CHAPTER 16

FROM THE INSIDE

The words were barely out of her mouth when Azure was struck from behind by a stun blast. A few seconds later, K-9 trundled through the door.

"K-9!" Jason gasped approvingly. "Excellent timing!"

"Young Master," K-9 acknowledged with a wag of his tail.

Jason spun around, glaring angrily at Bryce a moment before turning his attention to the frightened LiaDonna. Bending forward, he looked into her face, fighting the urge to take her by the shoulders. "Mother, what on earth are you doing here?" he asked in a low voice.

LiaDonna looked up sharply, having failed to recognize the disguised young man. "I…I fol lowed the Doctor," she stammered out. "I thought…"

"Yes, yes, alright," Jason said impatiently, closing his eyes in exasperation and straightening at the same time. "Just stay close K-9. He'll look after you."

Looking down at the automation, Jason commanded, "K-9, LiaDonna is a friend. Guard her."

"Affirmative, Young Master. Friend," K-9 replied, his tail wagging again.

Jason returned his attention back to Bryce Miller, who seemed to regard him with amusement. "I supposed now you're going to try and stop me?" he remarked blandly.

"That was the general idea, yes," Jason replied mildly.

Bryce responded with a scornful laugh. "You're forgetting something, aren't you?" He threw a meaningful glance in the direction of the motionless Time Lord.

"Not really," Jason said, shaking his head. "If you'd had any sense, you'd've kept the Doctor as far away from that thing as possible. The worst thing you could've done was put him inside it. If you haven't lost control by now, then it's only a matter of time."

The man at the computer console snorted indignantly. "Are you trying to tell me that the Doctor's mind is stronger than the entire Eldarian collective?"

Suddenly the Doctor's voice replied from within the computer, "If you could get them to work collectively, the answer would be no. But since they can't seem to agree on anything, the answer is a resounding yes."

As the Doctor had suspected, the surreal interior of his computer world could be manipulated mentally. He had escaped the Caretaker and his followers with ease, going on to create a replica of the computer room, the only addition being a monitor that displayed the events unfolding in the real world. Utilizing the duplicate of Bryce's own console, the Doctor was able to take control of the system with conspicuous ease. By the time Bryce realized what was happening it was too late. He attacked the console trying, and failing, to regain control.

"Doctor, what do you what me to do with Brainiac here?" Jason asked sarcastically, nodding in Miller's directions.

"Now, now, Jason, don't be unkind. Megalomaniacs are people too," the Doctor chided play fully. "Lock him up and then get to the console. I need you to pull up some programs for me."

The Alterran's face darkened as he advanced on the CEO, who held up a hand to stop him only to be horrified when nothing happened. He was unceremoniously dragged to his feet and across the room. "You're lucky I'm not in a violent mood," Jason snarled as he thrust the protesting Bryce in the clear cabinet that had been his own prison, locking the door. He then went on to secure the re covering Azure in a similar manner.

With this done, Jason returned to the computer, pulling the chair out from behind it and giving it to the still visibly shaken LiaDonna. Returned to the console, he pulled up the information as the Doctor asked for it. As soon as a program appeared it was instantly rerouted to the replica computer room.

Everything went smoothly until the Doctor tried to return to the real world. During his short time within the system, the collective had grown even more divided, splitting into two distinct factions, those who wanted to leave, and those who wanted to stay. Each time the way was opened for the Doctor to leave, the other side closed it.

Within his replica computer room, the Doctor could hear the growing division, each side arguing with the other, and becoming more violent.

"Doctor, I can't override it," Jason called helplessly. "The power's building too fast."

"I know," the Doctor replied darkly, "Each side is countermanding the other. I don't know how they expected this to work. They can't seem to agree on anything."

"So, how do I get you out?"

"You don't, apparently. Not unless you can mediate between the two sides, and I don't see that happening. Or generate enough power to override their control long enough for me to escape, and that's even less likely."

"Why?"

"Because if this equipment is from where I think it is, the more the Eldarians argue, the more psychic energy they produce. And that translates to more power. You have to produce more power than they are, and then apply it all at once."

"And short them out," Jason concluded. He thought a moment. "How much power are we talking about?"

"A lot."

"As much as the TARDIS can produce?" Jason wondered. "K-9, would that be enough?"

"Negative, Young Master. Energy requirements indicate application in single catastrophic discharge."

Jason closed his eyes and leaned back in exasperation, drawing a deep breath. He threw a quick glance over at LiaDonna, who was sitting on the other side of the console watching him in an awed silence. He did a double take when he saw the knowing look on her face. She held up her hands, index fingers extended. Slowly she touched the fingertips together and in a flash Jason knew what she meant.

"What about the Blinovich Limitation Effect?" he asked suddenly.

The Doctor's response was immediate and firm. "No! Absolutely not!"

"K-9, would that be sufficient?" the Alterran asked.

"Affirmative, Young Master," K-9 replied.

"No," the Doctor said again. "Jason, I forbid it!"

"Doctor, if it's your only way—"

"Jason, you have no idea what that will do to you," the Time Lord pointed out. "Or your mother. I'm assuming you've told her who you are, despite my telling you not to."

It was LiaDonna who answered. "He did. And I'm willing to take the risk."

"I obviously came to no harm," Jason injected pointedly. "After all, I was born, wasn't I?"

"Yes," the Doctor said calmly. "But it's not your past self that concerns me."

The Doctor's words hung like fog in the air. Jason gave his mother a startled look. Would what they were about to attempt guarantee his own birth, only to end his life now? Could he ask this brave woman to assist in taking the life of the child she was currently trying so desperately to bring into this world—even at the risk of her own life?

These same thoughts had already gone through LiaDonna's mind and she rose to her feet, standing before the vexed young man who was also her son. She wanted so desperately to touch him, console him—mother him! "I'm willing if you are," she said in a quiet yet firm tone.

Before Jason could respond a strange sound came from the computer followed by an alarmed cry from the Doctor.

The Time Lord had been concentrating on his companion so strongly that his mental vibrations had given away his location. The Caretaker and his followers had tracked him down, breaking into the replica computer room and descending on him before he knew what was happening. He only managed an alarmed cry before a hand was clamped firmly over his mouth.

"Now, Doctor," the Caretaker said to the struggling Time Lord, "you will take your place with the others."

"No!" Jason screamed, his fingers flying over the computer controls, the information it brought forth causing him to catch his breath, his eyes growing wide a saucers. "They're trying to isolate him!"

Dashing to the stasis chamber, he threw several switches, resetting the controls. Pressing his open palm against the power relay, he turned back to LiaDonna, hold ing out his other hand. "It's now or never. If they isolate him, I may never find him again. He's as good as dead," he said breathlessly.

LiaDonna hurried over to him, reaching out her hand.

Looking up, Jason practically screamed, "Doctor, if you can hear me, now!" He then touched his mother's outstretched hand. There was a flash of energy and then everything went black.