Man Out of Time

Chapter 3

The two began their trek to the home of the Time Lords. Jack's shoes clicked loudly with every step, but Tempus was always silent when he moved. The pathway was lined on either side with tall stone walls and every few feet there was a sconce that held a lit torch.

"Let me ask you about this Tempus, so the time lords have the technology to move through time streams and they can stop time altogether, right?"

"If they had too Mr. Carr, that is within their capabilities."

"Ok, but when we ascend to their grand manor, they have torches along the walls?"

"They do it for effect Mr. Carr, they like the ambiance." Tempus replied with a small smirk.

"I get it, but don't they have to have someone come and change them out?...It just seems like it would make more sense to have something more permanent..... That way you're not wasting your effort and you don't have to have someone running up and down replacing torches... That way you can reallocate resources or funds to other areas."

"If it comes up Mr. Carr, I will definitely let them know." Tempus chuckled.

At the top of the pathway the home of the Time Lords was impressive. A large dome was in the center of the building, with a large wall surrounding it, with parapets to overlook the surroundings. The building looked as if it was a throwback to Byzantine architecture. Large doors that were several feet tall stood shut at the front of the castle, giant knockers also adorned the entrance. Tempus motioned to Jack to follow him, they both went around towards the right side of the building, where there was a smaller set of doors that Tempus easily opened and they entered the structure. The interior of the building was completely different than the outside looked. There was a very futuristic feel to the building, inset light in the ceiling, screens were hung on the walls and doors opened and closed on their own as they proceeded down the hall. After several minutes of walking they came to the chamber of the Time Lords. The room was gigantic, even larger than it looked from the outside. When they moved onto the floor of the chambers, there was a large meeting taking place, with several different creatures shouting at one another.

"What is this all about?" Jack asked Tempus

"I don't know Mr. Carr, let me see if I can find out." Tempus muttered as he started through the crowd.

Jack hung back and tried to stay out of their way, he stood against a wall and just took in the scene. There were several small groups arguing and confronting one another. There was a group in which all of the members were at least seven feet tall. They all wore long black capes that barely hung above the floor. Next to them was a group of humanoids who all wore red jumpsuits and had on full face masks. A third group were bipedal humanoids that looked as if their bodies were covered in interlocking metal plates. Another group consisted of taller beings who were covered head to toe in brown robes, only a slit allowed them to see. There were two groups that weren't actively participating in the debates, a group of gray skinned reptilians and a group of robotic creatures. Soon Tempus made his way back through the crowd, he was looking more disheveled then before he had left.

"So I assume it's bad news then?" Jack questioned Tempus.

"Bad it is, one of the Time Lords was assassinated."

"Ok, so let's assume I have no idea what a Time Lord is."

"Right , I have neglected to explain them thus far. The Time Lords are a tribunal that oversees galactic time. So I'm sure you may have already surmised the Time Lord that governed your section of the galaxy was killed. Typically when a Time Lord is nearing the end of their existence and they have a replacement ready to transfer their power too. In this case, however, with the Time Lord in their prime no such plan was put into place. Thus the disruption in the time flow. Which is also why I have no idea how long it will take to realign the stream. Simply, time cannot start again until a new Time Lord can be put into power."