Chapter 26

Oh, What A Tangled Web...

Jason suddenly swept into the detention area, his eyes burning like hot coals as he glared hatefully at the man he thought to be the Master.

The Doctor had seen his volatile Alterran friend in this state before, and that did not bode well for him in his present circumstances. Notwithstanding the force field between them, he took a cautious step back.

"Yes, you'd better keep well away from me!" Jason spat contemptuously. "I wouldn't want to cheat the hangman."

The Doctor blinked, Jason's venomous tone startling him. It was obvious the Prince was trying very hard to remain in control of himself, which, ironically, was due to the presence of the Master. The cause of his rage was still a mystery and reasoning with him was clearly out of the question.

"Why? Why did you have to kill her?" Jason demanded mournfully. "She was no part of this. It's me you're after. Me."

Even though it was difficult, the Doctor remained silent, now completely lost. He tried desperately to concentrate his muddled brain, but to no avail. Everything kept jumbling together. He resigned himself to the fact that he would have to absorb as much as possible until his mind was clearer. Perhaps then he could sort it all out.

The Doctor was brought out of his jumbled thoughts with a jolt when Jason suddenly slammed a fist on the wall. "Answer me, damn you!" he snarled. "Answer me, or I'll come in there and shake the answers out of you!"

For the first time in his life, the Doctor was genuinely afraid of his Alterran friend. If Jason lost control of himself now, the Doctor was absolutely certainty that nothing would prevent him from taking his life.

Without realizing, the Master defused the situation when he said close to the Alterran's ear, "Jason, you said yourself he can't resist turning the knife. What better way than to kill the one person you cherished and leave you to go on alone."

Jason turned to the pretender and backed away, throwing his hands in the air. "Don't touch me! I don't want to be consoled!" he cried. He threw an angry look back to the occupant of the cell, his eyes narrowing hatefully. "I want to kill him. Slowly. Very…very slowly." Getting control of himself, he drew himself to his full height before he turned on his heel and stormed out of the detention area.

The Master watched him go in a combination of joy and relief. He had no intention of touching the ranting Alterran, having been trying to maintain a discreet distance the entire time he was there.

The Doctor glared angrily at his enemy, who was obviously pleased with the sizeable wedge he had managed to drive between the old friends.

"It seems Lady Tostine was found murdered tonight," the Master said in response to the Doctor's unspoken question. "And the weapon used is indicative to only one person." He paused for effect before saying, "A renegade Time Lord known as the Master."

The Doctor did not even attempt to hide his revulsion. "You've surpassed yourself in vile cruelty this time," he spat in distaste. "I didn't think that was possible. Did you murder that innocent lady just to make sure Jason and I stayed separated? Or were you hoping it would provoke him into killing me for you?"

"Such accusations!" the Master gasped in feigned amazement, clearly delighted with the turmoil he had induced in his sworn enemy. "I've killed no one. I'm the Doctor: bastion of justice and protector of the downtrodden. While you—" He smiled, savoring his next pronouncement. "You are the Master. You are—as the young Prince so succinctly put it—the most vile creature in the universe. Because of your previous, heinous offenses, the trial for the murder of Lady Tostine will, no doubt be waved. Why waste all that time and expense on another trial when you've already been sentenced—to termination."

Appalled and overwhelmed, the Doctor was forced to turn away from the mocking image of himself, the sound of his own voice only serving to increase his frustration. A wave of dizziness suddenly caught him off guard and he sat down, thinking it to be a side effect of the drugs. It was not until he looked up that he noticed the Master seemed to have experienced the same effect. The process was unstable! To his joy he realized that he actually did have some power. The power of Time. The longer he stayed alive, the more unstable the obviously fragile psychic link would become until it finally broke, reversing the process.

"A little unsteady on my feet?" the Doctor taunted.

Having come to the same conclusions as his enemy, the Master glared disdainfully back at him before storming out.

Having won this minor victory, the Doctor let a small laugh rumble forth. Then he sighed heavily. "Time will tell...if only I had any. Time. Buying time. Making time. A stitch in—" He broke off and shook his head in an unsuccessful attempt to clear it. "This isn't getting me anywhere. Come on, think!" he growled.

He was going to be put to death. Of that he had no doubt. There would be a formal hearing and then… Still, he had one hope. The Alterrans were an honorable race and even a scoundrel like the Master would be allowed his say in court.

The Doctor remembered the odd courtroom he had stumbled across in his wanderings and was thankful he had chosen that morning to explore. Was it really only that morning? It seemed like days ago...

"No!" the Doctor told himself. "You have got to concentrate," which was painfully difficult. He had suddenly found himself cast in the role of the spider and placed in the center of a web of deception and misdirection that the Master had spun so brilliantly around him He needed time to regain his equilibrium before he could even begin extracting himself, and his enemy was doing his level best to keep him off balance.

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive," the Doctor quoted. Then he wondered, if he was supposed to be the Master, would he be able to use his enemy's guile against him? The courtroom. Start with the courtroom. He managed to go over the layout of the room in his mind, and then a plan started forming…

Shadra had been trying to pull herself free of the more substantial web of wires in which the Master had suspended her. At the same time, she wondered what the majority of the Imperial courtiers would think if they saw her coping with her current situation so well. The general consensus in court, which was one she perpetuated, was that she was a demure, fragile female incapable of dealing with the stressful political situations within Tel-Shye's ruling Senate. Those in court agreed that she was an excellent social secretary, but the real political decisions were beyond her expertise. In reality she was endowed with a fiercely tenacious spirit that was kept well hidden beneath beguiling smiles and carefully chosen words, with only the Aaron and Jason knowing the truth.

Now that the initial shock of her kidnapping had worn off, the Baroness was going over her situation, seeing the unmasking of her abductor as a good thing. Jason had told her about the Master and she felt she had some idea of what to expect from him. Had it truly been the Doctor, she would have been at a complete loss. Jason trusted the Doctor implicitly, and expected her to do the same. Had he been the one behind this horror—

Suddenly, Shadra realized that this had been the thing that had terrified her most. The thought of Jason's most trusted friend betraying him in so horrible a fashion.

Shadra sighed heavily and stopped struggling. She was getting nowhere fast and would only wear herself out if she continued. The fine wire filaments holding her in place were a great deal stronger than they appeared, and with the barrier operating, her strength was greatly reduced. Perhaps if she called for help, someone would hear. They simply had to!