Chapter Forty

Another Intruder

Shadra had waited impatiently in the hall until she could bear it no longer. Ignoring the Doctor's protests, she reentered the room, her mouth dropping open when she saw what was going on inside. At that moment Jason's paralyzed vocal cords relaxed enough to allow a low groan to escape him, which only added to the illusion that he was being attacked.

"What're you doing!" Shadra exclaimed angrily. "You said you weren't out to hurt him!"

"Don't touch me!" Dr. Spencer commanded forcefully, not even bothering to turn around. "Pull this away now and the feedback could kill him."

Jason's eyes immediately snapped open. He didn't remember that part. By this time Shadra was standing over him and he could see the anger in her eyes as well as the image in her mind of what she suspected was going on, which was, of course, completely erroneous. Rolling his eyes, another groan escaped him. He had been so enthusiastic about removing the blocks that he had completely forgotten about his wife waiting outside.

"Now there's loyalty for you," Shadra snapped angrily as this thought passed through her husband's mind. "I'm by your side day and night for nearly a week now and you go and forget all about me. Out of sight, out of mind, huh?"

"I'm sorry," came the telepathic reply.

"Sorry!" his wife exclaimed. "Not as sorry as—"

"Shadra, do you hear yourself?" the Doctor interrupted, not quite believing what was happening. "You're arguing with a man who hasn't spoken a word."

Suddenly realizing the importance of what was happening, the princess caught her breath. When no convulsion followed the first clear communication since Jason regained consciousness, she apologized profusely for having thought the worst of Dr. Spencer. Jason, however, received a dark look. "We'll talk about this later," she said coolly.

His curiosity piqued, the Doctor ask Amanda what she had done to bring off this apparent miracle. With a grin, she explained about her theory and the procedure, which she completed as she spoke. Switching off her scanner, she sat back. "Well, that's one. Or at least, part of one." Glancing over at the second scanner, she said firmly, "And that's all for now, too, Jason. You need to rest before we can tackle another one. I don't want you getting over tired."

To the surprise of them all, a small smile came to the prince's face, the program having worked far better than even Dr. Spencer expected.

The following morning, Amanda carried out another session but was still unable to free up the prince's voice. Not to be discouraged, she told him they would just have to try again after he had rested a few hours. Shadra was against the idea, fearing the two were pushing too hard. It was only when Roxell assured her Jason was strong enough to withstand another short treatment that she relented.

Dr. Spencer made ready to start, suggesting that the princess go downstairs to get something to eat while she worked.

"You just don't want me around while you're doing that," Shadra said sulkily.

"I don't want you getting upset," Amanda admitted. "It's obvious the procedure is uncomfortable. I don't want you picking that up from him." Being unfamiliar with the mind-bond, she assumed it only worked when the two were in the same room, something she would later learn was incorrect.

In her mind, Shadra heard Jason say, "It hurts, Shadie. Now, please, go away so we can get it over with." The admonition was accompanied by an intimate endearment that caused his wife to smile. "Okay," she said. "I'll go away. But only until you're done."

As soon as they were alone, Amanda began the session. "I've tried to fine tune this thing so it won't hurt so much," she informed, her eyes fixed on the second unit. Within a quarter of an hour, the session was finished and Jason's physical paralysis had faded a little more. He found he could move the fingers on his hands and his extremities ever so slightly. He still could not speak, however, the paralysis in his throat having inexplicably returned.

"I guess you'll just have to keep going through Shadra until we can find out where that one is," Amanda sighed as she got to her feet. "And remember, don't push. We've made considerable progress in these two days."

Amanda picked up Roxell's scanner and was about to switch it off when she saw Jason's heart rate jump dramatically. She looked up to see him staring across the room, his eyes wide in horror. Following his gaze, she saw nothing out of the ordinary and turned back. The prince was breathing heavily, abject terror written all over his face.

"Jason, what on earth's the matter? There's nothing there." Turning back to the apparently empty corner, Amanda moaned. "Oh, terrific. Now I've gone and triggered a hallucination."

Dr. Spencer had no way of knowing two things. She had not triggered a hallucination and there was most definitely something there. Or more accurately someone. The Mythryn Andrea had materialized across the room. She laughed at the Medical Officer's remarks, waving her newest weapon, a laser pistol, in the air. "She's in for a big surprise, isn't she?" she said tauntingly to the horrified Jason.

Downstairs in the dining room, the cup in Shadra's hand fell to the table as her husband's telepathic cry for help hit her like a ton of bricks. She heard him calling her name, the scene in his room flashing into her mind. "Help!" she gasped, giving voice to Jason's mental cries. "Jason's in danger," she announced. "He says it's her. The one who shot him."

Needing no further explanation, the Doctor flew from the room, calling to his companion that he find Tolan.

The Doctor burst into Jason's room to see the horrified prince staring across the room. The Mythryn had been delighting in the fact only he could see her, laughing at his helplessness and going on to taunt him by materializing in different areas around the room. Sometimes very close. Sometimes far away.

The perplexed Amanda was overjoyed when the Time Lord appeared, having been trying to calm the Alterran without success. "Oh, Doctor, thank goodness," she sighed relievedly. "I don't know what I did, but—"

The Doctor held up a hand. "It's not you." Searching the room, his gaze fell on the far corner where Andrea had reappeared. "It's her," he stated flatly.

Startled, Andrea looked over at the Doctor, realizing at the same time that he could see her. Without hesitation, she raised the weapon in her hand and fired.

Caught completely off guard, the Doctor had no chance to get out of the way and dropped like a stone. When he did not disintegrate, the Mythryn cursed. "Blast! I had it set wrong!"

Tolan arrived just in time to see the stunned Time Lord hit the floor. He could not see the intruder Turlough had told him was there and turned a questioning look at Amanda, who was already making her way across the room.

Even though Tolan could not see the Mythryn, Turlough could, thanks to his encounter with Muriel. He could tell by the fear in his eyes that Jason could see her, too.

The appalled expression on Turlough's face gave him away and Andrea raised the weapon again. He was ready for her, however, and dove out the door, much to the bewilderment of the others. "Tolan, she's still in there!" he hissed from the safety of the hallway. "And she's armed!"

"He can't see me," Andrea said gloatingly. "And you don't have the power to stop me."

"No, but I have," Shadra announced as she stepped past the others and through the door, her face clouded in rage.

Andrea's laugh of contempt quickly turned into a scream of anger when the Alterran's mind force unexpectedly slammed into her. The gun fell from her hand and she backed away, struggling to fight off the attack.

The Doctor returned to his senses at that moment and sat up slowly, only to be stunned again when he saw the mental energy being produced by the princess. She had been claiming ignorance in her telepathic ability, and now this. Realization dawned and he turned sharply to her husband, seeing an expression of intense concentration on his face. For the first time, the Time Lord saw the full power of the mind-bond in action. It was obvious that Jason was the one in control, Shadra acting as his focus and steadying force. The Mythryn would gain ground only to be pushed back.

The Doctor stared as the power struggle went on, coming out of his daze when Amanda finally shook him. "Doctor, snap out of it."

"I'm alright," he insisted, getting to his feet. "No time to explain." Turning his attention to the cornered Andrea, the Time Lord said firmly, "If your purpose here is to make Jason your tragic hero, you're going to be disappointed. He never sent the signal to stop the invasion."

"Yes, he did!" the Mythryn snarled angrily, still fighting against the Alterrans' joint mental energy. "The fleet was completely destroyed. I saw it."

"Perhaps. But Jason isn't the one who transmitted the program. You shot him before he had the chance."

The shock of this revelation caused the Mythryn to lose her concentration and she was thrust back several metres before regaining control. At the same time, the Doctor asked Shadra to stop her attack, stating that she need not wear herself out. The meaningful look he threw in Jason's direction told her all she needed to know and she did as he asked.

"Muriel created the memory link that allowed me to see what really happened," the Doctor informed devastatingly.

"That's impossible for anyone but a Time Lord!" the Mythryn countered forcefully.

The Doctor responded by turning the full force of his mental energy on the unsuspecting Mythryn. It hit her like a wall of heat and she let out a shriek of terror just a Muriel had when he fought her off. Only this time, he left no means of escape, pinning her helplessly back against the wall.

"Surprise, surprise," Muriel said as she appeared. "The Doctor is a Time Lord." She threw a look at the others that would allow them to see her.

Tolan caught his breath, his hand automatically reaching for his weapon.

"No, it's alright," Turlough said quickly, taking hold of the officer's arm. "She's a friend."

The Doctor smiled approvingly but did not take his eyes from the captive Mythryn. "Muriel, you have a means of restraining her, I trust?"

"Yes." Muriel moved to her struggling sister, only to shrink back fearfully when she was within an arm's length of her.

Seeing this, the Doctor assured her she would be unharmed should she draw nearer. "I'm only concentrating on her," he said gently, not taking his eyes from the protesting Andrea.

Muriel gave him a weak smile before moving closer. She held out a small energy unit and activated it. Andrea gave a scream of frustration as she was engulfed in a glowing ball of energy that promptly vanished. Muriel informed that it was transporting her back to the Mythryn home world.