Notes: the characters aren't mine, and the story is! I was inspired to write a sequel to "Metamorphosis" after thinking about how I wanted to do more with the Piper—Jamie's Time Lord alter-ego. This story began to come together as a result. My update schedule for this will be a bit sporadic until I get the time to work on it properly. This sequel takes place after "The Monkey and the Crocodile" mini-arc in my vignette collection "Those Who Help Us Most to Grow." Reading that is not necessary, but reading "Metamorphosis" will be in order understand who the Piper is.
The Valeyard stood at the controls of his TARDIS, gazing out through the open doors and at the vast expanse of the Matrix. The Victorian setting that he had created in the Matrix was now no longer there; instead, it was transformed to a replica of the Scottish Highlands, with a castle looming from atop a tall hill.
"Was all of this necessary?" the Valeyard muttered to another person leaning against his console, dressed in a Prydonian robe. The other in the robe looked back at him with piercing blue eyes, framed behind steel-rimmed glasses—just part of a face framed with blond hair. "I am still confident that I could come up with a locale that would get us exactly what we need, Illusionist, especially since you seem determined to draw my counterpart's second self here; he does not even know of my existence."
"Will all due respect, Valeyard," the Illusionist said. "You already tried and failed to defeat his sixth form here in the Matrix after you failed to get his regenerations in that farce of a trial; your plan clearly did not work. Whether second or sixth, any plan of yours to engage the Doctor in a battle of wits will end the same way."
"And you believe your plan will succeed?" the Valeyard asked.
"Of course. The human mind will not be able to stand up to my illusions—especially not when they are brought to life here in the Matrix. Just take a look." The Illusionist gestured out the doors of the Valeyard's TARDIS at the vast Highlands. "The human will swear he is back in his precious Scotland. We will manipulate him, and soon, we will both get exactly what we want."
"Do you honestly believe that the Doctor will allow the human to enter the Matrix alone?" the Valeyard scoffed. "He will be with him the entire time, reminding him that all of your illusions are just that!"
"My dear Valeyard," the Illusionist said, taking a few steps towards him and placing a hand on his arm—a bizarrely familiar gesture. "Have I ever failed you? In this existence, or our other ones?"
A smirk did flicker across the Valeyard's lips.
"Just once," he admitted.
The Illusionist scowled, knowing exactly what the Valeyard was referring to.
"I would blame you for your lack of communication for that," he countered. "You will find that if you look back—"
"Regardless, it is pointless to discuss it now," the Valeyard said, waving a hand in dismissal. "Now, we must wait for the Doctor and the human to arrive."
"And I can guarantee that with the message I have sent to the High Council, they will be brought to us very soon," the Illusionist declared. "With you unfettered and with me corporeal outside the Matrix, there will be none across time and space who could oppose us—and certainly not the Doctor."
"Do we really have t' leave New York, Doctor?" Jamie sighed, staring wistfully through the doorway of the TARDIS. "I always enjoy it here. There's so much t' see—so many eateries we havenae eaten at, so many pubs we havenae had an ale at…"
"Yes, of course, never mind all of the museums and notable sights that a city this rich in history has to offer," the Doctor sighed. "Sometimes, Jamie, I do believe you think with your stomach!"
"Ye say that like it's a bad thing," Jamie said, with a mischievous grin. "It is a basic need; ye know that!"
"The food, yes—the ale, no!"
"We can argue that," Jamie countered, and he stepped back from the doors as they closed. "So where are we going?"
"To a planet of beaches—and no volcanoes!" the Doctor declared, as he fiddled with the controls of the TARDIS. "This time, there shan't be any interruptions in our beach vacation! …I only wish Zoe could have joined us again…"
"I still think we should be able to tell the other Gallifreyans that we've done enough work for her t' get her memories back!" Jamie said. "Ten years now, we've been doing missions for those untrustworthy crocodiles… I don' mean ye, of course; ye're a good crocodile. But the rest of those ungrateful, lazy croc—"
He was cut off by a strange sound coming from the console of the TARDIS as the Stattenheim remote control, placed on its spot in the console, began to activate out of its own accord.
"Doctor, what did ye do?"
"I have done nothing!" the Doctor insisted. "I can assure you, I most certainly did not activate it!"
"Then who did?" Jamie asked.
"The only other ones who could," the Doctor sighed. "The rest of the ungrateful, lazy crocodiles, as you call them."
"Och…"
"I'm afraid our planet of beaches shall have to wait," the Doctor sighed. "Apparently, they have work for us."
"I knew it was too good t' be true," Jamie sighed, as the TARDIS dematerialized out of their control. "Aye, let's do what they want quickly so that we can get back t' more important things."
"My sentiments exactly," the Doctor sighed, adjusting his bow tie before the TARDIS rematerialized.
The doors opened, and he stepped outside, with Jamie right behind him, blinking in surprise to see that they had materialized in front of the Gallifreyan High Council, rather than the Celestial Intervention Agency. And that wasn't the only odd thing…
"Doctor…" Jamie whispered. "These members of the High Council… they're different."
"Some of them might have regenerated," the Doctor reminded him. "But you're quite right; there are some new members of the Council here." He glanced at a Time Lady in a white robe as she approached them. "And I presume she will explain everything."
"Doctor of the House of Lungbarrow," she greeted him with a nod. "I am Inquisitor Darkelatraquistahastrad-Darkel of the House of Jurisprudence." Her glance now fell upon Jamie. "And you must be…"
"James Robert-Jamie of the Clan McCrimmon," the Scot declared in a proud voice, determined to make himself sound every bit as important the Gallifreyans thought themselves to be.
"You have the advantage over us, Inquisitor," the Doctor said. "I don't believe we have crossed paths before."
"I have just completed presiding over the trial of your sixth incarnation, Doctor," she explained.
"Ye put him on trial again!?" Jamie demanded, as the Doctor rolled his eyes in exasperation at the news. "Och, just leave him be, won' ye!? Peri's Doctor obviously was found innocent; my Doctor will be, too!"
"You know Miss Perpugilliam Brown?" Darkel asked.
"…Is that her full name? Aye, of course. Was she on trial, too?"
Inquisitor Darkel sighed.
"I see I am going to have to explain this…" she said. "First, you must know that there is a Time Lord known as the Valeyard… I cannot explain to you now as to who he is, only that he has designs on the Doctor's regenerations…"
Something about that sounded vaguely familiar, Jamie realized, but he pushed the thought aside and listened with disgust as he heard about the Sixth Doctor's farcical trial, and, worst of all, that Peri had been presumed dead, only to be wedded to a warrior king—and not very happy with the arrangement.
"You've taken far too many liberties with that girl!" the Doctor huffed. "Nearly leaving her for dead, and then convincing my future self that she had died…! And now she's far from home, married to a loud fool she barely even knows!?"
"This is not why we summoned you here," Inquisitor Darkel said, frustrated. "The Valeyard is somewhere in the Matrix, where he has allied himself with another dangerous renegade Time Lord. None of us have ever seen him before; he calls himself the Illusionist, and he is claiming that there is only one person capable of stopping him."
"Yes, yes, of course," the Doctor sighed. "I'm the only one."
"No," Darkel said. "Not you."
"…I'm not!?" the Doctor sputtered, sounding almost insulted by this reveal. "That is most preposterous!"
"The Illusionist claims that the only one capable of stopping him—stopping him from taking over the Matrix and possibly spreading his influence through Gallifrey and the rest of the galaxy—is the human known as James McCrimmon."
"Jamie!?" the Doctor exclaimed.
"Me?" the Scot asked, puzzled. "This Illusionist chappie thinks only I can beat him? Why?"
"We have asked, but have received no reply," Darkel replied. "He refuses to communicate to us, and we cannot reach the Valeyard. We were hoping that you could get a response from the Illusionist. Barring that, we would ask you to—"
"Stop!" the Doctor said, raising a hand for silence. "I have a rather nasty feeling that I know what you're about to say. And I must say that I am categorically opposed to allowing Jamie to enter the Matrix!"
"None of us liked the idea of sending a human into the Matrix, either," Darkel said. "Especially one of…" She was trying to choose her words carefully, but the Doctor and Jamie both scowled at her, realizing what she was insinuating. "I should have you know that the descriptions of this human's intelligence were taken from the reports of Ex-Chancellor Goth; they are not of my own devising."
"Yes, and you will remember that Goth, who presided over my first trial, has never liked me, and liked Jamie even less!"
Jamie, who was standing with folded arms, grunted in agreement.
"And furthermore…!" the Doctor added. "Do you honestly expect Jamie to risk the dangers of the Matrix for our species, when the majority of you have treated him as a lower lifeform because of your assumptions of his intelligence!? He is not about to be playing the role of your errand boy simply because you are all praising him as the savior of Gallifrey and the Matrix!"
"Doctor," Jamie said, tapping him on the shoulder. "Ye're right that I'm nae doing this for them oot of the goodness of my heart. If they expect me t' to help them, they need t' make it worth my while."
"Jamie!" the Doctor exclaimed in surprise. "You seriously aren't considering accepting this task!?" He glanced at Darkel. "This cannot be a mission assigned to us by the Celestial Intervention Agency—it's a home matter of Gallifrey, my period of servitude with the agency is done now from your point of the timeline, and, furthermore, Jamie was never bound to the servitude as I was!"
"That is correct; we cannot order him to do anything," Darkel admitted. "We can, however, reward him with whatever it is he desires, providing it is within the laws of time to do so."
"You will find that Jamie is not a materialistic person like some members of his species," the Doctor scoffed. "There will be no promise of wealth or riches that will, as they say on Earth, 'buy him off' so easily!"
"Och, Doctor, I wouldae settle for mere gems," Jamie said. "I told them, they'd have t' make it worth my while."
"But, Jamie…!"
"What is it you would desire?" Darkel asked.
The Scot looked to the Doctor and winked, and then turned to face Darkel again.
"I want Peri rescued from that warrior king chappie ye stuck her with and sent back home t' Earth where she belongs!"
"Oh… Oh, my word, Jamie! Very nice—very nice indeed…!" the Doctor said, with approval. "But… Oh dear, I don't think you are aware of how dangerous the Matrix can be. Are you absolutely certain?"
"Aye, I'm certain," Jamie said. "Peri saved my life—and she helped me save ye, too, in Spain. I owe her a great debt, and this is my way of being able to repay it—by making sure she gets t' go home." He looked to Darkel and nodded. "Aye, those are my terms. Will ye grant that t' me?"
"Free the Matrix from the Illusionist's influence, and you have my word that Miss Brown will be sent back to your planet," Darkel agreed, after quickly consulting with the other members of the High Council.
"I have an additional demand!" the Doctor added. "You aren't sending Jamie into the Matrix all alone! I shall be there, as well!"
"Doctor, you are in no position to be making demands to us—" one of the council members began, but Darkel cut him off.
"We anticipated this demand—at least, I did," she said. "You will be permitted to accompany Mr. McCrimmon into the Matrix. But you must not let the Valeyard obtain your regenerations."
"Madam, I can assure you, I had no intentions of allowing him to do anything of the sort," the Doctor huffed.
"I'll look after him," Jamie promised Darkel. "Don' ye worry."
Satisfied, Darkel nodded and began to lead them both towards the gate that led to the Matrix.