Part Four: Betrayal
The Doctor sat beside them and gently drew Nyssa into his embrace. Like Adric he was unaccustomed to this side of Nyssa. As worried as he'd been about her, he hadn't wanted her to have an emotional breakdown in this way. He looked down as she became still in his arms. She was looking at him, the expression on her face as unnatural as her tears -- her eyes were flashing with unbridled fury and her jaw was set in anger. He never saw her hand coming until she slapped him solidly across the cheek.
"You! It's all your fault!"
Stunned by the suddenness and the veracity of her slap, The Doctor released Nyssa. Standing, he crossed the room facing away from his two companions. Her words had hurt worse than the stinging of his cheek. She was right of course. He should have known the Master wouldn't give up. He should have done more to protect Tremas. If he had thwarted the Master's attempt to take over Tremas's body the Master might not have survived. Then he would not have been able to disrupt the Logopoltians' code that started the entropy field. Traken would be safe and Nyssa would be home right now with her father. The Doctor would have missed her companionship but more importantly she wouldn't be suffering right now.
"Kassia took care of you for so long, Melkur, and how do you repay her? You take over her mind and convince her that the best way to save my father from being Keeper is for her to betray her Consular vows and all that is right and good in Traken. You had her accuse him of being a criminal and then when she lied her way into being Keeper-Nominate and ultimately Keeper you destroyed her and invaded the sanctity of the Source. YOU!! You are the reason my Father is gone and why Traken was destroyed."
Adric tried to console his friend but she pushed him away as well and returned to her curled up position in the corner. With a sigh he joined the Doctor. "She didn't mean it towards you, you know. She was hallucinating, seeing you as Melkur."
The Doctor squared his shoulders in a move Adric had seen several times since the regeneration. It was a move the boy likened to the Doctor's way of saying his pride was hurt but he wasn't going to say anything. "Yes, I know. I wonder what's keeping Tegan. I do hope she hasn't gotten into any trouble.'
"Doctor?" Tegan stood in the doorway holding the vial Sarif had given her. Tracks of dried tears glistened on her face.
The Time Lord frowned. "Tegan, what is it?"
"Barel…They know what's wrong with Nyssa. The sandstorm caused it. Barel says there's nothing they can do to cure her. He said she's going to die."
Adric looked back at Nyssa. He shook his head. "No, she can't die. Doctor, do something."
"Tegan, what is in the vial?"
"A cordial Sarif gave me. It's supposed to relieve her pain. Doctor, Adric's right. She can't die. Can't we do something?"
The Doctor lowered his head. Flashes of the past came back. Though he'd taken his companions into untold dangers in his years of time traveling and had to say goodbye to so many, he'd only lost two to death. Nightmares of Katarina saving him from the Daleks and Sara Kingdom aging hundreds of years to her death as she tried to travel in time with him would forever haunt him. Would Nyssa's death be added to those nightmares? Not if he could do anything about it. "First, we'll give her the cordial. Then the two of you will get some rest. In the morning, I will find out more about her condition. We won't let Nyssa die."
Tegan offered him the vial but he shook his head. "You give it to her. In her current hallucination she won't trust me."
"Nyssa," Tegan spoke softly. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better."
Nyssa swatted it away almost spilling the contents. "No, Kassia, I won't let you frame my father and the Doctor and Adric. Melkur has made you made."
Helplessly, Tegan looked to the guys. With a shrug, Adric took the vial and Tegan's place on the cot. "Nyssa?"
Her brown eyes still held distrust but she didn't pull away. 'Seron?" Adric recognized the name as one of the Traken Consuls at the time he had been there. "Where's my father? I…it hurts. I need him."
"Drink this, Nyssa, and the pain will ease."
"I need my father."
"I'm here, Nyssa." The Doctor touched her shoulder. He hated to lie to her but felt it was worth it if it would play into her hallucinations long enough for her to drink the cordial. She just looked at him for a long moment but at last she nodded and took the vial. From the grimace on her face, it was clear the contents of the vial didn't have a pleasant taste.
Almost immediately the pain reflected in her Nyssa's brown eyes began to fade. A drowsy numbness settled over her. Nyssa blinked a couple of times and then looked at her three friends. "What's going on?"
The Doctor smiled and touched her cheek. "Apparently you picked up something from your exposure to the sandstorm. You've had us quite worried. How do you feel?"
Nyssa could feel her eyes getting heavier. Her body felt as limp as a rag doll. Her voice sounded even to her like it was coming from far away. "Like thousands of dying souls were crying out to me, sharing their pain, calling me to them."
Then at last oblivion lulled her into protective sleep. The Doctor helped settle her on the bed and covered her with a light blanket before turning to Adric and Tegan. "Well, at least it took away the pain and allowed her to sleep. We don't know what to expect but if we are going to save Nyssa, then we'd best be all rested. The two of you should follow her lead and get some sleep. Tegan, you take the other cot. Adric, I'll see if I can get Barel or someone to bring in another bed."
Adric shook his head. "I can sleep on the floor. That's no problem. What are you going to do, Doctor?"
The Doctor tried to smile but it didn't reach his eyes. "You know me, I don't need much sleep. I think I'll find Sarif or Barel and find out more about Nyssa's condition."
The Doctor waited until both Tegan and Adric had settled down and fallen asleep before leaving the room. No sooner had he gone than Nyssa's eyes opened. A deep and powerful voice was resounding in her head.
"Come to me Chosen One. Ease the suffering of the Life."
Nyssa rose and almost hypnotically left the room. Neither Tegan nor Adric stirred.
*********
"Doctor, how is Nyssa?" Sarif asked as the Doctor entered the lab. His expression was guilty and full of remorse.
"Resting comfortably at last thanks to your cordial. Sarif, tell me about Nyssa's illness. Tegan tells me there is no cure. Is that true?"
Sarif hung his head. "Doctor, what I am about to tell you, Barel doesn't want you to know. I am betraying my people and possibly sentencing them to death by saying anything. But Nyssa is too young and innocent to be sacrificed for us."
The Doctor frowned. "Sacrificed?"
"If Nyssa stays, then she'll be sacrificed to Balkisia, an energy- drainer responsible for the storm. I do not know what will happen to her but you and your friends will never see her again. Please, Doctor, as soon as you and the others are rested, take Nyssa and leave the dome. Battling the Winds will be fierce and difficult but if you want your friend to survive, return from where you came and leave this planet."
"What will happen if we do that? You said that telling me this may mean sentencing your people to death."
"Balkisia will either choose someone new or the Life will be destroyed by the Winds."
The Doctor sat beside them and gently drew Nyssa into his embrace. Like Adric he was unaccustomed to this side of Nyssa. As worried as he'd been about her, he hadn't wanted her to have an emotional breakdown in this way. He looked down as she became still in his arms. She was looking at him, the expression on her face as unnatural as her tears -- her eyes were flashing with unbridled fury and her jaw was set in anger. He never saw her hand coming until she slapped him solidly across the cheek.
"You! It's all your fault!"
Stunned by the suddenness and the veracity of her slap, The Doctor released Nyssa. Standing, he crossed the room facing away from his two companions. Her words had hurt worse than the stinging of his cheek. She was right of course. He should have known the Master wouldn't give up. He should have done more to protect Tremas. If he had thwarted the Master's attempt to take over Tremas's body the Master might not have survived. Then he would not have been able to disrupt the Logopoltians' code that started the entropy field. Traken would be safe and Nyssa would be home right now with her father. The Doctor would have missed her companionship but more importantly she wouldn't be suffering right now.
"Kassia took care of you for so long, Melkur, and how do you repay her? You take over her mind and convince her that the best way to save my father from being Keeper is for her to betray her Consular vows and all that is right and good in Traken. You had her accuse him of being a criminal and then when she lied her way into being Keeper-Nominate and ultimately Keeper you destroyed her and invaded the sanctity of the Source. YOU!! You are the reason my Father is gone and why Traken was destroyed."
Adric tried to console his friend but she pushed him away as well and returned to her curled up position in the corner. With a sigh he joined the Doctor. "She didn't mean it towards you, you know. She was hallucinating, seeing you as Melkur."
The Doctor squared his shoulders in a move Adric had seen several times since the regeneration. It was a move the boy likened to the Doctor's way of saying his pride was hurt but he wasn't going to say anything. "Yes, I know. I wonder what's keeping Tegan. I do hope she hasn't gotten into any trouble.'
"Doctor?" Tegan stood in the doorway holding the vial Sarif had given her. Tracks of dried tears glistened on her face.
The Time Lord frowned. "Tegan, what is it?"
"Barel…They know what's wrong with Nyssa. The sandstorm caused it. Barel says there's nothing they can do to cure her. He said she's going to die."
Adric looked back at Nyssa. He shook his head. "No, she can't die. Doctor, do something."
"Tegan, what is in the vial?"
"A cordial Sarif gave me. It's supposed to relieve her pain. Doctor, Adric's right. She can't die. Can't we do something?"
The Doctor lowered his head. Flashes of the past came back. Though he'd taken his companions into untold dangers in his years of time traveling and had to say goodbye to so many, he'd only lost two to death. Nightmares of Katarina saving him from the Daleks and Sara Kingdom aging hundreds of years to her death as she tried to travel in time with him would forever haunt him. Would Nyssa's death be added to those nightmares? Not if he could do anything about it. "First, we'll give her the cordial. Then the two of you will get some rest. In the morning, I will find out more about her condition. We won't let Nyssa die."
Tegan offered him the vial but he shook his head. "You give it to her. In her current hallucination she won't trust me."
"Nyssa," Tegan spoke softly. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better."
Nyssa swatted it away almost spilling the contents. "No, Kassia, I won't let you frame my father and the Doctor and Adric. Melkur has made you made."
Helplessly, Tegan looked to the guys. With a shrug, Adric took the vial and Tegan's place on the cot. "Nyssa?"
Her brown eyes still held distrust but she didn't pull away. 'Seron?" Adric recognized the name as one of the Traken Consuls at the time he had been there. "Where's my father? I…it hurts. I need him."
"Drink this, Nyssa, and the pain will ease."
"I need my father."
"I'm here, Nyssa." The Doctor touched her shoulder. He hated to lie to her but felt it was worth it if it would play into her hallucinations long enough for her to drink the cordial. She just looked at him for a long moment but at last she nodded and took the vial. From the grimace on her face, it was clear the contents of the vial didn't have a pleasant taste.
Almost immediately the pain reflected in her Nyssa's brown eyes began to fade. A drowsy numbness settled over her. Nyssa blinked a couple of times and then looked at her three friends. "What's going on?"
The Doctor smiled and touched her cheek. "Apparently you picked up something from your exposure to the sandstorm. You've had us quite worried. How do you feel?"
Nyssa could feel her eyes getting heavier. Her body felt as limp as a rag doll. Her voice sounded even to her like it was coming from far away. "Like thousands of dying souls were crying out to me, sharing their pain, calling me to them."
Then at last oblivion lulled her into protective sleep. The Doctor helped settle her on the bed and covered her with a light blanket before turning to Adric and Tegan. "Well, at least it took away the pain and allowed her to sleep. We don't know what to expect but if we are going to save Nyssa, then we'd best be all rested. The two of you should follow her lead and get some sleep. Tegan, you take the other cot. Adric, I'll see if I can get Barel or someone to bring in another bed."
Adric shook his head. "I can sleep on the floor. That's no problem. What are you going to do, Doctor?"
The Doctor tried to smile but it didn't reach his eyes. "You know me, I don't need much sleep. I think I'll find Sarif or Barel and find out more about Nyssa's condition."
The Doctor waited until both Tegan and Adric had settled down and fallen asleep before leaving the room. No sooner had he gone than Nyssa's eyes opened. A deep and powerful voice was resounding in her head.
"Come to me Chosen One. Ease the suffering of the Life."
Nyssa rose and almost hypnotically left the room. Neither Tegan nor Adric stirred.
*********
"Doctor, how is Nyssa?" Sarif asked as the Doctor entered the lab. His expression was guilty and full of remorse.
"Resting comfortably at last thanks to your cordial. Sarif, tell me about Nyssa's illness. Tegan tells me there is no cure. Is that true?"
Sarif hung his head. "Doctor, what I am about to tell you, Barel doesn't want you to know. I am betraying my people and possibly sentencing them to death by saying anything. But Nyssa is too young and innocent to be sacrificed for us."
The Doctor frowned. "Sacrificed?"
"If Nyssa stays, then she'll be sacrificed to Balkisia, an energy- drainer responsible for the storm. I do not know what will happen to her but you and your friends will never see her again. Please, Doctor, as soon as you and the others are rested, take Nyssa and leave the dome. Battling the Winds will be fierce and difficult but if you want your friend to survive, return from where you came and leave this planet."
"What will happen if we do that? You said that telling me this may mean sentencing your people to death."
"Balkisia will either choose someone new or the Life will be destroyed by the Winds."
