REBIRTH

'Do we know who he is yet?' asked Lord Ranjor loudly as he marched into the medical sector.

'No, sir.' replied Crathan, a senior medic, who had been waiting for him near the entrance. 'We have run a complete cellular analysis and we still can not determine his true identity.'

'Why not?'

'He does not appear to be in any of our records. However his DNA is severely corrupted. It took several hours just to confirm that he was actually a Time Lord.' The two medics entered a large room full of diagnostic equipment, and with a few quick taps on a keyboard Crathan bought up a display of the patients DNA structure on the large main screen that dominated the room. 'As you can see Lord Ranjor, his cell structure is so badly damaged I doubt that even induced regeneration could correct it completely.'

Ranjor considered the display in front of him carefully. The rotating helix on the screen was badly skewed and deformed, the peptides only just holding the whole together as the various additions that had been made stretched the bond angles to near breaking point. It was as if many completely incompatible genetic structures had been grafted together to create a genetic Frankenstein's monster.

'Do we know what caused this corruption?' He asked.

'No sir. All we know is he was found in the catacombs under the Panoptican by a technician who had been sent to inspect a fluctuating power conduit connected to the Eye. He was found, barely alive, near an open power distribution port.'

'He could have been exposed to the Eye. That could have scrambled his DNA could it not.'

'It is possible sir, however within the corruption we have determined at least six separate known structures.' Crathan pressed a few more of the coloured, touch sensitive panels and the structure on the screen split up into six pieces. 'As you can see Lord he is a Time Lord,' he said indicating the segment on the left of the screen. This was the largest of the pieces and Ranjor clearly recognised it as being of Gallifreyian construction. 'We have positively identified the other segments as being predominately human and Trakanite, although there is also evidence of Tzun engineering, a feline mutation and some form of parasite originating on a planet in the Mutters spiral.' Each segment in turn appeared on the screen in turn along with a schematic of the originating species and a indication of it's planet of origin.

'How is this possible?' Ranjor asked.

'We really have no idea. I have several medics working on it at the moment and we should know soon.'

Ranjor studied the readings displayed on the screen for a few moments more. 'Considering the great diversity of these species and the length of time over which these mutations took place he must be a renegade. Have someone sent over to central records and try to locate his bio-data extract.'

'I sent junior medic Grathal to do that as soon as he came in sir, but he has not yet had any sucess.'

'Well.' said Ranjor. 'We'd better see the patient now.'

As he entered the sparkling white zero environment of the medical room and caught his first glimpse of the patient, Lord Ranjor was amazed that anyone could live in such a state. The unknown man floating in the air before him appeared to be little more than a skeleton covered with a loose, orange and red, blistered skin. It had not been possible for the medics to cover him with any sheets due to his horrific injuries. He was currently naked, the burns on his skin only slightly distorted by the faint blue tinge of the containment field that was surrounding him.

'Has he said anything?' asked Ranjor.

'No sir. He has not even regained consciousness yet. Even if he were conscious he may not even be able to speak. Whatever he went through may have damaged him mentally as well as physically. We have even tried communicating telepathically but we have had no success. It is as if his mind has shut its self down. We are treating his physical wounds as best we can. Encouraging his Time Lord DNA to replicate and regain control of his body but it is going to take time.'

Crathan had crossed to another console and was showing Ranjor various displays of the patients progress over the few days since he had been brought in. It was clear to Ranjor that the patient was recovering slowly, possibly too slowly to survive.

'Is there no chance of inducing a physical regeneration?'

'As I said sir, even if we reached a point where he was in a suitable condition to survive such a process, the corruption is so great that it would probably take several regeneration's to restore his genetic structure completely, and as you know more than two regeneration's in the space of less than about three months is extremely dangerous and may even lead to further corruption of his cells.'

This was true of course. Regeneration was a particularly tricky business and more than two regeneration's in quick succession almost always led to tremendous cellular damage and hideous physical deformities.

'I can see no other option than to try it. Have a metamorphic symbiosis regenerator set up and prepared for use as soon as the patient is ready. I assume he has no remaining regeneration's of his own or he would have been able to stop the corruption as soon as it started. I shall seek permission from the High Council to supply him with a new cycle. I'm sure that they will agree. He is after all a Time Lord even if we don't yet know exactly who he is. please keep me updated as to his development.'

Ranjor hurried out, his robes rustling slightly as they dragged across the floor.

* * * * * *

The grey ridged bed of the metamorphic symbiosis regenerator was being checked over for one last time by a group of white suited technicians as Crathan wheeled in a trolley. On it lay the same figure that had been brought into the medical centre three months previously. During that time the man's burned and corrupted body had been slowly restored to as good a condition as possible. Most of his skin and hair had grown back and he was no longer covered in the hideous blisters that had disfigured him when he had been brought in and was now clothed in a loose fitting surgical gown. He had not woken in all that time and there had been great consternation amongst the medical staff that his mind may have been too seriously damaged to be repaired. Crathan hoped that this was not the case. He had spent many months caring for this man to the neglect of his other duties. Once Grelthal had reported that there had been no trace of him in the archives, Crathan's interest had been piqued. It was as if all trace of his existence had been removed from the archives. A feat which should have been impossible, given the complexity of the system. However, clearly it had happened and hopefully soon the patient would be able to reveal his identity himself.

With the help of several junior medics Crathan manoeuvred the patient into the regenerator and stepped back. The bed like chamber was leaning back at about twenty degrees to the vertical allowing the patient to lean back into the machine as the restraining field was activated.

Crathan examined the set-up of the machine which was primed to induce a complete cellular regeneration in the patient now encapsulated within it. The device was performing a complete bio-scan of the man and had located the gland in the Time Lords brain which had been recently fully restored to it's original state. It now contained enough hormone to allow twelve complete regeneration's. It was a very difficult procedure to restore a Time Lord's regenerative ability and was only ever performed with express permission of the High Council. It was only after many weeks of convincing by Lord Ranjor that the high council had agreed that the procedure could be used on this patient.

The computer completed it's scan and signalled that all was ready. All that was needed was for Crathan to push the large green button that had lit up before him and the man whose identity had remained secret for so long would finally live again. Crathan looked up to the observation gallery behind him where Lord Ranjor and several other senior Time Lords were waiting. Ranjor nodded, indicating that Crathan should begin. Crathan reached towards the panel and his thumb hovered momentarily above the control before firmly depressing the button.

In the booth the mans' body jolted as energy flowed through his body and the entire audience stepped back in shock as the mans' eyelids snapped open to reveal amber coloured eyes staring straight out at them.

Memories. Who's they were he was not sure. They must be his own he thought. There was a bright light. Burning into his very soul.

'Take my hand.' he heard a voice call to him.

'Never.' another voice shouted back. His own. His grip on the post slipped and he fell. Fell forever. Energy surging through his being pulling his body apart as they did so. He was pulled along with the flow of energy, his body being slowly dissolved. The light burned his eyes and he began to shut down his body retreating into his own mind, watching as his body was stretched and twisted by the massive gravitational forces.

Light surrounded the body in the alcove. It swelled gradually in intensity to a peak and was gone. Then it was as if it were a different man laying there. The man's appearance was totally different. His skin was perfect and he had regrown a full head of black hair and even a small beard.

'Regeneration complete.' announced Crathan to the expectant crowd. 'Time Lord physiology almost completely restored. DNA corruption has been reduced to twenty three percent. He appears to be almost completely restored.'

'How's his mind?' asked Lord Ranjor through the intercom from the gallery above.

'We are detecting brainwave activity at almost normal levels. It appears to have been more successful than we had anticipated. I believe one more regeneration should restore him to full health.'

'Proceed.' said Ranjor, impressed with this medical miracle and the good it would do his reputation. Crathan pressed the control once more.

Power flow's whipped his essence round the system. In and out of the various systems, round and round the singularity at the core of the source. Then there it was. A crack. A way out. He headed for it. The system stung as he forced his was through it, using all his will power to convert the energy of his body back into matter. Then he was out. Free at last. His body was badly damaged though and there was only one solution. He shut his mind down and started mental repairs to as much of his body as possible, hoping someone would find him soon.

'We've done it.' exclaimed Crathan. 'Time Lord DNA one hundred percent.' He rushed over to the bed and examined the man, who appeared to be coming round.

'How is he?' asked Ranjor.

'Perfect.' replied Crathan 'He appears to be waking up.'

The man before him opened his eyes. 'Where am I?' he asked.

'Gallifrey.' replied Crathan releasing the man from the restraining field and helping him out of the machine.

'Gallifrey.' the man muttered.

'Yes.'

'Who are you?' Crathan pleaded, waiting for the answer to the question that had dogged him for the last three months. The man straightened up and stared deep into Crathan's eyes and mind. 'I am known as the Master' he said, 'and you will obey me.'