Love...I get so lost, sometimes
Days pass and this emptiness fills my heart
I don't like to see so much pain
So much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away
I get so tired of working so hard for our survival
I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive


All my instincts, they return...and the grand facade, so soon will burn
Without a noise, without my pride, I reach out from the inside
 

In your eyes...the light the heat, I am complete
I see the doorway to a thousand churches
The resolution of all the fruitless searches
Oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the light, the heat I see in your eyes
	--Peter Gabriel
 


Chapter 6:  SEARCHES


	The Doctor's statement was greeted with a stunned silence.  The 
captain of the guard pushed through the crowd, stopping short when he came 
into view of the TARDIS and its pilot.
	"Kreest," he gasped.
	The Doctor held out his hands.  "Well, are you going to arrest me or 
aren't you?"
	The captain shook himself.  "Who the hell are you and why should I 
arrest you?"
	"Haven't we covered this?  I'm the Doctor.  I believe you're looking for 
me?"  The captain blinked, nodding casually with his lips pursed.  He reached 
for restraints and motioned two guards forward to restrain the Doctor.  
"That's hardly necessary, Captain.  I'll go quietly."  He found himself smiling 
at this matter-of-fact captain and his company of underworked guards.
	The captain came forward and snapped the cuffs over the Doctor's 
wrists.  He looked up into the Time Lord's face, his eyes narrowing.  "Yes, I 
am looking for you.  More precisely, I was told to keep my eyes open for 
you.  I was under the impression that you'd be a little harder to find, though."
	"Perhaps your boss doesn't know me as well as he thinks he does."
	"In my experience, Doctor, one does not question what the Master does 
or does not know."
	"My, he has you well trained, doesn't he?"
	The captain didn't reply but continued his scrutiny of the Doctor's face. 
 Then he just shrugged.  "Oh well, no matter.  It's not my job to speculate 
about your motives."  He took the Doctor's arm.  "Come on."
	They walked in silence through the hallways of the central complex.  
The Doctor looked straight ahead of him and did not meet any of the thousand-
odd stares he was fixed with by passersby.  He'd been here before, several 
centuries ago...it was amazing how little things had changed.
	The Doctor hesitated as the captain led him towards a descending 
staircase.  The captain stopped, looking at his prisoner questioningly.
	"Aren't you taking me to the Master?" the Doctor asked.
	"My orders are to get you into custody first.  The Master will see you 
later."
	The Doctor allowed himself to be led away again, not quite sure what to 
think.  The captain opened a door giving onto a sterile white corridor that 
was a prison nonetheless.  He was led down the cellblock and finally the 
captain jerked him to a stop in front of one of the nondescript doors, pulling 
out his keys to unlock it.  He opened the door and stepped into the cell, pulling 
his prisoner in after him.


	Ace paced back and forth, alone in the cell.  She was so jumpy she was 
just about climbing the walls.  She was trying to think of too many things at 
once and she couldn't quite get her mind around any of them.  She wondered
what the Master was planning to do with her, she wondered if the Doctor 
was on his way here or if he'd bother to come at all, she wondered what 
Theo's interest in this situation was and most of all she considered ways she 
could escape.  The proximity alarm wristband was not the problem.  She 
knew about four different ways to disarm it...the trouble was, it wouldn't 
take her captors long to find out she'd done so.  She hadn't tampered with it 
yet and wouldn't risk it until she had a clear idea of what to do next.
	She stopped pacing and cocked her head, hearing faint footsteps coming 
down the hallway.  She backed up against the wall, her muscles tightening.  It 
wasn't Mona, she'd just left.  It wasn't Garner, his footsteps were heavier.  
The door to the cell opened.  The captain.  She opened her mouth to ask him 
what he wanted but the question was soon forgotten.  Her stomach dropped 
into her shoes as he pulled the Doctor into the cell after him.  Ace's mind 
slipped a bit loose of its moorings at the sight of him.  She'd envisioned a 
hundred scenarios for when she'd first see him again, but this had never 
been one of them and it caught her totally unprepared.  He hadn't seen her, 
she was standing against the hallway wall and his attention was focused into 
the cell.  She swallowed hard and waited for him to notice her presence.


	The Doctor looked around the cell.  Perfectly ordinary white walls, one 
window, cot...then a jolt zinged through him as his eyes met Ace's.  She was 
standing against the hallway wall, pressed against it really, her eyes huge 
and her face pale.  The cell seemed to recede around him, its walls and 
ceiling fading away.  All he could see was her face as she stood there and 
glared at him.  Her features filled the whole world, and in half a second 
every image of her that he carried with him in his mind flashed before his 
eyes.  He saw her for the first time all over again...and he saw her the last 
time, her face shocked and angry, much as it was now.
	She was in her battle armor but she'd been disarmed.  There was a 
bruise on her forehead and she looked tired and frustrated...and pissed off.  
She held his gaze stubbornly, not moving.
	The Captain unlocked the Doctor's restraints and hooked him up to the 
proximity sensor.  He glanced from Ace to the Doctor, seemed about to 
comment, then gave a "none of my business" shrug and turned to leave.  Ace 
tore her eyes away and strode over to the Captain, grabbing his arm.
	"Wait just a minute," she snarled.  "What do you think you're doing?"
	The Captain looked at her blankly.  "The Doctor's being held here until 
the Master calls for him."
	Ace shook her head.  "No.  No way."
	"I'm afraid the Master's orders are clear."
	"That's not what I mean!  You're not leaving me in here with him," she 
said emphatically, nodding her head towards the Doctor.
	The Doctor sighed and hung his head.  The Captain looked puzzled.  
"Well, I'm going to.  Whatever your personal issues are it's none of my 
concern.  I'd suggest you develop tolerance, and fast."  He shook his arm 
loose and left the cell, the door clanging solidly shut behind him and locking.
	Ace whirled, gritting her teeth.  The Doctor sank down on the cot, 
looking up at her with a wary expression.
	"Are you all right?" he asked quietly.
	She stood there breathing for a moment then seemed to pull herself in.  
"Yes," she said stiffly.  "I'm fine."  An awkward silence.  "You?"  He nodded. 
	"Yes.  There was no danger, I gave myself up."
	She looked at him incredulously.  "What possessed you to do that?" she 
asked, her voice rising.
	"It was the best option I had!"
	"The best option?!?  Surrender?"  She came forward, her hands on her 
hips.  "Since when is that your best option?  The only thing holding the 
Master back may have been my usefulness as bait!"  She leaned over him.  "I 
don't know why he wants you here, but I'm sure it's nothing you'll enjoy!  So 
now that he's got us both all bets are off!  How could you have been so stupid 
as to give up the only leverage you had?"
	He stood up, his brow creasing.  "I had more immediate concerns than 
the Master's lunatic schemes, Ace!"	
	"What?  What was more immediate?"  She was shouting now.
	"I had to find out if you were all right!" he cried.  Ace's eyes narrowed 
and she stepped back, nodding as if she'd suspected as much.
	"Oh really.  That's very noble of you.  Well, I can take care of myself, I 
don't need your protection."
	"Something could have happened..."
	"You should have thought of that before you took off!" she burst out 
before she could stop herself.  He fell back a step as if struck.  Ace hung her 
head and crossed her arms over her chest.  "Look.  It doesn't matter now.  
We've got to figure a way out of this before that maniac has us both killed."
	"Somehow I don't think it's that simple."
	"When is it ever that simple?" 
	He examined the wristband.  "Can you...um..."
	"Yeah, no problem.  They probably think this technology's really hot 
shit but it's not that secure."  He glanced around the cell and then back at her 
questioningly.  "Don't worry, we won't be overheard."
	"He's probably got these cells bugged."
	"I know that.  I told you we won't be overheard."
	"How do you know that?"
	She didn't want to tell him about Mona...not just yet.  It might be better 
for him if he didn't know.  "We just won't.  Trust me on this."  He seemed to 
accept that.  "But you won't want to attempt escape until you've got it 
figured what the Master's up to, right?"
	He smiled wearily.  "How well you know me."  They looked at each 
other for one excruciating moment of connection, then looked away, both of 
them shifting uneasily.  He went to the door and looked out into the corridor.  
"Even then, an escape attempt would be ill-conceived.  We'd stand very little 
chance of getting out of the complex or out of the colony without outside 
help."
	Ace bit her lip.  "I assume that's what Romana's up to."
	"Indeed.  We split up.  She's out trying to find some help."  He turned 
back towards her.  "The last time I was here there was an insurrectionist 
movement gaining some steam.  Have you heard anything said around here 
that might indicate they still exist?"
	Ace thought for a moment.  "No, nothing...but I have a strong feeling 
that they do."


	Romana tried to struggle as a hood was forced over her head and her 
hands and feet were bound.  She could feel at least four people surrounding 
her, but eerily, they made no sound at all.  She felt herself lifted and hoisted 
over someone's shoulder.  She had just enough time to start to worry about
her life and the length thereof when she smelled a sweetish odor and 
blackness descended to envelop her.
	Suddenly, she was walking through the corridors of her TARDIS.  The 
floor kept jiggling about, making it hard for her to keep her feet.  The walls 
weren't their usual clean white but a rusty, brackish brown color.  The floor 
began tilting downward, she was descending into her TARDIS.  She came to a 
door which had the word "Ace" emblazoned on it in letters that appeared to 
be on fire.  She pushed it open.  The room was in a shambles, as if some 
uncaring person had been searching for something desperately important.  
Ace was lying in the bed, but she looked to have aged 50 years since Romana 
had last seen her.  Her round face was creased with deep lines like 
crevasses and her hair was gray and matted.  Her eyes turned to look at
Romana, and they were dead and lifeless.  She was clutching in her hands the 
Doctor's brolly and a big hunk of...something, it looked like modeling clay.  
She sat up and regarded these two items.  She looked up at Romana...the 
room wavered then, like a mirage, and Ace said "Watch her head, the 
ceiling...give me the lantern."  Romana held out her empty hands, she had no 
lantern.  Ace stood up and handed her the clay.  "I can't reach it," she said in 
a hushed, embarrassed voice.  "Can you do it for me?  I've got my hands 
full," she said, clutching the brolly.  Romana began kneading the clay, not 
sure what she wanted it to look like.  The clay swam and flowed and molded 
itself into a question mark.  She held it out to Ace, who stared at it and then 
began to scream, horrible earth-shattering screams, the kind she'd never 
uttered in reality.  She threw the brolly across the room with such force 
that it pierced the wall, and then fell to her knees, clutching her stomach.  
Romana dropped the clay question mark and ran from the room in horror.  
What had she done?  She ran on and on, the floor continually dropping down 
from beneath her feet so she had to jump to catch up with it or else be left 
behind.  Finally the floor stopped moving and she was in the Doctor's old 
cloister room, overgrown with ivy and starting to crumble.  The Doctor 
came into the room, *her* Doctor, tall and smiling that blinding smile at 
her.  "Do you think she's a spy?" he asked.  Romana was suddenly terrified 
of him.  She tried to run but her feet were cemented to the floor.  "Ace isn't 
a spy," she breathed.  "Who's Ace?" he asked, puzzled.  The lights in the 
cloister room came up, illuminating them in a bright light like sunshine.  The 
Doctor smiled at her, then the room was filled with a very strong acrid 
odor.  Romana turned her head to try to get away from it...
	She shook her head and opened her eyes.  The woman leaning over her 
withdrew the smelling salt capsule and straightened up.  "Rise and shine," 
she said.  Her voice was completely uninflected, neither sympathetic nor 
antagonistic.  Romana blinked and looked around.  She was in a room, which 
seemed to be contructed of some natural substance like adobe.  Warm 
sunlight streamed in several windows, and the room looked lived-in and 
comfortable.  It was furnished with simple tables, chairs and couches.  
Romana was lying on a deeply cushioned divan.  Aside from the woman who'd 
woken her, there were three men in the room, two sitting and one standing.  
They had their backs to the window and were only silhouettes.
	"Where am I?" she asked.
	"You're safe," the woman said, a little more kindly.  "You're away 
from the colony."
	"A...away?  There's nothing on this planet *but* the colony!  Who are 
you?"  As soon as the question was out of her mouth she knew the answer.  
"You're not...colonial citizens, are you?"
	The standing man stepped forward.  He was about 45 and looked like 
he'd had a hard life.  The other two men were younger, but just as rough-
looking.  "Not in the strictest sense of the word, no.  But first things first." 
 He waved the woman aside and took her place on the edge of the divan.  
Romana sat up and swung her legs over the side, rubbing her aching head.  He 
looked directly at her.  "You are a Time Lord, some sort of traveler, and 
you're important enough that the entire colony was alerted to watch out for 
you and report you immediately to Colony Center."
	"Why did you bring me here?" she asked, not confirming his supposition.
	He shrugged.  "A calculated risk.  If you're that wanted by the 
government, then you're probably someone we'd like to meet."
	"Are you...some kind of subversive society?" Romana asked, playing 
dumb for the moment.
	"You wouldn't have to ask if you knew anything about the Betan 
government and its people," he said through clenched teeth.  "But as long as 
they've been here, we've been here."  He turned and faced her again.  "But I 
think I've told you enough.  Who are you, and why are you here?"
	Romana looked into his eyes, then around at the others in the room, 
debating how much to tell them.  If she was to help the Doctor and Ace she'd 
need their help.  If she didn't tell them what they wanted to know, they 
would probably lock her up...and if she was to ask for their help she had to 
gain their trust.  She sighed.  "Very well.  I'll tell you."  She stood and took a 
deep breath.  "I assume you're familiar with the Master."  Her kidnappers 
exchanged meaningful glances.
	"We are," the older man said.  "But no one really knows who he is or 
where he came from.  He just appeared one day and the next thing anyone 
knew he was running things.  At first we foolishly thought that he'd be an 
improvement over the sadistic chaos of the previous regime, but...it's only 
gotten worse."  He frowned.  "You're here because of him?"
	"Indirectly, yes.  You see...he and I are of the same race."


	It took Romana an hour to explain everything.  She told as much of the 
story as she knew, starting with a brief account of her friendship with the 
Doctor, his rivalry with the Master, his marriage and subsequent separation 
and her travels with Ace.  She ended with the phony message from the 
Master and her and the Doctor's return to the planet.
	"So I assume that the Doctor is now in the Master's custody."
	"He is," the older man said.  "We received intelligence just this 
morning that the Time Lord had given himself up...but that's all we know," he
 added, seeing Romana's questioning expression.  He and his colleagues 
exchanged more glances, seeming to consult without speaking, and a 
consensus was reached.  He nodded and turned back to Romana, his attitude 
slightly altered.  "All right then.  I don't see how you could have lied to us, 
what you've told us jibes with what we already know."
	"What do you already know?" Romana asked.
	"That the Master has definite plans for your friend the Doctor.  He used 
the woman as bait to lure him here.  The Master has been attempting for 
many months to attain immortality...from what you tell me of your race,  
he's been trying to gain more...regenerations, you called them?  But he's not 
succeeded.  Somehow he has a plan to use the Doctor to accomplish this, I 
don't know how, I'm not a scientist.  We've also heard that he's recently 
undergone...some kind of physical change.  This we have only the vaguest 
notion of.  Other than that, his stranglehold on the government and the 
populace is as strong as ever."
	Romana was impressed.  "Your intelligence is excellent," she said.
	"Yes, it is.  We have many operatives who risk their lives daily to 
bring us information."  He seemed lost in introspection for a moment then 
came back to the present.  "I suppose we should introduce ourselves," he 
said.  "My name is Byron, I'm the...I guess you could call me the enclave 
administrator."  He shook Romana's hand.
	"Romanadveratrelundar, Lord President of Gallifrey.  Call me Romana."
	"President?" Byron's eyebrows shot up.  "Indeed?  Seems we were 
right to make a friend of you."  The woman who'd revived her came forward. 
 "This is Syrah, our doctor, and these are my lieutenants...Thomas," he 
indicated the younger man on the left, a short heavily muscled red-head, 
"and Felix," he indicated the other man, a taller but still muscular sloe-eyed 
man with black hair.  Byron took Romana's elbow and led her out the front 
door onto a veranda.  Romana sucked in her breath at the first sight of the 
enclave's habitat.  The dwelling was built into the side of a hill, as were 
several hundred other similar structures.  The slope was very steep, such 
that just below the veranda at their feet was the roof of the house below.  
The hillside was laced with horizontal walkways and steep staircases leading 
down to the valley floor.  It was astonishingly beautiful.  The floor of the 
valley was carpeted with trees and intricate gardens, rich with brightly 
colored flowers and green grasses interwoven with paths and small 
structures.  Around the perimeter of the valley floor were larger 
structures, probably public buildings.  There were a surprising number of 
people about, walking along the paths built into the mountainside and among 
the gardens.  She followed Byron along the path and down the stairs until 
they reached the valley floor.  She turned in a slow circle, gazing up the 
hillside from where they'd come.  The steep slope seemed virtually carpeted 
with houses, rising up into...a rock wall?  Romana looked up at the sky...but 
it wasn't sky at all.  With a jolt she realized they were underground, in an
enormous cavern.  What she'd taken for sunlight was in fact some kind of 
artificial light source mounted into the cavern's ceiling.  She walked with 
Byron along the garden paths.  It was the last thing she'd pictured as a rebel 
stronghold.  It was so gentle, with rolling brooks and a lake...all artificially 
constructed, must be.
	Byron smiled at her amazement.  "I know, it's quite something.  Most 
people are just as astounded when they first see our home.  It took centuries 
to construct.  Our predecessors spent their lives modifying this cavern, 
diverting ground water flows, and building the light source.  They cultivated 
the flowers from cuttings and seeds stolen from the colony's storehouses, 
and the building materials can all be found underground.  This cavern is but 
the largest of a complicated system of underground caves here.  The ceiling 
there is 350 meters above us, and is itself about 500 meters below the 
surface of the planet.  At the moment we're about 50 kilometers from the 
colony.  They don't know these caverns exist, and that's just the way we 
like it.  We live better down here than they do in their weather dome up 
there.  We still work on this habitat continually, constructing new dwellings 
and expanding into the smaller caverns."
	Romana stopped to smell some of the flowers, which were of a type 
she'd never seen before.  She gazed about the gardens, breathing in the 
aroma of a thousand blooms.  "It's like paradise," she commented.
	Byron smiled.  "I'm glad you think so."  He stood by her side and looked 
around at his home.  "Welcome to the Soul Gardens, Romana."


	Vishna chased the hapless Legion lieutenant out of her office, cursing.  
"Don't tell me you can't find him because I know he's out there!  Don't come 
back until you can report success!" she shouted after him.  She shook her 
head, hands on her hips.  The door to the outer office opened and Seth came 
in.  Another new body, she observed, this time a carefully coiffed 
businessman-type.  She'd noticed that lately Seth had been choosing bodies 
with more care, to preserve his image.  "Good afternoon, sir," she said.  He 
looked upset and a little obeisance never hurt.
	"We need to talk," he said, walking right past her into her office.  She 
followed him in and shut the door.  "Theo sent more Guardians to Ceres Beta. 
 Why?"
	Vishna was at a loss.  She hadn't heard about this but she knew better 
than to question where Seth got his information.  "Umm...I'm not sure."
	"Do we have a presence there?  Is she responding to us?"
	"I wouldn't call it a presence.  I've had two or three Legion on Ceres 
Beta ever since it was settled.  A colony of that temperament, it's just a 
good idea.  I can't recall ever activating them for any reason."
	"That's all very well but if she's gotten wind of our little...science 
project with the Master, any presence at all might provoke a response."  
	"What's the big deal?  So she sends a few Guardians.  They snoop 
around, they find nothing, they go home."
	"I wish I had your confidence!  She's certain to place them in positions 
close to the Master!  We have no one in the central government, she'd be 
free to investigate him!"
	"So what?  It's not as if we've got any real stakes invested in the 
Master.  It was just...something to do, really."
	"I don't care!" he shouted with surprising vehemence.  Vishna recoiled.  
He wasn't usually this emotional.  "I'll be damned if I'll just let her 
interefere.  The Master is *my* agent," he said, his eyes blazing.  "I won't 
allow her to surround him with Guardians!"
	"Seth...the Master is hardly an agent.  He's unaware of your 
interference!"
	"Hardly the point!  She wants to establish a Guardian presence, so be it. 
 She's nuts if she thinks I won't reciprocate."  He stalked towards the door 
and then turned back.  "For every Guardian she puts on Ceres Beta, I want
two Legion sent there.  We'll see who controls that planet...and the Master." 
 He left with a good satisfying door slam.
	Vishna went to her desk to draw up the orders, unable to shake the 
feeling of being a pawn in someone else's game.


	Angel stood looking on as Theo scrolled through the daily intelligence 
traffic.  He couldn't help but feel anxious about how she'd react to the latest 
news from Ceres Beta.  After her reaction to the last news, who knew how 
she'd take it.  But she finished the report and handed the pad back to Angel, 
her face carefully neutral.  He waited.
	"Are we sure about the accuracy of the Ceres Beta reports?"
	"Yes."
	"Mona contacted me last night.  She said the Doctor had given himself 
up to the colonial government and had been locked up with Ace."
	Angel's eyes widened.  That information had not been in the most recent 
report he'd gotten.  "Is that so?"
	"That's so."
	"What do you want to do?"
	"About the Doctor?  Not a thing.  There's nothing I *can* do, Angel.  
It's..."  Her jaw worked.  "None of my business," she finished, spitting the 
hated words.  "But Seth...he is my business."  She leaned over her desk, her 
face darkening.
	"I must say I'm a bit confused about what he's doing."
	"Purely a knee-jerk response.  He sees me sending Guardians to Ceres 
Beta, he smells trouble.  He thinks I'm edging in on the Master, his little pet 
Time Lord, so he moves in to protect his investment."  She looked up at him. 
 "Didn't I tell you he was escalating this?  Didn't I tell you this would 
happen?!?" she shouted.  Angel opened his mouth, about to point out that if 
she hadn't gone off the deep end and flooded the colony with Guardians, Seth 
would have had no reason to escalate.  Then he thought better of it and shut 
his mouth with a snap.
	She began pacing, clenching and unclenching her fists.  "This goes way 
beyond the Master, Angel.  He'd love to do away with the Doctor as well.  He 
and Ace have cost him a great deal and he'd like nothing better than some 
revenge.  He'd love to keep them apart.  We know how he loves to smash 
people's feelings," she hissed.  Angel's jaw dropped.  He wondered if she 
could really hear herself.  This wasn't about Seth and he marveled that she 
couldn't see that.  "I can't let him turn Ceres Beta into a Legion encampment. 
 The Doctor and Ace wouldn't stand a chance against that overwhelming of a 
presence."  She stopped pacing and whirled on Angel.  "Match his Legion with 
Guardians, Angel.  And I want a lieutenant there...Saul, perhaps.  Tell him I 
want every sector of that colony, public and private, infiltrated.  I want to 
know the identity of every Legion there and where he's stationed.  Then I 
want you to set up a relay outpost on the far side of the planet where the 
colony won't find it."
	Angel sighed.  "An outpost?  Seriously?"
	"Don't I sound serious?"
	"I think our response is becoming inappropriate, Theo."
	"Oh you do, do you?" she breathed, coming towards him.  "Well, you 
don't know Seth like I know him, Angel.  He won't stop until he's destroyed it 
all.  He'll eventually turn the Master into his personal Time Lord puppet and 
that colony into a launching pad for countless attacks, and he won't care who 
he kills or hurts in the process.  He's got to be stopped!"
	Angel had heard enough.  He threw down his notepad and grasped her by 
the shoulders.  "Listen to yourself, Theo!  This isn't like you at all!  Is this 
logical?  Is this a proportional response?  Is this...this mobilization really 
necessary?"
	She shrugged his hands off her.  "Logical?  Logical?!?  You think Seth is 
worried about logic?  Was it logical when he switched sides?  You're the one 
who's logical, Angel...you're trapped in your damned logic.  Sometimes I 
wish to be a Guardian like you so I wouldn't have to feel things and I could be 
logical too but I'm not a Guardian, I'm a human being and I'm telling you," she 
said, her voice rising and rising until she was shouting, "this is the start of 
something big, something he's been planning and I won't let him get away 
with it, goddam it!" she screamed.  She picked up a vase off her desk and 
hurled it across the room with a roar of anger.  It exploded against the far 
wall.  She turned back towards Angel.  "Carry out my orders, Angel...or I'll
find someone else who will."
	Angel, stunned, nodded numbly and fled the office, picking up his 
notepad from where he'd dropped it.  He sank into his desk chair, his mind 
spinning.  Dear God, she's lost it, he thought.  He was tempted to believe that 
she was under the influence of some outside force that was making her act 
irrationally but he knew in his heart that wasn't true...for in a crazy way 
her actions did have their own logic.  The only outside force that might be
acting here was...he almost slapped his forehead.  In many ways, what had 
happened to the Doctor and Ace mirrored what had happened to her and Seth. 
 She'd never, in his opinion, dealt with that blow and it might just now be 
surfacing, and she didn't even realize it.  


	Garner stood by the genetic extractor, studiously not looking at it, 
holding a tray of diagnostics.  The Master was crouching under it making 
some adjustments.  He would periodically reach up a hand and snap his
fingers, expecting Garner to place the appropriate tool into it.  
	"How long will this take, Master?"
	"You have someplace you'd rather be, Garner?" the Master quipped.  He
 was in unusually good spirits.  Things were going exactly as he'd planned 
and he was feeling even more full of himself than normal.
	"No, it's just that the launch window for the fusion collector is fast 
approaching, and it won't last long."
	The Master tightened something with a grunt and straightened up.  His 
latest body was lasting quite nicely.  He'd had the colony's top physicians up 
here tinkering with his biochemistry and they seemed to have finally hit upon 
the right chemical cocktails to slow his decay.  He'd even kept it alive long 
enough to grow a goatee and mustache...which looked very right on him for 
some reason.  "Not to worry, Garner, everything will be ready in time."  He 
put the tool back on the tray and rubbed his hands together in glee.
	"And I'd think you'd want to start as soon as possible."
	The Master laid a hand on the extractor, which looked more and more 
like something out of the Spanish Inquisition by the day.  "Experiment in 
haste, repent at leisure, Garner.  Everything's got to be perfect before I 
dare start.  I'll only get one chance at this, you know.  Patience, my one-
handed friend.  But it won't be much longer.  Things are very near readiness."
	"I'm doubtful as to whether we can get the fusion collector's 
automation ready in time, yet you never give me leave to work on it!"
	"Not a problem."
	"Yes, it is!  If we can't get it working, the collector will veer wildly 
off course due to the gravitational effects and the solar winds, and all of this 
preparation won't matter a bit!"
	"I have it taken care of, Garner.  Trust me."  He smiled again, and 
Garner shuddered inwardly.


	Ace was pacing again.  The Doctor sat on the cot, his eyes following 
her.  She was making herself dizzy but she couldn't stop.  She hated just 
sitting here doing nothing, and just being in the same room with him was 
making her very edgy.  The weight of her stubbornly suppressed anger and 
pain was pressing down on her so hard she feared it would crush her out of 
existence.
	"Ace, you're going to wear yourself out," he said quietly.
	"Well I can't just sit there!  Anyway I can't believe you just want to sit 
there and do nothing."
	"What would you suggest we do?"
	"I can disarm these wristbands, we could get out of here, run!  Get 
back to the TARDIS!"
	"No.  I have to know what he's up to."
	"What if he just kills you?  What then?"
	He shook his head.  "He won't just kill me.  He's got...plans."
	"And you've got to find out what they are."  He nodded.  "Even if it kills 
you?  And me?"  For the millionth time, she almost spoke of the existence of 
the innocent stranger in the room with them.  With an effort she swallowed 
the words.
	He dropped his face into his hands.  "You really hate me, don't you?"
	Poker face, she thought.  "Do you blame me?"
	"No."  
	She paced a little faster.  His entire attitude made her feel ashamed, 
and feeling ashamed made her angry, and feeling angry made her even edgier 
than she already was.  He was so...contrite.  He looked awful, as if he'd 
really been suffering for the last month.  Damn him, she thought.  He can't 
even give me the satisfaction of some self-righteous anger.  He has to be all 
penitent and sorrowful and make *me* feel guilty for hating him.
	The Doctor bit his lip.  Say something, fool, he said to himself.  You 
may never get this chance again.  But she seemed so closed-off, more than 
she'd ever been.  Palpable waves of hostility were radiating off her as she 
wore a path in the tile floor.  You've spent the last three weeks trying to get 
her back and now you're going to sit here like a Denebian slime devil?  
"Ace..."  he began.  She glanced in his direction briefly but didn't stop pacing. 
 "I'm sorry," he said softly.
	She shook her head, her eyes focused grimly forward.  "Don't."
	"I don't know what I was thinking.  I've...I've never been so miserable.  
I've thought of nothing else for the last month."
	"Doctor, I don't want to hear this.  Don't do this to me, all right?"
	But he couldn't stop now.  He'd started talking and he had to say it all, 
everything.  "I made a mistake, maybe the worst one I've ever made.  I've 
been trying to find you for weeks so I could set it right.  Am I too late?"
	"Please," she half-moaned, putting her hands over her ears.  She 
stopped pacing and stood with her forehead pressed against the wall.  "I can't 
take this right now!"
	"Listen to me, Ace!" he said, standing up and reaching out towards her. 
 "Please listen!  I know how angry and hurt you must be, I know what I've 
done to you.  I'll never forgive myself.  All I can do is try to make up for it." 
 She turned and flattened herself against the wall, pressing her palms to the 
smooth white surface, her eyes screwed shut.  He slowly walked over to 
stand next to her.  She didn't acknowledge his presence, in fact seemed to be 
actively denying it.  He spoke softly, hoping she'd hear him.  "I got scared.  I 
know I don't have to tell you why, you did a good job of it yourself at the 
time.  I was scared of losing you someday, I was scared..."  He sighed.  Time 
to go for broke.  "...that you were too important to me, that you had too 
much power over me."
	Ace's face screwed into a grimace and she pushed him away with one 
hand, turning her back at the same time.  She straightened up and took a deep 
breath.  "You have no idea what you did to me.  You don't know what it means 
to be alone, Doctor, because even when you're by yourself you're never 
alone."  She faced him and looked into his face for the first time.  "How many
 times did you betray me over the years?  How many times did you hurt me?
  I stopped thinking that you wouldn't after awhile...and then you got me 
believing that you'd really changed, that you'd really made a commitment."  
Her lower lip was trembling and she kept biting it to get it to stop, but it 
wouldn't.  That crushing weight was getting heavier and heavier.  "How could 
I have been so stupid?  I should have known better!  I should have known that 
I'd just end up discarded and alone, and this time carrying..."  She stopped 
herself and scrubbed a hand over her mouth.  "Carrying more pain than I 
could handle."  Her breath was coming in short shallow gasps, and she could 
feel everything swelling inside her until it seemed she must explode.  She 
stepped in front of him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt and shook
him.  "You did that to me!  You!  You who I trusted, you who I loved and 
needed..."  Rage seized her and she could no longer speak.  This was why she 
hadn't allowed herself to feel it until now, because she'd known it would be 
too big for her to handle at once.  She ground her teeth together and with a 
grunt she pushed him away...partly because she wanted him away from her 
and partly because she was afraid of what she might do to him.
	The Doctor fell back onto the cot and watched in horror as Ace backed 
away until she hit the wall and could go no further.  Her entire body was 
shaking and then she doubled over, voicing a cry that seemed to come from 
the soles of her shoes as she slid down the wall to collapse in a heap on the 
floor.  Her wail of suppressed misery arrowed straight through the Doctor's 
hearts and he longed to run to her and gather her up in his arms and never let 
go again, but he was frozen to the spot.  The cry tapered off into sobs and 
she wrapped her arms around her knees and bowed her head down onto them, 
her shoulders shaking.
	Tears slid down the Doctor's cheeks in silent rivers as he sat on the 
edge of the bunk, watching his wife cry...something he'd seen her do only 
once before.  He'd grievously underestimated the effect the separation had 
had upon her...perhaps he'd wanted to, so he'd be able to entertain the 
delusion that he could somehow win her back.  It seemed impossible now.  He 
looked at her huddled on the floor and wished for nothing more than to 
disappear, to have never existed...then his gaze fell upon her left hand, 
resting on the back of her neck.  More precisely, his eyes were drawn to the 
pale band of skin on the ring finger where once he had placed a ring...but
where there was none now.  It seemed the final sign that she considered 
their marriage over.  He raised his own hand, where the ring was still where 
she'd put it...he almost slid it off but then clenched his fist.  He wasn't giving 
up yet.  


	An hour passed in silence.  Ace's sobs eventually subsided, but she 
remained slumped on the floor against the wall, feeling completely and 
utterly drained.  I should have done this long ago, she thought.  I feel so 
cleansed.  Why did I fight it?  She slowly got to her feet and went to the sink. 
 Her puffy-eyed, red-nosed reflection stared back at her.  She splashed 
some water on her face and blew her nose, which seemed to take a Herculean
 effort.  She didn't look at him.  He was still sitting on the edge of the cot, 
and she could feel him watching her and waiting for her to say something, 
anything.  She was about to when the door to the cell opened.  Ace turned, 
alarmed...as much because she hadn't heard anyone coming as with anxiety 
about who it might be.
	It was Garner, the Master's assistant.  The Doctor rose and the three 
of them just stood there in tableau for a moment, not speaking.
	"Come with me, Doctor," Garner finally said.  The Doctor glanced at 
Ace and walked forward.  Garner took his wrist and disengaged the
proximity alarm.
	"Where are you taking him?" Ace asked.
	Garner hesitated.  "To the Master."
	"It's about time," the Doctor commented.  Garner started to lead him
away but Ace grabbed his arm.
	"Stay sharp," she said, low.  He nodded briefly and then his gaze 
sharpened for a moment before Garner pulled him out of the cell...but not
before Ace heard his voice in her mind.  *I love you,* she had heard him 
say.  Garner shut the cell door after them.  Ace pressed her face to the door 
window and watched them disappear down the hallway, her heart sinking.
He's a bastard, and a liar, and I hate his guts...and how I wish I could stop 
myself from loving him, she thought.


	Byron took Romana into what he called the clubhouse, a large many-
roomed building made of the same natural material as the other structures.  
She met a number of resistance leaders, after awhile their names and faces 
started to blend together.  Finally they came to Byron's office, a large well-
lit room with a view of the gardens.  One entire wall was covered with 
monitors and receivers so Byron could keep an eye on all the enclave's 
systems.
	He poured her some tea and sat her down in a chair before his desk.  
"We need to discuss the situation," she said.  "I'm going to need your help
getting into the colony."
	"Romana, as far as I'm concerned I'll help you as much as I can, but we 
can't really discuss particulars just now."
	"Why not?  Are we waiting for someone?"
	"Yes.  Our head honcho is expected back any minute."
	"He's a spy too?"
	"Of course.  One of the best in the business.  He's a ghost.  Sometimes I 
swear he can walk through walls."  A buzzer went off and one of the alert 
lights mounted next to his desk went off.  Byron picked up one of his dozen or
 so phones and listened for a moment, then put it back down and stood up.  
"He's almost to the lift.  Shall we go meet him?"  Romana smiled and 
followed him out of the office.
	They walked quickly along the paths and climbed a seemingly endless 
staircase to a wide room cut into the cavern near the top.  There was a set 
of double doors which, Byron explained, gave access to the lift that 
transported them to the colony.  They waited in silence until an indicator 
above the doors lit up.  "Here he is," Byron said, drawing himself up.  The 
doors opened and a man in a colonial science uniform stepped out.  He wasn't 
at all what Romana had expected.  From Byron's description of him and the 
stories he'd told her as they walked over here she'd expected someone
superhuman at least, but he was an ordinary man in almost every respect, 
mid-30's, wavy brown hair, blue eyes.  He smiled and stepped off the lift.
	"Hello, Byron," he said gruffly, clapping the older man on the shoulder. 
 He looked at Romana and smiled, his eyes crinkling.  "This must be the Time 
Lady," he said, extending his hand. 
	"Romana," she said, wondering why he shook her left hand...then she 
noted that his right was a prosthetic limb.
	"My pleasure," he said.  "Garner Jass."