Chapter 44

At Long Last

Tegan, Turlough, and Jason had no way of knowing the reversal had been successful. Nor could they know the Doctor had actually been enjoying the curiously soothing procedure. All they could do was stand nervously by and watch as the twin shafts of red light gradually returned to their original white brilliance. After what seemed an eternity, the lights went out and the platforms silently sank back into the floor carrying their motionless occupants with them.

Jason exchanged a look of mutual uncertainty with the Doctor's companions before moving hesitantly to the lowered platform before him. He stared down at the figure he had placed there only minutes before, knowing a single touch was all it would take to confirm the identity of the unconscious, and still helpless, Time Lord. But fear of what his senses might tell him caused Jason to hesitate a bit too long. The figure stirred just as he was reaching out his hand. Startled, he took a few nervous steps back.

The Doctor opened his eyes and slowly sat up. He looked down at himself and sighed in relief. It was nice to be back. He looked up to see the Prince standing a short distance away and smiled, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. "Well, I must say, that was a far more enjoyable experience than the last time," he said conversationally to his dismayed companions.

"Doctor…?" Jason ventured sheepishly, still wary of the man before him.

The Doctor grinned and held out his arms. "In the flesh," he quipped. There was a chorus of groans in response, much to his delight.

"It's you," the Prince confirmed. It could be no one else.

"And just to be sure…" The Doctor took hold of one of Jason's hands and was startled when he received a harsh, accusing glare in response. He took an alarmed step back only to find the Alterran had taken a very firm grip on him. To his immense relief, his friend's eyes sparked mischievously before he broke into a broad smile. "Welcome back, Doctor."

Tegan and Turlough came over to join them and the Doctor thanked his friends whole-heartedly for their assistance—and for saving his life.

"What about the Master?" Turlough wanted to know.

"If he fought as hard as I did the first time, he'll be out for quite some time," the Doctor informed.

"And if he didn't?"

"Then he will have already recovered," came the velvety response from behind them.

The Doctor spun around to see the visibly recovered Master standing at the console, TCE in hand. Behind him, he heard Jason curse himself for having been so careless as to leave the deadly weapon out in the open.

The Master knew the Doctor's mental powers were formidable, although he would never admit to it openly. He also knew that if the Doctor had been unable to resist the exchange process, then he would be unable to do so also. He eyed the little group evilly. There was nothing to stop him from using the deadly device now.

"Who shall I choose first?" the Master asked softly, almost smacking his lips in delight. The possibilities were far too delicious to be rushed. He moved slowly away from the console to stand before his captives.

Jason stepped forward as if to shield the others, only to be motioned back. "Oh no, my Prince," the Time Lord purred, his voice hardening as he added, "I have other plans for you."

This statement sent a chill down Jason's spine. He backed up, positioning himself closer to the Doctor's TARDIS.

"You will move away from your companions, Doctor," the Master ordered, waving him aside.

Giving his companions an apologetic look, the Doctor hesitantly did as instructed. The same instant, Jason let out a cry of sheer terror, spun around and disappeared behind the TARDIS.

The Master laughed at the look of genuine astonishment on his rival's face. Obviously the events of the last few hours, and the threat of retribution for his actions at the Institute, had finally broken the Alterran's nerve, filling him with such abject terror that he had abandoned the others in order to save himself.

"It seems our young Prince has finally given in to his true nature," mocked the Master.

The Doctor did not reply, being too thunderstruck by Jason's unexpected flight. He knew his friend was terrified of the Master, but never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that he would leave them all to die.

"You're the expert on etiquette, Doctor," the evil Time Lord said contemptuously. "Am I correct in the assumption that it's polite and proper to let ladies go first?"

Tegan was horrified. It was bad enough to know the Master intended to kill them, but to be singled out as his first victim! The Doctor could only give her a mournful look when she turned to him. There was nothing he could do or say that would stop the inevitable and she knew it. She was even too frightened to be irritated when she heard him mutter something that sounded distinctly like, "Brave heart, Tegan."

Suddenly, long tendrils erupted from behind the TARDIS, coiling around the petrified Tegan and yanking her to safety. A second later, Turlough vanished in the same manner.

After his theatrical exit, Prince Jason had remained in the doorway of the TARDIS, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Upon hearing the Master issue Tegan's death sentence, he returned to his true form, pulling the Doctor's companions to safety.

"But what about the Doctor?" Tegan protested as she and Turlough were herded into the console room.

"He's too far away," Jason replied, changing back to his human form as he spoke. "I barely reached Turlough as it is."

"We've got to do something!"

"Don't you think I know that?" the Alterran snapped angrily. Seeing the anguished expression on Tegan's face, he realized she was just as frustrated as he was. "I'm sorry, Tegan," he said quickly. "I need time to think, and we don't have any."

Turlough went to the console and activated the scanner. Perhaps they could come up with something if they knew what was going on, which was not much. The Master seemed very put out by the rescue of the Doctor's companions, but it was something else attracted Jason's attention. The crystals in the Cavern wall were still pulsing rhythmically and the Alterran was transfixed by them. Then, at long last, he remembered the rhyme that had eluded him since his arrival at the Cavern.

"In mind's eyes the crystals glow," he recited softly. "Shared knowledge they intensify. Wisdom and unity they bestow. And the power—amplify!"

Tegan and Turlough exchanged a baffled look and turned to the Prince, wondering if he might be cracking up.

"Amplify, amplify," Jason muttered over and over. He paced back and forth, suddenly catching his breath and stopping dead in his tracks. "Of course! That's it! It has to be it!"

"What has to be it?" Tegan and Turlough asked together.

"I've got an idea. But it's a long shot. No matter what happens, stay in the TARDIS!" Jason ordered as he dashed out the door.

Knowing his own fate was sealed, the Doctor had resigned himself to the inevitable. At the same time, he was thankful that Jason's bewildering act of cowardice had merely been a well-crafted ploy for getting his companions out of harm's way.

The Master, in the meantime, was cursing himself for having underestimated the defiant Alterran, thus allowing himself to be out maneuvered with conspicuous ease. He had planned on initiating the exchange a second time, having concluded Jason's story to be a total fabrication. This time, he would kill the Doctor immediately afterward. Before doing this, however, the Master had planned on adding to his enemy's torment by allowing him to witness the deaths of his companions.

"It would appear," the Doctor observed blandly, "that Jason has, indeed, given in to his true nature."

"Indeed," the Master snorted. "Striking from hiding. The coward's way, my dear Doctor."

"Well, you should know all about the coward's way, Master," Jason countered pointedly as he stepped from behind the Police Box, "considering you're the biggest coward I've ever met."