cell for a defect to exploit for an escape. However, none was found.

"Funny how they had the foresight to include a dungeon in their temple" Romana commented.

"Yes, fanatics usually have dungeons, prisons, cells, etc. for the less than fanatical. The more politically correct fanatics call them 're-education centers'. Funny that," commented the Doctor as he was presumably looking for a way out.

"Speaking of fanatics. I think your silence on the subject of 'ancient conspiracies' has been somewhat fanatical" Romana intoned. "What is the connection between Telu and this Eplinger?"

"I'm not sure....of course....why didn't I see it before," remarked the Doctor to himself, in sudden realization. "Telu made up bad poetry, but Peligren liked anagrams." Romana thought for a moment.

"So this Eplinger is really someone named Peligren. That still doesn't answer my question. So who is Peligren, and what is the connection?" implored Romana.

"Peligren was one of Gallifrey's most brilliant young scientists, particularly in genetics and cybernetics," explained the Doctor.

"However, he also had a keen interest inÉ" Suddenly, they heard footsteps. They both turned. Quanon appeared outside their cell, with what appeared to be a copper-chrome weapon in his hand.

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Susan and Faye looked at the carvings Pablo had found.

"I wonder what they mean?"

"I have an idea. I'll be right back". With that Faye ran back into the TARDIS. Susan and Pablo looked at one another, exchanging expressions of mutual confusion. About a minute or so later Faye returned with a pair of spectacles.

"According to the Doctor, these are translation lenses. They worked for me once." Faye put them on again. She squinted at the wall where the carvings were. She then pulled them off again and put them back on.

"What's the matter?" Susan asked.

"Well, the Doctor said they had to be programmed properly. I guess they're not. Funny, yesterday they translated Sensorite into English.

"Sensorite?" Susan hadnÕt thought of her encounter with the Sensorites in years.

"Yes, but they don't seem to be programmed to translate whatever this is. But something's happening. It's translating from one gibberish to another"

"Here, let me see." Susan took the spectacles from Faye and put them on. They were indeed translating, just not into English.

"Strange. It's translating parts of it into ancient Gallifreyan."

"What about the rest?"

"This translator can only read part."

"Do you understand ancient Gallifreyan?"

"Only a little. I'm sure Grandfather would understand it. I can only make out a bit. Like this part here. It's something about an 'historic side effect'. I canÕt make out much more than that."

"Where's Pablo?" In their preoccupation with the carvings, neither noticed that Pablo had wandered off.

"This is not a place to be wandering about" snapped Susan with slight annoyance.

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The Doctor and Romana looked at Quanon, the Supreme Deity of Mendrass.

"It's not my fault" Quanon's voice quivered. "I didn't agree to this. Murder was not in the contract!"

"Well, you're the client. Couldn't you have them release us?"

"But that's the point; I'm not the client! I'm just a field geologist of ZenTrex Mining. They made me do this whole 'god' act. You were right about the zerlantium"

"So, the deity is really just a pawn" commented Romana.

"Who do you work for? Galatron? The Megarons?"

"None of the above. We're simply investigating the death of a friend," answered the Doctor. Quanon looked appalled.

"Did these Belief Systems people do it?" he asked, clearly hoping that it wasn't true.

"We're not certain, but probably."

"I won't be party to murder" Quanon aimed his weapon at the lock on the door and fired.

"There's no one in the teleport chamber. They're all rewriting my script" he spat in disgust. "ZenTrex will be very upset with me, but I've had enough!"

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Faye and Susan split up to look for Pablo. As Susan turned the corner, she found the TARDIS in a stone alcove. Someone or something had apparently moved it. She decided to check if Pablo had gone inside. She entered, but what she found was very disorienting. It was no longer dimensionally transcendental. In fact, as she stepped inside, she realized that the inside was exactly like the outside. The blue police box was now inside out, or more correctly, outside in.

The ceiling even had the beacon light normally on the roof. She couldn't imagine any malfunction in the transdimensional control circuits that could have caused this. And had no idea how to go about repairing it. Susan decided it would be better find Faye and Pablo before trying figure out what had happened to the TARDIS.

Unfortunately, the door had closed behind her, and would not open. She was trapped in an outside-in TARDIS.

[John Darnacan]

Part 13 - Things Far Too Familiar

Faye went in the opposite direction from Susan in search of Pablo. She found him in a well-appointed dining room, decorated in a 19th century style. Pablo was there, admiring the oil paintings on the walls.

"Pablo, we need to get back."

"To Barcelona?" he asked. Faye realized that Pablo probably didn't find this environment any weirder than the TARDIS, and furthermore, didn't really distinguish between the two very much.

"We need to find Susan and get back to the TARDIS, you know, the police box."

"What is this place? How is this possible?" he murmured.

"I don't know about this place. The TARDIS brought us here." Faye tried to explain that the TARDIS could move through time and space. He found it incredible, yet what he had witnessed supported Faye's explanation, but apparently not completely. He seemed fixated on one of the oil paintings.

"How do you explain this?"

"It's only a painting"

"No, no. Es mi madre!"

"Your mother?" Faye was incredulous. She looked at the woman's portrait, and realised.

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Quanon led the Doctor and Romana back to the transmat room. "I've never operated this thing. It was always operated by Dremnack or Eplinger.

"Not to worry, I'm very good with transport technology" the Doctor assured him.

"Really? As I recall, navigating the TARDIS was always touch and go," quipped Romana.

"Hmmm, being President has made you quite cheeky" retorted the Doctor.

"No, I was always cheeky"

"Ah, so you were," admitted the Doctor. "There we go." The transmat hummed to life.

"This transmat device doesn't have adjustable destinations. It will only take us to discrete teleport nodes. Quanon, do you know which setting leads back to Belief Systems headquarters?" Suddenly a weapon discharged behind them. Romana fell to the floor. The weapon discharged again.

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Susan was beginning to panic. She didn't have her TARDIS key. It was in a box in her flat back in London. The time scoop that took her to Gallifrey didn't allow her time to retrieve it. She wasn't even sure her key would have worked here.

She tried yelling for Faye, who did have a key, but to no avail. She raised herself to look out the windows. She was shocked by what she saw. It was the Doctor, her grandfather with his long white hair. Susan called out to him, but he couldnÕt hear her. He was reading some ancient writings. Then, a tall man with fluffy white hair entered and spoke to him. Susan recognised him. He too was the Doctor, as was a third shorter man with a mop of dark hair, who pushed between them. She realized she was witnessing events that had just happening to her in the Tomb of Rassilon. She knew what to expect next. Another older, yet younger-looking, Doctor in a Victorian cricketerÕs outfit appeared in the transmat with President Borusa.

Then, these images faded. Another appeared. Susan recognized it as the Panopticon. A man with long scarf and curly hair was there, talking to a woman in animal skins and a robotic dog. She had never seen him before, but she knew who he was. She saw other scenes, of far away planets in different time periods. Other men appeared in these scenes, one with curly blond hair and clown-like coat, another one, short with an umbrella and hat. They were all Grandfather, all different, yet all the same Doctor. He had covered so much time and space, lost so many regenerations. All without her.

Susan slumped down, sobbing.

[John Darnacan]

Part 14 - Art is a Lie

Pablo seemed transfixed on the oil painting of his mother. Faye couldn't seem to get him to focus anywhere else. As she looked around the room, she couldn't help but notice the elegant dishes set out on the long dinner table. The aromas were quite enticing. In fact, she thought some of them looked very similar to some of her own culinary creations. She went to taste an interesting-looking soufflé. However, as she dipped a sthingy into the soufflé, she was suddenly reminded of Goldilocks. The image stopped her as she realised there were more important things at hand. She felt slightly ashamed of being so easily distracted.

"Pablo, we need to leave. I think all this is a lie."

"Of course, it is" Pablo smiled. "Art is a lie that helps us to realise the truth."

"Come on" she pleaded. Faye and Pablo looked around the dining room. Pablo mentioned another corridor bathed in blue light. As they came closer, it became clear the blue light was coming through skylights. They could see the 'jellyfish' bouncing against the high windows. Pablo stopped to stare at puffy creatures, but Faye shoved him lightly.

"We didn't come this way," Faye mumbled.

"Just like in the police box, endless corridors" commented Pablo. Faye would have preferred the endless corridors of the TARDIS than these endless corridors.

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The Doctor and Romana materialized on a transmat pad in a dark corridor, which was definitely not the Belief Systems home office. The Doctor turned to find Romana collapsed to the transmat pad. He pulled her off the pad in case someone followed them. He checked her pulses. "Romana?" he asked. The President of Gallifrey gave a low moan. "Doctor?" she whispered "Romana, how are you feeling?"

"What happened?" she murmured.

"You were stunned by that thug, Clemissa just as we teleported." The Doctor looked around. He turned his attention to the transmat to disable it, so the violent Clemissa would not follow. He checked on Romana again.

"Romana, you were stunned. Lay here quietly. I'm going to try and find out where we are." The Doctor headed down a stone corridor toward a T-intersection. The Doctor placed his hand on the stone wall. The temperature didn't match that of subterranean rock. Nor was the humidity consistent with a subterranean cavern. As he turned a corner, someone grabbed him from behind and drove him hard against the wall.

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Susan had finished sobbing. She felt foolish at crying over these old feelings of abandonment. The images of what she may have missed, rekindled old regrets of what might have been. She thought she had put them behind her a year ago. But apparently she hadn't completely exorcised those old feelings. Over twenty years ago, her grandfather had abandoned her. Admittedly, he had left her with David Campbell, a warm, caring and sensitive man. Then for nineteen years, nothing, until a regenerated version of her grandfather reappeared with a new companion, Faye. But then, he left again. His only goodbye was a letter given to her husband, David Campbell. A year later, she was kidnapped by the Time Scoop and reunited with her pre-regenerated grandfather. But within an hour of resolving the dilemma on Gallifrey, he returned her to Earth, not even taking time for a chat over tea.

She tried to remind herself that this was not the time for self pity. This place whatever it was, it was not the TARDIS, and she had to focus on getting out. She pulled herself up, trying not to look out the inverted windows. But out of the corner of her eye, she caught the image of a figure outside. She tried to ignore the image, telling herself it was just another illusion. But this was different; she could sense it. This was not some scene being replayed for her benefit. There was a pastel aura around the figure, no other people or places around. His hands held his jacket lapels high against his chest, as he looked down his aquiline nose at her.


"So child, are you going to stay in there all day? Hmmm?" he called to her.