"Ah, that was close. We only got away by the skin of our noses." The Doctor says. "You're okay?" He asks to the Time Lady who nods. He gives her a quick hug and moves over to the console.
"I'll put the sword in the umbrella stand." Celestia says as she does just that.
"So what do we do now?" Charley asks.
"Grayle seemed to think that he would get another chance at immortality. I don't think it'll be for a while, though. He was pretty put out. I suspect his masters are limited by some astronomical alignment, something that lets them transfer their power only at certain times. We have to find out the point in space and time where they try again. A point where somehow I can sever the link between them. And here is how we find it." The Doctor explains.
"You're not going to need another sample, are you?" Charley asks.
"No, no, I've set the Tardis to trace the point of origin for that transmat beam. Here we are. Look at this. The beam originated in the Ordinand System." The Doctor explains.
"A rather unlucky system, by all accounts. Got a black hole almost on their doorstep." Celestia says as she goes to The Doctor's side.
"That would make sense. Thanks to that black hole, and the sheer number of planets in the system, they can only transmit to Earth every seven hundred and fifty years or so. I think we can count on Grayle's masters having another go. Their window of opportunity is only open for a year, but that's more than enough time. How about paying Grayle another visit?" The Doctor asks.
"Doctor, have you stopped to ask yourself why does Grayle want to kill you?" Charley asks.
"Well, I'm a rather troublesome person. He probably just wants me out of the way. Actually, in Singapore there was a bit more to it than that." The Doctor says.
"From what you said, he absolutely hated you, but he didn't recognise you in the Roman fort. That was the first time you'd met." Charley says.
"What if he's after revenge for you getting in the way just then, and for all the times we're going to do it again?" Celestia asks him.
"So if I hadn't tried to stop him killing me, he wouldn't want to kill me." The Doctor realizes.
"Yes." Charley says.
"If you think about things like that and travel through time, Charley, you'll turn your brain into a spiral staircase. And I've heard of people who've vanished up staircases like that. Zagreus sits inside your head, Zagreus lives amongst the dead. Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you when you're sleeping. As mummy used to say." The Doctor says.
"Zagreus?" Charley frowns.
"A character from a Gallifreyan nursery rhyme." Celestia explains.
"But that's not important. Whatever Grayle's personal motives for wanting to see me dead, and wanting to make Celestia suffer, there's still the matter of his masters, who as we speak have fed upon the Earth and changed the whole time line in the process. Those alien demons, whatever they are, might want me dead themselves. They also might think that Celestia is useful for them so they just want her to suffer, not dead." The Doctor explains.
"Point taken. So where are we going?" Charley asks.
"Ah, one of my favourite times and places. London in the year 1055. The court of King Edward, known as the Confessor. During the time known as the Rule of Solomon." The Doctor says. Celestia frowns at that.
"So he was a very wise King Edward?" Charley asks.
"Yes, but they didn't really mean that then. Solomon was known for being a peaceful man. This chap is very cunning. And so was his wife." The Doctor says.
YOU ARE READING
Fixing The Problems
FanfictionCelestia is a Time Lady from Gallifrey who is the best friend of The Doctor. She met him when they joined Time Lord Academy. They immediately got along and became best friends. She is also coming from a family of, what some people might call, "witch...
