Chapter Ten

Making Contact

Prince Juris spun around, a beseeching expression on his face. "Doctor, you don't know what it's like in there. If she goes in, she'll never come out."

"No, Juris!" Asta snapped, her voice no longer soft and gentle. "For once, your father and I agree. Only I have the power to cross the rift, and only I have the power to return the Doctor's life force intact."

"But, Asta—"

"But nothing. If Ormril succeeds, everything will've been in vain. He'll alter the course of history and guarantee that his defeat of a year ago becomes a victory. You will die. Your father will die. Everyone on that planet will die. And I will be the force behind it all. Is that what you want?"

Receiving no reply from the stunned Prince, Asta rose to her feet, turning pointedly to the equally stunned King Jason. "Is that what you want, your Majesty? It isn't what I want, what ever you may think. I will not be a slave again."

Asta had refused to argue further and return to the room where the Doctor's other self lay as pale and still as death itself. Jason examined him closely, reporting that the phasing had stopped, as had nearly all brain activity. He went on to say that, if he did not know better, he would have pronounced the Time Lord in an irreversible coma.

Asta went into the adjoining room and stretched out on the bed, silencing the still protesting Juris by pointing out that as far as she was concerned she owed her very existence to the Doctor. If she did not attempt to save him now, she would never have the chance to live at all. With this said, she instructed Ace's Doctor to make mental contact with his other self, needing only the briefest contact in order to get a bearing and set up the bridge.

"I don't know how long this will take once I'm there," Asta said softly. "Time moves differently there. I could find your other self within seconds, but it might be several hours on this side."

The Doctor threw Jason a quelling look before saying simply, "We understand."

"I have a question," Ace broke in hesitantly. "If this place is like you say, won't he be pretty confused?"

Asta exchanged a puzzled look with the Doctor before confirming that this was indeed a possibility. Ace then asked what would happen if the Doctor refused to go with her? What if he thought she was in on it?

"Now there's a point," the Doctor muttered thoughtfully. "I probably would be rather reluctant to believe a cloud of smoke."

"Why don't you just tell him 'Brave heart?'" Turlough said sarcastically. "He'll know what you mean by that."

The Doctor beamed back at him. "That's very good, Turlough. I couldn't've done better my self."

"Oh, do get on with it!" Jason moaned impatiently.

"No!" Juris wailed, clutching Asta by the hand. "I'm begging you, don't do this. Let me. I've been there. I could—"

"You could get yourself killed," Asta said sternly. "None of you has any conception of what he's really like. But I do." Laying back, she closed her eyes and cleared her mind, saying softly, "Now, Doctor."

Closing his own eyes, the Time Lord drew a deep breath and reached out with his mind, concentrating to find and make contact with his other self. To his amazement, he actually did. It was clear, brief, and utterly terrifying. He came out of his trance with a cry of pain, falling to the floor, dazed and shaking.

This reaction quite naturally took everyone by surprise and for a frozen moment no one moved. Ace was the first to reach the Doctor's side. "Doctor! Doctor, what happened?"

Jason took the direct approach, pulling the dazed Time Lord to his feet and slapping him across the face. "Doctor, snap out of it!" he commanded sharply, shaking him by the shoulders.

The Doctor drew a sharp breath and staggered back, shaking his head to clear it. "I'm alright. I'm alright," he said irritably, practically falling back into his chair.

"Yeah, you look it," the King observed sarcastically. "What the hell happened?"

The Doctor looked up at him. "Contact."

"You made contact?" Jason gasped. "You're sure?"

"Very sure. I was being put to death."

Jason examined the pale and motionless Asta, announcing that she too, was now in a very deep coma. With nothing to do but wait, the Doctor got shakily to his feet and, with Ace to steady him, went into the next room. Turlough made to follow only to be forestalled by Jason.

"We need to talk," the monarch said softly. "If by some wild chance this works, we need to have a plan ready."

The young man gave the Alterran a blank look. "Why?"

Jason explained that, if Asta succeeded, then the comatose Doctor would be wide awake and bursting with a tale that they would have to go out of their way to convince him was a dream.

"Jason, how are you going to convince him of anything?" his friend wanted to know. "You're not the same person I met two months ago. You're the King, for pity sake. Not to mention how many years older."

"More than you realize," the monarch said enigmatically. "Fortunately, I'm not just Alterran. I also have total recall. I can change back to the me you remember, and if the Doctor's confused enough when he comes to, we should be able to convince him of practically anything."

Turlough seemed less than enthusiastic and Jason asked, "You can handle that, I trust?"

"I think I can manage," his friend replied with a wry smile, thinking this to be one of the few times he had actually been asked to lie.

Jason grinned at him. "I'd better get some medicine mixed up then. In his present condition, he'll need at least one day's bed rest just to get his strength back, and that'll work to our advantage."

"I suppose I'd better see if I can get Kamelion working again," Turlough said thoughtfully. "He'll be able to help in the nursing department."

"No!" Jason cried in a tone that surprised both of them. "Don't unplug him. If he is the win dow, we can't afford to close it until the Doctor comes back."

Turlough nodded, admitting that he had not thought of this. With a resigned sigh, he went into the next room.

Jason also sighed heavily, glancing over to his son, who sat in silent vigil beside Asta's inert form. "Juris, why don't you—?"

"Don't talk to me!" the Prince snarled savagely. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say."

"Juris!" his father gasped.

Juris looked up with tears in his eyes. "You got what you wanted. She's gone. You don't have to fight me anymore. I hope you're happy, your Royal Majesty, because I'll never forgive you for this. Never."

The King took a step forward, stopping when he saw the look of unbridled hatred on his son's face. "Go away!" the boy yelled angrily. "Just leave me alone. I never want to see you again!"

To his own amazement, Jason heard himself saying, "That's fine with me."