For ten whole days they had fought, two species totally inimical to the other. The Eldrichi were the first to succumb, their vast bodies torn out of reality in seconds. Their masters fought back though, they used the temporal spikes to erase their foes from history. The Time Lords of Gallifrey retaliated and drove the nameless enemy into fissures that led into Null-Space, a nether realm from which they could not return.
President Thalia watched from the gold command throne on the bridge of the flagship, the Eye of Rassilon. She had hoped her rule, as President, would be unremarkable at best. However it seemed as if future history would remember this day despite her wishes. “Is that all of them?” She asked Castellan Andred, her head of security.
“We cannot detect any more of them Lady President. I think we’ve done it.”
“No.” Leela, Andred’s human wife disagreed. “There are more out there. I can feel them.”
“The sensors indicate otherwise child. We will return to Gallifrey now.” President Thalia gave the recall order.
“I do not trust sensors, I trust only that what I know and see and feel. We are making a mistake.” Leela folded her arms defensively.


Deep in the heart of space something moved, it moved away from the enemy’s ships, slowly and silently. Somehow it had survived the last of the purges, a mistake.


Hannah Sinclair was busy reading inside the library. For some reason she had a desire to know how the TARDIS actually worked. She sat hunched over a thick technical manual with a dictionary to one side so that she could understand some of the bigger words. To her surprise it wasn’t as complicated as she had feared. She looked up to see the concerned look on the Doctor’s face.
“I was wondering where you were.” The Doctor stated. “We’re about to land. I didn’t know you were interested in all that boring stuff.”
Hannah closed the book. “It’s a bit dry and terribly over written. When I escaped from the Rani I not only understood all the settings but I was able to calculate landing co-ordinates. I already know some of the stuff in here.”
“Ah.” The Doctor sat down. “That was me. Just before we landed I implanted the necessary information into your mind in case something happened to me. You would be able to escape in the TARDIS. It’s an old trick I learned from Chronotis. It should have worn off my now though. I guess your mind must be better developed than the rest of your species.”
“Thanks, I think.” Hannah stood up and followed the Doctor towards the console room. “Hey seeing as I’m learning this stuff anyway can I have a go at landing the TARDIS?”
The Doctor thought for a few seconds. “Ok but tell me if you get stuck, we don’t want to damage the old girl do we?”
Hannah instinctively set the controls and showed off her handiwork to the Doctor.
“Very good.” The Doctor leaned on the TARDIS console and looked at the settings. “Lateral drift compensator, the blue one.”
Hannah pushed the blue button and the green plasma ball stopped its energetic activity. There was a mild shaking to and fro, which passed quickly.
“That was very good Hannah.” The Doctor applauded before checking the controls. “How do you feel? Any headaches?”
“I feel happy that I managed it. I’m usually such a lousy driver. Maybe if I took my test in the TARDIS instead of an automobile?”
“Maybe.” The Doctor finished checking the settings. “Not the most hospitable of worlds, better go and put on your winter wear.” She waited until her companion left before drinking an emergency cup of tea. Using the telepathic controls always took a lot out of her. “She still managed it better than I did on my first go.” The Doctor finished her tea as Hannah returned, dressed in warm winter wear and one of her old scarves wound around her neck.
“It suits you.” The Doctor said before opening the doors. Stepping outside she pulled on her heavy coat and mittens. “At least there isn’t any snow. This way I think.”


The two arrivals were watched on the main display screen. The survivor hissed a ragged breath through lungs that were not best suited for nitrogen/oxygen atmospheres. “My children, bring them to me untouched. My touch is too generous a gift for such as these.” The survivor watched as the humanoid hosts of his offspring hurried to obey.


“Doctor, I think there’s someone following us.” Hannah cupped her ear and listened.
“Yes, I know.” The Doctor replied breezily, “they’ve been there for a few minutes now. Just ignore them for now.”
“It’s a bit difficult to ignore stalkers Doctor. It could be an Olympic event on Earth.” Hannah glanced about but she couldn’t see anyone. “Can’t we just run for it?”
“In those shoes?” The Doctor pointed at Hannah’s platform boots. “You’d break your neck.” Maintaining a healthy pace they came across a squat building of steel and glass.
“Oh great.” Hannah complained. “I remember these buildings. I hope you have some tweezers in one of your pockets Doctor.” Hannah touched the faint scar on her forehead where a creature had been forced inside her head. It had only been the quick actions of the Rani, a part time friend of the Doctors, which had saved her life.
“Brave Heart Hannah.” The Doctor encouraged.
“You think painting half my face blue will help?” Hannah asked taking her travel makeup bag out of a pocket and finding the power blue.


The survivor watched as the two came closer. Memories stirred in his damaged mind causing great pain. The light haired one was one of the sworn enemies - a Lord of Time. She would suffer a great deal for the crimes of her perfidious species. The other was of little importance; she would be killed slowly to increase the Lord of Time’s agony.


Hannah saw them first. She screamed as they swarmed over the rocks and boulders towards her and the Doctor. Picking up a dead tree branch she swung it in front as a deterrent against the inevitable.
They were overpowered after only a few seconds and dragged down the slight incline to the steel and glass hive. Hannah tried biting several of them but they did not sense or feel the pain.


The survivor chuckled to himself when the two females were thrown down bodily in front of him.
The Doctor looked up and saw the alien visage of an Ancient One. “Oh so you’ve shown yourself at last? You’re nothing but a coward.” She shook her companion back into consciousness. “Wake up Hannah, you’ll miss the gloating.”
Hannah opened one eye and screamed. She kept on screaming even when the Doctor put her hand over her mouth.
“Shush now.” The Doctor spoke softly. “When I count to five you will be calm and relaxed.” The Doctor counted to five and removed her hand.
“Enough of this chatter, scream human, scream while you still can.” The survivor taunted the frightened girl. “Your death will be slow and painful. It will take days of begging before I allow you to die.”
Hannah stood up. “You cannot frighten me anymore, I’m sick of being bullied about by low creatures like you.” She took one step forward. “I pity you Ancient One, I pity you for being a base and foul being. You corrupt the lives of innocents by forcing them to house your young inside their heads. You do not deserve the life you squander.” She felt the minds of the babies, twisted speckles of hatred. Wrapping her mind around them she drove them towards their progenitor. “Now you will see your corruption end.” She drove them at the Ancient One, their hands and weapons tearing at it’s damaged hide.
“Hannah, get down.” The Doctor held up a small metal object, it was an unremarkable looking key. It glinted slightly in the slight illumination. “Time to end this I think. The flow of time is like a safe to keep things in and keep things out of the universe. The Key of Rassilon can unlock the fabric of time and send you back into Null-Space.”
Hannah watched on as green light flared from the key and unlocked the very essence of time itself. “Wow” she exclaimed at the patterns of light and shadow. “It’s like being back at college, at least until they kicked me out of course.”
“Noooo…” The survivor yelled as his body was pulled into the vortex along with those bearing his offspring. “We must have our revenge.”
Hannah fell to her knees as the rift started to close. She was relived to see that there was no last minute attempt to drag them into their prison.
The Doctor knelt down next to Hannah and looked at her. “How were you able to do that?” She demanded. “Only Time Lords can do that and even then not that completely.”
“I don’t know.” Hannah replied. “It was as if the ability was just there, when I needed it. Maybe it’s because I had one of them inside my head for a few seconds?”
“Yes, well we had better get back to the TARDIS. I want to put a lot of space between ourselves and this place.” The Doctor offered her hand to Hannah. “Up you come.” She helped Hannah to her feet.


The TARDIS dematerialised with little fuss or complaining, Hannah rechecked the instruments. “You know Doctor I might just get the hang of this. It’s certainly a lot faster than a car.”
The Doctor waited until Hannah left before checking the instruments herself, they were faultless. Hannah had dematerialised the TARDIS better than most graduate Time Lords. “I wonder?” She tapped her chin thoughtfully before leaving the console room to rearrange her silk ribbon collection.