The memory vision had ended. The Doctor was stood over the console with his hands spread out in front of him. Lilly was sat cross-legged on the floor looking at the rocky wall in front of her whilst Holly sat beside her, her hand rubbing her shoulders to comfort her.
“This just can’t be happening,” said Lilly, shaking her head. “It just can’t be.”
The Doctor glanced down at her and then back to the console. “I’m sorry, Lilly. I didn’t know.”
“Didn’t know what? That my mother’s a psychopathic killer from times long gone?” She glared up at him. “I figure you would have told me about that one.”
“Was there ever any sign?” said Holly, trying to work it out for herself. She had only met Celestia briefly, but she had always seemed like a stable, friendly woman.
“Of course there wasn’t, Holly,” said the Doctor, shaking his head and closing his eyes. “But then there wouldn’t be.”
“But what do you know about Celestia?” asked Holly.
“I’ve known her for centuries,” said the Doctor, turning around to face Holly. “Reikon was abandoned as a baby – no idea of where he had come from – and my family took him in. We remained as close as brothers could be. When we were older her met Celestia and the two fell in love. That was the end of that. They had Caleb and then Reikon and Caleb disappeared. Your mother and father had a brief romance which produced you, Lilly.”
“Yay,” she said dead-pan.
“But what about Celestia? What do you know about her?” said Holly.
The Doctor held out his hands. “Nothing. Nothing at all really. Just the basics. She was a quiet young woman who lived in a small village. She met Reikon when he was working in Zeeka City at the TARDIS construction yards.”
“So it’s entirely possible that all this is true then?”
“Well of course it’s true!” snapped the Doctor. “We’ve just seen it.”
“Hey!” said Lilly. “Leave her alone!”
“Look,” said the Doctor crouching down to them, “I’m sorry, Holly, but this is as much a shock to me as it is to Lilly. Celestia was – is – like a sister to me.” He rubbed his forehead and sighed. “What on Earth are we going to do?”
“Are you okay, Lilly?” asked Holly.
“I’m fine, Dangerfield,” said Lilly, laughing. “Not only is my adopted family a bunch of murders and abusers, my real father a psychopathic villain intent or world domination, but now my mother’s a deranged killer from the dawn of time! Is there any wonder I’m so messed up?”
“You’re not messed up, Lilly,” said Holly, hugging her. “You know that.”
“How am I meant to feel?” asked Lilly.
“Celestia is not a deranged killer,” said the Doctor, taking Lilly’s face and looking into her eyes. “The Slayer is. Celestia isn’t. Remember that.”
“She’s a real person, Lilly,” said Holly.
“Yeah, Doctor, a real person who you’ve just sent to Earth where that regeneration energy is,” said Lilly.
The Doctor’s eyes widened and he got to his feet. “We need to get to UNIT:X HQ now!”
Celestia’s fingers were tingling with power. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was feeling, but the casket was drawing her closer and closer to it. It was like she wasn’t in control of her own actions. As her hand neared the lid she felt like a veil was beginning to lift and for a moment she felt as if nothing around her or even inside herself was real.
“What’s she doing?” she heard the man they had called Osborne say from the doorway.
“Celestia?” said Reikon.
Celestia turned to face her husband, a smile playing across her face. “Oh, my dear Reikon, it all makes sense now.”
“What makes sense?” asked Reikon, his brain trying to piece together a few things that he was trying to hope weren’t true.
Celestia froze for a moment and then brought her hands down on the casket.
“No!” said Faith.
The lights went out and the lid of the casket sprang open, reacting to Celestia’s touch. Inside the glowing cloud of orange and yellow light glowed bright – almost white – and rose up out of its confinement. The room shook as everyone backed up against the walls, shielding their eyes against the blinding light.
Tendrils of the cloud had already wrapped themselves around Celestia’s wrists. She closed her eyes as the light engulfed her, her body sparkling with pinpricks of light. Slowly but surely her body absorbed the light.
Celestia gave out a final cry and threw her arms to the side as the regeneration energy and Time Lady were reunited once more.
A huge shockwave exploded from underneath Celestia knocking the empty casket flying, scattering stools, tables and equipment around the room and causing everyone to press themselves up against the walls.
And then the lights went out.
When they flicked back on Celestia was standing in the centre of the room staring at her hands curiously.
Reikon got to his feet. “Celestia, please tell me this isn’t true.” His voice was broken in emotion.
Her green eyes flicked back up to him and she smiled. “Celestia is gone. She was just a creation.”
“I don’t believe that,” said Reikon.
“What you choose to believe is your choice of course,” she said, walking towards him, “but I wouldn’t hold onto any kind of hope.”
“But you were on Gallifrey when Stark was killed,” said Faith, getting to her feet.
Celestia smiled at the blonde woman and looked at Reikon. “You and I have a psychic connection.” She tapped on her right temple. “It wouldn’t have taken much for the raw energy to control you without you knowing.”
“I didn’t kill Stark,” said Reikon.
“Are you sure about that?”
Reikon looked down at the floor where the two poisoned daggers that had killed Stark were lying, still coated in dry blood. He knelt over them and picked them up, turning them over in his hands. He didn’t believe it, but somehow it felt true.
“You didn’t do it, Reikon,” said Maxus. “She just controlled you.”
“He’s broken,” said Celestia, turning to Maxus, “you won’t be able to bring him out of this.”
“It can’t be,” said Reikon.
Celestia slowly walked over to her husband. She looked completely different. She hadn’t regenerated, but her mannerisms were completely different. She was much colder looking. Although she was smiling there wasn’t any warmth there.
“Surely you must be in there somewhere,” said Reikon.
“Oh, my dear,” said Celestia, stretching out her arms and reaching for him, “I promise you that she did have feelings for you, but that woman wasn’t me. I’ve just woken up at last.”
Reikon couldn’t contain his emotions anymore and fell into her arms.
“Reikon, no,” said Faith from the back of the room.
In one quick move Celestia grabbed Reikon, twisted him around so his back was to her front, grabbed the daggers out of his hands and then stabbed into his chest. Reikon cried out in shock as he fell to his knees.
A shot rang out from Osborne’s plasma rifle as a bolt of energy hit Celestia in the centre of her back.
“That won’t work,” said the Master, his eyes dark as he watched on. “She’s the First Time Lord, remember?”
Celestia turned to the group of worried onlookers. A flare of golden light rippled up through her body, repairing any damage to herself before she advanced towards the group.
“Let her pass!” said the Master. “She can’t be beaten, believe me.”
“A wise move,” said Celestia. She turned to the Master as the group parted. “It goes some way as to explain our daughter’s psychopathic tendencies now, doesn’t it?” She smiled.
“Where are you going?”
“To plan,” she said, pushing the lab doors open and heading into the corridor.
“Sentinel?” said Osborne, eager to go after her.
“No,” said Faith, “we can’t lose anymore.” She brought a radio up to her mouth. “All units this is Sentinel. A hostile is going to attempt to leave the building.” She took a deep breath. “This hostile cannot be killed my normal means. Allow her to leave and do not engage. We’ll get our chance soon.”
Maxus shook his head, disappointed.
Reikon was lying on the floor, blood pouring from the two puncture wounds. Faith ran to his side and dropped to her knees.
“Can’t you regenerate?”
Reikon shook his head. “I said before – the poison on the daggers kills…regeneration process.” He closed his eyes, a tear falling from the corner of his eyes. “Perhaps it’s…time.”
Faith shook her head, feeling helpless. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Just…tell the Doctor that…that I’m sorry,” said Reikon. He winced in pain and then his eyes flicked open again. He gazed up at the ceiling. “Caleb….”
And then he was gone.
Reikon’s body was laid in the morgue underneath UNIT:X HQ. The Doctor was stood over his adopted brother. He held his hand and looked down at him. There was sadness in there, but there was also anger. Anger at what had happened.
Celestia had been his friend in those early years on Gallifrey and nobody had ever suspected it. How could they? To everyone – even to herself – she was just an ordinary Time Lady. Nobody could have known truth.
He shook his head as Holly walked into the morgue, her arms folded as she leaned on the door frame. “What now, Doctor?” The Doctor looked at Holly, a look of determination on his face. “Somehow we have to stop her before she kills again.”
To be continued...
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