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Nick rushed out of the tunnel and came to an abrupt stop. Bits of stone scrambled down the rock face below his feet. He looked down at the sheer drop and noticed the Temple below. ‘Blimey! Look at the size of that thing!’ The sound of feet on gravel. Nick turned around and listened. Arse, I’m being followed, and I doubt it is a welcoming committee. He looked around for a way down towards the Temple. Something told him that that was where he would find the Doctor. He didn’t know why, but something in the onyx Temple was calling out to him. Straining his eyes Nick could just make out many Vogans milling around the bottom of the Temple. They appeared to be quite excited about something. ‘Aha!’ To his left he saw a path in the rock, leading down. Thinking about his pursuers, Nick took the path without a second thought. The Figure pressed a button on the console and turned to look at the statue of Pentac III. It was a statue of one of Gallifrey’s longest serving presidents. The Figure wondered what Rassilon would say about a Time Lord other than him being revered as the figurehead of the Vogan’s Gods. The Figure chuckled, which got a grunt of response from the clone. He turned to the clone, who was sitting beside the console looking sorry for himself. ‘We’re getting there,’ the Figure said, looking at the clone with pity. ‘Soon we shall be restored. Watch!’ He pointed at Pentac III. A golden light shot out from the centre of the statue. Both the Figure and the clone followed the light’s trajectory and watched as it hit the glass-crystals rising out from the console. The clone got to his feet and smiled. ‘It’s pretty,’ he said, as lights danced within the crystals. The Figure nodded. ‘It is the most sophisticated data storage centre in the whole universe. The Millennium People have nothing on this. Behold, the Matrix!’ The Doctor-clone looked at the Figure blankly. ‘The what?’ ‘The...’ The Figure shook his head. ‘It doesn’t matter, you would not understand anyway.’ He turned to the console’s panels and studied the readings. ‘Well well,’ he said. ‘According to the Matrix there are other Time Lords in this universe. There is a planet in the outer rim that they have called Outpost Gallifrey. But there are no co-ordinates.’ He slammed a fist on the console. ‘Damn!’ ‘Not good then?’ ‘It doesn’t matter. When I am restored the other Time Lords should be able to track me.’ The Figure pressed a button on the console. ‘I have put up a force-wall to protect the Temple from the Vogans. We don’t want them to come in here and start worshipping us as Gods do we?’ The Doctor-clone pursed his lips together. ‘Oh, I don’t know, I think that could be quite fun.’ ‘The Doctor would never think such a thing!’ the Figure snapped. ‘Well I don’t know who this Doctor is, do I?’ the clone snapped back. The Figure just looked at the clone, realising how much he missed his old friend. Up until they had arrived on Voga the clone had been an almost exact copy of the Doctor, so much so in fact that the Figure had started accepting him as such. But as he looked at the clone he knew the Doctor was gone. Even physically the Doctor’s body was being worn away. ‘Right, we must get on with...’ His decisive tone gave way to surprise. ‘There is a human bio signature outside the Temple.’ He flicked a switch and an image appeared in the air above the statue. The image showed Nick being surrounded by several Vogans. ‘That is not good.’ The Figure moved to another panel and rested his palm on it. The image faded and a gentle thumping filled the air. Nick materialised in the hall. For a moment he stood there, looking around, confused and then his eyes lighted on the form of the Doctor. ‘Doctor! Thank god, I just knew you were in here!’ Nick ran over and span the man around. He pulled back in shock at the sight of the clone’s face. The skin looked like it was melting, bits of it dripping into the beard. ‘What the hell... Doctor, what has happened to you?’ The clone pulled away. ‘Stop it! Will you both stop calling me the Doctor! I am not him!’ Nick’s mouth fell open as if slapped, and for the first time he noticed the Figure. ‘You! I know you don’t I?’ ‘Yes, once upon a time.’ Nick looked from the figure to the clone. ‘What’s happened to the Doctor?’ ‘I’m afraid he is quite right, Nick. He is not the Doctor. The Doctor died on Nova Mondas. The man you see before you is a clone.’ Nick’s legs gave way and he staggered backwards in shock, unable to believe his own ears. ‘What?’ he breathed. Alf was being marched through a rocky corridor to a meeting with the Elders. She wasn’t sure how well it was going to go. After the abrupt change in Megrig at the mention of Cybermen Alf realised her only help had gone. The two guards either side of her came to a stop before the doors to the council chamber. The doors opened and a Vogan official stepped through. He glanced at Alf, not even bothering to contain the look of contempt. ‘The Elders are on the way to the Temple of the Gods. Our Gods have returned!’ The guards were so taken up by the news and had some many questions for the official that they did not notice as Alf took a few steps back from them. Careful not to tread on any loose rocks Alf slowly backed away, glancing between the way she was going and the Vogans. Their Gods have returned, eh? Now why do I get the feeling that the Doctor has something to do with it? She stumbled on some loose stones and staggered to the ground. The Vogan guards turned to her. ‘Whoops,’ she said and scrambled to her feet. ‘Don’t let her get away!’ the Vogan official screamed. Alf winked at them, then turned and haired down the tunnel.
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