The drums. Beating bold as brass, 1, 2, 3, 4. Koschei gasped and staggered backwards away from the Time Vortex.
"Keep looking Koschei. The more you see, the stronger you'll be", Rassilon laughed, a manic smile appearing across his face. "You'll be the greatest warrior Gallifrey has ever seen. A merciless, cold-hearted..." He sidled up to him as he lay in a painful heap on the floor and he took him by the chin. "...killer".
"I don't want to be a killer. I've never wanted to kill", Koschei retorted, pulling his face away from the President's grasp.
"Oh, but that's the thing, isn't it? Nobody wants to be a killer, but they feel it, burning inside like a fire trying to escape. Do you feel it Koschei? The power and the glory of fighting for your planet".
"It's not like that though, is it? An uncontrollable murderer is a threat to everything you know, but a personal one. Well, that's just convenient". Theta's mother stared, her face turning into horror.
"You never said that", she shouted. "You said he would save us from the Daleks". Rassilon chuckled, an old habit of his, finding happiness in misery.
"War is coming. No one can stop it. I needed a warrior, a great one, without hesitation and without mercy. Koschei was the best choice, and you helped me get him here".
"How?"
"Your son, the creator of killers".
"Don't you dare drag Theta into this. It is not his fight".
"Oh, but it has never been, for your sweet little Theta", Rassilon roared, pacing around the room. "Give over. It has always been his fight".
"No", Koschei said calmly, slowly getting to his feet. "It hasn't".
"You think I am the villain? I just finished what your friend started. He sent you here". He walked over to Koschei, grabbing him by his shirt collar and lifting him off the ground. "And I have planned this for too long for a silly, little boy to ruin it all! You will fight, and if you don't, I will find Theta, and I will break him. In front of you". Koschei knew this was the truth. When it came to threats from Rassilon, they weren't bluffs. He pictured Theta in a lifeless bundle on the floor, hair dripping with blood and face twisted into a pained scowl. And with that one thought in mind, he nodded, and let the insanity of the drumbeat take his mind...