SIX
Once the Doctor's paperwork was filed he was taken to a small room for "questioning." His hands were manacled to a bar suspended from the ceiling by a chain. The chain was then drawn up, pulling him up until his feet barely touched the ground. He was surprised to see his companion's counterpart in attendance and it soon became apparent that, as with the Master, the Alterran was the complete opposite to the young man he considered his friend.
Bright lights were shone in his face and a team of interrogators fired question after question at him. After a few hours of this, and having received no satisfactory answers, the interrogation degraded into physical abuse. One of the team striking him to punctuate each question.
Suddenly Jason snapped, "Just let me have him to myself. I'll get the truth out of him." As an added incentive, the young Lord placed a sum of money into the hands of the guards and they promptly vanished.
In pain and exhausted from his ordeal, the Doctor looked at the Alterran's evil expression and sighed. "We both know you don't need any more than three seconds to determine if I'm telling the truth," he said weakly.
"Quite frankly, Time Lord, I don't care if you're telling the truth or not," came the icy reply. "You're here illegally, and that's all that matters. According to Magnus, you're the most evil mind ever let loose on the cosmos. So when the Emperor is found dead, guess who they'll come looking for?"
"What! That will start a war!" the Doctor gasped.
"Ye-es. Maybe even two," the Alterran replied coldly. So saying, he struck the appalled Time Lord so hard he was knocked unconscious.
When the unlikely threesome arrived at the Royal Palace, Cal finally asked the question he felt the Master had overlooked. "Just how are we supposed to get in the place, let alone to the lower levels? We can't exactly go up and ring the doorbell."
Jason gave a wry smile. "Don't you worry about that. The back door is always open." So say ing, he led the way to an enormous monument, going around the back and pressing a single stone with his fingertips. To the amazement of his uneasy allies, a door silently swung open.
"You have these in your universe, too?" the Master asked as he followed the Alterran through the hidden entrance.
"Yes. The statue's different, but the rest is the same," Jason replied. "Careful of these stairs. They're really steep."
They descended the stairs in silence and Jason led the way into the maze of tunnels. A sud den thought struck him and he stopped dead in his tracks. Turning around, he took the Time Lord firmly by the wrist as though afraid he might run. "Alright, this is far enough. Before we go any further I need to know what's going on. And I want a straight answer from you, Master," he said firmly. "Believe me, I'll know if you're lying."
The Master's eyes flickered. "Will you, now?" He held up his free hand to stop Cal from ob jecting.
"Why are you here on Tel-Shye? And I mean, why are you really here? Straight, no double talk, or I leave you both here in the dark."
"Don't you mean you'll kill us and leave us here in the dark?" Cal injected caustically.
"No, I do not mean that," came the appalled reply.
The Master cleared his throat. "Alright, a straight answer."
"Master, no!" Cal cried out. "You can't tell him!"
The Time Lord ignored him. "I was sent by the Directorial Assembly on Gallifrey to assist in negotiating a peace."
Jason checked himself before remarking on this. He could tell from his scan that the Time Lord was telling the truth—as well as holding something back. "And," he prompted.
Again the Master's eyes flashed. "We're also here to find and stop an assassin."
"An assassin? Who's going to be assassinated?"
"That I can't tell you."
Jason thought back on the events that seemed to be replaying themselves before him. What had been going on when he met the Master? The memory made him shudder. Looking up, he asked, "Is it Terran or—No! It's the Lord Emperor, isn't it?"
The Master and his companion exchanged an astonished look, confirming Jason's suspicions. He nodded and turned to lead the way again. "Since there's no Alliance," he observed, "it stands to reason it would be my Uncle. He's the one you'd have to negotiate the peace with. Kill him, start a war."
"Your…" the Master breathed. "The Emperor is your Uncle?"
"Great Uncle, actually. I'd've thought you knew that already. Why?"
Exchanging another astonished look with Cal, the Master informed, "Because…reliable sources indicate the assassin may well be your counterpart."