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Chapter Four “No one would have believed in the early years of the twenty-sixth century that the planet Mars would one day be returned to the Martians. No one even considered the possibility that the Cybermen would be defeated. And yet, across the gulfs of space, the Martian Empire returned to reclaim their planet from the Cyber race. The alliance between the Martian Empire and the Galactic Federation succeeded in banishing the Cybermen from the Martian solar system. And so, for the first time in just under six hundred years, Mars belonged to the Martians once more.” Six months later - The red sand kicked up into a little storm, disturbed by the thrusters of the ship above. Landing struts were lowered from the belly of the starship. Gracefully it came to land, resting on the red sand softly. Outwardly the small starship looked like a scarab beetle, but inside it was one of the most advanced starships in the Martian fleet. The “Sou’thor’gx” was the personal ship of Commander Xzalnyr, one time leader of the Honour Guard charged with the protection of the Galactic Federation Headquarters on Alpha Centauri. Within the “Sou’thor’gx” Xzalnyr sat, his eyes looking at the Martian landscape through the main viewer. He welled up with emotion inside, pride overwhelming all else. It was the first time he had ever been to his homeworld. Since he was hatched, Xzalnyr had lived on New Mars, a world a long way from his ancestral home. Centuries ago the Cybermen had invaded the Martian solar system, forcing his people to give up their planet. When he was a hatchling he had heard the story of the invasion; his father had told him that one day the Martian people would return to reclaim their world. Even at such a young age Xzalnyr had believed it. He struck a control on the board before him with a large claw and listened to the hydraulic hiss as the exit ramp was lowered. Xzalnyr placed his helmet over his head and rose from his seat. He turned to the remaining six members of the Honour Guard and threw his arm across his chest in the Martian salute. ‘We are home!’ he hissed. Nick walked around the curio shop, the same words reverberating in his mind over and over. Fake. Copy. That’s what the Doctor is and…No! Nick thought, then corrected himself bitterly. The Doctor is dead. He died on Nova Mondas. The man he thought of as the Doctor was, in fact, a clone. Nick almost choked on that word. He felt angry, hurt, but most of all he felt so damned betrayed. He and the Doctor were friends, at least Nick thought they were, and this is how the Doctor treated him, by not trusting him enough to tell him? Some friend! ‘HE SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!' The words he had screamed at the Figure bounced around inside his head. ‘Bollocks!’ he said out loud and whacked the TARDIS with his fist. Alf watched Nick pacing about the shop, concern and love mixing in her eyes. Little time had passed since they had found themselves locked out of the TARDIS, and since that time all Nick had done was wander around, immersed in his thoughts. It wasn’t too hard for Alf to work out what those thoughts were. If she needed any more clues, Nick’s occasional glances at the solid blue box were enough. She wanted to help him in some way, but if Nick was still angry she didn’t want to be near him. I’ve got to get over this, she told herself yet again. He’s my Nick. Maybe he did need a little time alone to sort out his feelings, and maybe she did too. Nick stopped pacing and turned back to Alf. ‘I’m gonna take a walk, I want to figure out a few things.’ He paused and really looked at her. ‘I’ll be back.’ As he left, he grabbed his diary from the top shelf by the door. Just after Nick left the curio shop, EnalcKarnip emerged from the back room and approached Alf. In one hand he held a cup of coffee that Nick had requested, in the other he held a data padd. EnalcKarnip saw Alf staring out of the window at the disappearing figure of Nick and said to her; ‘He’ll be all right.’ He glanced down at the coffee, and offered her the data padd. ‘This message came a while ago for the Doctor. It’s from the Senate.’ Alf took the message and read it quickly, while EnalcKarnip drank the coffee. ‘They want the Doctor to come to an emergency meeting as soon as possible. But he can’t, can he? He can’t do much of anything now.’ She stopped, looking at the TARDIS, wondering just what was going on in there. She shrugged. ‘I’ll have to go in the Doctor’s place and see what this is all about. I have a feeling something’s seriously wrong.’
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