\u201cPresident of the United States?\u201d scoffed the Master. \u201cFools. I took advantage of Maxil\u2019s dullness and stole a TARDIS meant for him, now bonded to me, and you think I\u2019m going to content myself with being the ruler of a backwards country whose populace is engaged in an informational Civil War? My campaign is a farce! A small part of a much grander scheme that involved getting Sinestro to figure out my plan and foolishly rush to usurp it!\u201d He then activated red lamps and Superman immediately felt weakened. \u201cPresident?!\u201d The Master then slapped Superman. \u201cDo you have any idea how much power I\u2019d have to give up to be President of the United States? Why do you think Trump flailed and cried like a two-year old during his two terms, especially in 2025!\u201d He then made the restraints slam everyone against the wall. \u201cThat\u2019s right, everyone. I made every Republican voter waste their money on a fake Presidential campaign, got the worst of the Justice League\u2019s rogues gallery to kidnap the UN General Assembly, and stole Sinestro\u2019s ring, all just to take advantage of the Grouping!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour failure was predetermined!\u201d growled Batman. The Master stopped gloating and pulled Batman up to his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m a Lord of Time, Mr. Wayne,\u201d he said. \u201cI determine destiny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd I went through the Grouping!\u201d hissed Batman. \u201cWe all did at one point or another! It hasn\u2019t happened to my friends yet, but it happened to me between this meeting and my first meeting with the Doctor! And the universe goes back to normal despite your best efforts!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou lie!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen what\u2019s wrapped around my ankle?\u201d The Master blinked at Batman\u2019s question, then looked down at the Dark Knight\u2019s ankle. There was a glowing rope around it\u2026and Wonder Woman was holding it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not called the Lasso of Truth for no reason!\u201d hissed Wonder Woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be changing Batman\u2019s history, make no mistake!\u201d promised the Master. \u201cAnd with you all restrained and my wearing of Sinestro\u2019s ring, I\u2019ll turn this planet into a world of order! Something Sinestro keeps failing to do!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSure wish I thought of something,\u201d replied Batman. \u201cOh wait, I did.\u201d He nodded towards the Master\u2019s desk. The Master looked at the desk and saw a batarang on it\u2026a batarang with a timer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNO!\u201d yelped the Master. The batarang blew up and the red light vanished. Superman then flexed and broke out of the restraints. Superman absolutely DECKED him, yet still held back enough that the insane Time Lord\u2019s head didn\u2019t explode! The Master groaned as he lay on the floor. Sinestro then took the ring off the Master\u2019s finger and put it back on his own, restoring his suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis whole event was a waste of time!\u201d snarled Sinestro. \u201cI can\u2019t believe I got roped into a Time Lord\u2019s petty plan!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat did he promise you, Sinestro?\u201d asked the Doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWouldn\u2019t you like to know?\u201d scoffed Sinestro. He fired a blast at Wonder Woman, obviously not wanting to test the lasso, then scattered debris to confuse everyone, then took off and left Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd there he goes, back to Korugar,\u201d grumbled Green Lantern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat about the Master?\u201d asked the Flash. Everyone then heard a noise. They looked over to see that the desk was vanishing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNONONO!\u201d shouted the Doctor as she leapt at the desk. Too late, the desk, or rather the Master\u2019s TARDIS, vanished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026That\u2019s two that got away,\u201d muttered Martian Manhunter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Doctor brought everyone back to the Watchtower. As they all left the TARDIS, the Doctor gathered six little squares. \u201c\u2026Doctor, what are you doing?\u201d asked Superman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe TARDIS telepathic circuits can\u2019t make a call to Gallifrey,\u201d replied the Doctor. \u201cI\u2019m sending a message the old-fashioned way.\u201d She laid out the squares in a circle on the floor, then sat cross-legged on the floor and entered a meditative trance. As she meditated, the squares moved across the floor. Four of the squares attached themselves to the sides of a fifth square, then they moved up to form the sides of a box. The last square then slid up one of the box\u2019s sides and aligned itself on top. The seams of the squares then vanished, forming a complete cube. The Doctor woke up with a sigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d asked Amy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a hypercube, a message with all my thoughts concerning the Master\u2019s recent gambit,\u201d replied the Doctor as she stood up and picked the box up, \u201cas well as a request for Gallifrey to watch for the Grouping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat IS the Grouping?\u201d quizzed Lurra Rus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s where various points in time start blending together,\u201d explained the Doctor. \u201cThe confusion would start a greater war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoctor, won\u2019t less-scrupulous races take advantage of that?\u201d asked Amy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, they would,\u201d replied the Doctor. She then concentrated on the hypercube and it vanished. \u201cThere we go,\u201d she said. \u201cBarring major disasters, the Time Lords will be made aware.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo they\u2019ve returned,\u201d remarked Martian Manhunter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Yes, J\u2019onn, they have,\u201d replied the Doctor. \u201cAll I can say is that I\u2019m not asking much, just that they observe things. They can\u2019t do anything more as they\u2019re still rebuilding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoctor, make sure you never lose them again,\u201d said Martian Manhunter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIndeed. Well, goodbye, everyone.\u201d The Doctor and her friends went back into the TARDIS and took off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Nice lady,\u201d remarked Superman. \u201cNow, barring any emergencies, I gotta talk to Lois about her newest article.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSomeone mention my name?\u201d asked a woman\u2019s voice. A woman with long, raven hair arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLois!\u201d Superman brought the woman into a hug. Batman rolled his eyes while Wonder Woman smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat brings you here, Miss Lane?\u201d asked Wonder Woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOddly, just a visit,\u201d replied Lois. \u201cBut I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll get an assignment about you all later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, as long as you\u2019re here, Lois,\u201d said Superman, \u201c\u2026are you doing okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Yeah, why?\u201d asked Lois.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, I just got your article-.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNice, isn\u2019t it?! Pure genius!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, you\u2019re keeping me employed,\u201d remarked Superman. Lois bridled at this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLois, there were so many errors and typos! Did you turn off the spellchecker?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSPELLCHECKER CAN\u2019T CONTROL ME, CLARK!\u201d Superman backed and raised his hands at that. He could take on Darkseid, wallop Doomsday, and foil all of Luthor\u2019s plans, but he wasn\u2019t gonna try and take on Lois\u2019 retort!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back in the TARDIS as it spun through the Time Vortex, the Doctor fiddled with the controls, monitoring the Time Vortex for any temporal anomalies. Amy and Lurra Rus gave her some space. As she worked, the Doctor heard a beeping. She headed over to see that it was a video call from Gallifrey. \u201cLet\u2019s hope it\u2019s to say that they got it, old girl,\u201d the Doctor whispered to the TARDIS. She activated the scanner. \u201cThis is the Doctor. Receiving you, Gallifrey,\u201d she said. A Time Lord\u2019s face appeared. \u201cAh, my granddaughter\u2019s Castellan, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCastellan Stognavtifrelizundar,\u201d replied the Castellan. \u201cBut let\u2019s take a page from the lady Romana\u2019s book and just call me Stognav.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow that\u2019s a page I had help in writing,\u201d chuckled the Doctor. \u201cSo did you get my message?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, and we\u2019re monitoring the Time Vortex for any anomalies,\u201d replied Stognav. \u201cIt\u2019s a good thing you merely asked for monitoring as we\u2019re not in a state to do anything about the upcoming Grouping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think so. Last time I was on Gallifrey, you lot were drafting a new Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve gone through a few rough drafts, but we believe we\u2019re getting closer to one that would make Gallifrey as dynamic as Earth. Even the Outsiders have a say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTruly?\u201d asked the Doctor hopefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been decided that there would be two High Councils,\u201d explained Stognav, \u201cthe High Council of Time Lords and the High Council of Gallifrey. It\u2019s believed that, since Outsiders outnumber Time Lords, their High Council should be bigger than ours. President Foreman\u2019s insistence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, she lived on Earth for a while, I can guess where she got the idea,\u201d chuckled the Doctor with pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoctor, she tasked us with looking at the various points of English Parliament, believing that they could provide a framework for how both High Councils should meet and debate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMake sure you look at Parliament\u2019s mistakes as well as their victories,\u201d directed the Doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVery well. If you could provide us with a good starting point, that would be helpful,\u201d said Stognav.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTransmitting now,\u201d replied the Doctor as she keyed in the time periods to look at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, a union of parliaments, was it?\u201d chuckled Stognav. \u201cVery well. We\u2019ll take it from here, Doctor. Erm, you WILL also be on the lookout for any indications that the Grouping will start?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNaturally, I\u2019m not letting you do all the work,\u201d replied the Doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVery good. Safe travels to you and your companions.\u201d Stognav ended the call. By then, Amy and Lurra Rus came in. Amy was back in her goth dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho was that?\u201d asked Amy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGallifrey,\u201d replied the Doctor. \u201cThey got my hypercube. I won\u2019t be monitoring the Time Vortex alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGreat!\u201d sighed Lurra Rus happily. \u201cNow\u2026where should we start monitoring?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Well, psychic energy CAN affect the Time Vortex,\u201d mused the Doctor. \u201cMaybe we should check out where the greatest psychic concentration is.\u201d The Doctor began her scans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cPresident of the United States?\u201d scoffed the Master. \u201cFools. I took advantage of Maxil\u2019s dullness and stole a TARDIS meant for him, now bonded to me, and you think I\u2019m going to content myself with being the ruler of a backwards country whose populace is engaged in an informational Civil War? My campaign is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[959,1070],"tags":[515,35,963,962,1072],"class_list":["post-7595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-doctor-who-crossings","category-series-4","tag-amy-rose","tag-doctor-who","tag-fan-companion","tag-fan-doctor","tag-justice-league"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7595"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7596,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7595\/revisions\/7596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}