Chaos in Cyberspace: We're off to see the...

Thomas holds up the artifact. It’s a Wombles album.

Which can only mean… Oh no.

Orinoco’s here.

And if he’s here…

But what the hell is he doing on Gallifrey?

“My Lady Capriuni? What are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story…”

Lord Gallifrijan looks around. “I can see…”

“Excuse me a moment,” the second Doctor says.

“Yes?”

“Do you think… well, that is to say… There may be… If you could be so kind, might we have an audience with Rassilon?”

Lord Gallifrijan appears to think. “Well, the High Council is in session at the moment… and you did arrive with a trusted and valued friend of Gallifrey… I don’t see a reason why not…”

The eighth Doctor grabs his past self’s lapel. “What are you doing? If Rassilon learns we’re from Gallifrey’s future… If he learns what Compassion is… If he even comes close to Eris…!”

The second Doctor pulls out hs penny whistle, and starts tootling.

“Will you answer the question?” the eighth Doctor blinks. “And why don’t I remember you doing this?”

Meanwhile, at the Eye of Harmony…

The seventh Doctor looks down at the titan globe which encloses the singularity which powers all of Gallifrey. A pool of nigh-infinite energy.

He pulls something out of his pocket and considers it. “Nearly in time for the big off, I see…”

“Oh no…”

Things are spiralling far out of the eighth’s control. And right now, he can see what his previous self is doing.

He looks at the guards around him. “Listen: In twenty-four hours, the Universe will be pulled inside-out!”

Several fans start applauding.

The guards, deaf to the guests, hustle them on…

“And this,” the fourth Doctor says, “is the Panopticon.”

Tom looks around him at the full Council of the Time Lords, dressed in their ceremonial robes. At the massive bearded figure standing in the centre of the Panopticon, regarding them with outrage. At the three massive statues that stand at three of the room’s six corners.

“Hmm. Nice. Lots of room. D’you know, I remember seeing this somewhere. Now where was it? Guildford? Golders Green? Soho?”

Rassilon, President of the High Council and First of the Time Lords, finally speaks. “Bring them over here…”

“Oh dear,” the eighth Doctor says.

“What is it now?” the sixth mutters.

“We’re being hauled off to meet Rassilon. And if I remember correctly, Four’s already there…” The eighth Doctor winces. “Oh… Eeeuuwww…”

“Apart from the perfectly obvious,” the sixth says, “is there a point to all this?”

“Yes. We’re also in the room we left, trying to talk to the guards…”

The third Doctor blinks. “How is that possible?”

“It’s possible… if you know your temporal mechanics.”

“Assume,” the third Doctor says sniffily. “that I don’t…”

“Somebody’s tampered with the timelines so that two different timelines currently coexist…”

“Let me guess,” the fifth Doctor says. “Number Seven.”

The eighth nods, as best he can. “I suspect so. He has his own plan for this situation. Now, sooner or later one of these timelines is going to fade out. The trouble is…” he frowns. “I can’t remember which one. I seem to remember both of these happening…”

At the head of the group, Lord Gallifrijan pauses. “Milady Capriuni…”

Eloise grits her teeth at this overfamiliar use of her Earth identity. (And how, she wonders, does he know her alternate identity, which she has shared only with fellow earthlings?) “Yes?”

“If you and your friends would care to step this way? There’s something I believe you will want to see…”

Swirling the electric purple cloak (with lime motif) around him, Lord Gallifrijan strides purposefully towards a pair of gigantic gold‑panelled doors.

“Behold, my Lady…”

The doors swing slowly open…

“…behold…”