Chapter 40

The Misleading Prince

Jason was snapped back to reality when the Master suddenly demanded, "Where is the Doctor?"

The force of the mental energy exerted by his captor hit Jason like a wall of heat, forcing him to take an alarmed step back. Apparently, the bindings had also been geared to make his mind more receptive to the Master's will. He forced himself to concentrate, fighting the attempt to control him by superimposing the face he hated above all others over that of the Doctor.

"Where is the Doctor?" the Master demanded again.

The Prince clenched his teeth and said nothing, glaring defiantly back at his captor.

"You will accept my will!"

"No!" Jason snapped. "I won't!"

The distress of the Crown Prince suddenly caused the mist in Baylore's mind to clear, and the Master's control to slip. He was sworn to protect the Royal family, not stand idly by as they were…No, he must obey the Master. Obey the…the Master? But this was the Doctor, surely?

The sudden, unexpected breakdown of control infuriated the Master. He broke off his interrogation to concentrate on the practically incoherent officer but found he could not reestablish control. With a growl of annoyance, the Master took the gun from Baylore's hand and fired it pointblank. He then tossed the weapon carelessly aside, watching dispassionately as the blue energy beam engulfed the unsuspecting Alterran.

Baylore twisted and jerked horribly in the ball of energy, a scream of agony frozen in his throat. Within seconds, the lattice of his crystalline molecular structure was completely shattered, all the color draining from his body. He fell dead to the floor, practically at the Prince's feet.

Revolted by the act of wanton violence, Jason turned away, looking up in rage when he heard a satisfied chuckle rumble from the Master's throat. "There was no reason for that," he spat angrily.

The Master ignored the remark, returning the angry stare with one of amplified malevolence. Jason instantly felt the Time Lord's rage clamp down on him, forcing him slowly and painfully to his knees. Up until this point, the Master had been successfully exploiting the fact that Alterrans no longer utilized their telepathic abilities. But, this was not the case when it came to the Crown Prince. During his time with the Doctor, Jason had been trained to use his telepathic powers and had learned several techniques to shield his mind from attack. Techniques he was now utilizing to their fullest capacity, much to the extreme annoyance of the Master.

"You will accept my will!" the enraged Time Lord thundered.

"No…no…" the Prince gasped out painfully, desperately battling the forces trying to enervate his mind. Inwardly, he was thankful the Master had been mentally weakened by the waves of instability he had endured. Notwithstanding his father's restorative, Jason felt he still had a slight edge. But for how long?

"Where is the Doctor?" the Master shouted. "You will tell me, boy!"

Crouched on the floor and uncertain as to whether he could withstand any further abuse, Jason finally gave in. "He…he's gone…to the…Crystal Cavern," he gasped out.

"Why?"

No answer.

"Why!"

Jason actually felt the question physically strike him. "To…to reverse…the mind-bonding… process."

"Is that possible?"

"Yes," came the meek reply. "With outsiders, the process is reversible."

The Master moved away to consider this response, not realizing that in doing so he was alerting his captive that he did not know as much about the process as he claimed.

Feeling completely drained, Jason sagged, grateful to be given this time to recover. He decided it best to continue his pretense of submission (as the Doctor had instructed) and remained meekly on the floor. His gaze fell on the fractured body of the ill-fated Baylore, triggering a momentary wave of terror. Now that the Master knew the Doctor's location, was there any reason to keep him alive? In his present condition, he was powerless to fend off any attempt on his life. No, Jason told himself, you have got to stay calm. The Doctor had been fond of saying the one weapon that couldn't be taken away from you was your intellect, which had always annoyed his Alterran friend, who preferred to let his emotions guide him. Now was not the time for emotionalism, however. It was time to be smart and the smart thing to do was nothing. He needed to continue his pretense of submission until an opportunity for escape presented itself.

The Master had also been thinking things through and was cursing the fact that he had been forced to eliminate the unreliable Baylore. His plan had been to take the subdued Prince to the Crystal Cavern via the transmat, securing him in the computer center before confronting the Doctor. Now, he would have to take the troublesome aristocrat through the main entrance.

"On your feet," the Master snarled, taking hold of Jason's arm and dragging him up.

The Prince allowed the rough yank to his feet, trying to ignore the metal bindings biting painfully into his wrists. When the Time Lord's hand touched his exposed skin, he could not ignore the dual auras assaulting him with the same amplified intensity of the Master's mental attack. He let out a cry of pain, pulling sharply away and falling back against the wall, clearly shaken.

"It would appear I was wise to keep you at arm's length after all," the bogus Doctor observed thoughtfully.

Jason made no reply, thinking this was rather obvious and cursing himself for having reacted so violently.

"Now, boy. You will obey me, won't you?"

The Prince lowered his eyes in apparent resignation and submission. "Yes, Master," he replied shakily.

"Excellent. Come with me, my Prince." The Master led the way out onto the balcony and its convenient exterior stairway.

Jason felt himself being pulled along behind him. Just like a dog on a leash, he thought bitterly. The realization of what was happening suddenly hit him and he pulled himself together. He had to continue resisting, not letting his guard down for a second. If he lost himself to the will of his tyrannical captor, all would be lost.

Had he been able to use the transmat, the Master would have found his other prisoner sleeping restlessly in her metal prison. After going over the possibilities of rescue or escape, Shadra had concluded that it was hopeless. For most of the night had she mourned the deaths of Cedric and the Doctor, having no way of knowing the Time Lord was still very much alive. As far as she knew, the Master was permanent resident in the body he had stolen—with her as his slave.

Fear, grief, anger and depression were eventually overtaken by exhaustion and the Baroness cried herself to sleep, unaware of the fact that help was very close at hand.