All together now {Tag: ALL TIME LORDS}

[The Meddler]

He swallowed nervously as the time rotor ground and roared. The six members of his crew, men and women he'd hand-picked for this task, made subtle adjustments and corrections.

She had called. After centuries of hiding, she had called. And faithful to their oaths, they came.

"Materialization sequence in five, four, three, two, one... now."

"Excellent, Eyomimir."

"Shall we come with you, sir?"

"No, Dios. If this is legitimate, I will let you know. If it is not, then you must be prepared to flee."

"Is that a possibility? Do you think this could be a Dalek trap?"

"No, I don't. But we must be ready."

---

Maria headed closer towards the Meddler and the Dreamweaver, giving them both a friendly smile. "It's nice to see you two again."

The Meddler smiled back, glad for the brief distraction. "Hi, Phantom. Been a while."

But, before they could talk further, the Dreamweaver's control cracked.

"I'm sorry, Specialist. But I'm afraid there is no place for me in this new home world you speak of. My personal beliefs say that no creature should ever have such a power over others, may they be for good purposes-" Her eyes slid to that of her fathers form "or bad." And back to the Specialist "That includes the Guardians. I know I cannot stop you, but I cannot take aid in such a thing. I may be young in comparison to all of you, but I know when something feels wrong.. and it does now. I'm sorry."

She slipped from his arm, giving him an apologetic look over her shoulder as the door closed behind her. He took a step after her, hesitated, and looked back at the Specialist. All he could hear, it seemed, was the thudding of his hearts in his chest as he looked from the door to the Specialist and back.

And then, with a faint roaring, a TARDIS materialized in the room. It had not bothered to activate the Chameleon Arch. Instead, it simply squatted by the table, a four meter diameter dodecagon of dull silver.

The door opened, and a man stepped out. He was tall, with a grim face and a trimmed beard and moustache, his hair caught back in a pony tail. He wore the red and silver of the Chancellary Guard, although the colors were applied to a highwayman's coat and breeches, and to the tricorn perched on his head. A medieval broadsword and a stazer were belted around his waist.

He looked around the room, then doffed his hat and dropped to one knee. "My lady the Specialist," said Captain Ramachulainn. "You have called, and we have come. Command us, and we will obey."

When he looked up again, the Meddler was gone.

[The Phantom]

"Yes it has, I hope you both been doing wel-" Maria stopped when she noticed they vanished. "See you around then."

The Phantom looked around again, and deciding that she might as well make some sort of conversation with someone around here. She looked at Kos, sighing before making her way over to him.

"Hello Kos, how have you been?" She asked him.

[Seren Ash]

The Specialist stared in shock, at the two beings that meant more in the universe to herself then even the children she cared so much about. The pain blossomed in her heart, the ache reaching a part where her heart shattered. The pieces falling as she brought her hand up to clutch her chest. "Make sure the Archivist will be fine. I won't continue this meeting at this point. I'm not in a proper state, and Xandavier, I refuse to accept your offer of supplies and aid. You are too corrupt to trust." She said in a shaking voice.

Really the Specialist was running, it hurt too much. In her chest and in her soul. She had opened herself again, and had trusted again. And was doing as she had been bade by those that controlled her. "Run away, just run away Meddler - Dreamweaver, it's what you are so good at." She said as her head tucked down. "This is adjourned. My dear Captain, I request to meet with you again, at a later date. Now - now I just need time to myself. Odd, since I had so much of it. But I am not in a proper state to do much of anything." She said.

The ache increased, as she stepped away from the room. Heading for a back area. Stopping before the Goblin, that had mentioned to her before - that she could meet his king if she made the choice to. "Take me from here, little one. I cannot bear this place." She said as she took the Goblins hand, and vanished.

((To be continued, if it is so desired. But no TimeLord will follow her. Please, that is my request, another meeting will be called, but she is not stable enough as of this moment. ))


The Archivist was swept up in a whirlwing, a gasp leaving her as both of her truest friends had a hold of her, and was rushing her from the building. "Boys, if my time in this form is done, do you really wish to risk me regenerating inside a TARDIS?" She said as she shuddered from head to foot. The wound had been treated mostly, but it was the inner bleeding, and the bleed out - that would get her.

It didn't help that she was too tired to really care. Five years she had been away from him, and five years of thinking she had done. Koschei, Thete... why do we all fight, why can't we work with each other, help each other. I want to go back to the old days, i want my friends back. She said to them telepathically, the tears starting as she clung to her lifelines.

[Jenny]

The night was cold. Winter was on its way and it would be the first of such seasons that Jenny would experience. She was excited at the prospects of participating in upcoming Earthling rituals. This night found Jenny asleep in her ship. It was in all truth the only place she had ever felt at home and her home was currently hiding on top of an abandoned warehouse not far from Cardiff. She liked the area and it was close to Torchwood. It was convenient and practical for her to stay close in case the Torchwood team needed her. But this night no communications came in from the hub so she had fallen asleep reading a book on Earth customs.

One moment she was fast asleep and then the next she was wide awake from the sounds of a persistent banging on the hull of her ship. This might not have surprised her so much if her ship hadn’t been rendered undetectable with the help of her ships defensive capabilities. Cautiously she grabbed a small gun from under her pillow and slipped silently to the ships hatch. She then proceeded to open it and was prepared to step out into the night. However, Jenny didn’t make it that far.

A glowing object zoomed past her head and into the ship almost faster than she could see. She spun around with her gun raised, pointed at the offending, intruding object. It was a glowing square that danced around her head. She had never seen anything like it before in her short life. It seemed to hum in her head. The sound of it was unnerving until all was made clear by its message.

Time Lords, Gallifrey, a event to bring the remaining Lords and Ladies together at last. Her father had told her that it was all gone, but she knew that he had been wrong. Jenny was unsure what to do. Her ship wouldn’t make such a journey. Only her time rings could bring her there. But she was hesitant. She had met other Gallifreyians before and it always seemed to bode ill for everyone.

She put down her gun held out her hands. The glowing box settling down in her hands, she stared at it in contemplation. She took a few moments to make her decision and she hoped that it wouldn’t be regretted.

She took a few moments to straighten herself up and making sure that she didn’t look like she had just been rudely awoken. After glancing around her ship a final time she grabbed a few supplies, including her gun, a set of knives, what appeared to be some sort of small electronic device, and the communication orb that she had acquired in what seemed like ages ago from a pawn shop. She didn’t know what to expect and she had no idea what was expected. But she would not be unprepared.

Standing there in silence she looked down at the time rings that seemed to never leave her fingers. The ancient runes engraved in their cold hard metal glittered in the dim light. The she closed her eyes and activated them. Traveling this way always seemed to make her feel unsettled and slightly unnerved. She had found that it was not a way that she enjoyed traveling, not even in the slightest. But sometimes it was a necessity, as it was now. Traveling through time and space and following through on her decision.

When she materialized she found herself in a rather plain and barren room. But the room had a door and so she opened it and investigated her surroundings. She found herself in an unfamiliar corridor. She had no idea where she was or even if she had managed to get to the right place. She felt for the first time in her life truly out of place in her military gear. There seemed to be no sound and no life so she started to search out and find out where she was and if anyone was about.

[The First Doctor]

When she materialized she found herself in a rather plain and barren room. But the room had a door and so she opened it and investigated her surroundings. She found herself in an unfamiliar corridor. She had no idea where she was or even if she had managed to get to the right place. She felt for the first time in her life truly out of place in her military gear. There seemed to be no sound and no life so she started to search out and find out where she was and if anyone was about.

Men in uniforms of crimson with silver piping jogged past her, clutching rifles of clear crystal. "Out of the way, ma'am," one of them said.

[The Master]

"Hello Kos, how have you been?" She asked him.

"Doing well," 'Jake' said, helping the Doctor hustle the Archivist out of the room. "Little busy, Lil' Canary. Back in a few."

Meanwhile, the man with the half-paralyzed face gave her an odd look. "You," he said, almost barking the word. "How do you know that name?"

But then, intrigued by the actions of the newcomer, he turned his attention to the formal display at the center of the room.

[Xandavier]

"Make sure the Archivist will be fine. I won't continue this meeting at this point. I'm not in a proper state, and Xandavier, I refuse to accept your offer of supplies and aid. You are too corrupt to trust." She said in a shaking voice.

"Corrupt?" He smiled. "My lady the Specialist, I have always acted for the greatest good of Gallifrey. No matter what my enemies may have claimed."

He paused. "Stand on your principles all you wish. But as the last survivor of the High Council, I have a vested interest in the welfare of your charges as well." His smile became cruel. "Or will you fail your family again, watch your children die again, Tracenista?"

[The Meddler]

He looked around the room, then doffed his hat and dropped to one knee. "My lady the Specialist," said Captain Ramachulainn. "You have called, and we have come. Command us, and we will obey."

"Run away, just run away Meddler - Dreamweaver, it's what you are so good at." She said as her head tucked down.

"The Meddler? Here?" Ramachulainn rose, gripping the butt of his staser as he did. "Where, my Lady? Where is the monster?

"I fear your information is outdated," said a voice behind him. The Master - the caucasian one, with the crippled face - was laughing now. "There's nobody here but us monsters."

Ramachulainn half-drew the staser. "Who are you?"

And then the Specialist cut him off.

"This is adjourned. My dear Captain, I request to meet with you again, at a later date. Now - now I just need time to myself. Odd, since I had so much of it. But I am not in a proper state to do much of anything."

"My Lady?" He turned back towards her, puzzled

"Take me from here, little one. I cannot bear this place." She said as she took the Goblins hand, and vanished.

By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. He lunged for her anyway, his hand closing on empty air as she vanished. Shocked, he looked around. "What has happened here?"

[The Master]

The air rippled and a man appeared, sitting cross-legged on a table. He was tall and broad-chested, with close-cropped red hair and a day's growth of reddish beard. He was dressed in black jeans and black t-shirt, with black work boots and a black canvas duster and a black fedora. A cane - a cut-down replica of the Rod of Rassilon - rested across his knees.

He was immediately recognizable to the assembled Time Lords: the Could've-Been King.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Ramachulainn.

"Hey! Cap! Good to see you!" the Could've-Been King said with a grin, then looked around the room. "What the hell? Where's the Specialist?"

"She is no concern of yours, monster," snarled Ramachulainn.

"Really?" He hopped off the table. "Because I heard she was calling a meeting, and we were going to talk about the future of Gallifrey."

"She left," said the Master, edging towards a door.

"Damnit," the King replied, good-naturedly. "Because I even went to the trouble of getting her a present."

"What could the likes of you have gotten her?" demanded Ramachulainn.

The Could've-Been King looked troubled. "Not much," he confessed. "Some flowers. A box of candy." He paused, then smiled like a mad thing. "Gallifrey."

The ballroom doors burst open. Men in red and silver uniforms, the uniforms of the Chancellary Guard, began to file in. Following in their wake came a man in the black and silver of the Chancellary Castellan, a thin man with a hawk nose, salt and pepper hair, and a black and grey goatee.

"My Lords," he said, then "My Ladies," with a nod towards the Phantom and the Psychologist. "By order of the Lord President and the High Council of Gallifrey, I must order you all to hold fast and submit to Law. You are charged with dereliction of your Duty to your Houses, your Families, and to the Protocols of History."

He smiled. "I am the Master, Chancellary Castellan. And you will obey me."

The Guard raised their staser rifles at the words.

---

To be continued in

The New Lords of Time