Chapter 35

The Doctor's Not Himself

Captain Devron had received the order to call off the search for the Master, and was not at all pleased about it. His objections to the King fell on deaf ears. Like Jason, Aaron had concluded that the renegade Time Lord would not be found after so much time had past, and his son had run into Tegan, literally, before he could tell him not to call off the search.

The reluctant Captain of the guard eventually bowed to the wishes of his sovereign, hating the thought of having to sit and wait for the Master to resurface. So many lives had been lost in the confrontation in the capital city of Krystos. It wasn't something he wanted repeated with his own men.

Having experienced the same massive jolt as the Doctor, the Master returned to his place on the balcony. This way he could continue his pretense of convalescence while keeping an eye on the Doctor's TARDIS. His enemy could not stay hidden indefinitely. Sooner or later he would have to make a try for his preposterous Police Box.

Hearing Tegan and the protesting Jason below, something (call it his sixth sense or his instinct for survival) suddenly warned the Master that things were dangerously amiss. He immediately hid from view, taking refuge in the shaded doorway. From there, he watched in astonishment as Tegan glanced up to the balcony, pulled out her TARDIS key, unlocked the door and entered, yanking the confused Alterran in behind her.

The Master ground his teeth in annoyance. There could be no doubt that he had just witnessed another example of his rival's resourcefulness. Tegan's cautious glance was confirmation enough that, even in his altered state, the Doctor had been able to convince his companions of his true identity.

The Doctor had sufficiently recovered his strength to stand and was in the process of setting the coordinates for the Crystal Cavern. A concerned Turlough stood uneasily behind him. The boy had been unable to dissuade the exhausted Time Lord from rising from the floor and did not like the way he kept wavering on his feet.

The Doctor was convinced the link was close to the breaking point, and should it be severed unexpectedly, then Turlough would have the misfortune of finding himself in the company of the real Master. Not wanting to chance this, the Doctor decided to go to the Crystal Cavern on his own and wait there for the link to break.

"I really do hate these short hops," the Doctor sighed as he double-checked the coordinates. "It's easier moving from one planet to another than just—" He broke off as the exterior doors suddenly swung open. "Did you do that?" he asked his equally surprised companion.

Before Turlough could reply, another amazing thing happened. Tegan calmly entered the console room, key in hand.

"Good grief, Tegan!" the Doctor gasped. "Whatever made you…?" His voice trailed off as Jason came in behind her.

"Oh, no," Turlough moaned. "Things are going from bad to worse."

Jason's eyes narrowed hatefully at the sight of the man he assumed had murdered his fiancée. He clenched his fists, a growl rumbling from his throat. This caused Turlough to position himself between the Doctor and volatile Alterran. Not that he would be able to do anything should Jason decide to advance. Having seen him in action, Turlough knew he would be powerless to stop him.

Tegan was having similar thoughts and wished she had not acted so hastily in getting the Prince to the TARDIS without warning him as to why. Now it was too late. "I asked Jason about that mind-bonding process," she said at last, "and…I believe you now." She threw and apologetic look in Turlough's direction.

The Doctor smiled approvingly. "Good girl. But just now I think it might be more advantageous if Jason were to believe me, wouldn't you agree?"

Seeing Tegan nod Jason's face darkened further. "What're you playing at?" he snarled threateningly. "What lies could you possibly get them to believe?"

The Doctor took a step toward the glowering Alterran, only to stop when Turlough caught him by the arm. "Are you sure this is wise?" the young man asked close to his ear. "You remember what happened the last time the Master got too close to him."

The Doctor did not like the idea any more than Turlough. "I'll have to take that chance," he snapped back. "We're running out of time."

This did nothing to ease Turlough's mind.

Turning to Jason, the Doctor said, "No matter what I tell you, you'll never believe it—"

"Right first time."

"—And I don't have time for lengthy explanations. But I believe your senses will verify the truth—if you'll let them—and then we can go on from there."

Jason was mystified by this ambiguous statement, and despite himself, shrank back slightly as the dark figure drew closer.

"I want you to scan me, Jason," the Doctor requested in as even a tone as he could manage.

"Why?"

"Because I'm the Doctor. And this is the quickest way for me to prove it to you." I hope, he thought.

Jason blinked. "Because you're what?"

"It's true!" Turlough insisted.

"Turlough, this is crazy!" the Alterran protested. "Has everyone taken leave of their senses?"

"Jason, there's no time for this!" the Doctor snapped impatiently, taking hold of one of the Prince's outstretched hands. "Now would you please—?"

The instant the Doctor touched him, Jason let out an involuntary cry of alarm as a flood of conflicting information suddenly bombarded his senses. He snatched his hand away as if it had just been thrust into boiling water. Wide-eyed, he slowly backed away, shocked and terrified. "Wh… what…are you?" he breathed.

The Doctor had expected a violent reaction of one kind or another and was relieved that his friend hadn't chosen to forgo the scan in order to strangle him. He did not, as yet, know that a Time Lord's aura was unusually strong and registered on Jason's senses instantly, leaving him no choice but to scan it.

Turlough could sympathize with the Prince, having gone through a similarly shocking experience himself. "Rather a convincing argument, isn't it?" he said mildly.

Dazed and shaking, Jason tried to answer, but all that came out were panicky squeaks. He struggled to get hold of himself but could not seem to stop trembling.

The Doctor resisted with every fiber of his being the urge to go to his confused friend, fearing it would only make matters worse, just as it had with Tegan. This did not go unobserved by the Australian, who went over to the Prince and put a hand on his arm. "Jason, are you alright?" she asked gently.

Jason closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. "I will be—I think," he replied shakily.

"What happened?"

"How…? How can I put this?" he sighed. How could he possibly translate the incredible—Impossible!—information that had just inundated his senses? Taking another deep breath to steady himself, Jason said, "There were two distinct time auras. Time Lords. But…completely separate identities. They were—are—overlapping each other, fighting for dominance." He studied the dark figure before him as if seeing him for the first time.

"And they are?" the figure prompted gently.

"The Master," Jason responded softly, "and…the Doctor."