Chapter 10

Carolyn was in the observation lounge when Michelle entered briskly. "I'm going back for Nita. I need to know anything you can tell me about that slitheen."

"I've just started running some tests. If I could have a few hours…"

"We can't give the aliens any more time."

"Shell, I haven't been able to determine if the TARDIS can find the right place and time. The risk would be…"

"I accept the risk."

"Our priority is to stop the aliens from making any more incursions to Earth. Any delay is unacceptable."

"If I can save Nita, I consider it very acceptable."

"Nita would not. I recommend we find a way to destroy the alien habitat immediately."

Michelle gave her a look. There was a long moment. Michelle had no answer. Finally… with great difficulty… "Look for a way. Tell me when you've found one."

Carolyn was tinkering with the sonic screwdriver, which was plugged into a computer interface not functioning. She keyed a command into the computer to calibrate the power flow polarity selector. She initialized the re-load circuits. She reached down and switched the sonic "on". "C'mon, this ought to do it." But the sonic remained as dead as ever. Carolyn deflated. She deactivated the polarity selector. "I don't get it… why isn't this working?" She closed the panel, opened another one, fiddled in it. She ran a diagnostic on the input polarizers, but found there was intermittent contact in them. "Intermittent?" She selected an instrument, with which she scanned the opening… frowned, noticing something. She probed in the opening for a second, then… pulled out a tiny particle of something and peered at it. "An iron filing… how did that get in there?"

Romana was unconscious. Nita checked Romana's pulse and was satisfied that she was all right. She glanced over and saw the sonic screwdriver lying on the ground. She considered it for a moment, and then walked over and picked it up. An idea occurred to her. She snapped open a panel in the back of the sonic and studied it. Then she looked around on the cavern floor, spotted something and picked it up. It was a flat-head nail.

Using the nail, she began to fiddle in the sonic screwdriver. She frowned slightly. She was not sure of this procedure, it was awkward and unfamiliar. She held the nail up to the light for a moment, squinted at it, scraped some rust from the tip and began once more to do something in the sonic screwdriver.

Michelle had acquired some photon torpedoes from a space station in the 24th century. She knew the Doctor didn't like weapons, but she couldn't think of any other way to destroy the aliens' base. She set the photons to fire in staggered rounds, detonating in ten-second intervals. The sequence would be ready to initiate in one minute.

Carolyn's excitement was mounting. She tried another diagnostic on the input polarizers. They were functioning. "Then that should do it." Carolyn reached to the sonic screwdriver and switched it on. "Okay, come on, now…"

At the same time, there was a little twitch in the Doctor's hand… then another… then the hand clenched and unclenched. He sat up, looked around and focused on Carolyn, then on the computer screen where words were scrolling… torpedoes… don't phasing… aliens…

Carolyn stared at them. The Doctor picked up the sonic and looked at it. "It's processing a binary message that was entered into the static memory by Nita. Carolyn, are we planning to fire on the alien habitat?"

"Yeah, but…"

"It's imperative that we don't. I'll explain later."

Carolyn didn't hesitate. She hit the intercom. "Michelle… hold your fire!"

The Doctor, Carolyn and Michelle were at the console. "The binary message left by Nita is not entirely clear. She seemed to be concerned about the phase differential of photon torpedoes… that firing them might produce a catastrophic effect."

"Then how do we destroy their habitat?"

"If I'm correct, we must modify the weapons so that the force of the explosion is re-phased into the aliens' time continuum."

Michelle cast a look at Carolyn. "If we outfit the photons with phase discriminators, we could get the necessary variance."

"How long will it take you?"

"At least a couple of hours."

Michelle realized this gave her a window of opportunity. "Fine. That'll give me time to go get her."

"Michelle?"

"There's time now, I'm going back to the sixteenth century for Nita. Caroyln?"

"My analysis of the scanners suggests you'd be able to open a rift, but it won't be stable enough to transport more than one person."

"You mean, if I go back, only one of us could return."

"That's right."

"Then I have the perfect solution for you."

They turned to see that Shakespeare had come through the doorway and had overheard the discussion. "I am the one who should return to the sixteenth century, Maiden, and remain there so your friend can return."

"There's a risk, we're not certain how stable the rift will be."

Shakespeare waved her off. "There is risk in everything. The point is, it's the right choice. I have more plays to write, your friend has a husband here."

"Carolyn, please brief him on what he'll need to do."

Shakespeare looked at the Doctor, moved toward him, an unaccustomed smile on his lips. "I am glad I have the chance to thank you."

"For what?"

"For starting me on the greatest adventure a man has ever had. For helping a bitter man open his eyes, so he can see that the future turns out all right, after all." He clapped the Doctor on the shoulder and turned to Carolyn. The two moved toward the doorway.

Romana moaned and stirred. Nita moved to her. "Romana…"

"…thirsty…"

"I'm going to get help. We have to get you out of here."

"…wait… stay a while… maybe they'll come for you…"

"No. You need help."

Suddenly they heard footsteps off in the darkness of a tunnel. Nita stood up. The footsteps grew closer… and then Shakespeare emerged into the light, out of breath and puffing. "This thing put me down in the middle of Covent Garden. It took forever to get here."

Nita stared at him, surprised.

"Doctor, Carolyn has completed the re-configuration of the photon torpedoes."

The Doctor hesitated. He didn't want to have to fire. "If Shakespeare got back, Nita should have been here by now."

"We have no way of knowing if he was successful."

Re-established her firing pattern, please Michelle. We'll wait five more minutes."

"Yes, Doctor."

"No time for chit-chat, madam…" Shakespeare handed Nita the cane. "According to Carolyn, who did get your message by the way, a frequency setting of point-oh-four-seven on your scanner will correctly activate this creature."

"You'll have to get help. Romana needs medical attention…"

"I promise you she will be attended to."

"We have a bill at Mrs Kosh's boarding house."

"It will be settled."

"Thank you. I wish time had allowed me to know you better."

"You'll just have to see my plays. What I am is pretty much there."

Nita turned to Romana.

"I'll see you in five hundred years, Nita."

She smiled at her. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

The Doctor saw something on his sensors. "I'm picking up massive triolic wave activity on the surface."

Michelle was instantly alert. "Is it Nita?"

"There are no human life signs."

Michelle frowned. What did this new wrinkle mean? "No sign of a temporal distortion?"

"No, but triolic activity is increasing."

"The aliens."

The Doctor realized he could not wait. "Michelle, are the photons ready?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Fire."

Four torpedoes were projected from the TARDIS.

"Torpedoes away, Doctor."

"I'm detecting a temporal distortion on the surface, and human life signs," said the Doctor with alarm.

Nita, groggy and disoriented, lay on the ground. Suddenly and explosion ripped through the chamber, illuminating it in a white light. As the light flooded the area, she could see the shapes of the aliens, their phased world revealed from the effect of the re-configured torpedoes. Almost immediately that world shimmered out.

"I'm going to materialize the TARDIS around her!"

Nita, jarred by the explosion, was groggily awake… almost immediately, the TARDIS began materializing around her. Then is dematerialized again. Then there was an overwhelming explosion. The light was a brilliant white.

"It's good to be back, Doctor."

"We have destroyed the target, Doctor. There's no further indication of triolic activity."

The Doctor let out a sigh of relief.

Nita entered the galley, spotted Romana at the counter, walked to her and sat down. She gave her a smile, she smiled back. There were no words spoken, but the reunion of good friends was a poignant one.

Everyone who should be in the sixteenth century is safely there, and those who should be in the twentieth are here. The Doctor had been restored to his friends, sonic and all, and William Shakespeare would write the plays he was to have written after their encounter.

A pair of litter-bearers were carrying Romana out of the cavern. Shakepeare looked down at her. "Be careful no to jostle her too much, boys. Don't worry, you are going to be fine."

He watched as she was carried past him, then he turned and looked back into the interior of the cavern. His eye was caught by something on the ground.

He moved forward, stooped, and picked up his watch, fallen there after the time-hole was opened. He opened it, looked at it, snapped it shut and started to put it in his pocket.

But hen he reconsidered. The watch, like the gun and the glasses, and the sonic screwdriver, must remain there, if history was to remain intact. He put the watch back on the ground, looked around again, then turned and left.

In a darkened corner was the sonic screwdriver, waiting to be discovered again five hundred years in the future.

The End