"A Whole New World"
Chapter 8
"And Now, An Important Announcement…"
Tegan entered the console room holding two steaming cups of tea and saw the Doctor staring with dread at the console, his eyes riveted to a small red light that blinked and blipped.
"What's that?" she asked, handing him his tea.
"A message from Gallifrey."
"No wonder you don't look happy about it!" She sipped her tea. "Don't answer it," she advised. He sighed.
"I'm a Time Lord, Tegan. I have to answer it." He pressed the blinking red light, which immediately went dim and fell silent. The viewscreen flickered into life, displaying a short line of Gallifreyan text that was stylized, like a logo. "Ah," the Doctor said thoughtfully. "It's a Public Register Video broadcast. Something important's happened."
"Good or bad?" He shrugged.
"We'll soon see," he said as the lettering disappeared. The image of a dark-haired Time Lord dressed in orange and scarlet robes appeared on the viewscreen. "That's Andred!" the Doctor exclaimed in surprise. "What's he doing working for Public Register Video?" he asked rhetorically.
"Shh!" Tegan scolded. "Let's here what he has to say!"
" – an important announcement." Andred was saying into the camera. The shot panned to reveal a podium with a large Prydonian seal displayed on the wall behind it.
"Looks a bit like the set-up when an American president has news conferences," Tegan murmured. The Doctor nodded.
"Some things are the same the universe over," he told her. On the viewscreen, Romana appeared, resplendent in her white robes of office. Tegan began to hum "Hail to the Chief" under her breath, and the Doctor gave her an amused look before turning back to the viewscreen, where Romana was moving to stand behind the podium. On her right was a deceptively young-looking Time Lord decked out in full Prydonian regalia.
"Look, it's Zeta!" Tegan exclaimed, grinning hugely. "I have a feeling I know what this announcement's going to be!"
"You do?" the Doctor asked, astounded. "How could you possibly – "
"Shh!"
" – has stepped down as Dean of the Prydonian Academy due to ill health as he approaches the end of his tenth regeneration," Romana was saying.
"Ill manners, more like!" Tegan said.
"What do you know about all this?" the Doctor asked suspiciously.
"Shh!" Tegan admonished. "Romana's talking!"
" – pleased to announce the appointment of Lord Zeta of the House of Starkweather to fill this vacant position."
"I don't believe it!" the Doctor exclaimed, watching as Zeta moved forward to say a few words.
"I do!" Tegan said smugly.
" – and I shall do my very best to uphold the high standards of the Prydonian Academy," Zeta was saying on the screen. The Doctor snorted.
"You've no idea what he was like at school! It's like getting the fox to guard the chicken house!"
"Shh!"
" – hope to live up to the reputation of my worthy predecessor – "
"Or down to it," Tegan said acidly. Now it was the Doctor's turn.
"Shh!"
" – and honor the rich tradition of – "
"Really, it's preposterous!" the Doctor complained.
"Jealous because you weren't offered the job?" Tegan asked, her casual tone belying her true interest in his answer; she suddenly wondered if she'd made a terrible mistake.
"Good grief no!" he exclaimed, much to her relief. "I just can't imagine someone who pulled the sort of stunts he pulled while at school actually being in charge of the place!" Meanwhile, Zeta and Romana had left the scene, and the picture changed to show Andred again.
"And that was the scene only moments ago as Lady President Romanadvoratrelundar officially announced her appointment of Lord Zeta – "
"Ridiculous!" the Doctor scoffed. "Really, Tegan, if you only knew the sort of things he used to get up to – "
"Shh!"
" – and still no one has actually seen the woman," Andred was saying. "Curiosity runs high among the Time Lords. Will Lord Zeta's human paramour make an appearance at his investiture? Her publicist had this to say." The picture abruptly went to a taped interview with a middle-aged human woman with frosted blond hair and a thick New York accent.
"Why should they care about seeing her?" the woman asked with a shrug. "She's not good enough for them anyway, right? So what's all the fuss about? Who cares what she looks like? She's just a human, and certainly not worth all this speculation." The Doctor frowned.
"What's this woman playing at?"
"Dunno," Tegan said with a shrug. "But I'm sure she knows what she's doing. Angelina's publicist sure does."
"Hmm."
"Anyway, Lord Zeta's big ceremony is what everyone should be thinking about," the publicist was saying. "I would hate to see it eclipsed by all this talk about the silly little human girl he dragged back here. Why should they care? He'll probably get tired of her eventually anyway."
"This is utterly bizarre," the Doctor said. Tegan shrugged.
"I'm sure she knows what she's doing," she repeated uncertainly.
"And that's all from the Capitol. In other news – " The Doctor switched off the viewscreen.
"I'd love to be a fly on the wall for Zeta's big day!" Tegan said with feeling. As if in reply, the little red light on the console resumed its blinking and blipping. Presently, the console spat out six little cards printed on scarlet paper. The Doctor snatched them up and read hurriedly.
"Well, it looks like you're going to get your wish!" he said, holding up the invitation and grinning.
"Hello, the blue box!" Angelina's voice called from outside. "Cooeee! Is anyone in there?" The Doctor hit the door switch, and the jubilant supermodel hopped down the steps into the console room, with Munch following behind at a more sedate pace, carrying a large shopping bag.
"Cheesencrackers," the detective muttered, putting down the bag and glancing around at the impossibly enormous room with its vaulted ceiling.
"Yeah, it's big, right?" Angelina asked, smiling. She turned her attention to the Doctor. "Well hey, you're back! Where've you been, anyway?"
"Oh, here and there," he told her vaguely as she hugged him.
"How was the cruise?" Tegan asked.
"Really great!" Munch said with feeling. Angelina glanced at him and giggled.
"Mmm, it was absolutely wonderful!" she agreed, and then blushed and looked at the floor. The Doctor frowned, and Munch suddenly thought of the dent in Zeta's control console.
"We have some news for you," he said hurriedly.
"Oh yes, how silly of me!" Angelina said, grinning. "Look!" She held up her left hand with its diamond ring.
"How wonderful!" Tegan said happily, hugging her daughter.
"Hmm," the Doctor said, still frowning at Munch. The detective looked like he wished the floor would open under him and swallow him up. Tegan gave the Doctor a look.
"Come on, Doctor," she admonished in a tone similar to one that she might have used with a small recalcitrant child. "Haven't you got anything to say?" He took a breath.
"Ohhh, I can think of quite a few things I'd like to say," he said in an overly casual tone.
"Eeep!" Munch squeaked out involuntarily.
"Come on, be nice," Angelina chided the Doctor, taking his arm and steering him over to Munch, who took three hasty steps back before he could stop himself. "Aren't you happy for us?" Her big blue eyes were wide and pleading, but also sparkling with happiness. He sighed.
"If you're happy, I'm happy," he finally said. He looked at Munch. "A word, if you don't mind?" he said, grasping Munch's arm in a viselike grip and dragging him away from Tegan and Angelina. The Doctor looked up at the much taller man, his eyes suddenly cold and alien. "Now you listen to me, my boy," he said in a low, dangerous voice; somehow, being called "my boy" by this man who looked to be twentysomething years his junior didn't seem at all strange to Munch. "Promise me one thing," the Doctor continued. "Promise that you'll never hurt her, and you'll do your best to make her happy."
"Of course, sir," he said immediately. "I swear to you that I'll do everything in my power to make her happy, and I promise I'll never hurt her intentionally." The Doctor nodded gravely.
"All right."
"But that's two things," Munch could not resist pointing out. The Doctor's eyebrows went up. "Sir." the detective added hastily. The Time Lord's lips twitched.
"Cheeky bastard," the Doctor said quietly.
"Yes, sir," Munch agreed readily. That was it. The Doctor could no longer contain his laughter. Together, they walked back over to Angelina and Tegan, who held a dark blue dress up against her body.
"What do you think?" she asked the Doctor, who shrugged. She made a disgusted sound. "I don't know why I bother asking," she muttered. "Look at how he dresses himself!"
"We've brought you something as well," Angelina told him, reaching into the shopping bag and handing him an object wrapped in tissue paper. "It's for your blue box," she explained as he unwrapped it. "I figured you could attach the sucker to one of the windows when you park it in my living room so I'll know when you're actually in there." It was a wooden handpainted sign. At the top was a piece of twine from which to hang it, and a sucker cup with a little hook. The sign was painted blue with white lettering that read The Doctor Is In on one side and The Doctor Is Out on the other.
"Perfect!" he said, laughing. "Oh, before I forget… " He went over to the control console and sorted through the stack of scarlet cards until he found the two he wanted. "Here," he said, handing one to Munch and one to Angelina. Munch squinted at the alien text, frowning. Angelina was much more straightforward.
"What's all this gobbledygook?" she asked.
"It's Gallifreyan," he told her patiently.
"Well, I haven't brought my pocket dictionary… have you, Munch?" Munch made a show of patting his pockets, coming up with nothing, and shaking his head. "That settles it. I'm afraid you'll have to translate," she told the Doctor.
"You're both invited to Zeta's investiture as Dean of the Prydonian Academy." Her eyebrows went up.
"So all your sneaky conniving paid off, eh?"
"It may surprise you to learn that I'm not the only sneaky conniver around here," he told her, shooting a look in Tegan's direction.
"Who, me?" she asked innocently.
"How are we supposed to dress for this?" Angelina asked. The Doctor shrugged.
"Um, wear something nice, I suppose. And there's to be a party afterwards."
"And what'll we wear to that?" Tegan asked. The Doctor picked up one of the invitations from the control console and reread it.
"It says Casual Dress, which I assume means – "
"Casual dress," Angelina finished for him. He nodded.
"The High Council will have heart failure when they see me and Munch there… not to mention Angelina," Tegan told the Doctor, who nodded.
"I suspect that's partly the idea," he said with a smile. He held up two more invitations. "He's invited Briscoe and Green as well."
"Hell's Teeth! He's really yanking their chains, isn't he?"
"Well, of course," the Doctor said with a shrug. "It's practically what he lives for!"
CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 9, "The Biggest Mistake"
