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Nick stepped off the exit ramp and glanced back at Vlaash, who was still descending from the “Sou’thor’gx”. He smiled at the priest, a small visual token of the peace within. At least, as far as Vlaash was concerned that is what it would have been. In truth Nick knew that he did not feel any peace inside. Nothing seemed to give him any peace. Being away from the shop had not helped, nor had the Soul Killers. Once Vlaash had contacted him Nick had hoped that being with his old friend would be the solution. As soon as he had stepped onto the small ship, that hope had grown and it did not take long for Nick to convince Vlaash to show him the shaavrtzae. The solution was not to be found there, either. Nick had gone to a viewing port when the “Sou’thor’gx” had entered the atmosphere of Mars. The red sand below transported his mind back to his last visit to the red planet. He had been part of the team that had helped stop the Cybermen from misusing the GodEngine - the ultimate doomsday weapon of the Martians. It was on Mars that life had almost changed for Nick. First the Cybermen had apparently terminated his link with the implants in his legs, and then he had witnessed the devastation of Nova Mondas. All life on that small blue planet was destroyed - including the Doctor. Nick took a deep breath, doing his best to contain the emotion within. He closed his eyes and saw the Martian scientists repairing the damage to his leg implants, and further, his return to Alpha Centauri to find the Doctor alive and well. Only it hadn’t been the Doctor at all. ‘Nick!’ He opened his eyes and looked back up the ramp. Alf was walking down it, a big smile on her lips. ‘What?’ Nick asked, wiping away the tears that had started to clog up his eyes. He glanced around. No one had seemed to notice. He clenched his jaw, determined to be strong around his friends. ‘I’ve just been talking to Koschei. He tracked down the artron energy signature of the TARDIS.’ Vlaash walked passed Nick and carried on to join Sub-Commander Stoorxz and the pilot. The three Martians waited by the door that led out of the landing bay. The door ground open and the impressive form of Commander Xzalnyr stepped through. He glanced at his fellow Martians, his expression dark and foreboding. Alf joined Nick at the bottom of the ramp. ‘The TARDIS is on Peladon, which means the Doctor is on Peladon.’ Nick narrowed his eyes. ‘No, Alf, he’s not. The Doctor is dead.’ His voice choked with emotion, but he carried on. ‘The Doctor’s body lies on Nova Mondas, where it must remain until the atmosphere has been cleared from the fall out. As I recall that’s in fifty years time.’ ‘Well, if what you say is true, Nick, then when we finish with this and when the Doctor, clone or otherwise, returns from Peladon we can use the TARDIS to go into the future. Find out if the Doctor’s body really is on Nova Mondas.’ Nick narrowed his eyes and Alf shook her head. ‘Look, Nick, about this clone business. Just what the hell has happened?’ Nick looked away. Alf took a deep breath. ‘Nick, the man we travel with is the Doctor. I know he is. I had my doubts about him, but my instinct tells me that he is the Doctor. So, he’s a clone. But everything that was in the original Doctor is there.’ Nick glared at Alf. ‘You know what, Alf? You should have killed him when you had the chance!’ He shook his head and stormed over to the Martians. Alf watched him, resisting the urge to give him a good slap. Instead she frowned and joined Nick and the Martians. Xzalnyr looked at her as she approached. She raised a hand and waved. ‘All right, Xzalnyr. Long time and all that. How’s it going?’ ‘It is not “going” well. Despite my best efforts I can not get an audience with Izlyr.’ Xzalnyr let out a hiss of frustration. ‘I have to speak to him alone.’ He looked at his allies and nodded his head. ‘Come, we must meet up with the other Honour Guards.’ As the small party made their way through the Martian city located underneath Olympus Mons, Nick found his attention wondering. Xzalnyr continued to talk, explaining to Vlaash and Alf what had transpired on Mars. Nick looked around, taking in the somewhat ruined surroundings. The Martians had abandoned Mars centuries ago, with only a handful of priests remaining. As a result most of the city was in a state of decay. Nick absently poked a finger into a hole in the wall and pulled out dry sand. The irony was not lost on him. He had came with Vlaash to distract himself, take his mind off the whole issue with the clone, but now that he was on Mars all Nick could think of was what had happened on Voga. He glanced across to Alf. Her presence was not helping, nor were her continual references to the Doctor. What Nick needed was a major distraction. Something really big. Either that, or a mug of coffee. I could really murder one of those about now. ‘I do have an idea of how we can get to speak to Izlyr,’ Xzalnyr was saying as they turned a corner. ’And you, Vlaash, are pivotal in that.’ They all came to a stop in front of a large, ornately decorated door. Xzalnyr removed one of his clamp like gloves and placed a clawed hand on a pad adjacent to the door. The door ground open before them. ‘Me?’ Vlaash asked. ‘It would be an honour to serve you, Commander, but what can I do?’ No answer came. Instead Xzalnyr raised an arm and pointed his sonic weapon into the room. All heads, Martian and human alike, turned to see what the great warrior was aiming at. Several dead Martian bodies lay on the floor inside the room, and standing over them were six Martians in armour unlike anything Nick had seen before. The armour was sleek, and very streamlined. It made the six Martians look like some sort of seven-foot lizards. The six warriors each raised an arm, pointing their own weapons at Xzalnyr and company. Nick did not like the look of those weapons; there was something very powerful about them. One of the six warriors spoke. ‘Commander Xzalnyr. Even the Marshalll himself would not have suspected that you are the leader of this rabble.’ Xzalnyr hissed. ‘What are you doing? You are dividing the Martian Empire at a time when it cannot sustain such change.’ The warrior shook his head. ‘The old way will soon pass. And then the Chosen Ones will rule the Empire, we shall reclaim our honour and become the most powerful race in this universe.’ Inside his helmet, Xzalnyr’s yellow eyes narrowed. ‘The Chosen Ones of Marshalll Wellarzlee! Who else would it be?’ Xzalnyr stepped further into the room, his weapon never leaving the warrior leading the Chosen Ones. ‘Emperor Izlyr should never have trusted Wellarzlee.’ ‘You are right, Xzalnyr. It is a mistake that the Emperor shall learn to live with.’ The warrior turned to his fellow five Chosen Ones. ‘Kill them all!’ ‘Run!’ Xzalnyr shouted. It was a matter of honour that he stayed to fight, but he knew that Vlaash and his pilot were no warriors. As for the humans... their bodies would never be able to stand up against Martian weapons. And then there was Stoorxz... ‘Follow me!’ Stoorxz hissed. He activated his weapon and let out a shot into the room. The Chosen Ones dived for cover as Xzalnyr also fired. He stepped out of the room and leaned against the wall, keeping the door open. Stoorxz saluted his commander. ‘I shall get them to safety, Commander.’ Xzalnyr pointed his weapon into the room and fired. ‘Good. I will meet you there. Now go!’ ‘Follow me!’ Stoorxz set off and the others followed. Nick glanced back at Xzalnyr, wondering how one Martian warrior would manage against six of the Chosen Ones, when a stray bolt of sonic energy shot out of the room and caught Nick square in the chest. His body shot across the corridor and slammed into the stone wall. ‘Nick!’ Alf yelled and turned back. Vlaash reached out and threw his arms around Alf’s waist. Despite his size, Vlaash’s strength was more than a match for Alf. He hissed in her ear. ‘Nick is dead! We must go!’ ‘No!’ Despite her protests, Alf was dragged away by Vlaash, who followed Stoorxz and the pilot around the corner. Xzalnyr fired another shot in to the room. He glanced at Nick’s ruined body. Anger building up inside, Xzalnyr stepped into the doorway and let out several shots. Each one found a target and four of the Chosen Ones collapsed on the floor, their bones shattered by the sonic blasts. Xzalnyr stepped back and fired at the pad adjacent to the door. The door rasped to a close and the Martian turned to Nick’s body. He stepped forward just as the door exploded behind him. Chunks of stone slammed into his back, knocking Xzalnyr to the floor. He fell to his knees, shaken by the barrage. Two of the Chosen Ones stepped through the smoke and dust. As one they moved forward and swung their clamped fists down onto the back of Xzalnyr’s neck. The great warrior dropped like a dead weight, landing on top of the frail human body. A bulky Martian warrior walked into the room. In his thick arms he held Nick’s body, which hung limply like a rag-doll. The warrior turned to a Martian of smaller stature who pointed at a stone table. ‘Place the body on there. Then we shall discover his secrets.’ The Martian warrior did as he was asked. ‘Come, let us inform Marshalll Wellarzlee. He will be most interested in the experiments I have planned.’ Together the two Martians left the room, leaving behind the still body of Nick on the stone slab - looking very much like a corpse in a mortuary awaiting an autopsy.
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