CHAPTER 24

TEMPORAL MANIPULATION

Within seconds of going into his trance, the Doctor materialized alongside his Alterran friend. He looked around the room in a combination of curiosity and bewilderment, seeing what he thought were two statues clothed in brightly colored tunics. With a jolt he realized they were not statues but two young men who were apparently frozen in time.

"They can't hear or see us," Jason said as the Time Lord turned a questioning look in his direction. "In fact, just before you arrived they froze like that. I'm not entirely sure why."

"Where are we?" the Doctor wanted to know.

"I was hoping you might know the answer to that."

The Doctor looked around more carefully, scowling up at the vaulted ceiling and ornate architecture. "I can't say I'm familiar with the design. It's very old, by the looks of it." Turning back to his friend, he asked firmly, "You want to tell me what happened back there? And how we got here?"

"I was hit by a time aura when I walked across the room. I knew it couldn't be yours, and thought it might be the time differential catching up with me. I had my sensors open to see if I could analyze it, possibly trace it. But when I stood up again, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I must've passed out."

"And ended up here," the Doctor concluded with a nod. In a reproving tone he added, "That was a very dangerous thing to do. And so is bringing me back with you. If it is a time differential, you could be depleting your energy reserves faster than you realize."

Jason chose not to reply to this sharp reproof, motioning that his friend follow him to the globe. "I wanted you to see this, too," he said, indicating the displayed image. "It's how our friends here are keeping tabs on us. They called me the Ambassador, but I have no idea why they would be after me."

"They're obviously not Gres-Fa-Raayn, are they?" the Doctor remarked dryly as he crossed the room, indicating K'ell'k's wild mop of long black dreadlocks. "Not exactly military length, is it?" He took one look at the globe and turned sharply back to his friend, his expression an odd combination of surprise, delight and outrage. "It's a temporal manipulator!" he gasped. "That explains a great deal."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't mind sharing with the rest of the class, would you, Doctor?" he said sarcastically.

The Doctor gave him a sideways glance, a knowing look coming to his face. He explained that the device allowed its operator to look into any space/time event in the universe. But unlike a benign temporal viewer, which Jason was familiar with, the manipulator actually allowed its operator to interact with and alter the course of the events being viewed. He went on to point out that since Jason was feeling the effects of a time aura, it was very likely that the youths were monitoring him from a point in the far future, where he was known as the Ambassador.

Jason wasn't quite sure how to react to this piece of news. "So…they can see and hear everything we're doing using the time aura I felt. Why are you getting a telepathic trace, then?"

"No doubt that's how they're tracking you. You are telepathic, after all."

"Great."

"Do you still have your barrier up?" the Doctor asked casually.

"Yes. I put it up to make sure you didn't…" The Alterran's voice trailed off as he realized what his friend meant, following his gaze to the still frozen pair.

"You're getting rather good at this, you know," the Time Lord remarked admiringly.

"I had a good teacher."

"Correction, you had an excellent teacher," the Doctor stated proudly, drawing himself to his full height and puffing out his chest. "Let's see what happens when you lower your barrier."

"Okay."

The frozen youths instantly came to life. "l'X'el, quick!" K'ell'k exclaimed. "Turn down the intensity on the Ambassador! Time Lords are time sensitive. You'll swamp the Doctor with that much temporal energy."

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" l'X'el snapped, his fingers a blur on the controls. "This isn't as easy as it looks, you know."

"You'll never get the Doctor here if you kill him," K'ell'k snapped back. "You should've just waited until he lowered his mental barrier." l'X'el gave him a murderous look but said nothing as he returned his attention to the console.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and exchanged a startled look with Jason.

"And here I thought it was me they were after," Jason muttered, giving his friend a quizzical look. "What are they after you for?"

"Curiouser and curiouser," the equally amazed Doctor replied. "I think we've seen enough. Time we got back."

"How do we play this when I, um, wake up? Apologies all around? Or watch and wait?" Jason wanted to know.

"Watch and wait, I think. Leaves more doors open," the Doctor replied. Glancing over at the still struggling l'X'el, he added, "It's nice to know the metal barriers work so effectively. It could be useful when the time comes." He turned back to his friend. "On the count of three…"

To Mel's relief the Doctor drew a deep breath and opened his eyes, giving her a quick reassuring smile before turning his attention to the motionless Alterran beside him "Mel, you wouldn't happen to know what Jason did with that little miracle of his, would you?"

Mel shook her head. "No."

"Think!" the Doctor commanded. Holding up his free hand, he added in a gentler manner, "Please, this is vitally important. I need you to use that incredible memory of yours to help me save Jason's life. When did you see it last?"

Had he not spoken in such an earnest tone, Mel would have remarked on his actually complimenting rather than criticizing her photographic memory. She drew a deep breath, closing her eyes as she thought back, concentrating on the energy tube. Jason had flashed it while they were waiting for the car when they left the Base, juggling it and a few other items to keep himself amused. It reappeared when they were waiting for their car at the rental agency. The Doctor had performed some sleight of hand while he explained about Jason's scanning ability. It reappeared again when—

Mel's eyes snapped open. "It's in the car," she said suddenly. "He dropped it when you told him about the shuttle."

"Well done." The Doctor smiled proudly, producing the keys and holding them out to her. Without another word she took them and dashed from the room. The moment she was gone, the Doctor looked down, his face creasing with worry. Jason was extremely pale despite his recently acquired tan, and his vital signs were no less distressing. For a moment the Doctor could not even locate his pulse, yet the firm grip on his hand was constant. Had Jason somehow lost his way back? And if so, how could they help him?

Mel returned within a few minutes and handed the tube to the Doctor, who placed it in-between his own hand and Jason's, hoping this would be enough to activate it. After a few very long minutes, Jason's eyes opened slightly.

"You're going to be alright, Jason," the Doctor said gently. "Just let your little miracle work its magic." Receiving no response, he looked closer at the Alterran's unfocused eyes. "Jason? Can you hear me?" Again, there was no response. Looking up at his companion, the Doctor handed her the energy tube. "Pull the covering off the bed," he instructed, waving a hand vaguely in its direction. While she was doing this, he carefully lifted his motionless friend from the floor.

Mel practically flung the bedspread out of the way and stood clinging to the enormous piece of fabric as the Doctor gently placed Jason on the bed. She held out the energy tube the instant he looked up at her. The expression on his face sent a chill down her spine as she realized he was very much afraid for his friend's life.

For Jason, the world was very far away, at the end of a long tunnel of shadows. After sending the Doctor back, he had become completely disoriented. Just as his friend surmised, he had dangerously weakened himself when he drew the Time Lord into the projection, draining his energy reserves completely. He was currently utilizing a combination of the temporal energy surrounding him and the Time Lord's time aura to keep himself alive until he knew which direction to follow. Unfortunately, the use of temporal energy rather than a conventional energy source was having an adverse effect on Jason's already distorted perception. He felt as though he were in the inky depths of the ocean, moving slowly toward the surface shimmering with light and color overhead. He was aware of the presence of his friends but could not make out what they were saying, the sound of their voices muffled and strangely distant. There was a flash of bright colors in the sky that he knew abstractly was the Doctor. The Doctor. Something to catch hold of. He was already connected to the Time Lord's time aura. Perhaps he could use it to pull himself to the surface. As soon as this thought was solidified, the connection was broken and the world above the surface was moving, this being when he was lifted from the floor. It was not until the Doctor replaced the energy tube in his hand and squeezed it that Jason finally felt reality returning as the sudden flush of familiar convertible energy surged through him.

The Doctor heaved a sigh of relief when the Alterran's body lit up momentarily. Without looking up, he asked Mel to cover Jason with the bedspread that was still in her hands.

Jason drew a sharp breath and stirred as he fought his way back to consciousness. He closed his glazed eyes, taking another gulp of air. When he opened his eyes again, they were clear and focused. He started to stir and the Doctor put a hand on his shoulder.

"Easy, easy," the Doctor said gently. "You've had a bad turn. Take it slowly."

The Alterran nodded, closing his eyes and breathing a sigh of relief. The journey had been far more difficult than he realized. In fact, he was certain he had come very close to killing himself with the effort. He only hoped it had been worth it.

"It seems I was wrong," the Doctor was saying as he got to his feet. "You do need to rest."

Jason nodded weakly. "Give me a few hours," he said softly, "and I'll be ready for round two." He gave a small smile and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.

The Doctor stood looking down at the peacefully sleeping form. After several minutes, he drew a sharp breath and straightened going slowly to the table they had used for dinner. He sat down and put his head in his hands. Mel thought he was just relieved the worst seemed to be over. She was about to learn otherwise.

In an agony of remorse the Doctor said in a small voice, "I could've killed him."