6. The Master's Delay.

Where did the Master go to?

Alphon Three is an awful place, but that doesn't bother the Master! He drags the standards down further whenever he arrives! .

The Master, inhabiting Trelim, goes to visit an old friend, Rombux. Nobody wants to meet him on a dark night!
A fallen angel since childhood when he was at school with the Master and Trelim.
He recognises Trelim immediately.
"You've not changed!" Rombux says jestingly. "But you're so old and decrepit now!" .
"Less of that!" the Master snaps. .
"Oh, you've grown feisty?" Rombux taunts.
"No! I just look like Trelim! I'm the Master!"
"Likely story," Rombux continues taunting boisterously. "You'd never get the Master regenerating to look like that old man!" .

But the Master has had enough! "Rombux, I came to visit you to see if you can gain access to a Tardis for me!"

"And how would I possibly do that?" Rombux asks. He looks pointedly at the Individual Hyperspace Transporter on Trelim's arm. "Why don't you just use that?" .
The Master sighs. In his own towering body of choice, he would have prevailed on Rombux. He should have known that Trelim's body would put him at a severe disadvantage. He will just have to wait until he can regenerate again! Stuck as Trelim for at least a week! He's disgusted. .

"Can I stay here for a while?" the Master asks.
Rombux contemplates Trelim's feeble body. On Alphon Three everyone must work hard for their living. Spare capacity isn't contemplated for long. "No!" .
Rombux clearly isn't buying his story.

Possibly for the first time in his life the Master is feeling small and intimidated. .


Will this experience do him any good? Will he benefit from this and become a better citizen?
We can hope, but we know the Master is a long way gone - fallen into appallingly bad ways.
But where can he hope to stay?


What's Keeping Him?

Nearly a week has passed since the Master's escape. Crystelle is at home relying on her clone Crystelle One tracking the Master. She has been most surprised not to have any news of the Master. Maybe he's forgotten about me? she hopes.
Her clone, Crystelle One hasn't any idea where he is or why he hasn't appeared...

Until Chloe decides to ask the Doctor. She messages a very simple question - Why haven't we heard from the Master in a week?

A familiar grinding noise greets her almost immediately. The Doctor staggers out of his Tardis.
He's dishevelled and appears shell-shocked.

"You asked me a question," he says distractedly.
"Oh, Doctor, I didn't mean to call you away from the front line of battle," Chloe says, aghast. She knows how distracting it can be when this happens.

"But you need to know the answer, and you need to know now!" the Doctor insists strongly, pulling himself into the here-and-now with an effort.

Chloe is taken aback by the Doctor's insistence. "Why?"

"There's something all Time Lords have in common when it comes to regeneration - we can't intentionally regenerate within a week unless we're injured. You need to know now because that week is almost up! Now is the time you need to worry about! Now, I must dash!"

Observing the state of the Doctor, Chloe isn't surprised that he has needed to leave immediately but can't help feeling he might have scheduled a better moment for himself to arrive.
The familiar grinding noise accompanies the fade out of the Doctor's Tardis.

Immediately, Chloe messages both her mother and Crystelle One with the bad news.
Her mother is in the next room, perchance, and Chloe hears her start to panic. She goes to her immediately and hugs her and comforts her.
"I'm sorry, Chloe, but I'm just not cut out for this stress these days," Chloe's mum says.


Unfortunately, Crystelle is getting older. Although she has primitive regeneration (ref. 12), she doesn't have full regeneration capability. She has asked her husband, Devyon, if anything more can be done, but without the Gallifreyan Library chips he has no chance of improving her regeneration.

Crystelle One has additionally spent so much time following the Master and Trelim that her age is much higher again, although she can skip the boring bits of living! .


The Return of the Master.

There's a knock at the front door. Usually, Crystelle One manages to intercept unwelcome visitors.
"I'll go," Chloe offers immediately, turning towards the door.
"You'll do no such thing!" Crystelle retorts. Despite all of her fears, she feels she must protect her daughter, Chloe.

They both arrive in the hallway, each insisting that they will protect the other. .

Crystelle opens the front door to find the Doctor standing there, quite neat and tidy compared to his dishevelled appearance earlier.
"I ejected the Master. Round one to me!" he smiles gleefully.

Crystelle says, "Thank you, Doctor," and she smiles gratefully.
Chloe says, "Thank you," too, but closes the door and almost drags her mother away from the door.

"What's the matter with you, Chloe?" Crystelle asks.
"How sure are you that that's the Doctor?" Chloe asks, urgently.

"How do you mean?" Crystelle asks, a little flustered.
"Did you see the way he smiled?" Chloe asks. "I've travelled extensively with the Doctor, and he doesn't grin gleefully like that. Did you notice?"

Crystelle is somewhat non-plussed. She doesn't know what to do.

Chloe decides she must take charge as her mother is more like jelly.
"Mum, do you remember the Judoon report when the Master escaped from the Master Palace?" Chloe asks. "The time when they let Trelim out, but he was still tied up? What if the Master can regenerate to look like someone else to suit his purpose?"

"I don't follow," Crystelle admits.

"What if the Master has regenerated again to look like the Doctor?"

Crystelle is suddenly wide-eyed. She is so scared thinking about this. "Then, who can I trust?"

"I'll sort it, Mum," Chloe says.
She messages the Doctor. We have someone who looks like you claiming to have ejected the Master!

The familiar grinding sound is heard from the lounge. They enter the lounge just as the Doctor steps out of his Tardis.
"We meet again," the Doctor says, smiling the same gleeful smile.

Both Crystelle and Chloe are thoroughly alarmed.
Chloe makes an excuse to go back into the hallway, "I'll just be a moment."
She messages Crystelle One. We suspect the Master has regenerated to look like the Doctor!

A moment later there's a scream from the lounge. Chloe leaps to see what the problem is.

Crystelle is still standing near the door where Chloe had left her. The Doctor's Tardis is still there, but there's no sign of the Doctor!
"He just disappeared," Crystelle says limply.


What happened? What's going on?