Chapter 39
Taken Prisoner
Jason returned to the room from which Tegan had unceremoniously dragged him in order to retrieve his cloak. Since he wore it so much of the time, he felt he could conceal a weapon beneath it without arousing suspicion.
Jason had no sooner put the garment on when Baylore appeared at the door requesting that he accompany him. The Prince bristled. As if he didn't have enough to worry about, now he was expected to get involved in explaining everything to the Palace Guard! He threw the officer a baleful look, having assumed his father to have sent him as a delaying tactic. Then a sudden thought struck him. What was Baylore doing playing errand boy? Wasn't he Assistant Transmat Operations Officer? Yes, of course he was. Jason clearly remembered him being the one on duty when he returned from Krystos the day before.
"Baylore, I thought you were supposed to be—" The Prince's sentence was never completed. Just as he looked up, there was a blue flash and then nothing.
The Doctor had located the Master's TARDIS with conspicuous ease. It had disguised itself as a rock formation that jutted from the wall near where the Master had appeared from the shadows. Even though this was the reason the search was begun there, it was not the reason it had been found. The crystals covering the time machine's exterior surface were still blinking in the random patterns the Doctor had seen when he first entered the cave. But those in the main Cavern were pulsing in unison. The Doctor wondered if the altered behavior was due to the deterioration of the link and watched the rhythmic pulsing a fascination. "It's almost like someone breathing," he observed quietly.
Returning to the task at hand, the Doctor unlocked the Master's TARDIS, ordering his companions to wait while he entered alone. Never one to trust his enemy, he made a quick check for booby traps before allowing Tegan and Turlough to enter. The Time Lord then announced their first order of business was to destroy the documents stolen from the Institute, all of which the Master had very likely left in mountain of paper just inside the inner door.
As he was showing his companions what to remove, the Doctor discovered all the data from Jason's tests had been carefully set aside. "Like choosing the volunteer for a suicide mission," he said under this breath as he examined the intricately detailed paperwork. Was it possible he had done exactly that?
Jason dazedly became aware of being led through the halls of the Palace and realized almost immediately what had happened. Baylore had used the lowest setting on his weapon to stun him, inducing the trance-like state from which he was slowly emerging. The Prince continued the pretense of submissiveness in order to regain his senses completely, the fog in his mind lifting just as he was led into the Doctor's suite. The guard was obviously in league with the Master, and Jason pulled sharply away, snatching Baylore's gun from its holster in the process.
"You recover very quickly, my Prince," came the Doctor's voice from behind him.
Jason spun around to see the impostor standing in the bedroom doorway, the TCE aimed straight at him.
"And you can drop the pretense of surprise," the Master went on. "I'm already well aware of the fact that you know who I am."
"I see. Is that why you had me dragged up here by force?" Jason asked contemptuously, surrendering the weapon to Baylore. As he did so, he saw for the first time the blank expression on the guard's face and wanted to kick himself for failing to notice it sooner. He knew mind control to be the Master's favorite method of enslavement, having fought off the Time Lord's attempt to control him during their first encounter.
The Master wagged an admonishing finger at the glowering Alterran. "Let's not get unpleasant, your highness. I only want to ask you a few questions. Surely you don't object to that?"
Jason did not respond, although his expression clearly indicated that he objected a great deal.
"Where is the Doctor?"
The Prince gave an amused grunt. "You don't really expect me to tell you that, do you?"
"Eventually," the Master purred.
Jason stiffened when Baylore leveled his weapon at him but remained adamant in his refusal to divulge the Doctor's location.
The Master nodded and the guard fired what should have been another stunning shot. Jason, however, remained bright-eyed and alert and grinned in amusement at the bewildered Time Lord. "Just incase you didn't know," he informed innocently, "the trance inducer only works when the victim is caught off guard."
The Master ground his teeth in anger, motioning the Alterran back with the TCE, a weapon he knew he feared. He crossed to a nearby table, opening the box and removing the device he had assembled earlier. On the table beside it Jason noticed an empty carafe bearing his father's insignia, the implications instantly clear. He returned his gaze to the device in his abductor's hands and scowled. It looked like a pair of manacles attached to an energy pack. Electronic handcuffs?
"You've got to be kidding?" the Alterran said in distaste. He knew the Master was no fool, yet here he was trying to bind him. He merely had to alter his hands to slip free.
"Humor me," the Time Lord grinned. "Consider it—a life insurance policy."
Jason could not help giving way to an amused smile. Life insurance indeed, he thought, having made particular note of his captor's wariness towards him, even with Baylore present. He needed only a second or two to transmute, but the telltale shimmering it produced would be enough to alert the Master and his subjugated bodyguard. At this close range, Jason felt certain he could overpower the impostor without getting himself killed. He could not, however, do that and take on another Alterran (specifically Baylore) at the same time. With this in mind, he grudgingly submitted to the indignity.
With a resigned sigh, Jason held out his hands, only to have his captor shake his head and motion that he turn around. He glared at him a moment and then rolled his eyes. Okay, I'll play along, Jason thought, moving his cloak out of the way and putting his hands behind his back.
"Thank-you, my Prince," the Master chirped brightly. He clamped the cuffs on the young man's wrists and touched a small button, activating the unit.
The same instant, a sharp, blinding pain sliced through Jason's brain causing him to cry out and stagger a few steps. He shook his head vigorously, blinking hard several times to clear his vision. "What the hell was that!" he demanded.
"Just the activation of the power unit," the bogus Doctor replied blandly.
The Alterran Prince was now completely baffled. What was the point of all this when he could escape so easily?
"Go ahead and try," the Master said challengingly in reply to his captive's thoughts. He slipped the TCE into a pocket, folded his arms and stood back to watch.
Jason gave him a quizzical look before accepting the challenge. He concentrated on his hands and pulled.
Nothing happened.
Puzzled, the Alterran tried again. His wrists remained firmly clamped in their metal bonds. He looked at the gloating Time Lord in shock. "This is impossible!" he cried, tugging at the manacles without success.
"You'll only exhaust yourself, if you keep that up. That unit has been keyed to your brainwaves and—as you can see—is quite effectively suppressing your ability to transmute," the Master informed devastatingly.
Jason's eyes grew wide in horror. "Th…these are keyed…to my brainwaves?" he stammered unbelievingly.
The Master nodded, clearly enjoying himself.
"Me…specifically?"
Jason received an evil grin in reply and blanched visibly, feeling a wave of panic rise up inside him. How could he be so stupid! The Doctor even made a point of warning him the Master had gotten hold of the test resultsWhy didn't he listen? Instead, he had let his own arrogance and pride in his invulnerability get in the way of his better judgment. Baylore's presence had merely been a ruse to throw him off, which it had done brilliantly. It was all too obvious now that the evil Time Lord had been prepared for this confrontation all along. But to what end…?