Chapter Nineteen

"Asta, Now!"

The grieving Jason sat rocking his son's body in his arms, tears flowing freely down his face. The Doctor crossed slowly to him, but words of comfort failed him. Would his friend blame him for his son's death as Ormril had claimed? Peri came over to join him, holding out the offending weapon.

"Doctor, I…I…didn't…" she stammered.

"No, you didn't," the Time Lord replied gently, taking the gun from her hand. "This is set to stun, not kill. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Didn't do anything wrong! Doctor, I just killed a man!"

To their mutual surprise, King Jason responded. "No," he said softly, shaking his head. "I told you. He was already dead. He was already dead." He stroked the face on the still form, whispering, "My beautiful boy is at peace at last."

As if on cue, the Prince stirred and moaned softly, causing his astonished father to catch his breath. "Juris!"

Juris stirred again, his eyes snapping open. "Asta!" He sat bolt upright, calling into the blue haze, "Asta, please, before it's too late! You must decide now!"

The room was suddenly bathed in blue light and the Doctor spun around, cursing under his breath as he realized the gateway was still open. The haze above the generator area grew thicker and thicker until it looked like a cloud of blue smoke.

"He's trying to reestablish the link!" the Time Lord hissed.

"Asta!" Juris called again. "Use what you've learned!"

The Doctor checked the weapon in his hand and turned back to the Prince, only to stop when he saw the boy's body glow blue. It was as though an invisible weapon had stunned him. As if to verify this observation, Juris suddenly fell back against his father, his eyes rolling back into his head as he passed out.

The Doctor turned back to the generator area, seeing the cloud of energy had grown to enormous proportions and was moving freely within the haze. "Jason…" he said warningly.

Jason looked up, following his friend's gaze and stiffening visibly. He struggled to pull him self together. It was all too obvious this was not over yet. "Here we go again," he muttered softly.

"Please, don't be afraid," a gentle feminine voice said from within the cloud. "I will not harm you."

"Oh, sure," Peri replied sarcastically, receiving a quelling look from the Doctor.

"You need not fear me, Doctor," the entity said in response to this. "I am not Ormril."

The Time Lord was less than convinced. "Indeed? May I ask who you are, then?"

"I am the one Prince Juris calls Asta."

Jason looked up sharply and then back at his unconscious son, gently stroking his cheek. He wondered what condition the boy's mind would be in because of Ormril's manipulation. Would he still be the evil creature he had been before his personality breakdown? And if not, would he able to live with himself after all he'd done during this strange ordeal?

"Your son's mind will be whole, your Majesty," Asta said in reply to the King's thoughts. "He was not manipulated in the way you believe. He will be troubled for a time because of this … strange ordeal. But his spirit is strong. This you will see."

Jason mouth dropped open in amazement. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

"Of course!" the Doctor exclaimed. "She works by thought! The only person who wasn't controlled in some way was Peri, because she's not telepathic."

"Correct, Doctor," the entity confirmed. "It was Ormril who used this power against you. And as his slave, I am—I was—powerless to do anything to prevent it."

At that moment Juris moaned and stirred, his eyes opening slowly and focusing on the face above him. "Papa…?" he said in bewilderment. Jolted awake by this unexpected sight, he sat up quickly and stared open mouthed at his father. "Father, how did you—?" Breaking off, he looked around in amazement, seeing that, after more than a year of captivity, he was finally out of the energy sphere. "I'm back!" he cried delightedly, jumping to his feet. "I'm really back. Asta, you did it!" Turning to the noticeably silent cloud of smoke, the now bewildered Juris called again, "Asta?"

"I'm here," she replied meekly. "Everything went just as you said. With your help, I was able to pass through alone. What do you command?"

A pained expression came to Juris' face when he heard this and he closed his eyes. Now what should I do?

"Jason," the Doctor remarked, "something tells me your son knows a great deal more about what's going on than we do."

Prince Juris turned to face him, a self-conscious smile coming to his face. He explained as much as he could, the beginning of everything being more than a year ago. Since his previous escape attempt, Ormril had been searching for an untrained telepath and had decided Prince Juris was made to order. He soon discovered that he could not control him as easily as he could Farrell, the boy's Alterran nature asserting itself whenever he tried. Not wanting to loose the most promising telepath he had encountered in centuries, he was able to get a complete scan of the Prince's mind using Farrell's mind probe. With this, he was able to draw off Juris' restraining life force, and take him over completely, turning him into perfect pathway.

Juris went on to explain that during Ormril's long exile, and without his knowledge, his creation had developed into a separate being. It had been on the verge of or had only just attained sentience when the Prince was taken prisoner. The newly formed being had been intrigued by the Alterran's compassionate nature and sought to learn from him, something Juris admitted to being a less than willing participant in.

Having learned his father's was being called into head up a new investigation team, Juris planted the seed for the plan that had just played out and caused Ormril's downfall. A plan that hinged on getting the Doctor involved. The Prince had heard stories of the indomitable Time Lord all his life and had come to realize that, individually the old friends were formidable but together they were a force to be reckoned with. Better still, they were telepathic.

"I don't get it?" Peri injected suddenly. "I thought that's why Ormril was able to hurt them. How does it help?"

It was Asta who replied. "Whether they realize it or not, the Doctor and King Jason are in very strong rapport with one another. Prince Juris saw it, but I didn't. Not until the Doctor stood against Ormril."

Peri was none the wiser.

"His majesty was enraged by the enslavement of his son, and maintained a slim hope that he could be saved. Even when Juris's life was threatened, his faith in the Doctor did not waver. It came through very clearly. He believed unshakably that the Doctor knew what he was doing."

"He was right," Juris added.

"Was I?" Jason asked darkly, receiving a puzzled look from his son.

"Your father fears for the people of this planet," Asta said in response to the Prince's unspoken question. "He fears what they will do when they see the energy cone. It was supposed to create panic, but I assure you, your Majesty, it won't."

"How can you be so sure?" Jason wanted to know.

"Because I've placed the planet in a time bubble with this room at its heart. Time on the outside will not begin again until my new Master desires it so."

"Your new…" The King exchanged an astonished look with the Doctor, who asked, "And just who is your new Master?"

In a small voice, Prince Juris admitted, "I'm afraid I am."

Jason turned sharply to his son, a harsh, disapproving look on his face.

Juris held up his hands, taking an automatic step back. "It's not what you think!" he exclaimed, going on to relate the events that had transpired during what should have been his last hour of existence; the miraculous change in his captor and his realization that he could get her out by utilizing the positive energies being generated in the power station.

"Positive?" Peri was justifiably puzzled. "But I thought that it—she—only fed on negative emotions."

"That's what everyone assumed," Asta said calmly. "I was created to direct the energies generated by all strong emotions. I could only utilize those you call negative because those were all Ormril understood. Prince Juris explained how positive emotions could be even more powerful than negative. I saw what he meant when you stood together."

"The positive energies pouring out of this room were just too powerful to ignore," Juris injected.

"Hang on a minute," the Doctor interrupted. "You'll forgive my morbid curiosity, but how is it you were alive long enough to think all this through?"

Juris threw a look in the cloud's directions, and Asta explained, "When Prince Juris was taken prisoner, Ormril commanded that his life force be held in suspension, protected by a force-field. I was not to…" Asta trailed off, the connection with her new Master making it difficult to go on.

"He didn't want her to kill me until he gave the order," Juris completed. "And when he was thrown back from the threshold, he was too disoriented to give any kind of order."

"Because I cannot go against my Master's will," Asta went on, "Prince Juris told me to carry out the last order concerning him. And that was to send him back to stand trial."

"Brilliant!" the Doctor said approvingly. "That's absolutely brilliant!"

"Yeah, brilliant," the Prince said half-heartedly. "Unfortunately, now that we're on this side of the rift, she's as much my slave as she was Ormril's."