Chapter Sixteen

The Plan Unravels

When the face of the insubordinate guard was transmitted through the spatial rift, the real Juris caught his breath. "Papa," he breathed, scarcely believing it himself. He had suspected who the guard was when he saw the look in his eyes, having seen the same look of rage and disapproval numerous times in his father's eyes. He knew who he was for certain when he heard the defiant reply, recognizing the voice instantly.

"Your father?" the mystified entity responded. "Explain."

Still badly shaken, Juris threw a terrified look across the room and then at the monitor screen, seeing the image from the mind probe room had frozen. With a start he realized Asta had suspended time yet again. "I don't know how but…that guard isn't a guard," he explained slowly. "He's…my father in disguise. He must've taken on the guard's form and…" His voice trailed off as the cloud started to darken ominously and he wondered if he had just made a major mistake. "Yo…you did know…Alterrans could transmute…didn't you?" he asked hesitantly.

"Your race has the power to physically change itself?"

Juris closed his eyes and shivered. "Oh God, you didn't know," he breathed in horror. Seeing the cloud move from its place across the room and he pressed himself back against the wall to keep from collapsing in fear. "Someone must've known!" he cried out desperately. "How else would they know to have a barrier generator operating? Or to use Alterran weapons?"

The silent creature continued to darken, causing a whimper of terror to escape the trembling youth. He closed his eyes and braced himself, expecting to be set upon again. When this did not happen he hesitantly opened his eyes, seeing his captor had stopped its advance. "Wwwell?" the Prince said shakily. "Aaaren't you…going ttto…question me?"

Asta did not respond immediately. For reasons she did not understand, some of the emotions her prisoner had explained were causing something she was not accustomed to—confusion. Was this regret for having taken the information about the Doctor by force? Were the boy's intense feelings of bitterness and betrayal causing this? Her Master ruled by fear and had commanded the Prince be taught a lesson in terror for withholding the fact that the Doctor was a Time Lord; and even though she had done this several times in the past, it seemed completely different now and she did not know why. Confusion. It was very interesting.

Finally choosing not to reply directly to the Prince's question, Asta informed, "The analysis of the information extracted from King Jason has been completed. Any further interrogation is unnecessary."

"Whose interrogation?" Juris asked pointedly. "The Doctor's or mine?"

Receiving no reply, the shaken youth closed his eyes and tried to stop trembling before, asking again the question uppermost in his mind. "Asta, wh…why…?" The words got caught in his throat and he had to take a deep breath to steady himself before trying again. "Why did you… attack me?"

"It was the will of my Master," came the bland reply. "He was angered when he learned the Doctor was a Time Lord."

"Angered? I don't understand?"

"Because you withheld this fact from me," Asta went on, "my Master felt you might also be withholding other information and commanded that I strip your mind of all facts while making certain not to cause your life force permanent damage."

"Permanent damage?" Prince Juris was appalled. "You mean…you were to carve me up mentally, but stop short of killing me?"

"Correct."

"That's barbaric!"

Understanding the hostility but not the reasons behind it, the entity made no reply.

"Won't you get into trouble for telling me about this?" the captive Alterran then asked.

"Trouble? Your words have no meaning."

Juris sighed, feeling as if he were starting all over again. "Won't Ormril be angry that you're telling me his commands?"

The entity grew larger and smaller as it considered the inquiry. "He hasn't forbidden it. Therefore, it is unimportant."

Unable to think of a suitable response, Juris said nothing, and wondered how he had ever thought he could get through to…to—it. Asta wasn't a person. She—it—was a thing, nothing more. To have thought otherwise was just a delusion.

"Do you do everything your Master commands?" the Prince asked almost sheepishly.

"I am an extension of his thoughts. I am incapable of doing otherwise," came the sober reply as the screen returned to life.

Swallowing hard, the young man said, "And that includes…killing me when the time comes?"

Asta's reply was forestalled when all hell broke loose on the other side of the rift. Commander Daniels burst into the mind probe room, took in the situation in horror, came to a completely erroneous conclusion, and promptly shot down the disguised King Jason before he had the chance to utter a sound.

The puppet Prince grabbed Peri by the arm and started to drag her towards the side door, giving the appearance of pulling her to safety. One of Daniels' men came in just as they reached it, allowing her to break free.

The mind probe operator reached for his weapon, only to be shot down for his trouble, his gun never clearing its holster.

Realizing he had lost, Farrell dove behind the control desk and jammed all the instruments to their maximum setting. The same instant the Doctor went rigid, a cry of pain escaping him as the power sliced through his brain. The Commander put an end to his torment by firing an energy bolt into the main control board, reducing it to a fused mass of metal and plastic. It continued to short out, finally exploding into fragments, killing Farrell in the process.

Peri rushed to the Doctor's side, finding him unconscious but otherwise unharmed. Looking helplessly at the elaborate hardware attached to him, she turned to her rescuers and called, "Somebody help me get him out of this thing!" Two of them came to her aid while the Commander gave orders for the immediate arrest of all of Farrell's confederates.

The Doctor came to his senses just as the last of his restraints was removed and he looked fuzzily up at his companion. "Peri…?"

"Doctor, are you alright?" she asked concernedly, helping him to sit up. He nodded slowly but Peri could see he had no idea where he was or what was happening. Remembering the flask in Jason's pocket, she turned just in time to see the stunned Alterran about to be dragged from the room. "No, stop!" she called. "That's your King!"

The Doctor stared at her a moment. "What? Peri, that's impossible. He was dying…"

"I know that!" his companion countered forcefully. She went to the disguised monarch and pulled out the flask. "I mixed up some of his fungus and—" Peri got no further and nearly jumped out of her skin when Jason awoke with a start and cried out, "Juris!" Jumping to his feet, the monarch looked around the room in dismay. "Peri, where's Juris?"

"I don't know," the American replied. "He disappeared when all the shooting started."

"We've got to find him. It's vital!" The King took a step towards the door, stopping when the guards raised their weapons. "Stand aside," he ordered.

The men refused to move.

"Your Majesty, they don't know who you are," Peri explained. Throwing an accusing look in the Doctor's direction, she added, "And they don't believe me, either."

Jason turned to the Commander. "Daniels, is this true?"

The big man said nothing and Jason sighed heavily before saying something in his own language. The Commander gave a brief smiled and bowed silently, acknowledging his sovereign. Seeing this, the Doctor waited for the animated guard to change back in to the young Lord Krystovan. When this did not happen, even the King seemed puzzled and he looked around the room, his face clearing when he saw the barrier generator still operating. He went over to switch it off, discovering Farrell's body behind the control desk at the same time.

"Commander, Prince Juris is to be located and detained immediately," King Jason ordered as he returned to his younger self.

"Majesty." The officer bowed and crossed to the communication screen to relay the order.

The Doctor got shakily to his feet. "Surely there's no need now that the controller is dead," he observed reasonably.

"Doctor, Farrell was the catalyst. Juris is the pathway."

"What?" The Doctor had no idea what his friend was talking about.

"He's my son, remember? With telepathy on both sides of the family and a working mind-bond, it's a sure bet he's telepathic, too. The perfect bridge. He must've fallen under Ormril's influence as soon as he arrived," Jason speculated, reflecting on the reports of the deterioration of his son's personality. Shaking his head, he added, "It's just like Rikeon in the first dynasty."

"Just like…" The Doctor blinked, not quite believing his friend would overlook something so simple as checking into the planet's history. "Jason, you Royal idiot, this is Rikeon! The name was changed when it was resettled during the Ephrowe expansion."

Jason was horrified. "What!"

"I checked the readings in the TARDIS," the Doctor reminded. "There's no question. It's the same planet!"

Any further discussion was ended when, from across the room, Daniels announced, "Majesty, I've just been informed that someone has just barricaded themselves in the power station's main control room."

"Juris!" the King hissed. "He's trying to run the program."

"But he can't, can he?" Peri injected. "He never got it."

Jason gave her a pained look. "He didn't have to. All he needed were the access codes. And he'd've gotten those from me."