Doctor Who_ Divided Loyalties Part 15

Rallon thought he looked very preoccupied - perhaps he was already rather behind with his a.s.signments and another night spent with the Deca would make him even further behind.

Vansell had always been the most dedicated.

In fact, come to think of it, he was an odd one to have become involved with the Deca.

But then Millennia and Magnus weren't very typical secret-club types either. Nor were Ushas or Jelpax...

Anyway, whatever the Doctor, Jelpax and Mortimus were up to now, Vansell was clearly disinterested.

Rallon caught a look from Koschei that said it all: the three with the data pad were like time-tots with new Otherstide gifts.

Mortimus, in particular, was enjoying ploughing through the records.

This planet is fascinating,' he said.

Which one?' asked Jelpax.

Earth,' interrupted the Doctor.

Oh...' chorused some of the others, well used to the Doctor's love of this rather primitive planet. No one quite understood why he studied it in such detail. A remarkable place,' he continued, addressing just Mortimus as if giving a lecture. A very violent world, but very civilised at the same time. Unlike most planets, it rises and falls regularly.'

Mortimus was pointing at the data. According to these notes, Time Lords have been known to visit other planets to observe them first hand...' he trailed off. Time Lords leaving Gallifrey?

But that's... that's...'

Enough to blow the lid off their precious perfect society,'

Koschei said grimly.

The others all looked at him, so he smiled. Hey, just an observation.'

But Magnus seemed to be considering his comment carefully. Perhaps he was remembering the stories about the Alien planet, the force fields and the threats of time erasure.

What do you make of this then?' The Doctor was tapping at the data. Ever heard of Minyos?'

Over the next couple of hours, the Deca ploughed through the various secrets of the past.

After some time, Vansell sardonically observed Has it occurred to any of you that these supposed deep, dark secrets just happened to be very easy to get hold of?'

The Doctor was indignant. I had to look very hard, actually. It took a lot of code breaking to get past the APC Net security devices.'

Vansell shrugged. OK, but it still strikes me as a bit too easy. Almost as if they wanted them to be found.'

Millennia shot Vansell a filthy look. Oh, you are just so boring, you know? The Doctor worked jolly hard to get this.'

Jelpax sucked in his breath. I have to say, however, that there is something in what Vansell says. I mean, we may be stumbling on something top secret here.'

Good,' said Koschei. Fewer secrets would be better for everyone. Come on, keep going. Let's see what else is buried in the files of the Time Lords.'

Mortimus was scanning. A race of people in suspended animation as a result of a gamma war... two identical planets on different sides of the universe, neither knowing about the other but with identical populations and culture... a water planet in which life exists in huge cities floating in the skies, kept there by the mental powers of its inhabitants... a city built around a vast weapon to hide it...

Cybermen... Daleks... the Giant Vampires...

Well, obviously obviously the Vampires would be in there,' Vansell said. this is very tedious. Is there nothing interesting to be found?' the Vampires would be in there,' Vansell said. this is very tedious. Is there nothing interesting to be found?'

Oh, so we're interested now are we?' said Magnus.

Vansell shrugged and began examining the door, trying to find a scratch or blemish to keep him occupied.

The Elders of the Universe...'

The Doctor tugged the data pad away from Jelpax and Mortimus and began reading: THE RECORD OF Ra.s.sILON: THE GUARDIANS OF THE UNIVERSE. THE UNIVERSE.

IS IN A CONSTANT STATE OF FLUX - AND IS ESSENTIALLY BALANCED BY THE.

COSMIC POWERS OF THE GUARDIANS. BEINGS SUPERIOR.

TO EVERYONE.

Everyone. Well, that's helpful I must say.'

Keep going,' laughed Millennia, this is such fun!' The Doctor continued reading aloud: Ra.s.sILON ONLY KNEW OF TWO GUARDIANS - LIGHT AND DARK, GOOD AND EVIL, BLACK AND WHITE. BUT Ra.s.sILON WAS AWARE THAT THERE MAY BE OTHERS. BEINGS.

FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE, COME TO EXPLORE, INVADE OR COLONISE OUR OWN. HE.

DEFINED THEM AS SUB-GUARDIANS - FOR MANY WERE THE CREATURES THAT CAME.

UNTO OUR UNIVERSE AS IT WAS BORRN, OR AS THEIRS EXPIRED.

AND Ra.s.sILON NAMED THE SUB-GUARDIANS 'THE GREAT OLD ONES', SPECULATING THAT MAYHAPS THEY WERE TIME LORDS FROM THAT OTHER UNIVERSE, FAR MORE.

ADVANCED, FAR FURTHER EVOLVED. AND Ra.s.sILON GAVE THE GREAT OLD ONES NAMES.

AND WARNED ALL FUTURE TIME LORDS TO BE ON THEIR GUARD AGAINST THEIR EVIL, THESE MALEFICENTS:.

HASTUR.

YOG-SOTHOTH.

SHUB-NIGGURATH.

CTHULU.

MELEFESCENT.

TOR-GASUKK.

GOG AND MAGOG.

LLOIGOR NYARIATHOTEP.

DAGON AND FINALLY THE THREE CHAOS-BRINGERS WHO SOUGHT.

EQUIVALENTS IN OUR UNIVERSE: RAAG, NAH AND ROK, WHO TOGETHER.

WOULD ONE DAY CAUSE THE END OF THIS UNIVERSE AS THEY HAD.

THEIR OWN, AND MAYBE COUNTLESS OTHERS BEFORE.

BUT, Ra.s.sILON QUESTIONED, DID ALL THOSE GREAT OLD ONES HAVE.

A ROLE TO PLAY IN OUR UNIVERSE?.

AND WERE THERE MORE GUARDIANS?.

A GUARDIAN OF JUSTICE?.

A GUARDIAN OF MORTALITY?.

A GUARDIAN OF IMAGINATION?.

AND SO Ra.s.sILON BEGAN TO ASK QUESTIONS OF THE TWO.

GUARDIANS. WHERE DID THEY COME FROM? WHAT CREATED THEM? WERE.

THEY TRULY A PRIMEVAL FORCE? HOW COULD THEY a.s.sUME A SHAPE.

FAMILIAR TO THOSE WHO ARE GRANTED THE RIGHT TO SEE THEM? DID A SILICON LIFE FORM SEE THE BLACK GUARDIAN AS AS A MONOLITH? WOULD A MACHINE SEE THE WHITE GUARDIAN AS A BOX? A MONOLITH? WOULD A MACHINE SEE THE WHITE GUARDIAN AS A BOX?.

AND THE GUARDIANS REFUSED TO REPLY AND CAST Ra.s.sILON DOWN.

FROM THEIR REALM - TAUGHT HIM HUMILITY. TAUGHT HIM THAT AMONGST.

EPHEMERAL BEINGS, THE TIME LORDS OF GALLIFREY WERE SUPERIOR, BUT THERE WERE THOSE MORE SUPERIOR THAN THEM. AND FROM THIS, Ra.s.sILON LEARNED TO RESPECT LIFE IN ALL ITS FORMS, FOR HOWEVER.

POWERFUL ONE MIGHT CONSIDER ONESELF TO BE, THERE IS ALWAYS.

SOMETHING SUPERIOR.

Rubbish,' said Mortimus. What can be more advanced than the Time Lords?'

Vansell chipped in from the doorway No wonder they don't teach this at the Academy. Imagine if Delox discovered she's not the highest form of evolution in the cosmos?'

The others laughed, but the Doctor, Mortimus and Jelpax were engrossed in scrolling through the data pad's information.

Look at this.' The Doctor was pointing furiously.

LATER TIME LORDS REFER BACK TO THIS LIST WHEN DISCUSSING A BEING, OR BEINGS - THE DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS ARE INCONSISTENT.

- KNOWN AS THE TOYMAKERS.

Mortimus was nodding excitedly as he read on. Yes, yes, yes.

A being - or beings, if you like - of vast mental powers, who could build and destroy entire realms with his mind.' He turned and grabbed the Doctor's shoulders. Find out about them, Doctor, and Delox won't ever be able to criticise you again.'

What?' Vansell was incredulous. You think that the ten of us, neophyte Time Lords, will be able to do what Ra.s.silon, the Dark Lords, the Time Lords and the CIA, probably, haven't been able to do? How conceited are you, Doctor?'

The Doctor was on his feet in an instant, and crossed over to Vansell, his fists balling.

Magnus was quickly between them, while Koschei eased the Doctor back, gently but thinly.

Listen you two,' said Magnus quietly. Stop getting at each other. You,' and he addressed Vansell, should not be in the Deca if you don't believe that we can achieve something. And you, Doctor, you should concede that he may have a point. If Ra.s.silon couldn't find the answers, why should we?'

Maybe,' said Millennia quietly, now crouched beside Mortimus, consulting the data pad, because he didn't look far enough.' She began accessing information drawn from all the different sources. She clicked her fingers and both Rallon and Jelpax pa.s.sed her their pads, to give her as much data s.p.a.ce as she could get.

Magnus felt the Doctor relax as he became distracted by Millennia's efforts. What are you doing?'

Creating a multiplane interactive data base, using every cross-reference that exists about the Toymakers. Now wait and watch.'

Seconds ticked by as, in silence, the eight of them saw terabytes of information correlated from aeons of research, legend, truth, and hearsay. Finally the Doctor's data pad flashed up three sets of co-ordinates.

You know,' breathed Rallon, you are very gifted, my love.'

Millennia winked at him. Sometimes I amaze myself. But to amaze you, now that takes a genius.'

The Doctor s.n.a.t.c.hed up the pad, mentally running the co-ordinates through his head.

May I?'

It was Koschei. Cosmic science is my speciality,' he said by way of an explanation.

After a beat, just long enough, the Doctor nodded and gave him the pad.

Koschei laughed. Well, I don't know how reliable this is, Doctor. I mean, these co-ordinates put you at the heart of a star in Orion. But these other two - well, they could be anywhere. Take your pick.'

Vansell snorted. You people are mad. On the say-so of one of Millennia's lash-ups, you're going to break every law of Gallifrey, leave the planet, and end up where? Dead, probably.'