4. The Doctor's Plan.
At last, they are alone for a moment while the only midwife goes to bring the patient.
"I must hide! You'll be alright, he's not looking for you! There is nowhere to go, and I haven't even got my sonic screwdriver! I must have left it in the Tardis! There's no doubt that the Master is here with his insurmountable CyberMasters. I have only one option! Good luck!"
The Doctor shows Alyssa a fob watch. "This is vitally important! This watch ..."
"That's handy," Alyssa says, "we can use it to time the contractions!" .
"No, no!" The Doctor appears to be more concerned about the safety of the fob watch rather than its usefulness. .
"Keep it safe at all times!" the Doctor says. "After all this has finished, take it and open it. It will restore me."
Much of this goes over Alyssa's head. She's busying herself with preparing towels and water. .
The Birth.
The chief's daughter has twins, but one is a still birth, unresponsive and not breathing. The Doctor assists the tribal midwife with the delivery while Alyssa watches and provides whatever is needed from her meagre stock of water and towels.
The tribal midwife leaves to inform the Chief.
The Doctor sees his opportunity and seizes it!
"Alyssa, replace me as the second baby! Put the still-birth - the dead baby - in this silver container. It will get a space burial. Then name me John Smith!"
The Doctor immediately regenerates as a baby. The Doctor then retreats into his fob watch, leaving a normal Human baby.
Alyssa now knows her part - she places the baby Doctor in the place of the still-born baby and places the still-born baby in the space container which then promptly vanishes! She places the fob watch in her pocket, out of the way.
All seems good for the Doctor, then?
The tribal midwife returns and is delighted to see two non-identical twin babies, both alive and kicking! .
"And I thought one of them had died!" She fusses, but totally accepts the substituted baby.
"Shall we name them now?" Alyssa asks, keen to name the Doctor as John. "He's called John Smith!"
"Well, really the Chief ought to name them," the midwife says, "but he was in far too much of a hurry just now. He wanted one called Tecuani which means tiger. I know he favours that name after the tiger when you were found in the forest. The other will be called," she appears to cough, "Clive."
Alyssa wonders how much the name has been adjusted by the Tardis translation circuit. .
"But can we call this one John Smith?"
"Yes, alright," the midwife says.
Loud shouting is heard, and it becomes apparent that fighting is happening close by.
Alyssa quails. She's desperate to avoid the fight!
A military man enters the birthing tent and looks around.
"I'm looking for the Doctor!"
"He was here only ten minutes ago," the tribal midwife says, "but he's not here now!"
"Who is here? Who are you?"
"I'm a midwife!"
Alyssa decides she must speak up quickly. "I'm a nursery maid!" Quickly she takes on a new role, hoping that the midwife will back her up if necessary. She doesn't demur in the face of these military intruders.
Before the military man departs, Alyssa has a closer look at him. Somehow he seems familiar.
She stifles a sharp intake of breath as she discerns the Master! .
After his departure from the tent, Alyssa realises that it was the Master that brought them here and trapped them with no access to the Tardis. Just how, she doesn't know.
But what must she do now? Surely she's fully in the clutches of the Master! .
Before he goes, the Master addresses the whole tribe.
"I came here to find the Doctor, but at least I have him trapped here, wherever he is! He will stay here! You will look out for him."
The Master leaves just one CyberMaster behind to watch for the Doctor.
Oops! That will upset the Doctor's Tardis and keep it locked against entry!
Meanwhile, Alyssa must be nursery maid to the Chief's children!