9. Stars in their eyes.
After Alyssa adjusted the Master's Tardis controls as instructed by the Doctor, she's still terrified for her sister as she learns just where the Master's planning to deposit her - inside a star! She's sure Chloe can't survive for even a second there! Even if she is able to activate her personal transport immediately, she would be likely not to be able to regenerate from that damage!
Alyssa has no idea what the control she adjusted did, but she hopes it dropped Chloe off before the Tardis journey rather than after!
The Master's Tardis returns to the lounge where Devyon is still returning from the kitchen, hoping for company over a cup of tea.
The Master sees Devyon and instructs him to enter his Tardis.
"I didn't know this concrete block was a Tardis!" he says as he steps over the threshold, and sees the vaguely similar Console to the one in the Doctor's Tardis.
He sees Alyssa holding her finger to her mouth and realises something's amiss.
"You will be joining your daughter, Chloe, ... in a star," the Master informs him, laughing loudly.
Together with Alyssa's gestures, behind the Master, Devyon realises that he's in dire danger from the Master, and that maybe he's already lost Chloe. He's desperate that his whole remaining family are in the clutches of the Master!
"Now I will set up for your final journey!" the Master says dramatically.
Devyon can't move. He watches in dreadful fascination as the Master taps buttons, while Alyssa directs him to stand in the middle of the Console room, while she stands near the Console, desperately hoping the Master will step away for long enough for her to make the same adjustment for Devyon as she had for Chloe.
Devyon recognises that he must divert the Master for even a moment. He recalls the Doctor telling him that delaying is so important it might make all the difference. Just then it feels as if it can't possibly make enough difference here.
"Which star is it you're sending me to?" he asks desperately.
"What does it matter?" the Master says.
"I'd like to know."
"You'll see your daughter, Chloe there, burning brightly."
"What's the star called, though? Do you know?" He risks taunting the Master.
Alyssa quickly steps forwards and makes the change.
"Your time has come!" The Master turns and pulls the dematerialisation lever, despicably ignoring his victim's last request ...
At one time, Devyon had acquired an instant cloning machine (ref. 13) that he had used to make six clones of himself. The clones had been to many places, as had his wife, Crystelle, and her instant clones.
As the original Devyon, he has only been away from his home planet relatively few times until recently.
His expectation to suddenly encounter the inside of some star, somewhere else in the huge Universe, brings him to his knees. He topples forwards with his eyes closed, and head-buts something soft. He topples to the side and opens his eyes. He recognises his own settee and thick, shaggy carpet. .
Chloe approaches him.
"I think you'll be wanting one of these hot cups of tea!" she says, offering a hand up from the floor. .
"Is this what the inside of a star looks like?" he asks. .
"No, silly, Alyssa's somehow adjusted our destination." .
"So, it isn't Heaven, either?" he asks, struggling to his feet. .
"Only relatively speaking!" Chloe picks up the positive outcome - it's miles better than the inside of a star! .
"I'll just be a moment," Chloe says. The Doctor had said she can be there for her father for a moment...
Chloe returns to where the Doctor had re-parked his Tardis, in the hallway, and goes in.
"You wanted me back quickly?" She's aware the Doctor might have a plan, but just what it is eludes her.
"We're going back into the Master's Tardis."
It seems like stepping deliberately into a lion's mouth. She's alarmed.
"It's a risk we have to take to rescue your sister!" The Doctor steps over to her and hugs her. "We'll be fine!"
"Fine? Only fine?" Chloe questions his words. She's heard so many words that the Doctor has had for desperately dangerous situations. The grading of Fine might vary from - We'll get away with some luck to Expect the worst!
The Doctor presses a button, and the screen goes red, displaying Encapsulated.
Alyssa stands, apparently at ease, near the Master's Tardis Console. Inside, she's still worrying whether her sister Chloe, and her father Devyon, reached a better destination than the inside of a star, and if so, where.
One of the adjustments the Doctor provided simply set the drop-off destination to their previous location. She has no idea about the other adjustment. She notices the Doctor's Tardis blink out for a moment and then back.
She urgently wants to ask the Doctor what to do next, but the Master isn't going to leave his Console room unattended while the Doctor's around! There's no opportunity for her to message the Doctor.
Instead, she studies the array of switches on the Console.
Alyssa had studied Pattern Analysis as a further education and puts this to good use. Certain switches are out of alignment with the other switches, possibly showing that they're performing an active function just now.
The Master walks into the Doctor's Tardis to instruct the Doctor that he will be following Chloe and her father into a star.
Alyssa sees her opportunity. She flicks all of the switches to point the same way, as rapidly as she can.
The monitor screen stops displaying "Encapsulating", and the door of the Doctor's Tardis slams shut!
No-one was near it, so maybe the Doctor's Tardis did this?
The loud grinding of the Doctor's Tardis is clearly heard, and the Doctor's Tardis disappears before her eyes!
Out of immediate danger from the Master, now, Alyssa looks forlornly at the Console of the Master's Tardis before her.
A brighter, shinier switch attracts her attention. She bends to read the caption - Continuum Defeat. This must have been added recently, judging by the lack of dust and grime around it. She flicks the switch.
She wants to ask Chloe about it but recalls that Chloe might be inside a star.
Taking her messaging device, she messages Chloe. How are you? What does Continuum Defeat mean?
In an instant, Chloe stands beside her. Her ruined clothes have been replaced with fresh clothes.
"Wow! What did you do?" Chloe asks.
"I don't know!" Alyssa responds. She looks at the Console and gestures, "I just flicked a whole load of random switches!"
Chloe looks at Alyssa in wonderment. "I was able to come to you!" she says. Her wristwatch must have had plenty of time to dry out, and the blocking has only just been switched off.
"Look at this switch just here," Alyssa says, pointing to the newest switch.
Chloe groans. "He knows my secret!" she immediately deduces. Her desperation increases. "Even if I remove all the circuitry behind the switch, he can re-make it in a moment. I'm still doomed!"
"What can you do about it?"
For a few moments, Chloe feels the desolation of having fully lost her transport.
An idea comes to her. She steps over to one of the Master's Tardis pillars and hugs it.
Alyssa feels unsure just what Chloe's doing, and just watches.
Chloe finds herself in a dark forest of very tall trees.
She's done this kind of thing in her own Tardis and in the Doctor's Tardis, but the Master's Tardis will, she feels, be rather different. She's met the Consciousness of the Master's Tardis before and recalls the gratefulness when she released the Master's Tardis from the Master's grip. ... But now?
There's no-one just there to meet her. All seems dark and foreboding.
She steps forwards and soon finds the Tardis Consciousness sitting on the ground moping.
The Tardis Consciousness looks up morosely to see her, not believing that anything can be put right.
Chloe had been going to simply ask if the Continuum Defeat facility could be not just disabled, but never re-designed, but that would still leave the Tardis Consciousness bound to do the Master's will.
"Can we go straight to Gallifrey, and can you stay there?" Chloe asks.
"No, I can't go near Gallifrey. I'm forbidden."
"Can I take you there?" Chloe asks.
"The Master still has my summoner." There seem to be so many problems to overcome.
"Can we re-assign it?" Chloe asks.
The Tardis Consciousness pauses, as if thinking it over.
"It is done." She sighs. It is as if there are still countless steps to be taken before the Master's grip on her can be released.
Chloe offers her hand to help the Tardis Consciousness up from her recumbent position.
"I'm getting you out of this mess," Chloe says.
She hugs the Tardis Consciousness and thinks of a place on Gallifrey, activating her personal transport.
"The Master can't summon you now," she says, stepping back.
Chloe finds herself back in the Master's Tardis Console room with Alyssa.
"Nice cuddle?" Alyssa says. She has no idea what just happened, but seeing her sister hug a Tardis pillar seems a bit strange..
They go to the Tardis door. The door disablement has been removed - doubtless one of the switches Alyssa flicked off.
As she opens the Tardis door, a bullet ricochets off the Tardis.
Gallifreyan police surround the Tardis!
Not the reception she had hoped for!