He closed his eyes as he listened to the tick-tocking of the grandfather clock in his office. It always soothed him. He wasn’t sure whether it was the constant rhythm or the fact that it was so reliable and predictable, but he did know that quite often he’d drift off listening to it.
There came a knock on his office door.
He opened his eyes and frowned. He checked his watch. It was nearly two in the morning. The rest of the team were gone and, apart from the guards, there shouldn’t have been anyone else here.
“Who’s there?” he asked.
There was no reply.
He went to the locked drawer in his desk and pulled out a revolver. He checked it was loaded and then cleared his throat. “I asked who was there.”
Still no reply.
“I’m armed, you know?” he said, aiming the revolver at the closed door.
There was a click as the doorknob turned. He tensed as the door began to open incredibly slowly.
“No tricks,” he said as the door creaked on its hinges.
The light was out in the corridor outside and he couldn’t see anything. Whoever was there was lurking in the shadows.
“Show yourself!” he said through gritted teeth.
He was about to get to his feet when there came a whooshing sound. It was only a split second, but he was aware of two objects flashing from out of the darkness, a glint of light coming from them.
He felt two impacts in his chest and fell back, taking the chair with him as he came crashing to the floor, the revolver falling from his hand.
He looked at his chest – two large daggers with golden handles were sticking out of him. Each one had punctured his hearts. He gasped for air as he hand went for one of the daggers.
He could hear footsteps around him. Whoever had attacked him was in the room. He felt a heavy boot pressing down on his left arm. He tried to call out in agony, but the pain in his chest was too much. He wanted to regenerate, but he couldn’t. The daggers were coated in something. Some kind of glistening blue liquid.
“One down,” came the voice from the shadowy figure.
He realised with horror that he recognised the voice. He tried to remove the daggers but it was too late. He felt the last of his life-force ebbing away.
And then Roger Stark was dead.
Holly almost gasped in shock when she knocked on Lilly’s bedroom door and walked in. The blonde woman was wearing a white dress with a black belt. Her hair was tied back into braids and she looked like she was almost glowing. Holly felt her heart begin to beat faster.
“What do you think?” asked Lilly.
Holly almost forgot how to speak before finally managing a, “nice.”
“Only nice?” said Lilly, looking playfully hurt.
“You look…well, you look beautiful.” Holly smiled shyly.
“Oh, Dangerfield, what am I gonna do with you?” She exhaled and then rolled her neck. “I’m glad to get out of that suit.”
“And you’re feeling better now?” asked Holly, who suddenly felt out of sorts in her scruffy top and jeans.
“Never mind me, how about you? That whole business with the alternate timeline.”
“It was pretty messed up,” said Holly, “but I knew where I needed to be.”
“You destroyed an entire timeline to save me, Dangerfield,” said Lilly.
Holly nodded. She looked a little unsure of how to respond.
Lilly smiled. “Nobody’s ever done that for me.”
“You’re all I could think about,” said Holly.
“Not that little American redhead?” asked Lilly.
Holly looked away from her. She felt a little hurt.
“I’m sorry,” said Lilly. “I know I can be a little insensitive sometimes.”
Holly looked up at her and smiled. “Well that’s why I love you.”
Lilly froze, her eyes locked on Holly’s. “You certainly have a way with words, Dangerfield.”
Holly opened her mouth to speak and then the door swung open, the Doctor bursting in. “We’ve arrived.”
“Joy,” said Lilly.
“Arrived?” said Holly, grateful for the Doctor’s interruption. “Arrived where?”
“Jacarthia,” said the Doctor.
“What?!” exclaimed Holly and Lilly in unison.
“I’ve just spent Rassilon-knows how long trying to track you and Holly down and now you’re taking me back?” Lilly stood with her hands on her hips.
“Oh, I’m not taking you back, Lilly,” said the Doctor, his eyes suddenly looking a little shadowed. “I’m here to pay your father a visit.”
The Master turned; cup and saucer in hand and almost dropped his tea. Right in front of him was the Doctor. He was so close that their noses were almost touching and the Master had to take a half step backwards, the small of his back hitting the chair he’d just got up from.
“Doctor,” he said, almost afraid. “I didn’t hear you arrive.”
“That’s half of our problem, isn’t it, Master?” said the Doctor. “You always seem to drop in unannounced. I thought I’d do the same.”
“Would you like some tea?” asked the Master, indicating the white teapot sat on the large oak table.
“No thank you,” said the Doctor curtly.
“A biscuit perhaps?”
“I don’t want tea or biscuits,” said the Doctor, suddenly growing a little taller than his old friend.
“Then what…”
“I’ve come to have a little chat with you,” said the Doctor. He continued to stare right at him. He hadn’t even blinked. “I’m here to talk about what you did to Lilly – your own daughter.”
“Oh, Illithia, but that was just- ”
“Her name is Lilly,” he interrupted.
“That was all a mistake, I assure you,” said the Master, managing to back a little more away from the Doctor and work his way to the edge of the table. “Just a silly mistake.” He laughed nervously.
“A mistake that resulted in an entire timeline being created and then destroyed. A timeline where you murdered my friend.”
The Master frowned and then put his cup down on the table, suddenly finding his voice. “I did what I had to do for my daughter.”
“For yourself,” said the Doctor.
“For my daughter,” repeated the Master.
“For yourself,” came Lilly’s voice from the archway at the end of the hall.
The Master and the Doctor turned to face the girl. She was standing there holding hands with Holly. Lilly looked stern and cold and Holly looked weary of this dangerous man as he stood there head to toe in a black, high-collared suit and trousers.
“Illithia, my daughter,” smiled the Master.
“I am not your daughter,” said Lilly, her voice echoing around the stone dining hall. “It takes more than biological data to be a father.”
“She’s right, Koschei,” said Celestia as she walked into the hall from the opposite side from Lilly. “Lilly stayed with us to give you a chance and you ruined that chance.”
“She ran away.”
“Because you hadn’t changed,” said Celestia, walking around the table and standing opposite him. “You never do change. You want to change, but you can’t do it. It’s why our relationship never worked.”
“You more or less kept me a prisoner here,” said Lilly, walking into the hall with Holly following behind her.
“You belong to Gallifrey,” said the Master.
“This isn’t Gallifrey,” said Lilly. “This is your domain, not mine.”
“I have rebuilt this city,” said the Master.
“True,” said Lilly, “but the people are no better off. Yeah, they farm and they grow their own food, but they’re still poor whilst you live up here in this palace.”
“She gave you a chance,” said the Doctor, “and you failed.”
“And there will be no more chances,” said Lilly. “And that’s what you couldn’t accept. You couldn’t accept that I wanted something else.” She squeezed Holly’s hand tighter.
“You are a Gallifreyan. Your place is here. You can become a Time Lady.”
“I don’t want to become a Time Lady,” said Lilly. “Why would I want to change my face and become somebody else?”
Celestia smiled at her daughter.
“It’s not all bad,” said the Doctor. “I’ve done it a number of times.”
“Cease your prattling,” snapped the Master.
“And there he is,” said Celestia. “The old Koschei. The man who wanted to be a king.”
The Master looked between his daughter, the Doctor and Celestia. “I don’t know what more I can do.”
“Nothing,” said Lilly. “There is nothing more you can do. You had your chance, like I said.”
He looked down at the ground and shook his head.
“What do you want to do?” asked Holly.
Lilly smiled at the dark-haired woman. “I want to come back to the TARDIS with you.”
Holly smiled.
“What about you, Celestia?” asked the Master. “Do you think -”
“I shall also be joining my daughter,” she said, looking down her nose at him. “After what you did to my husband….you’re just a monster! Congratulations on rebuilding your family. I hope you’re happy in your lonely palace.”
The group was interrupted by a number of hurried footsteps heading across the polished marble stone. A young man with dark, cropped hair and a round face approached them. He was wearing a white and red tunic with a dark red cloak flowing behind.
“Craig,” said Lilly, smiling at her former school friend turned android.
“Good to see you again,” said Craig, smiling at her and then looking nervously at the Master.
“He won’t hurt you,” said Celestia. “You helped Lilly through your own kindness.”
Lilly looked guilty. It was Craig that had procured the experimental time suit and she did feel a little bad for leaving him behind when she escaped.
“I should have had you melted down,” growled the Master.
“Of course you should,” said Celestia sarcastically. “Now, what is it, Craig?”
“A message from the Capitol.” He went inside his tunic and pulled out a scroll. It was sealed with a wax imprint of the High Council’s seal. “It’s been written by President Anastania herself.” He opened it up and read it out. “To Koschei and Celestia of Jacarthia. As you have cut off all communication with the outside world we must contact you the old fashioned way. A situation has arisen on Earth.”
The Doctor looked worriedly at Holly and Lilly.
Craig continued to read the scroll. “Strange readings have been detected from the 21st century time zone. We believe it to involve an ancient enemy of the Time Lords.”
Holly felt her blood run cold. Was this the First Time Lord that Mortimus had spoken about?
“The situation on Earth is about to become very desperate if we do not step in. Already one of our own has fallen. I’m afraid to tell you that the former mayor of Jacarthia, Stakran – who you now know as Roger Stark – has been killed.”
“No,” said the Doctor. “Poor Roger.”
“I implore you to come to the capitol immediately. This situation has to be contained and there is little time left to stop it from escalating. The First Time Lord is rising.”
To be continued...
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