CHAPTER THIRTEEN

THE PLANETARY DOME

It took some doing, but Juris and Frankie finally managed to make their way outdoors. Unfortunately, they spotted some of the guards and ran into the trees, watching from hiding as the men passed by. They eventually took refuge in an enormous domed structure that stood behind the mansion.

Juris stopped dead the moment he entered, staring at his surroundings. Frankie bolted the heavy metal door and then turned to see what he found so fascinating. She was none the wiser. It looked to her like someone had suspended a giant model of the solar system in the center of the building. On the far side of the room, she saw a large star chart and thought they had stumbled into Aylsworth's private planetarium.

"I was right," the Alterran whispered as he moved closer to the model. "He's not from this planet." Turning back to look at the bewildered Frankie, Juris grinned proudly, his smile disappearing when he saw she was less than impressed.

"It's a planetarium," she said blandly.

"No, it's only meant to look like one," Juris countered. "Your planet is the fourth from the sun, right?" He moved to stand under the fourth planet and pointed up to it.

Frankie nodded, uncertain as to where this was going.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but your planet doesn't have three moons, does it?" The instant the words were out of his mouth, Juris man caught his breath, suddenly seeing the model in a whole new light. "But Alterrous does!" He crossed to the stellar map, his eyes growing wide.

"So what's that, then? A map of the actual solar system?"

"No. But it looks like…" Juris studied the map a moment, his eyes growing wider still as he realized, "That's… No! It can't be!"

"Can't be what?"

"The constellation Kasterberous. That's where Gallifrey is!" He looked down at the papers on the table, seeing them covered with intricate calculations charting the planet's path. Turning to the bewildered Teggellan, the horrified Juris echoed his father's words. "Just who, or what, are we dealing with?"

Reed returned to his room and tried several times to contact the Black Guardian, who seemed unwilling to communicate further. "The Alterran and Dr. Albert have eluded capture. How do I catch them if he can change form?"

The Guardian, who had issued so many orders until now, remained infuriatingly silent.

"I've done all you instructed, now answer me!" Reed snarled. "I'll stop the transmission—"

"Fool!" the Black Guardian thundered back. "The Doctor is already on the estate." The image of the TARDIS appeared within the mirror. "Let him waste his time searching for the boy while you take the TARDIS to the transmission room. That will force him to seek you out. Then you will be able to execute the final move."

Reed had other ideas. "Instead of using it to create an unpredictable corridor, why don't I just take his ship and strand him here?" His reply was a high-pitched whine that suddenly shrieked from the depths of the mirror. He closed his eyes tightly, his hands flying to his ears, a whimper escaping him. He felt as if his head were about to explode.

"Do not try my patience!" the Black Guardian snarled. "The TARDIS is the center piece to my plans. I will not be satisfied until that meddling Time Lord is put in his place, do you understand?"

"Yes," came the forced reply. "Please, release me."

The transmission ended and Reed staggered back, finally collapsing to the floor where he lay for several minutes, wishing he had never accepted the bargain with this evil being. Now there was no escaping him, either.

The Doctor and his companions followed along with the tour until it was well within the house. Then the Time Lord took hold of Alex's sleeve. "Let's slow down just a bit," he said softly. He watched as the group moved further and further ahead. One of the guides saw Ace try to hang back and cut her off. The Doctor motioned for her to stay with the group and received an angry scowl in reply. The guide and group then vanished into the next room.

"Now what…?" Alex moaned.

The Doctor was already moving towards the far door. "Don't worry, Ace'll catch up. Now, let's look for Juris."

Jason had grown tired of pacing the TARDIS console room and dropped into a high backed peacock chair that was inexplicably in the far corner. He had set the scanner on a continuous sweep and sat watching as it panned around the Police Box. "Nothing out there but grass and trees," he muttered darkly.

After half an hour, and without realizing, the Alterran started to doze. He was very abruptly jarred awake (and from his seat) when the time machine started to rock violently. Using the control console for support, he dragged himself to his feet and then looked at the viewer, discovering the cause of the apparent earthquake. A forklift truck had lifted the TARDIS from its place on the lawn and was bearing it away.

"Oh, great. Just stay here and rest. Thank you very much, Doctor," Jason said acidly, hanging on to the console to stay on his feet. He reached over to activate the stabilizers only to stop as a sudden thought struck him and he looked across the console, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that he had remembered to lock the door.

In the planetarium Juris was wandering beneath the model, his mind spinning. Too many things were piling up and he did not understand any of them. "Lord, I wish the Doctor were here," he muttered.

"Why?" Frankie asked

"Because he'd know what to make of all this," came the blunt reply. "I don't have a clue."

Suddenly three security officers entered the far side of the planetary dome. Not wanting to give their presence away, Juris pulled Frankie behind a cloth that was draped over a tall display stand. Watching from hiding, they immediately realized the men were not searching for them. One began unbolting the large entry doors while the others cleared away several boxes to make a path. To their mutual astonishment, Juris and Frankie watched as the entry doors were pulled open and a forklift truck pulled in bearing the TARDIS, which it placed in the center of the room.

As soon as the men were gone, the pair came out of hiding and slowly walked toward the Police Box. "Please tell me you can fly that thing," Frankie said shakily.

Juris gave her a small smile, shaking his head. "Sorry. I can't even get in."

They were astonished again when the door suddenly opened and Jason appeared, a broad smile on his face. "Somebody here call a taxi?" he asked brightly.

"Father!" Juris gasped.

Jason took hold of the boy, hugging him happily. Then he took his face in his hands. "Don't ever do that to me again," he scolded. "I'm getting too old for this."

His son grinned back. "Me! I'm not the one who went dashing into the cave, remember?"

Jason grinned again relief flooding visibly over him. He turned to Frankie. "Are you alright?"

Dr. Albert nodded. "Instead of me looking after him, Juris has been looking after me."

Jason nodded, his face suddenly serious. He motioned toward the TARDIS. "Come on, let's get inside. You can—"

"No, Father," Juris interrupted, pointing up at the model, "I think you'd better have a look at this."

The Doctor and Alex slowly made their way through the house. They managed to make it to the far wing and were about to enter another long corridor when a door opened close by. The door beside them was ajar and they dashed through it.

The Doctor was taken aback when he surveyed the room. It was Reed's quarters, which were a stark contrast to the rest of the house. The Doctor's gaze fell on the black mirror and he went to stand in front of it, knowing at once the significance of his discovery.

Alex came up beside him. "That's useless," he snorted. "You can't see a thing in it."

"On the contrary, my dear Alex," the Time Lord countered, "you can see everything."

From within the depths of the mirror, a deep laugh rumbled forth. "You are as arrogant as ever, Doctor. You still believe you can change what is meant to be."

The Doctor snorted. "An alien influence being utilized as a catalyst to spark a war that will destroy two great powers? Just what, exactly, is meant to be in all that?"

From out of nowhere, Reed replied coldly, "The destruction of all you know."