"--Turlough. I repeat, this message is addressed to Vislor Turlough. You have been--" a brief wash of static obscured the next part of the message-- "and I was replaced. They have sent--" the sound cut out abruptly-- "as part of their plan to gain time travel. I am--" *crackle*-- "focus of time corridor--" another moment of silence-- "Space Probe Seven; they've turned it into a fusion bomb. They plan to send it back and destroy--" The message ended.
"That's all you could get?"
"We have technicians working to restore the recording even as we speak. From what we've already heard, though, it seems that you have some explaining to do."
Turlough was already racking his brains, trying to figure out what might have happened. "Time corridor...time corridor! They must have sent her back in time!"
"And how did she know your name?"
"She must have met me--must be about to meet me--will have met me--" he stopped, trying to let his thoughts catch up with his words. "At some future point, I will meet her in the past." The others looked blankly at him. "Don't you see? I'll be going after her."
Chapter 4: "Memories Are a State of Mind" by Kris Herzog
Turlough stepped into the shuttle. He'd had a suspicion that the Seren was holding something back, but until now, he had no idea what it was.
Even he knew that Time Corridor technology was not something that was easily played with. If they were trying to build up time travel technology from the basis of a time corridor, they would most certainly fail.
Minutes eariler, after reviewing the message from Zoe, he held a meeting with the Captain and her senior staff.
"I will need a small strike force. We have to take the building un-noticed."
The Captain nodded.
"I've sent a report off to the home world explaining the situation. I expect we will be receiving confirmation of my fears soon."
"And that would be?" asked the Captain.
"That the Seren are trying to give themselves time travel. They're trying to prevent the destruction of their home world."
"But think of the lives it would save..."
"Yes, this is true, but once history is set, it can't be changed without dreadful repercussions. We have to stop them at all costs." he put his hands down on the table as he stood up. "If they aren't stopped, history will be altered and the flow of time will be altered."
"What makes you say that?"
"I have had some experience with this. Something an old friend taught me long ago."
"If you insist."
"I do."
The Captain pressed a button. "Prepare a squad for Earth-side operations. Ready the shuttle. Turlough will be commanding this operation."
Turlough nodded and hoped that he was doing the right thing.
Romana nodded. "You met the Doctor when our people were at a 'plausible deniability' level concerning his travels."
"Your people? You come from the same place as he did?"
Romana nodded again. "I even travelled with him two regenerations later than you did."
"I traveled with the Doctor?"
"And I suspect that the block one of my predecessors felt necessary to put on you is beginning to fail. That's why you're having problems sleeping and remembering. I think it's time to put that right again."
She placed her hands on Zoe's forehead.
"Dolon, be a dear and fetch me a psychotronic enhancer from the TARDIS."
She could hear Dolon grunting in the background.
"Now Zoe, close your eyes."
Zoe closed her eyes.
"When you open them, we'll have a lot to talk about.
He seemed to stave off all of these gruesome images with ease.
Zoe grew concerned about this and placed a call to Rubenstein.
Rubenstein answered rather groggily. Zoe told her every little detail of the nightmares. Rubenstein's eyes went wide.
"Return here at once."
Rubenstein shut off her comm-panel. Obviously, the real Zoe Herriot was being hypnotised or under the influence of some mind-altering substance.
She placed one end on Zoe's head, and the other on her own. Dolon began to say something, but she waved it away.
Flicking a switch, she began to gently nudge away the barriers in Zoe's mind. Slowly allowing the memories to trickle back. Somewhere in the back of Zoe's mind she found a pathway link. Pathway links were telepathic links that were able to remain in a mind for centuries. They could hold a telepath with a subject across time itself. She began to trace it back to it's roots...
"Report."
"The nightmares are now beginning to show themselves while I am awake."
"Describe them."
"I can see... Marshmen, a young boy, a key, a robot dog."
At this point, her hair began to turn golden yellow, and she began to grow a few inches. Rubenstein gasped. Someone else was inside Zoe Herriot's mind.
"Concentrate. You're losing Herriot!"
The Protean fell to the ground, spasming in pain. She reverted back to her Zoe form and fell unconscious. Rubenstein thought to herself for a moment.
She began to walk towards her desk when the door burst open and uniformed soldiers ran into the room. Finding herself flanked by armed intruders, she stood perfectly still.
Turlough walked into the room.
"Ibbotson!" She looked surprised.
"I believe you have some explaining to do," Turlough said to her as he pointed to the Protean on the ground morphing back and forth between its natural state, the Zoe state and the blonde woman.
TO BE CONTINUED