CHAPTER 49

JAM THE SIGNAL

The Doctor was on his feet and heading for the TARDIS before the Commander had finished speaking. "I have to stop this. Jam the signal somehow. Stay with him, Grant."

Grant did not even have time to nod before the Time Lord vanished into the police box. He turned back to Jason, who was breathing heavily and shaking violently, his hands still clamped tightly over his ears. His skin, hair and clothing had gone completely white and had what looked like fine lines appearing all over them, something the Doctor had already recognized as the tell tale sign of the destruction of the Alterran's crystalline lattice.

"No…no…no! Help me! Doctor, help me! Please, help me!" Jason screamed, fighting to keep his system intact against the overwhelming forces that were shaking it to pieces. He gave another scream of agony and finally lost consciousness.

"Doctor, hurry!" Grant called out fearfully as Jason started to convulse.

The Doctor did not even look up as his companion's anxious voice came through the open doors. He was rushing from one panel to the next, struggling to get everything entered in time. "Come on, old thing," he coaxed as he flipped a series of switches. "Just this once, don't play up on me. Jason's life depends on this working. You always liked him, remember? Don't let him down now."

Hurrying to the other side of the console, he manipulated a dial and scowled at the reading, making another adjustment. "That's it, lock into the planet's barrier. You can do it. You're much more sophisticated than it is." Another series of switches was thrown. "Oh, come on, you can do better than that! Give it all the power you've got." The Doctor dashed to another panel as he spoke and hit a final switch. Several sparks flew from the console in reply. The time rotor juddered to life for an instant before going dark again. The lights in the control room dimmed for a second and then grew brighter, a hum of power filling the room.

"That's the spirit! Don't let them get the better of you!" The Doctor studied the indicators before him, giving the console a loving pat. "Ha! That's my girl! Let's see them get out of that!" he said happily. He set several more instruments, locking the jamming signal into the planet's shielding and setting up a modulation routine that would prevent the Gres-Fa-Raayn from breaking through. Or at least from breaking through too quickly.

On the Gres-Fa-Raayn ship, Commander Tre-Aal waited patiently for the time limit to tick down to zero. Suddenly a cacophony of white noise blasted through the communications array. The officer at the station struggled for nearly a minute to get the system under control.

"Well, what was that?" the Commander demanded.

The communications officer had turned white by this time, not quite believing what his instruments were telling him. He cleared his throat nervously. "Sir, our signal is being… jammed," he reported in a disbelieving tone.

"What? From where?"

"From the planet, sir." The officer flinched when he received an angry glare in reply. "The planet's deflection barrier is being used to reflect the sound away."

Tre-Aal turned sharply back to the main view screen, his eyes narrowing. "How is that possible? The Wieonol don't possess the knowledge to do something like that. And I doubt there's an Alterran left standing after that little concert."

The tactical officer stepped forward. "Sir, our informant did indicate that, at one time, they had a way of counteracting the sonic disturbance. He also said that some of them might be protected against it in certain areas."

The Commander nodded and sat staring at the screen. "Alright. See if our informant can suggest a way around this little problem."

When the Doctor finally emerged from the TARDIS he was surprised to see the four youths he had left behind acting as attentive nursemaids to the unconscious Alterran. In his short absence l'X'el and K'ell'k had retrieved one of the sleeping mats that were still rolled up near the door and placed Jason on it, covering him with a blanket. Grant was at his side, the Wieonol trio on the floor beside him.

The Doctor waved the trio back, getting down on the floor beside his companion. He pulled back the blanket to examine Jason's injuries more closely. Even a cursory glance told him his friend's condition was not good. He was breathing in short shallow gasps and his heart was racing. His skin, hair and clothing had gone completely white and were covered with fine cracks.

"I managed to get the jamming signal working," the Time Lord informed softly, although his companion wasn't certain if he were speaking to him or the unconscious Alterran. "The TARDIS is frozen where she is until I turn it off, though."

"So now I really am stuck in this timeline," Grant observed. He suddenly realized he wasn't sure if he were happy or sad about this prospect.

"For the immediate future, yes."

At that moment Jason let out a low moan. He opened his eyes and they rolled in his head as he tried to get his bearings. He drew a deep shuddering breath and closed his eyes, swallowing hard. The Doctor quietly spoke his name and he jumped, coming fully awake at the same time. "Doctor…?" he said almost inaudibly.

"I managed to jam the signal," the Time Lord informed in a quiet urgent tone. He took hold of his friend's hand and continued to speak in a low voice, fearing the ultrasonics might have over sensitized the Alterran's already oversensitive hearing. "Jason, I know you're weak, but I need some answers if I'm to help you." There was a squeeze from the hand in his own in acknowledgment. "Do you know how extensively your system's been damaged?"

Jason shook his head. "Need to scan," he whispered. He squeezed the Doctor's hand again, scanning himself through the Time Lord as he had done in the TARDIS control room. When he finished, he drew a deep breath, closing his eyes and squeezing the hand again.

"From your calm reaction I can only assume the damage isn't progressive," the Doctor observed in a relieved tone.

"No." Jason half-opened his eyes. "There's extensive lattice damage—"

"Yes, I can see that."

"—going half a centimetre in depth." Despite the fact that his voice seemed slightly stronger, it was obvious Jason had been severely injured. It was not until he spoke again that his friends learned the true extent. "Nearly all my joints are damaged and…so are my internal organs."

"Badly damaged?" the Doctor asked concernedly.

"Bad enough."

"Jason, is it life threatening?"

There was a long pause before Jason replied, "No."

The Doctor heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for that. Are you in any pain?"

"Some. It's…like arthritis, I suppose. Hurts to move. Tolerable."

"Alright. You rest now," the Time Lord said reassuringly, patting his hand. Before he could release it, Jason's grip tightened. "Doctor, I'm…completely blind."

"What?" It was only then that the Doctor noticed that the Alterran's striking sapphire eyes had changed from their human appearance to the crystalline sensors of his true form, their sparkling surface covered with the same fractures as his skin. Unlike a human, however, Jason's sight was a part of an intricate sensor array. Since his eyes, now sensors, had obviously been damaged, as well as the phrasing he had used, it was a good bet that his entire sensor array was inoperative.

The Doctor looked up, his eyes locking with Grant's. The young man nodded in response to the unspoken request. "Right, first things first," the Time Lord announced, his voice crisp and far more cheerful than he felt. He extracted himself from Jason's grip, covering him with the blanket. "I assume, Jason, that you're too weak to move." He did not wait for a reply, continuing with his thoughts as he got to his feet. "I also assume that every other Alterran on the planet will be in the same condition that you are—"

"No."

The Doctor stopped in midstream. "I beg your pardon?"

"I said no," Jason repeated in as firm a tone as he could manage. "The military has a way of counteracting a sonic attack. It's built into the emblem on their uniforms."

"Ah, I see." The Doctor drew a deep breath. "We need to be certain. Otherwise SorRell's reinforcements will head straight into the same— Oh blast, I've just remembered. With the TARDIS jamming the incoming signal, we can't broadcast out." It took a total of three seconds for him to change gears. "Right. Change of plan. We move Jason into the TARDIS. Grant, you stay with him and monitor the jamming signal. Kay and Cee, you go find SorRell. She was supposed to set up her base of operations somewhere near the Grand Council Chamber. Have everyone who was affected brought to the TARDIS."

"And me?" l'X'el asked.

"Ah, you are going to put your expertise on the manipulator to work," the Doctor replied mysteriously.

"Doctor," K'ell'k broke in, "my Grandfather might be with SorRell."

"So?"

"So he won't believe a word I say. And he might convince her that I'm…well, playing a prank or something. How do I convince them I'm not?"

The Doctor was stuck for an answer, but Jason was not. He said something quietly to Grant, who chuckled upon hearing it and then looked over at K'ell'k. "Jason said you should take his fancy collar and say you're acting on behalf of Ambassador Krystovan."

"If that doesn't convince them, nothing will," the Doctor said approvingly.