Disclaimer: The characters of Dr. Who and Ace are property of BBC. The
character of Raina MacLaren and Callom Stewart are property of me,
Tryniamerin. My characters mean now harm to the show. This is written out
of enjoyment for a creative show... and to preserve a good sf time travel
saga!
A Growing Madness
Part 4:To outer limits and beyond:
Theresa E. Meyers
Written 1996, revised 1998
Raina and Ace drifted through the black, diamond-studded void. Huge struts surrounded them as they started patching pieces together. Ace clipped herself to one strut with a safety harness.
"I never thought you'd know about orbital repair stuff," she said.
"I'm a big SF nut," Raina said.
"Hope the Professor put the TARDIS back together," Ace muttered, barely discernible over Raina's radio channel.
"Do you think those Karakulians saw us moving the colonists?"
"Not likely. The Professor said the heat'd slow them down."
"I'm just worried about these colonists. Getting thirty people in a trance to move them onto a ship was easy enough. But keeping them alive once they're here..."
"Just one other thing..."
"Yes?"
"How did we get them out, unnoticed? Karakulians notice when heir experiments are done."
"I left tissue in the incubation units," Raina explained. "The detectors just register growth, not what was growing inside."
"So what is inside?"
"Tumors. Large ones."
By now the saucer was welded into the struts. What had baffled them was the silence on Karakul. They'd taken off without a hitch. After their ordeal it seemed strange that everything worked out so smoothly. Raina felt uneasy in the back of her mind. Wield a space-ready blowtorch didn't help. The plasma stream melded the Karakuliananium to barite polymer. Harsh, unfiltered sunlight gleamed off the huge hundred foot girders. Just deciding where to attach them was difficult.
"All done on my side, Yank," announced Ace, over the voice channel.
"Okay. It's good enough for government work over here. Let's take five."
Hand placed after hand, Raina pulled herself. She reached the airlock on the side of the living quarters of the Cerise. Both women waited for five minutes as air flushed into the small spherical room. Painstakingly they undid the safety latches on their suits and stepped out. Then they slipped in through the inner hatch. As they peeled off the coolant suits, bare skin became visible against undergarments. Ace shuddered when she saw the shiny burn scar tissue up Raina's right leg. What had once been charred flesh and seared muscle had healed over with scar tissue. Shiny tissue mottled with red seemed to melt and flow over normal skin. it reminded Ace of the pictures she'd seen of Hiroshima survivors. She pulled on her tights and miniskirt. Still in her black lace brazier, she began to hunt for a T- shirt.
"Feels good to be out of those suits," she muttered. The teenager tried not to let Raina see the pity in her face. If Raina noticed at all, she didn't acknowledge it. Over her tanned skin she pulled the long undergarments Ace'd seen her put on in the TARDIS wardrobe room. Right over what would seem to be normal underclothing. Raina slipped on a T-shirt saying Destroyer Tour 76, I WAS there..
"Do you know what gets me?" Ace asked. Now fully clothed, she braided her hair.
"That being?"
"Will the force of the hyper jump rip the saucer off? Even though we welded it on good?"
"I hope not. But the auxiliary unit should kick in if the saucer drive is lost. That's the fail-safe built into every module of the Aries class of ship."
Raina entered the lounge. Exhausted, Ace followed. Raina noticed Ace slipping petroplastic disposable flight coveralls over her clothing. It was funny to see her wearing the mute powder blue of a long dead colonist.
"How are you holding up, Yank?" she asked Raina. In zero g the Geologist folded head in hands and drifted near the food hydrator.
"Oh, okay, I guess. Just feeling the rigors of being thirty five," she sighed.
"I'll get us something t' drink. Spacework's thirsty slogging."
Raina closed her eyes, and tracked backwards into her mind. She could recall what Callom had last transmitted there. About what happened to him and the others while she was in the embryo room:
***
Fixing ships was the easy part. Raina was no engineer, but her experience from her travels gave her enough knowledge for the basic space repairs. Everything went so smoothly it was difficult to believe she'd been cringing in some Karakulian lab mere hours before. "Here you are, Yank," said Ace. She handed Raina a squeeze bottle filled with water.
"Oh, thanks."
"Why are you staring off into space?"
"Just thinking. I don't like the way Callom looks. He appeared exhausted."
"Little wonder. No everyone grows up overnight."
"The effect of the sudden growth on his system. that's what worries me. It could be more dangerous."
"The Doctor will find out an answer."
"What if he doesn't? He's no biogeniticist."
"What could go wrong? He just went through the teenage years, and is all grown up."
"I fear it may be a hyper aging problem."
Ace bit her lip. she was hiding something. Reading body language got her far enough to guess if someone might be lying. But she couldn't be completely sure. Even if she was a telepath like other members of her species, it was offensive to look into mind without the person knowing. At least in human society. Especially with people you were supposed to trust. Raina shoved her suspicions back. She couldn't afford to mistrust Ace. After all, they were still in deadly danger when the Karakulians woke.
"Just as well I can't read minds," Raina decided. Both women ate hydrated food in silence. There was little they could do except wait.
"The Doctor didn't load his TARDIS on board, right?"
"I don't remember," said Ace. "If he didn't, he'd be pretty dumb."
"Seems he doesn't always act on common sense. At least not human common sense. But if he gets the TARDIS working, that's probably how he'll get up here with us."
"Still, he'd be a right mess without me to look after him," said Ace.
"I've noticed that. he'd still probably be stuck in that lab if you hadn't been there to bail him out."
"It was Callom that did it," she said. "That power he has is totally wicked. Something else! Teleportation..."
"I know. The people... in my time have such ability but it is rare. Only 10 percent of humans are born with psychic powers. Most of us are as you see me. Which is amazing considering Callom is from twentieth century earth, when such abilities were still questioned..."
"Where you from, Yank? What time?"
"The twentieth century, on Earth in California, 1979."
"But if you were born on Earth, why are you so strong?" Ace asked.
"I think the Rani must have done some of her genetic engineering on me."
"But Vitruem... you said that you didn't trust her. And yet you told me now that you'd do anything to make it right..."
"You bet. She redeemed herself in my eyes. And for all the horrible things the Rani made her do... the damn Time lords..."
"Take it they're not too popular with you," Ace said.
"No. After what she told me about what they did to her people.... Centuries ago. In fact, the Doctor is the first time lords I actually almost trust. Considering the Rani was the first Time Lord I met, you can understand..."
"What planet did Vitreum come from?"
"Mantissa. It's in the Kasterborous group. Her race developed independently, on the fourth planet of A binary system. Except when the Time Lords came."
"Nothing ever changes, back in Perivale," said Ace. Raina didn't bother to ask. She could guess the rest of the story. "You and the kid seem pretty tight."
"He and I were fellow specimens in the lab of the Rani," said Ray.
"He's pretty lucky, that you're looking out for him."
"Sometimes I don't know. Wandering through space and time. Is that any kind of place for a child to grow up?"
Ace glared at her.
"I wasn't talking about you. You're already there," Raina said quickly. Ace relaxed. She bit into another piece of sandwich. Raina chewed away at her vegetable salad concentrate. Casually she drifted near the viewport, anchored by her swami-belt.
"That hole was pretty tough to patch up," she said. "Stupid Karakulian ship. Do they blow up everything they encounter?"
"Those bildgebags screw up everything, pretty much. Like the Daleks..."
"When did you and the Doctor run into them?"
"Was back in 1963. London. Coal hill. They blew up my boom-box."
"If I never see another Karakulian, it will be too soon," said Ray with a shudder.
"Ray, what's wrong?"
"Just a feeling. Like there was some sort of a disturbance."
"News flash from Cal?"
"Nothing telepathic. More like a general feeling that things are not right."
"You mean it feels like we got away too easily?"
"No. It's like I was in the Embryo room. Everything seemed all right when I had just reversed the mutation. Then I heard a noise...
***
I'd grabbed a steel bar, and I held it out in front of myself for self- defense. That Karakulian that stood right in front of me was waving its gun. How ironic. My own actions gave me away again.
Then it said in that horrible computerized voice, "You will move away from the tissue production apparatus..."
I spat, "Will I?"
I wasn't about to let some stupid cyborg machine stop me. Not like last time. Then the thing went to say, "If you do not follow my command, you will be killed."
"Why don't you just get it over with and save yourself the trouble," I sneered. I grabbed more tightly to that bar, I tell you.
"You will not ask questions... you will obey..." it said, like some skipping CD.
Ever so slowly I edged along that back wall. I hoped to get closer to the door. I'd slung the Accelerator onto my back. The dumb machine didn't notice it on me.
"Move away from the cultures! Move! Move!"
"Whatever you say," I grinned. Then, still holding that bar, I moved away from the wall. slowly. That Karakulian mirrored my every move. when I moved right, it covered me. I felt like we were parentheses, because the space between us didn't change. That same ten feet apart was constant. I took my chance. I tossed that bar, and hit the deck. Overtop I felt the heat of that blast sizzle. Seconds felt like eternity, and I just barely managed to roll to one side, out of the way. But just close enough to touch it. My hearts beat faster than ever. I could feel the adrenaline surging. So I reached down inside, deep down and channeled my fear and anger. Right out of my fingertips. White fire seemed to ignite my brain.
Then I heard the voice slowing down. As if someone forgot to wind it up. I shook all over. I had just enough strength to limp to my feet. This leg was now able to support most of my weight again. It was wonderful to be able to use it again, even though I did limp down that hallway. But I hadn't gotten halfway down it before I dropped to the floor again. I could hear the vibrations through the floor, because I had my ear pressed down against it. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw sudden movement.
"We wondered why you were laying on the floor when we saw you."
I was relieved when it was you guys.
"Yeah. Sure felt like some naff love in."
"Can you blame me? I was relieved."
But I didn't like the look of Callom. He just seemed so, well, exhausted. He was leaning on me pretty hard. That's another reason why I think it is a side effect of the sudden growth.
Yeah. I noticed. . But I was wondering what they were doing with those colonists anyway..."
"I think they were taking the Doctor's regeneration properties and infusing them into the experimental Karakulians. I set the mutation generators in a reverse sequence."
"How did you put the DNA back the way it was?"
"Not all the cells were completely mutated yet. I simply used the Growth Accelerator with target DNA replication in the unaffected cells after I stopped the mutation process."
"Cool. But it took hours to get everyone on board. Especially since they must have mutated into something that could walk again. They were almost blobs by the time we found you..."
"That reminds me. I'd better check the intravenous supplies for them..." Raina said. Ace noticed she'd not touched another bite of salad, and was already gathering up her tray. She unclipped herself from the table. With one well-judged push she sailed gracefully across the room. Both women cleared up all drifting particles. All plates and trays disappeared into the sonic agitator. Buzzing sound waves would shake loose any leftovers so the plates could be reused.
Both women clipped themselves to the rope running through the lower hatch. First Ace, then Raina somersaulted through. Down became up, and up became down. That's how it was in space. Four times the useful surface area. Since the gravity system was shut down to save energy as the fuel core recharged.
Along their lifelines they threaded themselves. Till they reached the sleeping quarters. Thirty people slumbered. Strapped into place with restraint harnesses, they floated spectrally above the beds. Raina felt their breaths with the back of one hand. "Still alive, thank goodness."
"What was with you, up there in the lounge?"
"?"
"I mean, like the blood's gone back into your face. Your string was really wound..."
"I felt that same feeling up there. Only it was starting to overwhelm me. I just had to get out of there."
"It's the ship. The Professor said you had weird outs before...."
"That lounge... I could still hear the laughter of the people there. They liked to play cards. Just think. Out in space they played an old fashioned game. Without electronics."
"It's creeps enough in here..."
"But these people are alive, Ace."
"All the same, can we check the controls?"
"Okay..."
Through the storage bay they threaded themselves to the gerbil tube. Then, to the Karakulian saucer they drifted. Only ticking lights greeted them. Circular control knobs that cold only be manipulated by friction claw dominated he panels a totally alien technology had been spliced to the Aries class ship. Ironic how the Karakulian technology would save thirty people once destined to become Karakulians. Here, in the saucer, artificial gravity was in full effect. Raina stood before a forward panel on the second level. Ace stood near the viewport.
"Let's test maneuvering," suggested Raina. For a moment she hesitated placing her hands where the enemy's once controlled. Ace saw the revulsion in her face. She shuddered. Guilt rose in her at the image of Raina crumpling under a Karakulian gun. Sticky notes labeled each control. Courtesy of Ace. She had all sorts of things in her backpack. It made sense to label each Karakulian ciphered panel with the corresponding English word. The were taking a rash course in Karakulianese flying. Callom had complained long ago about not being able to read the Hispaniarse Martian colonist writing on the Cerise's supplies.
Callom. Raina eased circular disks in various positions. Slowly the ship mimicked her movements. As she stood with her back to Ace, Raina's long French braid moved up and down in concert with her glancing at the various panels. UP and around the vest's back moved the tip of the braid. It seemed like Raina could fly any ship she laid hands upon. Unlike the Doctor. If he had control, ace would be picking herself up off the walls by now. Or else digging for a space sick bag as she tried not to hurl.
How did Raina have so much control over her life when it was just as chaotic as Ace's and the Doctor's? Even with a lame leg she'd coped. more amazing she had survived Karakulian extermination. That smoking charred leg bore witness to her ordeal in that cell. How she'd snapped at Ace not to show pity. What inner reserves did she possess, courtesy of the Rani's genetic tinkering?
"Leaving parking orbit now. I'm going to take this puppy to the dark side."
"Good job. Out of their radar, right?"
"Right. Hold on."
On the Karakulian flight deck, the artificial gravity functioned. Such a simple craft it was. For such a diabolical race. Ace tracked movement on the circular computer screen near Raina's left shoulder. A large green sphere traced itself. Small dashed lines grated out its coordinates. Around the sphere tracked a solid blue line. Their ship, Ace assumed. Small crosses must mean satellites. No other ship traces were visible. At least not now. Any minute Ace expected to see a new star join theirs. Her suspicion was well founded. There was a second trace. Following their path. "Hey Yank..."
"I see them. Going to twenty thousand miles."
Hands flew over control disks, like a train engineer turning tap valves. New coordinates traced out on another round screen to Raina's right. In Karakulianese symbols. And the distance between the traces was decreasing. Ace gripped the console nearest her.
"come on..."
"Any weapons on board this thing?"
"Yeah! I'm onto it..." Ace shouted, dashing to the railing. Gripping it with both hands, she vaulted over. The sticky pads were marked, "Weapons section... battle stations"
Ace had instinct for weapons. She'd seen the inside of the Karakulian ship on her last adventure with them. the controls here were much simpler. Two toggle knobs manipulated horizontal and vertical targeting. Firing was voice activated by a speaker.
Raina coasted down to ten thousand miles. The second star arced around to follow. Ace struggled with the targeting. The ship kept drifting out of range. "
"Damn!" she hissed. "This is worse than playing Pong."
Ace remembered the ancient ancestor of video games, and realized it was Raina's contemporary game. A knob controlled a square blip. You could turn it up and down to go up and down. her cousin and she were rooting around in the attack. Inside a metal box they'd found the two paddles and program unit. Wiring it up to an old black and white set, they spent the afternoon playing. just on a whim. Her next shot just grazed them. "What the blazes are they doing."
"Going to one hundred miles," said Raina.
"That's in the upper atmosphere," said Ace.
"I'm hoping it will interfere with their tracking."
"It'd screw our ups as well."
"Just point and shoot," said Raina. Already the ship shook. It was not designed for atmospheric lift. Grimly Raina hunched over her panels. How could she stay so calm? Ace wondered. That face set firmly. Brown eyes narrowed behind her glasses as all her mind focused
Ace spun the two control like madness. Already she'd wasted most of the charges. "Hang on, Yank," she said. "Almost got them!"
"They're right on top of us," said Raina. In her mind's eye she could see the wreath of clouds whizzing past the rectangular framework. They skimmed the upper atmosphere, drifting like a bizarre surfer on the spray zone of Karakul's atmosphere. The sauces wove after them, mimicking the bizarre dance. Lightening blasts crashed the clouds around them. They carried their storm with them. Box kite and saucer played tag. Unfortunately this game was deadly. If you got tagged, you weren't it, you were dead. Raina curved left, coming in over the lower troposphere.
"Its getting hot in here," said Ace. Sweat dripped into her eyes. "I just can't get a good lock. Hold on, Yank... don't let them get us..."
Raina dropped to fifty miles. Then up. The box kite Cerise drifted back up to one hundred miles. Two orbits had been tracked. Two orbits. What was it the Earth Astronauts warned about? "What are you doing?" Ace asked.
"Hold on," said Raina. She shoved both knobs to the extreme right. The Frisbee followed the boxkite, guns glazing. Clouds revert off the sharp corners in crimson streamers. Stars peaked behind the vaporous trails. Raina decreased her approach vector. Lower and lower they plunged, till they were only fifty miles from Karakul's surface. Then the box kite bounced off the upper layers of the atmosphere. Nearly vertical, the ship was hurled back into space.
Ace shouted, "Fire,"
Molten drops cascaded from the frisbee. If someone had been watching, they'd notice the shooting star gracing Karakul's skies.
***
"Doctor! Will ye look at that?" Callom waved at something remote and distant.
"Hmm, I never expected a meteor shower." The Doctor commented.
With pure wonder Callom gaped at the streak of white fire. A huge rumbling boom rattled the windows of the City around them. Then as suddenly as it began, the streak split in two. A single fireball screamed into he distant mountains.
Every thing flared fluorescent. The spherical blob expanded at light speed. All the details of the Doctor's coat sprang out. Blue and black tartan washed out pure white. Callom clasped hands over his eyes, it was so blinding. Seconds later the brilliance faded to tolerable darkness. Already the sun had set on Karakul, plunging the landscape into thick night. "Do ye suppose it was a shooting star?" the highlander asked.
"More likely a ship." The Doctor shaded his eyes with his hand.
"I hope it wasn't what I thought it was..."
"Don't be ridiculous. Can't you still feel her?" the Doctor asked him.
***
Raina felt Ace helping her stand. "I don't know what you did, but it was incredible. I got them."
"Bounced the ship of the atmosphere. The Karakulians thought we were going to land. I came in at an angle. So we just skipped off the atmosphere like a stone off water," laughed Raina. "Not bad for someone trapped before what is it. microchips."
"Good going," laughed Ace. Raina grunted when she felt a huge impact on her back. Sweat pouring down her forehead, she grabbed Ace in a huge bear hug that lifted the teenager off her feet. "We did it!"
"Now let's collect the professor and Callom," said Ace. "And get the hell outta here!"
***
Callom helped the Doctor struggle to his feet. As Raina did before, the Doctor leaned hard on the young highlander. Even thought the Doctor was short, he was heavy. Together they limped through the firestorm. Instinctively Callom knew the way. Across metal gleaming molten in the firelight, they stumbled. That same blackness curled before Callom' vision as before.
"Come on, Doctor," said Callom. "Wake up, will ye?"
"Just a bang on the head," muttered the Doctor. "I'll be alright."
"What's that thing yer carrying?"
"A remote control," the Doctor answered.
"Those Karakulians will catch up to us if we don't get a move on..."
Finally the Doctor caught his breath. They threw themselves down as a final explosion wracked the night. "What's going on?"
"Ehrweylians," said the Doctor. And passed out.
"Come on!" Callom cried, dragging him along. To get the TARDIS they had to return to the city. That thought made Callom since. Now that it was exploding in ruins. What were Ehrweylians doing back here all of a sudden, when they were supposed to have fled the planet?
Again the blackness caught up with Callom, within his mind. Valiantly he dragged the Doctor. He dared not teleport, because the whole world was fire and dark. Like Armageddon. If these Ehrweylians were from Karakul, why were they hidden before? These thoughts on his mind, he felt his knees give way. He suddenly didn't have the strength to stand anymore. "So sorry Raina. I Cannae make it!"
***
Later, Callom felt hands lowering him to the ground. Was he having a nightmare? Based on his experience before? Raina had carried him days ago, or was it minutes? Out of the soil he raised his head. At least it was cool here. Ghosts rose all around them. He could hear their dry bones as they cracked. Someone had covered him with a cloak.. To the touch it felt like a slick shower curtain. Beside him, the doctor rubbed his head. He sat up, putting on his hat.
"Callom, Lad. Are you all right?"
"Och, I think so, doctor," he said. "Ma head fair near hurts. But it's no because I teleported."
"We're home free. There's the TARDIS."
"How what where?" asked Callom. Hitching his tartan toga round his waist, he stood up.
"Easy now. Easy. That's it."
They helped each other to the Police Box. Casually it stood near the trees, in a clearing. "Wait, almost forgot," said the Doctor. Reaching over, her picked up the strange bundle he'd been carrying. "Can't leave without this."
"How did the TARDIS get here? And what are Ehrweylians doing back here popping oot of nowhere?"
"One question at a time, lad," said the Doctor through the darkness. No light fell on them except he distant flickering of the city. Eerily it pixilated though the framework of dead trees.
Drawing his key out of his pocket, the Doctor opened the doors. They entered the vast bright space of the console room. Callom saw the Doctor crouched under the console. The doors whirred shut. For a time he watched the city burning on the scanner. Those flames danced hypnotically. Meanwhile the Doctor wired the box somewhere under the TARDIS panels. Callom couldn't even begin to guess what it was for.
"There were are," he laughed. "Good as new."
"What?"
"Dematerializing now. The Karakulian's little hyper drive unit's bypassed the TARDIS directional control."
"Doctor, ye owe me an explanation. What happened to the city, and why is the TARDIS here instead of there?"
"Simple. Someone moved it?"
"Who?"
"Some very old friends."
"Not Karakulians, I take it."
"No."
"But if ye had friends on the planet before, why they pick nau of all times to show up?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out. They have a bad habit of running away when I ask."
"Ehrweylians?"
"Exactly."
***
Ace and Raina spun round as they heard the wheezing dematerialization. The TARDIS solidified, and the light stopped flashing. They rushed over as the males emerged. "We saw the explosions coming from the dark side," said Ace. "What happened?"
"The Ehrweylians happened," said the Doctor simply. "Ready to go?"
"We're leaving just like that?" asked Raina. "Wait about the colonists?"
"The Rani's revenge has again backfired. And the Erweylians are free to return."
"Just like that. why didn't they come before?" asked Raina.
"Because. of the threat of their power." the Doctor said. "But I highly doubt that the transwarp barriers will keep them out as they had before." The Doctor clutched his box. Then set it on the floor before one of the panels. "Maneuver the ship into a high orbit, Raina."
Shaking her head, Raina eased the dual controls for plotting the orbit. The third control she turned to half thrust. Rockets boomed as the hybrid ship coasted to a higher orbit within minutes. Callom stood next to Ace. They exchanged smiles. Ace masked her concern as she glanced into his face. How drawn and pale he looked lately. All they could do now was watch the Time Lord messing with a small box of circuits while Raina piloted the craft. He muttered to himself and grumbled, sometimes rapping the box angrily.
"What are you grousing about now?" asked Ace.
"You'll find out. How much farther to go, Raina?"
"About five miles. Then we will be in position for a hyperjump. But there's a problem. I think the directional control is shot."
"No worries. Just get us out of a low orbit."
"There might not be enough fuel to reach escape velocity. I've barely got enough left for maneuvering," Raina announced grimly.
"We had a battle with a Karakulian saucer," Ace explained.
"That was the shooting start, then" asked Callom. Ace nodded. Both teenagers leaned against a nearby wall panel. Karakulians unfortunately didn't' need to sit when flying their craft. The Doctor flipped switches on his box. "Ready?"
"We've run out of fuel. But we're there," said Raina triumphantly.
"Good girl. Now hold on. Here goes nothing. Operate the hyperjump."
Raina pushed an improvised solenoid. At first nothing happened. Then she kicked the panel. Nuclear engines hummed into life, from a distance. Everyone felt the sudden shock as the Cerise crept to transwarp velocity. "We're reaching light speed now..." The Doctor nodded eagerly.
Callom crossed his fingers. Would it work? Monitors tracing their orbits went blank. "It's okay," said Ace, fingers slipping around his hand. "We're outta here!"
Gently he squeezed her hand in return. Neither teen let go.
It started from the roots of the floor. Everything shook. Even the view itself. The whole room shuddered. Callom felt his heart pounding in his chest as he was pressed flat against the wall. "We've breached the fourth dimension... entering hyper space now!" came Raina's voice, slightly distorted.
"This did nae happen before," said Callom, worried.
"Professor?" asked Ace.
The only answer to her query was glance from the floor. Frantically the Doctor pressed solenoids on the box. "What the hell are you playing at?" She cried.
Straining struts groaned. "It's what I was afraid of!" cried Raina. The walls around them began to buckle. "This Karakulian ship isn't built to withstand the strain of hyper space!"
"Quickly! To the TARDIS!" shouted the Doctor, grabbing his umbrella. Ace dashed over, still clutching Callom's hand. They slipped inside.
"Come on Yank!" she shouted. "Don't hang about!"
There was a bang. Everyone pitched sideways.
"The struts have torn!" shouted Raina. Still she stood by the control panels. "We're detaching from the Cerise!!"
"One more second," muttered the Doctor. He reached for the box. Hit one last solenoid with the toe of his foot.
Ace rushed to Raina, grabbing her arm. "Come on already! There's nothing we can do! We gotta split!"
"But the ship... without the directional control will keep on drifting!" Raina cried.
"Don't worry about that!" said the Doctor. "I've got it set!"
He stopped when a collapsing girder smacked him on the head. All around them the panels sparked. Pieces dropped from the ceiling and walls. Grabbing the Doctor's shoulders, Raina and Ace wrested him towards the TARDIS. Callom and Ace took the Doctor as Raina pulled the key from his pocket.
***
Ace shut the doors. Swooning against Callom, the Doctor muttered gibberish. "He's been acting like that for the past few minutes," said Callom.
"Oh great," Ace complained. "What are we going to do now? If we get caught in the back lash..."
"We can nae fly this without him awake..."
Raina hastily consulted the fault locator. "Everything's repaired," she said.
"Ummm...."
"Doctor!" cried Callom. "What do we do!"
"Raina," he muttered. "You. posses the know-how. Vitreum's last gift to you."
"He's saying yer name," said Ace.
"Yes Ace, I can hear...." snapped Raina impatiently.
Through half open eyes he glanced at the Geologist. "You... must take off."
"But I'm not a time lord..."
"You contain the genetic inheritance..." he gasped. "Symbiotic nuclei.. To stabilize... it was Vitreum's last gift. And besides. Tegan could well fly this rackety old bucket, although I'd never admit to her that she could."
"Tegan?" asked Raina.
"One of his friends," said Ace quickly.
"Me fly the TARDIS," she gasped, rushing over to the console. Desperately her hands flew over the panels. Callom and Ace watched feverishly as they felt the ship lurching. Stiffly she hesitated before each action. Then a veil of calmness fell over her.
"Callom, sense my thoughts," the Doctor whispered, and slowly reached out to touch Callom's temples. "Relay them to Raina. she will know."
Raina gasped as she felt strange equations flowing through her mind. Using Callom as a conduit, through the rapport he shared with the human woman, altered by the Rani's genetics, the Doctor relayed what she would know. He used her instead of Ace, not wanting to subject her to the rigors of such a mind link. for in some dark corner of his mind he was trying to protect her, maintain her innocence. He relayed this revelation to Raina, and she slowly let him inside her mind, realizing his trust in her was absolute.
"Setting vortex coordinates," said she. At last she grasped the three demat levers in both hands. Edging them forwards, she said, "here goes nothing."
They sighed with relief as the column rose and fell. Wheezing shudders permeated the room. Raina still hunched over the console, staring at he bobbing column overtop her glasses.
"I knew ye could do it," said Callom. Reaching behind her, he wrapped her in a hug. Her shoulders were rock hard with tension. Slowly the Doctor stumbled over to Raina, and slowly put his hand to her temples.
"Why me?" she asked. "Why not Ace?"
"Because, there are reasons. You must let me complete the link. trust me."
"but I'm not telepathic."
"Rubbish," he whispered. "The Rani gave you something that I thought she would not dare. And Vitreum's inheritance was not wasted. Reach into yourself and let me in. let me show you how it is done. for I fear. I wont' last long."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she said, taking his hand in hers. "I'm afraid I don't know where we'll end up."
"Just as long as we got out there," said Ace. "After all, you flew that other ship.."
"A Karakulian ship is hardly a TARDIS," she said.
"No. I meant yer own time machine."
Curving around to the next panel she checked the readouts. "It's like trying to drive a stick shift when you're used to an automatic," she explained. "It's a type 40, no matter what you see."
"Yes," the Doctor panted, pressing his hands to her head and slowly trying to make her focus. He felt black miasma spinning before him as he attempted to force as much in before collapsing. Callom and Ace looked at him as they grabbed him.
"doctor." Raina gasped.
"Remember. Tegan," he whispered. "You're the coordinator. Adric. you are what keeps us together. Nyssa. you are the strength. and your chemistry know-how."
"What are you babbling about?" Raina asked.
"He's delirious, he's calling us by other names."
"Tegan. I trust you." the Doctor moaned as Ace helped him to sit in a chair.
"Can ye fly it?" asked Callom, as Raina bit her nails.
"The principle's the same. But it's an antique," she said, scratching her head. "So primitive compared to the Rani's. Cumbersome. But I'll do what I can. We're in the Vortex with the last coordinates I punched. But to fix an actual destination... may take some time to figure out..."
"Stay up here," said Ace. "Just get us away from Karakul past or present."
Both Callom and she supported the unconscious Doctor. Newfound confidence passed from the two teens to her. Between them they carried him through the door. "We'll get him to bed," said Ace.
"I hope I can land us somewhere we can get him help," said Raina as she watched them leave.
**
Multiple figures in environmental suits trotted against the Armageddon they'd created. "As before we resort to war," grumbled Zaylexa.
"It is necessary, my love," sighed Tahmer. "It is what they deserve."
The giants caught the arm of one soldier as he rushed past. "Miarah. Did you spot any other aliens?"
"Just two sir. Heading toward the city."
"Strangers?"
"Come. WE have work to do," said her consort.
Slender figures trotted instinctively toward the firestorm. Cries rattled against the gunfire and explosives. The Ehrweylians took back their City, Zaylexa thought. At last the madness could end. The one known as the Rani had ruled them for far too long thorough terror. They had escaped her clutches to hide, and await the Doctor, who would set them free.
"Here they are," said Tahmer. At their feet two figures lay semiconscious. "Help me get them to the clearing."
Boosting them on their shoulders, the figures trotted through the forest. Once they reached the clearing, Tahmer lowered his body to the ground. Zaylexa did the same. Both dropped to their knees with reverence. They touched faces to the charred soil, then bent backwards as if to kiss the sky. "Again he has come, out of the fabric of reality itself in our time of need," Zaylexa chanted.
Spanning his arms a fathom, her consort stood up. Frightened blue eyes took in the blue box. He dared not approach till the proper incantation was said. "My blessed ancestor long ago wrote of your return. He set the skies the signs we must follow. This Traveler has answered our pleas. We held back till the skies wept the shooting stars. Then we fell upon the City."
"And now we have returned to the Landing place," said Zaylexa.
Carefully they arranged the bodies in a spread eagle fashion. Then removing their cloaks they covered them. "Take these meager signs of our hospitality. WE defer to your wisdom with reverence. A new day dawns as we pick ourselves from the ashes."
"The Circle of friends has closed..."
Both stood side by side. Zaylexa's golden head came just to Tahmer's nose. "As your father and father's father before you, you lead us well," she said. "Now, take my hand as our Ancestors did..."
Grasping hands, they stood before the Box. All the mysteries it must hold. Well Tahmer recalled the morning's work digging it out. Six strong Ehrweylians had dragged it to the right place, setting it here.
Carefully they'd kept their distance in the woods, scaring off the animals that would attack the others. Two men and two women had returned, as the Doctor had so long ago. Their faces were different, but that mattered not. All the signs were there. Then the stars fell, two of them. That was the signal to attack the City. The Karakulians had cast on a slumber and it was easy to slip inside of the City then. Once positioned, the troops set bombs to the defense screens. From there on it was simplicity.
Tahmer and Zaylexa clasped hands, and faced the Box again. Then they turned to leave the Circle of Friends. "Farewell, Traveler, and Doctor. You are the brave ones. For your names are spoken. Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa and Adric. You are remembered."
A new sun would rise over a new Karakul, and the new chapter of Ehrweyl civilization. Tahmer would rule as his grandfather had. And his forbear had so long ago.
"Why did they have to suffer so?" asked Zaylexa. When they had left the circle of friends.
"They suffered before," said Tahmer. "Willingly-it was written-must they involve themselves before we emerge. To show us the signs. Only then could we shed our mantle of non aggression to attack."
"But we trained our soldiers to fight."
"Fighting is not the same as training," said Tahmer. "We did not kill when we trained. Now we kill."
"Will we also fly in space again?" she asked.
"Someday Zaylexa my love," he said, turning her to face him. "But we must take our steps slowly. We have only just won back the City."
Zaylexa felt his lips touch her forehead. Glancing up into the stars above, she could swear that she saw one winking at her.
***
A Growing Madness
Part 4:To outer limits and beyond:
Theresa E. Meyers
Written 1996, revised 1998
Raina and Ace drifted through the black, diamond-studded void. Huge struts surrounded them as they started patching pieces together. Ace clipped herself to one strut with a safety harness.
"I never thought you'd know about orbital repair stuff," she said.
"I'm a big SF nut," Raina said.
"Hope the Professor put the TARDIS back together," Ace muttered, barely discernible over Raina's radio channel.
"Do you think those Karakulians saw us moving the colonists?"
"Not likely. The Professor said the heat'd slow them down."
"I'm just worried about these colonists. Getting thirty people in a trance to move them onto a ship was easy enough. But keeping them alive once they're here..."
"Just one other thing..."
"Yes?"
"How did we get them out, unnoticed? Karakulians notice when heir experiments are done."
"I left tissue in the incubation units," Raina explained. "The detectors just register growth, not what was growing inside."
"So what is inside?"
"Tumors. Large ones."
By now the saucer was welded into the struts. What had baffled them was the silence on Karakul. They'd taken off without a hitch. After their ordeal it seemed strange that everything worked out so smoothly. Raina felt uneasy in the back of her mind. Wield a space-ready blowtorch didn't help. The plasma stream melded the Karakuliananium to barite polymer. Harsh, unfiltered sunlight gleamed off the huge hundred foot girders. Just deciding where to attach them was difficult.
"All done on my side, Yank," announced Ace, over the voice channel.
"Okay. It's good enough for government work over here. Let's take five."
Hand placed after hand, Raina pulled herself. She reached the airlock on the side of the living quarters of the Cerise. Both women waited for five minutes as air flushed into the small spherical room. Painstakingly they undid the safety latches on their suits and stepped out. Then they slipped in through the inner hatch. As they peeled off the coolant suits, bare skin became visible against undergarments. Ace shuddered when she saw the shiny burn scar tissue up Raina's right leg. What had once been charred flesh and seared muscle had healed over with scar tissue. Shiny tissue mottled with red seemed to melt and flow over normal skin. it reminded Ace of the pictures she'd seen of Hiroshima survivors. She pulled on her tights and miniskirt. Still in her black lace brazier, she began to hunt for a T- shirt.
"Feels good to be out of those suits," she muttered. The teenager tried not to let Raina see the pity in her face. If Raina noticed at all, she didn't acknowledge it. Over her tanned skin she pulled the long undergarments Ace'd seen her put on in the TARDIS wardrobe room. Right over what would seem to be normal underclothing. Raina slipped on a T-shirt saying Destroyer Tour 76, I WAS there..
"Do you know what gets me?" Ace asked. Now fully clothed, she braided her hair.
"That being?"
"Will the force of the hyper jump rip the saucer off? Even though we welded it on good?"
"I hope not. But the auxiliary unit should kick in if the saucer drive is lost. That's the fail-safe built into every module of the Aries class of ship."
Raina entered the lounge. Exhausted, Ace followed. Raina noticed Ace slipping petroplastic disposable flight coveralls over her clothing. It was funny to see her wearing the mute powder blue of a long dead colonist.
"How are you holding up, Yank?" she asked Raina. In zero g the Geologist folded head in hands and drifted near the food hydrator.
"Oh, okay, I guess. Just feeling the rigors of being thirty five," she sighed.
"I'll get us something t' drink. Spacework's thirsty slogging."
Raina closed her eyes, and tracked backwards into her mind. She could recall what Callom had last transmitted there. About what happened to him and the others while she was in the embryo room:
***
Fixing ships was the easy part. Raina was no engineer, but her experience from her travels gave her enough knowledge for the basic space repairs. Everything went so smoothly it was difficult to believe she'd been cringing in some Karakulian lab mere hours before. "Here you are, Yank," said Ace. She handed Raina a squeeze bottle filled with water.
"Oh, thanks."
"Why are you staring off into space?"
"Just thinking. I don't like the way Callom looks. He appeared exhausted."
"Little wonder. No everyone grows up overnight."
"The effect of the sudden growth on his system. that's what worries me. It could be more dangerous."
"The Doctor will find out an answer."
"What if he doesn't? He's no biogeniticist."
"What could go wrong? He just went through the teenage years, and is all grown up."
"I fear it may be a hyper aging problem."
Ace bit her lip. she was hiding something. Reading body language got her far enough to guess if someone might be lying. But she couldn't be completely sure. Even if she was a telepath like other members of her species, it was offensive to look into mind without the person knowing. At least in human society. Especially with people you were supposed to trust. Raina shoved her suspicions back. She couldn't afford to mistrust Ace. After all, they were still in deadly danger when the Karakulians woke.
"Just as well I can't read minds," Raina decided. Both women ate hydrated food in silence. There was little they could do except wait.
"The Doctor didn't load his TARDIS on board, right?"
"I don't remember," said Ace. "If he didn't, he'd be pretty dumb."
"Seems he doesn't always act on common sense. At least not human common sense. But if he gets the TARDIS working, that's probably how he'll get up here with us."
"Still, he'd be a right mess without me to look after him," said Ace.
"I've noticed that. he'd still probably be stuck in that lab if you hadn't been there to bail him out."
"It was Callom that did it," she said. "That power he has is totally wicked. Something else! Teleportation..."
"I know. The people... in my time have such ability but it is rare. Only 10 percent of humans are born with psychic powers. Most of us are as you see me. Which is amazing considering Callom is from twentieth century earth, when such abilities were still questioned..."
"Where you from, Yank? What time?"
"The twentieth century, on Earth in California, 1979."
"But if you were born on Earth, why are you so strong?" Ace asked.
"I think the Rani must have done some of her genetic engineering on me."
"But Vitruem... you said that you didn't trust her. And yet you told me now that you'd do anything to make it right..."
"You bet. She redeemed herself in my eyes. And for all the horrible things the Rani made her do... the damn Time lords..."
"Take it they're not too popular with you," Ace said.
"No. After what she told me about what they did to her people.... Centuries ago. In fact, the Doctor is the first time lords I actually almost trust. Considering the Rani was the first Time Lord I met, you can understand..."
"What planet did Vitreum come from?"
"Mantissa. It's in the Kasterborous group. Her race developed independently, on the fourth planet of A binary system. Except when the Time Lords came."
"Nothing ever changes, back in Perivale," said Ace. Raina didn't bother to ask. She could guess the rest of the story. "You and the kid seem pretty tight."
"He and I were fellow specimens in the lab of the Rani," said Ray.
"He's pretty lucky, that you're looking out for him."
"Sometimes I don't know. Wandering through space and time. Is that any kind of place for a child to grow up?"
Ace glared at her.
"I wasn't talking about you. You're already there," Raina said quickly. Ace relaxed. She bit into another piece of sandwich. Raina chewed away at her vegetable salad concentrate. Casually she drifted near the viewport, anchored by her swami-belt.
"That hole was pretty tough to patch up," she said. "Stupid Karakulian ship. Do they blow up everything they encounter?"
"Those bildgebags screw up everything, pretty much. Like the Daleks..."
"When did you and the Doctor run into them?"
"Was back in 1963. London. Coal hill. They blew up my boom-box."
"If I never see another Karakulian, it will be too soon," said Ray with a shudder.
"Ray, what's wrong?"
"Just a feeling. Like there was some sort of a disturbance."
"News flash from Cal?"
"Nothing telepathic. More like a general feeling that things are not right."
"You mean it feels like we got away too easily?"
"No. It's like I was in the Embryo room. Everything seemed all right when I had just reversed the mutation. Then I heard a noise...
***
I'd grabbed a steel bar, and I held it out in front of myself for self- defense. That Karakulian that stood right in front of me was waving its gun. How ironic. My own actions gave me away again.
Then it said in that horrible computerized voice, "You will move away from the tissue production apparatus..."
I spat, "Will I?"
I wasn't about to let some stupid cyborg machine stop me. Not like last time. Then the thing went to say, "If you do not follow my command, you will be killed."
"Why don't you just get it over with and save yourself the trouble," I sneered. I grabbed more tightly to that bar, I tell you.
"You will not ask questions... you will obey..." it said, like some skipping CD.
Ever so slowly I edged along that back wall. I hoped to get closer to the door. I'd slung the Accelerator onto my back. The dumb machine didn't notice it on me.
"Move away from the cultures! Move! Move!"
"Whatever you say," I grinned. Then, still holding that bar, I moved away from the wall. slowly. That Karakulian mirrored my every move. when I moved right, it covered me. I felt like we were parentheses, because the space between us didn't change. That same ten feet apart was constant. I took my chance. I tossed that bar, and hit the deck. Overtop I felt the heat of that blast sizzle. Seconds felt like eternity, and I just barely managed to roll to one side, out of the way. But just close enough to touch it. My hearts beat faster than ever. I could feel the adrenaline surging. So I reached down inside, deep down and channeled my fear and anger. Right out of my fingertips. White fire seemed to ignite my brain.
Then I heard the voice slowing down. As if someone forgot to wind it up. I shook all over. I had just enough strength to limp to my feet. This leg was now able to support most of my weight again. It was wonderful to be able to use it again, even though I did limp down that hallway. But I hadn't gotten halfway down it before I dropped to the floor again. I could hear the vibrations through the floor, because I had my ear pressed down against it. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw sudden movement.
"We wondered why you were laying on the floor when we saw you."
I was relieved when it was you guys.
"Yeah. Sure felt like some naff love in."
"Can you blame me? I was relieved."
But I didn't like the look of Callom. He just seemed so, well, exhausted. He was leaning on me pretty hard. That's another reason why I think it is a side effect of the sudden growth.
Yeah. I noticed. . But I was wondering what they were doing with those colonists anyway..."
"I think they were taking the Doctor's regeneration properties and infusing them into the experimental Karakulians. I set the mutation generators in a reverse sequence."
"How did you put the DNA back the way it was?"
"Not all the cells were completely mutated yet. I simply used the Growth Accelerator with target DNA replication in the unaffected cells after I stopped the mutation process."
"Cool. But it took hours to get everyone on board. Especially since they must have mutated into something that could walk again. They were almost blobs by the time we found you..."
"That reminds me. I'd better check the intravenous supplies for them..." Raina said. Ace noticed she'd not touched another bite of salad, and was already gathering up her tray. She unclipped herself from the table. With one well-judged push she sailed gracefully across the room. Both women cleared up all drifting particles. All plates and trays disappeared into the sonic agitator. Buzzing sound waves would shake loose any leftovers so the plates could be reused.
Both women clipped themselves to the rope running through the lower hatch. First Ace, then Raina somersaulted through. Down became up, and up became down. That's how it was in space. Four times the useful surface area. Since the gravity system was shut down to save energy as the fuel core recharged.
Along their lifelines they threaded themselves. Till they reached the sleeping quarters. Thirty people slumbered. Strapped into place with restraint harnesses, they floated spectrally above the beds. Raina felt their breaths with the back of one hand. "Still alive, thank goodness."
"What was with you, up there in the lounge?"
"?"
"I mean, like the blood's gone back into your face. Your string was really wound..."
"I felt that same feeling up there. Only it was starting to overwhelm me. I just had to get out of there."
"It's the ship. The Professor said you had weird outs before...."
"That lounge... I could still hear the laughter of the people there. They liked to play cards. Just think. Out in space they played an old fashioned game. Without electronics."
"It's creeps enough in here..."
"But these people are alive, Ace."
"All the same, can we check the controls?"
"Okay..."
Through the storage bay they threaded themselves to the gerbil tube. Then, to the Karakulian saucer they drifted. Only ticking lights greeted them. Circular control knobs that cold only be manipulated by friction claw dominated he panels a totally alien technology had been spliced to the Aries class ship. Ironic how the Karakulian technology would save thirty people once destined to become Karakulians. Here, in the saucer, artificial gravity was in full effect. Raina stood before a forward panel on the second level. Ace stood near the viewport.
"Let's test maneuvering," suggested Raina. For a moment she hesitated placing her hands where the enemy's once controlled. Ace saw the revulsion in her face. She shuddered. Guilt rose in her at the image of Raina crumpling under a Karakulian gun. Sticky notes labeled each control. Courtesy of Ace. She had all sorts of things in her backpack. It made sense to label each Karakulian ciphered panel with the corresponding English word. The were taking a rash course in Karakulianese flying. Callom had complained long ago about not being able to read the Hispaniarse Martian colonist writing on the Cerise's supplies.
Callom. Raina eased circular disks in various positions. Slowly the ship mimicked her movements. As she stood with her back to Ace, Raina's long French braid moved up and down in concert with her glancing at the various panels. UP and around the vest's back moved the tip of the braid. It seemed like Raina could fly any ship she laid hands upon. Unlike the Doctor. If he had control, ace would be picking herself up off the walls by now. Or else digging for a space sick bag as she tried not to hurl.
How did Raina have so much control over her life when it was just as chaotic as Ace's and the Doctor's? Even with a lame leg she'd coped. more amazing she had survived Karakulian extermination. That smoking charred leg bore witness to her ordeal in that cell. How she'd snapped at Ace not to show pity. What inner reserves did she possess, courtesy of the Rani's genetic tinkering?
"Leaving parking orbit now. I'm going to take this puppy to the dark side."
"Good job. Out of their radar, right?"
"Right. Hold on."
On the Karakulian flight deck, the artificial gravity functioned. Such a simple craft it was. For such a diabolical race. Ace tracked movement on the circular computer screen near Raina's left shoulder. A large green sphere traced itself. Small dashed lines grated out its coordinates. Around the sphere tracked a solid blue line. Their ship, Ace assumed. Small crosses must mean satellites. No other ship traces were visible. At least not now. Any minute Ace expected to see a new star join theirs. Her suspicion was well founded. There was a second trace. Following their path. "Hey Yank..."
"I see them. Going to twenty thousand miles."
Hands flew over control disks, like a train engineer turning tap valves. New coordinates traced out on another round screen to Raina's right. In Karakulianese symbols. And the distance between the traces was decreasing. Ace gripped the console nearest her.
"come on..."
"Any weapons on board this thing?"
"Yeah! I'm onto it..." Ace shouted, dashing to the railing. Gripping it with both hands, she vaulted over. The sticky pads were marked, "Weapons section... battle stations"
Ace had instinct for weapons. She'd seen the inside of the Karakulian ship on her last adventure with them. the controls here were much simpler. Two toggle knobs manipulated horizontal and vertical targeting. Firing was voice activated by a speaker.
Raina coasted down to ten thousand miles. The second star arced around to follow. Ace struggled with the targeting. The ship kept drifting out of range. "
"Damn!" she hissed. "This is worse than playing Pong."
Ace remembered the ancient ancestor of video games, and realized it was Raina's contemporary game. A knob controlled a square blip. You could turn it up and down to go up and down. her cousin and she were rooting around in the attack. Inside a metal box they'd found the two paddles and program unit. Wiring it up to an old black and white set, they spent the afternoon playing. just on a whim. Her next shot just grazed them. "What the blazes are they doing."
"Going to one hundred miles," said Raina.
"That's in the upper atmosphere," said Ace.
"I'm hoping it will interfere with their tracking."
"It'd screw our ups as well."
"Just point and shoot," said Raina. Already the ship shook. It was not designed for atmospheric lift. Grimly Raina hunched over her panels. How could she stay so calm? Ace wondered. That face set firmly. Brown eyes narrowed behind her glasses as all her mind focused
Ace spun the two control like madness. Already she'd wasted most of the charges. "Hang on, Yank," she said. "Almost got them!"
"They're right on top of us," said Raina. In her mind's eye she could see the wreath of clouds whizzing past the rectangular framework. They skimmed the upper atmosphere, drifting like a bizarre surfer on the spray zone of Karakul's atmosphere. The sauces wove after them, mimicking the bizarre dance. Lightening blasts crashed the clouds around them. They carried their storm with them. Box kite and saucer played tag. Unfortunately this game was deadly. If you got tagged, you weren't it, you were dead. Raina curved left, coming in over the lower troposphere.
"Its getting hot in here," said Ace. Sweat dripped into her eyes. "I just can't get a good lock. Hold on, Yank... don't let them get us..."
Raina dropped to fifty miles. Then up. The box kite Cerise drifted back up to one hundred miles. Two orbits had been tracked. Two orbits. What was it the Earth Astronauts warned about? "What are you doing?" Ace asked.
"Hold on," said Raina. She shoved both knobs to the extreme right. The Frisbee followed the boxkite, guns glazing. Clouds revert off the sharp corners in crimson streamers. Stars peaked behind the vaporous trails. Raina decreased her approach vector. Lower and lower they plunged, till they were only fifty miles from Karakul's surface. Then the box kite bounced off the upper layers of the atmosphere. Nearly vertical, the ship was hurled back into space.
Ace shouted, "Fire,"
Molten drops cascaded from the frisbee. If someone had been watching, they'd notice the shooting star gracing Karakul's skies.
***
"Doctor! Will ye look at that?" Callom waved at something remote and distant.
"Hmm, I never expected a meteor shower." The Doctor commented.
With pure wonder Callom gaped at the streak of white fire. A huge rumbling boom rattled the windows of the City around them. Then as suddenly as it began, the streak split in two. A single fireball screamed into he distant mountains.
Every thing flared fluorescent. The spherical blob expanded at light speed. All the details of the Doctor's coat sprang out. Blue and black tartan washed out pure white. Callom clasped hands over his eyes, it was so blinding. Seconds later the brilliance faded to tolerable darkness. Already the sun had set on Karakul, plunging the landscape into thick night. "Do ye suppose it was a shooting star?" the highlander asked.
"More likely a ship." The Doctor shaded his eyes with his hand.
"I hope it wasn't what I thought it was..."
"Don't be ridiculous. Can't you still feel her?" the Doctor asked him.
***
Raina felt Ace helping her stand. "I don't know what you did, but it was incredible. I got them."
"Bounced the ship of the atmosphere. The Karakulians thought we were going to land. I came in at an angle. So we just skipped off the atmosphere like a stone off water," laughed Raina. "Not bad for someone trapped before what is it. microchips."
"Good going," laughed Ace. Raina grunted when she felt a huge impact on her back. Sweat pouring down her forehead, she grabbed Ace in a huge bear hug that lifted the teenager off her feet. "We did it!"
"Now let's collect the professor and Callom," said Ace. "And get the hell outta here!"
***
Callom helped the Doctor struggle to his feet. As Raina did before, the Doctor leaned hard on the young highlander. Even thought the Doctor was short, he was heavy. Together they limped through the firestorm. Instinctively Callom knew the way. Across metal gleaming molten in the firelight, they stumbled. That same blackness curled before Callom' vision as before.
"Come on, Doctor," said Callom. "Wake up, will ye?"
"Just a bang on the head," muttered the Doctor. "I'll be alright."
"What's that thing yer carrying?"
"A remote control," the Doctor answered.
"Those Karakulians will catch up to us if we don't get a move on..."
Finally the Doctor caught his breath. They threw themselves down as a final explosion wracked the night. "What's going on?"
"Ehrweylians," said the Doctor. And passed out.
"Come on!" Callom cried, dragging him along. To get the TARDIS they had to return to the city. That thought made Callom since. Now that it was exploding in ruins. What were Ehrweylians doing back here all of a sudden, when they were supposed to have fled the planet?
Again the blackness caught up with Callom, within his mind. Valiantly he dragged the Doctor. He dared not teleport, because the whole world was fire and dark. Like Armageddon. If these Ehrweylians were from Karakul, why were they hidden before? These thoughts on his mind, he felt his knees give way. He suddenly didn't have the strength to stand anymore. "So sorry Raina. I Cannae make it!"
***
Later, Callom felt hands lowering him to the ground. Was he having a nightmare? Based on his experience before? Raina had carried him days ago, or was it minutes? Out of the soil he raised his head. At least it was cool here. Ghosts rose all around them. He could hear their dry bones as they cracked. Someone had covered him with a cloak.. To the touch it felt like a slick shower curtain. Beside him, the doctor rubbed his head. He sat up, putting on his hat.
"Callom, Lad. Are you all right?"
"Och, I think so, doctor," he said. "Ma head fair near hurts. But it's no because I teleported."
"We're home free. There's the TARDIS."
"How what where?" asked Callom. Hitching his tartan toga round his waist, he stood up.
"Easy now. Easy. That's it."
They helped each other to the Police Box. Casually it stood near the trees, in a clearing. "Wait, almost forgot," said the Doctor. Reaching over, her picked up the strange bundle he'd been carrying. "Can't leave without this."
"How did the TARDIS get here? And what are Ehrweylians doing back here popping oot of nowhere?"
"One question at a time, lad," said the Doctor through the darkness. No light fell on them except he distant flickering of the city. Eerily it pixilated though the framework of dead trees.
Drawing his key out of his pocket, the Doctor opened the doors. They entered the vast bright space of the console room. Callom saw the Doctor crouched under the console. The doors whirred shut. For a time he watched the city burning on the scanner. Those flames danced hypnotically. Meanwhile the Doctor wired the box somewhere under the TARDIS panels. Callom couldn't even begin to guess what it was for.
"There were are," he laughed. "Good as new."
"What?"
"Dematerializing now. The Karakulian's little hyper drive unit's bypassed the TARDIS directional control."
"Doctor, ye owe me an explanation. What happened to the city, and why is the TARDIS here instead of there?"
"Simple. Someone moved it?"
"Who?"
"Some very old friends."
"Not Karakulians, I take it."
"No."
"But if ye had friends on the planet before, why they pick nau of all times to show up?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out. They have a bad habit of running away when I ask."
"Ehrweylians?"
"Exactly."
***
Ace and Raina spun round as they heard the wheezing dematerialization. The TARDIS solidified, and the light stopped flashing. They rushed over as the males emerged. "We saw the explosions coming from the dark side," said Ace. "What happened?"
"The Ehrweylians happened," said the Doctor simply. "Ready to go?"
"We're leaving just like that?" asked Raina. "Wait about the colonists?"
"The Rani's revenge has again backfired. And the Erweylians are free to return."
"Just like that. why didn't they come before?" asked Raina.
"Because. of the threat of their power." the Doctor said. "But I highly doubt that the transwarp barriers will keep them out as they had before." The Doctor clutched his box. Then set it on the floor before one of the panels. "Maneuver the ship into a high orbit, Raina."
Shaking her head, Raina eased the dual controls for plotting the orbit. The third control she turned to half thrust. Rockets boomed as the hybrid ship coasted to a higher orbit within minutes. Callom stood next to Ace. They exchanged smiles. Ace masked her concern as she glanced into his face. How drawn and pale he looked lately. All they could do now was watch the Time Lord messing with a small box of circuits while Raina piloted the craft. He muttered to himself and grumbled, sometimes rapping the box angrily.
"What are you grousing about now?" asked Ace.
"You'll find out. How much farther to go, Raina?"
"About five miles. Then we will be in position for a hyperjump. But there's a problem. I think the directional control is shot."
"No worries. Just get us out of a low orbit."
"There might not be enough fuel to reach escape velocity. I've barely got enough left for maneuvering," Raina announced grimly.
"We had a battle with a Karakulian saucer," Ace explained.
"That was the shooting start, then" asked Callom. Ace nodded. Both teenagers leaned against a nearby wall panel. Karakulians unfortunately didn't' need to sit when flying their craft. The Doctor flipped switches on his box. "Ready?"
"We've run out of fuel. But we're there," said Raina triumphantly.
"Good girl. Now hold on. Here goes nothing. Operate the hyperjump."
Raina pushed an improvised solenoid. At first nothing happened. Then she kicked the panel. Nuclear engines hummed into life, from a distance. Everyone felt the sudden shock as the Cerise crept to transwarp velocity. "We're reaching light speed now..." The Doctor nodded eagerly.
Callom crossed his fingers. Would it work? Monitors tracing their orbits went blank. "It's okay," said Ace, fingers slipping around his hand. "We're outta here!"
Gently he squeezed her hand in return. Neither teen let go.
It started from the roots of the floor. Everything shook. Even the view itself. The whole room shuddered. Callom felt his heart pounding in his chest as he was pressed flat against the wall. "We've breached the fourth dimension... entering hyper space now!" came Raina's voice, slightly distorted.
"This did nae happen before," said Callom, worried.
"Professor?" asked Ace.
The only answer to her query was glance from the floor. Frantically the Doctor pressed solenoids on the box. "What the hell are you playing at?" She cried.
Straining struts groaned. "It's what I was afraid of!" cried Raina. The walls around them began to buckle. "This Karakulian ship isn't built to withstand the strain of hyper space!"
"Quickly! To the TARDIS!" shouted the Doctor, grabbing his umbrella. Ace dashed over, still clutching Callom's hand. They slipped inside.
"Come on Yank!" she shouted. "Don't hang about!"
There was a bang. Everyone pitched sideways.
"The struts have torn!" shouted Raina. Still she stood by the control panels. "We're detaching from the Cerise!!"
"One more second," muttered the Doctor. He reached for the box. Hit one last solenoid with the toe of his foot.
Ace rushed to Raina, grabbing her arm. "Come on already! There's nothing we can do! We gotta split!"
"But the ship... without the directional control will keep on drifting!" Raina cried.
"Don't worry about that!" said the Doctor. "I've got it set!"
He stopped when a collapsing girder smacked him on the head. All around them the panels sparked. Pieces dropped from the ceiling and walls. Grabbing the Doctor's shoulders, Raina and Ace wrested him towards the TARDIS. Callom and Ace took the Doctor as Raina pulled the key from his pocket.
***
Ace shut the doors. Swooning against Callom, the Doctor muttered gibberish. "He's been acting like that for the past few minutes," said Callom.
"Oh great," Ace complained. "What are we going to do now? If we get caught in the back lash..."
"We can nae fly this without him awake..."
Raina hastily consulted the fault locator. "Everything's repaired," she said.
"Ummm...."
"Doctor!" cried Callom. "What do we do!"
"Raina," he muttered. "You. posses the know-how. Vitreum's last gift to you."
"He's saying yer name," said Ace.
"Yes Ace, I can hear...." snapped Raina impatiently.
Through half open eyes he glanced at the Geologist. "You... must take off."
"But I'm not a time lord..."
"You contain the genetic inheritance..." he gasped. "Symbiotic nuclei.. To stabilize... it was Vitreum's last gift. And besides. Tegan could well fly this rackety old bucket, although I'd never admit to her that she could."
"Tegan?" asked Raina.
"One of his friends," said Ace quickly.
"Me fly the TARDIS," she gasped, rushing over to the console. Desperately her hands flew over the panels. Callom and Ace watched feverishly as they felt the ship lurching. Stiffly she hesitated before each action. Then a veil of calmness fell over her.
"Callom, sense my thoughts," the Doctor whispered, and slowly reached out to touch Callom's temples. "Relay them to Raina. she will know."
Raina gasped as she felt strange equations flowing through her mind. Using Callom as a conduit, through the rapport he shared with the human woman, altered by the Rani's genetics, the Doctor relayed what she would know. He used her instead of Ace, not wanting to subject her to the rigors of such a mind link. for in some dark corner of his mind he was trying to protect her, maintain her innocence. He relayed this revelation to Raina, and she slowly let him inside her mind, realizing his trust in her was absolute.
"Setting vortex coordinates," said she. At last she grasped the three demat levers in both hands. Edging them forwards, she said, "here goes nothing."
They sighed with relief as the column rose and fell. Wheezing shudders permeated the room. Raina still hunched over the console, staring at he bobbing column overtop her glasses.
"I knew ye could do it," said Callom. Reaching behind her, he wrapped her in a hug. Her shoulders were rock hard with tension. Slowly the Doctor stumbled over to Raina, and slowly put his hand to her temples.
"Why me?" she asked. "Why not Ace?"
"Because, there are reasons. You must let me complete the link. trust me."
"but I'm not telepathic."
"Rubbish," he whispered. "The Rani gave you something that I thought she would not dare. And Vitreum's inheritance was not wasted. Reach into yourself and let me in. let me show you how it is done. for I fear. I wont' last long."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she said, taking his hand in hers. "I'm afraid I don't know where we'll end up."
"Just as long as we got out there," said Ace. "After all, you flew that other ship.."
"A Karakulian ship is hardly a TARDIS," she said.
"No. I meant yer own time machine."
Curving around to the next panel she checked the readouts. "It's like trying to drive a stick shift when you're used to an automatic," she explained. "It's a type 40, no matter what you see."
"Yes," the Doctor panted, pressing his hands to her head and slowly trying to make her focus. He felt black miasma spinning before him as he attempted to force as much in before collapsing. Callom and Ace looked at him as they grabbed him.
"doctor." Raina gasped.
"Remember. Tegan," he whispered. "You're the coordinator. Adric. you are what keeps us together. Nyssa. you are the strength. and your chemistry know-how."
"What are you babbling about?" Raina asked.
"He's delirious, he's calling us by other names."
"Tegan. I trust you." the Doctor moaned as Ace helped him to sit in a chair.
"Can ye fly it?" asked Callom, as Raina bit her nails.
"The principle's the same. But it's an antique," she said, scratching her head. "So primitive compared to the Rani's. Cumbersome. But I'll do what I can. We're in the Vortex with the last coordinates I punched. But to fix an actual destination... may take some time to figure out..."
"Stay up here," said Ace. "Just get us away from Karakul past or present."
Both Callom and she supported the unconscious Doctor. Newfound confidence passed from the two teens to her. Between them they carried him through the door. "We'll get him to bed," said Ace.
"I hope I can land us somewhere we can get him help," said Raina as she watched them leave.
**
Multiple figures in environmental suits trotted against the Armageddon they'd created. "As before we resort to war," grumbled Zaylexa.
"It is necessary, my love," sighed Tahmer. "It is what they deserve."
The giants caught the arm of one soldier as he rushed past. "Miarah. Did you spot any other aliens?"
"Just two sir. Heading toward the city."
"Strangers?"
"Come. WE have work to do," said her consort.
Slender figures trotted instinctively toward the firestorm. Cries rattled against the gunfire and explosives. The Ehrweylians took back their City, Zaylexa thought. At last the madness could end. The one known as the Rani had ruled them for far too long thorough terror. They had escaped her clutches to hide, and await the Doctor, who would set them free.
"Here they are," said Tahmer. At their feet two figures lay semiconscious. "Help me get them to the clearing."
Boosting them on their shoulders, the figures trotted through the forest. Once they reached the clearing, Tahmer lowered his body to the ground. Zaylexa did the same. Both dropped to their knees with reverence. They touched faces to the charred soil, then bent backwards as if to kiss the sky. "Again he has come, out of the fabric of reality itself in our time of need," Zaylexa chanted.
Spanning his arms a fathom, her consort stood up. Frightened blue eyes took in the blue box. He dared not approach till the proper incantation was said. "My blessed ancestor long ago wrote of your return. He set the skies the signs we must follow. This Traveler has answered our pleas. We held back till the skies wept the shooting stars. Then we fell upon the City."
"And now we have returned to the Landing place," said Zaylexa.
Carefully they arranged the bodies in a spread eagle fashion. Then removing their cloaks they covered them. "Take these meager signs of our hospitality. WE defer to your wisdom with reverence. A new day dawns as we pick ourselves from the ashes."
"The Circle of friends has closed..."
Both stood side by side. Zaylexa's golden head came just to Tahmer's nose. "As your father and father's father before you, you lead us well," she said. "Now, take my hand as our Ancestors did..."
Grasping hands, they stood before the Box. All the mysteries it must hold. Well Tahmer recalled the morning's work digging it out. Six strong Ehrweylians had dragged it to the right place, setting it here.
Carefully they'd kept their distance in the woods, scaring off the animals that would attack the others. Two men and two women had returned, as the Doctor had so long ago. Their faces were different, but that mattered not. All the signs were there. Then the stars fell, two of them. That was the signal to attack the City. The Karakulians had cast on a slumber and it was easy to slip inside of the City then. Once positioned, the troops set bombs to the defense screens. From there on it was simplicity.
Tahmer and Zaylexa clasped hands, and faced the Box again. Then they turned to leave the Circle of Friends. "Farewell, Traveler, and Doctor. You are the brave ones. For your names are spoken. Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa and Adric. You are remembered."
A new sun would rise over a new Karakul, and the new chapter of Ehrweyl civilization. Tahmer would rule as his grandfather had. And his forbear had so long ago.
"Why did they have to suffer so?" asked Zaylexa. When they had left the circle of friends.
"They suffered before," said Tahmer. "Willingly-it was written-must they involve themselves before we emerge. To show us the signs. Only then could we shed our mantle of non aggression to attack."
"But we trained our soldiers to fight."
"Fighting is not the same as training," said Tahmer. "We did not kill when we trained. Now we kill."
"Will we also fly in space again?" she asked.
"Someday Zaylexa my love," he said, turning her to face him. "But we must take our steps slowly. We have only just won back the City."
Zaylexa felt his lips touch her forehead. Glancing up into the stars above, she could swear that she saw one winking at her.
***