Dreamscape

The old man's wrinkled face cracked open in a smile as a shadow blocked the sunlight streaming through the cave entrance. The figure that stood there moved in and sat cross-legged on the floor. After a slight pause, the visitor spoke.
"Master?" he asked expectantly.
The hermit surveyed his cave. Two small children sat in the corner, sullen and quiet. Frightened. The hermit mused on the lives that would still be lived long after his was over. He scratched his old face, as pitted and ragged as the rock walls about him. "So, my friend," he said to the visitor, "I see you valued my summons above Borusa's ascension to Cardinal."
"With all due respect," replied the visitor, "Borusa is a bully. He dictates his views without any consideration for other interpretations."
"Spoken like a true student."
"I have not been a student for some time, master."
"No. You have not. As I am no longer a teacher."
"Surely you could not have told me every -"
"This is a turning point in all your lives, in one way or the other. I will die soon, my debt of life repaid. You, I know, are restless. I cannot see you bowing before Borusa. You are a political dissident. That is why you keep company with rogues and renegades. That is why you come to me."
"You're right. I'm leaving. We have all these powers, yet my first regeneration creeps near and I have not done anything!" The visitor's anger seemed to evaporate into depression. "Besides, when you're gone, there will be nothing for me here."
"There is one final thing you must do for me. One vow you must swear to uphold." The hermit indicated the two children. "These two children have been orphaned. Their father was an exile who lived in the wilds. He is now dead, and as my life is also nearly over, it must fall upon your shoulders to see that they are cared for."
"One could take your place as a Time Lord," the visitor pointed out. "But the other..."
"Would hold no status. They would have no home, no father. Perhaps they would learn to live in the wilds, but..."
"It would be murder to leave such a child to fend for itself. I understand. You want me to take the other with me when I leave." The visitor ran a hand through his long, greying hair. "I must say, I wasn't expecting any travelling companion, but..." He looked at the children. One boy, one girl. Who would cope better as a Time Lord? Who would be better suited to a renegades life? Who would need a father the most? unanswerable questions.
Theta Sigma made his decision.
"I'll take the girl."

The Doctor looked at his new orphan as she surveyed the dry wastes that surrounded the Capitol from the vantage point of the cave.
Time had eroded what had once been the hermit's cave, and only the TARDIS stood at the far wall, like a monument to remind him of his legacy.
The day he'd taken Susan from the cave had been a turning point in his life. Soon after that, a type 40 had left the Capitol museum and fifteen, happy years of exploration had followed before the Hand of Omega took him to Totter's Lane.
And there, he hoped, it would remain. For the moment.
Now life had come full circle. He had picked up Adric and Nyssa, his two new orphans, and once more, he had left the boy behind. Only this time it had been to his death. The Doctor wondered if the circle would continue. Would Nyssa leave him for romance in a shattered city?
Nyssa returned from the opening and sat down by the fire the Doctor had built. Night would fall soon on the Capitol and the wastes would freeze the unprepared.
The circle was made even more uncanny by the events that had occurred just after they had left Tegan at Heathrow.
Tegan emerged from the TARDIS, shivering slightly from the dankness of the cave. "Well, everything seems to be in order in there. What I don't understand is why you want to spend the night in this cave when we could be staying with your Time Lord friends. Surely they'd be thankful for you stopping Omega?"
"Hmmm." The Doctor snorted and stoked the fire with a stick.
"I don't think so, Tegan," replied Nyssa. "Besides, this cave has special significance to the Doctor from what he's just told me."
"Really?" Tegan asked, uninterested.
"Yes," responded the Doctor, irritated at Tegan's lack of understanding.
"I don't think you fully realise the circular nature of time. 'Civilisation rises, civilisation falls.' People are born and people..." He trailed off for a moment. "Well, people die."
"You mean Adric, don't you?" Tegan realised.
Nyssa shook her head. "Not exactly. Let me tell you what happened after we left you on Earth."

The Doctor had tried something unprecedented to cheer Nyssa up. He'd offered to buy her a drink. The loud buzz of the bar assailed Nyssa's ears as the Doctor opened the door of The Restless Spacer to allow her through. The patrons seemed to be of mixed or igin, and the young Trakenite noted a number of peculiar species. Although she had been in a number of public ale houses on Traken as a child, and exotic place like this was an entirely different experience.
Not the sort of place the Doctor would usually take us to, she mused.
The Doctor also seemed a little on edge, as though he expected to be at ease but for some reason wasn't. However, he strode forward and secured two stools.
The bartender, a humanoid, dressed in a blue shirt with palm trees on it, finished serving a green beverage to a lizard-like creature and walked over to them. "What can I get ya?" he asked simply.
"Hello, Strogen," the Doctor greeted, holding out his hand. "It's the Doctor."
Strogen blinked, taking the Doctor's hand and shaking it vigorously. "Blimey! You changed again? How many is it now?"
The Doctor held up his hand. "Now then, let's not discuss my age in public. I'll have the usual."
Strogen turned to look at Nyssa. "And the lady?"
"Ale, please," asked Nyssa, sticking to something she knew wouldn't disrupt Traken metabolism.
Strogen raised an eyebrow and the Doctor coughed. "Make that a light wine," squeaked the Doctor nervously before leaning over an whispering in her ear. "Ask for ale and you ask for trouble in this place." Nyssa gave a puzzled frown. "Why? Is it bad?"
"Not at all. It's just very... potent."
Strogen came back with a glass of wine and a steaming cup of tea. "There ya go. Shall I put it on the slate, Doctor?"
"Yes," replied the Doctor, fishing out a handful of plastic credits. "And I'd like to pay off Romana's tab. She won't..." He shifted in discomfort. "Well, she won't be around these parts for quite some time."
Nyssa reached over for her glass of wine and, as she did do, she noticed a young man, in his early twenties, was staring at them from the other end of the bar.
"Doctor," she murmured, touching the Time Lord lightly on the arm. "Do you recognise that man over there?"
The Doctor peered closely. "No, I don't, but from the looks of it he recognises one of us."
The young man, aware they were returning his stare, stood abruptly and nervously walked over just as the holo-box in the corner burst into life with lively, upbeat, electronically synthesised music.
The young man sat next to the Doctor, wincing at the music. He muttered something about wishing they play 'Sultans of Swing' as opposed to 'There's No Limit' before realising he was talking to himself. He extended his hand to the Doctor. "Er, hello. You don't know me but -"
"Indeed we do not," cut in the Doctor. "You are?" "- Justabienalthalaszundorf. Of Galifrey, but you can just call me Justan - everyone else does."
"A Time Lord?" asked Nyssa, unaware that any Time Lords existed outside Galifrey other than the two she had met before - the Doctor and the Master.
"It's always helpful to have a first few pronounceable syllables," commented the Doctor to Justan, leaving Nyssa's question unanswered. "And unless you've undergone a particularly juvenile regeneration, I dare say you should be in class on Galif rey," he said a little more harshly.
Nyssa felt a tinge of sympathy. "Doctor, perhaps if we let him explain instead of interrupting him all the time?" She smiled at Justan, and the young Time Lord smiled back bashfully. Nyssa found that rather sweet.
The Doctor said nothing, just continued to stare at Justan disapprovingly.
"I'm at the prydonian academy and you're right, I should be there listening to Flavia's temporal physics lectures. The thing is, I'm a big admirer of yours: I just had to meet you Doctor."
"I suppose you 'acquired' a TARDIS?" the Doctor questioned in the tone he had always reserved for Adric.
Justan shrugged. "That way I won't miss any lectures. Besides, I know most of the stuff they teach anyway."
"You think so?" responded the Doctor. "Anyway, now that you've found me, what do you want to do?"
"Oh, just hang around a bit and then go back."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Are you sure? No trips to other worlds, no chance meetings with Rassilon?"
Justan shook his head and leaned back in shock. "Certainly not! I just want to know what it's like, Doctor. I don't think I'm brave enough to do what you do."
"Surely it won't do any harm if he stays for a while?" suggested Nyssa. She exchanged another smile with Justan, and this time she felt a little flushed. Perhaps it was the wine.
The Doctor's disapproving demeanour was gradually collapsing. "Well, tell me how things are on Galifrey, then."
"Not much different, Borusa's still President, like you left him after standing down..."
"How much do you know about that?"
"I've done a lot of research, Doctor. There are some of us who understand and appreciate your contribution to the universe."
"I'm only doing what I have to. If it weren't me, there'd be other Time Lords, other -"
"Nonsense, Doctor! Don't put yourself down. No-one could try to replace you."
"They might have to. I seem to be cycling through regenerations rather rapidly..."
They continued like this for a time, and the Doctor appeared to be happy with the praise he was receiving. Nyssa couldn't help noticing, however, that Justan's eyes wandered over to her every so often.
After a while, Nyssa began to feel uncomfortable. Her head was spinning a little. She should have opted for something non-alcoholic like the Doctor. She giggled as a vision of the Doctor as a pot of tea floated in her head for no apparent reason. She stood, slowly. "I have to go. I need an early night."
Both Time Lords stood.
The Doctor opened his mouth. "Yes. Well, good Justan, I think I should -"
"No, no it's all right. You stay Doctor," replied Nyssa, hearing herself say the words.
Justan took a step forward. "At least let me escort you."
"I'll be fine, thank you." She smiled at him once more. "It was nice meeting you Justan."
"The pleasure is all mine."
With that Nyssa turned and, concentrating so as not to walk into any tables, exited the bar.

Outside, the air was freshly conditioned, free from the smoke that clung in the bar. Beyond a huge window, Nyssa could see the swirls of noxious gas that was the natural atmosphere of Tiberion. The patterns seemed like ghosts, and for a second Nyssa thought she saw people she had known, as if the gases were the spirits of dead Trakens. She shuddered, and sobered up rapidly before continuing along the colony causeway towards where the TARDIS was parked. Using her key, she stepped into the console room and headed straight for bed.

"What happened after that, Doctor?" yawned Nyssa. The question awoke him from his reverie and he realised Tegan was looking at him expectantly.
"I don't see where this is getting. Anyway, go on," Tegan said, stretching out by the fire.
The Doctor poked the fire with his stick again, sending a few sparks floating up to the roof of the cave. "Well," he said at last. "Let's see..."

"She's quite a find," commented Justan out of the blue after coming back from the holo-box. The strong rhythm guitar of 'Expresso Love' began to emerge from the speakers.
The Doctor identified the holo as part of some concert, probably Alchemy in, oh when was it? 1983. Should be around the time Tegan was now. Suddenly, Justan's statement registered. "What? Oh yes. Nyssa. Well, she's been through a lot recently. Mainly my fault I suppose."
"The Time Lords could have stopped the Master at Logopolis," Justan pointed out.
"But they didn't," replied the Doctor. "I know better than to think the Time Lords will prevent disaster, even on such a scale."
"We were encouraged to observe the entropy field from Galifrey via Time Scanner."
The Doctor shook his head sadly.
Justan took the opportunity to reach out and touch the Doctor's arm. "I'm sorry about Adric."
The Doctor stared at him in alarm. "Is there anything you don't know about me?"
Justan ignored the question. "Look. I want to go with you. I didn't realise that until now. There's nothing for me on Galifrey."
The Doctor stood, sweeping his hat off the bar. "No! A thousand times no! I have your word as a Time Lord that you will return that TARDIS immediately, yes?"
Justan was obviously upset and stood too. "I... I understand. Perhaps one day you'll change your mind. I hope so. Goodbye." He turned and walked stiffly back over to the holo-box.
The Doctor sighed and left, pausing only briefly to admire the view as the tune of 'Where do you think you're going' wafted out of the open door behind him. After a stroll he reached the TARDIS and headed for the library. He should research this young Time Lord.
Settling himself into a soft armchair, he began to peruse the class listings. Strangely he felt tired. Perhaps he could do with a few minutes rest.
In those 'few minutes', the Doctor began to sleep for one of the longest periods in his entire existence...

The Doctor came to a stop and realised Nyssa had fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulder.
Tegan was still listening with a reasonable degree of attention for a human. "That's ridiculous. You don't sleep, Doctor! Well, not much anyway..."
Nyssa stirred from rest and looked around, disorientated.
"Anyway, what happened next?" asked Tegan.
Both Time Lord and Trakenite looked at each other meaningfully. The Doctor turned his head to look back at Tegan. "That's when the dreams began," he muttered darkly before looking at Nyssa again.
Nyssa shivered. "The dreams..."