Part 22 – A Voice in the Dark

It was so distant, so… alien, I almost didn’t recognize it. The last time that mind touched mine, most of the great civilizations of the Universe didn’t even have solar systems yet. I was nothing more than a glorified navigation computer.

Rassilon. I felt it. I know it was him. Eons ago, I was built as a vessel for that mind, I can sense it from across the divide between this place and our home. The link was made, albeit for an instant. But I followed it back.

It seems the Time War ended with more of a small pop than a bang. The entirety of the last day is in a time lock bubble, reliving that day for all eternity. Of course, the higher races – such as the Daleks and Timelords themselves – are aware and carry memories from one instance to the next. The Doctor is a fool if he believes this will be the last attempt of Rassilon to break the lock. I imagine he will succeed the next time as well.

With Oolon, Solis, and most of the others getting banished here before the War started, I had no idea the Timelords had even envisioned a plan to revive the founder of our civilization. I could have told them the folly.

Rassilon was brilliant, focused, and utterly insane. He desired nothing more than to rule the universe in immortality. It is likely that this place we are in now could have been created by Rassilon himself as a final refuge if his plan didn’t succeed. As egotistical as Rassilon was, he was acutely aware that even the best fail sometimes. He always had a backup plan.

I do not believe he sent us here, however. The inclusion of myself and Oolon in the banished suggests a specific skill set and breadth of knowledge that was being eliminated before a plan could be set in motion.

I have to go back. Seeing Rassilon is risky, but having Gallifrey exist in the flow of time – if even for an instant – is too valuable an opportunity to pass up. If I can tie our Eye into the one on Gallifrey, our power here will increase exponentially. I can also bring back several artifacts. Now that I have a line to the time bubble, I can even snatch the artifacts from inside the time lock and bring them back here.