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He flicked a switch and stood back. An image appeared on the monitor. Ruby noticed the massive hall as the new Panoptican. This time it was full of people. She smiled. Saying it was full was an understatement, since she had a feeling that the people in the hall represented most of the population of Outpost Gallifrey. There was not many of them; a couple of hundred, no more. They made the Panoptican look bigger than ever. Two people stood on the central dais, both in the same black robes. One of them, an older looking woman was speaking. The young man beside her was beaming, his body barely able to contain his excitement. The woman ceased talking and the people in the hall began to clap. As they did so a rather large, bulky figure stepped onto the dais. Ruby could not believe her eyes. She glanced at the Doctor. The same incredulous look was on his face, too. She looked back at the monitor. The large man in the golden robes spread his arms wide and opened his bearded mouth to speak. ‘It’s you, Doctor,’ Ruby said in shock. The Doctor arched his body down and peered intently at the screen. ‘Yes, Ruby, I rather believe it is.’ He placed the tips of his fingers on the monitor screen. ‘Could it be that we buried him when he was not fully dead?’ 
Episode Two Ruby looked at the Doctor blankly, but her friend did not remove his eyes from the screen, yet he responded as if he could see her reaction. ‘If the Doctor is back then I am not needed. I was, after all, only created to carry on his legacy.’ ‘But he died, saving Earth you said. You buried him yourself.’ The Doctor nodded slowly. ‘Yes, after recovering his body from Nova Mondas. But maybe he was not fully dead.’ ‘You’re talking rubbish. How can someone not be fully dead? You’re either dead or you’re not. Fact of life.’ The Doctor looked up from the monitor, and for the first time Ruby noticed the absence of hope in his eyes. ‘A fact of life for humans, perhaps. But I am a Time Lord… or, at least, the Doctor is. There are many mysteries about Time Lords, Ruby, mysteries that no one quite understands, not even the Time Lords themselves.’ He rubbed his earlobe. ‘Plus, of course, the Doctor was the catalyst for the alteration of the universe. It could have changed him somehow, made him immortal maybe.’ ‘Surely you would know.’ ‘Not necessarily, no. All of the memories of the Doctor are stored in the TARDIS, and thanks to the symbiotic link I share with her I have access to those memories. But the memories stored there are merely the memories transferred by the Doctor when I discovered his dying body on Nova Mondas. What if he did not transfer all of them?’ Ruby rubbed her head. ‘Why wouldn’t he?’ ‘Of that I am not sure. Maybe he wanted me to carry on while his body recovered? And now he has come to Outpost Gallifrey to…’ The Doctor let out a sigh. ‘To become President? It makes no sense. Why would I, or he, want to do that? I just do not know.’ Ruby looked around the room that they were in. It was a nice enough room, if a bit too functional for her liking, but at the end of the day there was a guard outside and they were prisoners. ‘And that doesn’t make sense, either.’ During Ruby’s musings, the Doctor had walked over to the bed and sat down. He looked up from his own thoughts. ‘What?’ ‘Say you are correct, that doesn’t explain why we are being kept prisoner here.’ ‘You can be sure the Doctor has a reason, he always does.’ ‘You are the Doctor!’ Ruby said forcefully. ‘No,’ he said with a shake of his head, ‘I am but a clone. It is so easy to forget.’ Ruby looked away from him and stared at the image on the monitor. The Gallifreya were dispersing, and of the large Doctor there was no sign. ‘Something is very wrong here.’ She spun around and faced the Doctor, anger bursting forth. ‘And you’re just going to sit there and wallow in self-pity? I would have thought that after the Furies, self-pity would be the farthest thing from your mind.’ The Doctor looked up, surprised. Ruby took a deep breath and straightened out her cardigan. ‘Sorry, Doctor, not sure where that little outburst came from, but it needed saying.’ Now it was Ruby’s turn to be surprised, as the Doctor grinned at her. ‘Yes, I suppose it did. But, you know, Ruby, I was not wallowing in self-pity, I was merely stating the facts.’ He chuckled softly. ‘I am sure there is an irony here. After all that happened with the Furies I had come to accept that I really am the Doctor now, which is partly why I went to Orion. To say goodbye to the past.’ He shrugged. ‘So, here we are again. I am a clone, and the new President of the Gallifreya is the Doctor.’ Ruby went and sat on the bed next to her companion and placed a reassuring hand on his leg. ‘Fine, but it still doesn’t give him or your people the right to treat you like this.’ She glared pointedly at the closed door. ‘I’ll give them “impostor”!’ The Doctor took Ruby’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘You are quite right.’ Ruby could not help but smile as the determination returned to the Doctor’s composure. She watched with joy as he stood up and marched over to the door, then banged his fist on it and said loudly: ‘Open this door immediately! I am your Lord President and you will do as I say!’ He looked back at Ruby and winked. Rewunderer followed his new leader into the presidential chamber. Throughout the investiture the young Gallifreya could barely contain his excitement. Standing next to his biggest hero was the high point of his life so far. Being one of the survivors from Gallifrey was nothing when compared to standing beside the Doctor. The living legend himself! Rewunderer smiled. Zelante and Shinjiru were so jealous. He could still see the look on their faces as they stood among the crowd watching his moment of glory. He closed the door behind him and waited for the Doctor to address him. Since first entering the chamber, and his first meeting with the Doctor, Rewunderer had wanted to say so many things to him, but the words would not come. Instead he just did as he was told. The President undid his golden robes and let them drop to the floor. He stepped over them, clad only in his undergarments, and Rewunderer scurried after him to pick up the robes. ‘Did you find Ooblitan?’ the President Doctor asked. Rewunderer looked up from his scurrying. ‘Erm… yes, my Lord, I did. He should be…’ A door chime interrupted him. The President turned to look at the door, and smiled broadly. ‘That’ll be him, then. Open the door, Rewunderer.’ A look of horror swept across Rewunderer’s face. ‘But, you are undressed!’ The President Doctor looked down at his garments. ‘Yes. So? Open the door.’ ‘Yes, my Lord.’ Rewunderer held the robes in his arms and walked over to the door. With some difficulty he juggled the robes and opened the door without creasing the golden presidential wear. Rewunderer looked at Ooblitan in the corridor and noticed the look of amusement on his face. ‘Ooblitan!’ the voice of the President boomed. ‘Come on in.’ Ooblitan did as he was bid. He was a tall, slim man, with brown skin and dark hair. He eyed the state of undress of his host, but said nothing. Rewunderer went to close the door, but was interrupted again, this time by the President Doctor himself. ‘Run along now, Rewunderer, there’s a good boy. Ooblitan and I have things to talk about.’ ‘But, my Lord, there…’ The President gave Ooblitan a long suffering look, and in return received a knowing smile, then pushed his way passed Ooblitan and took the robes off Rewunderer. The young Gallifreya could not believe what was happening. Without another word the President Doctor shoved him out of the door. ‘Bye,’ he said with a wave, ‘pass on my regards to your little friends.’ Once the door was closed the President looked down at the robes in his hands and tossed them aside. ‘Sometimes pomp and circumstance serve their purpose, but at other times they just get in the way, don’t you agree, Ooblitan?’ The other man eyed the new leader of the Gallifreya with uncertainty. After a few moments of silence, Ooblitan smiled. ‘Indeed I do, Doctor.’ The President smiled, his eyes shining. ‘Great. Away with all the formalities. Just as I like it.’ He walked over to Ooblitan and placed a large arm over the thinner man. ‘You were a member of the Tribunal back on Gallifrey, weren’t you?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘One of three who exiled me to Earth. As I thought.’ The President Doctor nodded, removed his arm and took a seat. ‘I have a mission for you. A very important one it is too. I’ve discovered a rupture in reality, a central vortex that is threatening to bring the old reality back into this one. It is on the planet Yahanis…’ Ruby was bemused. The door had been opened after several more minutes of incessant hammering from the Doctor, and since then her friend had been twisting the guard up in an amazing display of linguistic gymnastics. Ruby was getting dizzy just listening to him. She felt sorry for the guard. He looked so young, and so confused. ‘So, since I am your President you have to let me go. You can not, after all, keep the President of Outpost Gallifrey a prisoner.’ The guard shook his head, his brow furrowed. ‘But you’re not the President. The Doctor has just been sworn in at the Great Hall.’ The Doctor nodded, and said, with slow emphasis, ‘I am the Doctor.’ ‘It’s true, you know,’ Ruby chirped in. The Doctor smiled. ‘Indeed. The Doctor that has just been sworn in is my previous incarnation, so therefore that also makes me Lord President.’ The guard looked him up and down. ‘You’re not the Doctor. The Doctor personally asked me to place you under guard. Why would you do that to yourself?’ ‘Why indeed? Perhaps it is a test. If so, you have passed with flying colours.’ The Doctor beamed, but the guard still looked uncertain. The Doctor let out a sigh. ‘Listen, I have an idea. Shall we link minds? That way you can know for sure that I am not lying.’ Before the guard could say anything the Doctor had taken the gun from him and handed it to Ruby. She looked down at the gun, then at the Doctor. He winked at her. ‘This is what we shall do,’ he said looking back at the guard. ‘Ruby will point the gun at me. If I try anything during the linking she will shoot me.’ The guard did not look convinced. ‘Doctor, what are you –‘ The Doctor looked at Ruby, interrupting her, and nodded his head pointedly. ‘You will shoot me, will you not?’ Ruby had no idea what he was playing at, but she decided to play along, and pointed the gun at the Doctor. ‘Yes, I will.’ She offered the guard a reassuring smile. The Doctor reached out a hand and placed his index finger on the guard’s forehead. He raised his eyebrows. ‘Well?’ The guard drew a deep breath and copied the Doctor’s example. ‘Contact,’ they both said in unison and closed their eyes. The President Doctor stepped from the antechamber into his main area of residence. He was now dressed in a brown pair of trousers and a pale blue shirt, over which he wore a large afghan coat. ‘Active,’ he said and a hologram appeared before him. The hologram took up the entire length between the floor and the ceiling. It showed an idyllic looking garden, in which sat three people. One woman, with long flowing dark hair, was sitting on a cloud. The other two were a man dressed in a multi-coloured outfit and a woman dressed in a soft, almost transparent dress. Her red hair was cut short, only serving to accent her green eyes. The President looked directly at the colourfully attired man. ‘Jester, it has been done. Ooblitan has been given the cover story and is own his way to Yahanis. Intercept him. We must secure the Tiger’s Eyes.’ The Jester nodded, and in a puff of smoke he vanished. ‘Goddesses,’ the President Doctor said, ‘is all prepared on Forum World?’ The woman with the short hair smiled. ‘It is indeed. Are you sure this will work?’ ‘Oh yes, no doubt about it. The Gallifreya have no idea.’ The President looked down at himself. ‘Look at me. I’m the Doctor, and I’ve come home to take my rightful place as leader. The great rebel, ready to bring a sense of right and wrong to my people.’ His smile faded. ‘But we do seem to have a problem.’ ‘I knew it!’ The Goddess of Dreamers looked down at her fellow Goddess. ‘Didn’t I say so? This plan was bound to fail.’ The Supreme Goddess raised her hand to placate her junior. ‘Be at peace with yourself.’ She looked at the President Doctor. ‘And what is the problem?’ ‘The clone has found his way to Outpost Gallifrey.’ The Supreme Goddess’ green eyes turned dark. ‘How? You said that no one could get to Outpost Gallifrey without the Book.’ ‘Yes, I know…’ The President looked around his chamber sheepishly. ‘But the Book seems to have vanished.’ ‘Then someone is working against us.’ The Supreme Goddess clapped her hands once. ‘Very well. Proceed with the plan. Once I am with you we can find out how the clone got the Book.’ The hologram dissipated, leaving the Doctor President standing in the middle of the empty chamber. He remained where he was, for a few moments, then walked over to the far wall. He pressed the button on the communication panel that was a part of the wall. ‘Yes, my Lord,’ came a female voice. ‘Moulivia, see to it that my clone is brought here. I want to…’ ‘I’m sorry, Lord President, but the clone has escaped.’ The Doctor President closed his eyes. ‘Then find him,’ he said slowly, the anger barely suppressed. ‘He can’t have got far.’ ‘Yes, my Lord.’ ‘And Moulivia?’ ‘Yes, my Lord?’ ‘Send Rewunderer to me. I have need of his services.’ He depressed the button and narrowed his eyes. Arranging for an ambassadorial visit from the Millennium People would be child’s play, but dealing with the clone… that was another matter entirely. He did not care one iota how the clone had got hold of the Book, all the President Doctor cared was that the copy was a threat to their big plans for Outpost Gallifrey. Which meant that the clone Doctor had to be removed as soon as possible. The tall, thin man was dressed in the dark suit probably favoured by a Victorian eccentric. He pushed through the woods, but suddenly stopped. He turned to face the young black woman behind him. She smiled and raised her eyebrows. ‘What is it this time, Doctor?’ ‘I’ve just had a very disturbing thought, Alison.’ ‘Oh great. Now what is it?’ The door chimes echoed around the room. Zelante tutted and paused the holo-recording. Shinjiru turned her chair around in time to notice the person enter the room. ‘It’s Rewunderer!’ Zelante was out of his chair in a second. He ushered his friend further into the room, barely able to contain his excitement. ‘What was he like?’ Rewunderer nodded towards the frozen image. ‘I don’t want to interrupt your programme.’ Zelante waved it away. ‘That’s just a what-could-have-been. Why waste time with that when we’ve got the real thing?’ ‘But you said…’ Shinjiru trailed off after receiving a chastising look from Zelante. She let out a sigh and sat back in her seat. ‘Oh, don’t mind me,’ she mumbled to herself. Rewunderer smiled, still glowing from being in the Doctor’s presence. ‘He’s just like we expected. He’s only been here a short while and all ready he’s plotting something.’ ‘Preventing an invasion?’ Zelante asked. Rewunderer shrugged. ‘Might be, don’t know. He’s playing everything very close to his hearts.’ ‘The Doctor can’t be preventing an invasion,’ Shinjiru pointed out. Zelante looked at her, but she ignored him. ‘No one can get on Outpost Gallifrey, remember?’ ‘The Doctor did,’ Zelante reminded her. ‘Yes, true. But he’s the Doctor.’ Both Rewunderer and Zelante had to agree with that simple statement. There was little that the Doctor could not do. Shinjiru smiled in triumph, glad to have scored a point in front of Zelante. ‘So, when do we get to meet him?’ she asked, hoping to demonstrate her cleverness further. The question was a simple enough one, but not one Zelante would have came up with. Rewunderer looked from one to the other. He did not want to admit the next part, but he could hardly escape it now. ‘Doesn’t seem likely. The Doctor is very specific about what he wants, and he made it quite clear to me that he doesn’t want to be bothered by… well, us.’ Zelante just smiled smugly. ‘He hasn’t met us yet, that’s why.’ Rewunderer was tempted to repeat what the Doctor President had said about his “little friends”, just to wipe that smile off Zelante’s face, but he could not bring himself to do so. Instead an uncomfortable silence settled in the room. Rewunderer was saved by the buzz of the communications relay. He quickly moved over to the unit on the wall beside the door, and pressed the button. ‘Hello. Rewunderer?’ A commanding female voice spoke. ‘This is Moulivia, the President wants to see you immediately.’ ‘I’m already on my way.’ Rewunderer depressed the button and glanced over at his two friends. ‘Sorry, got to rush off. Until later, then.’ With a smile he opened the door and ran out of the room. Zelante remained where he was standing, just looking at the closed door. He narrowed his eyes. ‘We should follow him.’ Shinjiru gave him an incredulous look. ‘What?’ ‘Well, you do want to meet the Doctor, don’t you?’ ‘Um… yeah. But…’ ‘But nothing. Think about it, we’ve been keeping the Doctor’s name alive on Outpost Gallifrey since the upheaval. We’re responsible for any fame he has. He owes us.’ Zelante could see that Shinjiru was on the verge of breaking. To egg her on further he walked towards the door. ‘Come on, before it’s too late.’ ‘Are you sure this is such a good idea, Doctor?’ They came to an abrupt halt before turning the corner. The Doctor pressed himself against the wall and glanced around the corner. ‘Oh yes, Ruby, I am quite sure. That many old looking Gallifreya going in one direction? There can be only one reason for that.’ Since leaving the poor guard protecting an empty room Ruby had followed the Doctor through many long corridors on Outpost Gallifrey, and they had almost came into contact with several young people. Almost none of them looked older than their mid-twenties, although the Doctor insisted that they were much older than that. It was not until they had stumbled into a room, after almost colliding with two more young people, that they saw anyone older than twenty-five. The Doctor and Ruby had hid in the shadows of the low-lit room, watching as a woman, who seemed to be in her late fifties, received a message. Neither Ruby nor the Doctor could hear what the message had been, but the reaction of the old woman was instant. She rushed into an adjoining room, and seconds later came back out dressed in a long black gown lined with silver piping. The Doctor and Ruby waited a few seconds after the woman had left her room, before taking a peek outside the door. What they had seen peaked the Doctor’s curiosity instantaneously. The old woman had joined a small procession of old people, all dressed in replicas of her robe, and they had set off down the corridor. ‘Shall we follow them?’ It was a rhetorical question from the Doctor, as Ruby quickly learned when he began to follow the procession, keeping a safe distance so as not to be spotted. Ruby, with little other option, had followed the Doctor up to the corner, but had to ask: ‘Are you sure this is such a good idea, Doctor?’ They had come to an abrupt halt before turning the corner. The Doctor pressed himself against the wall and glanced around the corner. ‘Oh yes, Ruby, I am quite sure,’ he had answered in a low voice, almost a whisper. ‘That many old looking Gallifreya going in one direction? There can be only one reason for that.’ ‘Which is?’ Ruby enquired, equally low. ‘They have been called to an important meeting by their President.’ ‘Which is you.’ The Doctor nodded in satisfaction, his head still poking around the corner. ‘Exactly.’ Ruby let out a quiet exclamation as she began to see where he was going with his thought. ‘The quickest way to find out where the President’s room…’ ‘Other than asking someone…’ ‘… Is to follow the people who are going there…’ ‘… Which saves us getting caught again.’ The Doctor looked back at Ruby, a wide grin of satisfaction on his face. ‘Well, I thought that was a sound plan.’ ‘Sound as a pound, pet.’ The Doctor frowned and reached into his trouser pocket. He pulled out a small coin and held it to his ear. ‘Oh yes, you are quite correct.’ He handed the coin to Ruby. ‘Shall we?’ He turned the corner, leaving Ruby looking at the coin in her hand. It was a pound piece, minted in 1992. Rewunderer looked around the hall, feeling quite cowed by the company in which he suddenly found himself. Being around the Doctor was one thing, after all, after watching each of his adventures in the Space/Time Holo-visualiser, Rewunderer felt like he knew the Doctor of old, but to be in the same place as all the Elders… They were the people who had made Outpost Gallifrey a reality. Rewunderer still remembered the day that Zelante and he had created the Holo-visualiser. Their first “show” had been watching the Doctor prevent an invasion of Earth by a race called Ice Warriors. It was not long before Shinjiru joined Rewunderer and Zelante, and the three of them spent their free time watching all the adventures of the Doctor, through nine incarnations. Then came the fateful day when they had witnessed another rogue Time Lord, calling himself the Master, travelling into the Doctor’s past. The events that had followed were unbelievable. A door slammed shut and Rewunderer was snapped out of his reverie. The lights in the hall dimmed until they were all shrouded in pitch-blackness. One by one six narrow beams of light shot out of the ceiling, illuminating each of the four Elders, Rewunderer himself and finally the Doctor President. Moulivia opened her mouth to speak, to call the meeting to order, but the President interrupted her. ‘Right then, let’s get down to business.’ The Elders cast dark looks at the Doctor President for his breach of decorum. All ready since they had entered, Rewunderer had noticed several sideways looks at the President and the attire he wore. Even now, away from Gallifrey, the Elders were finding it difficult to give up their instinctive rules of conduct. Part of the reason the Gallifreya had abandoned Gallifrey before the upheaval, and why they had so welcomed the Doctor as their new leader. ‘We have very little time,’ the President continued. ‘Since shutting yourselves off from the rest of the new universe a lot has happened.’ He looked at each Elder in turn. ‘You’ve missed quite a bit, I can tell you.’ Rewunderer knew this was true. He and his friends had been watching things on the Holo-visualiser, and he could confirm that things were indeed very different out there. Not that he was allowed to speak in this meeting, of course. ‘Most importantly, however, new Lords of Time have arisen. They call themselves the Millennium People, and through chaos they keep the timelines in check. As you probably know chaos brings about change, and change is at the heart of what the universe is.’ ‘Then we should help them,’ Moulivia said. ‘This is what we have been waiting for, why we left Gallifrey.’ ‘It is?’ The Doctor President could not hide his surprise. ‘Yes. The High Council of Gallifrey did nothing, as you well know, Lord President.’ ‘Oh yes, I know that all right. Quite content to sit there observing when they could’ve been out there getting involved. Helping.’ The Doctor President nodded, stroking his great beard. For a moment he continued, thinking things through. Finally he smiled. ‘Then we are agreed, Elders. I intend to invite an ambassador from the Millennium People to come to Outpost Gallifrey, and then we’ll have some talks. Bring our two peoples together.’ Moulivia bowed her head. ‘As you wish, Lord President. Would you like me to…’ The unexpected opening of the door interrupted the meeting. Light shone from the hallway beyond, illuminating the silhouettes of two people. One tall, the other shorter and plump. A voice echoed around the hall. ‘There I am. What is going on here?’ The Doctor President narrowed his eyes, but the light behind the two newcomers prevented him from making out who had spoken. He looked up at the ceiling and sent out a thought impulse. The beams of light faded, one by one, and for a few moments the room was in darkness once again, but for the light in the corridor. Slowly the hall was bathed in light and everything became clear. Rewunderer recognised the man in the doorway, and the woman beside him. He could not recall her name, but he knew the name of the man. It was the Doctor… or rather, the clone of the Doctor. Rewunderer looked across at the Doctor President to see how he took the intrusion. The large man walked across the hall until he was only a few feet from the clone. The two Doctors stood looking at each other. The thinner Doctor narrowed his eyes, and glanced at his female companion. For a second Rewunderer was sure he had seen confusion in the Doctor’s eyes. When he looked back at his larger self, the confusion was gone, replaced by something else, something that Rewunderer did not recognise. ‘What is going on here?’ the thin Doctor asked. The President Doctor stroked his beard, with a smile. ‘You really shouldn’t have come here. While you were out there roaming the universe you were safe. But not now, not on Outpost Gallifrey.’ The Doctor stepped closer. ‘Are you threatening me?’ Now it was the turn of the plump woman to look confused. The President Doctor let out a short laugh. ‘Ha!’ He looked over at Moulivia. ‘Take this… thing… into custody.’ He looked back at the Doctor. ‘It has to be destroyed.’ Moulivia walked over to them, not understanding at all. ‘But, my Lord, we are not barbarians. We do not…’ ‘You will do as I say! This thing is a clone, a copy I made from my own DNA. It’s served its purpose.’ Moulivia looked at the Doctor as if he were an exhibit in a freak show. She nodded at the Doctor President. ‘Yes, Lord President.’ She clicked her fingers and two Elders stepped forward. ‘Take him!’ ‘Wait just a minute,’ the Doctor said, holding his arms up. ‘You cannot do this to me. I am a sentient being. I am not the impostor here… he is!’ He pointed at the Doctor President. ‘Something must have happened to him on the Eye of Orion. The Doctor would never order the death of a sentient being.’ ‘The only sentience you have is what I’ve given you,’ the Doctor President said. ‘Get rid of him.’ The two Elders grabbed the Doctor by the arms. The plump woman reached out to him. ‘Doctor, they can’t do this to you.’ ‘Ruby, I…’ The Doctor did not know what to say. Ruby made to pull one of the Elders off the Doctor, but Moulivia had stepped forward and pulled Ruby away. ‘What are you doing?’ Moulivia held on tight. ‘Holding you here,’ she said. ‘Holding me? I’m twice the woman you are, darling, now let me go!’ Moulivia eyed Ruby up and down. ‘Yes, you certainly are.’ She looked back at the Doctor President. ‘What shall we do with her, my Lord?’ ‘Return her to Earth. I’m sure she’ll tell you when and where.’ Moulivia nodded and pulled the struggling Ruby down the corridor, in the opposite direction to which the two Elders were pulling the clone Doctor. Once they were gone, the Doctor President turned to Rewunderer. ‘Come, we have things to do,’ he said and left the hall. Rewunderer stood where he was, hardly able to believe what he had witnessed. In all the adventures he had seen, Rewunderer had never seen the Doctor knowingly condemn someone to death. It was true that many had died during the Doctor’s adventures, some by the Doctor’s hands, but always by accident. Rewunderer rubbed his hand down his face. He had to find Zelante and Shinjiru. Something was very wrong here. He walked to the doorway, looked down the corridor to see the Doctor President turn the corner, then went the other way. ‘Strip!’ ‘I beg your pardon?’ ‘I said, strip!’ The Doctor looked at the man before him. They were standing in a small chamber, empty but for the transmat cubicle behind the Doctor. The man was dressed in grey overalls, short and rotund. He had a scar down one side of his face. He stepped forward and grabbed the Doctor by the arm. ‘Strip now, or I shall do it for you.’ The Doctor pulled his arm away. ‘I will not strip.’ He pointed at the transmat. ‘I thought I was supposed to be killed. Transmatting me to another location while I am naked will hardly kill me.’ The man snarled. ‘You’re eager for death?’ ‘Well, I have heard it is a rather unique experience, but I have no overwhelming desire to die. I am merely trying to point out the problem with your method.’ The man licked his finger and ran it down his scar. ‘Thereby buying yourself some time?’ The Doctor smiled, and rubbed his earlobe. ‘Whoops, caught out. You look rather out of place.’ The man was caught off guard by the abrupt change of subject, as the Doctor had hoped. Taking the moment of confusion as his chance to escape, the Doctor darted forward and jabbed his elbow into the man’s ribs. The Doctor did not get far. As soon as his elbow hit the man in the ribs, the man grabbed the elbow and twisted. The Doctor’s legs buckled under him and he was forced to the floor. The man twisted the Doctor’s arm further, causing him to gasp in pain. ‘Out of place, you say?’ The man laughed. ‘Funny, that’s what the other Gallifreya tell me. Regeneration crisis I keep on telling them, but they don’t believe me.’ ‘I believe…’ Another twist ‘Argh… You!’ ‘Thing is, they’re all scared of me.’ The man released the Doctor, and waited for him to get to his feet. The man held out his hand. ‘Regance is the name.’ The Doctor rubbed his formerly twisted arm, and tenderly shook Regance’s hand. ‘Charmed, no doubt.’ Regance laughed. ‘I like you.’ ‘Oh, good.’ ‘But,’ Regance continued, reaching into his overall pocket. ‘I still have orders from the President, so I’m afraid you’re going to have to die.’ ‘Can we at least talk about it?’ the Doctor asked, giving his best smile. Regance pulled out a small pen-like device. ‘Would love to, but it comes down to this, you either strip yourself, or I do it for you.’ He pointed the device at the Doctor. ‘The transmat has been calibrated to break down your cloned DNA, but it won’t work if you have those clothes on.’ The Doctor glanced around the room, looking for something, anything, to help him get out of the room. In the corner of the room he espied a glowing light. He watched as the light floated across the room. ‘Look!’ The Doctor pointed. Regance smiled. ‘Sorry, but I’m not naive you know.’ The light hovered above Regance’s head, then suddenly expanded, enveloping the portly man. For a moment Regance stood there, the look of surprise barely discernable through the light. A second later the light was gone and Regance stood there. He smiled. ‘Finally. Took me bloody ages to get out of the TARDIS. By the way, gotta admit, love the new look to Tardis. Mace Windu she wasn’t.’ He laughed. ‘Reminds me of a female you, you know.’ The Doctor’s brow furrowed. ‘What? How do you know about Tardis?’ Regance looked down at his own body, then back at the Doctor, smiling. ‘Sorry, forgot about this body. Hang on a mo, I’ll sort it out.’ Regance’s body shook, and the skin began to bubble as if there was something underneath trying to get out. The hair changed colour, and the body grew taller, thinning out. Finally, now wearing clothes too short and too big, was a thin man with long blond hair. He looked at the Doctor and winked. ‘Better?’ The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come. The young man stepped towards the Doctor and hugged him. ‘Nice to see you’re choked up about my return, Doctor, but no need. I’m back now.’ The Doctor closed his eyes, and one word shot through his mind. A word that removed so much weight from his shoulders. Nick!
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