THEN

 Henry and John sat at a table outside a small, nondescript coffee shop, arguing about nothing as usual.

 "Sylv is better!"

 "He is not!"

 "He is!"

 "He is not! In fact, I bet Sylv's gay."

 As their heavy intellectual debate continued, neither of them noticed the young girl walk up beside them. Actually, "young girl" referred more to what the being was wearing rather than what it was.

 "You'll do," said she as she looked upon them. "Have to do something about those heads, though." In a whisper, John and Henry vanished from their chairs.

 They would not be missed.

 NOW

 "Time to go away from all of this."

 And the Doctor was gone.

 Wil looked blankly at the place where the Doctor had been standing and asked, "Where did he go?"

 The Old Man responded. "He has gone to meet the enemy. Should he survive, he will truly understand his role in this war, and what he must do."

 "Where am I?" asked the Doctor of no one in particular. "Where is Wil?"

 "The Fool Who Should Be King is not here," answered the darkness in a deep, rich voice.

 "What do you mean by that?"

 "Before Paracastria was a feudal society, it was a monarchy. Young Gwilym is heir to a throne."

 "Which throne is that?" The darkness responded with laughter.

 The Doctor asked another question. "Who are you?"

 From swirling mists within the darkness, a human form appeared. It started off looking like a little girl, but as it approached the Doctor, it became more like a humanoid male. To be precise, it looked like Wil. However, the Doctor could instantly tell that it was most certainly not Wil.

 "You may wonder why you're here," smiled the other entity.

 "Where are we?" asked the Doctor.

 "You're in my domain. I'll take you back after we've talked. Maybe."

 "Why have you brought me here?"

 "I knew we'd get to that. Doctor, do you know what I am?"

 "You are called the Dark One."

 "Dark One. Evil One. Satan. Feklar. Cliff Richards. I've been called them all. I didn't ask what I was called. I asked what I am."

 "Evil!"

 "Evil is such a small part of what I am. Fenric was evil. Like most evils, for all his pomp, he was petty and small. I concentrate on the bigger picture."

 "And what are you?"

 "I am the primeval darkness, the first darkness. I exist between the universes and around the universes. I exist when there is no universe. I am anti-life. I am the eternal enemy of the Trinity. Whereas you walk in eternity, I walk in nothing. I am your nemesis. "

 "You haven't answered my question."

 "Ah yes; why I've brought you here. You see, Doctor, for the most part, I've defeated the Trinity. Except you. You seem to be the strongest link. Do you want to know why?"

 "Certainly," the Doctor answered sardonically.

 "You are the center of your universe."

 The Doctor folded his arms in skepticism. "Oh, really? I've always suspected something like that."

 "Don't bother trying to understand, Doctor. Your mind is far too small."

 The Doctor was almost hurt by that statement. He began to understand how his various companions had felt the many times when he'd told them something similar.

 The entity continued. "This universe revolves around your existence. Without you, it would shrivel and die. That's why the Master, the Daleks, and the rest of your enemies never succeed in eliminating you, and never will. The universe wouldn't allow it."

 "How nice of it."

 "Don't be confident, Doctor. It was a joint effort of many gods to make the universe as such, and there have still been many instances in which you were almost destroyed. Your universe doesn't nearly have the power it once did. When the universes exist, they take the space that is rightfully mine. I am not allowed in the universe because I am anathema to it. I reside in the Vortex."

 "Until the Givenchy incident freed you."

 "It was exhilarating! I went from one end of this universe to the other, in both time and space. It is an interesting place, this universe. I had always observed the previous universes without actually interfering, because I was cut off from them. This has been the exception."

 "Oh, don't break the habit on my account."

 The entity ignored him. "It was an unusual experience for me. Life, that is. As you can see," the entity indicated the blackness around them, "where I am and what I am is devoid of life. It made me think. Originally, I planned to demolish this universe by destroying you, allowing me to take what is mine. But then, another universe would just take the place of this one. That is the way it has always been. A Trinity will exist in that universe and will try to destroy me. If they succeed, I must wait for the next universe to be born. If they fail, another universe takes its place, and another Trinity with it. The whole game of chess begins again."

 "A lose-lose scenario. And now?"

 "Now, perhaps I'll just remake the universe in my image. Already my agents and minions do my work in select points in space and time. In doing so, perhaps I'll be able prevent the next Trinity from existing."

 "The Trinity still exists. We'll stop you."

 "Oh yes. The Champion, the Redeemed, and the Holy Man. You thought you could fool me by pretending to change roles. That's laughable, 'Holy Man'. I've already taken steps to destroy the Champion and the Redeemed. That leaves you..."

 The entity walked around the Doctor as if he were prey. "Doctor, I've met the Holy Man. I've fought the Holy Man. Believe me, you're no Holy Man." The entity laughed.

 "But you said the universe would collapse without me."

 "Under ordinary circumstances, that would be true. However, circumstances are not ordinary. I will take your place as the center of this universe. I possess a secret that will allow me to do so. Would you like to know what that secret is?"

 The Doctor looked apprehensive as the entity's mouth crept close to his ear. The whisper sent a shiver down the his spine. "I...am...the...Doctor."

 The Doctor looked desperately for an escape.

 "Nowhere to run, Doctor. Nowhere to hide. No nick of time saves. No cliffhanger endings. This is your final death."

 With a snap of his fingers, the entity summoned two of his agents. They looked completely human, other than the fact that each of their heads had been replaced by one consisting entirely of lettuce. Each of them held a semi-automatic rifle in their hands pointed at the Doctor.

 The Time Lord turned to run but found that there was nowhere to run to. The entity began to fade away.

 "Meet John and Henry," echoed the entity's voice. "They're here to fulfill your part of the prophecy. After all, you'll be quite the Holy Man after they shoot you full of holes."

 To be continued...