CHAPTER 53
A NEW GAME
Jason sat thoughtfully at the table in his conference room. He had a mug of coffee in front of him that was rapidly getting cold. The Doctor and Mel were on the other side of the table looking equally thoughtful. After much discussion, they had determined that the immediate problem was locating Trevor.
"I can think of one person who might be able to help us find him," the Prince said at last, his eyes fixed in the distance. "Not that that's any help."
"Oh? And why's that?" the Doctor asked.
"Because it's my Uncle," Jason replied. "With all that's happened, they'll never let me get anywhere near him."
The Doctor considered this. "I wonder if they'll let me see him?"
Jason looked up sharply, his eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"
A mischievous expression and enormous smile were blossoming on the Time Lord's face. "Well, since you were nice enough to let everyone know I was less than cooperative in your escape, I might be given the benefit of the doubt," he said calmly.
His friend gave him a surprised look. "Are you going to tell them that the lovely Mel helped you escape from my psychotic clutches?"
"Something to that effect. Only not so melodramatic."
Mel giggled when the Alterran responded with an indignant snort. "How boring," he moaned playfully. Then he was completely serious again. "Okay, then what?"
"You tell me. What's the best way of smuggling you into the Imperial Palace?"
"Now that is a very good question. We've got to get past security, which means getting past Tolan. And that's no mean trick." Jason sat back in his chair and considered the problem carefully. After several minutes, his eyes cleared, his face brightening as the answer came to him. It was so simple, he thought, a devilish smile coming to his face. "Back in a minute," he said and vanished from the room.
"He's thought of something devious," the Doctor remarked.
Mel scowled disapprovingly. "Why do you say that?"
"Because he looks exceptionally pleased with himself."
Mel's expression didn't change. "That's a little condescending, isn't it?"
"Actually, it was meant as a compliment," the Doctor replied. His companion looked less than convinced. "Mel, Jason's been trained to deceive since the day he was born. He's Alterran. It's part of his nature. The very fabric of his being."
His companion gave him a dubious look. "Now you are joking."
"You saw his true appearance," the Time Lord reminded. "The Jason you know, the human Jason, is an illusion created to deceive humanoid species in order to blend in. He's a master at it. Before he started traveling with me, he used to teach training courses. Now he leads a group that specializes in it."
"If he's that good, then why do you look so worried?" Mel asked astutely.
"Worried?" the Doctor replied defensively. His face clouded over and he sighed heavily, admitting, "Because what we're about to do is extremely dangerous. If Jason's discovered before we get to the Emperor, the game's up."
"I thought we weren't playing games anymore," came Jason's clear voice from the door.
The Doctor looked up. "Not with each other."
"Ah." The Alterran gave a wry smile as he entered the room. He had his collar of rank in his hand and set it onto the table. It was made up of several intricately carved gold and jewel incrusted seals, each bearing the insignia of one of his titles. There were two medallions attached to the front, one designating his rank in the House of Krystovan, the other his rank as Crown Prince of Tel-Shye.
Mel looked at the gleaming object in amazement. "That's beautiful," she said admiringly.
"That is who I am," Jason said in a quiet reverent tone. He pointed to one of the seals. "That insignia indicates that I'm an Imperial Ambassador." He turned to the Doctor. "I want you to return it to the Emperor for me."
"This is how you're going to disguise yourself?" the Doctor said in a surprised tone.
"Yes. I'm going to hide in plain sight," the Alterran grinned. "They'll scan every inch of you a dozen times over, but they'll never think to scan this if you carry it in the open."
The Time Lord laughed at the audacity of the plan. "That is diabolically cunning!"
Jason poured himself a fresh cup of coffee and returned to the table. "And you said you weren't going to get sucked into any more of my deceptions," he reminded playfully.
"Obviously, I was wrong." To the surprise of his companion, the Doctor admitted, "I've been wrong about quite a lot of things of late."
"Well, stop the universe," the Prince replied in a mildly amazed tone. Before his friend could issue any kind of crushing reply, he asked, "Do you still have your Imperial seal?"
"I believe so. It's in the TARDIS somewhere. Why?"
"It has your identity code imbedded in it," Jason informed. "Considering all that's happened they probably won't even let you in the Palace without it."
The Doctor was already on his feet and heading for the door. "Let me see if I can find it."
Jason and Mel exchanged a dubious look. "How many decades do you think that will take?" the Prince asked knowingly.
