Chapter 4: A Masterful Plan Indeed!

"So, let me guess, you've come here to wreak havoc, try to turn the whole human race against me. That's not all that nice now is it. Of course the Master already tried that once during this regeneration and I don't plan on having that happen again."

"Oh Doctor, so cynical, so punitive, you haven't changed a bit, the same old dry humor. How is that one girl you were with last, Smith, Sarah Smith I think it was." Mortimus picked up a small apple and took a bight from it, his monk's robe sleeve slid down his arm revealing several tattoos.

"Sarah-Jane, it's Sarah-Jane. And she is fine. Oh but look at you, sitting in your little hut, all the people around you dead or dying, and you won't lift one finger to save them."

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm not the Doctor in this little group, no, besides history says they die, this whole village, every last one of them, done and done. Who am I to argue with time Doctor?"

"But this, this disease is not meant to be here, it is not meant to exist on Earth. It is spread further and wider than anything they have ever encountered."

"And what am I to do about it?" Mortimus covered his face as he coughed, "It's not like I infected them. No I came here to escape the hell you created on our own little home planet. Gallifrey is in chaos because of you."

"You escaped, how?"

"A time lock with in a time lock, oldest trick in the book…" the trickster smirked at his little joke, "come to think of it Doctor, you never came to this period of time. No you always stood off in the distance, didn't interfere here, why now?"

"The TARDIS brought me here…"

"and lead you right to the main characters of this little story, Arthur and Merlin" Mortimus's voice darkened as his smile grew brighter, "no doubt you know just what type of influence this will have on their story, passed down through the ages."

"No, their story became legend long before I ever came here, nothing will change about that."

"Oh but it has, as I said I was not the one to release..cuh..cuhfffffff" Mortimus started to cough harder, "and I'm not the one who is trying to poison this time. As much as I hate you Doctor," his voice became scratchier, "the truth is I admire your tenacity…" The monk slid from the chair and landed in a heap on the floor.

"What…no no no no…."

"Is he going to be alright?" Merlin asked looking in through the doorway.

"We need to get in there, what was it you said earlier to release Arthur from the time lock?"

"Uh… Gollwng 'r hysgrifrwymau, but why?"

"No time, I'm going to step into this time lock, as soon as I do I need you to use that spell of yours to pull me out, got it?"

"I'll try…"

Arthur looked on stunned as the entire episode transpired before him. The Doctor rushed at the doorway at full tilt from thirty feet back, as he hit the doorway his flying leap slowed to a near crawl, flying through the air at near a standstill. Moments later the Doctor appeared in a different position near the door, dragging Mortimus behind him.

Merlin whispered and his eyes glowed and shortly after the Doctor and Mortimus were pulled from the doorway like a slurp of gelatin through a straw. The sound was tremendous as the Doctor and Mortimus finally were released and they both landed in front of the door.

"Mortimus! Who?" screamed the Doctor as he rolled over the pale Timelord.

"Mor-mor-igan," he grasped, "I hid it from her, a-a joke."

"Hid what, what did she want?"

"The only thing that can stop it. Doctor…Doctor…"

"Hold on I can save you…I can stop this, just hang on."

Mortimus fell silent, his eyes rolled back, and his body quaked.

"What do you want us to do?" said Arthur sheathing his sword.

"I need you to go back to the TARDIS, make sure nothing is in our way. Merlin help me carry him, and quickly we don't have much time."

**

The three of them made it to the TARDIS as quickly as they could. Nearly an hour later they arrived and were able to get Mortimus into the TARDIS. Quickly the Doctor began work. Strange machines came from the ceiling, others still from the floor. The TARDIS had changed its self producing another room right off the main control room. In it was a purple bath steaming and smelling of a strange pungent odor. Merlin and Arthur looked at each other in surprise. "Doctor that wasn't there before was it?"

"No, I just changed the TARDIS…no time to explain"

Placing Mortimus into the bath he closed the door and the machines began to work at him.

"What is it?" said Merlin, watching through the glass.

"Nano-genes, they can cure almost anything."

"Then why not use them on the rest of us?" said Arthur, who was now turned towards the Doctor with his arms crossed.

"I can't, they're specifically tailored to Time Lord DNA. You wouldn't understand, they just can't be used on humans."

"Ok then why not get whatever it is Morgana wants."

"Morigan, her son" said the Doctor in a correcting tone.

"Her son, how she has only been gone a year?" said Merlin surprised, "there can't be magic strong enough to speed up…"

"You would be surprised Merlin, black magic is still a problem. I might be willing to accept you as a magic user, but who knows what destructive things others may conjure."

"Oh for the last time, there is no such thing as magic. I'll prove it to you. Merlin come over here and sit down." The Doctor pointed to a chair near the control console. Merlin obliged and took a seat and the Doctor took to digging out an odd looking machine out of a small pile of other odd looking things.

"Okay, here it is the Pasian Energy Scanner, or a PES for short. Not to be confused with the candy dispenser, now cast a spell, make Arthur levitate or something."

"Don't you dare, Merlin…Merlin!"

Merlin smirked, "Chyfodi Arthur", it was an amazing bit of trickery as Arthur levitated in mid air and started to rotate around, gyrating in place.

"Put…Me….Down!"

"Interesting!" said the Doctor holding the scanner up to Merlin and then to Arthur.

"What?" asked Merlin, who incidentally lost his concentration dropping Arthur to the floor.

"OW! You couldn't have let me down more gently?"

"Hey you said put you down, you never said how."

"That is fascinating…most…" The Doctor ignored their antics and put the scanner into the center console.

"Your magic is well, magic…hard to explain, I mean it's there, then it isn't, then, it's not like anything I've seen before. Oh sure there was blood hypnosis, and the Devil, oh and the Carianites ability to use words to shape the universe, but this, it's brilliant!"

"Dya'hear that I'm brilliant!" said Merlin smirking.

"Shut up…"

"Oh…oh..no no no-no…." The Doctor ran across the room and into the medical bay. Mortimus was ceasing.

"Come on, you can do this, just regenerate…regenerate come on!"

"What's happening?" asked Arthur.

"The spores are fighting the nano-genes, he's dying."