7. The Unexpected Visitor.

The clockwork guard.

After the inspection, the Doctor peeks around the boudoir door to the corridor outside. A Sontaran guard is standing with his back to the door. It's immediately obvious to the Doctor that he must get past this guard without being noticed if he is to do anything without it fully rebounding on the President.
The Doctor closes the door quietly.

"Does that guard ever move?" he asks. "And when does he move?"
The Wisp President knows the answer. "They go like clockwork. They have changed the guard several times so far every day at the same time of day."
This gives the Doctor something to think about.

"What can we do to get the Sontarans to go?" Meran asks.
"That's a leading question," the Doctor says.
"Any ideas?" Meran asks.
"Lots of ideas, but sometimes it's better if I let you try some ideas out."

"Maybe we could pour cooking oil under their feet and they could slide around," Ommera giggles (ref. 11).
"Alright," the Doctor says. "Do it. Just don't let the Sontarans see you! Sorry about you having to clean up afterwards, Pellor."

Ommera and Meran leave the boudoir at the first opportunity and head for the kitchen. It has no guards, and the Wisp kitchen staff are keen to assist in the prank. They return to the boudoir before the next Sontaran guard appears.

The slippery floors vex the Sontarans and they sustain some significant injuries, not least to their pride!

The present.

The Doctor approaches the Wisp President. "I was forgetting, I have brought a present for you; for your people. I brought it in the boat, but I left it at the bottom of the tunnel. Although I've brought it for you, it would be better if one of your Wisp Managers opens it and distributes the contents."

"Thank you, that's most kind," Pellor says.
"Did you know," the Doctor says, "that a well-aimed soft ball can knock out a Sontaran? I have several squash racquets and balls for your people to practice with and use against the Sontarans, if you would like."
It might seem to be a risky strategy more likely to inflame the Sontarans, but the Doctor knows they are a race that puts honour above almost everything else, so they won't challenge mortal combat with someone who only has a ball and a racquet. Small rubber balls can't surely be a problem?

"Yes, I'll have a Wisp Manager distribute them to staff who would like them," Pellor says.
"Where should I place them?" the Doctor asks.
"There's a conference room nearby," Pellor says.

The Doctor takes the present to the conference room himself at the first opportunity. He uses a map of the building hastily marked up by Pellor, and leaves the present on the polished conference table ready for the Wisp Manager to find and returns hastily to the boudoir.
He checks the time. "Three minutes to go until the room guard returns."

An unexpected visitor.

A huge thud is heard. It can only be one thing.
"It seems the Master will be joining us," the Doctor says. "What business has he here?"

Thunderous angry footsteps approach along the tunnel from the waterside.

"We must hide," Ommera says, panicking. "Quickly, into the bathroom! I'm sorry, Pellor, you must send him away, anywhere!"
"Where shall I direct him?" Pellor asks apprehensively. He can hear the angry footsteps approaching.
The Doctor thrusts his map into Pellor's hand quickly before he dashes to the bathroom door. "Wherever you send him, you must do it quickly before the Sontaran guard returns." With that he disappears into the bathroom, closing the door.

The Master enters the President's boudoir. His black cloak adds to the darkness of his scowl and urgent frown. He carries a tracker box detector which he detests even more, having ditched his last one.

"That way," Pellor says timorously. "Here's a map."
The Master has never had such rapid co-operation before and pauses to question it. "Why are you helping me?" he barks as he flicks the map away. His detector will tell him exactly what he wants to know and nothing else will.

"We're in such difficulty," Pellor stumbles his words out, "anyone who might assist us gets help." He doesn't know the Master, but he thinks that the Master's angry appearance might frighten off the Sontarans.

The Master strides to the boudoir door, opens it and strides off down the corridor.
Pellor closes the door as the returning Sontaran guide approaches. He expects to hear the Sontaran stop and wait outside the room, but the Sontaran steps don't pause by the door. They hurry by, chasing after the Master. The Sontaran has evidently seen the Master and is giving chase.

The Doctor, Ommera and Meran emerge from the bathroom.

The Wisp Manager.

A short while later, a knock at the door alarms them and sends them scurrying back to the bathroom.
"Enter," Pellor says.
A Wisp Manager enters the room. "Sir, the Sontarans have captured someone in a black cloak. They were furious with him and they took him away. Most of the Sontarans have already left and the others are leaving now. They think they have their enemy."

"Splendid," Pellor says. "I had some good news for you, actually. We have visitors who said they could get rid of the Sontarans, though I don't see how they could have helped us. They're in the bathroom!"
Pellor steps to the bathroom door and opens it. The Doctor, Ommera and Meran emerge.

"Thank you for volunteering to help us get rid of the Sontarans, but I think you can go now," Pellor says. "The Sontarans have gone."
"Gone?" the Doctor says. "Why did they go?"
"They caught their man," the Wisp Manager says. "Red-handed in the conference room with Squash racquets and balls. They seem to be a bit sensitive about rubber balls."

The Doctor whistles. "Wow. Just as well the Sontarans didn't find any Wisp with them! I didn't know they had listed rubber balls as being contrary to their security. All's well that ends well. At least the Sontarans have gone, and we helped."
"Correction – you did no such thing!" the Wisp Manager says. "How dare you make such a claim!"

"Oh dear," the Doctor says. "We'd better go." He can tell the Wisp Manager won't believe anything further until he fully understands what has gone on.

So, what did happen?

Once back in the Tardis, they all want to know what really happened.

"What I want to know is why the Master showed up," the Doctor says. "That's a complete mystery to me. What happened to the tracker box?"
He goes to their rest room and searches but can't find it. He returns to the Tardis Control room.
"Ommera, did you see something wrapped up in our rest room?"
"I wrapped the Squash racquets in our rest room," Ommera says. "And the Squash balls. And a wrapped parcel. I wrapped it all up for the Wisp."
"What colour was the wrapped parcel that you included?" the Doctor asks.
"Red," Ommera says emphatically.
"Ah," the Doctor says. "That explains it."
"Why?" Ommera asks.

"Because, my dear, that red wrapped parcel was the original tracker box that Meran was given by the Master, and I swapped it for a safe trinket box for Meran to have. I wrapped the original tracker box in red and left it in our rest room, out of the way. You must have wrapped it in with the Squash kit. The moment it left the Tardis it was visible to the Master, and he came looking for Meran again. He would go to the conference room, open the present you wrapped for the Wisp and the Sontaran guard would find him with the small soft rubber Squash balls. Case solved."

"I'm glad it's solved," Meran says. He moves to where Ommera is looking gloomy. She feels that she might have inadvertently endangered the Wisp. Meran puts his arms around Ommera and hugs her.

"There is one consolation," the Doctor concludes. "At least none of us has done anything wrong in all of that."

"I don't think your credibility was improved here," Ommera says. "I'm sorry, was it my fault?"
"Fault?" the Doctor says. "No. It's not good to look at fault, rather we should look at responsibility. Fault is always a destructive way to look at things. No, it was my responsibility to put that red-wrapped box well out of the way."

"So, what is the box that I have?" Meran asks, producing the trinket box.
He wasn't supposed to know that the tracker box had been swapped with a harmless trinket box. How should the Doctor disguise all that now?
"Erm, ah, there it is, after all that!" the Doctor says. "You had it all along. Just as well the Master didn't, erm, know where we were, then!"

Meran hardly understands what the Doctor has just said. He lets it go. He still has his beautiful box, and everyone seems happy with that.

Later, the Doctor takes Meran aside.
"Meran," the Doctor says, "you can't go home until the Master is secured somewhere. It just wouldn't be safe for you. He could just walk in again at any time. It seems we have an ongoing task to protect you."
"If the tables were turned," Meran says, "I don't think the Master would like it if anyone else could just walk in on his life at any time."
"That's amazing that you should think so caringly about the Master," the Doctor says. "You thought kindly of your worst enemy. This is what the Universe needs. There's hope for the Universe yet! Quite remarkable!"

"But how can you possibly secure the Master?" Meran asks. "I heard Ommera say that he had broken out of the most secure place the Universe has ever produced."
"He only got lucky," the Doctor reassures him. "But we will also have to get lucky to secure him there again."

THE END

The previous episode in this series is called "Dangerous Mission." (ref. 24).

The next episode in this series is called "Master Trap."

I hope to add further episodes soon.

Sparse References.

Reference 1. Episode Maintenance Mission in this series, when Ommera first met the Doctor.

Reference 2. Episode Lateness in this series, where the Doctor hires planet moving equipment.

Reference 9. Episode Gallifrey Exhumed in this series, when the Doctor rescues Gallifreyans from under the Master's nose.

Reference 11. Episode GoggleDoc in this series, when cooking oil was poured under the feet of the Cybermen.

Reference 16. Episode Thermal Runaway in this series, when the rebuilt Gallifrey was described.

Reference 21. Episode The Plight of Slint in this series, when the Sontarans forced the Wisp to move a planet that was in their way.

Reference 23. Episode The Master's Apprentice in this series when Meran is taken by the Master and leaves the Master in the hands of the Gestapo.

Reference 24. Episode Dangerous Mission in this series, the previous episode, which fits together with Ref. 23.

ANOTHER END