Chapter Fifteen

Leave Just The Window Open

The Doctor had explained to his appalled Alterran friend that he discovered Turlough in the con sole room trying to get all the systems back on-line, which he had almost succeeded in doing. Together, they were able to get all the safety systems up and running. While they were doing this, Turlough told him how Asta had cornered him just after the Time Lord's other self had been kidnapped. She had poured out her suspicions concerning the Crown Prince, completely over whelming the young man. Not knowing what else to do, he told everything to the Doctor, who had been developing some rather nasty suspicions of his own.

"Turlough mentioned your theory about Kamelion being the window Ormril was using," the Doctor said, "so I decided to make it so."

By this time Jason was very close to being completely lost and sat down on a stool, a hand to his head. "Doctor, please, my head is already spinning," he sighed helplessly, only to be waved to silence.

"Just bear with me," came the patient reply. The Doctor went on to explain that, once the safety systems were up and running, he and Turlough were able to make Kamelion Ormril's only way in or out of the TARDIS. With this done, they were ready to test Asta's theory about Juris.

"Just before I came down," the Doctor informed, "I arranged the test with Turlough. I was to make sure you didn't go back before we were certain one way or the other."

The King was justifiably puzzled. "Why?"

"I didn't want to upset you," the Doctor replied, causing his friend to laugh in spite of him self.

"With the window closed and the connection broken, I was hoping Juris would be able to purge himself of any alien influence. What I hadn't bargained on was your being under the same influence." Pausing, the Doctor remarked thoughtfully, "What I don't understand is how Ormril got to you both after you'd left Lumenarus IV."

Jason caught his breath, his eyes wide. "But I didn't leave! Not right away. I had to stay for the official inquiry. And Juris—" His voice rose in pitch as he went on to say, "Doctor, Asta's training took longer than Juris's did. He came back while she was finishing up on Gallifrey."

"What! He was there? With you?" The Doctor was appalled.

"He had to finish his thesis. That's why he was there in the first place, remember? And when all this business with Ormril—"

"Jason, don't you realize—?"

The Alterran held up his hands. "I know, I know. I'm not just an idiot. I'm a Royal idiot. That had to be when Ormril got to us. After all, we both were on that wretched mind probe, now weren't we? He'd've had our brain patterns at his fingertips."

The Doctor's face darkened considerably. The situation was worse than he feared.

"It's all so clear to me now," the King sighed, growing more irritated with himself by the minute. "Why couldn't I see it?"

"Why couldn't I? After all, I'm the imbecile who told him he couldn't drive a wedge between us. I'd say he did a pretty good job of it this time, wouldn't you?"

Jason replied without hesitation, "No. Your still being alive proves that. And he won't get back into my head to have another go, either."

"You'd better make doubly sure," the Time Lord instructed. "Neither Asta nor I can return until Kamelion is reconnected."

Drawing a deep breath, King Jason closed his eyes and concentrated for several minutes. When at last he opened his now clear and sparkling eyes, he asked, "Alright, now what?"

"Now—we plan," the Doctor replied succinctly. "You do realize, of course, that even if Asta does succeed, Ormril will most assuredly take another crack at me."

"What?"

"But he's too overconfident. Even after all this time, he still thinks he can drive an Alterran to kill."

Jason was aghast. "Doctor, how can you be so calm? Don't you realize—?" He cut himself of as a ghost of a smile passed across his friend's face. The Alterran's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I know that look. You've already planned something, haven't you?"

The Doctor broke into a broad smile, his eyes sparkling. "It's good to have you back, Jason," he grinned, causing the King to do something he had not done since his last meeting with the Doctor—blush vividly, which caused the Time Lord to grin all the more.

"Now, as I see it," the Doctor said seriously, "it's Round One to Ormril, because botched or not, he still managed to kidnap me. And Round Two is up to Asta."

"And if she succeeds, it's Round Three to us, I suppose?" Jason injected.

"Ye-es," the Doctor said mysteriously. "And we need to talk about that."