Chapter 4
Merry was starting to get use to the stream of surprises that one seemed to encounter with this Doctor, but somehow, she figured when the doors of the TARDIS opened, she would see her tree lined street. But, this was not her street. They were inside a building, a large, finely decorated building.
The Doctor stepped out behind Merry and closed the door to the TARDIS. He quickly surveyed the environment and decided which direction to head. Merry followed him. It wasn't long before they arrived at what Merry guessed would be a reception desk in an office building. Behind the desk sat a humanoid creature. It was just like Peter had described – larger head, lightly greenish tint, and eight fingers.
"Good afternoon," the Weyk said as the Doctor and Merry approached the desk.
"Good afternoon," the Doctor replied. "I would like to meet with your mayor."
"I'm afraid he is rather busy and in a meeting right now. May I have your name please?" the receptionist asked.
"I'm the Doctor and this is Merry, a human from Earth" he answered.
"The Doctor? Are you really?" The receptionist stood up, "Wait right here, please." The Weyk walked out.
The Doctor began to rock on his heels and whistle. Merry was amused by the complete casualness he displayed. She, on the other hand, was feeling slightly overwhelmed. She was standing in an alien building and had just seen and heard an alien speak.
"Wait just a moment Doctor," Merry said after a sudden thought. "What kind of trick are you playing on me?"
The Doctor looked shocked and hurt, "What do you mean?"
"When Peter saw these Weyks in the back yard, he said they spoke another language that he could not understand. He had me memorize the words, which I could not understand. Well, until now. When I think about it, a few of those words are slightly familiar," Merry trailed off in thought for a moment before she remembered the trick the Doctor was playing on her. "I understood the receptionist when she spoke. She spoke English."
"No, no," the Doctor smiled, "you are only hearing English. It's the TARDIS; it translates languages for you, in your head. You are hearing them speak English and they will hear you speaking Weykver. That is what their language is called. I would never trick you like that."
The door the receptionist had passed through opened and a man stepped through it. He quickly walked up to the Doctor, put his fist on his chest and bowed. The Doctor did this also.
"You are the Doctor?" the man asked. "You don't look a thing like I expected."
"Well, it's probably the shoes. I changed them quite recently," the Doctor answered.
"No sir, I mean, well, forgive me, but my father met you years ago. He described you very differently. I suppose you are not the same person." The man looked a little disappointed.
"Your father, he was Mayor Drem, right?" the Doctor quietly asked.
"Yes," the Mayor was surprised.
"Oh yes, I remember meeting him. He was a good man," the Doctor said.
"Indeed sir. You are the same man then?" the man asked.
"I am. I changed clothes. Got rid of the scarf." The Doctor grinned.
Merry was puzzled, but she was getting used to that as well. Everything about this Doctor puzzled her.
The man turned to Merry, "Welcome Human. It has been a long time since one of your species visited us. I'm Mayor Dremkers." He bowed to Merry.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Mayor," Merry said.
"Now, if you would both follow me please," the Mayor said, turning to the door and passing through it. The Doctor and Merry followed. They went through a series of long halls before the Mayor opened another door and led them into a large room. It was a conference room one would find in any office building on Earth. It had a long table, chairs, glasses and water on the table, and several landscape paintings on the walls. The only difference between this conference room and one on Earth were the Weyks sitting around the table. They all rose from their seats when the Doctor and Merry walked in. The Mayor walked to the head of the table and sat down. The Doctor held out a chair for Merry. She sat down in it. The Doctor sat next to her and finally all the others in the room sat back down into their seats."
"Fellows," the Mayor addressed the room, "This is the Doctor, whom you all heard my father, Mayor Drem speak of, and his assistant, Merry."
Everyone in the room looked at the strangers and nodded their heads. The Doctor, who seemed quite use to this kind of thing smiled and waved a hand. Merry felt her cheeks go red at all these aliens looking at her. She smiled.
"Doctor, we are meeting today to discuss the terrible plague that has overcome our people and is quickly killing them. We have had many such meetings and so far and have come to no avail." The Mayor was grave. "We have done everything we can think of. We sent troops of our best men and scientists into the furthest reaches of space, hoping to find a cure. Every one of them, who have returned, has come back empty handed."
The people around the tabled nodded their heads again. "Quite frankly," the Mayor dismayed, "we have exhausted all of our ideas and resources."
"Excuse me, if I may," Merry spoke. She was terribly nervous addressing the council of people that sat around the table. She didn't know their protocol or if aliens were allowed to speak at all. When no one objected to her speaking she continued, "I would like to know, what is inciver?"
The group around the table looked astonished and began to whisper to each other.
"How do you know of inciver, Human?" another man at the tabled asked.
This man was smaller than the Mayor and his hair was blacker. Merry was amused that each head of black hair she saw sitting at the table each had a single streak of a bright color in it. The Mayor's was a turquoise blue and the man who had just spoken to her had a streak of emerald green. She wondered if they dyed their hair according to their rank or office in society.
"One of your ships came to Earth and my husband spoke to your people," Merry explained.
One of the other men in the room stood up. "Earth? I went to Earth. I've actually been there twice." He reached into a pocket and pulled something out in his fist. He opened his fist in front of Merry. She laughed and cried at the same time when she saw in his hand, a small white button.
"Peter's button!" she said. "You were the one who met Peter when he was a child and then returned several months ago, but more than 20 years later."
"Yes, that was me. He was such an eager child. I was so happy to find him again all those years later. He remembered me, I believe," the man was quite excited.
"He most certainly did. He was thrilled at having seen you," Merry laughed.
"Did you bring him here with you?" the man asked.
"No, I'm afraid he died. Caught your sickness, I believe." Merry's voice lowered. "Still, I know that he was very, very happy at having seen you again."
The man's head hung low, "I'm sorry. He was my favorite encounter with an alien in all of my space travels."
"Excuse me, Human." The green streaked haired man said. "I'm sorry to hear of your husband's death. He told you about the inciver?"
"Well. It's rather difficult to explain. Your ship came and they spoke with each other," he motioned to the man who was holding Peter's button in his hand, "and you said the word 'inciver' several times."
The man nodded sadly. The Doctor watched the interactions between Merry and the Weyks with great interest. As much as he loved humans, they were always a little funny when it came to space travel and aliens from other worlds. He knew that when they Mayor first spoke to her, she was nervous and afraid, but now, she was holding emotional and complex conversation with them.
"What is inciver?" Merry asked.
The green streaked man sat back into his chair. "Inciver is a plant. We believe it is the cure we seek. Sadly though, no one can find the plant. It is not to be found here and we have found it nowhere else in our travels."
An alien plant. Merry was disappointed. She knew about a few herbs and plants back on Earth, but even then, she only knew a few. There was no way she could know about an alien plant. The meeting didn't last much longer. Everyone had run out of ideas and no one had new information to discuss.
"Doctor," the Mayor approached him and Merry. "This is Gweri, my Deputy. He will show you around. Thank you for coming here, although I'm not sure what you can do for us."
The Mayor turned and left. Gweri, the Deputy bowed slightly and said, "Follow me, please."