CHAPTER 8

CORPORATE RAIDERS

Mission Day 46 - continued

While the Doctor's party made their way across the city, the Triad was returning to Tri Global's corporate command center located in the penthouse of the very building the militia was approaching. There were enormous windows on all four sides of the room; the open floor design intended to give the executive within a panoramic view of the city. The Triad, however, had chosen it for strategic reasons. It was atop the tallest building in the city and gave them an unobstructed view in all directions.

"Somebody's getting desperate," Leader TWO said as he walked through the door. He was flipping through a stack of photographs and did not even look up.

"Good!" Leader ONE replied happily.

Jason, now known as Leader THREE, entered but did not join into the conversation. He was dressed in a similar style as the others in the Triad, a dark green jumpsuit with elaborate symbols adoring the sleeves; the patterns denoting the wearer's placement in the Triad. He dropped into a chair near the corner of the room behind the door and put his feet up, seemingly bored with the conversation as the other two chattered on.

"Have you heard the latest?" TWO was asking, waving the photos in the air. "This man is going to return peace and unity to the world. Not just the land, the whole world!" he announced grandly, adding with a snort, "Good luck to him." He tossed the photographs to the floor, scattering them in all directions.

Jason leaned forward in his chair and picked up the photo that had landed beside it. It was a photograph of the Doctor taken with a telephoto lens, one of several to have made its way into the hands of the Triad over the past few days. He got to his feet and crossed to the window, letting the photo drop from his fingers. As he stood gazing into the growing twilight, his keen eyes picked up movement in a wooded area on the outskirts of the grounds behind the building. He adjusted his eyes to compensate for the light and distance, seeing a group of people in the trees. He watched in amazement as a smaller group broke away from the others and headed for the rear entrance of the building, the Doctor among them.

"Don't underestimate propaganda," ONE was saying. "We need to find this man and eliminate him before he rallies any support."

"You needn't bother," Jason said calmly. "He appears to be coming to you."

"What?" ONE and TWO cried in unison. They joined their counterpart at the window but could see nothing in the growing gloom.

Jason reached down to a surveillance monitor, bringing up the image from the rear security camera. At the same time, he noticed some of the group were armed. "They don't look like your usual corporate raiders, do they?" he remarked aridly. "And they appear to be trying to break in the rear entrance."

"Quickly, alert security!" TWO snapped. "We have to stop them getting in!"

"No, no, no," Jason tut-tutted, resisting the urge to slap him on the hand as if he were a naughty child. "You just said you wanted to find him, didn't you? Let him break in with the others. They'll get up here sooner or later. And if they don't, you can always just seal off the building. Either way, they'll never get out again." So saying, he returned to his chair, and put his feet up again.

An evil smile twisted ONE's face. He exchanged glances with TWO, and then started to chuckle. "Yes! By the Goddess, THREE, you are devious!"

"I try," the Alterran replied mildly, accepting the compliment with a nod.

ONE crossed to the phone and called to the head of his security force. "There are intruders trying to break in the rear entrance," he informed. "I want you to let them do it."

The man on the other end of the phone was silent a moment. "Sir?"

"And after they get in, I want you to make certain they never get out again."

oOo

After several minutes, the sound of running feet could be heard from the hallway. The penthouse doors burst open and Telvec's group flooded into the room where more than a dozen heavily armed security guards greeted them. The Doctor skidded to a halt and immediately raised his hands. "I knew it was too easy," he moaned.

"Welcome, welcome," ONE said amiably, waving the group further inside. "We've been expecting you."

"So I'd noticed," the Doctor replied aridly.

"They don't look like aliens," Philip said in an almost disappointed tone.

"Silence, scum!" TWO snarled as the intruders were relieved of their weapons.

The Doctor glanced back at the boy, seeing the others seemed just as bewildered. He, however, had recognized the stylized symbols on their captor's clothing. "Allow me to properly introduce you to the real power behind Tri Global," he said grandly. "Meet the Glyateven."

Surprised by this, Leader ONE took a step forward. "You know our kind?"

"Oh yes, unfortunately. Which are you?"

"I am Leader ONE."

"Ah." The Doctor turned back to the others, explaining, "They rule in a body of three. A ruling Triad—Ah! Tri Global, how very clever. The Triad consists of a decision maker, a bully and a strategist." He turned to Leader TWO, saying, "From your courteous reception, I can only assume you're the bully of the group."

His insolent observation was rewarded with a savage slap across the face that sent him to the floor. The occupant of the chair he had landed beside casually leaned over and regarded him steadily. The Doctor looked up at the familiar face in astonishment. "Good Lord, Jason!" he gasped in amazement. "What in Rassilon's name are you doing here?"

"You know this creature, THREE?" TWO snarled accusingly, wondering why he hadn't mentioned it before now.

Ignoring the astonished Time Lord on the floor, Jason stood up and stepped over him, crossing to ONE and TWO. "Unfortunately, yes. He's a Time Lord and calls himself the Doctor. The fact that he's already allied himself with the locals means he's here to stop you taking over this planet."

"Jason!" the Doctor gasped.

The Alterran spun around. "I am known as Leader THREE," he corrected sharply.

The Doctor wanted to kick himself. Nice going, Doctor! You've probably just blown his cover.

"I don't know any of the others," Jason went on blandly, waving a hand dismissively. "One of them might be his traveling companion. He likes to surround himself with lesser species so he has someone to be superior around."

Now the Doctor was certain he had walked in on one of Jason's covert operations and decided to play the injured party until he found out exactly what was going on. "Now see here, Jason, or THREE or whatever you want to call yourself," he said in an angry tone as he got to his feet, "I know we didn't part on the best of terms, but there's no call to be—"

"So you're not a friend of THREE's," ONE interrupted sharply.

This seemed a very important point, so the Doctor continued to play along. "Not any longer, apparently," he replied in an injured tone.

"Friend?" Jason said with a disgusted snort. "The last time we met, he tried to kill me."

The Doctor did not reply. While not completely accurate, Jason had spoken the literal truth. He moved back to Philip while the Triad held a hushed conversation. After apparently reaching a mutual decision, ONE turned back to the group of intruders and ordered, "Guards, take this rabble out and have them shot." He pointed a finger at the Doctor. "All but him."

Two guards immediately took the Time Lord by the arms and pulled him away from the others. The Doctor struggled unsuccessfully against his captors as he was dragged across the room and thrust against a wall. He watched helplessly as the rest of the group was herded from the room. "Why spare me?" he demanded.

To his astonishment, the reply came from Jason. "Because if they take you out and shoot you, you'll just regenerate," he said matter of factly. His voice hardened as he added, "And I know how to prevent that happening."