"There is some evil in all of us, Doctor, even you," said the Master, enjoying the stunned expression on his old enemy's face. "The Valeyard is a distillation of the darker sides of your nature, splintered away from you somewhere between your twelfth and final incarnations. He was brought into being by the High Council for the sole purpose of eliminating you. And may I say, you do not improve with age!"
For several long seconds, the Doctor looked aghast at the Valeyard, who in turn gave a cold countenance of pure hate. Then the Doctor finally brought himself to speak up, his voice quiet and full of turmoil regarding this discovery.
"Madam, this revelation should halt this trial immediately. Surely even Gallifreyan law must acknowledge that the same person cannot be both prosecutor and defendant."
Although she was also shocked by the reveal of the Valeyard's identity, the Inquisitor was not prepared to dismiss the whole inquiry at this point.
"The single purpose of this trial is to determine the defendant's guilt or otherwise on the basis of the evidence that has been presented. Anything else is, for the moment, irrelevant!" she said stubbornly.
"What?!" exclaimed the Doctor at her. And in that moment, the Valeyard took advantage of the distraction and swifty edged his way across the courtroom, before dashing right behind the Doctor towards the main entrance.
Mel was the first to spot the Valeyard's fleeing figure. "Doctor!" she yelled and everyone whirled to see the Valeyard dash out of the courtroom and into the reception area.
"Valeyard!" cried out the Inquisitor, as the Doctor began to dash after his prosecutor.
"Glitz, come on! We need him!" shouted the Doctor.
Somewhat reluctantly, Glitz followed, but by the time they had all charged out of the courtroom, there was no sign of the Valeyard anywhere in reception.
Glitz looked around the room in bewilderment. "He's gone! But he hasn't had time to duck out of here."
"There must be another way out of here," said the Doctor as he began to check the walls for a hidden passage. By this point, Peri, Mel, the Inquisitor and the Keeper had all gathered by the alcove of the courtroom entrance.
"Oh come on, Doctor, you're not seriously expecting to find an old secret passage are you?" said Peri sarcastically. "This is a space station, not a medieval castle!"
"But there is a hidden passage!" exclaimed the Keeper, his eyes flashing with realisation. "The seventh door. He must have had a key."
"What?" asked the Doctor, wondering what the Keeper was talking about.
"The seventh entrance to the Matrix," explained the Keeper as he made his way over to what looked like a lit-up stained glass window, set in one corner of the room.
"Well, quickly, man, open it! He must be brought back," said the Doctor urgently.
"I agree," said the Inquisitor, deciding that the Valeyard had much to explain regarding the Master's allegations.
Hurriedly, the Keeper inserted his copy of the Key of Rassilon into a access panel placed next to the window. Seconds later, the stained-glass slid open to reveal a glowing white void inside, the passageway into the Matrix itself.
"You'll never find him," protested the Keeper, all too aware of the dangers that lurked within. "The Matrix is a micro-universe."
"Don't go, Doctor," said Mel worriedly as she and Peri came across to join them.
"I must," said the Doctor seriously. "Perhaps nothing in my life has ever been so important. Come on, Glitz."
"What, me?" protested Glitz as the Doctor grabbed him by the arm and they both plunged into the dazzling white void, disappearing from sight altogether.
"Doctor, wait!" Peri fruitlessly called out after them, the light from the Matrix door causing a sheen to be reflected on her bald skull.
"Be silent!" commanded the Inquisitor. "Come, let us return to the trial room."
Mel looked at the Inquisitor in disbelief. "Why? There's nobody to try anymore."
"Come along, all of you," said the Inquisitor firmly, before storming back into the Courtroom, the Keeper following closely behind once he had closed the Matrix door. Looking back at the Matrix door, Peri and Mel exchanged worried glances before they too reluctantly re-entered the trial room.
"Oh! Oh, what an unpleasant journey. And what an unpleasant place," complained the Doctor as he took in his surroundings.
After dashing through the Matrix door, the Doctor had found himself being transported down a fierce beam of white light, before being unceremoniously deposited into what appeared to be the alleyway of a Victorian courtyard, littered with hay, refuse and noisy rats that scuttled hungrily about on the ground. The place was in near darkness, with a few burning oil lamps giving a bit of dim light to the bleak surroundings, while the sound of a tolling bell echoed forebodingly about the old-looking buildings, mingled with the sounds of unseen horses and someone calling out in the distance. There was a sense of dread about the decaying setting, as though some great and unpleasant force was at work.
As the Doctor looked around the unattractive streets, he suddenly realised that he was quite alone.
"Glitz? Glitz?" he called. But the only response that came was the malicious sound of the Valeyard's laughter, echoing like the bell from all directions. Steeling his resolve, the Doctor began moving cautiously down around the courtyard, the sound of the Valeyard's laughter giving way first to the chorus of children singing 'London Bridge is falling down', and then to the noise of what sounded like a music hall, a ragtime-like theme played on a piano mixed with the jeering sound of people laughing.
Quickening his pace, the Doctor dashed into a large open area, but despite all the noise, there was no sign of anyone. The whole place was deserted. No piano player, no singing children, no Sabalom Glitz, and more importantly, no Valeyard, whose mocking laughter still reverberated about the courtyard.
Waving his arms about in frustration, the Doctor spotted a wooden barrel and crossed over to it. Peering over, he could see the barrel was filled to the top with water.
"Well, I can't believe you're in there," remarked the Doctor as he leaned in closer to examine the surface of the water.
Suddenly, a pair of hands broke through the water and grabbed the startled Time Lord's head, before starting to pull his face into the water-filled barrel!
"Glitz! Help!" the Doctor managed to yell out, before the hands forced his face into the water...
Back in the alleyway where the Doctor had first arrived, the transportation beam appeared again and Glitz abruptly materialised in the Victorian courtyard. As he tried to get his bearings, he heard the Doctor's cries for help and swiftly dashed over to the main courtyard. There he found the Doctor sprawled out on the cobbled ground, trying to get his breath back, as though someone had just tried to throttle him.
"What's going on?" asked Glitz as he helped the Time Lord to sit up against a nearby water barrel.
"Oh, I don't know," the Doctor managed to splutter. "I don't know whether what just happened to me was real or an illusion."
"Looks like someone's had a go at you," commented Glitz, as he moved to pick up some water from the barrel.
The Doctor ran a hand through his mass of curly hair, surprised to find that it was completely dry. "We're not in the real world any longer, Sabalom Glitz. Whatever attacked me was in that barrel. Or was it in my mind?"
Glitz leapt away from the barrel in alarm. "How can we be in a different world? We just stepped through a door, that's all."
"Into the Matrix," pointed out the Doctor, as he got unsteadily back to his feet, "where the only logic is that there isn't any logic. In this place, illusions can be just as deadly as the real thing."
"Yeah, I knew this was a mistake," muttered Glitz, pulling a small sheet of paper out from his pockets. "My grip on reality's not too good at the best of times."
He thrust the note into the Doctor's hand. "Here, this is for you. Now, if you don't mind telling me, how do I get out of here?"
The Doctor read the note and a surprised expression appeared on his face. "It's from the Master."
"I know. I've just given it to you," said Glitz caustically. "He said it would be useful."
Ignoring Glitz's snarky attitude, the Doctor read the note carefully. "It tells me where the Valeyard has his base," he said at last.
Glitz leaned in to read the note himself, his curiosity getting the better of him. "The Fantasy Factory, proprietor J.J. Chambers," he read out-loud.
At that moment, the whole courtyard lit up and the two men looked up to see a large illuminated carnival-style sign placed at the top of the nearest building in front of them, with a hundred or so colourful fairy-lights making up the logo that read 'THE FANTASY FACTORY'. The lights flashed in a fancy manner, adding cheerful colour to the otherwise drab streets. Below the display was a balcony and a flight of stairs that connected the ground to the main door on the second floor.
"So that's where he got to," said the Doctor, as he began to move towards the building. "So why is the Master helping me?"
"Yeah, well, I'm sure you'll find out. I'm off," said Glitz, all too keen to get as far away from this godforsaken place as possible. He was just turning to head back towards the alleyway where he had first arrived, hoping that the exit would also be there, when the Doctor suddenly took hold of him by the sleeve.
"No, come on. I want you to meet my darker side," said the Doctor with a mischievous grin on his face.
"I've done my bit!" protested Glitz.
"Just pop in and say hello. You'll be perfectly safe," replied the Doctor with a reassuring smile.
That was when the main door of the building's second floor suddenly burst wide open and a volley of deadly arrows shot out, all of them striking Sabalom Glitz right in the chest! With an anguished cry, the conman collapsed to the ground...