Chapter 2

Growing Problems

Jason had gotten himself hopelessly lost in the maze of passageways that spread throughout the Complex. He reflected irritably that the name was completely appropriate. He was reasonably certain he was in the right section of the building, but was unsure as to whether he was on the right floor and cursed himself for not having bothered to look at the display when he left the lift. A figure suddenly appeared at the end of the semi-darkened hall and a booming voice made him stop short.

"What are you doing in this section of the Complex? The Security Center is off limits to all civilians." It was Guard Leader Saunders.

Jason was in no mood for this, and was more than a little piqued to be addressed in so brusque a manner. How many civilians are here, you moron? His voice held back none of his irritation when he said, "Is it customary for you to address a member of the Imperial Court in such a manner? Or are you making an exception in my case?"

Saunders took the verbal slap in the face with a wince. How could he be so stupid? He thought, unknowingly echoing the Prince's very thoughts. There was only one civilian at the Institute. "I beg your pardon, your Royal highness," he said with a slight bow.

"I seem to've lost my way. Would it be possible for you to point me in the direction of my quarters?"

Saunders obliged, apologizing again for his faux pas. Jason nodded regally and then swept down the corridor in the direction indicated.

After racking his brains for several minutes without success, the Doctor gave up and started cleaning up the mess he had made of the control room floor. Whatever the indicator was for, he would remember. Eventually. As he tossed a handful of dominoes into a box, he reflected on how it was taking considerably less time to clear away the toppled labyrinth than it had taken to set it up. Set it up? Set it up! The indicator had been used when something was set up. A medical facility of some sort. That was it. Well, something like that.

"Doctor, I think you'd better come over here," Turlough said from the console. "The instruments are getting some very strange readings."

The urgency in the young man's voice brought the Doctor to his side immediately. The mystery indicator light winked on again, sending the Time Lord into a flurry of activity. "I've got to get a fix on the signal before it goes out again. Turlough, read off those coordinates for me."

Turlough obediently read off the stream of numbers on the screen in front of him as the Doctor fed them into the navigational computer. The TARDIS shuddered as the computer locked on to the coordinates and changed course.

"Where's it coming from?" Turlough wanted to know.

"No idea," came the unhelpful reply. The Doctor rechecked the entry. "From the coordinates, I'd say somewhere along the fringes of the Alterran Empire." He looked wistfully into the distance. "You know, I haven't been in that system since…since…" With a frown, he realized he could not remember this, either. "Well, not for some time, anyway," he said finally.

"Is it friendly?" Tegan asked. "I'm getting awfully tired of being shot at."

The Doctor bristled, still irritated with her from before. "My dear Tegan, the Alterrans are highly intelligent and technologically advanced. They're a noble, peace-loving race who abhor violence of any kind."

Tegan smiled engagingly. "You've just given a fairly accurate description of yourself, Doctor."

The Time Lord was completely disarmed by this unexpected compliment. "Why…thank-you, Tegan."

Turlough rolled his eyes and then turned his attention to the TARDIS's data bank. "I think I've found where we're going," he announced. "It's a planet called Carna. According to the computer, the only thing on the whole planet is something called the Biochemical Research Institute."

The Doctor suddenly remembered what the indicator light was for, and all the blood drained from his face.

Turlough did a double take when he looked up. "Doctor, are you alright?"

The Doctor did not answer. His eyes had glazed over and he appeared to be light-years away. He was vaguely aware of someone talking to him, calling his name, shaking him. Suddenly there was a stinging pain on his left cheek and he came to his senses, looking around as if expecting to be somewhere else. Tegan stood in front of him with her hands to her mouth, thinking that perhaps she should not have stuck the Time Lord so hard. "Doctor?" she said sheepishly. "Are you alright?"

The Doctor rubbed his cheek, puzzled, oblivious to the fact that he had just been slapped. Shrugging it off, he launched into an explanation of the Institute, which was a storage as well as research facility. The storage area had been set up for the containment of extremely deadly and volatile materials. The Doctor had been sent by the Time Lords to oversee and assist in the tedious job of calibrating all the storage chambers designed to put the specimens into a specialized form of suspended animation. The indicator was used to measure the time field, the light going off as soon as the time field was functioning properly.

"But the light isn't staying on," Turlough pointed out. "Does that mean the time field is fluctuating?"

"Yes," the Doctor replied.

"So, the contents are no longer in suspended animation when ever…" Turlough looked up sharply. "Doctor, if that's true, won't the stuff inside start growing?"

"Actually, if the time field is out of phase, it could very well accelerate the growth, eventu ally causing the chamber seals to break and violate containment."

Turlough fell silent. If the Doctor was right, then even the most innocuous specimen could wipe out the population of a city the size of London. And they were heading straight for it!

Tegan saw Turlough's eyes beginning to frost. "Now don't you start!" she scolded, shaking him.

"We'll not arrive for a while yet," the Time Lord informed as he strode to the inner door. "Best get some rest."

Unable to sleep, Prince Jason had risen before dawn, eager to begin planning his return home. He had been forced to wait until morning to contact his home world, the repairs to the communication system having gone on well into the night. As it was, he was forced to transmit a text message from the terminal in his quarters, the audio and visual systems still being inoperative.

Jason happily informed his father that the project was finally complete and the program was just about to be finalized. He had not been able to find any evidence of unusual activity, with the possible exception to the guards. But considering what they were guarding, it was probably nothing to be concerned about. He still planned to make one more sweep of the building before leaving, just to be on the safe side.

Jason leaned back in his chair and sipped his morning coffee as he waited for the message to be acknowledged. To his surprise and delight, his father replied. The King wrote that he was just as pleased as his son that he was finished, going on to say that a transport ship just happened to be in the vicinity and would be rerouted to bring the Crown Prince home.

Jason sat reading and rereading the message on his terminal, finally printing a hard copy in order to hold it in his hands. After being away for so many months, he could scarcely believe he was actually going home. Rising to his feet, he poured himself a second cup of coffee and then sank into the inviting depths of an overstuffed couch where he could watch the fish peacefully swimming in a large aquarium across the room. "Ah, tranquility at last," he sighed. "Now I can finally have some rest."

He could not have been more wrong. At that moment, a knock came at his door.

"Enter."

A security guard stepped through the door and gave a slight bow. He was slim and dark, and as far as Jason could tell, barely nineteen. The Alterran wondered almost abstractly why most of the security force was so young. "Yes, what is it?"

"I'm Jameson, your highness. I've been assigned to you."

"Oh, really? Why?"

"As your bodyguard," came the nervous reply.

"My what?" Jason thundered back.

Rattled, Jameson attempted a confused explanation. "Sir, the surveillance system…and the radios…the Commander…he…"

Jason was not in the least bit interested in explanations, and was not even listening. "We'll see about this. Wait here," he commanded and stormed into the bedroom to change.

The Doctor was alone in the console room, seated at the table his companions had used for their game of dominoes. Before him were various parts and wires, some of which he was in the process of wiring into a small box. He was so absorbed in his work that he failed to notice when his companions opened the inner door and came in.

Tegan and Turlough exchanged a mystified look. "Now what?" Turlough asked softly. The Doctor jumped to his feet the same instant. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I didn't mean to startle you."

The Doctor did not hear him, still having taken no notice of anyone else being in the room with him. Crossing to the console, he fitted the box into the slot near the indicator light. Tegan thought it looked like a light meter that photographers used on Earth. She was partly right.

Looking up, the Doctor finally registered the presence of his companions. "Nearly there, I've just a few more adjustments."

"How long before we arrive, Doctor?" Tegan inquired.

"Not long," came the vague reply.

"I'll be glad to meet someone friendly for a change."

The Time Lord gave her a blank look.

"You know, Doctor," Tegan said, attempting to clarify, "the Alterrans. Peace-loving, non-aggressive…"

"I very much doubt there'll be any Alterrans on Carna. It's only on the fringes of the Empire and usually crawling with humans," the Doctor said harshly. Seeing the stricken look on Tegan's face, he was immediately sorry for having taken so severe a tone. It wasn't her fault she misunderstood. Continuing in a gentler tone, he explained, "Even if there were any Alterrans there, you wouldn't know unless they told you. They have the ability to assume any form they choose using a process known as molecular transmutation."

"Molecular transmutation!" Turlough cried in astonishment. "Shape shifters? But…that's a legend, surely?"

"Molecular what?" Tegan asked, suddenly feeling left out.

"It's the ability to assume any form by realigning one's molecular structure," the Doctor imparted. "Very few outsiders have ever seen the ability used, so it's only natural that myths and legends should develop." He gave Turlough a stern look. "And if you do meet one, I don't suggest you call them a shape shifter. They're rather touchy on that point."

Before his companions could grill him further, the Doctor turned his attention to the control console and announced that they were on final approach to Carna.

Professor Turner was still hard at work in his office, having worked throughout the night. It had been an exhausting job to get all everything to come out properly, and had only served to put him in a foul temper. He was in the process of entering the final results into the computer when a voice called from the outer office. "Professor, I have a message for you."

"It'd better be important," the Professor snapped.

"You can take it any way you like. The Security Commander wants you to report to his office immediately."

Professor Turner went purple with rage. "The arrogance of that man! As if I don't have anything better to do than answer to his beck and call. The absolute effrontery. Who the devil does he think he is?"

Who indeed?