CHAPTER NINETEEN

NOW WHAT?

With the good-byes said, the TARDIS left Teggell for what the Doctor hoped was the last time. He knew he should be setting the coordinates for Gallifrey rather than Alterrous but…

"I'm really not in any hurry to report to the High Council in person," the Doctor said from the communications bank. "They keep interrupting…wanting details…"

The face of the Lord Chancellor appeared on the screen and within a few minutes the Doctor had filled him in on the events on Teggell. He then went on to apologize for not having reported in person, feeling obliged to return his royal passengers to Alterrous post haste. Before the Chancellor could object, the Doctor cut the transmission.

"That wasn't very nice," Jason chided playfully.

The Time Lord flashed a devilish smile before turning his attention to the matter at hand, this being Reed. The man they now knew to be an android was still deactivated and bound to his chair.

"Well?" the Doctor asked. "Do we untie him before reactivating?"

"Why do we have to turn him back on at all?" Ace wanted to know.

"How else are we going to find out his motives?"

"Motives!" Jason was incredulous. "Doctor, he's a machine! A machine that almost wiped out both our civilizations under the direction of the Black Guardian. What more do you need to know?"

"I need to know why. He appears to be self-directing, but I could be mistaken. The Black Guardian never would've used him if he weren't desperate for something. And I'd rather like to know what that something was." As he spoke, the Doctor was examining the motionless Reed, his fingers probing along his back. A small cry of delight escaped him when he found the activation switch and he gave it a quick press.

"You think knowing that will make a difference?" Jason asked coldly.

The Time Lord smiled up at him, a knowing look on his face. "I can see you never asked Turlough how he came to travel with me," he said enigmatically. "You might have a different opinion."

Before the stunned Alterran could reply, Reed shuddered and drew in a sharp breath. His eyes opened and he straightened, his face blank. After a few seconds he blinked again, his facial features changing, becoming more animated. As soon as his internal systems were fully on line, he blinked again, taking in the occupants of the console room in bewilderment. "What happened?" he asked finally.

It was Jason who replied, albeit somewhat tersely. "You were deactivated by the time field. Apparently, it overloaded your primary circuits."

"De…" Reed gave him startled look. "I was deactivated?"

"Yes."

Reed sat up a bit more, discovering at the same time he was still secured to the chair. He was bound to it with cord, which he could have broken easily, but his hands were still secured behind his back with wire and this he could not break. Taking in the faces around him, he could see they no longer feared him. Was it because they now knew he was a machine that could be turned off at any time? Closing his eyes, a pained look came to his face. Would he never be free?

After a long silence, he asked, "Why did you reactivate me?"

"Short of downloading your memory core," replied the Doctor, "it was the quickest way of finding out why you chose to ally yourself with the Black Guardian. What did he promised in return for annihilating two of the most powerful races in the cosmos? To get off the planet?"

Reed nodded slowly, the Doctor's words putting his actions into sharper focus. "That…and my freedom."

Prince Juris snorted and dropped into a nearby chair. "Freedom from what? As far as I could see, you were free to come and go as you pleased." The look he received in return was unnervingly cold and he actually flinched back.

"Tell us about it," the Doctor prompted gently. "Who—or what—are you trying to get free of?"

"The owner—" Correcting himself, Reed said, "My owner, left me to look after his ship. He disappeared about two months ago."

Jason caught his breath. Was it possible? "Was that the same time the Cult of Jaka disappeared?" he asked.

"You know of the Cult?" Reed said in a surprised tone.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor said softly. "Intimately."

"You probably know who he is, then," Reed replied. "He's the High Priest."

"Brogan!" the Doctor and Jason cried in unison, exchanging a look of mutual astonishment. Turning back at the android, Jason informed, "Brogan's dead, Reed."

"I know that's what the media—"

"No, no," the Alterran interrupted. "This isn't mere speculation. It's a fact. I was there. Believe me, he's not coming back—ever."

The android stared at him a long time, almost as though his internal processors were rejecting the data they were being given. It wasn't until the Doctor asked him to go on that the story continued.

Reed explained that he was a servant class android from a planet none of them had heard of. He was programmed to serve his owner in any and all ways. After arriving on Teggell nearly three years ago, he was left to safeguard the ship. The Doctor and Jason already knew Brogan was searching for the legendary power source of Jaka. Reed explained that his owner had even gone so far as to set him up as Aylsworth's agent on the off chance it turned up for auction.

As Reed continued with his story, the Doctor noticed the android kept his eyes fixed on the pacing King Jason the whole time. He shifted his gaze when asked question, replied and then returned his attention to the Alterran monarch, who was oblivious to any of this.

Suddenly the Doctor realized something extraordinary. Reed was nothing more than a victim of his own programming; programmed to serve, whether he liked it or not. What had he said? Serve his owner in any and all things? He served Brogan. He served Aylsworth. And he served the Black Guardian. He did as he was told because he could do nothing else. Now, it seemed, he had chosen a new master. Or had his new master been chosen for him? Was it because Jason had been the one to take him captive? Possession, isn't that what he'd said?

"So, what's to become of me now?" Reed said at last. "Wipe my memory so I don't remember any of this?"

"And then what? Set you down on some unsuspecting world so you can start this all over again?" Prince Juris said coolly. "Not bloody likely."

"They should break you up into little bits," Ace injected coldly.

"That's a little drastic, don't you think?" the Doctor said disapprovingly.

From across the room, the pacing Jason said thoughtfully, "Actually, aside from a modified ethics program, all he needs is a self-activating protocol override." He almost jumped out of his skin when the Doctor gave a cry of delight. "Jason, that's brilliant! That's exactly what he needs!" Spinning around, he asked, "What do you think, Reed?"

Reed met his gaze steadily. "It sounds ideal—in theory. But to be frank, Doctor, I don't trust any of you enough to let you alter my programs." Looking pointedly at his bindings, he added, "Not that I have any say in the matter."

The Time Lord nodded thoughtfully, startling everyone when he asked, "Would you allow Jason to do it?"

The reaction to this question was just as the Time Lord expected. Reed stiffened visibly when the bewildered Alterran turned in his direction. His eyes remained fixed almost fearfully on the King, yet he remained silent, obviously shaken by the question.

"You ask him, Jason," the Doctor then prompted. "I think you'll be surprised by the answer."

"What?" Jason scowled, looking from the Doctor to the silent android and back. The Time Lord waved his hands at him, and he sighed. "Alright. Reed, would you allow me to reprogram you?" he said in a bland tone.

Only the Doctor was not surprised by Reed's reaction. He closed his eyes, seeming to be fighting an inner battle. His face tensed and he started to tremble. Finally the word, "Yes," was visibly forced from his lips, sounding more like a croak than a word. It was obvious he did not want to say it.

Appalled, Jason turned accusingly to the Doctor, who held up a hand. "Apparently," he said calmly, "you have been designated as Mr. Reed's new owner. He has no choice but to do as you say."

Turning to the distressed android, the Doctor apologized for having put him through the trauma. "Let me rephrase the question. If it were your choice, would you allow Jason to reprogram you?"

The reply was firm and immediate. "No."

Thinking he had sufficiently made his point, the Doctor turned to Jason, asking, "Do you still question his motives?"

The Alterran's reply was also immediate. "No." He crossed to the still shaken android, releasing him from his bonds. "How long have you been self aware?" he asked suddenly.

"I…don't know," Reed replied, somewhat bewildered by the question. "Am I? Yes, I suppose I must be. Why do you ask?"

It was Prince Juris who supplied the answer. "Because it indicates sentience. Apparently, somewhere along the line you've evolved beyond your programming."

"That would explain why the Black Guardian was so interested in using you," the Doctor added.

Reed gave them a startled look, his mind processing this revolutionary idea. Was he sentient? More than a machine? It was a fascinating hypothesis. Then Jason spoke, returning his full attention to the matter at hand.

"For you to be free of me—and anyone else for that matter—you'll need me to relinquish any claim on you, a modified ethics program and a self activating override protocol. With all that, you should have true self-direction and no one will be able to do what I just did. Am I right?"

Reed nodded, resigning himself to the inevitable fact that he was going to have to allow himself to be reprogrammed by his former captives. Since he would have to be deactivated, he would be unaware of the changes they made. They could erase his memory completely if they so desired, effectively wiping out the person he had developed into. On further analysis, however, he wondered if this would be a bad thing. He had not exactly been a sterling member of society over the past decades.

"You're designers must've been brilliant," Jason remarked, causing Reed to abandon his analysis and return his attention to him again. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you actually look worried."

Reed blinked. "That's because I am worried."

"Exactly," the Doctor injected. "You're worried we're going to alter your program beyond what you desire. But the only one who can effectively reprogram you, is you." The look he received in return was one of consternation.

"Doctor, I can't reprogram myself. If I could, don't you think I would've done it by now? There are inhibitors that override—"

The Doctor held up his hands. "Can you isolate the systems that need changing and establish the necessary parameters?"

"Yes."

"Can you write the program?"

"Yes."

"Can you run the tests on it?"

"Yes. I just can't—"

"You just can't install it," the Doctor concluded.

Reed lowered his head. "Yes."

By this time Jason was grinning from ear to ear, knowing exactly where the Time Lord was leading. "No. But we can!" The android looked up sharply and the Alterran held up a hand. "But only if you allow it. It must be your decision, not mine."