Chapter Eight. Another Host for the Mara

"And another three steps." Mara!Lon instructed as Adric was forcibly next to him. Ambril took another three steps as instructed. The Alzarian helped the director as did the possessed son of the Federator.

"That's it, now forwards." Mara!Lon instructed. The director walked further until the possessed young man stopped him, "Wait there."

Adric looked and saw that Lon had removed one of his gloves which revealed the mark of the Mara and opened some sort of secret passageway.

"You are possessed by the Mara too!" Adric exclaimed, "It all makes sense now!"

"Quiet boy!" Mara!Lon exclaimed.

"What is it?" Ambril asked, confused.

"Don't worry." Mara!Lon lied, "It's alright. Now, over the step, and stop."

Adric tried to make a run for it, but the possessed heir was not having it.

"Don't you even think about making an escape!" Mara!Lon exclaimed as he grabbed the Alzarian, "You have no choice in the matter."

He, Adric and Ambril entered into the secret chamber before the door closed altogether.

"You've done splendidly, director." Mara!Lon told Ambril.

"Where are we?" Adric asked.

"What do you think?"

"Are we there?" Ambril asked.

"You can take off your blindfold now." Mara!Lon told the director and then he did so. Ambril looked around and saw the knick knacks that Hawker saw earlier.

"I trust you are not disappointed?" Mara!Lon asked.

"What is it?" Adric asked in turn.

"Am I disappointed?" Ambril replied, "My lord!"

"So was it all worth it then?"

"My lord, the existence of these objects is entirely unsuspected! Oh, my lord, this is genuine. It's amazing!"

"Is it artifacts?" Adric asked.

"Manussan artifacts." Ambril answered, "This is...this is the greatest moment of..."

He looked up to see Hawker standing in front of him.

"Entertainment!" Hawker exclaimed as he was influenced by the Mara, "Children, half price, step this way please, for a spectacle of a lifetime!"

Mara!Lon laughed evilly.

"What is this?" Adric stated to himself.

"Tread the misty corridors of time!" Hawker continued, "Visit the dark and distant shores of the imagination."

"What do you expect to come out of this?!" Adric exclaimed in anger and fear.

"Silence!" boomed a somewhat familiar voice, "Stop wasting time!"

The men looked to see Mara!Tegan appear before them.

"Tegan!" Adric exclaimed in shock.

"You boy," Mara!Tegan faced the Alzarian, "are the key to my freedom!"

"You're not Tegan." Adric gasped in shock, "You're the Mara and you've taken over Tegan!"

"That's right, dear boy," Mara!Tegan replied with a sinister smile, "and with you being the key to my freedom, I will not need the Great Crystal."

-Doctor-Who-

"Well?" the Doctor asked as Nyssa looked at the last page of the Dojjen's journal.

"Doctor," Nyssa asked, "what exactly are you asking me?"

"This is a record of a private journey." the Doctor explained, "A private mental journey. Now, he must've done something that finally decided him."

"To do with what?" Nyssa asked.

"Oh I don't know." the Doctor answered, "With the Mara, the history of the planet, the origins of this crystal."

Nyssa glanced at the small blue crystal which was similar to the Great Crystal, "To function as they do, the crystals must possess a perfect molecular structure, tuned to the exact wavelengths of the human mind."

Moments later, the Trakenite came up with a realization, "Doctor, the crystal is man made!"

"Of course." the Doctor looked at the crystal, "I should have realized. Structurally perfect. It has to be free of all flaws and distortions. Even the minute distortions induced by the effects of gravity."

"What are you saying?" Nyssa asked as she stood up.

"The crystals were designed and built by people who mastered the techniques of molecular engineering in a zero gravity environment!" the Doctor answered.

"Then the Manussans are not that advanced."

"No and according to Chela, this crystal is 800 years old."

-Doctor-Who-

"I will never open a portal to free you." Adric told the Mara, "How do you even know I have powers anyway?"

"Tegan has been informed about Homeostasis." Mara!Tegan answered, "Enough information for me to know about your powers."

"It's all just a prank at my expense." Ambril looked on in dismay as he asked "Lon", "These are friends of yours, aren't they? It's just an elaborate hoax isn't it?"

"And these?" Mara!Lon stepped forward to show the items before him

"These?" Ambril looked confused.

"Are these a hoax?" Mara!Lon asked, "After all, you are the expert."

He threw the item to the ground which shattered.

"No!" Ambril exclaimed.

"First it was the Great Crystal everyone was after now it's this Homeostasis." Ambril stated.

"Everyone?" Mara!Lon quipped.

"Who was interested in the Great Crystal?" Mara!Tegan asked.

"The Doctor." Adric answered, "He thought you would be after the Great Crystal, but you're not now, are you?"

"Not now." Mara!Tegan answered, "You will be the gateway to release me!"

"I already told you no!" Adric exclaimed.

"Personally, I rather doubt that he's the Doctor." Ambril retorted.

"The Doctor must not interfere." Mara!Tegan insisted, "He must be killed."

"Killed?" Ambril looked confused by this.

"Oh, take no notice." Mara!Lon assured the director, "My friend has a theory, and in order to test it, the boy's Homeostasis power must be used during the ceremony."

"It's quite impossible!" Ambril exclaimed, "I don't even know how powerful or not powerful this Homeostasis is!"

"Nothing is impossible." Mara!Tegan replied.

"Please my lord..." Ambril pleaded.

"Now, listen to me," Mara!Lon glanced at the trinkets and handed some of them to him and even dropped one of the items, "If you don't cooperate, I promise you, you will never set eyes on any of these trinkets, ever again. You'll always know they existed, somewhere. That you discovered them once. Held them in your hands...once."

"Whoa!" Ambril exclaimed as he almost dropped an item.

"And then lost them forever." Mara!Lon continued, "It's up to you."

He then threw one of the items to the floor which crashed.

"Oh! No, wait!" Ambril exclaimed, "Alright, I agree."

"The Doctor will stop you." Adric told the Mara, "You're no different than the Mara that we encountered back on Deva Loka! Once the Doctor finds you, he will do what it takes to cast you out of that guy and out of Tegan!"

"Silence!" Mara!Tegan exclaimed.

"I think the boy needs to learn a bit of cooperation here." Mara!Lon stated, "Director!"

Reluctantly, Ambril grabbed Adric.

"No!" Adric cried, "You can't do this! You will never get away with this!"

"I already am getting away with it, boy." Mara!Tegan replied before forcibly grabbing Adric's arm. The Alzarian screamed as the Mara started to take over him as well.

"Release him." Mara!Lon ordered, "He's ready to cooperate."

Ambril released Adric and appeared to be nerved by the whole situation.

"That's better." Mara!Tegan stated, "Now, you should prepare yourself for the ceremony."

Adric looked up. He slowly stood up as he revealed the mark of the Mara on his arm as well before responding in a deep voice, "But of course. I was getting bored working with the Doctor anyways."