The Zalaxal Infiltration--Chapter Four

MIA#11 - The Zalaxal Infiltration
Chapter Four-- "If at first you don't succeed.."

 Ace sat in her room, stomach in knots. "My dear", he had called her. Not good, that. The Doctor was mercurial at best, but he seldom ever called her anything but Ace... but that wasn't the problem right now. If they were truly going to Gallifrey, she had to find someone and warn them what was really going on here. Assuming, of course, she got the opportunity, she thought bleakly.

 

Chancellor Rodan stood in the presidential quarters, flanked by two guards. She stood, impassively, as the familiar rending of space and time was heard and the TARDIS wheezed into existence.

 Rodan was prepared for anything, or so she thought. But when the Doctor's seventh incarnation stepped out, followed closely by what she assumed was his current companions, all pushing a medical trolley.

 "Doctor, I hope you haven't come to Gallifrey merely to receive medical attention for some poor unfortunate. We have far weightier considerations than -"

 Rodan was cut off by a steely glare from the Doctor, who promptly whipped the sheet back from the figure on the trolley.. and there lay the Doctor. But *how*..?

 "I.. I mean, he, needs regenerative aid now. NOW!", the Doctor snapped.

 Much to her own surprise, Rodan told the two guards to wheel the trolley to the regenerative area. "Doctor," she whispered ".. how? Who is that?"

 "It's me," the Doctor rapped, bruskly. "Or Zalaxal", was all Ace managed before she too receive a stony glare from the Doctor. "Back to the TARDIS with you, Ace."

 Ace budged not an inch. "NOW!", the Doctor roared. The Doctor raised his umbrella as if to strike Ace, and Tizana grabbed the umbrella before the Doctor could strike.

 "That," she hissed, "will be quite enough of that." The Doctor shook himself, as though he were awaking from a bad dream.

 "Quite right, Tizanna. Sorry, Ace."

 The Doctor whirled, smiling that impish grin of his, to face Chancellor Rodan. "Ace, High Priestess, I should like you to meet Chancellor, erm, what was your name again? Ah, yes, Chancellor Rodan."

 Ace couldn't help it. "Cor. Who's next, then? Archbishop Godzilla?"

 The Doctor fought back a chuckle, himself. "Never mind that, Ace. Chancellor, conduct us to the regenerative chambers. I'm afraid I've got a bit of a confession to make."

 

"That," the Doctor sighed, "is the situation."

 Chancellor Rodan crossed the room, coming to stand eye to eye with the Doctor. "Are you informing me, Doctor, that through your own usual clumsy interference, you have unleashed one of the greatest evils to ever have *existed*? Indeed, you mean to tell me that one of you is indeed Zalaxal in a host form? Of all the incompetence!!!"

 The Doctor registered wounded dignity at the tirade. "I didn't mean to, I assure you."

 Tizana chuckled. "He sounds like a child just before it is punished", she whispered to Ace. Ace nodded. He rather did seem like a child, at times.

 

Frustration was a far too familiar companion to Zalaxal, but this was nearly overwhelming. His host had far stronger defenses than he had ever encountered before. No matter. It would make his coming triumph all the sweeter.

 But wait... was there another who might be suited for his purpose? The evil was faint, but it grew minutely stronger with each passing moment. Zalaxal's frustration was rapidly turning to joy. The evil could serve him in more ways than one - it could prove a more suitable host, or it could distract from his current hosts's defenses long enough for him to assume total control....

 

The Doctor hadn't spoken for a good while now. He merely sat in a chair of sorts, hands crossed over his umbrella handle, chin on his hands. He seemed to be staring at something no one else could see.

 Tizana stood, frustrated by the waiting, and flung her spear into the opposite wall. "You really shouldn't have done that, you know", commented the Doctor, not even looking up. "That paint is the very devil to match." Tizana slammed her fist down on the table right in front of the Doctor. "I grow weary of this waiting! We have been held prisoner in this.. This room for far too long." With that, she yanked her spear out of the wall and presented the business end right between the Doctor's eyes. "Now summon your... *Time Lord* fellows or I shall -"

 Ace swatted the spear aside, drawling a snarl from Tizana. "Leave off," Ace yelled. Tizana's frustration boiled over and she swung her spear at Ace's head, only to have it stopped in mid-arc by the Doctor's umbrella.

"Enough!", he barked, with a cold glare.

 Even so, they appeared to be ready to start fighting again when Counselor Rodan entered. "Doctor, I must ask you to come to the Regeneration Complex at once. I think you should see this."

 

"Your other self, for lack of a better term, seems to be trapped in a state of regenerative flux, despite our best efforts otherwise", explained Rodan. The Doctor gazed at the glowing chamber, truly wishing he could see inside. Chancellor Rodan then admitted what the Doctor had dreaded would be the case. "If the regenerative flux has not ceased within 24 hours, the regeneration will quite simply fail and your other self will... how best to say it?"

 "My other self will cease to exist", the Doctor finished for her. "That's not even the worst part of it, is it?", he continued.

 "No," Rodan admitted. "This situation is entirely without precedent, Doctor. Therefore we do not know how, if the dissolution occurs, how it will affect your current time stream."

 The Doctor sighed, expansively. "As Ace might put it - Bugger."

 

Ace and Tizana sat in the presidential chambers, under careful scrutiny by Chancellory guards. What ticked Ace was that the Doctor was the one who had requested them!

 She looked across at Tizana. She reminded Ace of what the Doctor had told her about one of his other companions, Leela. "If at first you don't succeed, find a bigger weapon and nut the smegger to oblivion" seemed to be Leela's creed. Ace could sympathize with that.

 "I know how you feel", Ace commiserated. "Everything I ever knew went right out the window when I met the Doctor. You're taking this well, you know."

 "I keep trying to tell myself this is all a bad dream brought on by too much t'shya at evensong.. that the great evil has not been loosed... that I haven't failed in my duties. But I have, and all this waiting, while the great evil is gaining strength - it is nearly more than even I can bear."

 Ace sighed. "Well, it's not like you could have expected the Doctor and I to show up on your bloody doorstep. The Doctor'll think of something. He always does."

 As if to punctuate Ace's commiseration, a familiar grinding roar was heard, close by - and a black column materialized next to the TARDIS.

 Ace couldn't understand why, but her blood ran cold as a tall, lean, goateed man stepped from the column. Tizana was up in a flash, spear pointed directly at the new arrival. He merely chuckled deeply and produced what looked like a ... well, Ace had never seen anything quite like it.

 "To answer your unasked question, my dear, this is a Tissue Compression Eliminator. It can reduce any living being to the size of a child's doll, and it isn't an especially enjoyable experience, I can assure you", he intoned. Looking directly at Tizana, he effortlessly backhanded the spear from her grasp. When she tried to retrieve it, he trained it directly at her. "I shouldn't like having to destroy you when my mission is, ironically, a benign one, but I will not hesitate to if necessary." Tizana retrieved her spear, but cautiously sat back down. "Excellent," he chuckled. "Now, to business. You are The High Priestess Tizana of the Imprexa. You, I trust, are the Doctor's current companion, eh?"

 "Ace", she muttered. "And you are...?" The stranger bowed low, and announced "I am known, universally, as the Master. The Doctor and I are.. old sparring partners, you might say."

 With that, the doors to the presidential suite burst open and in strode the Doctor and Chancellor Rodan. "I might have known it was you," the Doctor growled.

 "Come, Doctor," the Master laughed, "I have been idly monitoring upper echelon communications from the High Council and I noted you were proceeding to Gallifrey - unasked and unforced. Such an event piqued my curiosity and here I am. If one of the Imprexa are involved, it must mean Zalaxal. Indeed, I detected not one, but *two* of you, Doctor, and one is quite enough of an annoyance. To make matters worse, *my* existence could be forfeit if Zalaxal gains sway over the universe. Really, Doctor, you should have paid more attention in your Ancient Histories class."

 "Your concern is touching", the Doctor muttered.

 "Our course is quite clear, Doctor. We have to get Zalaxal away from Gallifrey where we can deal with him at our leisure", the Master intoned.

 The Doctor flopped down into one of the chairs, clearly agitated. "Of course you're right", he admitted. "But pardon me if my enthusiasm is somewhat lacking? The last time I aided you, if memory serves, I ended up dead."

 The Master registered wounded dignity. "Doctor, our motives may differ, but our goal is the same. Now -"

 An unspeakable din drowned out the Master's next words as both TARDISes dematerialized, simultaneously. The Master whispered, "Unless the Guardians are at work here, there's only one way that could have happened", the Master whispered. The Doctor nodded, thunderstruck.

 Ace grabbed the Doctor's arm. "Doctor, what's going on?"

 "Someone activated the TARDISes by remote control, Ace, when we mentioned removing Zalaxal from Gallifrey. Chances are, there's not another TARDIS anywhere on the planet, now....", the Doctor explained. What frightened Ace most was the utter helplessness in his eyes. He sounded like he was pronouncing a death sentence as he said, "It's too late. Zalaxal's invasion has begun."

 To be Continued....

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