MISSION DAY 46
The Doctor was following a young man of about twenty along a deserted city street. They had been traveling for some time and had to maneuver around the debris littering the area as they made their way. Their journey finally ended at a tunnel entrance on a closed street.
"Here?" the Doctor asked, giving the tunnel a dubious look. He felt it was more likely an automobile would appear at any moment and run them over.
"Yes. I told Telvec all about you, Doctor," the young man replied excitedly.
"That's what I'm afraid of," the Time Lord sighed. He held out a hand. "Alright. Lead on, Philip."
Philip flashed an excited grin and vanished into the gloom.
The Doctor took in the huddled families as he walked by and could not help feeling sorry for them. Telvec, the leader of the small militia group, was halfway up the tunnel, pacing back and forth near a bonfire that threw spectral shadows in all directions. It was the only source of light and heat available as far as the Doctor could determine.
"So, Philip, this is your savior! The man who'll restore order and return unity to all," Telvec sneered. "Isn't he also the one who says Tri Global is using alien technology?" He looked the Time Lord up and down, taking in his brightly colored clothes. He stood out in stark contrast to the torn and dirty rags of the assembled survivors.
"Philip…exaggerates," the Doctor replied mildly. "I can help you fight alien technology," he stated flatly. "But it's up to you to restore order and unity. As I understand it, the people of this planet have been squabbling amongst themselves for decades. You set off this powder keg. Tri Global is just taking advantage of the situation."
"Listen to him!" Telvec said mockingly. "He thinks he's a Sage!"
"No, I'm the Doctor." The Time Lord turned a puzzled look in Philip's direction. "Sage?" Since his arrival on Eldeberon, the boy had attached himself to him. Somehow he saw the Doctor as the ultimate savior and had cast himself in the role of manager, promoter and tour guide, much to the Doctor's annoyance. He was, however, an excellent source of information.
"A Sage is an oracle, Doctor," the boy explained. "A very wise man."
"Ah, thank you, Philip," the Doctor replied as he turned back to Telvec. "Well, I may not be an oracle, but I have been called wise on more than one occasion."
The leader gave another laugh. "I'll bet you've never been called modest!" he cried. "So tell us, Sage Doctor, who are the aliens behind Tri Global's newest innovations?" He held out a hand, inviting his reluctant guest to take a seat on one of the numerous mismatched cushions near the fire. It was obvious he did not believe a word and was simply humoring him.
"I don't know as yet. I only know they left traces of their ship's fuel in your planet's upper atmosphere," the Doctor replied matter of factly as he took a seat.
Telvec stared at him with his mouth open, and then burst out laughing. "That's a good one, Doctor! Next you'll be telling us you're from the rings of Xaaxo!"
"No, actually, I'm from Gallifrey," the Time Lord corrected. "And that's beside the point. Just when did these innovative weapons start to appear?"
Telvec wasn't sure if the Doctor were actually serious. Everyone knew about Tri Global's newest in weaponry. Unless he really was… The leader shook his head and decided not to think about it. "They started turning up about a month or so ago in my country. I've been fighting illegal weapons traffic for years. Now everything's upside down and Tri Global's selling the stuff on the open market!"
"The new weapons are incredible," Philip said in awe. "Laser sights, infrared imagery…"
"That's just technology," the Doctor replied. "And it isn't always the best thing to rely on."
"What about the dispersal disks?" Philip asked with a shudder.
The Doctor had forgotten about Tri Global's newest addition to its inventory. The disk caused a person's body to disintegrate completely; leaving no trace that they had ever existed. It was far less messy than bullets and explosives, but no less lethal.
The Doctor looked at Telvec. "And you don't think that's alien technology at work?" he asked sarcastically.
Telvec was finally forced to agree, going on to inform the Doctor that the group was planning a raid on the company's local headquarters later that night.
"To what end?" the Time Lord wanted to know.
"To find out about their distribution network, for a start," Telvec shot back defensively. "If I can knock that out, or learn who their suppliers are…"
"You can't just knock on the door and ask to look through their files," the Doctor objected practically.
"You don't have to come, Sage Doctor," Telvec said sarcastically.
"Telvec, you don't even know what you're looking for. How will you know if you find it?"
"I don't know" Telvec snapped defensively. "Maybe I'll know it when I see it." He looked around, taking in the faces of the huddle figures in the tunnel. "I have to do something. In less than a month Tri Global's gone from one little company to practically cornering the weapons market. Their business is war, and business is booming. And nobody seems to care anymore!" So saying, he turned and strode up the tunnel and out into the street, collecting the rest of his group as he went.
"You're going with him, aren't you, Doctor?" Philip asked helplessly, hopping from foot to foot. He could not seem to decide whether to stay with the Doctor or follow after Telvec.
The Doctor sighed heavily and led the way up the tunnel. "Yes. But I'm probably going to regret it."
While the Doctor's party made their way across the city, the Triad was returning to Tri Global's corporate command center located in the penthouse of the very building the militia was approaching. There were enormous windows on all four sides of the room; the open floor design intended to give the executive within a panoramic view of the city. The Triad, however, had chosen it for strategic reasons. It was atop the tallest building in the city and gave them an unobstructed view in all directions.
"Somebody's getting desperate," Leader TWO said as he walked through the door. He was flipping through a stack of photographs and did not even look up.
"Good!" Leader ONE replied happily.
Jason entered but did not join in. He dropped into a chair near the corner of the room behind the door and put his feet up, seemingly bored with the conversation as the other two chattered on.
"Have you heard the latest?" TWO was asking, waving the photos in the air. "This man is going to return peace and unity to the world. Not just the land, the whole world!" he announced grandly, adding with a snort, "Good luck to him." He tossed the photographs to the floor, scattering them in all directions.
Jason leaned forward in his chair and picked up the photo that had landed beside it. It was a photograph of the Doctor taken with a telephoto lens, one of several to have made its way into the hands of the Triad over the past few days. He already had a basic idea as to what he would when the Doctor made an appearance, as well as several ways of handling his interference. It was what he'd have to do if the Time Lord confronted him face-to-face that concerned him. An illusion of enmity, that's what his mission coordinator advised. That was all well and good for him to say. He wasn't the one who might destroy a friendship.
Jason got to his feet and crossed to the window, letting the photo drop from his fingers. As he stood gazing into the growing twilight, his keen eyes picked up movement in a wooded area on the outskirts of the grounds behind the building. He adjusted his eyes to compensate for the light and distance, seeing a group of people in the trees. He watched in amazement as a smaller group broke away from the others and headed for the rear entrance of the building, the Doctor among them. He groaned inwardly. As always, the Doctor's timing was perfect.
"Don't underestimate propaganda," ONE was saying. "We need to find this man and eliminate him before he rallies any support."
"You needn't bother," Jason said calmly. "He appears to be coming to you."
"What?" ONE and TWO cried in unison. They joined their counterpart at the window but could see nothing in the growing gloom.
Jason reached down to a surveillance monitor, bringing up the image from the rear security camera. At the same time, he noticed some of the group were armed. "They don't look like your usual corporate raiders, do they?" he remarked aridly. "And they appear to be trying to break in the rear entrance."
"Quickly, alert security!" TWO snapped. "We have to stop them getting in.
"No, no, no," Jason tut-tutted, resisting the urge to slap him on the hand as if he were a naughty child. "You just said you wanted to find him, didn't you? Let him break in with the others. They'll get up here sooner or later. And if they don't, you can always just seal off the building. Either way, they'll never get out again." So saying, he retuned to his chair, and put his feet up again. He gave the appearance of nonchalance, but inwardly he was dreading what was about to happen.
An evil smile twisted ONE's face. He exchanged glances with TWO, and then started to chuckle. "Yes! By the Goddess, THREE, you are devious!"
"I try," the Alterran replied mildly, accepting the compliment with a nod. Sometimes too devious he thought darkly, inwardly wishing he were anywhere else at that moment.
ONE crossed to the phone and called to the head of his security force. "There are intruders trying to break in the rear entrance," he informed. "I want you to let them do it."
The man on the other end of the phone was silent a moment. "Sir?"
"And after they get in, I want you to make certain they never get out again."
oOo
After several minutes, the sound of running feet could be heard from the hallway. The penthouse doors burst open and Telvec's group flooded into the room where more than a dozen heavily armed security guards greeted them. The Doctor skidded to a halt and immediately raised his hands. "I knew it was too easy," he moaned.
"Welcome, welcome," ONE said amiably, waving the group further inside. "We've been expecting you."
"So I'd noticed," the Doctor replied aridly.
"They don't look like aliens," Philip said in an almost disappointed tone.
"Silence, scum!" TWO snarled as the intruders were relieved of their weapons.
The Doctor glanced back at the boy, seeing the others seemed just as bewildered. He, however, had recognized the stylized symbols on their captor's clothing. "Allow me to properly introduce you to the real power behind Tri Global," he said grandly. "Meet the Glyateven."
Surprised by this, Leader ONE took a step forward. "You know our kind?"
"Oh yes, unfortunately. Which are you?"
"I am Leader ONE."
"Ah." The Doctor turned back to the others, explaining, "They rule in a body of three. A ruling Triad—Ah! Tri Global, how very clever. The Triad consists of a decision maker, a bully and a strategist." He turned to Leader TWO, saying, "From your courteous reception, I can only assume you're the bully of the group."
His insolent observation was rewarded with a savage slap across the face that sent him to the floor. The occupant of the chair he had landed beside casually leaned over and regarded him steadily. The Doctor looked up at the familiar face in astonishment. "Good Lord, Jason!" he gasped in amazement. "What in Rassilon's name are you doing here?"
"You know this creature, THREE?" TWO snarled accusingly, wondering why he hadn't mentioned it before now.
Jason drew a deep breath, steeling himself for what he had to do next. This illusion would have to be perfect if he didn't want to get the Doctor, or himself, killed. Ignoring the astonished Time Lord on the floor, he stood up and stepped over him, crossing to ONE and TWO. "Unfortunately, yes. He's a Time Lord and calls himself the Doctor. The fact that he's already allied himself with the locals means he's here to stop you taking over this planet."
"Jason!" the Doctor gasped.
The Alterran spun around. "I am known as Leader THREE," he corrected sharply.
The Doctor wanted to kick himself. Nice going, Doctor! You've probably just blown his cover.
"I don't know any of the others," Jason went on blandly, waving a hand dismissively. "One of them might be his traveling companion. He likes to surround himself with lesser species so he has someone to be superior around."
Now the Doctor was certain he had walked in on one of Jason's covert operations and decided to play the injured party until he found out exactly what was going on. He had no way of knowing that he was doing exactly what Jason hoped he would do. "Now see here, Jason, or THREE or whatever you want to call yourself," he said in an angry tone as he got to his feet, "I know we didn't part on the best of terms, but there's no call to be—"
"So you are not a friend of THREE's," ONE interrupted sharply.
This seemed a very important point so the Doctor continued to play along. "Not any longer, apparently," he replied in an injured tone.
"Friend?" Jason said with a disgusted snort. "The last time we met, he tried to kill me."
The Doctor did not reply. While not completely accurate, Jason had spoken the literal truth. He moved back to Philip while the Triad held a hushed conversation. After apparently reaching a mutual decision, ONE turned back to the group of intruders and ordered, "Guards, take this rabble out and have them shot." He pointed a finger at the Doctor. "All but him."
Two guards immediately took the Time Lord by the arms and pulled him away from the others. The Doctor struggled unsuccessfully against his captors as he was dragged across the room and thrust against a wall. He watched helplessly as the rest of the group was herded from the room. "Why spare me?" he demanded.
To his astonishment, the reply came from Jason. "Because if they take you out and shoot you, you'll just regenerate," he said matter of factly. His voice hardened as he added, "And I know how to prevent that happening."
The Doctor could not quite believe what he was hearing. "You can't mean that?"
TWO snatched a laser pistol from one of the guards and started across the room, stopping when Jason said blandly, "You're not going to use that, are you?"
The Leader gave him an annoyed scowl. "And what's wrong with this?" he asked, holding up the weapon.
The Alterran gave him a long-suffering look and sighed heavily. "Well, for one thing, if you use that, you'll blow a hole through him and the wall," he pointed out. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have a gaping hole in the wall with winter practically upon us."
Leader ONE snickered at this observation, much to TWO's annoyance.
Jason turned and starting searching through a chest of drawers. After a moment, he pulled out a small caliber handgun. He quickly checked it over making certain it was loaded. "Here, use this," he said, holding out the weapon only to pull it back. "No, on second thought…" He turned a cold and angry look in the Time Lord's direction, his voice hardening, "I'll use it."
"You?" ONE replied, exchanging a surprised look with TWO.
"Yes. He tried to kill me once. I think I should return the favor," Jason replied bitterly. He prayed the Doctor understood what he was trying to tell him. The incident he was referring to had been traumatic for him. The Time Lord had insisted that it wasn't really him. Now he was going to do something that wasn't really him, either. Would his friend make the connection? He looked down at the gun in his hand and then crossed to stand in front of the Doctor, who had been listening to his exchange with the others in some bewilderment.
"Any final words of wisdom, Doctor?" the prince asked.
"None that I can think of," the Doctor admitted. He was still trying to go along with whatever game his friend was playing, thinking he was making an elaborate show of things so he would be able to make his escape. He was about to learn the game was in deadly earnest. "I thought we'd worked all that out. Obviously, I was wrong."
"Worked it out?" Jason snarled viciously. "Worked it out!" Without warning, he grabbed the Time Lord by the throat with his free hand and thrust him back against the wall. Despite his size, the Alterran was considerably stronger than the Doctor and lifted his large frame several inches off of the floor.
The Doctor clawed at the hand at throat just to keep himself from choking.
"How does it feel? To know someone you thought was your friend might actually want to kill you? Terrifying? Sickening?" Jason hissed coldly. "Just apply a little pressure, isn't that how it goes? Who's going to save you now?" Please make the connection, Doctor! he thought in desperation.
"Are you going to shoot me or throttle me?" the Doctor gasped out.
The Alterran released his grip and the Time Lord dropped to the floor gasping and choking for breath. It took a moment for him to recover and he slowly returned to his feet, completely at a loss as to where this was leading.
Jason raised the weapon and took aim but did not fire. Illusion or no, he was going to have to pull the trigger and it was far more difficult than he imagined.
"Try not to hit the window," TWO said mockingly, collapsing into a fit of the giggles.
Jason shot him a quick sideways glance and cocked the weapon, but he did not fire. Come on, Krystovan, he told himself. Get this over with and get the hell out!
"Come now, THREE. Surely he's a big enough target for you," ONE jested. He stepped in front of the raised weapon, shoving the Doctor back against the wall and ripping open his waistcoat and shirt, exposing his bare chest. Exchanging an amused look with TWO, ONE stepped aside. "There. Is that easier for you?"
Jason's reply was to squeeze the trigger. This surprised even himself as the gun exploded in his hand. The Doctor felt a searing pain in his chest as he was thrown back against the wall. He fell heavily to the floor, not quite believing what had just happened. He had been working under the assumption that his friend would somehow get him out of the room. It had never even crossed his mind that the Alterran's threats were the real thing. He looked up to see to Jason standing over him, an odd look on his face. This was because the Alterran was berating himself mentally for having to stage so elaborate an illusion. To save his friend's life, he had to give the appearance of taking it. That was not fun, he thought sardonically.
Jason knelt beside the downed Time Lord, looking him in the eye. "I've just put a bullet through your right heart, obliterating it completely," he informed matter-of-factly. "Within a few minutes you'll exsanguinate. Shortly after that you'll die and regenerate." He took out a small disk and held it up. "This stasis field generator will prevent that happening."
"It will prevent me bleeding to death, too," the Doctor gasped out painfully as the disk was pressed onto his shoulder.
That's the whole point, you thickheaded Time Lord! the Alterran thought. A knowing smile came to his face as he held up another disk. "Not if I scatter your molecules to the four corners of the universe."
"I can't believe this is all because of a single mistake."
"You know something, Doctor. Now we're even," Jason replied enigmatically and activated the stasis field. The Doctor shuddered, a painful gurgle escaping him before he went completely still. Jason activated the dispersal disk and stepped back, watching dispassionately as the Time Lord's body vanished into thin air.
oOoOoOo
No one had dared speak to Leader THREE after what happened in the penthouse. Even the usually bombastic ONE and TWO had kept their distance. No longer considered simply an adviser, his recent act of violence had cemented his place as an equal member of the hierarchy and a man not to taken lightly.
Jason strode through the corridors of Tri Global headquarters, watching with amusement as the staff scuttled out of his way. He could hear the furtive whispers as he passed, his confrontation with the Doctor passing from person to person, the details embellished with each telling. It'll be an Earth style old west shootout by the day's end, he thought amusedly, imagining himself standing on a dusty street, hand poised, ready to draw his revolver and fire. The truth was far less romantic, he reflected as he entered his stateroom and crossed to the communication terminal.
"Security," a bored operated responded. He did not even bother to look at the screen, seeming more interested in the magazine in front of him. "What's you authorization number?"
"Three," Jason snapped coldly, watching in amusement as the operator practically fell from his chair in an attempt to come to attention.
"Yes, sir! Sorry, sir."
"There's a blue box somewhere in the city," the Leader informed. "The exact description will be transmitted shortly. Recent intelligence indicates that it's being used to hide a supply of weapons and high-grade explosives. I'm going to be away for the next four days touring the competitions' operations. I want that box found before I return. THREE out."
"That's the TARDIS taken care of," Jason muttered, adding with a chuckle, "By the time that story gets out, two-thirds of the city will be out looking for the old girl." He pulled out a recall disk and squeezed it between his fingers. A split second later, he was on the flight deck of the ARGO, which was hidden some distance from Tri Global's headquarters. Unlike the transmat in the Sanctuary, Jason had programmed the ARGO to respond only to the signals from his recall disk, thus elevating the possibility of any wayward refugees landing on his own doorstep.
Jason pocketed the disk and turned, his gaze falling on the lights of the Med-computer blinking in the darkness of the sickbay. "Computer, lights," he commanded as he crossed to the flashing panel. He scanned the displays and then looked through the observation port at the motionless occupant, a small smile coming to his face.
"Hello, Doctor," he said softly.
oOoOoOo