Justified and Ancient

"In truth, Doctor. I would like to clean up and change. I'm a mess!" I said. "Can I have a few minutes?"

"It's a time machine, take a year," he chuckled. "There's a wardrobe down the hall."

I ran down the hall and found the room. I freshened up in the adjoining bathroom. Then, I found some clothes. The outfit looked like a female Chinese outfit I seen in kung fu films. That made me wonder if the Doctor had been to China or had an Asian companion. "It's possible," I shrugged. "He is the Doctor." Whoever it had been, I thought she had great taste in clothes. The outfit was silky and blue. The pants were plain, but the tunic had an embroidered design on it. I smiled. "Maybe it was Mulan."

As I changed clothes, I also got a good look at how far the infection had spread. The room had a full-length mirror.  Everything but my left side and my face had the computer busses. I sighed and shrugged. Once more reassuring myself that I did ask for it. Going back on it now would be pointless. And I would feel like a wrong person, worse; a hypocrite. I closed my eyes. "Go with the fairytale," I said. "Flow with the adventure. It could be worse if you don't."

I put on the outfit and helmet. Peering into the mirror again, I looked like an idiot; Beautiful silk Asian outfit with matching shoes and a grimpy banged up helmet on my head. I rolled my eyes. "Still not taking it off." I headed out the door.

"Okay, Doctor, I am ready," I said, upon entering the main room.

The Doctor was standing at the monitor. "That is good. Because we have visitors at the door." He turned towards me and went quiet.

I walked over to the doors. Peering out of the little windows, I could see some women in red dress waiting outside. "The Sisterhood," I said. "They don't look happy."

"Sequestered on a barren planet, watching over a burning geyser of natural gas. Yeah, they never look happy," He replied. "They are bored."

"A bunch of women with nothing to do but meddle in the affairs of others?" I took a few steps back from the door. "Doctor, that scares me. A lot."

"Yeah, me too."

"Do they have any hobbies at all?"

"They brew the Elixir."

I turned back towards the Doctor. "Okay, so what is the difference between the Sisterhood and the Carrionites?"

"If the history is to be believed, everything. If the rumors are to be believed, nothing," replied the shadow man.

"I don't understand."

"Old wives tales, folklore, myths, rumors, whatever you want to call it. The Sisterhood is a faction of the Pythians who were sympathetic to Rassilon's cause. The Pythians are a hybrid species brought about by the Justified Ancients and the Carronites. Both of which are said to be strong warrior races that joined in an ancient accord. Does that clear it up?"

"Wait. What was your race called before they were 'Time-lords'?" I asked.

"I just told you," he said.

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did. Justified Ancients. They were called Justified Ancients."

My world froze like Niflheim. "Nope," I whispered.

"Why? What's wrong with the name?"

"No. No. No. No." I kept repeating and sat down: right there on the metal floor. "Nope." I shook my head slowly.

"I can't help you understand if I don 't know why you are saying what you are."

I spoke slowly. "So, your people, before Rassilon. They were Justified and they were Ancient."

"Justified Ancients. Yes."

"Did they happen to come from Mu-Mu land?"

"What?!" laughed the Doctor. "No! That's ridiculous!" He turned around. "Mu-mu land. Are they driving ice cream vans too?"

"Yes. Yes, they were."

"Oh! Tammy! You mean...Okay, yeah. There was this one time with Tammy....you see, I called her..."

"Tammy Wynette? The county music singer?! The one from Tennessee?"

"Yeah, it was an accident. But we went to Mu-Mu land, yeah. But it wasn't, well, it's hard to explain." The Doctor sighed. "That was way back."

I stood up. "So, you have been to Tennessee before, but you can't remember where you picked me up?!"

He pointed at me. "Nashville! Of course!" He smacked himself on the forehead. "The bees!"

"Okay, I'm okay. I am weirded out, but I will be fine," I said. "Summing up. The Justified Ancients and the Carronites had an accord. Over time, the two races mixed. That's normal. That created a hybrid sub-race, the Pythians. Then, at the Rise of Rassilon, there came the Time-Lords."

"No. The Time-lords are a separate race from Gallifrayians."

"What?"

"Not all of my species can regenerate. Only Time-lords have regeneration. The other occupants on Gallifrey do not. Gallifreyan select specific children to drink the Elixir and look into the Untempered Schism. That is when our biology changes. We become Time-Lords." He pointed to his chest. "Two hearts and over-clocked brain."

I stood up. "This is really complicated."

"I told you," said the Doctor. "And it takes the mystery out of it. So I'm a bit disappointed that it is out."

"How is the mystery gone?" I asked. "That just leads to more questions!"

"Hm, I guess so. And I haven't even gotten to the Looms."

"Looms?"

There was a knock on the door. "Doctor! Come out! Doctor!"

The Shadow man pointed at the door. "There's the call. You ready?"

"Yes. I am ready. I can't handle anymore bizarre today."

"Then you are in the wrong TARDIS, Jessica."

He was right. "I'm going to shut up now," I said walking to the doors. "Let's go."



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