This is meant to be a game, right? It's meant to be fun? Of course it is - and what fun we're going to have! I mean, what is reality?

 Just a toy.

 She had tried to search for the Doctor, but he had disappeared since running off shouting something about his other self, Ace and that Master person in tow. She had tried to follow, but she had lost them, becoming confused in the corridors, and had decided to stay put, and wait for the Doctor.

 Tizana made her way along the corridors of the Capitol, dodging running Time Lords and guards, until she came upon what appeared to be the nerve center of the complex. Banks of computers lined the walls, each occupied by frantic operators who were trying to keep their assigned sections of Gallifrey under control. From the looks of things, they weren't succeeding.

 The Chancellor, what was her name... Rodan, that was it. Rodan was hovering over one of the technicians, a worried look on her face.

 "The Looms?" she was saying. "What do you mean a problem with the Looms? A power drain or what?"

 "More like a power surge," the technician was explaining. "From *inside* the Looms. More specifically, KDX Loom 125. It's like it's gone into overdrive, though where it's getting it's energy from, I have no idea."

 "So what's happening in there?" Rodan asked. She was beginning to look a little out of her depth, Tizana thought.

 "It appears to be a looming - it's creating life!" The technician could hardly believe his own words.

 "Deactivate it!" Rodan was shouting. "Without strict controls, anything can go wrong during a looming!"

 "I'm trying!" the technician was beginning to panic. "It won't let me, I have no control over it!"

 "We will have to go there in person," said Rodan, "I'll gather a squad and do it myself."

 So when Chancellor Rodan and what appeared to be a warrior woman came running out of the control room, demanding he gather his squad to accompany them to KDX Loom 125, he was a little taken aback. What could possibly go wrong in a Loom birthing room? It became obvious when they reached the Loom that something *had* gone drastically wrong. The Loom had activated itself, and that shouldn't, theoretically, be possible.

 "We have to shut it down my manual override!" Rodan was shouting. "We have to abort this birthing, it has not been properly controlled. There should be a cord leading..."

 "Too late!" cried one of the guards, "It's already started, look."

 "But that's far too quick!" replied Rodan, "There hasn't possibly been enough time to...." She stopped as she realized he guard was right. From the center of the Loom she could see movement. A shape was moving against the skin like membrane that covered the Loom. A hand. Suddenly, the membrane burst, and a Time Tot pushed its way out into the room. He was followed immediately by another, and another.

 Hinjel watched in amazement as the Time Tots emerged from the loom, one by one. They were identical, each and everyone one of them a carbon (based) copy of the last. The same dark hair, the same slightly pinched and impish face, and, Hinjel realized with a jolt, the same strange indentations in the middle of their stomach, like, what did they call them? Bellybuttons - that was it. But surely a Time Tot woven on the loom would not have one of those?

 The Tots were beginning to fill the room now, all standing, waiting, for their Cousins to join them from the Loom, and the guards were edging back towards the door, unsure of how to deal with the situation. Hinjel's hand went for his gun as he found himself surrounded on all sides, in an enclosing circle of Time Tots. One Tot detached itself from the crowd and walked towards him, its arms outstretched, an playful grin on it's face.

 "I want to play," it said. "Will you play with me?"

 Hinjel could hear Rodan's voice, screaming for him to use his blaster, but how could he? This was just a child, how could he shoot a Time Tot? He was dimly aware of his fellow guards pushing and shoving their way through the still growing crowd, trying to keep them away from the doors, while trying to get through to where Hinjel was standing.

 "It will be fun." said the Tot, who was now standing in front of him. Hinjel got the impression he was being told something unarguable, a fact rather than an opinion. His legs began to buckle underneath him, and he sank to his knees, bringing him down to the same level as the Time Tot.

 Hinjel found himself transfixed by the Tot's eyes, which seemed to bore into him with a stare so intense that he tried to look away. Only he couldn't, because now the Time Tot was holding Hinjel's head in it's hands, it's grip as strong as a molecular bonder. Hinjel tried to close his eyes, but the muscles would not obey his brain's command. He was still aware of Rodan's voice, raised above something else, something that sounded like screaming, but all he could see were those eyes, eyes that seemed to be growing, moving towards him, until the inky blackness of the iris was all he could see.

 Hinjel made a further attempt to pull free as the iris seemed to envelope him, pulling him into the eye itself, and into blackness. Hinjel probably screamed,but he didn't hear it.

 And then.... what?

 The grip was gone, and Hinjel found he could move freely once again, and the blackness that had enveloped him had been lit by a green glow coming from what appeared to be rock walls that surrounded him.

 "Where am I?" he called, his voice reverberating off the walls several times, for much longer than they should, he thought. He waited for a reply, and was just about to call again when he heard what sounded like a giggle from somewhere nearby,

 "Come on, show yourself,", said Hinjel, removing his blaster from its holster. "I'm not going to play your stupid games."

 "I want to PLAY!" shouted a voice that was unmistakably that of the Time Tot. Hinjel recognized the slightly odd accent the Tot seemed to have. Something alien. "I've got some more toys, and they want to play as well. Don't you, toys?"

 "What are you talking about?" Hinjel shouted in the direction he was sure the voice had come from, which was difficult to ascertain with the echo in here. "Just let me go."

 "No, play first, then I might put you back," the Tot's voice had moved to behind him now, and Hinjel swung round, his blaster ready to shoot, Time Tot or not.

 What Hinjel saw was not what he expected at all.

 "Just keep them back," she said as she herself was pushed towards the door, "I'll try to get reinforcements, but we must try to contain them until we decide how best to deal with them."

 She noticed that one of the guards, (Hinjel, wasn't it?) was kneeling in the center of the room, his head in the hands of one of the Time Tots. "Hinjel, what are you doing? Get up now!"

 There was no response from Hinjel who remained completely still, his eyes transfixed on those of the Time Tot. Rodan could see guards making their way towards him, pushing their way through the crowd. "Don't look them in the eye!"

 After a moments hesitation, Hinjel brought up his gun and fired repeatedly at the nearest insect, sighing with relief when the bolts cut into the creature, almost splitting it in two. The creature collapsed, obviously dead, orange blood spilling onto the rock floor.

 That was easy, thought Hinjel, and turned his attention to the other creatures, blasting at them, and watching them fall.

 Hinjel fired several shots at Juster, killing him outright. Hinjel watched him slump to the floor, then brought his blaster up to fire at the other guards, who, still in shock from what they had just witnessed, were not prepared when he fired at them too.

 Tizana turned to Rodan. "The child has disturbed his mind. Made him see things which are not there. It is a familiar trick of Zalaxal!"

 Rodan looked confused at Tizana for a moment, then turned her attention back to the birthing room. Now she could see several other guards had been brought to their knees, each one before a Time Tot who's hands held the guards' head firmly.

 "Let's get out of here before they all go mad!" shouted Rodan, heading for the corridor, Tizana in tow. Rodan and Tizana burst into the operations center to find the place in a state of mass confusion. Time Lord technicians were running around in apparent random patterns across the center of the room, going about whatever task they thought necessary to control the massive fluctuations in the Eye of Harmony.

 Rodan grabbed the nearest technician and demanded to know where she could find Candaules. The startled Time Lord told her that the last he had seen of him, he was heading toward the Matrix control center, muttering something about dematerialisation.

 "Oh no!" cried Rodan, "He's actually going to do it!"

 "Do what?, asked Tizana, obviously confused.

 "He's going to remove Gallifrey from existence!"

 "It had to be done," said Imprexa, dispassionately, "His very existence was a threat to the Universe - He carried Zalaxal inside him."

 "How can you be sure he was the one?", asked Ace, a little hope returning.

 "Because the real Doctor is currently on Kallintura, with one of my past selves. We are all connected, time means nothing. What I saw then I see now, what I will see, I have seen. It is all present." replied Imprexa, in his oh so dark voice.

 Ace was relieved to hear that, but she looked with sadness at the large form of the eight Doctor she held. "So Zalaxal is dead now, right?"

 "Yes. His emergence depended on the continued existence of that body," he said, indicating the Doctor's body. "And I think you would have known if something like that had happened."

 "Ah."

 "What?"

 "There was something. Something that the Doctor seemed to be frightened of," Ace explained, a little worriedly.

 "What do you mean?" Imprexa was becoming agitated. "Are you telling me I am too late?"

 "I don't know, I really don't," Ace replied, "But certainly something about that Ringmaster gave the Doc the willies!"

 "What Ringmaster? Where?"

 "At the fairground, before we found this TARDIS. He couldn't get away from him fast enough!"

 "Then it is possible that I *was* too late," Imprexa said, his voice sounding much less assured than before. "But if it was here, in the prison, then we may have a chance to trap him again. We must remove this TARDIS immediately." Imprexa strode over to the console, holstered his weapon, and began tapping at the controls. "Where are we going? Kallintura?" asked Ace.

 "No, I am already there. I think we should warn Gallifrey that Zalaxal has returned."

 "But you said that he was still imprisoned."

 "Never underestimate Zalaxal. If there is a way to break free, he will find it."

 "You know it's got to be done, Rodan," he said, "It's the only way of stopping Zalaxal's domination of the Universe. The only way to contain him."

 Rodan nodded, a sad look on her face. "You're right, of course, but I just wish there was another way."

 Tizana looked at Rodan. "I though you said he was going to remove Gallifrey from existence! How can you be so calm about it? You're going to die!"

 "No, we'll live on, all of us, within the Matrix. And I don't just mean mentally. Gallifrey will be recreated within the Matrix. To us, it will seem as nothing has happened. But Gallifrey will cease to exist as a planet. It is the only way to stop Zalaxal."

 Tizana shook her head, not really understanding any of it, but Rodan's earnestness was obvious. It really was the only way.

 "OK, do it," Rodan said to Candaules.

 "Interfacing now." He said, sadly, closing his eyes. There was silence for a while, and Tizana was going to say something when the air was filled with a strange trumpeting noise. An additional bank of computers appeared on the far wall, blending in with those already there so well that Tizana would not have even noticed it, had she not actually seen it arrive.

 The front panel of the unit slid open, and Ace stepped out. Tizana noticed there was blood on Ace's hands, and her watery red eyes indicated she had been crying. Tizana was about to ask Ace what had happened when she noticed the girl was not alone. Framed in the doorway was a tall, black clad figure. A figure of unmistakable power.

 "Imprexa!" cried Tizana, as she sunk to her knees, "I have done your bidding, but Zalaxal escaped me. He copied the body of a Time Lord, there was nothing I could do. I tried to destroy him, but he simply 'regenerated'. And now they've brought him here to..."

 A raised hand from Imprexa silenced her. "Do not worry, child, he has been dealt with." He seemed oblivious to the glare from Ace. "My only worry now is that I may have been too late. The girl here says that the Doctor may have seen Zalaxal, which means he has achieved corporeality. I am worried now that he will find some way of escaping his prison."

 "The Time Tots!" cried Rodan, "You don't think...."

 "What do you mean?" asked Imprexa. Tizana was not sure, but she thought she caught a slight tremble in Imprexa's booming voice.

 "One of the Looms activated itself, started creating Time Tots. They are all identical and seem to have the ability to drive my guards insane!" explained Rodan.

 Imprexa stood silent and motionless for a moment, and Tizana wondered if he was alright. She was about to ask, when he finally spoke. "Then we *are* too late. Far from protecting the Universe from Zalaxal, we have provided him with not only the means of duplicating himself, but also power over all space and time. No place, no time, no being will be safe from Zalaxal now."

 "But we're trying to do something right now, before it's too late," Rodan said, "Candaules here is about to dematerialise Gallifrey from existence. Remove it to the Matrix, where Zalaxal can do no harm."

 Imprexa nodded. "Yes, that might work. The Matrix will be an effective prison. But you realize that the Time Lords will be his inmates."

 "I know. But at least the Universe will be safe."

 On the table, Candaules gave a gasp, and a high pitched whine began emanating from the console. "It's started." said Rodan quietly.

 Suddenly, Imprexa fell to his knees, clutching his head. "Losing.... my.... connection," he gasped, obviously in pain, "cannot... contact..... my.... past... and... future.... selves."

 Tizana rushed over to him, and cradled his head in her arms.

 "What's happening to him?" shouted Ace over the whining sound.

 "I do not know," admitted Tizana, "Perhaps it is something to do with this 'Matrix'?" "Of course, " exclaimed Rodan, "Your friend here must be one fragment of his being. As he is removed from existence, his connection with the other fragments through time will be lost.

 "He's no friend of mine," muttered Ace.

 "That's as may be, but we may have to learn to get along. We are now all part of the Matrix." said Rodan.

 "You mean we're trapped inside the Matrix, no way in, no way out?" asked Ace.

 "That is right, my child," said Imprexa, staggering to his feet with the help of Tizana, "For all eternity."

 "But I have to get to the Doctor. He will know how to solve this, he always has the answers. Why can't we just take the Master's TARDIS."

 "Because the Master's TARDIS no more exists than you or I," explained Rodan, "We are now nothing but complex mathematics within the Matrix."

 "YES," boomed a voice from all around them, "VERY CLEVER. YOU MAY HAVE TRAPPED ME AGAIN, BUT AT LEAST I HAVE SOME INTERESTING COMPANY, AND A WONDERFUL NEW TOY. LET'S PLAY A GAME, A GAME WITH REALITY. THIS *WILL* BE FUN......"

 To be continued....