Oh, this is just perfect," declared Ryan. "How is this supposed to help our case?"
"I swear, I don't remember a thing," protested his brother.
"I daresay you wouldn't," stated the Doctor.
"But why use Alan?" asked Shannon. "There was no need to worry about physical evidence since there wouldn't be anything left."
"Well, we've agreed that this was done to start a war. Now this person/creature /being just may be twisted enough to enjoy the fact that Alan was the one used to start it," stated Eric.
"That really narrows things down," said Alan sarcastically. "I think I ticked off quite a number of 'beings'."
"I don't think it's a grudge," said the Doctor. "Eric could be right. You have a reputation of being the …"
"Darling of the Alliance," Ryan supplied, remembering the term from an earlier incarnation of his own.
"Now I really want to get this guy!" declared Alan. "I do not like being manipulated."
"We need to get hold of the passenger manifest then check the backgrounds of each," said the Doctor. "In order to exert this control, the culprit had to be onboard."
"Oh, good, research," said Alan.
"You need to kick some ass," declared Shannon.
"You know you can't make a successful plan of attack without knowing your enemy," Ryan said.
"Alan won't be joining you," the Doctor told them. "We are going to have a little session in hypnosis." He sneered at Ryan. "As opposed to voodoo."
"Look, it's just a word."
"With a very foolish history. Right now Alan is the only lead we have. I would think you would want this solved as soon as possible."
"You're so sure you can break this thing," said Ryan. "How do we know it wasn't one of your kind?" He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth.
The Doctor's face took on a haughty expression and he looked down at him as if he were some insignificant insect. "The Time Lords even if they could do what I can do would be adamant to do nothing more than sit on their hands. As for myself I know of my abilities," he stated coldly, "because I have done it before. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to compose a letter allowing you access to the information we need." The Doctor strode out of the control room.
"What brought that on?" Shannon asked. "The Doctor helped us before so why would he do anything to harm Alan?"
"I don't know what made me do it. Maybe because he's kicking us out and putting him into a trance without any witnesses. With that being one of the weapons of choice, excuse me for being paranoid. Maybe it's just because he's an asshole."
"He's not, Ryan. He's a scientist. This ship isn't a product of magic. It's a function of science. He knows many things, Ryan, and you keep doubting him. He's clocked in more hours than we ever will or can. I know you don't mean what you say, Ry, but you keep hurting the Doctor's feelings. So he attacked you in turn."
Ryan knew she was right and nodded. "All right, I'll apologize when the Doctor comes back and all will be well."
Peri then entered the room looking rather sleepy. "I thought I heard voices," she said with a yawn. "What's going on? What did you find on the ship?"
"We did see who placed the bomb," Shannon told her. "Thing is, we think he was in a hypnotic trance and the Doctor plans to try and break it."
"Great! So what will the rest of us do?" She was fully awake now.
The Doctor chose that moment to return. He handed Peri a plastic card with a series of numbers engraved on it. "There you go. That should open a few doors for you."
Peri looked at the card. "This could be for anyone. How will they know it's mine?"
The Doctor gave a long, suffering sigh then Shannon quickly jumped in with an explanation. "It's like a credit card. When they swipe it through the scanner, all your information comes up on the computer along with a photo. Some of the more high-security ones include a thumbprint."
"Cool. Wait, a photo? Which photo?"
"Vanity does not become you, Peri."
"Not that photo!"
"Yes that one!"
"No!"
"Yes! The one where we were visiting Cassiopeia."
She made a face and slapped him on the arm.
"It is so hard being your friend sometimes, Doctor!"
"Nothing worthwhile is easy." He beamed.
Once the others had gone, the Doctor took Alan back to the cloister. He then found a comfortable chair and motioned Alan to sit while he took a seat on a footstool.
"This isn't what I expected."
"You were thinking of a dark room and a swirling wheel or a twirling reflective surface?" The pilot nodded. "Old wives' tale. You just need to relax. Those are just tools to aid in concentration." He studied the man in front of him. "I don't think we'll need that."
"Next you'll be telling me to listen only to the sound of your voice," cracked Alan.
"Just settle in your chair and relax. Breathe deep, hold it, and release." Alan did as he was told. "Just a few more times." When he felt Alan was ready, he began to ask questions about the trip to try to pinpoint when he had been conditioned. After a few tries, he hit it. He discovered there was a large period of time that Alan could not account for.
"Alan, I want you to go deeper into your memory. Somewhere there lingers a thought, a memory, an incident that someone has told you to forget. I want you to think hard. Where are you now?"
"In the lounge. I'm reading Popular Science. A man in glasses comes over and introduces himself as Kasner, professor of history. Thinking he wants an autograph, I start to take out a pen. 'Oh, no' he says, 'I'd like to talk about some of your missions'."
"And did you?"
"As much as I could without compromising official secrets."
"And then?" The Doctor knew this was the important part.
"He hands me a box. It's not big; I can hold it in one hand. He then tells me to take it down to one of the port engine rooms and set the timer for six hours." His eyes flew open in discovery—and anger. "That bastard just handed me the bomb like it was a package to be delivered!" He faced the Doctor. "We have to get this guy."
The Doctor should not have been surprised at how easily Alan came out of the trance. He was proving a most remarkable human at every turn. "So, now we have a name and a face. The others must be told to redirect their search."
"Way ahead of you." He closed his eyes and the Doctor knew he was in telepathic contact with his brother and Shannon. "Okay, they'll look up his files and see what they can find. So, what do we do in the meantime?"
"Because you were told to forget the meeting, this man must be afraid of you recognizing him. Now that you remember, I was thinking we should see if you can spot him at the hotel."
"I do like the way you think."
"Who doesn't?"
After being told her part in the investigation, Peri raided the TARDIS wardrobe for something appropriate. She decided on a severe suit in chocolate. The skirt came to just above her knees. A nice pair of heels would have completed the ensemble nicely, but she settled for simple flats. Knowing the Doctor, there was always running involved.
She went with the three military time travelers to the Archives. The others needed no identification: it seemed they were known everywhere they went. However, once she showed her badge, the clerks went out of their way to help. She could get used to this feeling.
"Quite a rush, isn't it?" asked Shannon after they had been shown to a private computer room.
"I'll say. Do you get this treatment a lot?"
"Only in places where we're something of a novelty," said Eric.
"Like here."
"Exactly."
They settled in for a long day of research, each taking a section of the alphabet so there would be no overlap. After about two hours, Peri paused to stretch and noticed that Shannon was looking at the computer without really seeing it. She turned to Ryan to ask what was going on and saw he had the same look. "What's with them?"
Eric looked up from his screen. "Oh, they must be getting a message from Alan."
"That could come in handy."
"From what I understand, they try not to use it too much so they don't become dependant."
"And you're not…"
"Me?" he scoffed. "No, I haven't been so cursed."
"Cursed? Don't let the Doctor hear you say that."
"What's that old saying? 'With great power comes great responsibility.' I could barely handle the power that came with being an officer in the Rangers. I've seen how careful they have to be with it and I'm glad it's not my problem."
"What problem?"
Peri turned at the sound of Shannon's voice. In an attempt to cover her gossiping, she asked about Alan's message. "Anything important?"
"We have a name and a face. We have to do a background check."
"That means using a different database. Can we access it from here?" asked Eric.
"There shouldn't be a problem," said Ryan. "Though, you might want to look the other way."
"Wonderful." Shannon rolled her eyes.
Luckily, there was no need for Ryan to use less than legal means to find the information they needed. First, they called up the professor's name only to learn he was never on the flight.
"It makes sense," said Peri. "Why would he give his real name?"
"Perhaps he did it as a precaution in case somebody broke the block—or if Alan did it himself," said Shannon.
"I guess this means you and me look through the passenger photos to see if we can spot the bugger." Ryan made a point of getting comfortable at his station. He looked over at Eric. "You might wanna find something to keep yourself occupied. Who knows how long this'll take."
Alan and the Doctor found themselves once more in the hotel. Pretending they were there for lunch, they made sure they had a table with a good view of the lobby to witness the comings and goings of all the guests. "I hope we're not wasting our time."
"I wouldn't be here if that were the case." The Doctor took a sip of his neon drink. "I checked. None of the Nightjar passengers has checked out."
"So what theories do you have? And don't say none, because I know you do."
"What makes you say that?"
"As a man of science, you can't help but formulate theories. It's part of your very nature."
"I've learned that theorizing without all the facts can be dangerous."
"So? Every time I go up in a fighter I know I could be shot down, but I still do it."
"Ah," he said grudgingly, giving in without giving in.
"So, what are they?"
"There are a number of possibilities. First, we could have a shape-shifter who has infiltrated the ship. Of course, it would have strong hypnotic or telepathic abilities."
"We can apply that last qualification to all of them."
"True." The Doctor took another sip of his drink. "Next could be a parasitic alien who has taken up residence inside a human in order to blend in."
Alan shuddered at the thought. "Anything else?"
"Our alien could be using a human as a conduit for his powers. I've come across a few of those before."
"There is one you're forgetting."
"What might that be?"
"That we're dealing with a twisted, greedy human with strong mental powers."
"Yes, that is a possibility. But I suspect he isn't remotely human," he muttered under his breath
Alan looked over into the lobby. "Did you ask the registration clerk if they had the professor as a guest?"
"The cruise line is paying for the passengers' stay until the investigation is complete. They're all here."
Alan shook his head. "Did you ever think he might have registered under an assumed name?"
The Doctor glared at him from across the table. "Colonel, I may not be as adept at subterfuge as some, but neither am I a dunce. The idea did cross my mind."
Alan felt the familiar tingle that preceded a telepathic message. /Guys, what have you got for me/
/We checked the passenger manifest and there is no one by the name of Kasner, professor orno/ said Shannon.
/No match to the picture either. It's like he doesn't exist/ put in Ryan.
/Let me tell the Doctor what's going on./ Alan relayed the information. "We should probably meet where we can talk things over. Somewhere we don't have to worry about being overheard."
"I noticed a park on my walk from here to the hospital. It should suit our purposes."
"Great. No confined spaces." /OK, guys. The Doctor says there's a park nearby. I don't know the exact location, so we'll have to walk. You can home in on me once I get there./
Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting around a picnic table under a large leafy tree by a lake—a spot incongruous with the topic of conversation. "There has got to be a way we can prevent this. If we don't, millions will die," declared Peri.
"Since our one and only lead washed out, we have to start from scratch again," Shannon told her.
"More precious time wasted," commented Ryan.
"Shouldn't we be out scouring the city looking for this guy, then?" asked Eric. "He's got to be out there somewhere."
The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but Alan got there first. "I don't think so."
The others looked at him. "What do you mean?" asked Peri.
"It's something Ryan said. 'It's like the man doesn't exist.' What if this guy planted a completely false identity in my head, not just a name, but everything? We'd waste time out looking for a man who doesn't exist and he gets away while we're elsewhere."
"Now we know he is somewhere on the planet--hopefully still in the city—so we just have to let him know that the one thing he fears has happened," stated the Doctor.
"And what might that be?" asked Eric.
"My memory returning," said Alan slowly.
"You want him to act as bait?" questioned Shannon.
"I see no other way to flush him out in the open," the Doctor answered. "I know you can keep in constant communication, so that shouldn't worry you."
"If he's already planted thoughts in Alan's head, what's to prevent him from doing it again?" asked Peri.
"Good question," said Ryan. "Any plan we come up with won't work unless we can defend against that."
The Doctor thought for a moment. "There are a few tricks I could show you to help against anything invasive."
Ryan took a swig of his beer. "So, we've got the guy in our sights, and he only has eyes for Alan. What then? We can't ask him to come along quietly like a good little villain."
"Of course not," replied the Doctor. "We'll need to convince him in the strongest possible terms."
Two hours later, Ryan entered the bar as planned and looked over at the Doctor. It was a wonder that the man had lasted this long. Yes, his genius probably had something to do with it, but the arrogance! How many people had he ticked off by that alone? And that outfit. Where did he pick that up? A circus clearance sale?
He had wanted to stay with Alan when they paired off, but the Doctor thought it would be better if each pair had one of the telepaths for communication purposes. When put that way, it made sense. So, Eric was with Alan at the spaceport and Shannon and Peri were at the hotel.
He walked up to the Doctor's table and acted as if it was a chance meeting. He then waved to a waiter and ordered a beer. "Any progress on the case?" he asked just a little too loud.
"Will you keep your voice down? I don't want to attract attention."
Fat chance in that outfit. "Well, do you have any leads?"
"One. Your brother's memory was tampered with during the trip effectively blocking certain incidents. We've been conducting experiments to help him regain those memories and it appears to be working."
"So you think he'll be able to name who did it?"
"I believe so. I have to talk with him again later."
"He's over the spaceport now to see if any of the passengers have tried to leave."
"I'll meet him at the hotel later."
They worked the topic away from Alan and it wasn't long before they knew the plan had worked. Ryan saw a man try to slip out unnoticed. "OK, Doc, I'll go follow him." If the Doctor said anything, Ryan didn't hear as he was already out the door.
He spotted the man just before he turned the corner. /Alan, he's taking the bait and he's heading for the port. I'm on him now./
/Not too close. We don't want him to know he's been set up./
/Don't worry. He won't see me./
With that parting shot, he transformed and began the chase in earnest. He loped through the streets, scaring a few pedestrians as he went. What he found strange was that the man wasn't even hurrying or even acting furtive. He must not have realized he had been spotted. He grinned. I am having way too much fun.
Eric and Alan questioned the clerks at the cruise lines to see if there had been any customers who just had to be on the earliest available ship at any cost. No desperate customers, unfortunately.
Eric sighed, "Now what?"
"We wait. If the others were anywhere near our culprit, he'll come rushing here. Uh-oh."
Eric looked at him and saw the tell-tale signs. "Well?"
"Ryan said the man left the bar and he's following him here."
"Did he describe him to you?" Alan shook his head. "Then how are we going to spot him? This place is huge."
Alan smiled. "Look for Ryan." He scanned the main concourse. "Let's find a spot where we can see the most of this place."
Hoping Alan had at least an inkling of what he was doing, Eric followed him to the upper level where they took up position to watch the entrances for their bomber.
Not too long after, perhaps ten minutes later, Eric saw something incredibly out of place. What in the world is a wolf doing here? "Alan, do you see what I see?"
Alan looked where he was pointing and chuckled. "So that's what he meant. OK, let's go. They're here."
"How can you tell?" Eric asked as he followed. "I don't see Ryan anywhere. Did he contact you?"
"You're the one who spotted him."
He hadn't seen Ryan. All he had seen was. "You can't be serious."
"Eric, you are the first to know about this. We haven't even told Evan."
"You haven't told me anything yet."
"We've discovered that Ryan's talent is shape-shifting. He's only done it once before that I'm aware of."
"So that wolf is Ryan?" Alan nodded. "Kinda fitting, I guess."
"You mean loyal, right?"
"No, I mean predatory."
"Yeah, well, he is that too."
They turned the corner at the base of the stairs and Eric was surprised to see Ryan standing there—on two legs. He was leaning against the wall as if being a wolf was a normal everyday experience. "Like the new look."
Ryan shrugged. "Still takes getting used to. The guy you want is over there," he said with a nod towards the ticket counters. "I don't recognize him, but you might."
"Right, let's do it," Alan said and the three walked over.
Eric and Ryan took up position on either side of the man. "You know, they're all under orders not to let anyone from the Nightjar leave," commented Eric.
"You must have mistaken me for someone else," the man replied.
"Oh, no, you are the one we want," said Ryan from his other side. "A very wanted man."
"I don't have to put up with these accusations." He turned to walk away only to find Alan blocking his way.
"Mr. Porter, you mean to shun our company? You barely even know us."
As he and Ryan closed ranks behind the man, Eric could see his hands grip in frustration, knuckles white. He then squared his shoulders in an attempt to intimidate his way past. "If I answer anyone's questions, it will be those of the Investigator. As he is not here—"
"There you are," said the Doctor, breathing heavily as he arrived beside them.
"Doctor, Mr. Porter was just saying how he would speak only to an Investigator," said Alan.
"If we want this case to be legal and above board, it would have to be me he spoke to," the Doctor replied. "Otherwise the defense could contend the confession was coerced."
Eric looked to one of the clerks behind the counter. "Do you have a room we could use?"
"Sure." He led them to a small office off the hallway where they had met up with Ryan.
Mr. Porter took one seat, the Doctor the facing chair. The other three men stood in a semi-circle behind him. "Just answer us a few simple questions, Mr. Porter, and, depending on the honesty of those answers, you might be free to go."
The man said nothing.
"Very well. You are Mr. Porter and a passenger on the Nightjar?"
He glared at them all. "Yes," he answered finally.
"You and your daughter were traveling on to Wannsee?"
"Marais. A business trip."
"Is it your custom to bring your daughter on business trips?" Alan asked.
"We hadn't spent much time together and I felt such a trip would bring us closer together, especially after her mother's death."
"And you were almost separated forever," said Ryan.
"I am well aware of what would have happened."
"Are you also aware that we have learned that the explosion was not caused by an attack, but by a bomb?" the Doctor informed him.
"A bomb?" he repeated nervously. "I had no idea."
"Yet you were worried when you thought the colonel's memory was returning. You knew that if he recalled your meeting, you would be exposed."
"What meeting?" His voice sounded different, more confused than defiant.
The Doctor continued. "You panicked and rushed here to the spaceport to book passage for yourself, abandoning your daughter."
"I don't have a daughter. My wife died before we could have children."
"Hold on a second," said Alan. "If you don't have a girl, who did I save?"