Three incarnations of Neas, the Gladiator of Gallifrey, come together to protect two others. A teenage version of Neas's original life has somehow been ripped out of her timeline and into a post-Time War Gallifrey where she meets Al-Lee Kirsch, a lo...
A month into their travels aboard Neas's Type-Z T.A.R.D.I.S., Al-Lee and Zoe grew to feel more at home. Al-Lee had fully recovered from the injuries she sustained in her torture on Gallifrey and also taken up wearing Earth-based attire.
Things mellowed out quite well since their escape.
Too well for Zoe and Al-Lee's taste. Boredom began to sink in for the two girls.
For that, they needed something to pass the time until Neas found a new destination; so they settled on a game of hide-and-seek with Gizmo. Turned out the little Mogwai was exceptionally good at hiding, even in an endless ship like the T.A.R.D.I.S.
Several minutes passed before they found him in the kitchen, hiding in the cupboards. "Bright light, bright light," he cried when Al-Lee opened the cupboard, prompting Zoe to recall one of Neas's provisions regarding to caring for a Mogwai: do not expose it to any bright lights that can and will kill it.
Right away, she dimmed the kitchen lights. "Sorry, lil' fella," she told Gizmo.
Al-Lee took him out of the cupboard, cradling him in her warm, strapping arms. She was just as relieved as Zoe to see that he wasn't wounded from the lights.
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"Glad he's alright," Zoe said. "Hate to see anything happen to such a tiny, sweet thing." She stroked Gizmo's small furry head with her left index finger, which nearly diminished it. "Man, this place – this T.A.R.D.I.S. – has been so much fun. It's almost as impressive as the Doctor's." The smile on her face dropped into a frown, as she lamented, "Wonder if I'll ever see him again."
"What did Neas say?" Al-Lee asked.
Aggravated, Zoe rolled her eyes. "He said that I could when he figures out how to get me back in my own timeline."
"Still finding it hard to believe he's your future self?"
"Not any harder than finding out I'm gonna be a Time Lord like the Doctor! And the worst part is that Neas will hardly tell me anything else! It's so unfair!" It then dawned on Zoe that she had another resident of Gallifrey right in her presence. "Wait. You're part of my future, too! Maybe you can tell me more about what I'll one day be!"
Al-Lee hesitated. "I have heard many stories, growing up. But it's not my place to tell you your own destiny. That responsibility belongs to Neas. I'm sorry."
"But he's so guarded...and serious, too...I mean, like, all the time," Zoe groaned. "And that really makes me worry about what happens in my future that turns me into such a grim kind of person like him."
