Inside her cell the Doctor paced about, the Valeyard's words echoed in her ears. The high council meant to kill her. Was this really how it all ended? Her train of thought was interrupted by the arrival of her defending council. "What do you want?" She snapped bitterly.
The younger Time Lady put her briefcase down on the single wooden table and opened it. "I'm your defence barrister. The name is Lomiandronite, not that it matters that much. They said you might be difficult so I should smile, be polite and not take no for an answer. Call me Lomi if it makes you feel more comfortable."
The Doctor shook her blonde head slowly. "I'll defend myself, thank you very much Lomi."
Lomi removed some files from her brief case and passed them to the prisoner. "Ah yes, I reviewed the last time you allegedly defended yourself. It was a legal shambles. The council ordered me to tell you that this time you don't have a choice in the matter." She handed the writ to the other Time Lady. "Personally my career would be better served if I went to mitigate but I have to ask if you refute the charges?"
The imprisoned Time Lady sank down onto her unused bunk. "I have no idea what the charges are this time. No let me guess, meddling in the affairs of lesser races? Violating the prime directive? Not acting like a true daughter of the American Revolution? No wait that was last year in Nevada. Who would have thought they would react that badly to the truth? How about changing history to suit my own evil ends? That's always an old favourite."
"The charge sheet says impersonation a former Lord President of Gallifrey, to whit the Doctor." Lomi handed the legal document to the irate Time Lady.
The Doctor stood up at this absurd accusation. "I am the Doctor. I would have thought that was blatantly obvious. Just pop the Matrix on my head and we'll clear up all this fuss right away."
Lomi explained the necessary procedures to the prisoner. "It's not that easy I'm afraid. There are many hearings, many long hours spent in council chambers. You must convince each and every member of the full council of your authenticity."
"The lower house as well? That will take centuries, millennia even. I'll have died of terminal boredom by then. Look I'm the Doctor and I don't care if anyone else believes me or not. I stopped the Varden and the Sontaran invasions, okay, so I caused them to occur, but a few zaps of the Demat gun solved that little mess quite nicely. Yes I can remember it now; I see you've read Borusa's little files on me and I can tell you that whatever he said is not only true but also underwritten to put him in the best possible light. Yes I've broken one or two laws when necessary and I've bent them on an almost daily basis. I don't apologise for it, it was probably necessary at the time. As my bio data extract will no doubt prove as soon as it is checked it matches my own. My triple helix is my own."


Claire stepped out of the shower and wrapped the soft luxurious quality towel above her chest before taking the cool, refreshing half-filled a cool glass of Malibu from Hannah. She had left the shower running for Hannah who now stepped under the gloriously refreshing spray of water. Entering the living room Claire picked up a magazine to read before heading out to the bubbling Jacuzzi. It was more hygienic, and involved less cleaning, if she showered first to get rid of the day's dirt before a long soak in the tub. She dropped the towel by the side of the Jacuzzi and stepped inside before opening the magazine to read it. Moments later she was joined by Hannah. Claire's attention was suddenly pulled away from the magazines articles by a coughing sound. She looked up to see one of the Doctor's former companions. "Mel? What brings you here? I thought you were with Drax."
Mel found a nearby chair and sat down. "I am, I made him wait outside when I saw you and your friends' lack of attire. I'm not disturbing anything am I?" She hated to get in the way of anything but this was quite important. "I've always wanted to visit Miami you know but the closest I ever got with the Doctor was Wales."
"Err no, just a long relaxing dip after a busy day. This is Hannah Sinclair by the way Mel." Hannah and Mel shook hands. "So is it a social visit or is something up?"
Mel got straight to the point. "It's the Doctor."
"Don't mention her name, I'm not travelling with her anymore." Claire didn't want anything more to do with Time Travellers.
"She's been arrested, it's all the Valeyard's work of course. He set her up and very soon now they're going to execute her. Drax and I are the escape committee, we were hoping you would help us as well. The both of you in fact, the more the merrier."
"No." Claire said evenly.
Hannah put her slender arms around Claire's shoulders and nibbled on her ear. "Think about it Claire, you and the Doctor were friends. You don't want to ruin a friendship do you? At least you should confront her, find out the truth before she dies. Besides I think I'd like to share that part of your life, if just once."
"I'll think about it okay?" Claire stood up, wrapped the huge towel around her body and left to get dressed. She had a lot of thinking to do and was it true, the Doctor was going to be killed by her own people?"
"She's a bit touchy about that whole subject." Hannah said to Mel. "They had a big fight and Claire stormed out."


The Inner Council of the Time Lords met in secret. The President, Lord Castellan Andred, Chancellor Kellner and Cardinal Dynami sat around the table as Lord Rotcod made his case. They were elite of the Time Lord ruling body, the President and his most trusted advisors. They were the real power, the High and Low councils were an antiquated system to give the illusion of democracy.
"This impostor who calls herself the Doctor is an affront to all sense of honour and decency and it is a personal insult to the position now held by the right honourable Lady President Thalia. I move that this shaboogin be treated to the fullest extent of the law and she be removed from our right and just society."
Andred stood up quickly. "Both Cardinal Dynami and myself have had dealings with the Doctor since her regeneration and I'm more than satisfied of her claim. She is the Doctor and I vote that we release her right now, with a full apology."
Dynami looked at Rotcod, in reality a second persona of the Doctor. Rotcod blinked twice, a sign that Rotcod should try and take the wind out of Andred's sails. "While I was not fortunate to meet the Doctor in any of his previous incarnations I was asked to meet with the individual currently in question. I cannot state whether I believe her case, but I can say that she does seem certain of herself. However such feelings are not enough for us to base a judgement on. I think that we should investigate matters further and the accused be treated as an innocent until her case can be resolved."
Chancellor Kellner, a former Castellan and one time vice-President at the Doctor's behest rose to his feet. He was a much different Time Lord to his pervious persona and now he held a much more liberal viewpoint. It came as a surprise when he started to speak against Dynami's plea. "My fellow Time Lords, I know the Doctor of old, he was a larger than life character, full of a deep seated rage and anger. His treachery over the whole Sontaran debacle in which he abandoned me to their mercy, or lack of it leaves a deep scar in even the most merciful of hearts. I am inclined to think that she shouldn't be judged guilty before the facts are examined but neither can she be allowed free rein in the Capitol."
The advisors had made their cases and now it was up to the President to ponder their words and make a decision. "My lords you have all spoken with such passion over the subject of this Lady's claim. However there are many questions to be answered, many of which are my own. The Doctor is not unknown to me and so I will allow her partial freedom, she shall be restricted to the Presidential suite where she shall be my guest. It will give me an opportunity to see for myself the validity of her claim. No Kellner, I will not change my mind, I mean to do this."
Kellner sat down, anger flashed across his face briefly. "As my Lady President commands."


Drax set the controls of what on the outside looked like a small tool shed as soon as Mel and the other two humans were on board. He saw Hannah's wide-eyed stare at her first time inside a TARDIS and smiled to himself. It was rare to see such genuine moments of wonder these days. "Okay we're all in, let's go save the Doctor." The central column began to rise and fall. "Right, who fancies chocolate ice cream?"


"The kitchen's this way. I got rid of that awful food bar machine and installed fitted kitchens and a gas cooker." Mel led the way deep into the bowels of the ship. "Of course I make Drax do all the cooking, after all he's been to more worlds and time zones than even the Doctor."

"Yeah, well, not everywhere is amenable to an open business arrangement. Sometimes it does pay to have a look around." There was a sudden shaking of the blue tinted walls. "That doesn't feel very healthy. Corridor's too long, what I need is a door." Drax ran his fingers along the corridor wall until he reached a certain where he pushed it hard inwards. He smiled slightly as it creaked open on hidden hinges and on the other side was the faint outline of the secondary control room. "I'll be back in a bit, just keep them entertained Mel."


Lord Rotcod, more commonly known to the Doctor as the Valeyard, hunched his thin figure over the ridiculously small scanner screen. It had taken ages to get a masked signature out of the Capitol, piggybacked on a normal carrier beam. He watched as that cretin Drax's ship spun wildly out of control inside the vortex.


"It's bad," Drax informed the humans, "very bad. Somehow, something's made us change course. The problem is that we're on a random course and the co-ordinates are constantly changing."
"What does that mean?" Mel asked.
"I wonder if anyone knows how to play 'Abide with Me' on this." The Time Lord pulled out a small pennywhistle.
"Is there anything you can do?" Claire asked.
"Tell me that the Doctor would have found a solution by now, quickly."
Claire rattled the sentence off at breakneck speed. "How will that help you?" She asked.
"You had to mention the Doctor, didn't you? Well I'll find a way out of this, don't you worry." Drax stormed off back to the console room.
"Err, I hate to cause a fuss but can anyone explain something to me?" Hannah asked the other women.
"Like what?" Mel asked chirpily.
"Everything please." Hannah replied. "I think this is all to much for me."
The three women were forced to wait for what seemed like an eternity. They all wanted to help but there wasn't a thing they could do, except keep out of the way. Mostly they clued Hannah in about the subtle aspects of Time Travel. The basic details about not wearing digital watches, miniskirts, under wired bras and not interfering. Mel talked about some of her adventures with the Doctor and then Drax while Claire talked about some of her experiences. They ended up telling some of the dirty jokes they had found scrawled inside some of the ladies' around the universe. All three were howling with laughter when Drax finally returned, half covered in oil and grime.
"Well I've solved most of the problems. One small problem I've had to land the ship while the computers recharge their batteries. I know how that sounds but it's the easiest way I can explain it to you. Perhaps you would care to accompany me for a turn around the local area. It would be your first look at another planet Hannah."
"This is pretty intense Mr. Drax, I'm not sure I'm ready for it."
"Oh I quite understand how you feel. The terrible feeling that it's against all reason or nature. The dread of doing something no one else has done it before. Don't worry about it; just take it at your own pace. Tell you what Mel and I will have a look outside while Claire escorts you to the doorway. You can see for yourself how much of a let down it really is after such a big build up." Drax held out his arm for his bubbly ginger haired companion. "I await my lady's pleasure." He smiled at her smile; once they were nearer the exit he told Mel the truth. "It's really a bit of a dull place outside, looks quite a lot like that place the Doctor was always interested it. I think it's called Surrey."
Claire held out her arm in an imitation of Drax. "I await my lady's pleasure." They both giggled as they headed off arm in arm towards the console room.


The room was dull, dreary and very dull. The Doctor had spent hours staring up at the grey stone ceiling examining the individual chisel marks before deciding the workmanship was inferior to a Mongol Yurt. The time seemed to drag along as slowly as a days fishing by a river with no fish in it. It was like a winters day at the seaside in many ways, depressing and leaving the afterthought of I wish I was somewhere else. There was a noise, the sound of a key being turned in the lock. She jumped to her feet and rushed over to the red and white dressed guard. "So you've come to free me have you?"
The guard looked at the odd Time Lady for a few seconds. "No milady, the President has requested your presence and I'm here to escort you to her chambers."
"I always liked Romana, such a level headed girl, apart from the times she tried to kill me." The Doctor picked up the few possessions she had been allowed to keep and stashed them in the pockets of the baggy prison outfit. "Remind me to hire a better dressmaker, these seams are single stitch."
"This way please, President Thalia is impatient to see you."
"Thalia? I had no idea she was that ambitious, still that's politics for you. Sometimes the most unseeming person gets into power. Did you know I passed the exam with fifty one percent after I had to re-sit it? Old Borusa's face was a picture I can tell you when I was inducted as President." They reached a coded doorway and before the Guard could use his pass card the Doctor tapped in her old presidential access code on the numerical keypad. The door swung open silently. "Now there's a good paradox, if I'm not the president, how do I know the access codes hmmm?" No, don't answer; I can see the bland indifference in your eyes. Its good to know that we have guards as diligent and unswerving in their lack of conviction of guilt until made to believe otherwise."


"Look, it's a whole different world. The sky is greeny yellow, the land is burnt orange and the animals are a curious mix of lizard and insect." Claire held onto Hannah as she stood on the very edge of the doorway. "With just one step you can make yourself part of this world. One step forward and your footsteps are etched on the soil of another world. One step in a time where our planet may not have even been born yet."
"I'm scared Claire. I have this deep foreboding in my stomach. It's as if there is a force trying to hold me back." Hannah shivered slightly in the cool breeze.
"I think this TARDIS is sensing your fears and protecting you. You trust me don't you? I won't let you come to any harm. Just put one foot forward and see what it's like." Claire loosened her grip slightly and manoeuvred herself so she was standing beside Hannah. "On three. One, two, three." They both stepped forward and turned to see that Drax's ship had disguised itself as a large orangey blue rock.
"Wow, I'm standing on an alien planet. Hannah turned and kissed Claire. "I'm standing on another world." She kissed Claire again.
"Yeah, it's great isn't it?" Claire returned the kiss. "I wonder what it's called."
"Maybe it doesn't have a name." Hannah said.
"Why don't we call it planet Hannah? It's just as beautiful as you." Claire brushed the hair out of Hannah's eyes.
"How about planet Claire, because those two hills remind me of you." Hannah poked her tongue out at Claire.


The Valeyard turned the sound off his monitor; the dreary talk of the two lovesick women was making him ill with nausea. "Humans, what a pathetic, cringe making species. They visit another planet and they make innuendo about the landscape. They infest the galaxy with their hotdogs and their bland shows about star ships. I have no idea what made me like them."


"Now this is more like it!" The Doctor jumped up and down on the huge Presidential bed with her bare feet. "Yeah, Thalia, yeah. I haven't done this since I was a child." Finally she clambered off the vast piece of furniture and held the President's hands in the traditional sign of respect.
President Thalia looked the blonde haired woman up and down. There was something awfully familiar about her. Where had she seen her before? Then realisation struck the President. "Doctor? My, you have changed! The last time we met you were with Nyssa and you helped sort out that sad business with Omega."
The Doctor shook Thalia's hand energetically. "Thalia, its so good that someone believes me." She then walked over to the drinks cabinet and rescued a centuries old bottle of ginger pop from the stasis section. She cracked the plastic seal and breathed in the familiar odour before coughing violently. "Yes, well," she started, "you never know how things change from me to me. Care for a nice bottle of ginger pop?" She held the bottle out at arms length.


Hannah had now overcome the shock of her being on an alien planet. In many respects it was just like Earth. The soil may be lavender and the plants red but they both did the same function. To be honest she almost preferred the planet, which Claire had described as a forest of towering jewels. At least that way she might be able to get some jewellery out of it. Mel and Drax were on their way back; she could see them in the distance getting ever nearer. She stooped down to take a memento of this strange day, just a small flower to impress that TV gardener in case she ever dropped by unexpectedly. Her fantasies stopped when the freshly plucked flower began to scream, it was like a cat being tortured with broken glass. Shocked she dropped the flower and threw up her arms and she started to scream as the flower thrashed around on the ground, blood dripping from its stalk.
Claire was next to Hannah in seconds and she saw the screaming, bleeding plant. "Don't look, just come inside the boulder shaped ship. She gently guided Hannah inside Drax's TARDIS and sat her down on one of the chairs in the console room. "Just sit down here and take deep breaths, everything will be fine, I promise.


The Valeyard switched off the scanner; this was fast turning into a dreary soap opera. At least this little diversion of his was buying him enough time to prepare the reception a known renegade and some off-worlders really deserved. It was a complication, yes, but nothing that a reasoned mind could not solve. His thoughts pricked up when that simpering fool Dynami rushed into the room.
"The Doctor's been moved to the President's chambers, almost a full three hours before the time Lord Castellan appointed." Dynami looked at the hunched figure's back and for the first time he imagined a gaudily painted bulls eye target painted upon it. The Valeyard was an excellent tutor he mused silently.
"Andred has always been loyal to his oath of office but I showed him about how wider concerns can affect his judgement. With hindsight it's easy to see ones' mistakes don't you think?" The Valeyard turned around to see Dynami holding a patrol staser at his chest. "Yes, very easy to see the mistakes. I've pushed you too far Dynami and I'm sorry. I know you may not believe me right now but I have such high hopes for you. Chancellor Dynami sounds impressive does it not? Perhaps vice-president one day?" The Valeyard was already planning the disposal of Dynami's body as the fool lowered his weapon and dropped his guard.
"There's too much going on, I just need to know we're doing the right thing for Gallifrey. I can't see how getting the Doctor out of the way will benefit us."


"No you cannot, because you do not understand vengeance. It is a cruel mistress, cruel and impatient. It festers in the heart and unless the cause is removed it can consume. If we do not eliminate the Doctor then I fear the Matrix will reject me as it did the first time, when I tried to shield the Varden gambit from it."
"Revenge? Is that all? Such a base conceit, I thought you were much more than that. I believed that you were the salvation of our people. Now all I can see is a renegade Time Lord brought low by the animal passions of emotion and passion." Dynami started to raise his weapon but he was too slow, the Valeyard fired first. The blast struck him in the chest between both hearts. "You will never win, you will never..." Synapses within the brain destabilised and prepared for regeneration. The process could not find certain key protein structures and the regeneration failed. Dynami screamed as each cell of his body exploded, as an excess of bodily energy boiled them, death was not swift or easy.


"Well I looked the Soup Dragon in the eyes and told him to leave the locals alone." The Doctor finished telling Thalia all about one of her old adventures. "Well his scales went a sort of squiggly purple with shame and he promised to be more careful in future."
"I have never seen anything outside the Capitol Doctor, even at the Academy I was never selected for the infrequent trips to the moon and back." To the incumbent President this was just one of so many regrets she had developed since taking on the loneliest post in the Universe. To be the leader of the Time Lords was to leave behind friendships and relationships. It took a strong will to deliberately isolate oneself but Thalia felt that she was carrying the burden quite well, so far.


Mel ran towards the large fake boulder that was Drax's TARDIS. She dragged said Time Lord behind herself, her hand holding onto his wrist as they sprinted towards the sound of the screaming. Finally they found Claire comforting an obviously scared Hannah in the console room. "What happened?" Mel asked the distraught girl.
"Just a bit of culture shock that's all." Claire told Mel and Drax, as Hannah broke into another sobbing fit.
"It'll pass, it always does. Maybe it was a mistake to push her before she was ready." Drax checked the computer recharge display and noted they were almost ready for use. "May as well close the doors now and take off when it's ready" he announced to the others.


It was now or never. The Valeyard left his secluded chambers and headed towards the President's suite. His pass codes allowed him access without problem and he breezed past the heavy gold doors in seconds. He followed the sound of voices, the grating sickly tones of that fool, the Doctor and the heavier world-weary lilt of President Thalia's voice. He kicked the bedroom door open and found the two females sitting on the President's bed talking. Silently he pointed the staser at the Doctor's blonde hair and fired. There was the rush of superheated plasma rushing towards the target and then the sound of shattered glass. What was this? Something had gone wrong. The Doctor was still seated quite unharmed but there was the distinct damage of broken glass. Realisation dawned; he hadn't hit the Doctor. He had hit an image of her reflected in a mirror. The Doctor had beaten him; she had changed the whole room around perfectly and used a mirror to lull him into a false sense of confidence. There was the sound of rushing air and a type eighty-five TARDIS materialised behind him. As he turned around the doors opened and a fist came out sharply, striking him on the chin.


Claire Mason stepped out of the time machine and rubbed her bruised knuckles, making sure there was no lasting damage. Drax, Mel and a confident Hannah joined her. She took Hannah's hand and they stepped over the unconscious figure of the Valeyard to see the Doctor. "Well we were a little late but the rescue committee got here."
"Claire, Hannah. How did you two get here?" The Doctor leapt to her feet and rushed over to the two young women and hugged them. "You have no idea how boring it was here until I came up with this little scheme to discover just who was framing me. Thank you President Thalia, your belief in me is most refreshing."
Before the Doctor could continue Drax and Mel entered the room. "Sorry to interrupt girls, but the guards are breaking down the door and I'd rather not be here when the do manage to get inside."
"It was nice to see you again Doctor." Mel added, perhaps we can arrange a proper reunion later?"
"Hurry up Mel." Drax started back to his ship.
"Who's holding you up?" Mel caught up with him and beat him inside. "Hurry up Drax" she added cheekily.
The Chancellery guards, Castellan Andred, Chancellor Kellner and Commander Leela burst into the room and took charge of the situation. They picked the Valeyard up roughly and carried his unconscious figure off to the detention block.


"Doctor, we all owe you a great debt of thanks." President Thalia and her inner cabinet met in the council's chambers to formally drop all charges against the Doctor. The President handed the Doctor a sealed parchment, sealed with Rassilon's own mark in black wax. "May this document symbolic document mark the return of all rights, privileges and duties as befitting a Prydonian councillor and may I be the first to say welcome home Doctor."


Claire and Hannah watched the ceremony on a view screen in what turned out to be their own quarters. "The Doctor's really staying here for a while?" Hannah asked.
"For a while. She says that the President's message was much more than a pardon; it was a plea for help. There's something about to happen and the Doctor's agreed to play the dutiful daughter role until it's beaten." Claire looked at Hannah's new outfit. It was a long dress made of a strange combination of cotton, silk and lace in a nice orange colour. It hugged Hannah's figure in all the right places, especially the ones she really liked. Her own outfit was a more practical one-piece trouser suit with some classy heeled boots and lace gloves. "They certainly know how to make clothes don't they?" Claire said, unzipping the front to let Hannah see the lining material.


"Thank you, it's good to be back home Madame President." The Doctor adjusted the waist of her hastily recut Prydonian robes. Had it really been so long since she had last worn them?


The cell was escape proof. The walls were solid machinite. The door was guarded by five of the elite guards. The floor and ceiling were just as tough as the walls and it was too small for a TARDIS to materialise inside. There was still a way though. There was always a way for the intelligent and powerful. Casually he picked at a loose thread in his robes. It came out easily and he rolled it up into a small button like disc. "Come to me now." He spoke at it and carefully placed it on the cell door.
Frantically the guards fired at the approaching figure but their firepower was totally ineffective. The homunculus figure of David Mason was constructed of materials far more advanced than anything the stagnant culture of Gallifrey ever could produce.


The Doctor found her office to be cold and impersonal, she tried adding some nick knacks but nothing was right. She had forgone the heavy Prydonian robes in favour of a white ball gown with a plunging neckline and matching bag to hold her odds and sods. Finally she had resorted to picking up some materials from Ikea and doing the place out properly. Claire and Hannah had helped out of course; they might make good carpenters she mused to herself when a guard rushed in. "Sorry to interrupt Ma'am, but-"
"Don't call me ma'am," the Doctor snapped. "Call me Doctor, please."
"Sorry Doctor, but it's the Valeyard, he's escaped. Some sort of robot rescued him. The guards put up a brave fight but the only survivor of the massacre has still not come out of the coma. Until then we won't be sure. The President wants you to take charge of his recapture."
"Not bad, two hours to escape an escape proof cell." The Doctor flicked through the sheaf of evidence. "Well what do you two girls say to a spin around the universe to capture my evil twin?"
"That's not funny Doctor," Claire huffed.
"Sorry." The Doctor apologised to her companion. "Perhaps we can find a way to make him pay for everything he's done to you too?" She tapped Claire's nose gently, saw the look in Hannah's eyes and tapped her on the nose as well. "Well then, let’s get going. It sounds like a marvellous adventure."