The Master Plan

[Deleted]

The tiger roared at the three Kitlings, before vanishing.

"STOP THEM!" 'Harold Saxon' shouted.

As the Toclaphane swooped down to stop Susan and Omega, a bright red energy beam was fired from the clock face of the aged black wood colored grandfather clock shaped TARDIS that expanded and stopped the 4 spheres in their tracks. A few smaller red energy beam projectiles were fired out at the three Masters' feet. Each of the beams were set to stun, as they at least knocked back two of the Master's. Once Susan and Omega were inside the TARDIS, the clock closed and dematerialized.

"AAAAAAARGH!" Saxon Shouted. "It just had to be him, just HAD to be him." He looked back to his two fellow Masters. "...No matter. You two need briefing. So you shall have it."

---

The console room was dark. It appeared to be a victorian style, much like the later part of the Doctor's 7th life and early part of his 8th life used, but was blacker, darker, and had a more...gothic appeal to it.

The Tiger from before was resting on a large bed to himself, now resting after the recent scuffle they had just escaped. Standing at the black wood console controls stood a man. He wore all black, but had a blue and white rosette on his lapel. Currently, his face was clean shaven, and he had dark hair. When he spoke, it was with an English Accent.

"I'm glad to find you safe Susan," the Man with the Rosette spoke, as he flipped a few more switches on his console to set his TARDIS's course. "And Lord Omega. It is an honor to be of your acquaintance." He bowed. He turned back to Susan. "I'm pleased I made it in time to save...what little family I have left."

There was a surprising amount of interesting...objects within the TARDIS's console room. An interesting amount of light from what looked like wax candles scattered throughout the place. One entire side of the console room held all sorts of nick-knacks of different anachronistic objects and photographs of famous figures in history. Alexander the Great. Adolf Hitler. Ghengis Khan. Napoleon. Nero and Caesar. Rasputin. Oda Nobunaga. Benedict Arnold. Pope Alexander VI and the rest of the Borgias in a family portrait. Michael Grade and Jonathan Powell. There were also large wooden filing cabinets of samples of different materials. All around the console room there were weapons on display, such as swords, maces, spears, guns, and other tools of different points in history of different alien civilizations. One larger section of the console room was marked with a dark red velvet colored rug, a chair with a small desk and lamp next to it, and behind that numerous bookshelves making a library. Upon closer look however, the contents of the library might repel those who had better moral character, as most of the books seemed to be directed to the evil and arcane. On one shelf, the Liber Inducens in Evangelium Aeternum was directly next to a copy of the Necronomicon, followed by several Black Scrolls of Rassilon. Another shelf held the Insidium of Astrolabus, The Ambuehl Lores, and The Book of Vile with the Black Appendix. On a pair of podiums lined up on the sides of one of the large book cases, and set out on display was Volumes 1 and 2 of Mein Kampf, both books first editions...and signed by the autograph of Adolf Hitler himself. Oddly enough there was an interesting collection of cartoons on one of the rows of the very bookcase those two displays were up against.

Whoever this man was...he certainly had an interesting set of hobbies. That whole ability Time Lords have...the one about always being to recognize other Time Lords if they've met them before, no matter what incarnation they were in...Despite being in this man's TARDIS, that very ability was currently...muddled. If it's a certain trait about the Man himself...or something odd with the atmosphere of his TARDIS, it would be impossible to say. It's like that whole thing where you think you have the answer on the tip of your tongue, but aren't able to figure it out or bring that answer to your mind.

"Are you both all right?" he asked.

[Deleted]

Omega ran, feeling a slight exhilaration from this... was it from the Doctor's memories? He didn't know, but perhaps this exhilaration came from the battles long ago. Either way, he was along with Susan, stopping only to look behind him and over to his own half built TT Capsule. No, not this time. he needed a functioning time machine. Omega would enter the place.

It seemed... odd to him. He never seen this kind of architecture and he stopped to look around, admiring the unknown people on the wall, not familiar with their history. Sorry, Man with the Rosette, but Omega isn't well versed with human history (except maybe Michael Grade and Ross). The only thing bothering him was the fact he couldn't recognize the man. Like he was an alternate counterpart....

"Oh? Yes, it is I, Lord Omega." He paused. "I am fine. A little weirded out, but fine."

[Susan Foreman]

As the Toclafane swooped down to attack Susan, she picked up her pace and sprinted into the grandfather clock-TARDIS, right behind Omega. The door shut behind them, and then it felt like they were traveling...

"I'm glad to find you safe, Susan," the Man with the Rosette spoke, as he flipped a few more switches on his console to set his TARDIS's course. "And Lord Omega. It is an honor to be of your acquaintance." He bowed. He turned back to Susan. "I'm pleased I made it in time to save... what little family I have left - Are you both all right?" he asked.

"Oh? Yes, it is I, Lord Omega." He paused. "I am fine. A little weirded out, but fine."

Susan offered the Man with the Rosette a curious - and gracious - close-lipped smile. Yes, he had saved her from the Masters, but... Why? Who was he, even?

"I'm unharmed," she politely replied. "Thanks to you..."

Susan narrowed her eyes slightly and gave the Man with the Rosette a questioning look and asked, "But, who are you? You said... You said that we're family? You, and this Lord Omega, and me?"

These men were no family of Susan's - not that she knew of, any way. She didn't know who the Man with the Rosette was, nor who Omega was. Yet, both seemed to know who she was.

"I... I don't understand..." Susan sounded frustrated. She wasn't used to not being able to sort something out.

[Deleted]

The Man with the Rosette chuckled. "Yes I know who you are Lord Omega. It has been some time since I encountered you last."

He turned to Susan next. "My name..." He stopped to consider his response. "Is of no real importance. Just know your grandfather and I were close at one time before...before both he, you, and I began our separate journeys. For now...I suppose Uncle Jade will suffice as a good enough title." He turned to look at Omega, and then turned to Susan again. "I must apologize. When I said family, I had meant to save you. I was not expecting to...meet with Omega again." He pressed a few buttons on his TARDIS. Two more comfortable chairs, much like the one already present in the library portion of the console room, materialized facing the original chair. "Please. Come sit down. I have tea on the sitting table in my Library. It will help calm your nerves and refresh you both as I try to explain things."

He walked over to the library and took his own seat. He waited for his two new companions and fellow passengers to join him, if they choose to sit down or not.

"I must apologize, when I addressed us as family...I am...one of the last four Time Lords who survived the Second War in Heaven. Your grandfather had destroyed Gallifrey, so that the war never occurred. He and I were close in our Academy days...So much so I almost considered him a brother." He chuckled as he sipped his drink. "But I do not believe, nor do I know enough of my own family geneology to know for sure if we were ever related at all. The same could be said of myself and Omega, or if Omega had any other relations or descendants other than-...I have strayed off topic. I attended one of your grandfather's weddings...Even gave him a set of wedding bands that belonged to-...well...I've honestly forgot who their previous owners were, only that they had lived a long happy life with each other. I spoke with your grandfather at the end of the reception, before he left for his honey moon." He took another sip of his tea. "That was...the last time I had spoken with him...on such good terms. A universe without Gallifrey and the Time Lords...I could not be a part of it. I vowed to your grandfather I would return, once both were restored. I had no reason to compete against him now, in a universe as dark as it was back then."

He set his saucer aside, feeling he had finished his explanation of their relations for the young Time Lady. But it wasn't a convincing one. He had a feeling Omega could see whatever holes there may have been in his explanation.

"But now you wish for explanations for my return," he assumed as he straightened himself. A look of seriousness came across his face. "You both think the universe is in danger. I'm here to warn you that it's far more serious than you suspect. The Master's scheme...He thinks it will grant him power. Such is not the case. He is being...there is another force at work here. If the Master isn't stopped, the universe and all of creation and time will be destroyed by this very paradox he's trying to cause. He refuses to believe that his plan is going to fail. He's so sure of his plan, that he will drag each of his lives there no matter what prevented them from coming initially, be it lack of means to meet with him, or refusal to join him."

He was struggling with how to explain this. Whether or not he was trying to avoid revealing too much...or better yet, even if he even knew absolutely everything that was going on himself, it was plain to see he was fighting with something inside him. But one thing was clear. The danger was real.

[Deleted]

Omega quietly followed the Man with the Rosette as he sat down and explained to Susan who he was.. or wasn't. Either way, his reason for being here was a bit dubious, and gave Omega wonder about who exactly he was. But then he mentioned that he had met him before, and his expression blanked, trying to wrap around this.

"... I'm sorry? We met?" Omega tried to dig into his memories, or what wasn't fractured by the Doctor and altered (seemed to revolve around Vandekirian and he knew this guy definitely wasn't him). Nothing seemed to come to mind, though, which confused him. He traded a glance to Susan. "No, I came here by accident. I was performing some experiments... Which, by the way, I wouldn't mind that piece of machinery recalled. I worked long hours on it..."

But then it got even more cryptic. No, Omega had carried some of The Doctor's memories and this man never seemed to pop up in his mind. Besides, even his alertness of the situation could tell that there were some gaping issues in this subject. Especially the genealogy issues.

"I never had any direct kin. I fell into the black hole after the experiment with the stellar manipulators before anything came to light about my heritage." He spoke simply. Yes, Omega was unusual amongst the early time lords. He had one wife before he died, and unless he had long lost siblings, then it was merely up to his cousins to keep his ancestry alive. "... Good terms? You dodge many further questions, sir."

He wouldn't make any comment about how Susan didn't know who he was. She seemed very young, but at the same time his mind was wracking over what was going on. Though as soon as this man spoke further, Omega's eyes went rather thoughtful, calculating, curious. After all, this is the man who wanted to know everything about everything. So he spoke up.

".. Enough to cross infinite dimensions to pull any version of himself to this place?"

[Susan Foreman]

“If the Master isn't stopped, the universe and all of creation and time will be destroyed by this very paradox he's trying to cause. He refuses to believe that his plan is going to fail. He's so sure of his plan, that he will drag each of his lives there no matter what prevented them from coming initially, be it lack of means to meet with him, or refusal to join him."

"... Enough to cross infinite dimensions to pull any version of himself to this place?" Omega asked.

“Well, yes. That’s his plan, anyway” Susan said, answering Omega’s question.

“He’s got this machine…” she began to explain. “It’s supposed to enable the paradox, but…” she shrugged and trailed off, doubting very much that the Master’s plan will work. Instead, she was worried that what Uncle Jade spoke of would come to pass.

“I tried to warn him, but… the Master wouldn’t listen - not that I’m surprised…” Susan shrugged and looked to her newly discovered Uncle Jade and Omega. What little she knew of both gentlemen, she was sure they’d at least exhibit some sort of sense of understanding when it came to the Master’s insanity.

[Deleted]

"No normal paradox machine would be able to do such a thing, however," Uncle Jade began as he rubbed his chin in contemplation. He leaned forward in his chair and removed a glove from his hand, placing his bare fingers against the side of Susan's cheeks and forehead. "Forgive me for the intrusion, Susan, but I must see what all you've been told."

He closed his eyes and began to focus. He had a strong and powerful psychic influence to be sure, as he searched Susan's recent memories of the interaction she had upon her arrival into the Master's domain, the dream he had shared, everything that occurred before his arrival. As soon as he came to the vision being shown, however, his hand jumped away from Susan's face as if he had just pressed it against a stove or a hot iron. He reared back, clearly disturbed by what he saw. But somehow that dream had a psychic damaging effect as well. His right hand twitched involuntarily before he placed his glove back over it. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand as he began to think over what he saw.

When he opened his eyes, a faint shadow had passed over them. But it disappeared when he looked to Omega.

"Omega. In what we call 'The Game of Rassilon'...the games your people played in the Death Zone of Gallifrey...before you and Rassilon and the Other created the Eye of Harmony...there was a device you used to pull others out of time. The Time Scoop it was called, wasn't it?" he asked. "And...somewhere on Gallifrey...there was a temporal anomaly. One supposedly sealed away on Gallifrey before you created the Eye of Harmony, that originated from the creation of the Big Bang. The...Eye of Time?"

[Deleted]

Omega looked over to Susan when she spoke up, but said nothing when the others started discussing everything, The Man with the Rosette even reaching over to scoop out whatever memories he needed to see what was going on. Despite that, he would stay silent, leaving his suspicions to the back of his mind while the man picked up whatever he needed.

He clearly looked disturbed over it and Omega scratched his chin in thought as the other spoke up. Unfortunately for these people, Omega was... a little bit out of time and he had no idea what happened to anything these days. Especially Rassilon, his plans, and this is the version of Omega far before The Last Great Time War.

"Er... yes. Last I saw of Razz, he was dead serious on stopping those games. When I entered the Matrix I found out he was banished in the Death Zone, but... what does the Time Scoop of old and the Eye of Time have anything to do with this? From what I remember, The Time Lords still have it." Oh Omega, if only you were a future version of yourself and in the proper timeline for this place.

[Susan Foreman]

Susan still got chills at the mere mention of the Death Zone. She drew her arms to herself, crossing them over her chest, and she frowned and gave a slight shudder.

"Ugh," she said with disgust. "Good question, though," she said, flashing a little smile at Omega.

Turning back to the Man with the Rosette, Susan questioned, "But yeah, what do they have to do with anything?" echoing Omega's sentiments. She looked a little confused, and she made no effort to hide it.

Perhaps, he was going somewhere with this... Perhaps he might even be thinking of something they could use to thwart the Masters' plan. Susan sure hoped so - now that he'd 'seen' what she knew about the Masters' plan and how dangerous it was, maybe he would help them try to stop it.

[Deleted]

"The glowing orb on that machine the Master had. That was it. The Eye of Time," the Man with the Rosette explained. "He's rigged it up into what could possibly be one of the most powerful Paradox Machines in all of creation. And now he's making his own Time Scoop with the intents and purposes of plucking every other self from time and space. But something on this scale is no easy feat for only one Master. That's why he sent the signal, hoping his other incarnations, using the different TARDIS's he's obtained over the years, would catch on to the plan and assist him."

He got up from his chair, as if something finally clicked in his mind. "Yes! That's how he did it! That mus-"

The TARDIS jerked and shook violently. The man with the rosette fell off his feet, knocking over one of the tables as he crashed into it. Sparks began to fly from random different points of his console.

"Oh no no no!" he shouted as he tried to get up.

The Tiger, who was resting so calmly during this whole voyage, leapt up and roared.

"He's here!" he shouted as he ran over to his console trying to regain control of his TARDIS. He struggled, obviously not making very much progress as his TARDIS continued lurching and jerking around in almost every which direction. A small fire erupted from some exploding circuits in a few of the floor panels. Several of the candles that were resting calmly were now tipped on their sides, either sparking new flames or having their small flames extinguished. The books on his library, the photos, the weapons, the random paraphernalia he had scattered in his large console room were falling off their displays.

"He's here!" he shouted. "He must've followed me through. I knew I should've taken a different TARDIS!"

Outside within the Time Vortex, the grandfather clock was being attacked. Smacked and swatted by the clawed hands of a figure, a being obscured by shadow. Maybe it was made of death. Maybe it was a being of Entropy. Anti matter? Anti Time? Did it really matter? A pair of large golden yellow eyes shown through the shadows.

When it spoke, it was not with vocal cords, nor with technology, nor with any other known forms or method save one. Telepathy. Its voice could be heard within the minds of all on board the man's TARDIS.

"I've finally found you yet again!" It was a mixture of voices. Of pain and bliss, of happyness and anger, shouting and whisper, close and distant, high toned and low toned, and yet despite these contradictions of the voice's description, only one word could ever truly describe it. Evil.

"Join me, and together we shall rule. You cannot resist me. None can resist MY will! MY dominance!"

[Deleted]

Omega grimaced when he mentioned what happened to the Eye of TIme. To think that someone would rig and ruin something that was sacred to the Time Lords and do something like this. He grimaced. He knew there was a way to fix this issue, but right now they could be too late to really do anything about it.

"That would make the paradox even worse, but..." Since he built such a powerful paradox machine that would be able to look through the Web of Time...

Suddenly everything lurched in the TARDIS and Omega fell to the floor, crouching and trying to stabilize himself. He looked at the Man with the Rosette and realized in horror that there was... something... after them. in his head he could hear the creature speaking. What was it? He had no idea, but it was some kind of matter that was forming.

[Deleted]

(OOC: Small correction on the Eye of Time. It's a Temporal Anomally actually. Not a piece of tech.)

[Susan Foreman]

Susan slipped out of the chair that she'd been sitting in and fell to the floor when the TARDIS was seemingly attacked.

"Oof!" she uttered as she hit the floor rather ungracefully. Frowning, Susan looked to the Man With the Rosette for answers.

"Oh no no no!" [the Man With the Rosette] shouted as he tried to get up.

The Tiger, who was resting so calmly during this whole voyage, leapt up and roared.

"What's happening?!" she asked, wide-eyed, amidst the bit of chaos inside the TARDIS. Either the TARDIS was malfunctioning, or else... they were being attacked. Maybe. Either way, it wasn't a good thing.

"He's here!" he shouted as he ran over to his console trying to regain control of his TARDIS. He struggled, obviously not making very much progress as his TARDIS continued lurching and jerking around in almost every which direction. A small fire erupted from some exploding circuits in a few of the floor panels. Several of the candles that were resting calmly were now tipped on their sides, either sparking new flames or having their small flames extinguished. The books on his library, the photos, the weapons, the random paraphernalia he had scattered in his large console room were falling off their displays.

Susan struggled to get back to her feet and followed after their host as best she could to the console.

"Who's here?" she asked, trying to get some clarification. Her gut, however, already knew - it must be the Master - one of them, anyway. Apparently, he wasn't going to let them get away so easily...

"He's here!" he shouted. "He must've followed me through. I knew I should've taken a different TARDIS!"

Susan wasn't sure what good a different TARDIS would have done, but she held her tongue. There was enough going on as it was - there was no need to start an argument.

A pair of large golden yellow eyes shown through the shadows. When it spoke, it was not with vocal cords, nor with technology, nor with any other known forms or method save one. Telepathy. Its voice could be heard within the minds of all on board the man's TARDIS.

"I've finally found you yet again!" It was a mixture of voices. Of pain and bliss, of happiness and anger, shouting and whisper, close and distant, high toned and low toned, and yet despite these contradictions of the voice's description, only one word could ever truly describe it. Evil.

"Join me, and together we shall rule. You cannot resist me. None can resist MY will! MY dominance!"

"Go away! Leave us alone!" Susan hollered at the voice. Distressed, she'd brought her hands up to cover her ears, as if that would help quiet the voice that spoke directly into her mind.

[Deleted]

The Man with the Rosette ran over and pulled out a tool box from one of the shelves. Running back to the console, he opened it up, tossing out all sorts of tools he could before pulling out what looked like the Doctor's Mark IV Sonic Screwdriver.

It hummed as he began fiddling with the console again.

"We need to dematerialize the TARDIS. We can't use the Time Vortex to travel safely in time any more. We need to get as far away from him as we can. Once I've reconnected the controls we ca-"

He was cut off as the doors to the TARDIS suddenly burst open. Black Tendrils of ... something reached into the console room, before stabbing straight into the Man with the Rosette. He let out a loud cry of pain, dropping the screwdriver to the ground. White energy began flowing out of his body and into the tendrils. Not just any energy though...the one energy all things truly alive in the known universe possess, what truly makes something "Alive" and not some pale immitation of living...

Life Force.

The Man began to become slightly transparent. If nothing was done soon, he would clearly be destroyed by whoever was attacking these people now.

[Deleted]

Omega struggled up, holding himself against the console of the TARDIS due to the force of the impact. He was quite dazed as his blue eyes flickered over to Susan, who was hollering at the creature, and then The Man with the Rosette, who was panicking... and then something he never expected. It reminded him.. of the Great Vampires. He hissed out loud, hate filling his two hearts and his mind.

"You... Great Vampiric-" He resorted to quite a few Gallifreyan insults before he ran over to the console. He knew what to do though. He was the greatest stellar engineer that ever lived and no two-timing renegade Time Lord and his cohorts were going to stop him. He looked at the console, flicking a few buttons.

He grabbed the sonic screwdriver that was dropped, trying to duck away form the creature as he reconnected the TARDIS in record time and started to dematerialize, hoping The Master would be left behind.

"Hold on!"