A flurry of snow came through the open doorway, melting into a tiny puddle on the floor of the TARDIS. Alison shivered as she backed away, glancing towards the Wanderer.
"Where are we?" An irritated frown was on the Wanderer's face as he stared at the viewscreen and he tapped a series of buttons on the stretch of console in front of him, looking back up at the screen. "Wanderer?"
"I don't know Alison. The TARDIS isn't displaying any information."
The Garoni woman moved to be at the Time Lord's side, joining the Wanderer in watching the viewscreen.
"Is that usual?"
"No. TARDISes usually know quite a bit about where they've landed." Turning away from the console the Wanderer began walking towards the door leading deeper into the TARDIS interior. "The wardrobe will be just through here if you want warmer clothing."
After taking cold weather gear from the wardrobe the Wanderer led Alison from the TARDIS, slowly making their way through the thick snow towards a large and obviously-artificial dome. They were struggling for nearly five minutes before Alison grabbed at the Wanderer's arm, pointing off towards the dome.
"Something's coming!"
The Wanderer squinted, his eyes trying to spot anything among the snowfall, before looking down at his companion.
"What did you see?"
Anything Alison tried to say was drowned out by the chugging of a motor engine, a military-style vehicle coming into view. A section of its hull slid aside and a person leant out, gesturing for the Wanderer and Alison to board the vehicle.
After they'd scrambled inside the Wanderer removed his headgear, looking around the interior of the vehicle. It had resembled a troop transport and the inner walls were festooned with symbols that were vaguely familiar. A young-looking woman, the person they'd seen, was driving, frequently checking on the pair using a mirror.
"It's rare that visitors come here. Was it intentional?"
"No. I don't generally plan my travels." The Wanderer glanced out at the thick blizzard around the transport. "Where is here anyway?"
"You don't know?" In the mirror the driver's eyes had widened, gaze flicking between the Wanderer and Alison. "This is Apeiron's World."
"That's impossible! Apeiron's World is a myth!"
Laughter filled the inside of the transport as Alison shifted closer to the Wanderer.
"What's Apeiron's World?"
"Apeiron was one of the Ancients, a founder of Time Lord civilization, my civilization. Legends say…"
"Our histories say that Lord Apeiron left Gallifrey with his followers, searching for a world free from Rassilon, and found this place. I suppose you could meet him if you want Time Lord."
A trace of distrust had appeared on the driver's face as she fixed her gaze on the Wanderer and he finally identified the symbols, great seals of power, on the inner walls, her final words sinking in.
"Apeiron's World is actually real? And Apeiron still lives?"
The transport slowed as it approached the dome, pieces retracting to allow access in and out of the protective structure. The settlement within was smaller than the Wanderer expected, the archaic Gallifreyan buildings laid out in an ordered grid pattern, and occupied by Apeironites wearing robes from their parent-world's antiquity. Several glanced at the transport as the dome was resealed, something approaching inquisition on their faces, but none deviated towards the vehicle.
"You're not dressed like the others."
The driver paused for a moment after Alison had spoken, powering down the transport and spinning in her seat.
"An affectation of the young dear child. No doubt one day I shall put on my robes."
"So you are genuinely young?"
Both the driver and Alison stared at the Wanderer, the Garoni woman dipping her head to hide exasperation.
"It isn't the right thing to ask a lady her age. But I am young, only loomed a millennium ago." The driver moved to pull open the door, hopping out of the transport. "Protocol states that visitors be taken to the Palace. Follow me."
The Wanderer helped Alison disembark, looking towards where the driver was pointing. A cathedral-like palace sat at the heart of the settlement, imposing in its size, and the Wanderer could almost feel the temporal observatory in its high tower.
"You know when visitors are coming." The statement was made when the three entered the shadow of the palace and the Wanderer gestured up at the tower. "You have an observatory."
"Not at all Time Lord. Your arrival triggered alarms based purely in the spatial realm. The observatory is for Lord Apeiron, and his select guests."
As the group resumed walking, it had been explained that haste was always unseemly, Alison shifted to be closer to the Wanderer, glancing at him as the palace's great doors were swung open.
"I feel like I've stepped between two fighting cats here. You want to explain?"
"Later."
Guards in uniforms the Wanderer had once seen in a museum were stationed within the palace atrium, smoothly turning to face the doors before snapping to attention.
"Lady Ophelia. You grace us with your presence once again."
A man strode between the soldiers, the seals sewn onto his tunic those of Apeiron's, and came to a halt in front of the three.
"Lord Neotha. I present our visitors. A Time Lord and his companion. One of the Humans."
"A child of Rassilon?" A sneer was on Neotha's face as he looked at the Wanderer. "How… wonderful."
With a snap of his fingers the Apeironite soldiers moved to flank Neotha, their antique-looking staser rifles held in such a way that they could be brought to bear in an instant, and the man began turning.
"We'd best go with him Alison."
"It's you nobody seems happy with though." One of the soldiers turned his attention on the Garoni woman and she nervously swallowed. "Yeah, let's follow the butler."
Beyond the atrium the Palace was a long hall, everything designed to point the gaze to an empty throne at the far end. A score of Apeironites were in the large chamber, some moving from one side-room to another while others were stationary. Ahead of the Wanderer and Alison, walking alongside Neotha, Ophelia was looking at the throne.
"He's still not come down?"
"No. Lord Frecinca is still steward. Maybe a Time Lord will rouse him though."
Ophelia quickly glanced back at the Wanderer, a frown on her face.
"He might be a Time Lord but he is also still a visitor, our guest."
"A Time Lord will give him focus, distract our lord from whatever he's watching." Neotha came to a halt upon reaching the foot of the dais the throne rested upon, his gaze rising towards the Apeironite standing to the right of the throne. "Lord Frecinca."
The steward was an elderly man, albeit one possessing a steely core. With one hand he tightly grasped a staff the sister of Rassilon's, a datapad in the other.
"Lord Neotha, Lady Ophelia." A harsh coldness settled on Frecinca's face, the expression one the Wanderer was learning to dislike. "And one from Gallifrey. Why is he here?"
"If I'm not wanted…"
The Wanderer fell silent as he realised that he'd become the center of attention.
"You will hold your tongue in the presence of your betters Time Lord."
"He landed outside the dome. I bought him here."
Frecinca's attitude changed following Ophelia's comments, becoming toadying, and the Wanderer glanced at the woman in curiosity.
"Of course my lady."
"Daughter!" The word echoed around the hall, both in the material and psychic planes, and every Apeironite bar Ophelia knelt as their master emerged through an archway. "A time I have long foreseen has come."
Apeiron was a tall man, dynamic in character. His energy seemed to fill the large chamber as he strode towards his throne, cloak swishing on the stone floor, and the Wanderer knew Rassilon was a pale shadow of his fellow Ancient.
"Father."
The pair embraced for a moment before the Ancient stiffened, his gaze turning towards the Wanderer.
"Many times have I seen your faces. The man who ambles through reality." Apeiron puts a hand on Ophelia's shoulder. "Many times have I seen your current face alongside my daughter's."
Ophelia glanced sharply at her father, surprise in her eyes, and the Wanderer frowned.
"You've seen this in your observatory? Surely you know that's just a possibility."
"I am a true lord of time, not a lesser thing as you are. I stood on the bridge of my starbreaker at Qqaba and felt its energies wash over me. I am among the few to receive the Child's unfiltered blessing. Possibilities do not occur for me."
A look the Wanderer had seen on Rassilon had crept over Apeiron as he'd spoken, the hint of madness, and the Time Lord bowed as he stepped back.
"Of course my lord."
"You seek to placate me!" The madness was gone in an instant, the Ancient's laughter of genuine and sincere happiness." Go now though Time Lord. Your appearance has roused me from my studies of reality and my people thank you. Ophelia will go with you."
"Father?"
"You are young my daughter. The rest of us were your age when Gallifrey still had an empire and look at the state of my world. It is frozen, a time that was. Learn and then return. Remake us as the time it is."
The dome receded behind the transport and when finally lost behind the blizzard Ophelia powered down the vehicle. Emotions danced over her aristocratic features, the envy of any court of Old Gallifrey, and the woman felt lost, felt tears gathering.
"Have I done wrong? Is that why Father sent me away?"
"Hardly." It was Alison who spoke, both Time Lord and Apeironite turning to face her. "Your father said it would help your people grow, that you were all but made for this."
"What did your father mean when he spoke of a child?" The Wanderer looked up, face lit from below by the datapad in his hands. "He said he had the child's unfiltered blessing."
"He meant regeneration." Ophelia bought the transport back to life and it rumbled, the interior shaking. "He was speaking of the child Tecteun bought back to Gallifrey."
"A child gave us regeneration? But it is taught that Rassilon used…"
"Father was there. You call him a founder of your civilization? Then trust his word. The Ancient named Tecteun found an alien child and from them unlocked the ability of regeneration. Perpetual regeneration. The Gallifreyans who followed Rassilon, who became the first Time Lords, were given a limited gene-therapy program. Enough for a small number of regenerations. The founders were not so restrictive when it came to themselves."
The Wanderer's TARDIS came into sight and everyone began bundling up within warm clothing. The Wanderer's movements were mechanical, his mind reeling with the implications of what Ophelia had revealed. It didn't surprise him, he knew Rassilon enough to know that threats to his power weren't tolerated, but it still shook him.
"What happened to the child?"
"I don't know. Father took his followers and left before Rassilon could eliminate them all, just as he'd eliminated Omega and just as he’d eliminated the scientists behind the first of the TARDISes."
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