Brendan (Ascension of the Cybermen)

Brendan Bildbriain (TV: Ascension of the Cybermen) was a Matrix construct, (TV: The Timeless Children) purported to be the adopted son of Meg and Patrick, after they discovered him as a baby in Ireland. (TV: Ascension of the Cybermen) Brendan's story was an analogue for the Timeless Child's, used to hide the true origin of the Time Lords within the Matrix. According to, Tecteun masked this story under a visual filter so that anyone who chanced upon it would find this piece of history to be unremarkable. (TV: The Timeless Children)

Fictional biography
Brendan was found by Patrick abandoned as a baby in a basket in the middle of the road, and took him to his home. While the police looked for his biological parents, Patrick and Meg looked after him, even celebrating a birthday. After being unable to find his parents, Patrick and Meg adopted the boy, naming him Brendan. Over Brendan's childhood, Meg and Patrick raised him. Brendan attended school, helped his father rake leaves in the garden, and was looked after when he got sick.

As a young adult, he joined the Garda to "make a difference", and was mentored by the Sergeant. At one point in his service, he chased Michael, a thief, to the cliffs, where Michael pulled a gun on him. Despite trying to reason with him, Brendan was shot, and fell off the cliff, landing on the beach. Despite the seemingly fatal fall, Brendan revived when the Sergeant found his body and continued as if nothing happened. Brendan, assuming his survival was a miracle, received a commendation.

As an old man, Brendan retired from the Garda, and at his leaving party, was given a clock as a memento. Outside, he met his father and the Sergeant, neither of who had aged, and was led into the back office. There, a device was attached to his head, and both Patrick and the Sergeant apologetically told him they would have to wipe his memory, the latter thanking Brendan for his service, before Brendan was tortuously wiped of his memory. (TV: Ascension of the Cybermen)

later revealed to the Thirteenth Doctor that Brendan's story, which was a work of fiction, had been hidden in the Matrix on Gallifrey by Tecteun under a visual filter as it paralleled the story of the Timeless Child. The Master had transmitted the story to the Doctor, resulting in her visions of his life. The Master suggested that Tecteum hid the truth in this form as possibly an apology or gift to her child, a way to decode the truth if the Timeless Child - now the Doctor - ever chose. While watching Brendan's memories get redacted, the Doctor noticed that his clock was dedicated for services to the Division, the secret Time Lord agency that operated outside of the non-interference policy. (TV: The Timeless Children)