I know you've heard it all before, so I don't say it anymore
I just stand by and let you fight your secret war
And though I used to wonder why, I used to cry till I was dry
Still sometimes I get a strange pain inside
Oh, Joey, if you're hurting so am I


But if I seem to be confused, I didn't mean to be with you.
And when you said I scared you, well I guess you scared me too...
Oh, Joey, I'm not angry anymore
	--Concrete Blonde



Chapter 5:  A SECRET WAR


	Ace locked eyes with Mona and held her gaze despite the fact that for 
reasons she couldn't quite quantify, this woman terrified her.  No doubt that was 
the intent, and it was working.
	"What are you waiting for?" she asked.  "Aren't you going to ask me who I 
work for?  What I know?  The usual questions?"
	"In good time."  Mona held up the syringe and depressed the plunger slightly 
to clear any air bubbles.  Ace tried not to look at it.  It probably contained 
sodium pentothol or a similar truth-inducing substance...and it put Ace into 
rather a difficult spot.  She would try everything she could to avoid being 
injected, for she was fearful of such a chemical's effect upon her unborn 
daughter.  If she told Mona about her pregnancy, she might agree to forego this 
tactic...after all, harming a prisoner's child was not a recommended extraction 
tactic.  All it would do was enrage the prisoner and strengthen her resolve.  But 
she also didn't want Mona or the Master to know about her pregnancy because it 
would just give them more ammo to use against her.
	In any case she had very little time to decide, for Mona was tapping the 
barrel of the syringe and looked for all the world as if she were about to make 
the injection.  Ace steeled herself, feeling panic sending its little icy fingers into 
her bloodstream, not for her own safety but for the baby's.  She waited but 
Mona just sat there, gazing raptly at the syringe with an odd expression on her 
face.  She turned towards Ace with a jerk of her head as if just now 
remembering what she was supposed to be doing...but instead of leaning forward 
to inject her she stood, reholstering the syringe.  She smiled down at her...and 
"down" was the right word because from this angle, Mona looked at least twenty
 feet tall.
	"I'll be back soon," she said enigmatically.  With a swish of her vinyl-clad 
legs she crossed the room in two steps and was out the door before Ace had 
decided if she was serious or not.
	Ace stood as the door clanged back into place, her brow furrowed.  She 
shook her head.  Interesting tactic, she thought to herself.  You show them the
knife and then leave so they can stew on it for awhile.  Saves you the trouble of 
sweating them down...they do it themselves.  Ace pounded a fist on the wall in 
frustration.  She'd be damned if she'd give in to their little mind games...although 
to be truthful she was glad to be rid of Mona on a purely visceral level.  But 
she'd be back.  Ace's fingers strayed to the secret compartment in her belt.  One 
push and you're back in Romana's TARDIS, a voice whispered in her head.  No, 
she said to herself, clenching her fists.  I'm not going anywhere until I know 
what's going on here.  You already know what's going on here, the voice 
whispered...and Ace was afraid that it was right.


	
	"What's the plan when we get there?"  Silence.  "Doctor!"
	"Huh?" he said, jerking his head up.  "I'm sorry, Romana, I was thinking."
	"What's the plan?" she repeated.
	He walked past her to the other side of the console, tapping a finger to his 
lips and nodding.  "I'm reconsidering, actually.  I'm thinking that we'll need to 
split up."
	"Which means we'll need my TARDIS too."
	"Quite."  He moved towards the controls, but she put out a hand and 
stopped him before he changed course.  
	"Allow me," she said, allowing herself a smug smile.  She withdrew the 
recall switch from her pocket and pressed it.  Immediately the console room 
filled with the smooth electronic hum of Romana's new TARDIS as it materialized 
near the coat closet.  
	The Doctor nodded approvingly.  "Nicely done.  It's not easy to materialize 
a TARDIS inside another one, especially when it's in motion."
	She shrugged it off, pocketing the recall switch.  "Not a problem with the 
new models, Doctor.  If you tried a Type 68 you'd never go back to this old thing 
again."
	"Don't bet on it," he said distractedly.  "It'd be best for us to land in two 
separate locations.  The Master is expecting me, so I'm betting he'll have his 
sensors configured to sense *my* TARDIS, not yours.  And I'd like to have..."
He trailed off and looked up at her.  "I don't expect to be a free man for very 
long once we arrive.  I'm going to leave the legwork up to you."
	"You mean finding the resistance?"
	He frowned.  "Yes, exactly.  How did you know that?"
	"That's just what Ace and I were planning to do before we were attacked," 
she said, smiling sadly.
	He sighed.  "Sometimes I can no longer distinguish between what she's 
taught me and what I've taught her."  He seemed lost in thought for a moment,
then came back to the present.  "To return to the subject at hand, the situation 
is this:  The Master has imprisoned Ace, for the primary purpose of luring me 
here.  Note that it's not necessarily his *only* purpose in capturing her.  He 
may have other plans.  The Master is famous for capitalizing on situations like 
this.  He is well esconced in a heavily secured facility surrounded by loyal 
followers who would probably die to protect him.  No doubt wherever he is 
holding Ace, she is under heavy surveillance and is probably secured by a 
prisoner tracking device, the Ceres Betans were among the first to develop that 
technology.  I am not at all optimistic about the chances of a successful rescue 
under these conditions."  He paused, his jaw working.  "I am also curious about 
what he has planned.  All I really want to do is retrieve Ace...but if I don't find 
out what's driving him he may try again.  All things considered..."  He 
straightened up and looked her right in the eye.  "...the best thing for me to do is 
get inside the building where he is and find out what's going on in there."
	Romana leaned forward.  "You're going to let yourself get captured?"
	"He wants me...so he'll get me."
	Her lips thinned.  "And what about Ace?  What will happen to her while 
you're off playing endgame with the Master?" she asked tightly.
	The Doctor squared his shoulders and his brow darkened.  "I'll thank you 
not to insinuate that I don't care what happens to her.  Her safety is my top 
priority.  I believe that this is the best way to go about it.  Now.  Will you help 
me or not?"
	She met his stare unblinkingly.  "I'll help you, Doctor.  For her sake, not 
for yours."
	The Doctor winced.  "I see."  He started to turn away, then hesitated.  He 
looked up at her and the anger was gone from his face.  "Romana...tell me I 
haven't lost your friendship over this."
	One of her patrician eyebrows shot up.  "Does my friendship mean so 
much?"
	"Yes," he answered immediately.  He took a step towards her.  "You mean 
a great deal to me, you always have...and we share a connection of which I think 
we are both aware."  He looked away, a bit uncomfortable.  "I'm also indebted to 
you for giving Ace some company and support after...after I left.'
	She dropped her eyes and fiddled idly with a loose lever on the console.  
"We always imagined that you were happy being alone again.  We thought you 
were...glad for your freedom.  We never thought you were sorry...perhaps we 
didn't want to."  She raised her head and gave him a small smile.  "You haven't 
lost my friendship, Doctor.  It won't be easy for me to forgive you, but in the 
meantime you can count on me."
	"I knew I could," he said, squeezing her shoulder.  "And not a moment too 
soon...we're approaching the planet."
	Romana headed for her TARDIS.  "I'll find some remote corner to hide my 
TARDIS in and set about finding these rebels you're both so sure are out there.  
How can I contact you after I do?"
	"You can't.  I expect to be well guarded.  However, I also expect that any 
underground group worth their salt will have worked out ways around security 
and into the central complex.  Perhaps they can help you."
	Romana put her hands on her hips.  "We're certainly putting a lot of stock 
into these mythical rebels who may or may not exist!"
	"Oh, they exist.  At least they did the last time I was here, which was 
about two hundred years ago by the Betan calendar."
	"Yes, but..."
	"In my experience resistance does not diminish with time, it 
grows...barring changes in the ruling government which is not the case here.  In 
any case, if you can get into the complex and somehow get Ace out, do it.  Don't 
worry about me.  If you can't do it yourself then I will provide you with an 
opportunity.  Watch for it."  He raised his head from the controls and smiled at 
her.  "Romana, I have every confidence in your abilities to handle this situation." 
 Romana couldn't help but feel flattered.  He'd never before trusted her as much 
as he was right now, nor when the stakes were this high.  He shooed her into the
 TARDIS.  "Good luck," she heard him say as she closed the door behind her.



	Garner came into the lab at a half-trot, which these days was his normal 
mode of locomotion.  "I have the reconfigured phase inihbitors you wanted, 
Master," he panted, setting the box on the worktable.
	"Excellent," the Master rumbled, grabbing up one of the inhibitors.  Garner 
stood catching his breath and cast a nervous glance over the Master's little 
science project.
	"What is it exactly that you're doing here, sir?" he asked.
	"Oh...just preparing for the Doctor," the Master replied with a low chuckle. 
 Standing in the middle of the room was a biomemetic gene expansion extractor 
sized for a humanoid.  It had been tooled into a long low platform rather 
resembling a surgical table, numerous instruments and tools hovering above it, 
mounted on multi-jointed swing arms which were attached on the table's 
underside.  It was peppered with readouts, restraints, and what looked 
disturbingly like dissection tools.  Garner got a cold feeling just looking at it and 
imagining being strapped into it.  The entire setup had a decidedly medieval 
appearance, which delighted the Master to no end, no doubt.
	Garner cleared his throat and turned deliberately away from the extractor. 
 "Our guest is getting a bit antsy, I think.  I'm wondering why you sent Mona to 
visit her?"
	"Mona?  I didn't send her.  Why should I wish to torture Ace?  What could 
she possibly tell me that I don't already know?"
	"That's what I thought.  It's not like Mona to act without orders, though.  
I'll have to speak to her."
	"Don't bother.  She's too good an information counselor to risk alienating 
her.  I'm sure she was merely curious about our visitor.  If she wishes to 
interrogate Ace for the mere pleasure of doing so then I have no objections...as 
long as she doesn't permanently damage her."
	Garner nodded with a sigh.  "Will this contraption be ready in time?"
	"Ample.  I'm sure the Doctor is on his way now.  It won't have taken 
Romana very long to figure out what happened."
	Garner frowned, feeling like he'd wandered into a play after intermission.  
"Who?"
	"Romana, Ace's companion who escaped.  A Time Lady and old friend of the 
Doctor's.  If I know Time Lords, and I know them well, Romana will return to
Gallifrey to regroup, whereupon she will discover that the message she received 
was faked.  It won't take her long to put two and two together."
	"So naturally she'll notify the Doctor that we have Ace..."
	"Which will bring him running," the Master finished, looking up at Garner 
for the first time, a self-satisfied gleam in his eye.  "It's almost too easy," he 
said wistfully, staring off into space for a moment.  "Almost makes one wish for 
the good old days when he had no wife to threaten.  Ah well.  One must trade a 
little satisfaction for a lot of efficiency, I suppose."


	When Mona returned to Ace's cell she expected her to be cowering in fear 
of what might befall her, but instead she found her kicked back on her cot, her 
legs stretched out in front of her and her arms folded behind her head...and the 
sparkle of defiance bright in her eyes.  Mona kicked the door decisively shut 
behind her, not to be outdone.
	"Pleased to see me?" she asked sarcastically.
	"Absolutely," Ace said.  She got to her feet quickly with a fluid grace and 
stood before Mona unafraid.  "Why hasn't the Master hauled me up there before 
him yet?"
	"Couldn't tell you.  Who knows how his mind works?"
	"I do.  He should have at least been down here to gloat.  He should have had 
me dragged up there before the Doctor and beaten up or something to get the 
Doctor to acquiesce to his demands.  He hasn't so much as acknowledged my
presence."  She nodded at Mona's silence.  "Because it's only my presence he 
requires, isn't it?"  She stepped back and contemplated Mona through hooded 
eyes.  "My husband is not on this planet, is he?"
	Mona's mouth opened and closed a few times.
	"Don't bother to deny it.  You don't have him here at all!  You let me 
*think* you had him here so you could capture me and use me as bait, right?  Oh 
yes, very neat!" she finished, her voice rising.  She flung her arms out away 
from her body more from a need to express some physical frustration than from 
any calculated use of the gesture.  She paced restlessly.  "And now he's 
probably on his way and we can all be locked up together!"  She stopped suddenly 
and stared at Mona.  "Why are you here, anyway?  Why torture me?  What could 
I possibly tell you?  I know nothing that the Master doesn't already know."  She 
advanced on Mona, who retreated in spite of herself.  "Why did he send you 
here?  So you could use me for torture practice, is that it?  So he could keep an 
eye on me without having to be bothered to do it himself?"  Mona raised a hand 
and Ace lunged at her, pinning the hand to the wall.  "Oh, just give me a reason.  
I want you to, I really do.  Come on, any excuse'll do."  She and Mona both stood 
there in tableau for a moment, eyes locked, and just as Ace was starting to 
think she was actually getting the upper hand, Mona pushed her away with the 
unnatural quickness of a snake and a surprising amount of force.  Ace barely had 
time to register the hit before she was on her back on the floor, and then the 
inquisitor was on top of her.  Ace held panic at arm's length.  She had no trouble 
admitting that Mona was both larger and stronger, and in hand-to-hand combat 
Ace was at a decided disadvantage.  Ace pushed at Mona with one arm while she 
tried to get in a good strike with the other.  The two women rolled over and over
 on the hard cell floor until Mona finally got Ace under her, pinning her wrists to 
the floor.  She leaned down until their noses were almost touching.
	"Cut it out!  I'm trying to help!" she hissed.  Ace's eyes widened and with a 
mighty effort she thurst her arms upward, catching Mona just enough off her 
guard to push her off.  Ace scrambled to her feet and stood against the wall, 
breathing hard and eyeing Mona suspiciously.  
	"What are you talking about?" Ace said through clenched teeth.
	Mona, who was still sitting on the floor, held out a hand in a "calm down" 
gesture.  "Don't fight me, Ace.  It'll just make things more difficult."
	"More difficult for whom?" Ace said, advancing.  "What did you mean by 
'help?'  We've established that the Master didn't send you.  Who did?"  Mona held 
her gaze for a moment then looked away.  "No, don't look away!" Ace exclaimed. 
 Her mind had just enough time to marvel how quickly the interrogator and the 
interrogated seemed to have switched roles.  "Who sent you?  Could it possibly 
have been a tall blond man dressed in black with a knack for sticking his nose in 
other people's business?"  Mona glanced up at her.  Ace nodded slowly, her eyes 
flashing.  "You're a bloody Guardian, aren't you?"
	Mona smiled thinly.  "All shapes and sizes, Ace."  She stood, putting a 
finger to her lips.  Ace closed her mouth with a snap, glancing around the cell.
Mona turned in a slow circle, staring up at the ceiling with narrowed eyes.  
Finally she turned back to Ace with a nod.
	"Okay.  We haven't been overheard, nor will we be."
	"What if the Master's bugged these cells?"
	"No 'if' about it, but let's just say that someone like me can have a 
powerful influence over non-thinking machines," she said with a slight wink.
	Ace was surprised into brief laughter, and felt for the first time in several 
days that this situation might not be so hopeless.  She sobered soon enough, 
though.  "Listen, Mona...I know Theo well enough to realize that she wouldn't
send you here just to keep an eye on me.  That falls into the category of what 
she would call 'none of her business.'  So what's the story?"
	"Can't you guess?"
	"Don't tell me that Seth is pulling the Master's strings," Ace said, a feeling 
of dread rising in her throat at the very idea.
	"Well, that's the real question, isn't it?  I'm inclined to think that no one 
pulls the Master's strings...but Theo and Angel wanted me here so here I am.  I'm 
just a foot soldier and they don't consult me about these things.  My job is to 
keep my eyes open and my big mouth shut...which I don't seem to be doing at the 
moment," she added under her breath.
	"Did Theo ask you to look in on me?"
	"Not...exactly.  It was sort of my idea."
	"Does she even know I'm here?"  Mona just looked at her.  "Okay, dumb 
question."  Ace began to pace.  "So what happens now?"
	"Nothing," Mona said hurriedly.
	"What do you mean, 'nothing?'"
	"You don't honestly expect me to take an affirmative action here, do you? 
 I have to preserve my cover!  Things must stay as they are."
	Ace faced the Guardian, her hands on her hips.  "You don't seem to 
understand.  The Doctor is probably on his way here right now."
	"Probably."
	"And he'll most likely be captured and the Master will be free to do 
whatever he wants to him!"
	"Most likely."
	"At which time he'll probably have no further use for us!"
	"That would be unfortunate!"
	"Very unfortunate!  We'll be dead!"
	Mona looked at Ace coolly.  "I fail to see the point in all of this.  My job 
here is not, I repeat not, to be your protector or the Doctor's.  That may not be 
what either of us wants to hear but it's an undeniable reality.  I'm here to assess 
the Master's status, and that's all.  Anything else is purely incidental."
	Ace's fists clenched, fury filling her until she felt it seeping out her pores 
and coating her skin like a thin film of oil.  "I don't believe Theo would just let us 
be killed.  I don't believe it."
	Mona sighed.  "If your time had come, she'd have no choice."  She stood 
then and drew Ace over to the bunk and sat her down.  "Ace, I wouldn't trade 
places with Theo for anything in the universe.  I can't imagine the temptations 
she faces every day, knowing that she could right all the wrongs and solve all 
the mysteries and keep everyone safe...and yet knowing that she must not 
interfere, for that is not her job nor is it mine."
	"She won't let us die," Ace whispered.  "Not after all we've been through."
	"You musn't think that way.  Don't think that she won't let you die...think 
instead that you won't let yourselves die."



	Angel watched Miryam go back down the hall towards her office, envious 
of her position.  She'd just given him her report on the situation on Ceres Beta 
and now her job was done.  Now he had the supreme honor of delivering the 
goods to Theo.  He steeled himself and pushed the double doors open.
	The boss' desk was littered with papers and work, but she wasn't sitting at 
it.  She was standing at the window behind the desk, looking out over the 
Gardens, her hands clasped behind her back.
	"Theo?" he said tentatively.  She turned.
	"Yes?"
	"I have the report from Ceres Beta."
	She nodded.  "Good."  She sat down at her desk and motioned him into his 
usual chair in front of it.  "Let's have it."
	He set the digital notepad on the edge of the desk.  He didn't need to consult 
it to tell her the news.  "According to Miryam's agents, Seth has been 
influencing the Master, but only indirectly.  He's not conscious of any of it."
	He saw Theo's jaw tighten.  "What has he done now?" she asked through 
clenched teeth.
	Angel shifted in his chair uncomfortably.  "We're not entirely sure.  
Miryam thinks that Seth has given the Master certain powers, what kind we 
don't know.  But...and herein lies the rub...he's done it in such a way that the 
Master thinks he came upon these abilities himself."
	"Given the Master's high opinion of himself it wouldn't be too hard to get 
him to believe he suddenly had a little something extra," she muttered.  "But it 
couldn't be too obvious."
	"No, and that's where we're stumped.  We don't know exactly what Seth 
has done to him, or why."
	"Did you station someone there?"
	"Yes.  Mona."
	"Retroactive?"
	"Oh yes.  She took over the identity of the prison inquisitor."
	"Where's the real inquisitor?"
	"Usual place, over in holding."
	"Can she find out what's up with the Master?"
	"She's working on it."  Theo got up and turned back towards the window.  
"You are aware that Ace is there?"
	"Of course I am," she snapped.  Angel drew back a little.
	"Mona thinks there are Legion among the populace."
	Theo turned towards him.  "You're kidding."
	"Do I look like I'm kidding?"
	She stared at him for a moment.  He stared back, a little annoyed at her 
irritability.  "He's escalating this situation, Angel.  Can't you see what's 
happening here?"
	"Frankly, no.  Right now it seems like just another of his little games."
	"It's not," she said, coming around the desk.  "He's deliberately trying to 
draw me into conflict by targeting people that are important to me."
	"It's not the first time," Angel reminded her quietly.
	"He wants to station a bunch of Legion there?  Fine," she continued, her 
eyes on the far wall.  She didn't appear to have heard him.  She went back 
around the desk and sat down behind it.  "Send a squad of Guardians to Ceres 
Beta, Angel.  Full recon sweep."
	He stood up, his brow furrowing.  "Are you sure that's necessary?  Mona 
can..."
	"Do it, Angel," she said, not looking up at him.  It was the closest she'd 
ever come to giving him a direct order.
	He sighed.  "Yes, sir."  He turned and stalked out, not allowing himself the 
satisfaction of a good door slam.  He sat down at his desk, troubled.  For the 
first time the thought entered his mind that the pressure might be starting to 
affect her.


	Romana hovered above Ceres Beta, looking for a suitable place to land.  The 
colony was laid out in overlapping circles, with business districts and common 
areas found in the areas of overlap while residential neighborhoods consisting
mostly of apartment-like buildings covered the rest.  She wanted to land as 
close as possible to the infamous as-yet-unseen rebels...but she had no idea 
where they were.  She tried to think like Ace.  They wouldn't be anywhere 
sparsely populated where groups would attract attention.  They wouldn't be in an
 upscale area where people looked out for their property values.  This might be a 
colony of immoral people descended from even more immoral people, but some 
things were universal constants...like the "not in my backyard" syndrome. 
They'd be somewhere where they could blend in, disappear and be invisible.  
Where people walked around with shaded eyes...like the slums.  Were there 
slums here?  Indeed there were.  The southeast corner of the city was very
densely developed, and it looked dark and dingy.  She chose a secluded corner 
and materialized, her TARDIS appearing as a small corrugated shed up against a 
building.  
	She hesitated before leaving the relative safety or her TARDIS.  She was 
accustomed to looking out for herself and getting herself out of sticky 
situations, but this was different.  Ace's (and the baby's oh no we mustn't forget 
the baby) safety, perhaps her very life could well depend on Romana's success 
or lack thereof.  The Doctor was counting on her.  She drew herself up.  Yes, the 
Doctor is counting on you, she told herself.  Patting her pockets to make sure 
she had everything she needed, she resolutely pushed out the door, shutting and 
locking it behind her.
	She looked around the dim alley, her throat tightening.  It seemed to be 
deserted, but you couldn't really tell...it was also full of nooks and crannies and 
good places to hide.  She zipped her jacket up to her chin and started down the 
alley towards the street.  Buildings rose up on either side, pressing in closely 
like the walls of a canyon, and though the orange-tinted light from the Cerean 
sun shone brightly in the street up ahead it scarcely reached the alley.  
Romana's bootheels clocked hollowly on the even brick pavement, echoing 
upwards and rebounding until it sounded like several people were following her.  
She shivered slightly.  As she passed a darkened doorway a pair of arms shot 
out like a frog's tongue, grasping her and yanking her into the darkness before 
she could make a sound.


	
	The Doctor watched Romana's TARDIS vanish with an understated hum.  He 
slumped slightly, the weight of his own thoughts pressing down on him.  Oh, Ace. 
 What have I done to you, my love?  Where are we now because of me?  He 
raised his left hand and regarded his wedding band for a moment, wondering why 
he was still wearing it.  He'd betrayed everything it stood for.  Did he still have 
the right?  Yet he couldn't bear to remove it.  It was a near-superstitious dread 
that if he took it off he'd be severing the last thread and he'd lose her forever.  
As long as he kept the ring on it wasn't really over, he could still get her back.  
He took a deep breath and changed course, choosing his landing coordinates
carefully.  Within moments the vehicle thumped to a stop and the time rotor 
froze.  The Doctor activated the viewscreen and regarded his fate, hoping he
was doing the right thing.  
	I'm here, Ace, he thought to himself.  Are you?  He clapped his hat onto his 
head and strode unhesitatingly out the doors and straight into the Science 
Complex Security bullpen.  Every eye in the room, it seemed, was fixed on him.  
You could have heard a pin drop in the room, and everywhere he looked people
were standing frozen in the midst of whatever task they had been engaged in 
when they were invaded by this strange apparition.  The Captain, by ironic 
happenstance the same one who'd captured Ace, stepped forward.
	"What the hell is this?" he demanded, gesturing at the TARDIS.  "Who the 
hell are you?"
	The Doctor glanced up at the battered old police box.  "This is my TARDIS.  
I'm the Doctor."  At the mention of the name the Captain's eyes lit up with a big 
of a gleeful sparkle.  The Doctor sighed.  I can't believe I'm about to say this, he 
thought vaguely.  "Take me to your leader."