The Strongest

The Gemini Archives Book 8
by Jill D'Entremont

Gemini Trilogy Part 3: The battle all have been preparing for—the battle of ORBIT against the last of the Time Lords—has finally come. Tensions build as enemies try to be allies, allies try to be friends, and friends try to be more than friends. So much needs to be said and done, for once the battle begins, no one knows what may happen. But when a personal vendetta is the true cause of the battle, it no longer matters what is said or unsaid; all focus turns to survival. The one who stands victorious can only be the strongest.

Originally written & illustrated June 2014
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Chapter 1

Amaya’s eyes slowly opened.  The pale blue of her irises glimmered in the low light, and they just as slowly moved to focus on the man at the side of the bed.  A weak smile spread across her face.

“I know you...” she said in a whisper.

The older gentleman had been reading a book as he sat by her bedside, and he turned his dark eyes toward her.  His lips held the smallest of smiles.

“Shh,” he said in reply.  “You’re not supposed to recognize me.”

“How can I not recognize you?” she asked with growing excitement.  “But I won’t tell...”

“Amaya?” Vance’s voice came from the hallway.

The Elder Sentinel brought a silent finger to his lips and he adjusted the hood over his head.  He then made way for Vance to run to the young oracle’s bedside.

“Vance!” she said, spreading her arms wide.  They gave each other the strongest hug they could muster.  Amaya had finally awakened from the darkness she had been plunged into.  This alone was a victory for the misfit group of Time Lords and companions gathered at the base in the wilderness.


Amaya steadily regaining strength put every one of our ‘operatives’ back on line for the upcoming battle against the operatives of ORBIT.  Everyone would have a part of this; no one’s skill set or powers would go to waste.  The Elder Sentinel and his protégé Ian had seemingly spent a lot of time developing a plan, and it was announced that it would be discussed that evening with everyone present.

Everyone included Hydra and Mano.  The two were scarcely a part of our casual discussions over the two days we had been residing in the base.  They mostly stuck to a small loft that was more or less out of the way.  It may have been best that way; the existing past between us made it hard for us to accept not only being in each others’ presence, but also being on the same team.  And when I heard what she had done to Amaya, it took every bit of my strength—and The Doctor’s—to keep me from rushing up to the loft and giving them a piece of my own mind.

The Doctor... being in his presence again made me realize how much I needed him.  I had been frightened; scared for my future and thinking pushing him away would help.  He would never tell me how to reverse the metacrisis I was trapped in.  I misunderstood his hesitance, thinking he had some other motive for not telling me.  But I understood now why he would never say; it hurt him too much for him to give me the option because he was afraid I would take it.  Reversing the metacrisis meant I would have to have my mind wiped.  Having my mind wiped would erase every bit of my memory of him from my brain.  Only from Cain the Kronolin did I receive this weighted information, and only with this information did I fully understand my situation.

The Doctor was right; I did not need the option of reversing the metacrisis.  Staying strong was my only choice.  I had to stay strong if I wanted to live my life with him.  I would block out the anger, hatred, and rage from the Time Lord dwelling inside me; I would do all I could to fight back Rovenna and live as Gemini.  I could not go back to Ace Gallagher if it meant losing the man I loved and the friends I had surrounding me.

The Doctor patted my leg.  “I’m going to see if I can’t find Diana,” he said.  “I’ve got a few things to ask her.”

“All right,” I replied, watching him stand.  I held my legs up against my chest and smiled at him.  He smiled back, wavered for a moment, and kissed my forehead.

I grinned as he left the room.  The Doctor was almost obsessed about Diana.  The night before we had spoken about her and the three other newcomers we had met.  We both expressed curiosity in how some of them seemed so familiar.  He was anxious to know more about them, and felt he could ask Diana more easily.  After all, she had been the one to seek him out when the time came to rescue me.

She was a very kind young woman, a little quiet at first, but get her started and you’ll never hear the end of her stories.  She had a jovial nature and was quick on comebacks.  I could tell the two of us could be a threat to any conversation if we were allowed to take over.  I smiled to myself.  Actually, she and The Doctor would have a good time too.

My thoughts slowed as I watched James sit down with Amadeus across from me.  It was easy to see that Amadeus had never met a stranger before, and I had to laugh a bit as James glanced at me with a look that proved this discussion had been going on for a while.

“...It was the first premonition I remembered after I said it.  ‘The lady of the fountain shall no longer see daylight, but dust’...”  His hands reenacted a mighty statue collapsing onto James’ leg, and he puffed a few sounds for an added effect.  He then looked up with a smirk.  “The statue fell... flat on her face.  Get it?  No longer daylight but dust?  ‘Cause her face hit the ground!”

“That’s...” James shook his head.  “Im—impressive, to say the least.”

Amadeus looked proud, but a moment later his lips had been pressed together.  “You know, your stammer’s gonna keep get better.  Before you know it, you’ll almost forget you had one.”

James and I both stopped and glanced at each other.  “...Th-thanks?” James tried.

“No need to thank me; you do all the work, after all.”

My brother smiled and shook his head at the young man, sitting on the chair beside him and swinging his legs.

“How did you come to have the power of foresight?” I asked.

“Well, I was born this way,” Amadeus said, looking at his feet.  “A baby born with blue eyes in Pavo is sure to be the next oracle, and sure enough, I was.”

I straightened up.  “So you are an Oracle of Pavo...” I spoke the realization aloud.  “You know Amaya is also an oracle... where do you fall in the line of Oracles that have served Pavo?  Are you the one who comes after her?”

Amadeus’ mouth twisted.  “Well, you see... um... Hey!  Nick!” The young man bounded to his feet and started over to the dark-haired young man in the doorway.  Nick immediately started to back away.  “No wait, I have something to, um, ask you—and stuff!”

“And stuff... if you can say it on the way to the kitchen, I’ll listen.  I’m too hungry to wait for another of your stories to end.” Nick replied, glancing at James and me before starting across the room to the kitchen.  The young oracle sprinted ahead of him to his surprise, and he could only sigh audibly before he, too, was out of sight.

“...Well, that was very strange.” I eyed James.

“All of this is...” James said softer.  “I’m... I think they’re hiding a lot from us.”

I still had my knees against my chest, and I began flexing one of my legs to keep it from getting sore again.  “I know, I feel like something’s right here in plain sight, but I’m not smart enough—or something—to see it.  The whole thing with the Elder Sentinel never showing his face is a sure sign we’re being withheld information...”

“Th-that’s what bothers me most...  it’s... it’s like we would recognize him if w-we saw his face...” James frowned as he glared at the ground in thought.

“But who could he be?  I doubt it’s one of us; could you imagine The Doctor being that subtle?”

James chuckled.  “And I sure don’t have any p-power.”

I sat back in the chair and rested my feet on the floor like a normal human being.  “Oh well.  I guess we just hope that we’ll find out eventually...”

James looked up when he heard Nick and Amadeus returning to the main room.  “...Hopefully before all this battling starts.” He ended our discussion quietly.

“Mind if we sit with you?” Nick asked as he came around to the group of chairs.  He was a sturdy young man with a fair amount of muscle.  Over the past few days was easy to see he was competitive in nature, especially against Ian, and he had a firm grasp of sonic knowledge enough to have a staff built using the same technology.  I needed to ask him if he was the one who built it.  He seemed like he’d be smart enough.

Amadeus followed shyly behind and glanced at me often, as if hoping I had forgotten the question I had tried to ask him about earlier.  I played dumb and made it look like I wasn’t paying attention to him.  He seemed to loosen up almost immediately, and he dug into his stew without another word.

“Actually, I should have asked if you guys wanted anything,” Nick said with a hint of embarrassment, and set his bowl down with the intention of getting back up.  “Can I get you each a bowl?”

“Thanks, but I’ll get one myself in a bit.  I’m going to see where The Doctor ended up.”  I started to get up and watched as Amadeus popped up shortly after.

“I’ll get some for James!” he announced, running in the opposite direction.

I couldn’t help but smile as I walked out of the room.  I could have just as easily chalked Amadeus’ oddness to his bubbly, almost scatterbrained personality, but, like James, I knew something more was going on than what initially appeared.

My thoughts were again thwarted as I nearly ran straight into Ian as he was coming down the hall from the other direction.  He smiled nervously and stepped aside without saying a word.

Apart from the Elder Sentinel, the young Sentinel Ian was perhaps the hardest to figure out.  He was quiet and almost shy at times, but when he needed to, he could step out in front of our mismatched group and firmly deliver information.  And wielding whatever sort of power the Sentinel had must be another testament to his strength—though from the outside you’d probably never know.

I could hear The Doctor’s voice in the room up ahead, and I lingered in the hallway to listen in.

“...So all of these children are here... where are your parents?”

It took Diana a moment to answer; she was probably fingering her hair like I would often notice her doing while thinking or when nervous.  “Well, we all come from different situations,” she explained.  “I actually grew up on Fortis-Novus with Amadeus’ family.  They were great... it was a good place for me.  I couldn’t imagine growing up without De, and everyone thought we were twins anyway.”

The Doctor smiled.  “So you two aren’t really related?”

“Not by blood.  But I don’t think that makes us any less siblings.”

“Of course not.  Gem and James are exactly the same way.  I would have never known they weren’t truly brother and sister if they had never told me.”

The conversation paused as Diana giggled softly and The Doctor searched for a way to get to his next question.

“If you don’t mind my asking... what about your birth parents?” He gently added, “Did... did something happen?”

“Oh, my dad always comes to visit,” she said, a smile apparent in her voice, “He pops in every once in a while, and he always comes on my birthday.  You know, I was almost born on Christmas—my dad’s favorite holiday.”

“I love Christmas too!” The Doctor’s excitement came out.  “That’s great you could see your dad for your birthday and Christmas...” I could tell the smile was fading.  “But...”

“But what about your mom?”

The two looked up at me, and I was thankful they didn’t look too startled.  Diana immediately went back to fingering her hair again, and she sat at the corner of her bed with her thin legs crossed.  The Doctor sat on the edge of the bed beside her.

“I... don’t see her as often.” She said to me sadly, trying to smile, “But she is a very kind woman.”

The Doctor patted her leg much in the same way he had done for me a few minutes ago.  “Well, I thank you, and I’m sorry to be bothersome.”

“You have a right to ask,” Diana still attempted a smile as she looked down.  “I... wish I could be more open about it.”

“Considering we just met,” I tried to help her out, “I bet we’ll get to know each other better before long.”

For the first time she looked squarely at me and smiled the most genuine smile I had seen from her.  It was enough to make my heart melt.  

“I hope so.” She said softly.

---

Chapter 2

I clung to the railing at the bottom of the staircase.  “...I know, but they told me to come get you.”

“Couldn’t they have picked someone else?” Hydra’s voice shot back.

“Hydra...” Mano’s deep voice attempted to intervene.

Thankfully, it worked.  “Fine.  We’ll be down when we’re ready.”

I rolled my eyes and pushed away from the stairs.  “Fine...”

I met Ian in the hallway.  “Did you tell them?”

“Yeah...” I eyed the staircase and started past him.  “Who knows if they’ll listen.”

Ian frowned and followed me.  I was helping him assemble everyone to get the ‘briefing’ on our plans against ORBIT.  I was ready to get things rolling, but every time I thought about how we were about to start a battle, I shrunk back to my anxious self that was far too worried about what a battle would entail.

When I noticed everyone, except Hydra and Mano, were sitting in the circle of chairs, I felt mostly accomplished.  I broke into a full grin when I noticed Amaya was sitting beside Vance, and I quickly slid into the chair between The Doctor and Amaya.  The Doctor was reaching over to give me a hug, but Amaya was much too quick.

“Amaya!  I’m so glad you’re up and about!” I said, hugging her tightly.

“I am too!” she said.

“When I heard what happened I couldn’t believe it...”

“It’s past.  I’m much better now.”

We finally pulled back so we weren’t talking into each others’ shoulders.  “Maybe it’s a good thing you don’t remember your visions?  Your mind would still be swimming through them, I bet,”

“It’s weird,” Amaya turned her head.  “But this time I can remember certain images... certain phrases.”

I leaned closer to her.  “Like what?”

“The Sentinel,”

I nodded.  “You know who that’s talking about.”

“It’s not that one.” She nodded to Ian.

My brows lowered.  “The Elder Sentinel?”

She broke into a smile.  “Uh-huh.”

“Okay,” I took in the information.  “What else?”

“Colored glass... a chapel in a vineyard... pillars standing together under the Sentinel’s watch...”

Diana walked up to us, interrupting Amaya’s train of thought.  “It’s good to see you, Amaya!  We’re so glad you’re feeling better.”

Amaya smiled, her eyes half-distant.  “A glimmer of light... a glimmer of hope in the darkness.”

The young woman was taken aback, but she tried to nod regardless.

“...I think I remembered that...” Amaya said to herself.  “A glimmer of hope in the darkness—I still remember that!”

“You’re remembering your visions?” I grinned at her as she began to smile.  “Good job!”

“I guess we can sort of thank Hydra for that,” Vance leaned into the conversation softly.  “I’m not sure I care for the method, however...”

“Speaking of,” I caught sight of Hydra and Mano making their entrance.  Where Hydra purposely ignored our stares, Mano glanced over at us and raised his eyebrows.  We nonchalantly turned back to each other.

“Why did they bring this guy with her,” Vance spoke under his breath.  “He’s got even less to do with this than I do,”

“Good, everyone’s here,” Ian started as Mano sat next to Vance.  

Hydra sat on the other side of him, trying to ignore the looks she was getting from my half of the room.  She found a bit of solace from James, who, despite sitting beside her, was focused solely on Ian.  She turned her head and did the same.

“All right, the Sentinel and I have devised a plan to go after ORBIT.  They will not be expecting us to move first, so we have a plan to move everyone into place before they notice we’re even there.”  Ian rubbed his hands together.  “We know that there will be a gala to celebrate the operatives’ return, and it should be a little more over-the-top to balance out the failed mission.”

“Are we going to disrupt the party?” The Doctor asked.

“In a way, yes.  We’re going to slip a few of us into the party to start gathering information and leads on were certain higher operatives might be—and to make sure they’re not aware of our plan.”

“Ooh, I vote going to the party!” Amadeus raised his hand, startling James beside him.

Ian’s mouth was open for a moment before he spoke.  “I was actually going to have you and Amaya off-location to gather visions... but now that you mention it, we may need you to read some minds.”

Amadeus saluted.  “I shall, captain!”

“But he forgets things as soon as he reads them; how’s that going to work?” Nick asked almost accusingly.

“We’ll have him paired with someone else so he can relay the information quickly.”

Nick still wasn’t convinced, but was interrupted by The Doctor.

“As far as off-location, are you planning on parking a TARDIS above the planet?” he asked.

“We were counting on yours,” Ian turned to face the elder Time Lord.  “You can turn her invisible; shield her from any scans, can’t you?”

The Doctor grinned at Ian’s use of female pronouns for his beloved TARDIS.  “I can.  She’ll use up energy faster, but it’s for a good cause.”

“What about us?” Hydra asked.

“You, Mano, Nick, and Diana will be sent out to gather our reinforcements.  I’ve sent coordinates to a number of allies who have expressed interest, so we just need to connect with them to bring them together.”  He paused for the ones mentioned to accept their duties, and then he continued.  “Vance, you’ll be on the TARDIS with Amaya, and you’ll be our contact on that front.”

Vance almost nodded in relief when he heard he would not be on the front lines—at least not yet.

“James, you, me, The Doctor, and Gemini will be at the gala to search for information.  We’ll need to mingle and act like we belong there,”

“I wouldn’t send The Doctor to do that,” Hydra mentioned in passing.

“I can blend,” The Doctor said, frowning.

“Yeah, right.”

“Hey, knock it off,” I shot in.

“What reinforcements are we expecting?” Mano asked, trying to sway the outbursts back into the conversation.

“We’ve contacted the Dalkons of Fortis-Novus, and were able to get in touch with the Brigadier General of the Kronolins—”

“Kronolins?? You’ve got to be kidding me,” Hydra looked slightly outraged.

“They’re not all bad,” I muttered.

“The Brigadier General seemed to know you,” Ian nodded to me.

I tilted my head.  “Cain?”

Ian made a face.  “...No, but I can’t remember her name...”

“Her...” I repeated.  “It couldn’t be Lucia, she wasn’t in their army...”

“All right, can we just get this moving?” Hydra asked impatiently.

“What do they need to do to prepare?” Nick clarified, also beginning to look peeved.

The young Sentinel shifted on his feet.  “We’ll need everyone fitted with armor and weapons.  Those of us going to the party will need to have everything stashed nearby, with coordinates programmed into vortex manipulators.  If we’re found out, we all need to get away and get ready.  We can’t imagine any of them to be armed at the gala, but we can never assume something like that.”

“I would count on at least a few of them with guns,” Nick glanced at Ian.  “Even in their paradigm world of Paccem, they won’t be stupid enough to be without their precious weapons.”

“Fair enough,” Ian shrugged, at which Nick sat back, looking accomplished.  “Everyone who’s reaching out to our reinforcements will need to be armored and ready; again, we don’t know what you may run into.  As for Vance and Amaya, you’ll have your armor on hand as a last resort.”

“So we’re expecting the battle to escalate quickly,” The Doctor scooted closer to me.

“Yes.  But we should be ready in plenty of time.”

“We’re still holding out hope,” Diana finally contributed to the conversation, “that we can come to an agreement without fighting...”

“I like that idea,” Vance said quickly.

“It’s a dream, though,” Nick stood up.  “They’re going to fight whether we’re ready or not.  They’re not going to just decide not to.”

“Even if they see how prepared—”  

“We’ve already talked about this, Di,” Nick held firm.  “ORBIT isn’t like that.  Reynolds isn’t like that.  You know he’ll never let Gemini out of sight without getting back at Rovenna.  He’s got a bigger thirst for revenge than Hydra.”

“Watch it, kid.” The Snake raised her eyebrow.

Nick wasn’t fazed in the least.  He simply glanced back at Diana, and she, in turn, glanced at me and The Doctor.

Ian took a small breath.  “We know from the Sentinel that a battle breaks out.  It’s unfortunate, but I doubt us being prepared will stop them.  We can hope, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

“W-what is the Elder Sentinel’s role in this?” James asked.

“He will hold the base here.”

“Alone?”

“He can handle it, believe me.” Nick smirked.  He then turned to Amadeus.  “You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet,” he eyed the oracle.

“I’m preparing for battle.” Amadeus said, almost trancelike.

“In your head?”

“Best place to prepare, my friend.”

His words could not have fallen on more ready ears.  We all shifted in our seats as we thought about the upcoming battle.  Even those usually more confident, like Hydra and Mano, had a sense of urgency and anticipation about them.  A pang of nervousness made me shudder, and The Doctor put his arm around me.  What if something happened to one of us in the battle?  I couldn’t bear to bring my mind on the topic without the nervousness lashing through me again.

“We will rest tonight and prepare tomorrow.  In two days, we move out.” Ian proclaimed firmly.  He then added gentler, “Thank you all, we can only do this with everyone’s help and support.”

As we began standing, I could hear Hydra speak under her breath.  “Not like we had much of a choice.”

“We didn’t, but m-maybe we didn’t need a choice.” James replied softly.

She looked at James somewhat incredulously.  “How can you be so willing to do this?  You’re just... just a human.  You have no stake in this.”

James adjusted the sleeve of his sweatshirt.  “B—but I do.  Gemini is my sister.  I’ll ...I’ll do whatever I have to do for her.”

“Even if you could be killed?” Mano stepped around Hydra when the Time Lord was unable to continue.

James had to pause himself to find his words.  “...Yes,” was all he could say.

Mano’s blue eyes shifted to Hydra for a moment before returning to James.  “Well, I’m not sure if you’re really brave or really—”

Hydra cleared her throat, shooting Mano a look.

Mano didn’t finish his train of thought.  He just shrugged a bit and took Hydra around the shoulders as they started back to their loft.

The others were slowly following suit.  Amaya walked over and sat beside a noticeably embarrassed Amadeus, which meant Vance lingered nearby to wait for her.  Ian started into the hallway, assumingly to find the Sentinel, and Diana followed him, which meant Nick was close behind.  I was just about to follow James to the back door, but the Doctor took my hand and stopped me.  I glanced at him for a moment before realizing James may have needed time to himself.  I nodded quietly and instead followed him back to our room.

I was still in the hallway when Nick stormed out of the neighboring room and brushed past me.  Diana’s head poked out of the door frame, and when she saw me her lips pulled into a frustrated expression.

“He’s a little... hotheaded at times,” I tried to be polite.  

Diana rolled her eyes.  “A little.”

“I bet he’s just as nervous as we are,”

“That’s probably it; he’s really a nice guy most of the time.  Course... well...”

“What?” The Doctor leaned in the doorway.  

Diana shrugged.  “A lot changed when Ian showed up.” She said simply.  I almost thought I saw her blush, but the light was dimmer where we stood.

The Doctor twirled a finger in the air.  “You say ‘show up’...”

Diana shifted on her feet.  “Well, Nick, Amadeus, and I have been training for quite a while.  We knew we’d be on the front lines, and I think Nick just assumed he’d be the leader.  I really didn’t want to be, and Amadeus’ strengths are definitely elsewhere... But the next thing we knew, the Elder Sentinel had come across Ian.  Amadeus had received a vision of him—a ‘gyspy of a strange and distant time,’ I believe was the prophecy.  Ian had discovered his powers of the Sentinel, but was unable to use them.  That’s when the Elder Sentinel took him in and trained him.  Before we knew it, it was clear the Elder Sentinel had chosen him to lead the operation.”

“That certainly makes sense, then.” I nodded.

The Doctor rubbed his chin.  “’Strange and distant time’,” he quoted, “How strange and how distant?”

Diana smiled a little. “Ian doesn’t remember; and what he does remember he really doesn’t say.  All he tells is that the time he was from was very, very different than anything he’s seen here.  That, and he has no memory of how he came to the land the Elder Sentinel is from; he just woke up and he was there.  He wandered for years before finally finding us.”

Just as she had finished, Ian stepped out behind her.  With all eyes immediately on him, he took a step back with a half-smile.  “Sorry to interrupt,” he tried.

“It’s about you, anyway.” Diana put her hands on her hips.

Ian looked even more uncomfortable.  “Oh.”

“Don’t worry; only kind words were spoken.” The Doctor grinned.

I took a step towards the door to our room to signal the end of the conversation.  “Thanks,” I told Diana.  “We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night,” Diana reached forward and gave me a side-hug before starting back to the main room.  Ian nodded his own ‘good night’ and started after her.

The Doctor closed the door after I had walked into the room, and he joined me at the window a moment later.  We glanced at each other, but no words were spoken.  We didn’t feel the need to.

The night air was rolling in, and the wind glistened across the wheat field that surrounded the base.  This plain, unmarked building and its team of young time travellers, often referred to as Sentinel’s Watch, was situated on the very unnamed planet The Doctor and I visited when we had first met.  

We would have never guessed that we were only a long wheat field’s journey away from our new allies—and an experience we would have never thought we’d have.

---

Chapter 3

Diana stretched out her arms and glanced at the young man beside her.  “You know I didn’t tell them anything bad—nothing that would upset anything.”

“I know,” Ian replied, keeping his eyes on the wheat field.  “It’s not like I actually know what happened to me anyway.”

They sat within the long shadow the moon cast from the chimney, propping themselves up with their feet so as not to slide down the sloped shingles.  Below them, James was turning from the field to head back inside. He didn’t notice a thing.

“They’re all so nervous...” Diana said softly.

“Of course they’re nervous,” Ian replied.  “I’m nervous, too.”

“You did good, though,” she turned to him, leaning back on her hands.  “It’s hard to keep that lot focused, and you did.”

The young Sentinel shook his head.  “I don’t know.  I still have a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach about all this...”

Diana pressed her lips together.  “I can almost bet it won’t work the way you’ve planned.  But what I can bet on is you leading us through.”

Ian half-smirked.  “All this pressure on me isn’t helping me either.”

Diana smiled back and scooted closer.  “Don’t forget that you’re not alone.”

The smirk turned to a more genuine smile—at least before it turned to a nervous breaking of eye-line.  “I know.  Thank you.”

The young Time Lord also seemed nervous, but she took a deep breath and angled herself to face him.  Her hand strayed to his, but her fingers never quite touched.  She looked down and set her hand back onto the roof.

Ian had attempted to look like he hadn’t noticed her movement, and so far it seemed to be working.  He was thankful the shadow of the chimney also hid the redness of his cheeks.  It wouldn’t be hard to just look at her or take her hand; but that feat seemed almost as hard as leading the misfit group into the battlefield.

“I’ll race you.” She said suddenly.

He perked up and looked at her.

She grinned at him, sliding down the roof ever so slightly.  “Out to the tree.  Get your mind off everything.”

“You know I lose every time.” Ian mustered a grin.

“Maybe this time I’ll let you win.” She shrunk down further.

“And maybe you’ll change your mind like every other time.” He started to move his leg.

That was all the movement she needed.  Diana pushed off from the roof and flew through the air.  She hit the ground hard, but years of practice kept her from feeling the stinging in her legs.

Ian skidded down to the edge of the roof before jumping himself.  He hit the ground and took off after her as quickly as he could manage.  If it were only running across cleared ground, he would have a much better chance of winning.  But now that the wheat had grown in, Diana’s smaller size made it that much easier for her to weave through the stalks at a much faster pace.  But he pressed on with a smile, knowing it wasn’t so much about winning, but that she cared enough about him to try and take his mind off the strain it was under.

Ian broke through the clearing of wheat to reach the large oak tree, and in the light from the moon, he couldn’t see Diana waiting for him as she always did.  Breathing hard, he opened his arms in shock and turned around to face the wheat.

“You can’t be serious... you really did let me win for once??”

Diana dropped from a nearby tree branch.  “Nope.”

Ian jumped and staggered a few feet back.  “Ah, dangit... I knew it was too good to be true!”

She giggled, stepping closer.  “Maybe next time.”

He shook his head.  “I doubt it.”

Diana held open her arms and leaned forward, and he grasped her in a playful hug.  This was nothing new.  What became different, however, was the length of the hug.  Ian opened his eyes and looked down at her.  “Are you all right?” he asked cautiously.

She pulled away nervously and averted her eyes—though she kept her hands on his waist.  “Yeah—just...” her mood darkened.  “If something happens...”

“Hey, it’ll be all right,” the young Sentinel tried, bringing a hand to her arm.  “You’re so good at making me feel better... did you give all your confidence away?”

She looked up to him kindly, but then she faltered and looked away again.  “I’m all right.  I just don’t want anything to happen to you...”

Ian felt his face flush again.  He quickly shook it off and drew her closer.  He shut his eyes and at once, the glowing of his power began to form around them.  

Diana’s eyes glimmered as Ian encircled her in light, forming a shield around the two of them.

“Nothing will happen to us,” The Sentinel assured her.  “I won’t allow it.”

Diana’s hearts fluttered and she pressed her lips together in an enamored smile.  

Ian’s lips parted as Diana closed her eyes and leaned up to him.  Her lips met his.  The energy seemed to pulse before fading into wisps on the wind.  

Ian was the first to open his sapphire-blue eyes.  He breathed through his mouth as she brought her head to his chest.  He wrapped his arms around her back and rested his chin on her head.  It felt like dream; the wind gently swayed the branches of the oak tree as he stood with Diana in his arms.  The weight of the oncoming storm, the battle looming over their heads... it all meant nothing.  There was no storm, no battle, as he held her tightly.

Not even a rustling in the wheat field distracted them from their perfect moment.

- - -

I could just barely make out my reflection in a very large shield propped up against the wall; of course, even with a clear shot through a mirror, I probably wouldn’t have recognized myself.

I had been dressed in a mismatch of armor; a collection of bits and pieces that the kids of Sentinel’s Watch had picked up.  A silver breastplate was wrapped around me like a corset, clasped over a light chainmail tunic.  Armored greaves were strapped to my legs, and beneath everything was a long blue tunic and dusty black pants.  They weren’t kidding when they called it a war.

“Can you still move under there?” Nick smirked, his arms crossed as he watched me stand awkwardly.

I twisted my body around and then took a few steps to try lunging and crouching.  The weight was half of why it was so uncomfortable; I felt trapped within my own apparel.  “I guess.” I finally admitted.

“The armor is bullet resistant,” the young man continued.  “The chainmail is mostly.  If you’re shot at, it’ll still hurt, but they’d have to be pretty close to you to break through it.”

I jumped back up to my feet as I continued to test out the armor, and the chainmail jingled around me.  “Is everyone else getting something like this?”

“More or less.  We only have so much, so we’re making do with what we have.”

“Ian’s giving up most of his armor for James.” Diana spoke.  She had been quietly following me most of the morning, as if she just wanted to be in my presence.  She was currently sitting on the other end of the room looking through a book.

Nick seemed to scowl a little.  “Ian has a shielding power, so he won’t really need it anyway.”

“I see.” I said simply.  “So... what do I do now?”

“Practice with a couple weapons; see which one you prefer.  Make sure you keep your sonic in your other hand, too.  You’ll need both.”  Nick smirked.  “Don’t wear yourself out, though, that’s tomorrow’s job.”

He gave me a bit of pat on the shoulder as he walked by, and I followed him with my eyes until he had come to a stop near Diana.  I couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but Diana’s facial expression proved it wasn’t the kindest of words.

“Nick, don’t start this again,” she huffed, half-rolling her eyes.

“I can start it if I want; you need to quit all this.” Nick hissed as he tried to keep his voice down.

“Nothing is going on.”

“Sure; I guess what happened by the oak last night was a lot of nothing.”

Diana nearly dropped her book.  “What??” she spouted incredulously.

Nick’s eyes narrowed.  “I guess it was hard to see through Ian’s face that I was there.”

“Nick!!”

“Ever since he showed up, he’s all you’ve been thinking about—all you’ve been hanging out with.  What happened to this bond as Time Lords we’re supposed to have?  What happened to the two of us, I don’t know, hanging out with each other?”

“We’ve been a little preoccupied,” Diana shot sarcastically.  “We’ve been preparing for this war longer than Ian’s been here, you know.”

I awkwardly shifted in my armor and the breastplate clanked against the chainmail.  I hoped the sound would remind them I was still in the room.

“Yeah—and what happens if Ian dies?”

I stopped moving.  My eyes shifted to see Diana’s face, and look of utter discontent had covered her.  She was unable to speak.

“He’s not a Time Lord.  Even with that energy he’s got, he’s not immortal.  You get hurt, you regenerate.  I get hurt, I regenerate.  He gets hurt—”

“Stop it!” She pushed herself to her feet and stormed past him and out the door.  I could see Nick hunch his shoulders and clench his fists before he started out the door himself.

I took a deep breath.  The last thing we needed was more drama.

A small sigh came from behind me.  “I knew this was going to happen.”

I turned around to see Amadeus and Amaya leaning on the windowsill from outside.  Aside from being surprised they were there, I was surprised to see how similar the two were.  If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn they were siblings.

“Figuratively or literally?” I asked Amadeus.

“Both.”

Amaya pointed a finger at me.  “The power of sound and steel will aid you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I smiled.

Amaya, however, was grinning widely.  “I remembered that!”  She turned to Amadeus and the two celebrated quietly.  They had just started to walk away from the window when Amadeus stepped back and added, “You may want to go find Di,” he added, heading back towards the window.  “She’s not going to want to talk to anyone else right now.”

I watched as he turned to follow Amaya.  “Not even you?” I called.

“Not when you’re here!” He smirked.  

I shook my head and started to remove the armor.  The mood of this entire excursion could be summed up in the last five minutes I had experienced; a lot of storms and stress with a little bit of unexpected sunshine thrown in.

- - -

“...So... is it all right?”

James hadn’t returned eye contact with The Doctor, but a smile played on his lips.  “I’m not sure what kind of a brother I would be if I declined.”

“I’ve just... I think...now may be the best...”

James finally looked up and nodded.

The Doctor began to beam.  “Oh, I—woah!”  The Doctor eyed Diana as she rushed into the room and flopped onto the bed beside him.  Her head was quickly buried in his pillow.  “Um... is everything all right?”

She breathed in sharply and didn’t speak.

The Doctor scratched his head and scooted closer to her.  James had begun to get up, but The Doctor waved him to stay in the chair across from the bed.  “Diana?”

“Just leave me here a minute...” she finally mumbled through the pillow.

The Doctor tilted his head and slowly put a hand on her back.  He glanced at James with an odd expression, at which James shrugged and shook his head.

Footsteps in the hallway caught their attention, and both were focused on me as I poked my head in.  My worried expression changed when I saw Diana beside The Doctor.  I glanced at him, but he, too, shrugged and shook his head.

Diana managed to lift her head from the pillow to catch sight of me, and she finally sat up.  Her wet eyes and longing expression nearly cut me down.

“Can we borrow the room?” I asked without taking my eyes away from her.

“Of course,” The Doctor said softly.  He and James both got up and closed the door behind them.  I sat gently beside Diana as she let her feet dangle from the edge of the bed.

“...What do I do?” she murmured, her eyes on her hands.

I sat for a moment, trying to figure out what to say in this sort of situation.  In the short amount of time I had known them, I could tell Nick and Diana had some sort of connection, but Ian and Diana had a vastly different sort of connection.  This outburst proved that Ian and Diana’s interactions had never amounted to more than just blushing and flirting until now.  Like the rest of us, the uncertainty of what was to come may have been the biggest push to make a move.

Somehow or another, I muddled through the conversation, smiling as Diana unwound and relaxed again.  She began to open up to me, and in return, I also grew comfortable in her presence. We talked about relationships and how hard they were sometimes.  We discussed our ‘brothers’ and how they were our best friends.  I asked her about her hobbies, and learned she loved to sing almost as much as I did.  She wasn’t terribly competitive, but she admitted she didn’t mind showing off how fast she could run.  I told her how James and I owned a theater, and I was an actor and singer on our own stage.  She only laughed when I said she needed to come visit us when everything was over.

She asked me questions about The Doctor and the travels we went on.  I asked her about her travels, but they were limited due to her training.  I was saddened to hear how much of her life had been working toward this very moment.

She recounted happier tales of her father, and mentioned that every moment with her mother was like sunshine.  She asked about my parents, but I admitted I had never known them. She seemed saddened to hear I had lived on my own—on the streets—for most of my younger years.

The conversation finally slowed to silence.  I had run out of advice, questions, and stories, and Diana seemed to be spent as well.  And with a warm smile, she looked up at me.  Her green eyes reminded me of The Doctor’s, even though her eyes were far younger than his were.  

“Thanks,” she said.  “I... never realized how much I needed that.”

I held out an arm to give her a quick hug, and I was surprised to have her arms wrapped around me a moment later.  I rubbed her back and let her stay as long as she needed to.  Like Amadeus had alluded to, it seemed like Diana was starved for attention from me.  Whether she saw me as someone similar to her, or she just needed a bit of an older female presence to counter the boys she was in the company of, Diana appreciated any attention I could give her.  And oddly for me, I felt just as fulfilled spending time with her.

When she finally released me, she brushed the hair from her face and smiled.  I smiled back, taking a deep breath.  “I guess we should make sure they’re not looking for us.”

Diana nodded, looking to the door as she stood.  “I’ll try to talk to Nick if I can.  I agree with you... he needs to know I’m still his friend.  I just... like Ian in a different way.”

We started to the door and offered my last bit of advice before I touched the knob.  “I think if he really cares about you, he’ll understand.  He may not like it at first, but things will be all right.”

“I’ll trust you on that one,” she admitted quietly as we started out into the hallway.

When we turned the corner to the main room, I saw the eyes of The Doctor, James, Amaya, Vance, Ian, Nick, Amadeus, Hydra, and Mano glance up to us.  The tension cut through me, hitting my chest and lying heavily in my stomach.  I realized there was not a single person, not even Hydra, that I wanted to see harmed in the upcoming battle.  None of us deserved to have to fight for our own survival in the universe.  And certainly none of us needed to spend years of our lives in preparation, like the kids of Sentinel’s Watch.

I found myself squeezing Diana’s arm, half out of fear of never having the chance again.

- - -

The evening had dragged so slowly, and yet tomorrow was coming much too quickly.  I again sat at the edge of the bed, but this time The Doctor was sitting beside me.  We had entered the room in the same lingering silence as before, and the silence remained as we prepared for bed.

The Doctor took my hand and held it gently.  I leaned against him and closed my eyes.

“I’m ready for this to be over.” I admitted.

“So am I.  You’ve been though more than you should have.  I wish I could have protected you... could have saved you sooner.”

I lifted my head and looked at him.  “I was the one pushing you away.  You were trying.  It’s not your fault...”

“I could have told you the real reason for not wanting to reverse the metacrisis.”  The Doctor’s eyes were cast away.  “I should have been the one to tell you, not Cain...”

“I know why you were scared though,” I held his hand tighter.  “Either way, I know now, and I have you as my reason to stay strong no matter what.”

He finally found a smile as he glanced at me from the corner of his eye, but almost as quickly, he tensed up.   His mouth opened and closed, and a peculiar expression filled his face.   “This... this may be the best time...”

I blinked as I began to mirror up his sense of apprehension.  “Yeah?” I asked carefully.

But The Doctor’s mouth turned to an exasperated smile and he dipped his head down.  “I love you, Gem.”

I sat back with a grin.  “I love you, too.  But what were you trying to say?”

He glanced at me for a moment before standing up.  “Just that it’s the best time to get some rest.”

“That wasn’t it.” I said, refusing to move as he walked around me to begin adjusting the pillow I was sitting beside.

He pressed his lips together, keeping his eyes on the pillow.  “...Gem... it’s...” he took a long breath.  “We could have a hundred years together.  We could have a thousand.  Or we could have one more day.”

I felt the pang of anxiety.  “...I know.”

“But no matter what happens...”  His sincere expression cut past my unease.  “...I love you.”

“I’ll always love you.” I whispered.

He shut his eyes and I stood before he had a chance to move.  I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him.  He held onto me as if he would never let me go, half out of fear of never having the chance again.

“We’ll survive.” I said when we finally took a moment to breathe.  “We’ll survive and I’ll be with you always.”

“All of time and space,” The Doctor barely managed to say before I kissed him again.

“...And we will survive.”

---

Chapter 4

My arm was tightly wrapped around The Doctor’s.  Along with James, Amadeus, and Ian, we stood in a semi-circle inside an abandoned stone chapel on the planet Paccem.  We had been transported there because it was conveniently located near the site of the party, and it worked as a place to store the armor and weaponry that we would need once the battle broke out.

For now, however, we were dressed in fairly formal attire.  I had fit almost perfectly into Diana’s only formal dress; the white, strapless bodice had feathers across the bust, and a silky black fabric overlaid a white skirt.  It was actually quite comfortable despite my usual qualms against strapless dresses.  I was thankful Diana’s taste in dresses was the same as my own: if you must own a dress, find one that’s comfortable.  Turning a few heads with it is just a bonus—and I certainly turned The Doctor’s.

He and James each had a long coat with tails and feathered accents as well.  James’ was white, while The Doctor’s was black.  They each looked quite snazzy; I was proud of my boys.

Ian had been noticeably apathetic about the dressing up ordeal, and therefore wore a simple navy suit jacket with a purple handkerchief stuffed in the front pocket.  Amadeus had apparently been preparing, as he wore a white, downy jacket with tailfeathers and an owl mask.  He swore that it would be a costume party, but deep down Ian was hoping the oracle wouldn’t stand out too much.

The vortex manipulator on Ian’s arm beeped softly, and he quickly slid his coat sleeve out of the way.  “Here,”

“We’re ready.” Diana’s voice came.

Ian nodded.  “Vance, can you hear us?”

“Loud and clear.” Vance’s voice chimed in.

“Good.  James has a manipulator too, so we’ll both be listening in once we get to the party.  Doctor, you and Gem need to stay near James if at all possible.  I’ll be following Amadeus so he can relate anything he picks up to Vance.  Vance, you’ll be our oracles’ spokesman, so if either of them say something that’s startling, let us all know.”

“Will do.”

“Hydra and I have manipulators too,” Nick added.

“Good.  If you run into anything—if you’re in danger—we need to know immediately.”

“I have a quick question,” Hydra said.  “Forget The Doctor—if we send Gemini to the party, won’t they recognize her?  I can’t see that working to our advantage.”

Ian’s lips pulled in thought.  “The Elder Sentinel claimed that’s where she needed to be... I’ve got to trust him on that one.”

“That’s actually not a bad point,” James glanced up, looking at me. “S-she’d be safer elsewhere.”

“I have to trust him.” Ian repeated.

“She’ll be all right.” Amaya said suddenly—at the same time Amadeus had said it.

The conversation paused.  “...All right, then.” Hydra submitted.

“We’re moving out.” Nick said quickly before closing his link.

“Here too.” Diana said.  “Good luck.”

Ian wanted to say more, but he, too, dropped his arm back to his side.  “All right.  The Bradach’s estate is just on the other side of the hill from here.”

We all followed Ian out into the twilight, leaving behind the relative safety of the chapel and starting our trek over the hill.  We caught sight of a rotund man at the base of the hill, and Ian quietly whispered, “I think this is our host... we’ll need to introduce ourselves as a new family that’s just moved to Paccem.”

“Welcome, friends!” The man called out as shortly after.  He was in a formal suit with a black and silver mask covering his face.  He waited at the base of the hill at the edge of the sidewalk that lead to his palace-like home.

“See?  He has a mask...” Amadeus poked Ian.

The man chuckled and slid the mask away, revealing a round face framed by a bushy mustache.  “Hello everyone!  I’m Charles Bradach.  Are you the new family I’ve been hearing so much about?”

“We’re a new family, at least; I’m Michaela Smith.” I held out a hand, and Mr. Bradach brought it to his lips chivalrously.

“It is a pleasure, ma’am,” he grinned widely and turned to James.  “Are you her husband?”

James flushed and shook his head, and I jumped in when I noticed he was at a loss for words.

“These are my brothers, Alphonse and Christopher.” I set my hands on James and The Doctor's shoulders, and the patron of the house shook their hands.  “This is my nephew Demitri,” I patted Amadeus’ back, “and this is my cousin, Aleksander.”

“Ah, well met, all of you!” Mr. Bradach went down the line to shake everyone’s hands.  “Come with me, head on inside and make yourselves at home.  We’re going to party it up tonight!”

As we stepped under the awning supported by tall white columns, a woman in a large blue ball gown trimmed with blue, black, and white feathers greeted us at the door.  I had to smile as Amadeus beamed beneath his owl mask.  He was right after all.

“Greetings, M’lady!” he said as he bowed exaggeratedly.  “I see we are birds of a feather!”

“Oh, what a character!” the woman stifled a laugh as she brought her fingers to her lips.   “I am Josephine Bradach.  Welcome to our home.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I said as we followed her inside.  

Moments later, we were all frozen in our footsteps; struck by how lavish the interior of the Bradach’s home was.  Tall columns were topped with gold capitals, supporting a very high arched ceiling.  Patterns and textures covered the walls and marble tiles with intricately woven rugs covered the floor.  The sound of music wafted in from far ahead of us, and other party guests were mingling in small groups throughout the enormous room.  

“You are free to wander about,” Mrs. Bradach explained, noting our stunned expressions.  “And do make yourself at home!  We will be gathering outside in the back courtyard once everyone arrives.”  With that, she returned to the front door.

“...She’s an incredibly sincere woman, but Mr. Bradach is totally cheating on her.” Amadeus said softly.  “And let me tell you, he was not concerned about meeting the rest of us...” He waved a finger at me, pointing from head to toe before twirling it around my chest.

“De!” Ian jabbed the oracle's arm.

I crossed my arms awkwardly as The Doctor’s face grimaced to a scowl.  

“Sorry, we’ll... we’ll keep an eye on that.” Ian sighed.

“On what?” Amadeus asked blankly.

“Don’t worry, we heard it here.” Vance’s voice came softly from Ian’s manipulator.  “Amaya got a bad feeling about him too.  I’m thinking you all should stay away from him if you can help it.”

“Not a problem.” I leaned against The Doctor.

With our first task of entering the party completed, we decided to mingle a little.  We drifted near conversations, but it was hard to overhear much without getting a few guarded glances.  Apparently, no one was loose enough yet.  I had even overheard one man complain that the beer wasn’t out yet, and we decided we would simply wait until later in the evening.

We came across the formal dining room; a red, floral-patterned room with flower arrangements dotted throughout.  On the back wall, a large painting of sunflowers became the centerpiece.  The Doctor had just begun a conversation about the painter, Van Gogh, when Vance’s voice came over the manipulator.

“Ian—you may need to send someone out to the others.  Amaya just had a vision.”

Amaya’s voice joined Vance’s.  “Only the Oncoming Storm can tame them.”

“Tame them—tame who?” Ian asked, trying to hide the device be crouching over.

“I’ve been known as the Oncoming Storm,” The Doctor admitted softly.  

“Someone needs to get out here!” Hydra called suddenly.  “The Sontarans aren’t listening to us!!”

Ian lowered the volume on the manipulator, glancing worriedly behind us to make sure no one had heard.  When we were sure the coast was clear, he looked up at The Doctor.

The Doctor nodded.  “Right.  Hydra, send the coordinates to James.  I’ll have him drop me off.”  He turned back to me.  “When James comes back, you stay with him.”

I pressed my lips together and hugged him.  He shut his eyes and gave me a quick squeeze.

He turned back to James, and my brother’s manipulator beeped as it accepted the coordinates.  “James, protect her.” He ordered, though he had no need to.

“Of course.” James nodded.  The Doctor grabbed his hand, and the two disappeared.  James was back seconds later.

“You handle manipulators well,” Ian commented, blinking.

James shrugged just as Mrs. Bradach entered the room.  “I see you all found my prized painting.” She smiled proudly.  “I wanted to let you know the courtyard is now open, and we’d love to have you join us!”

The four of us followed her as she left the room—thankful she hadn’t seemed to notice we had one less person with us now.

- - -

“Strax, you overgrown potato, don’t you know allies when you see them??” The Doctor berated the armored alien.  The Sontaran army had landed far enough away from the civilized area of the planet Paccem that there would be no threat of anyone noticing their arrival.  The other armies would be arriving similarly.

Strax’s mouth twisted on his bulbous head.  “No,” he admitted with a growl.  “For the safety of the Sontaran army, I did not wish to befriend the wrong group of soldiers upon arrival.”

“Since you know now, can you lower the guns, please?” Hydra shot through her teeth.  She and Mano were both decked out in armor, but a barrage from laser rifles and spears of the Sontarans would have ripped through them without much mercy.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow as Strax turned to glance behind.  The soldiers fidgeted and looked from one to the other.  Finally, Strax waved a hand, and the Sontaran army lowered their weapons.

The same hand went back toward The Doctor.  “My apologies, sir.  One can’t be too careful.”

“I suppose.” The Doctor replied, shaking his ally’s hand.  “You will accept orders from Hydra now.”

Strax’s narrow eyes widened.  “That one?  ...Glaring at me?”

“Yes, that one.”  The Doctor turned to Hydra.  “Don’t worry, the Sontarans are a warrior race; point them towards a battle and you won’t need to say much of anything.”

Hydra cracked a smile and nodded.  “The Sontarans are here and ready,” Hydra spoke into her vortex manipulator.

“Good; the Dalkons are ready too.” Nick replied.

“I just met with the Brigadier General of the Kronolins,” Diana spoke next.  “They’re ready to take ORBIT down.”

“If I’m no longer needed here, I’d like to get back to Gemini,” The Doctor mentioned.

“I’ll pick you up,” Diana overheard.  Moments later, she appeared beside him.  Strax and the other Sontarans were quickly on alert, but Hydra raised a hand and they slowly lowered their weapons.  Hydra looked impressed, smirking at Mano.

The Doctor was shaking his head as he looked out across the army of the Sontarans.  “If there’s as many Kronolins and Dalkons as there are Sontarans, we’ll more than outnumber the ORBIT operatives,” he said aloud.

Diana smiled.  “That’s the plan.  Where to?”

“The chapel; I don’t want to risk us being seen.  Then you get back and help lead the Kronolins.”

“Of course.” She took his hand and the two disappeared once again.

“Ma’am,” Strax piped in, raising his stubby arm, “if I may...”

Hydra and Mano looked to Strax.  “What is it?”

“There seems to be another ship over there.  I assume you know this to be more allies...”

Hydra’s brows lowered, squinting at the ship.  She recognized its build without needing to see the insignia on the side.

Hydra drew the manipulator closer.  “Nick, look out—ORBIT’s ship is right there!!”

“It’s not here, that’s where Diana was!” Nick cried worriedly. “Diana, where are you??

“I just got back, they’re—” her audio cut out, masked by the whirring of the ship’s engines as it lowered to the ground.  Hydra and Mano grew tense, knowing this was not in the original plan.

- - -

The manes of an army of Kronolins bristled against the wind from the ship as it lowered to the ground.  Diana stood at the front alongside the Brigadier General.  They could no longer hear what the others were saying on the vortex manipulator due to the ship’s engines, but when Nick appeared beside her, she was startled to see him.

“What are you doing here??” She yelled over the engine blast.

“You’re not facing these jerks alone!” Nick yelled back.

“I’m not alone!” She referred to the Kronolins.

The ship’s engines idled once it landed, cutting some of the noise it was emanating.  As the door hissed open, the three remained steady as the army silently prepared to step in if necessary.

“Now this is a surprise,” Bishop spoke loudly to be heard.  “Although I’m not sure how you think this will help you.”  He eyed the pack of snarling Kronolins expressionlessly.

“We know what we’re doing.” Nick shot back.

“Do you?” The general crossed his arms.  “Because I have seen the armies you are preparing.  Most of all, I know Gemini has infiltrated the gala my operatives are attending.”

Diana’s expression slipped to a worried anger.

Bishop noticed this and began to smile.  “Have you told her yet who you are?  Your expression gives you away...”  He suddenly pulled a gun from a holster and pointed it at Nick moments before the young Time Lord could slip the sonic staff from his back.  Finding himself matched, Nick remained still.

The General then brought a hand to his ear.  “Reynolds, we have a breech; plans have changed.  You have exactly seven minutes to get out of there.”

“Wait—guys—Amaya’s got something—” Vance piped in.

“A great wall divides the battlefield!” Amaya interrupted him.

The Kronolin general perked her ears.  “What does she mean?”

“I don’t know—Vance, can we have an explanation??” Nick called back.

Bishop nonchalantly stepped back into the doorway of his ship, holding his gun upright.  “I hope you’ve enjoyed thinking you had the upper hand, children.” He said.  “I’ll be back to take care of you soon.”

Before any of them could move, the door hissed shut and the whirring of the engines picked up.  The Brigadier General barked orders to her front line and they rushed forward to try and stop the ship from moving, but the clawing didn’t hinder it from taking off.  Nick shot at it with his staff managed to land a hit to the door, but it simply blew in as the ship continued to fly away.

Those on the ground watched as the ship disappeared, but it wasn’t long before they saw what Amaya’s premonition had meant.

---

Chapter 5

A fairly large group of people had now gathered in the Bradach’s courtyard as we entered.  A string ensemble played beneath a wooden lattice near the door.  A table with punch and other beverages was set out beside them, and behind that was a dance floor that seemed to shimmer like a floor of gold.  Off to the other side was a long table lavishly filled with hors d'oeuvres and finger foods.  Strings of lights were hung across the trees to provide light.

“...Yep, we got the good end of this deal...” Amadeus’ eyes were almost as wide as the eyes of his owl mask.

“Stay with me,” Ian said, “We have a job to do.”

Amadeus sighed exaggeratedly and followed Ian as James and I stayed behind.  I glanced at him, and he nodded out to the punch table.

“There he is.” He whispered.

I followed his eyes and saw Reynolds pouring a glass of wine.  He handed it to a young blond woman at his side, who distractedly took it and started away.  Reynolds lowered his brows and poured his own glass.

“All right, so we at least know he’s at the party.  If we can find out where Bishop is...”

“We sh-should avoid him; he’d be one to recognize you.”  James took me by the arm and we started over to the tables of food instead.

A young woman noticed us as we walked up.  “Oh well aren’t you the cutest couple here!  Matching costumes and everything!”

James and I glanced at each other.  I was about to explain we weren’t a couple when another young woman appeared at my side and started cooing.

“Cute isn’t even the word... Are you new here?  I don’t think I’ve seen your face before.”

“Ah—yes, I signed up just... oh, not terribly long ago,” I started.

“Oh, you’re the operative!  Good for you,” the first woman doted before turning to James.  “You’ve got to be proud of this one.  There aren’t too many girls that can make it on the force.  We’re usually the ones who hang out here waiting for our men to get home—but you’d be welcome to join us when she’s on duty!”

Both girls giggled as James tried to smile politely.

I stepped forward to get the attention off James.  “So how long have your ...’men’ been operatives?”

“We’ve been here nearly a year.  Our husbands have been in training this whole time.  They both finally got to go on a mission—but it was the Gemini Mission... ugh!” She rolled her eyes as the second woman shook her head.  “Figures their first mission would be a failure.”

“Man, that stinks,” I said, noticing James had found himself in a conversation of his own.  “See, I only heard bits and pieces of that one since I’m still in training.”

“You’re probably lucky,” the first girl jumped back in, leaning her hip against the table.  “That’s all my husband’s been talking about.  ‘We were so close—everything was in place’—blah blah blah...”

I couldn’t help but smile at the irony of the situation.  “So they had captured Gemini?”

“Oh yeah,” the second woman said, “They had her tracked down—my husband was even part of the group who apprehended her.  But apparently her allies boarded the ship and took her back.”

“Wow,” I commented with fake surprise.  “So what now?”

“You didn’t hear??  I thought they were pulling every operative they can for this next mission... They’ve tracked the group of renegades to a little unnamed planet.  They’re planning on... oh my goodness, Carla!” The girl flew past me and latched herself to another woman who had come up behind me.  

The second girl smiled and stepped up to me.  “Sorry—old friend.  By the way, what was your name?”

“Michaela,” I said.

“Jennifer.  Good to meet you.”  She then walked past me and joined in the conversation with Carla.

I let out a deep breath.  On the first conversation I was pulled into, I already found out ORBIT knew where Sentinel’s Watch was.  I needed to find someone else just as willing to complain about their experience and spill more information for me.  But first, I needed to save James from the onslaught of male operatives that had surrounded him.

“Your wife work here, then?” One was asking as I slipped my way into the conversation.  Immediately, the three men began whistling as I took James’ arm.

“Sorry, guys, I need him for a second.”

“Wow, man, nice catch.” Another man raised his eyebrows.

“She’s more th-than a catch, thank you.” James flared before I managed to pull him away.  He grumbled as we walked a few feet away from the action.  “I sw—swear, every man here is a reckless—oaf.”

“Must go with the occupation.” I said quickly, “I heard from those two ladies that ORBIT’s next mission is to storm Sentinel’s Watch.”

“Woah,” James blinked.  “When?”

“I don’t know; they saw a friend before they could tell me any more.”

“I d—doubt it would be soon with this party and everything,” he said.  He discreetly held his arm up to his face and spoke softly.  “Vance, did you get that?”

“I sure did.  Amaya’s not getting anything on that, though.  I don’t think it’s much of a threat just yet.”

“Oh man,” I backed into James’ arm.  “Ian’s got Amadeus shaking hands with Reynolds.”

We watched as Amadeus gave a nice long handshake, knowing that meant Amadeus had plenty of time to read what was on the Lieutenant General’s mind.

“Are you having a good time, dear?”

The two of us were startled to find Mr. Bradach beside us, and I nodded politely.  “Yes, sir.” I said.

“Can I offer you a drink?  We’ve got all the best wines and—”

“Punch would be great, actually,” I interrupted, adding sweetly, “If you’re headed that way.”

My charm paid off and Mr. Bradach straightened himself up.  “But of course.  I’ll be right back.”

Once he had started away, James and I darted back into the crowd and slipped into another conversation.  I recognized one of the two girls from the first conversation in our midst, but she was too busy laughing heartily to notice us join in.

“Oh my word, you’re not serious!”

“You bet it,” the man continued.  “I mean, we know Reynolds will never willingly date another woman again, that doesn’t stop someone like Brianna from trying...”

“How many times has she been rejected?” The girl glanced over her shoulder as if to make sure Reynolds wasn’t nearby.

“Jennifer told me that Brianna’s asked him out a number of times, but he always has an excuse for her.”

“Such a shame; although I’m sure Bishop would rather his right-hand man steer clear of... distraction.”

“Did Bishop show up to the party?” I asked nonchalantly.

“Hell no—he’s not a social being,” one of the men said.  “I’ve been here three years and I’ve never actually seen him in person.”

The girl tensed up, crouching closer to the group.  “Shh—he’s coming over!”

James and I attempted to back out of the circle as Reynolds approached, but we found ourselves trapped in by another group that had formed behind us.

“Well aren’t we special to get a visit from you,” the girl batted her eyes as Reynolds filled the empty space that had been opened to him.

“Please, Aryn, I’m not that special.  Today, I’m simply a party guest like you.”  His eyes scanned the small group and they fell upon me.  I quickly leaned down as I pretended to adjust my shoe.  When I stood back up, his eyes were still on me.  I was beginning to worry he had recognized who I really was.

Thankfully, Aryn got his attention again.  “So I heard you’ll be leading the next mission.”

“Don’t bring work into this conversation,” the man beside her protested.  

Reynolds, however, raised a hand.  “I don’t mind discussing it; yes, I’ll be leading the attack.  I actually needed to tell all of our operatives to prepare for launch tomorrow at 8am.  We’re moving it up to keep time and the element of surprise on our side.”

“Tomorrow?” A few of the men groaned along with him.  “After a smashing party like this?  ...I may still be smashed tomorrow.” He garnered a few laughs.

James very carefully started slipping in front of me.  I figured it was his cue to try and remove me from the conversation while he would stay to gather the information.  I nodded slightly and ducked through a small space between party guests.

I slipped immediately into Mr. Bradach, who was holding a rather large cup of punch.  “Ah, my dear, there you are!  I got some punch for you.”

“Thank you,” I accepted the cup and attempted to keep moving, but Mr. Bradach stood in my way.

“Can I get you anything else, dear?”

I raised the cup.  “I’m perfect, thank you very much.”  I spouted awkwardly before rushing over to the punch table where Ian and Amadeus were.

“Don’t drink that!” Amadeus exclaimed as I walked up to him.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” I said, setting it down on the table.

“We found out some very important information about Reynolds,” Ian spoke much softer, edging closer to me.  “He’s extremely stressed about tomorrow—apparently they’re taking every operative out and heading to our base.”

“I heard that too.”

“Boy, is that guy a piece of work,” Amadeus said, sipping his own cup of punch.  “You know, the main reason he wants to capture you so bad is because you’ve got Rovenna in you.  He had a serious fling with her when she worked for ORBIT—at least, that’s what Ian said I said about them.”

I grimaced.  “I can’t believe she’d work for ORBIT... or even remotely fell for that creep.  Of course, now the conversation I heard with him refusing anyone else’s advances makes a little more sense since he’s still obsessing over a Time Lord.  Don’t you think that’s ironic that he’s now trying to destroy them all?”

“Not ironic at all; if he had a falling out, this may be an outlet for his revenge.” Ian crossed his arms.

I shook my head.  “But as far as we know, they know nothing of us being here?”

“Not that we can tell.  They’re much too candid—and there’s too much drinking going on—for this to be an elaborate cover-up.”

“What about Bishop?  I heard he’s not here, but don’t know anything else.”

“Amadeus caught that he’s off-location, but Reynolds wasn’t doing much thinking about him.”

James finally rejoined us, noticeably flustered.  “Th—th-that was close.  He was v-very interested in—in knowing who you were.  Thankfully, he—he got a call on his headset and h-h—hurried off.”

“Breathe,” I patted his back.  “But he’s right; I think my time undercover is running out.”

“This may be all the time we needed,” Ian’s eyes were almost shining, “The others are getting into place—we can surround them and maybe convince them to settle without a fight,”

“Wait—guys—Amaya’s got something—” Vance piped in.

We were all distracted from what followed as Aryn ran up to me.  “Hey you!  Come dance!”

“Wait, what?” I tried to step away but Carla joined her.

“They’re playing a waltz... and we totally want to see you and your hubby dance!”

Ian made a face, glancing at James.  Amadeus could hardly contain his laughter.  I shot him a look, and he bit his lip and shrunk behind the table.

“I... guess so?” I looked up James.

“Sure.” He nodded and took my arm quietly.  Carla and Aryn giggled incoherently as they followed us over to the golden-tiled dance floor.  A few others, mostly older couples, were already dancing to the music from the strings.  

We stopped in the center of the floor, and James held out his hand.  I looped the black satin of my dress around my arm before taking his hand.  He scooped his other hand around my waist.  His expression still showed a great deal of nervousness, and I couldn’t help but mirror the feeling.

He stepped first, and soon, we were both waltzing in time with each other.  I looked up at his face with a hint of surprise; James was an excellent dancer. The only other time I had had a chance to notice, I was too busy or scowling at the young woman who was dancing with him. His dark eyes met mine, and without changing his studious expression, he spun me around.  I nearly spun out, and I finally broke a smile.  When I was back in step, he finally started cracking himself.  

“I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into all this.” I said softly once we had returned to a normal pattern.

“No, it’s...” he glanced down at his forearm.  “I could have left if I w—wanted, but I can’t now.  Not when you could b-be in t—danger...”

I followed his line of sight to the edge of his coat sleeve. The Doctor’s vortex manipulator was still strapped to his wrist.  He really could have left.

“After th-this, though, I’m done.” He smiled at me.

“Working as the co-owners of a theater is a little less stressful, I will admit.” I smiled myself.  His feet got out of step just enough for me to notice, and when I glanced up at him, the smile was gone.   “...What?”

“I haven’t h-had a chance to tell you...” he hesitated more than usual.  He seemed uneasy as he pressed his lips together and anticipated speaking.  “...I signed Ed as m-manager of the theater.” He finally said.

“You did what?” I blinked.  It took everything in me to not stop short on the dance floor.

My brother released my hand and I twirled on my toes before returning.  “I d—didn’t know what else to do. He was saying how we were never there and wer—weren’t doing our jobs.   And then we were almost... out of commission,” he said as easily as he could.

“But,” I tried, unable to find a proper argument—other than I just didn’t like the idea.

“But he’s not wrong.” James continued.  “We really aren’t there very often.  We're constantly in harm’s way, and if something ever does h-happen... we needed a backup plan.”

I was glaring at the golden floor, moving out of instinct rather than the joy of the dance.  Halfway through his phrases I realized I hadn’t even set foot in Fortanya since the fateful day I got Cain’s distress call.  Sure, I could pop right back in time and never miss a second, but if I hadn’t been broken out of ORBIT's ship, I’d be halfway across the universe with little hope of return—and little hope of returning as myself.

“We’ve w-worked so hard to get to where we are,” James added quietly, drawing his face closer to me.  “When all of this is over, I’m going back to Fortanya, and—and I'm going to stay there.”  He looked up at my softening expression.  “I've enjoyed many things... many times...  But I’m ready for my life to be normal.”

I nodded slowly.  I understood where he was coming from.  But through the trials and troubles that no average person should ever have to go through, I saw him shine.  I saw him take the lead and rush into danger, and I saw him take the stance of a protector; like a guardian angel watching out for me.

He squeezed my hand and regained my attention.  “You won’t be alone, though.” A smile was returning to his lips.  “The Doctor is—is a great man...”

“He is,” I agreed softly.

“S... One day, he... he will ask you a very important question...”

My heart fluttered and I let my head dip.  I was grinning too much to reply.

Before I knew it, I was spun away from him again.  My long black skirt slid across the golden floor until I stopped with my hands raised.  He adeptly stepped around me and turned me back to face him, taking my hand like a true gentleman.

“No matter what happens,” I told him gently, “you’ll always be my best friend—my brother.”

A genuine smile filled his face, and as the strings played their final chord, I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hug.  He hugged me back as a light applause followed.  We didn’t look to our audience.  We didn’t need the same blood to feel the bond we felt, and we wouldn’t have traded that bond for all the stars in the galaxy.

The applause died out quickly; too quickly.  When we finally turned back to reality, I nearly dropped my hands in shock.  Jennifer—the only girl who had asked for my name—stood out from the crowd with a gun drawn on me.  

“There are no new operatives by the name of Michaela; no operatives or anyone on this planet named Michaela.  Did you think you could get off that easy,” Jennifer said sternly, “...Gemini?”

I lowered my brows as everyone around us gasped at the realization.  

James grabbed my arm and held it tight.  I glanced at it, and saw it was the arm with the vortex manipulator.  

“All of you—get out of there, now!!” Vance’s voice shouted from the manipulator.

Jennifer raised an eyebrow.  “Did you just... are you wearing a—”

The ground was beginning to shake, and it trembled with more and more intensity as whatever it was came closer.  The partygoers started to scatter in mild pandemonium, and Jennifer let her gun drop as she gazed, wide-eyed, at a point behind us.

“What just happened??” I called over James’ manipulator.

Suddenly Ian ran past the two of us, and I found myself flinching against a brilliant light.   When I opened my eyes, Ian now stood with two enormous wings on his back. They seemed to pulse, like they were merely an illusion in the light of an explosion racing towards us.

James made an incoherent noise before grabbing onto me and pulling me backward.  Ian, however, was bracing himself, and with his fists clenched, he crossed his arms above his head.

Billowing red smoke filled the air and rushed across the ground before it suddenly broke and bent when it reached Ian’s light.  The blast continued to roll far over our heads like an invisible dome over the entire courtyard.

“What is this??” I cried, clinging to James fearfully. Behind us, the operatives and their spouses alike were lost in confusion.  Jennifer was nearby, looking towards Ian in shock, but Reynolds was nowhere to be found.

“Bishop’s found us!   He released a time wall and we can’t move any closer!  Are you guys all right??” Nick’s voice pierced over the noise.

“The wall is covering us!”  Ian called back, the strain noticeable in his voice, “But I’ve got us shielded for now.”

The air above the barrier was a burning red, and what looked to be sparks of lightning danced within it.  “What would happen if we were out in that?” I asked.

“Those who walk on Time can withstand it,” Amadeus called, crouching beside us.  “Those who do not, cannot.”

“Figures he would throw away the lives of his own operatives just to stop us.”  Ian said under his breath.

“So... you’re... protecting all of them,” I was still gazing at the people behind me.  I was almost dumbfounded that Ian would protect even the ORBIT operatives, but I suppose they were only acting on the orders from Bishop and Reynolds—and right now they were being shafted by the very two they looked up to.

“He’s going to go after Gemini,” Vance was next to speak.  “He knows he’s keeping all of the armies out of the way like this!”

“Our vortex manipulators can’t cut through this—I just tried,” Nick threw in.

“We just lot two Sontarans,” Hydra added.  “They ran headfirst through the wall...”

I was struck with fear.  “Is The Doctor with you?”

“No, he went back towards you.”

“Went back—” I repeated.

“Time Lords can withstand a time wall like this—which is another reason he dropped it on us.  You’d be the only one left standing here...” Ian grit his teeth.

I scowled painfully.  “When Reynolds got the call—it was Bishop telling him to get away!”

“Amaya, I hear bells.” Amadeus grabbed James’ arm to get closer to the manipulator.  “Do you hear bells?”

“...The bell tolls at the passing of days...” Amaya’s voice was trancelike.

“A chapel in the vineyard...” Amadeus added.  “He stands behind colored light.”

At once, a bell toll came to my own ears.

“The Doctor.” Amadeus said, almost as a whisper.

I straightened up.  “The chapel.”

James glanced at me.  “No,”

“I have to go to him,” I said.  “Bishop will be looking for me here—if I’m not here maybe he’ll leave you alone!”

“You all hang on,” Nick called from the manipulator.  “The Kronolins know how to break through this; it may take a few minutes but we’ll get to you.”

The bells continued to toll, ringing out twelve times, and I gathered up my skirt.  James ran after me as I ran to the edge of Ian’s barrier.  “James, you can’t follow me this time,” I told him as he grabbed my arm.

He shook his head.  “He told me to stay with you.”

“But you can’t go out there—”

“Th-then don’t leave—”

“I have to!” I pulled away from his grasp and stepped into the time wall.

James’ hand again grabbed my arm.

I whipped my head around and saw James standing with his arm through the barrier.  My heart dropped, but then I saw James look up.  A white light had surrounded his arm.  I turned to Ian, but from the look on his face as he watched the scene, it was not his doing.

“...James?” I whispered.

He clenched his teeth and forced his way through the barrier and started running.   With his hand still firmly on my arm, I had to break into a run to keep up with him.  I could not yet understand what was happening as we raced up the hill and back to the chapel.  White light was billowing off of James, streaming behind him like wings.

“She runs in white linen on the arm of her guardian angel...” Amadeus stood beside Ian within the safety of the barrier.

Ian nodded quietly, the faintest of smiles on his lips.  “He’s finally awakened.”

---

Chapter 6

James thrust open the wooden door to the chapel and ushered me through.  

The Doctor was standing at the far end of the chapel in front of a stained glass window.  The colored glass glimmered from the static of the time wall, reflecting an odd glow onto him.  He turned on his heels and saw me standing at the end of the aisle.  Behind me, James stood with the faintest outlines of wings on his back.  All three of us were breathing hard.

The Doctor looked at me, then at James, then back at me.  He broke down and held open his arms.

I grabbed my skirt, raced down the aisle, and nearly fell into him.  He caught me, spun me around, and held me tightly.

“How did you get here?” He spoke into my hair.  “How did you get through?”

“We ran,” I spoke breathlessly.  “You were ringing the bell, weren’t you?”

“I was ringing it so you’d know I was okay!”  He looked past my shoulder and saw James at the other end of the chapel.  “James... you beautiful man,” A smile spread across his lips.  “Of course you would be a Sentinel.”

James instantly shook his head.  “Ian is The Sentinel.”

“But his power is just like Ian’s,” I mentioned, wincing as an explosion burst in the distance. “...Did Ian give him this power?”

“He’s had this power all along," The Doctor said with a smile.  “Rushing through the time wall has simply awakened him.”

“How?” James took the words from my mouth.

"All of those stories throughout history about angels... guardians... protectors... They are the Sentinels, ever-watchful protectors of the universe.  Their power is to protect, to defend; never to harm.  And because of this, they came to not even need their bodies. But their power still remains; it emerges in those who are like they are... someone strong, someone pure.  A protector. A guardian... an angel.”  The Doctor smiled at James.  “You were called to protect Gemini, so your power awakened to let you.”

Another explosion distracted us; it was much closer than the last one.  The walls rumbled with their own disapproval.

The Doctor quickly turned back to me and slid his hands to my arms.  “Gemini—we may not have much time—and—and this cannot wait any further.”

I nodded.

His eyes looked deeply into mine.  “I love you with all of my hearts, forever and always—all of time!”

“I love you too,” I whispered, finding myself on the verge of tears.

He squinted his eyes shut, his lips pressing into a smile.  He shook his head and opened his hazel-green eyes.  “Whether we have one day or a thousand years, I want to be with you.”  He held my hands tightly and dropped to his knee.  “...Will you marry me?”

The breath was taken from my lungs and my entire body felt numb.  Tears came to my eyes and a smile broke on my lips.  “...Yes!”

I fell to my own knees and wrapped my arms around him.  I shuddered from tears as he rocked me back and forth.   He took my head in his hands, and the kiss we shared filled me with happiness.  Even when we parted a looked at each other, it was as if I had fallen into a dream.   It was hard to believe—even now—that he had chosen me out of all time and space.

The garbled sound of something cutting through the air and falling somehow reached our ears, and we pulled away moments before something hit the ground.  The Doctor bent over me as the stone walls shook from the impact mere feet from the chapel, and I could hear the stained glass shattering into pieces behind us.  The bells began ringing from the vibration.

James dove over us, and we were spared from any injury as the glass fell around us.  Two white wings, still glowing with energy, had spread over us like a shield.  The three of us looked up to see the gaping hole where the stained glass window once stood.

“James—are you all right?  Where is Gemini?” Vance’s voice cut through the ringing in our ears.

“We’re here in the chapel—with The Doctor,” James replied.

“Wait—you’re in there?? Get down, now!!” Nick’s voice could scarcely finish before another explosion cut through the air over the chapel and hit on the other side.  The wooden door was blown from its hinges and careened into the aisle.  In the opening, we watched as the red static of the time wall was cleared away.  With the threat gone, James could finally relax.  The wings faded to wisps in the air, and he let out a relieved breath.

Almost immediately, Nick leapt behind us through the hole where the stained glass window had been.

“Are you guys okay?” Nick stood over as we scrambled back to our feet.  “We’re breaking through the time wall—I had no idea you were in here!!”  He paused.  “How did you get here?” he asked James.

A female Kronolin ran into the doorway and called back to her troops.  “Keep pushing forward, I’ll return to the lead shortly!”  She removed the metal mask from her face, walked over to us, and bowed before me.  “Brigadier General Gemma, at your service,” she said before rising.  With a glimmer in her eye, she added, “I grew up hearing stories about you, Gemini; it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

I brought a hand to my lips.  “You’re Cain’s daughter!”

“The very same,” she smiled.

“And you’re Brigadier General??”

“I’m a fairly outspoken about racial relations between Kronolins and Time Lords; you keep it up long enough and you’ll gather followers.”

I laughed, shaking my head.  “Your dad better be proud of you.”

“He is; I promise you.  He always spoke so kindly of you growing up—you changed him, and you have changed so many of us.  Now we are here to fight alongside you.”

“...Thank you.” I smiled genuinely.

“We need to get moving,” Nick started to urge us towards the door, “Once the time wall is broken where the operatives are, we’ve got to prepare to fight.”

“But Ian s-saved them,” James tried, “surely they’ll realize not—not to fight us—”

Nick had almost ignored James’ sentiments as he started outside.  “They’ll fight because they have orders to fight.  That’s all they do—follow orders.  Get your armor on.”

With no more time to waste, the three of us ran to the corner of the chapel and quickly donned our armor.  As a finishing touch, The Doctor tied the cloth of his bowtie around my arm.  “I suppose I should follow Talleland tradition; giving a token of love to a knight before a tournament or battle?”

“A promise of love and protection,” I looked at the cloth.

“A promise that when all this is over, you will be my wife.”

I put my hands on his face and kissed him passionately.  “We’ll survive.” I whispered our mantra again as we parted.

“We will.”

A trembling across the ground alerted us that an army was headed our way.  We rushed out of the chapel and saw the Sontarans clamboring across the cleared field with Hydra and Mano at the lead.

“There’s something I would not expect to see,” The Doctor commented.  “And I’m the one who put her in charge of them.”

A burst of wind shot from behind us, and we turned to see Ian and Amadeus.  Ian slumped to his knees as Amadeus gazed worriedly at his surroundings.  

“Ian,” James ran towards him, but The Sentinel waved him off.  

“I’m all right... I just need to rest for a moment,” he breathed hard.

“You s-saved the operatives,”

“You would have done the same.”

James and Ian looked at each other for a moment.  Finally, James nodded ever so slightly.  “You knew... about me.”

Ian nodded this time, then he closed his sapphire eyes and took a deep breath.

James turned back to The Doctor and me.  “Go forward; I’ll—I’ll stay with them.”

We accepted his order and started off after the army of Sontarans.  We were halfway up the hill when we turned back to see the army of Dalkons racing up from behind.  Their bird-like tendencies were more than apparent in their formation: a familiar “v-shape” that seemed to glide across the ground.  As they grew closer, I saw Diana running behind the large male Dalkon at the front of the flock.  

We rose to the crest of the hill just as the Dalkons joined us, and we immediately were aware of the standoff below.  The Kronolins had the entire courtyard surrounded, and the Sontarans were positioned nearby in the field behind the courtyard.  As the Dalkons filled in around us at the top of the hill, Diana stepped up to me with Nick’s voice broadcasted over her manipulator.

“We are three armies strong, and you have no leader among you.” Nick said boldly.  “We could have allowed Bishop to crush you—but we didn’t.  He called out only his own Lieutenant, sacrificing the rest of you.  We saved your lives.  Think about that when your orders come.”

A painful silence came.  No one moved on the field below us.  No word of reply came, though it could have been someone speaking out of range.

“The chapel—Bishop’s at the chapel!!” Vance yelled suddenly, overriding Nick’s feed.

“Go back!” Diana called, waving her arms as the lead Dalkon began crying the order to his troops.  They started racing back down the hill, but seconds later, the entire chapel burst in a huge explosion.

“James, Ian, and Amadeus were in there!!” I yelled.

Diana’s face went white.  “Ian!!  Can you hear me??” She instantly took off down the hill as the Dalkons pushed forward into the wreckage with their spears and swords held high.

The Doctor’s hand was on my arm.  “Gem—get down!”

He pulled me down as a ball of energy flew past us and struck the Bradach’s home behind us.  Another blast struck the side of the hill, covering us in the broken dirt.  It was only after the dust had started to clear from the destruction of the chapel that we could see a jet with ORBIT’s insignia waiting behind it.  As if knowing it was now seen, it quickly took into the air with a burst of its jets.  It kicked up the dust and broken stone as it sped away, and we coughed against it until the air cleared again.

“Bishop’s ship fired the shots!” Diana was crying through her manipulator as we waded through the dust to find them.

“Yeah, well, they thought that shot that hit the house was you guys!” Nick said quickly.  “The fight just broke out!”

She grit her teeth.  “No...”

I finally caught sight of James crouched between Ian and Amadeus.  The oracle was fairly shaken, but all three seemed unharmed.  The wings on James’ back faded as we ran up to them.

“Vance, we could use all the help you and Amaya can give,” I spoke into James’ manipulator.  “That was a close one...”

“Amaya’s trying; there’s too much for her to focus on,” he replied.

“I’m bringing Amadeus up to you,” Ian said, finally getting back to his feet.  “He doesn’t need to be on the battlefield when he can be helping Amaya.”  Ian held Amadeus’ hand as the oracle nodded gratefully.  They shot away with the manipulator, and Ian returned seconds later.

“Doctor, your TARDIS is running low on power,” Ian said quickly.

“She’s got reserve power, but the cloaking device may deactivate when she hits that point.”

“We’re going to have to finish this quick.” I nodded.

The leader of the Dalkons then came up to me.  “You are leader?”

I paused.  “I’m Gemini.”

“Zhek,” he bowed to me.  “I have heard of The Gem.  Feidal is good friend.”  His cordial nature didn’t last long when he heard the clashing of armies nearby.  “What we do now flying machine is gone?” he asked sternly.

“I think we need to head into battle,” I looked up toward the hill.  The Sontarans and Kronolins were already there, along with Hydra, Mano, and Nick.  I didn’t want to have to fight, but we couldn’t leave them on their own—not when we had more than enough forces to overwhelm our enemies.  “You can order your troops to follow me into battle.” I affirmed with a nod.

Zhek relayed the order in a series of squawks, and at once the entire flock of Dalkons rushed up the hill until they had formed a “v” behind me.  Zhek himself took a secondary position in line; apparently, he had taken my orders of following me literally.  When The Doctor noticed what had happened, he smiled and stepped to my other side, and Ian, Diana, and James blended into formation behind me as well.  

“Is there anything we need to know?” I asked Diana.  

She sent word to Vance and the oracles, and soon called back, “They shall split the battlefield and constrict their enemies.”

I turned back forward and took a deep breath.  “Then split and constrict we shall.”

- - -

“Where do they keep getting weapons from??” Nick cried as he used his sonic staff to disarm yet another operative.  Another was soon in his place, firing again.

“I think there was a stockpile in that house,” Mano ducked and adeptly flipped his attacker by the heel before pinning him to the ground.

“Figures.  I knew they would be better prepared.”  A Sontaran was shot in the head beside him and collapsed to the ground.  Nick grit his teeth and swung his staff at the operative, clocking him on the side of the head.

“We need to get them away from this house!” Hydra ran up to them.  “They’re getting armor and weapons while we fight out here!  And where the hell is Gemini and the rest of them??”

“There...” Mano backed into Hydra as the Dalkon army raced down the hill and flooded the battlefield.  The mighty formation acted like a wall; pushing everyone on the battlefield forward and splitting it down the middle with the front of the “v”.

I had fallen back as the Dalkons rushed forward to keep me and the others protected, but I still remained at the center with Zhek on one side of me and The Doctor at the other.  I caught sight of Hydra as we ran through.

“Keep them moving away from the house—there are too many reinforcements for them there!” she called, running to keep up with us.

“Right.  Did you hear that?” I shot to Zhek.

He cawed out the order and at once the “v” split.  I turned and ran after the group that was running away from the house as he ran with the other side.  I watched as they repositioned themselves and quickly had the house barricaded with help from the Sontarans already present.  They were certainly an efficient group.

A shot ricocheted off my armor, and I was reminded that I was now in the battlefield.  I pulled the sword from my belt and grabbed my sonic screwdriver in my other hand.  I scanned for the presence of guns and began to target them.  I didn’t want to hurt anyone, but they were bent on hurting me.  I kept my mind clear so I wouldn’t lose control.  I focused on my duty.  I had to disarm those who were attacking the people I cared about.

My team further pushed the grouping of ORBIT’s army out into the field near a lake.  I had been split from The Doctor and the others, but Mano and Hydra were within my sight.  My arm was suddenly hit with a bullet, but thankfully the chainmail protected me enough that I got stung instead of hit. When the operative noticed I wasn’t badly wounded, she began to back off.  I soon recognized her as Jennifer—only she had torn her skirt short, tied back her hair, and had put together some semblance of cloth armor.

“That’s quite a stance for your hubby being the one who’s the operative,” I mentioned in passing she began to circle me.

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand that I was undercover considering you did such a poor job of it yourself.” She replied shortly.  “You look like you walked out of medieval times.  Are you sure you can fight in that?”

“Considering I don’t have a hole in my arm, I’ll take it.” I mirrored her moves.

“Yeah, well your head’s not protected.”  The gun went up.

I brought my hands together and swung the sword with the sonic screwdriver pressed against the hilt, and the blade pulsed with sonic energy as I struck the bullet in mid-air.  The bullet ricocheted perfectly and struck Jennifer in the arm.  It tore through her cloth armor, and she staggered backwards as she cried out.

“And your arm isn’t.” I replied.

She grit her teeth and started firing at will.  Two bullets struck my breastplate before I could reflect the others, and she stopped shooting when another bullet was reflected too close to her head for comfort.  

The power of sound and steel will aid you.

Once again, the words from the Oracle had served me well.

---

Chapter 7

Across the battlefield, James was having a difficult time controlling his newly awakened powers.  Every shot, every slash—every move—put him on edge and caused his power to burst out around him.  It was tiring him out, and he knew he couldn’t keep it up for much longer.

“Ian!” James finally noticed The Sentinel nearby and started towards him.  

Ian had found a higher point near the battlefield and was very strategically using his shielding powers to block the shots of anyone attempting to shoot at the gathering of Dalkons and Kronolins in his general area.  He would swipe the air and create a shield just as a shot was fired, then he would wave it to block another shot.  He was so focused he didn’t notice James running up to him.

“Ian—I need help,” James admitted once The Sentinel noticed him.  “I c-can’t stop this from f-flaring up.”

“Just stay to the outside,” Ian replied.  “The Sentinel’s power is like a shield; not offensive at all.  You haven’t had the time to train and control it—and this isn’t the place for me to do it.”

“Were y-you trained?”

“By the Elder Sentinel,” Ian looked at James.

James returned the look with odd expression.  “Who is the Elder Sentinel...?”  

Ian tried to avoid the question and had barely begun to turn his head when he noticed an errant shot from a Sontaran blaster flying towards them.  It hit the vortex manipulator on James' wrist. The manipulator short-circuited and James flashed out of sight.  Ian cursed, quickly traced his location, and shot after him.

- - -

By the time I had approached Hydra and Mano, the two were back to back and were doing a fairly good job blocking for each other.  Mano had picked up a sword, but it was clear his strength was in hand-to-hand combat.  He could block moves and turn people on their backs quicker than the operatives could react.  Hydra was using a sonic staff Nick had built, and she seemed to have taken to it quite easily.   She was certainly a force to be reckoned with, since not a single shot got anywhere near her or Mano as long as the staff was in her hands.

“We’re almost at the lake,” Mano was saying as I ran up to them.  “If you can keep blocking me, I can cut this battle a lot shorter.”

“I’ll try,” Hydra said, breathing hard as she continued beating off two operatives.

“What are you trying to do?” I asked, taking a stance beside him.

“I can control the water,” he said.  “But it’s better if I can be in it.”

“I can help—let’s do this,” I turned to Hydra.

She looked at me for a moment before she managed a half-smile.  “Right.”

We kept ourselves in front of Mano as he took off towards the water.  I had forgotten that The Doctor had mentioned Mano could turn himself into a half-shark, and Hydra had come across him in the same alternate dimension where he had found my mermaid doppelganger.  The two formed such a bond that he agreed to come back with her.  Whatever powers he held within him, I knew they had to be strong.

We continued blocking the operatives from going after Mano, but they seemed to know something was going on and continually broke our line.  I ran one down, but while I was occupied, another cut past Hydra.  I lost sight of her as she ran after him.

Suddenly, I heard the clanging of steel behind me, followed by an angry cry from Hydra.  I turned around quickly to see the renegade Time Lord locked in combat with an ORBIT operative.  He leapt back and swung his sword again, and Hydra again blocked it with her staff.  The operative swiped across the staff and cut through Hydra’s fingers.  She cried out and dropped one side of the staff, which the operative quickly put his foot on and swung down hard with his sword.  Hydra held up her arm and it struck her vortex manipulator with a flurry of sparks.

I rushed forward with my sword drawn and the sonic screwdriver held at its base, but the operative seemed to know I was coming.  He spun around and met my sword with his own.  Blue waves coursed though my sword, and it startled him enough to jump backward to reset his stance.  Now, with my eyes focused upon him, I grit my teeth.  It was Reynolds.

“Hydra!” Mano called frantically from the lake.  He slid as far as he could onto the shore, but the transformation had already taken place; he couldn’t walk with a shark’s tail.

“Do it!!” She yelled to him, clutching her wounded arm as her blood dripped to the ground.  “Gemini, get away!”

Reynolds sneered at me.  “Yes, get away so I can finish this one off.”

“You’re not finishing anyone off!”  I stood firm, standing in his way of Hydra.

Hydra grabbed me with her good hand and hissed under her breath.  “Mano’s going to flood the battlefield—get out of here or you might drown!”

My mind flashed back to Fortis-Novus and the water tank I was almost drowned in, but as I saw Reynolds’ lips curl with malevolence, I straightened up. “I’m not leaving you.”

Hydra’s green eyes focused on me.  She was unable to reply.

Mano suddenly broke the surface of the lake and arched backwards, and the splash he made didn’t fall back down.  It began to swirl in the air, forming what looked like a tornado made entirely of water.

I saw Reynolds stagger backwards as Hydra pulled me to the ground.  The water arched over our heads and barely cleared us before crashing down.  It spread and ripped through the battlefield, undertaking everyone in its path.

I could hear heard Mano calling something moments before the stream of water came falling down upon us.  I managed to take a breath just as we were submerged, and I braced myself in my heavy armor with a hand clutching Hydra’s arm.

But it was growing too long; I couldn’t keep holding my breath.  I needed air.  Panic was setting in, and I found my grip on Hydra was loosening.   I was just started to black out when my head finally broke the surface of the water.  I gasped for air and went limp, and the remaining water pushed me across the ground before I came to a stop with only the moon in the sky to focus on.  It soon, however, faded out of sight.

- - -

Zhek gently placed Diana’s feet back onto the dampened ground.  Along with a few other Dalkons, they had found higher ground in the form of the thatched roof awning in the courtyard of the Bradach’s manor.   A large group of Sontarans, Kronolins, and Dalkons had made it to the hill to avoid the flood, and Diana breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Nick and The Doctor had been among them.  However, she grew tense when began to notice a few people were missing.

“Unhand me, beast!” the low, forceful voice of Strax could be heard, and she turned her head to see Brigadier General Gemma climbing down the wall of the Bradach’s immense home with the Sontaran tucked under her arm.

“Then I should have let you drown, eh?” she replied, letting the grumbling Sontaran stumble back onto the ground before she landed on her feet beside him.

“I could have found a less degrading place to be,” Strax continued to complain.  The Kronolin rolled her eyes.

The Doctor turned away from the scene and scanned the battlefield.  There were many bodies strewn across the ground; some barely alive, but others unmoving.  Even though it could mean the end of the battle, it was a terrible sight to behold.

“We’re missing Hydra, Mano, James, Ian, and Gemini,” Nick stepped up to The Doctor.

“The Gem had gone with many Dalkon,” Zhek spoke.  “Towards lake.”

Everyone straightened up.  Off in the distance they could see an empty lake bed, but it was too far and too dark to tell if there was anyone still moving.

“The shark’s lover must fall...” Amaya’s voice came over their manipulators.

Nick immediately clenched his teeth.  “No...”

Without another word, he took off into the battlefield.  The Doctor took a few steps before turning back.  “Diana, come with me.  Gemma, Zhek, and Strax: it will be your duty to stay here and bargain for an end to this battle.  No one else needs to die tonight.” The Doctor started off towards the lake quickly.

Those he mentioned followed his orders.  Diana was clearly worried, and she grabbed The Doctor’s hand for comfort.  In the moonlight, they were just beginning to see the glimmer of a suit of armor near what used to be the shore.

---

Chapter 8

James hit the ground and was immediately engulfed by the smell of smoke and the heat of a raging inferno.  He cried out and scrambled to his feet, fearfully watching the flames spreading though trees in all directions around him.  He pounded on the manipulator on his arm and managed to get the screen working. The coordinates for The Tallelands flashed up, and he selected them simply to get out of danger as quickly as he could.  He was moments away from activating it when he noticed a body nearby.

“...Ian!” He cried, immediately recognizing the blond-haired young man. He ran over and covered him while he activated the manipulator, and both were shot back into safety.


James now found himself in a secluded alley in a cobblestone street. He was too worried about Ian to care exactly where or when he was.  He felt for a pulse and tried to wake the young Sentinel.

“Ian,” he urged.

“James!”

James straightened up and turned around.  Ian was standing behind him, and as soon as he saw who James had found, he backed away.

“James, quickly,” he said hurriedly, holding out a hand.

James glanced back at the unconscious figure and realized that he had found and rescued a much younger Ian.  He shuddered and got to his feet, running into the street.

Ian held his arm and sent the two of them back to Paccem, removed from the battle near the remains of the chapel.   They both stood in silence, breathing hard.

“...I always wondered how I ended up there.” Ian finally admitted softly.

James was looking blankly at the ground.  “...There was fire everywhere,” James muttered. “I saw you... I c-couldn't leave you, you would have died... I... I j-just m—messed something up, d-didn’t I,” he staggered through his words.

Ian shook his head.  “No... I was supposed to be there... I was supposed to wake up in a far and distant time.  I needed to travel through that land... until I found you.”  He looked up at James.

“Me?”

Ian swallowed.  “The Elder Sentinel.”

James took a step back.  “It... what...?”

Ian bowed his head slightly.  “You’re the one who called us all together, James.  You witnessed your sister never coming home when ORBIT captured her, so you made it your duty to rescue her.  You witnessed the battle breaking out, so you made it your duty to find us and train us so we could fight.  History and time can’t always be changed, but when you set your mind to something to save the people you care about, it will be changed.”  Ian paused as James brought a hand to his face.  “That is why you’re The Sentinel.  That is why you’re the greatest teacher and protector we’ve ever known.”

James was unable to speak.  He attempted to form a few words, but nothing happened.  He could only look at Ian with a continuing look of shock.

Ian turned away.  “And apparently you’re the reason I’m even alive.”  He looked at James from the corner of his eye.  “...Thank you.” He said.

James returned the glance and found a slight smile.  “I guess I understand now... w-why you have all been so secretive.”

“You didn’t need to know all that just yet; the focus needed to be here.  It was hard for us not to reveal it...”

“And Diana, Nick, and Amadeus?” James tried.

Ian took a deep breath, as if debating every word he was about to say.  When he gave in, James was again struck speechless.

- - -

The moon came back into view.  I strained to roll over and pull myself upright, and when I did, I saw the lake had been completely drained.  I then saw Mano crouching beside Hydra.  He had legs again, but in his arms, Hydra was barely breathing.

“Hydra, come on” Mano began ripping the armor from her body, trying to restore breath to the Time Lord’s body.  Her wounded arm wasn’t helping matters either.

She finally convulsed and choked on the water in her lungs.  Relief moved like a wave through Mano’s body as Hydra began breathing again.

“What a pity; you had almost done my work for me: drowning a couple of Time Lords...”

Mano shot an angry glance at Reynolds—water-logged, but also still alive.

I stumbled to my feet.  My sword and sonic screwdriver had been washed out of reach, but I wasn’t going to remain on the ground.   “Take a look out into the battlefield.” I stepped closer to the lieutenant.  “You have lost.  Leave us all to take care of our wounded and call this over.”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to give orders,” Reynolds balked, tapping his fingers near his gun since his sword had also been washed away.  “And I don’t believe you have the authority to claim that I have lost.”

“Oh that’s right, because I still hold the key to your victory,” I sneered.  “I have Rovenna.”

Reynolds paused, his faultless expression finally slipping.

I continued, feeling confident for the first time in his presence.  “I know all about your personal vendetta.  Your leader’s push to eradicate the Time Lords is the perfect way for you to squash me down so you can have your beloved Time Lord back.”

The TARDIS suddenly appeared in the sky above us, flickering as the cloaking device failed.

Reynolds glanced up as we did, then turned his face back to me.  “An eye in the sky, eh?  Is that why you think you have such fantastic inside information??” He quipped sharply.

The sound of more footsteps had Reynolds turning and firing a shot towards the group.

Diana and The Doctor split to avoid the shot as Nick slashed at the bullet with his already-drawn staff.  It ricocheted away as Nick skidded to a stop, his eyes firmly focused on Hydra and Mano.  I locked eyes with The Doctor, and Diana scowled as she looked on at Reynolds.

“What did you do to her??” Nick yelled.

“I did absolutely nothing, boy.  The water-handler couldn’t quite handle his water...” Reynolds kept his hands firmly on his gun.

Nick grimaced and dove towards Reynolds, but the Lieutenant General quickly fired a shot at Diana.  It was thankfully blocked by her armor, but Reynolds got exactly what he was hoping for.  Nick had stumbled to the ground once he had seen where the shot was headed, and The Doctor and I had both darted forward before we realized Diana was unharmed.

Reynolds burst into laughter.  “You all are so predictable.  You can’t bear the thought of someone you care about being injured.”  When he saw the look in my eyes, he began to chuckle again.  “My, it’s almost like you already knew.  The children haven’t bothered to tell you, but it seems as if your parental instincts are kicking in regardless.”

“What are you talking about??” The Doctor spat.

“Don’t you even—” Nick was scrambling back to his feet, but when Reynolds pointed the gun at Hydra and Mano, the boy again tensed into a halt.

“You’d better stop; you wouldn’t want your parents to die before you have a chance to be born.”

I straightened up and glanced at Nick, and then I turned to look at Hydra and Mano.  Both had been stunned silent, gazing at the young man who quite honestly bore a great resemblance to Mano—with Hydra’s fiery attitude.

I turned to look at The Doctor in disbelief, and saw he was already eyeing Diana.

Diana pressed her lips together in a sort of smile, glancing at me.  “Gotta love time-travel...” she said sheepishly.  “It really messes with the usual order of things...”

I suddenly found it hard to breathe.  I suppose we should have seen this coming.  It made absolute sense.

“You’re our...” The Doctor shook his head, “...daughter??”

“Well, this has been special; but we’ve wasted enough time here.”  Reynolds had his gun drawn and was scanning past all of our bewildered faces.  “Pity you’d all regenerate if I were to shoot you.  Except you...” he paused on Mano.

With a flash, James and Ian appeared beside me.  They barely had a moment to survey the situation when Reynolds turned and shot Ian.

He staggered backwards as the light he’d thrown off faded.  Apparently he hadn’t summoned it soon enough.  Blood was quickly staining the shoulder of his dark blue shirt.  He looked up, his face paling.

“Ian!!” Diana screamed.

Reynolds fired another shot before anyone could move.  Anyone except Nick.

The young Time Lord leapt in front of Reynolds and took the bullet, and with a roar he lunged forward.  We heard a third shot before Mano could grab Reynolds from behind and pull him away.  Nick staggered backwards as James ran in to wrestle the gun from Reynolds’ hand.  The operative managed a hit to James in the jaw before Mano could secure his arms.  James clenched his teeth and held up his hands, and Reynolds was suddenly encased in a translucent bubble of light.  Mano backed away with a face just as startled as Reynolds’ was.

With the threat at bay, everyone rushed to the sides of the fallen.  Diana ran to catch Ian as he dropped to his knees, but the two’s eyes were focused on Nick.  The young Time Lord had taken two shots, and he was lying painfully on his back.  Hydra had scrambled to her feet and fell beside Nick as Mano joined her.

“Ian—somebody—what happened??” Vance’s voice suddenly came over Ian’s manipulator.

“We’ve got two down,” The Doctor began tearing the shirt away from Ian’s injury.  He frowned when he saw the bullet had shattered his collarbone.

Hydra clenched the fist of her uninjured hand and brought it to Nick’s face.  “...I don’t understand,” she said, unraveling her fingers to touch his cheek.

“...It’s just time-travel, Mom,” Nick managed to crack a smile as he forced his words, watching as Mano drew closer and put an arm around Hydra.  As Diana ran to his side and gripped his hand, the tired smile remained.

“Why did you do that?” she shuddered.

“...I can regenerate,” he took a shallow breath, “...Ian can’t... I know... how much you care about him...”

Diana leaned over him and held him tightly, shuddering as she held back a sob.

I shut my eyes and turned to the Doctor.  “We need to get them off the battlefield.  Those two—even Hydra—need immediate medical attention.”

“But what about the battle?” Mano asked, pointing to Reynolds still trapped within the bubble of light.  “What about him?”

“The battle will be over.  I’ll take care of him.”

The Doctor immediately shot me a look.  “Gem,”

“I can end this.  He won’t stop until he has Rovenna.”  I frowned, watching as his eyes focused on mine.  “I can give him Rovenna.”

“Gem, don’t.” The Doctor piped in, unable to move as Ian was slumped across him.  “Don’t let her back out.”

Diana rose to look at me, Nick’s blood across her armor.  Her cheeks were stained with tears.

I pressed my lips together.  “I will not have my friends and ...my family hurt any more.  We’ve lost enough.  This needs to end.”  I looked back to The Doctor, trying not to look worried.  “For now, get everyone out of here.”

The Doctor looked me square in the eye.  “I will—but don’t you dare get in there with him until I’m back.  I won’t interfere, but I am going to be here.  Wait for me.  Promise me, Gem.”

I bowed my head in a slow nod.  “I promise.”

Diana clutched his arm as he began setting the coordinates on Ian’s vortex manipulator.  “I’m coming back with you,” she said urgently.

He glanced at her for a moment, and then looked at me.  I was already turned away, watching as Reynolds’ lips pulled to a devious grin.

I did as I was told.  I waited until The Doctor had transported everyone back to Sentinel’s Watch and made sure the injured were being treated.  When he and Diana returned, they stood beside James, who stayed behind to keep the shield around Reynolds.

The TARDIS loomed overhead as an almost deafening silence reached my ears.

“Let me in.” I spoke softly.

James bowed his head.  He held up his other hand and encased me in light, and he allowed the two to merge together.

- - -

“We’ve still lost the link from James and Ian; what happened to those two??” Vance was cycling through the statuses of the various vortex manipulators at the TARDIS’ console.  They were having a difficulty reaching their allies after the flood waters washed through the battlefield.

“De, what’s it look like from there?” Amaya called to Amadeus in the doorway.

“Flood waters have moved out of range; but there’s so much on the field, I can’t tell where everyone is...” He grimaced, turning away from the open door.  “I feel so much... death.”

“I do too, but I don’t feel it’s our friends,” Amaya turned back to Vance.  “But there’s one that’s nagging me really strongly...”

“What is it?” Vance asked.

Suddenly everything inside the TARDIS shut down with one mighty whir.  After a few seconds of darkness, the lights flickered back on as data filled the screens they had been staring at.

CLOAKING DEACTIVATED.  RESERVE POWER ENGAGED.

“...Uh oh,” Amaya muttered.

“Gahh, get the comm link back up!” Vance began pressing buttons at the console.

“Was the nagging vision complete darkness?  Because I got that one too,” Amadeus mentioned idly.

Amaya shrugged as Vance finally pounded the right button.

“Diana is Gemini and The Doctor’s daughter,” Ian’s voice suddenly cut in over the comm link.

The two stood up straight.  Behind them, Amadeus’ eyes were wide.

“...And Nick is Hydra and Mano’s son.”

“I...” James had attempted to speak, but he was rendered as speechless as Vance and Amaya were.

“Please don’t say, please don’t say,” Amadeus chanted softly.

“And Amadeus...?” James finally spoke.

Vance and Amaya turned around as Ian provided the answer.

“Amaya and Vance’s son.”

Vance’s light eyes grew distant, and his strength gave out enough for him to lean back against the console.  It was only after his brain had attempted to process the news again that he looked up to see Amadeus standing across the room.

Amadeus scratched his head.  “Well, this isn’t how I planned for you to find out...”

“Somehow... I knew,” Amaya spoke slowly.  The oracle’s eyes looked upon her son’s.  They were very similar, also holding the gift of foresight.  She smiled lightly as Amadeus shyly turned away.

“I guess I should have...” Vance finally managed to speak again.  He started shaking his head.  “...I swear, time-travel is going to kill my nerves...”

Amadeus managed to smile.  “Well, look at it this way: you already know you’ll have one awesome kid when you get married.”

“Married...!” Vance slumped back against the console.

Amaya slowly scooted closer to him and wrapped her hands around his arm.  Her face flushed along with his.

A gunshot startled the three of them, and they whipped their heads back to the console.

“Ian!!” Diana screamed, moments before two more shots echoed in succession.

Vance fumbled over the console to open the communication.  “Ian—somebody—what happened??” he cried.

“We’ve got two down,” The Doctor answered.

A spark of energy suddenly filled the room, and when it died out, a new figure had joined them.  When he looked up, the three found themselves face to face with the cold eyes of General Bishop.

---

Chapter 9

I took the smallest of steps closer.  Reynolds tried his best to flash a confident smirk, but it was easy to see right though his expression this time.

“Now what?” He asked as nonchalantly as he could.

“I know what you want.” I replied calmly.

“Of course...” his eyes narrowed.

I remained firm, though my heart was beginning to race under the pressure.  “I will not be responsible for anything she does.  I cannot control her.  When she takes over, I won’t even remember what happened.  Are you sure you want this?”

Reynolds reached forward and rubbed a finger across my cheek.  “Give her to me...” he hissed.

My lips turned to a disgusted frown and I pulled away from him.  “...I hope she tears you apart...”  I spat.

A simple chuckle from the Lieutenant General was my only response.  I turned my head away and closed my eyes.   There was a chance I wouldn’t snap back, but as I peeked through the shield of light, I could see the worried and pained eyes of my brother, my fiancé, and my daughter.  A pang shot through my entire body.  I had to do this so she and the others would be free from ORBIT’s tyranny.  Releasing the Raven would have to silence the obsessive maniac—one way or another.

All right.  I’m letting you out.  I’m throwing down every barrier I’ve thrown up.  You want to come tell Reynolds how you feel about all this?  Berate him on how he treated you?  I don’t even know what happened, but if it was enough for the two of you to go to these extremes, I know it has to be bad.  Do your worst on this creep; I’m tired of him destroying my life and the lives of those I care about.

I’m letting you out, but you had better not hurt my family.

I’m letting you out so you can finish this.

Oh I can finish this, all right...

And you had better let me come back...

My mind sunk into darkness.  I felt my body falling limp, but I was caught before I blacked out.


Reynolds was biting his lip.  “...Hello?”

Her eyes flashed forward.  The golden glow rose into them.  Her expression remained unchanged until her eyes narrowed.

“...Rovenna?”

She rushed forward and pinned him against the shield of light.  “You bastard!!” She shouted in his face.  “You mass of everything vile and terrible in the universe!!”

“You flatter me,” Reynolds choked as he struggled against her grip.  “Rovenna.”

Rovenna shoved him against the light again.  It flickered but held up as she pushed him harder against it.  “You’re royally misusing your power, Mister ORBIT—you went too far with your ‘simple fixing of the universe’—no, you’re using all of ORBIT’s mindless idiots for your own gain.  You went out of your way to destroy the life of a talented writer—to destroy the lives of innocent people!!”

Reynolds tilted his head in an attempt to breathe.  “It was the only way to get your attention, my dear.”

“Don’t you pull that crap on me!”  Rovenna tightened her grip.  “You bloody liar!!”

“You’re the liar here!” Reynolds finally fought back, pushing her and twisting out of her grasp.  “Telling me you would always...” he frowned, “care about me...”

“When did I stop caring?  When, Keith??”

“When you ran away from the force!  Even if we weren’t... We were on a team!  I was counting on you!”

“Weren’t what?” Rovenna straightened her posture.  “Weren’t a couple?  Weren’t in love??  Oh, but that’s right... it was just some ‘fling’...”

“You’re wrong!”  Reynolds approached her.  “I loved you more than anyone in the universe!”

“But in the presence of anyone else, I was just there to warm your bed.” Rovenna sneered.

“Don’t you dare say that!!” Now it was Reynolds’ turn to fly at Rovenna, though she again ducked out of the way and left the lieutenant general standing on the opposite side of the bubble.

“Oh, but don’t deny it, whatever you do!”  The Time Lord waved her hands in mock exasperation.  “I was with you long enough to learn the truth; that every word you uttered was a lie—a lie to get me to fall for you, a lie to make me think you cared—a lie to get me under your control.”

Reynolds clenched his fists.  “You are going much too far, my dear.”

“And yet you still won’t deny it... Listen, human, I could have handled being exploited because of who I was.  I could have handled the other operatives turning against me because of what they thought was going on.  But I could no longer handle your games, Reynolds!  I was tired of your lies!  So I left, thinking everything would be better that way.  But no... you convince ORBIT to destroy all Time Lords, turn this into a blood bath, and overturn the entire universe just to get your revenge!!”

Rovenna ducked before Reynolds could strike her in the head, and she brought her arms up to counter his move.  He struck again and pounded his fist into her breastplate.  While he was recoiling, she delivered an elbow to his jaw.  He backhanded her, but she grabbed his arm and swung him to the ground.  The fist-fight continued, but it was obvious Rovenna had the upper-hand.  It wasn’t long before Reynolds was again thrown to the ground and left there.

He winced as he struggled to his knees.  “I didn’t think you’d be able to pack that kind of a punch,” he muttered, “especially in that load of metal you’re wearing...”

She dove forward as soon as he was standing and pushed him back against the wall of light.  His legs went limp, but he did not fall.  He remained upright purely by the force she held against him.

“Why?” She brought her face near his.  “You thought this scrawny body wouldn’t be able to do it?”  When Reynolds made no reply, she drew even closer.  “And that is why you will lose; of every person out on this field, she is the strongest.”

Reynolds’ lips pulled to a tight smile.  “But you are wrong.  You are so wrong about so many things, Rovenna.  You were wrong to leave... you were wrong to leave me.”

On his final word, Rovenna felt a sharp pain in her thigh.  She stopped breathing and found her chin falling against Reynolds’ shoulder.

“I will make sure you never leave me again.”

Her eyes squeezed shut as the knife dug deeper.  Blood was quickly running down her leg and into the armor greaves that stopped just above her knees.   Pained and fainting, she searched for a breath and finally whispered her words.  “You just made the biggest mistake of your sad, pathetic life.”

“Do tell.” Reynolds hissed in her ear.

“You’re trapped in a very small space with a Time Lord that’s about to regenerate.”

Reynolds’ eyes bulged in his head.  He shoved the girl backwards, but the energy was already wisping from her hands and neck as she came to her knees.  He shakily began pressing against the wall behind him as a last resort.

“Pity so many lives were lost when all you wanted was me...” She clutched her leg as the blood ran through her golden fingers.  “But soon you will be finished...”  She spread her arms wide as her head fell back.

Reynolds screamed a mixture of exclamations, curses, and cries, and the golden energy blasted from the Time Lord’s body like the explosion of a star.

- - -

“I rarely use these silly contraptions,” Bishop eyed a rudimentary vortex manipulator on his arm as he paced the floor of The Doctor’s TARDIS, “but seeing as this was the only way to help myself aboard, sometimes drastic measures must be taken.”

“Yeah—well, take it somewhere else!” Amadeus shouted with his fists clenched.

“Have you been here this whole time?  Of course you have...” Bishop took a step closer to the central console, completely ignoring Amadeus.

“Don’t come any closer,” Vance clutched at Amaya’s arm.

Bishop rubbed the graying beard on his chin, gazing past Vance and Amaya.  “If I could have The Doctor’s TARDIS, I would have no limitations to where I could go.  I could harness that little half-ling to pilot it... if Reynolds doesn’t kill her first.”

Amadeus roared and jumped onto Bishop’s back.  The General cursed and began twisting his body to attempt to remove him.

“Boy, have you got a brain full of garbage!” Amadeus shouted as Bishop staggered a few feet back.  “Completely self-centered; you really don’t even care what Reynolds is doing—so long as you get the glory in the end!”

“Get off of me!!” Bishop turned and rammed Amadeus into the wall.  The boy was noticeably hurt but he clung to Bishop’s collar regardless.

“Stop it! Don’t hurt him!!” Amaya raced forward.

Bishop backed Amadeus into the wall again and managed to grab his arm.  He ducked and threw him from his back to land in front of Amaya.

Amadeus flopped to one side, barely conscious.  When Amaya looked up, Bishop was clenching his fists and headed straight for her.

Vance dove over her and threw a punch, but Bishop blocked it and threw Vance to the ground.  Amaya gasped and scrambled to her feet, racing as fast as she could back to the control panel.  She threw another lever and yelled, “James, help us!!”

Vance hit the ground again and was slower to get up.  Amaya yelled to distract him, but Bishop continued to press upon Vance as the young man tried to hold off his fists.

But when a bright flash blinded the General, he was unable to react before he was thrown across the floor near the open door of the TARDIS.  Growling, he straightened up, but was immediately taken aback.

Vance’s heavy breathing even came to an abrupt halt when he saw who was standing before them.

The Elder Sentinel’s cloak was missing.  He stood firmly between Vance, Amaya, and Amadeus, and the General of ORBIT.  His dark hair was peppered gray, with the tufts around his ears a more solid gray.  His hair was not as long as it once was, and his face was not as smooth.  His stature, however, was little changed.

“...James,” Vance breathed.

Bishop grit his teeth.  “You’re walking into a losing battle, Sentinel; unless you’re willing to die with the rest of them.”  He got to his feet and squared himself with the Elder Sentinel’s stance.

“You lost this battle the second you touched Gemini.” James said simply.

“We’ll see about that,” Bishop drew his gun.

James had scarcely raised a hand when a swatch of light deflected the bullet and knocked it from Bishop’s hand.  Finding himself unarmed, Bishop instead rushed forward to tackle him.

The struggle broke out quickly as James and Bishop were locked against each other.  Punches were struck and arms were twisted, and the fight grew ever-closer to the open door of the TARDIS.   With a bloody lip, the Elder Sentinel managed to pull Bishop's arms behind his back and pin him against the doorway.

“You can’t kill me,” Bishop turned his blood-stained face away from the doorframe to speak.  “You’re a Sentinel!”

James said nothing.  He kept his arms tight against Bishop’s back and eyed the surface of Paccem below.  They were still hovering over the empty lake bed.

“What do you think you’re going to do now??” Bishop jerked against James’ grip.

“I won’t be doing anything,” James immediately released the man and stepped back.

With the pressure lifted, Bishop staggered a few steps before he steadied himself in the center of the doorway.  The General again squared himself with James and held his hands as fists at his sides.

“Y—you came here on your own accord,” James continued carefully, “You tried to hurt my friends and my family, and now you’re standing in the open door of a time machine... and we’re about to hit turbulence.”

Bishop started to turn his head to look behind him, but he stopped before he did.  His lips curled as he eyed The Elder Sentinel with disgust.  “I’m not falling for your tricks.” He sneered.

James was unmoved.  “I won’t be able to save you.”

“You’ll be the one who needs saving!!”

Bishop’s clenched fists readied themselves to dive at James, but just as he began to lunge forward, a blast of energy shot from the planet below and struck the base of the TARDIS.  The time machine sparked and jerked forward, and the General of ORBIT’s foot slipped just past the doorframe.

In the moment that he fell, Bishop’s face turned from rage to blunt fear.  His extended arms slammed into the TARDIS’ floor, and his chin cracked against the edge.  The force knocked his head backwards, and he slipped out of sight.

James had gone to his knees, but Bishop fell too quickly for James to grab his arms.  He did not look out the door to watch as Bishop plummeted to the ground.  He simply bowed his head ever so slightly and shut his eyes.

Amaya and Vance did not move as they watched The Sentinel slowly rise back to his feet.  They watched as he wiped the blood from his chin, clench his hand, and turn back to face them.  Amaya frowned lightly and started to walk forward.  She offered him her arms, and he hugged her in return.

“Thank you for c... calling me.” He said softly as the oracle looked up at him.

“James...” Vance finally managed to speak.  “You’re the Elder Sentinel?  The one who pulled all this together?”  He paused, frowning.  “You teamed us up with our... kids??”

“It’s the only thing he could do.” Amaya smiled.  “The pillars stand together to hold strong on shifting foundation. Without one, the rest will fall.  They come together under the Sentinel’s watch, and they stand beside their offspring...”

“...I don’t remember that last phrase.” Vance pouted slightly.

“I didn’t either,” Amaya glanced at him.

“Ugh...” Amadeus groaned suddenly.  The three turned to look at him, and after he blinked a number of times, his face twisted in confusion.  “Hey... you look a lot like James...”

James rolled his eyes and said nothing, starting back to the door.

Amaya grinned when Amadeus turned to her.  “I called him.”

The young oracle was about to nod in realization, but he stopped.  “...Wait, so now you know who he is, too...?”

“Hopefully that’s all the secrets you’ll be keeping from us,” Vance walked over to help him stand.  “...Son.”

Amadeus’s mouth bent into a sheepish grin, and he quickly scooted over to Amaya’s side.

“That blast meant that the battle is over,” James turned his head back to the door.  “We should rejoin the others.  I can take you.”

“What was the blast, if I can ask...” Vance carefully leaned forward ever so slightly to look past the door.

“Rovenna.” The Elder Sentinel spoke her name softly.

- - -

The bubble of light had burst when the regenerative energy exploded within it.  The Doctor protected Diana from the heat as James winced and tried to reform the shield.  Thankfully, they were spared of any damage from the blast.  Once the dust cleared, however, two forms were left lying where the bubble had been.

“Gem—” The Doctor was on his feet seconds later, racing to her side as Diana followed on his heels.  He propped her up, watching the golden energy dance over her arms before fading away.  Her half-open eyes were still distant.

James knelt beside Reynolds and brought a cautionary hand to his neck, but he found no pulse left within it.  He winced and quickly backed away, only to notice a third body nearby.  He lost his breath when he saw how broken it was.

“What—w-what happened,” he asked, glancing back at The Doctor.

“She regenerated,” The Doctor held her head in his hands as his voice wavered slightly.  “It was hard to tell, but Reynolds must have seriously injured her... Gemini, can you hear me?  Please hear me...”

A flash startled everyone, and soon The Elder Sentinel was standing with Vance, Amaya, and Amadeus.  The Doctor looked up, but only a moment later did his weary face turn to a look of shock when he recognized the Elder Sentinel.  James himself looked fairly baffled, finding himself face to face with his older self.

Amaya quickly broke away and knelt beside Diana.  “Gemini?” she asked softly.  

The Time Lord’s eyes remained unblinking and distant.  

The Doctor frowned and let his chin touch Gemini’s forehead.  “I don’t understand,” The Doctor spoke aloud.

“She’s alive?” Amaya asked.

“She’s alive, but not Gemini.”  He shook his head.  “She’s not Rovenna.  She’s...”

Diana’s lips quivered as she brought her hands to Gemini’s face.  “But she can’t...”

The Doctor was fighting tears himself.  “This can’t be where this ends!  There’s still so much—there’s still you!” He glanced at Diana, a spark of hope in his eyes.  “There’s still you—she has to wake up!”

Realizing what he meant, Diana turned back to Gemini and clutched her hand.  “Gemini—” Diana paused.  “...Mom, I know you’re there—please wake up!”

Darkness.

A glimmer of light.

A glimmer of light in the darkness.  

A glimmer of hope.

My eyes blinked slowly.

I took in a deep breath and tried to focus.   All I saw was light.  Light that gradually faded into Diana’s face.

“...Wh...” I breathed.  “Diana,”

Her face beamed even brighter as she wrapped her arms around The Doctor and me.  I felt her head upon my chest, and I felt The Doctor’s hand pressing my head against his.  I closed my eyes amid the warmth and the light.  

I couldn’t hear their voices, but I continued to feel their warmth, I continued to see their light.  I drifted on the edge of consciousness, but I knew I was safe now.

---

Chapter 10

Without their leaders to guide them, the survivors of ORBIT had little choice but to surrender the battle.  Their highest-ranking surviving officer, Second Lieutenant Jennifer Watkins, represented her troops as Gemma, Zhek, Strax, and the Elder Sentinel accepted her surrender.  No prisoners were taken; none were captured.  They simply retreated to their families that populated the small planet of Paccem and watched our combined armies depart.  Our oracles could tell that ORBIT itself would no longer exist as a collective for much longer.  The threat was finally gone.

Back at Sentinel’s Watch, Mano had tended to Nick’s wounds, and he concluded Nick would be able to make a full recovery without the need of regenerating.  Hydra’s arm had also been cleaned and bandaged, though she had definitely been more concerned with Nick’s status than her own.  It was almost as if she were a different person after the battle, and it could be attributed to discovering she would be a parent—and having little reason to be angry at us anymore.

It was also hard to recognize Vance now.  His shy and easily-overwhelmed demeanor had turned into a very dedicated and romantic mood.   In fact, he and Amaya announced that they had decided to return to Fortis Novus once they were married.   I had told Amaya the news I had heard; how she had been counted as lost to her people, and this made it seem more fitting for the two to take up new names and begin a new life together.  When I also brought up that a new oracle had been born to take her place, Amadeus inadvertently admitted the birth was his own.  In some odd way, everything was still falling into place.

Ian had been patched up nicely as well, and he was certain to spend time with Diana and Amadeus in Nick’s room.  They had finally moved past any envy or reservations against each other, and they understood where they had come from.  It was accepted that Diana and Ian were now a couple, and with Amadeus to continue to provide entertainment, the foursome seemed even stronger than when we had first met them.

James had received a few pointers from Ian on how to control his Sentinel powers, and would be better trained once Ian was back to full-mobility.  After his training, however, James stuck by his declaration to return to Fortanya and leave the time-travelling to someone else.  The Doctor was possibly the most upset by his decision, but he understood that James simply was ready for things to slow down.  And with James wielding the power of the Sentinel, he would undoubtedly be called back into action when he was needed.

As for Diana, it was odd to see her now that we knew she was our daughter.  It was completely obvious to see hints of both myself and The Doctor in her appearance, and she was certainly headstrong, clever, and genuinely kind.  When we had talked and spent time together, there was an instant connection.  It even seemed completely natural for her to slip and call my brother ‘Uncle James.’  He was taken aback for a moment, but he was also coming to like the idea of having a niece like Diana.

Unfortunately, there was something that still bothered me.  Diana had told us that she had grown up with Amadeus on Fortis Novus and that her father would visit her often.  But she didn’t spend as much time with her mother.  This worried me, especially since it had taken me much longer to ‘snap back’ to myself than it previously had.  It was understood that I was strong enough to keep myself present and survive the metacrisis, but deep down, I had the frightening realization that this was not going to last.  Perhaps, like The Elder Sentinel had done, I could change time and be more present in my future for her.

For now, when Diana peeked into my room, I smiled and stood to greet her.  We hugged, and she told me that The Doctor was looking for me.  I had to remember what The Doctor had said; whether I had one day or a thousand years, I would enjoy every moment that I had such allies, friends, and family around me.

When I arrived into the main room, everyone was gathering to bid farewell to the Elder Sentinel.  I wasn’t sure exactly how much time the Elder Sentinel had spent orchestrating these events; but judging by his graying hair, he had clearly lost a considerable amount of time to the effort.

I hopped up to The Doctor’s side, and he slid his arm around my back.  Diana leaned on my shoulder, though she quickly straightened up and held Ian’s hand when he arrived.  Amadeus, Amaya, and Vance were similarly gathered in a clump, and Hydra and Mano sat beside Nick, who couldn’t quite stand for very long just yet.

My brother stepped up to the Elder Sentinel.  They stood at the same height, but with subtle differences in weight and appearance.  When James finally broke a smile, the Elder Sentinel did too.

“You know, I—I could tell from the stammer.” He said coyly.

The Elder Sentinel crossed his arms.  “I’ve been working on that.”

“I noticed.  You sound good.”

“L—Lingers a little.”

They both smiled, and finally extended hands to shake.  When they dropped their hands back, James had an odd smile on his face.

“Don’t think too many p-people get to shake hands with themselves,” he grinned.

“It gets less exciting.” The Doctor said idly.  We all chuckled lightly in return.

“Sentinel,”

Ian, James, and the Elder Sentinel turned their heads, but it was clear Hydra was speaking to the oldest of the three.

“Was this... worth it?”

The Elder Sentinel adjusted the glasses on his nose.  “I would say so.”

“But you spent so much time,” Hydra continued.  “You spent all this time for people you... well, not all of us were on your side to start with.”  She cleared her throat.  “I just mean, well, you’re only human.  You don’t have hundreds of years to live.  Was it worth giving up so much of your life?”

He smiled at her.  “It was.  My sister—Gemini, has always been so much of my life.  Without her, I wouldn’t have had much.  And by saving her, I saw that so many others needed saving.  When I saw what I could do, I had no choice but to do it.”

“That and the universe collapsing without Time Lords in it,” Amadeus mentioned.  “There is that.”

The Sentinel nodded.  “It would have been a very dark universe without any of you.”

“Thank you, sir.” The Doctor stepped up to him and also shook his hand.  “I hope I tell your younger self enough how much I appreciate the amazing human being called James Harley.”

James smiled almost sheepishly, exactly matching the expression on his older self’s face.

“What’s going to happen to you?” Amaya asked when the conversation slowed.

“I’ll return to my time and continue on,” The Sentinel turned and took a few steps back.  “It’s a bit of an alternate dimension now that everything has changed, but things may be changed there too.  You all should probably try not to spend too much more time with your children simply because you need to still... create your children.” He garnered a few laughs with his statement.  “You’ll have much more time to spend with them as they grow.”  He glanced at me when he spoke, and I nodded with the hope that I would.

With a few short goodbyes said, the Elder Sentinel pulled away his sleeve to reveal the same worn vortex manipulator The Doctor had given him.  It was much more worn, but, like the man who wore it, it was still just as reliable.  He entered his coordinates, waved one more time, and left our time to live out his days in peace.

- - -

The Doctor and I stood quietly in the misty air in the Westminster Burying Ground.  We were near the back of the churchyard, in the meager company of a handful of mourners.  Before us, a grave had been filled by a simple mahogany coffin.  A minister stood over the open grave, finishing a prayer.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.  Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”

“Amen.” The small group muttered.

“...Amen.” I said softly, squeezing The Doctor’s hand.

It had scarcely been five minutes, but with the sky threatening rain and the lack of people in attendance, the minister closed his Bible and turned away from the grave.   The funeral for Edgar Allan Poe was over.

“There’s barely anyone here...” The Doctor whispered as a woman clutching a handkerchief walked past us.  

Another couple turned and stood beside a nearby grave for a moment.  When I saw that it was the grave of David Poe, Sr., I assumed the two had to be family.

“Miss... Detective Gallagher?”

I turned to face the voice behind me and lifted the shallow brim of Edgar’s hat over my forehead.  He looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place him.

Noting my hesitance, he clarified.  “I’m... from the morgue,” he said, almost nervously.

That’s where I remembered him from.  I almost didn’t recognize him without the scowl.  “Yes,” I said more assuredly.

“I wanted to let you know that the body you were investigating has been identified.” He said.  “We found out that a woman named Sarah Elliott had gone missing, last seen headed out of town on the evening she was found deceased in Baltimore.”  He looked oddly at me, as if he didn’t want to admit what he was saying.  “You were right when you deduced she was killed outside of town.  Her family was called in, and Ms. Elliott was identified.”

I winced.  She was an innocent woman with family... killed in my place.  At least, in some strange way, she had been brought to justice.  “Thank you,” I said.  “I’m... sorry I was not able to find the murderer.  Things... I got sidetracked...” I looked over at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe—unmarked in the damp air of the graveyard.  Like Sarah, the true nature of Edgar’s death would never be known to the history books.  Edgar wouldn’t even have a proper grave for another thirty years.

“We appreciate your efforts nonetheless.  We may not have been able to identify her without you.  She was the niece of Captain O’Donnell, after all.”  He nodded to a large mausoleum near to where we stood.  The intricate stone structure was a fair indicator of Captain O’Donnell’s worth when he was living.

“I... and the city of Baltimore, appreciate your efforts.”  The morgue worker paused, “...I am sorry for your loss as well.”

“Thank you,” The Doctor spoke gently when I was unable to reply.  As the worker left us, The Doctor put his hand across my back.  “Detective Gallagher?”

A faint smile came to my lips.  “Hey, I couldn’t just do nothing...”

He smiled back and hugged me.  “I knew I loved you for a reason.”

I looked down at the rose I had been holding.  I had picked up a few things that I wanted to leave at the gravesite, and with no sign of anyone in the graveyard—not even the gravedigger had returned—I figured it was time to get going.

“Did you bring the bottle?” I asked The Doctor as I knelt down beside the open grave.  I set the rose down beside the plot, and he, in turn, removed a small bottle of cognac from the inside of his coat pocket.  He set it beside the rose, and we both stood up.

“A toast to the memory of Edgar Allan Poe... maybe this will catch on.” The Doctor mentioned in passing.

I smiled as he took my hand and we started away from the grave.  “We’ll see.”


We walked back through town until we reached the banks of the Jones Falls River.  There, we found a blue Police box next to a wooden crate.

“You really should fix your Chameleon Circuit.” I jabbed.

“You really should break yours; I don’t know how you ever find it.” He smirked.

I laughed as he held open the door to my TARDIS for me, and I curtseyed once I stood inside.  “Back to Fortanya, yes?” I asked with a gleam in my eye.

“Yes.” He replied assuringly.  “After all, we have a wedding to attend...”  He raised his eyebrows.  “I wonder what Amaya will be wearing...”

I playfully shoved him out the door.  “I’m going to assume you remember it’s ours.”

He playfully shoved his way back in and kissed me.  “I never forget when it comes to you.  Never, ever.”

“Whether we have a thousand years,” I whispered, gazing into his eyes.

He smiled and kissed me again.

“Or a thousand more.”

---

Keep Reading! Book 9 - Stars Die >>