CHAPTER 21

"WHAT HAPPENED?"

Once everyone had gone the Doctor was able to turn his full attention to the Emperor, who had come out of the bedroom when help arrived. The monarch glanced at him, doing a double take when he saw the angry expression on his face. Taking a seat, Quinton indicated the Time Lord do the same.

The Doctor did not move. "I'd rather stand, if you don't mind," he said with a distinct edge to his voice.

The Emperor marveled at him, studying his angry stance and set expression with an air of amazement. So few ever questioned him, let alone opposed him. But open hostility was some thing he rarely experienced, and to have it happen twice in one day was extraordinary.

"You care a great deal for my nephew, don't you, Doctor?" the Lord Emperor said finally.

The Doctor blinked, the observation having taken him completely off guard. "I care a great deal for all living beings, your Majesty," he replied evasively.

Emperor Quinton laughed in delight. "You are a paradox, Time Lord," he observed. "You many not realize it, but you've been granted a rare privilege. There aren't many who've seen the full power of the Seal used as it was today."

The Doctor considered. "With all due respect, your Majesty, it's a privilege I'd rather not re peat."

Scrutinizing the Time Lord's face a moment, the Emperor held out a hand. "Please, sit down," he invited, "and I'll grant you an even greater privilege by explaining what you saw."

More than a little intrigued, the Doctor stepped hesitantly away from the door, glancing back into the bedroom. Jason was still glowing slightly, and as far as the Doctor could tell, he was barely breathing. He might even be dying for all he knew…

"He's not going anywhere," Quinton said mildly.

The Doctor's head snapped around and he was again furious with the suddenly insensitive Alterran monarch. Crossing the room, he took a seat off to one side. "Alright," he said gruffly, "I'm listening."

The first thing the monarch did was inform him of the deaths of Dru's security escort, which was the reason he had come to Constance's quarters in the first place. He had put Leela into stasis to protect her primitive mind from being overwhelmed by the power of the Seal. He had chosen to mind link with the Doctor because his mind was trained and would allow him to get a grasp on the situation without wasting time. The fact that K-9 had been good enough to give the Time Lord a complete assessment of Miss Sorenson's condition proved invaluable, as had the added insight into the Commander's obvious distress. Knowing this allowed Quinton to free the officer from his inner turmoil and restore his sanity.

"I have the power to restore a person to health," Emperor Quinton informed, "but, unfortunately, I don't possess the skill required to focus the power properly. Jason, on the other hand, has these skills in abundance. By using him, I was able to heal Miss Sorenson's injuries completely."

"By using…?" The Doctor was appalled. "You saw what that did to him. Doesn't that matter?"

"Of course it matters!" the monarch exclaimed forcefully. A rush of power suddenly flared, fading immediately as he got control of himself. Taking a deep breath, he held up his hands. "Forgive me. After a tap in of that magnitude, it takes a little longer to break off the connection with the Seal."

Intrigued, the Doctor's eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

In a more normal tone, the Emperor said, "Doctor, after all this you should know I would never willingly harm anyone, least of all Jason. What he did, he did of his own free will. I didn't force him. I merely gave him access to the Great Seal."

"But surely the risk—"

"Jason assured me he'd be alright."

The Doctor was momentarily baffled. Then he recalled the silent conversation. "You mind linked with him, too, didn't you?"

The Alterran nodded. "The energy glow is a barrier meant to protect him and keep his system stabilized. From what I could gather, it would keep him from harm no matter how much energy he utilized. But without the protection of the Seal itself, he was eventually rendered unconscious."

There was a long silence as the Doctor took this in. He studied the Emperor's face and then broke into a broad smile. "Forgive me, then, for having doubted your motives, your Majesty."

"Not at all. You're one of the few people who's ever been so certain of their convictions that you'd actually oppose me openly. And with such fire!" he added admiringly. "I must confess, I find it refreshing. I so rarely have anyone with the courage to say I might be, well…"

"Fallible?" the Time Lord ventured cautiously.

Again, the Emperor laughed. "Definitely!" He rose to his feet, adding longingly, "Oh, how I wish you were on my staff, Doctor. I so need to be reminded of my own mortality from time to time."

Quinton started toward the bedroom, stopping as he reached the door. He turned slowly, fixing the Doctor in an unwavering gaze. "Doctor, as a Time Lord you have a great deal of knowledge in respect to future events," he began in a serious tone. "But there is one thing, your own future, which is closed to you."

The Doctor felt certain he knew what was coming next and opened his mouth, only to be silenced by an upraised hand.

"Hear me out," the Emperor said sternly. "My nephew is more like his mother than he realizes. He's both gentle and violent, and I've seen in your mind that this troubles you, and rightly so. You trust and fear him at the same time, so take heed when I tell you, your being together is not accidental. A day will come when Jason will be forced to face and come to terms with his own dual ity." Quinton paused a moment. "In this, Doctor, he will need guidance and a steady hand."

"Surely he's not that hot tempered?" the Doctor remarked.

"My nephew is more powerful than even he is aware. He's only just reached his first century. A mere boy to us. Many of his more formidable powers will develop in this coming century. Un guided, he could become more dangerous than you, or even I, could possibly imagine." So say ing, the Emperor turned and went into the bedroom leaving the stunned Time Lord staring after him.

In the Palace infirmary, Constance regained consciousness almost as soon as she arrived. She opened her eyes and looked around fuzzily, a hand going to her shoulder. To her amazement, she discovered it was completely restored. There was a nurse hovering over her and she stammered out, "Wh…what…happened?"

"They brought you down on a stretcher," the nurse replied crisply. "Lord knows why. There's nothing wrong with you." So saying, she promptly turned her back on the baffled Constance, going over to the counter across the room.

Sitting up slowly, Miss Sorenson was relieved to see Leela waiting patiently beside her. "Leela, do you know what happened? How did my shoulder get better so fast?"

"Well…" Leela began hesitantly, "the Doctor said it was the focused power from something, but I didn't understand any of it. He does not always explain very clearly."

Constance grunted. "I guess I'll have to ask him myself and hope for the best." Getting down from the examining table, she glanced over at the nurse, who was still ignoring her. "Well, if there's nothing wrong with me, I'll be going. Sorry to've troubled you, nurse. No need to show me out—Come on, Leela."

The nurse spun around in a sudden panic. "You can't leave!"

"And why not?"

The panic-stricken woman was momentarily stuck for an answer. "Because…you're…you're …a Changeling! You're supposed to be in confinement. I can't let you go wandering around the Imperial Palace alone."

"She will not be alone," Leela said firmly. "I will be with her."

Constance gave the warrior a conspiratorial grin. "That's right, Leela will be with me. So why don't you be a good little nurse and get out of our way?" She advanced slowly and purpose fully on the woman barring their way. The nurse stood her ground as long as she dared, shrinking away at the last minute and fleeing from the room.

"That wasn't so difficult, was it?" Miss Sorenson said, some of her old confidence returning. As soon as they left the examining room, however, they discovered the entire staff blocking their way from the infirmary. They exchanged a discouraged look and Leela sighed heavily. "I think this will be a little harder."

Suddenly an authoritative voice snapped, "Stand aside!" The group barring the door parted like the Red Sea revealing Corporal JoHanna.

"Thank God!" Constance exclaimed. "I never thought I'd ever be so glad to see an Imperial Guard in my life."

The Corporal's face remained stone-like and professional. "You will come with me, Change ling," she ordered curtly.

Miss Sorenson's face fell as she realized the reason the Corporal was there. "You've come to arrest me again, haven't you?" she said meekly, shuddering at the thought of being confined in a cold, gray prison cell for who knows how long. Straightening, she decided to leave the infirmary with her head high. "Very well, Corporal. Let's go, then."

As soon as they reached the end of the corridor, Constance started toward the detention area only to be stopped by JoHanna. "No, Miss Sorenson," she said politely, "your quarters are this way."

"My quarters…?" Constance was now completely baffled.

So was Leela. "I thought you just arrested her," she said accusingly.

JoHanna broke into a devilish grin and nodded back in the direction of the infirmary. "That was for their benefit. My Commander sent me down to fetch you. He thought they might give you some trouble. And was he ever right."

"Your Comm—? You don't mean Tolan, do you?" Constance gasped unbelievingly.

"Of course. Who else did you think I meant?"

"Who else indeed?" Miss Sorenson muttered. "Well, well, well. Today is full of surprises."