PROLOGUE

"Madame president, the prisoner you requested is here."

Romana looked up from the paperwork she was busy with. She flicked a recalcitrant strand of hair from in front of her face and looked up "Very well, show her in."

Both doors opened up and a cloaked and hooded figure in chains surrounded by four Chancellery Guards was escorted into the Presidential Office and was roughly made to sit down in a chair in front of the Presidents desk.

"That will be all Guards, you can wait outside." Romana said as she came around the desk.

"But Madame President, this prisoner is dangerous!" The lead guard protested.

Romana gave the guard a cold hard stare. "So your telling me that I, the High President Elect of Gallifrey, Keeper of the Seal of Rassilon, destroyer of the last great Vampire, should be afraid of this creature?"

Realizing he may have overstepped his bounds, the guard bowed deeply. "Um no, Madame President. But I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't warn you."

"I'm well aware of who this prisoner is, and what she is capable of, guard. If it makes you feel any better you can all wait in the hall. I'll call you if I need you." And with that, Romana waved a dismissive hand at the guards.

The guards all left Romana and the prisoner alone.

"Well lift your hood back, I'm not going to talk to a shadow." Romana commanded the prisoner.

The prisoner lifted her chained hands. "But your excellency, my poor hands are bound, perhaps you could do it for me?"

"I'm not that stupid. Now lift your hood. Now!" Romana ordered coldly.

The prisoner lifted her hood, revealing a wide angular face framed with curly black hair. "My goodness, you certainly do have the air of command down, don't you Romana?" The woman said she she leaned back in her chair. "Why it seems as if it was only yesterday that you were off gallivanting about with your precious Doctor, seeing the universe." The woman ran her her fingers through her hair doing the best to untangle her wild and unruly mane.

"How is the Doctor doing anyways? Or should I call him by his new official title, High Champion of the Timelords?" The woman asked.

Romana hesitated for a moment, "The Doctor isn't your concern. I have a proposition for you."

"Well don't keep me in suspense darling, I'm all a tingle." The woman said in a silky voice.

"You are probably our greatest scientific mind ever, especially in genetics. Even though your a stone cold psychopath." Romana said.

"Hmmmm, that's your opinion my dear, but I will agree with you about being Gallifrey's greatest scientific mind however. Do go on."The woman replied.

"So even though your too dangerous to be allowed to fight in the ongoing Time War, I have an assignment for you."

"And what would that be?" The woman asked.

"You will be given a SIDRAT, Some pure Gallifreyan essence and sent to a level four planet, where you are to look into the possibility of re-creating the Time Lord race."

"So the wars not going so well for you is it?" The woman replied. "Pity, but what did you expect when you put the Doctor in sole command of Gallifreys defences? A pity about what happened at Arcadia."

"Your Monster the Nightmare Child was responsible for THAT!" Romana said as she got right in the woman's face.

The woman just smiled, "Acceptable losses my dear. It did after all, take out Davros and the main Dalek Command ship."

"Yes, and then it turned on Arcadia and sucked the planet of it's life force dry! The Doctor was barely able to stop it!" Romana shouted.

"I told you and Rassilon what it was capable of. The creature was supposed to have been used against Skaro! But your precious Doctor said no. It's not my fault it got loose in a supposed protected sector."

"Well the Inspector General is looking into how that happened." Romana said And if I find you had anything to do with it, I can assure you, the suspension of your remaining regenerations will be the least of your worries." Romana hissed into the woman's face.

Quicker than she could blink, the prisoner lashed out and scratched Romana across her face with her nails.

Shocked, Romana jerked back, her hand going to her bloody face. She suddenly had a hard time standing. And fell back against her desk.

The woman examined her nails. "Oh dear, you made me break one. But still." Showing her nails to Romana, the woman continued on. "Do you like the colour? Being locked up in solitary confinement was so bad for them, not a single spa anywhere in sight! Fortunately a guard took some pity on me and brought me some wild tarn leaves so I could at least colour them."

"I guess I forgot to mention to him that tarn leaves are poisonous. Oh well." Shoving her manacles in front of Romana, her face grew dark. "Now unlock my manacles or you will die a silent agonizing death."

"Hurry up! You don't have much time." The woman insisted "I have the antidote, but if you don't take it withing the next five minutes it won't work!"

Romana weakly whispered something. The woman leaned in to hear her better.

"The... moment... I die, so... do... you." Romana gasped.

"Your bluffing." The woman said.

"Try... me." Romana gasped.

The woman looked into Romana's eyes. She saw anger there, as well as determination.

But not a single trace of fear.

Both of them stared at each other. Neither willing to give in.

Finally the woman relented. "Oh, all right." She took off a shoe, and scratched Romana with a toe nail.

Instantly, Romana began to feel better.

"Can't blame a girl for trying can you?" The woman smiled sweetly.

"No. I can't." Romana said.

The punch Romana threw, knocked the woman back into her chair, rocking her back and over, sprawling her hard into the doors of the Presidents office.

The noise made the guards rush into her office. They saw their president holding a cloth to her bloodied face. They roughly grabbed the woman laying on the floor and dragged her to her feet.

"Get that thing out of here!" The head guard shouted.

"Stop!" Romana said holding her hand up.

Everyone froze.

Romana walked over to the woman who was dangling from the arms of her guards.

"So Rani. Do we have a deal?"

The Rani smiled back at her. "Of course my dear, you only had to ask."

Turning to the guard, Romana commanded him. "Take her to a SIDRAT bay, give her this list of equipment and send her to these sets of co-ordinates. Do you understand me?"

Seeing the fire in her eyes, The guard quickly bowed "At once Madame President!"

As the doors closed behind the guards and their prisoner, Leela stepped out from behind the drapes where she was hiding. She ran over and just barely caught Romana as she began to fall.

"You should have let me kill her. She's too dangerous." Leela said as she helped her old friend to a chair.

"She may be dangerous, but she can still be useful." Romana said as she sat there, trying to keep her head from spinning off her shoulders.

"Perhaps." Leela replied. "But I have a feeling we're all going to regret this."

Sighing sadly, Romana simply said. "My dear Leela, I already do."