A stone's throw from Jerusalem
I walked a lonely mile in the moonlight
And though a million stars were shining
My heart was lost on a distant planet
That whirls around the April moon
Whirling in an arc of sadness
I'm lost without you, lost without you.
	--Sting



Chapter 4:  A LONELY MILE

	Romana stared out at the city square, transfixed by the stillness, her 
face bathed in the watery borrowed light from the full moon above.  The royal 
residence was lit from within with the warm glow of torches and looked quite 
inviting.  Every so often she'd see shadows moving to and fro behind the 
sheer curtains hung in the cutout windows.  She felt drawn to it...it just
looked so homey and fascinating.  Who knows what could be inside?  Wonders 
and sights to behold.  Perhaps there were clues in the dwelling that could help 
the Doctor.  She shook her head slightly.  That would be madness, to go in 
there alone.  Trespassing on the royal property was probably punishable by 
death.  Best to wait for the Doctor.
	She glanced over at him.  Sitting on the cot with his back to the wall, his 
legs stretched out in front of him with his ankles crossed, he was dozing with 
his head leaning against the stone wall, his fingers laced together in his lap.  
She studied his face, relaxed in sleep.  It was a face she was still getting used 
to, and a face that she just now realized reflected some of his sinister 
nature.  She blinked.  That had never occurred to her before, but crossed with
 shadows as they were his features bore the mark of one accustomed to 
betrayal and scheming.  He could be scheming against you right now, a voice 
whispered in her mind.  He uses people, even Ace, and you're just a pawn in 
his latest game.
	Romana stood slowly, never taking her eyes off his sleeping form.  Her 
Doctor had been many things she disliked, but she'd never had cause to
question his loyalties...and she'd never been afraid of him.  This one, he was 
dangerous.  Best to get away.  Where?  Her head turned almost of its own
volition to the window and the palace beyond.  There.  All the answers lay 
there.  That was where she needed to be.  She carefully tiptoed over to the 
chair and picked up her scarf, wrapping it around her head, watching him all 
the while.
	She eased open the door to their room, freezing as it gave a small 
squeak.  He didn't stir.  She slipped out and gently shut the door behind her.  
Drawing her scarf across her face she crept down the stairs.  The front room 
was quiet and deserted, but the door to the matron's room stood slightly open 
and Romana could see the glow of a candle burning.  She held her breath and 
tiptoed past to the front door.
	Once she was outside she relaxed.  The night air was every bit as 
refreshing and fragrant as it had seemed from the stuffy room upstairs and 
she felt exhilarated.  The square was deserted, the dust of the day skidding 
over the streets as the night breezes gradually erased the signs of human 
passage from the dirt underfoot.  The royal residence rose like Mecca in front 
of her.  The guards stood golem-like to either side of the front gate, but 
surely there was another way in.  She scuttled across the square, trying to 
blend in to the background.  Keeping to the shadows cast by the stone
buildings, she made her way around to the side of the royal residence.  As she
 suspected, the front of the building was the only conspicuous presence of 
guards...in a society such as this, the mere thought of breaking into the palace
 would not even occur to most citizens, and the awesome presence of the 
Prince was usually enough to keep would-be cat burglars away.  Guards were 
almost more of a show of prestige than a security precaution.  She silently
slipped across the square to the waist-high stone wall encircling the 
compound.  She could see across the yard to what looked like the servant's
wing.  Several windows were open and presented just too big a temptation.  
She slipped lithely over the wall and scurried in a crouch over to the nearest 
one, kneeling to just peek over the windowsill.
	It looked like the laundry room.  There were large tubs of water, hot and 
cold, and clothes both dry and wet hanging on lines all over the place.  
Perfect.  She quietly jacknifed over the sill and crouched behind one of the 
tubs.  She listened carefully but didn't hear anyone moving about in the room, 
so she peered around the tub.  The room was indeed deserted.  She hurried 
over to the dry clothes and found a long caftan-like garment that probably 
belonged to a groundskeeper or similar person and wrapped it around her own 
clothing.  She eased the door open just a crack and put her eye to it.  She 
couldn't see anyone in the hallway...she slipped out and stood against the wall, 
looking from side to side.  She saw no one.  She heard the Doctor's voice in 
her mind..."act like you own the place."  Taking a deep breath, she walked 
nonchalantly down the hallway to see where it would take her.


	"Here it is, weapons room," Ace breathed thankfully.  She whipped out 
the sonic screwdriver and opened the locked door, pushing the two Time 
Lords ahead of her into the small chamber, quickly shutting the door behind 
her.
	The Doctor looked dubiously about at the array of weapons.  "Um...this 
is really your field, Ace."
	"Doctor, I have no intention of mounting an attack on this ship or its 
captain."
	He stared at her, his mouth hanging open.  "What?  I could point out that 
it was your idea to come to the weapons room."
	"If it would have gotten you out of the corridor and out of sight I 
would've said that I had the Hand of Omega tucked down my pants!  Anyhow,
the TARDIS is somewhere on this deck, and *that's* where we should be 
headed."
	He stepped closer, his voice dropping.  "You know about the Hand of 
Omega?"
	"Yes, I do," she said, staring at him significantly, trying to 
communicate as much as possible without saying anything out loud, gambling 
that this Doctor had already laid the groundwork for the future events 
involving the Hand.  She was pretty sure he'd done so during this 
incarnation's first contact with Davros during the Thal-Kaled war, from what 
her Doctor had told her.
	"What's going on here?" Romana hissed.  "The Hand of Omega's been 
missing for centuries."
	The Doctor tossed her a glance.  "Not quite," he said, averting his eyes. 
 "Although its function is a bit altered.  Used to be a stellar manipulator, now 
it's basically...bait."  He looked over at Ace, and she could almost see his
mind turning.  I shouldn't have to say anymore, she thought.  He knows that if 
I'm aware of the Hand's existence, I must know if his plans for it succeeded 
or not.  "These Daleks..." he began.
	"Davros' Daleks.  Right now they're fugitives...but they won't stay that 
way for long."
	"They will control Skaro?"
	She cleared her throat.  "Eventually." 
	He leaned over and whispered in her ear.  "I don't want to destroy these 
Daleks at this particular moment, do I?"  She just looked at him.  He
harrumphed self-consciously and stepped back, rubbing his hands together.  
"Right, then.  Seems prudent to vacate the premises."
	Romana grabbed his arm.  "And what of all that soliloquizing you did 
about regretting that you hadn't destroyed the Daleks?"
	He drew himself up and peered down his nose at her.  "Words spoken in 
the heat of the moment, Romana.  Nothing like reality to douse a good 
diatribe."  He shrugged.  "Pity.  It might've been interesting to sashay down 
the primrose warpath, so to speak.  Ah well, spilled milk."  He looked at Ace.  
"Shall we?"
	Ace turned towards the door with an inward sigh of relief but as she 
reached for the mechanism she heard the unmistakable sound of a plunger arm 
socketing into the lock.  She jumped back a little, cursing under her breath.  "I 
think it's too late," she muttered as the door swung open.  Three Daleks stood 
outside.
	"YOU WILL COME WITH US," the one in front screeched.  The Doctor and 
Romana put their hands up resignedly, glancing at each other.  Ace hung back 
a little as they were once again herded out of the room by a Dalek, hoping to 
grab a weapon and spirit it away, but none were small enough to conceal.
With a resigned sigh, she put her hands up and followed them out.


	Romana felt panic seeping into the edges of her consciousness.   She'd 
been wandering in this palace for what seemed like forever and had only seen 
a series of identical corridors, a few rooms, and one courtyard.  She'd 
passed a few servants and one guard, none of whom had given her a second
glance.
	As she passed an arched doorway that led into a wide passage, she 
paused.  She could hear...voices, and what sounded like music.  She went
through the arch and followed the sounds.  They led her around several 
corners and up some stairs, until finally she emerged on an upper gallery 
overlooking a larger chamber.  She edged to the railing and looked down...it 
was the court of the Prince.  Lit by ornate sconces and hung with tapestries, 
the room was warm and cheerful.  The man she assumed was the Prince sat 
on a raised throne that was rather understated and comfortable-looking, one 
leg thrown casually over the arm, speaking to a man who stood in front of 
him bearing numerous scrolls.  Seated near him were several young girls who 
appeared to be his daughters.  Around the perimeter of the room, the Prince's 
attendants stood waiting to serve him, women sat weaving and chatting, and 
musicians played in the corner.
	Romana felt as if she were waking from a trance.  The purpose of their 
visit was simply to ensure that the chess game was played, so what did she 
do?  For some reason which seemed valid at the time but which now seemed 
insane she'd snuck into the royal residence to spy on the Prince.  I must be 
crazy, she thought to herself.  What am I doing here?
	"What are you doing here?" a gruff male voice demanded, eerily echoing 
her thoughts.  Romana whirled, her hearts leaping into her throat, to find
herself face to face with the business end of a spear borne by a cranky-
looking guard.  "This area's restricted.  Don't you have someplace to be?"  
She didn't know what to say, her brain felt like it was wrapped in an itchy 
wool blanket.  He stepped closer and peered at her, squinting.  "I've never 
seen you before.  What's your function here?"  The Doctor, no doubt, would 
have glibly rattled something off...but Romana was completely at a loss.  
Some spy I'm turning out to be, she thought.  Here I am, Lord President of 
Gallifrey, leader of one of the most ancient and powerful races in the 
universe, and I can't even manage to talk my way past a pre-industrial 
bouncer.  The pre-industrial bouncer in question had had enough.  "You're 
coming with me," he grunted, grabbing her arm and dragging her away from 
the railing.  "We'll find out what you're up to."


	This time the patrol Daleks were not content to shut them up in the 
detention level.  They were led straight to the bridge.  Ace glanced 
around...she saw a number of Daleks but no Davros.
	"PRISONERS WERE FOUND IN THE WEAPONS ROOM," the lead patrol Dalek 
reported.  The bridge commander swiveled its eyepiece towards them.  Ace 
shuddered slightly.  She hated being stared at by Daleks...something about
that inhuman eyepiece looking her up and down gave her the heebie-jeebies.
	"THE EMPEROR WILL INTERROGATE THEM SHORTLY.  PLACE THEM IN THE 
HOLDING AREA UNTIL HIS ARRIVAL," the commander ordered.  The patrol
Dalek maneuvered them to a door on the far side of the bridge, which slid into 
the ceiling.  They were prodded inside, the door sliding shut after them.
	"Great.  Another day, another jail cell," Ace said.  She turned in a 
circle.  "Well, we won't be getting out of here with any of my cute little
tricks."
	"There's another door," Romana said, going to the far side of the cell 
and peering out the slot window.
	"Probably leads into the hallway," Ace muttered.  "But there's no panels 
or access of any kind.  The walls are seamless bonded polysteel and the doors 
are pneumatically sealed, no mechanisms on the inside.  We're stuck 
here...unless a miracle occurs."
	"Listen, Ace, I need some more information," the Doctor said, 
dismissing these ruminations on the nature of their jail.  "What exactly is it 
that I'm supposed to be doing right now?  What does Fenric want to prevent?"
	Ace cracked her knuckles, thinking.  Well, he is a Time Lord.  If anyone 
could handle knowledge of the future it's him...and it shouldn't make that much 
of a difference.  "Okay."  She sat down on a bench that stuck out of the wall.  
"Fenric is one of the Old Ones, a being of great power who took up residence 
on Earth in ancient Constantinople.  The Prince had been trying to get rid of 
him for a long time with no success.  You went there and imprisoned him in 
some kind of special ceramic flask."
	"How did I manage that?"
	"You beat him at chess."
	"Ah, well, stands to reason."
	"He remained in the flask for many centuries until the Doctor and I 
encountered him at a WWII military base in the 1940's."
	Romana sat down next to her.  "You said...that he can control you 
without your knowledge?  Why is that?"
	Ace sighed.  "Fenric is the reason that I met you in the first place, 
Doctor.  He engineered it so he could use me later to help him defeat you.  
Because my grandmother and my mother were both at the military base when 
Fenric was released, my family was touched by his curse.  Fenric 
transported me to Iceworld from Earth, and that's where you and I met...and 
it made me one of Fenric's wolves as well.  It was only later that I found out
that the Doctor knew that our meeting was Fenric's doing but went along with 
it because he needed me with him for other reasons.  Fenric's plan didn't 
work, but it wasn't an easy victory, or a very satisfying one."  She stared 
off into the distance, remembering the painful denouement of that incident.  
"Anyway, if he prevents the chess game from taking place..."
	"Say no more, I understand."  the Doctor paced, tugging at his scarf.  
"When did this chess game occur, exactly?"
	"I'm not really sure.  I think the randomizer sent you there."
	"It might have then, but what about now?" Romana asked.  "Things have 
turned out differently."
	"No, they haven't.  If Ace's visit happened, it always happened," the 
Doctor said.  "You should know that, Miss Triple First.  The past flows one 
direction.  In any case that's not the primary concern."
	"How to get to the TARDIS is the primary concern," Ace said, her eyes 
once again circling the room looking for anything helpful.  "Even if we could
get out it's probably been moved by now.  Frankly, I'm amazed we're still 
alive."
	"Davros is not one to let an opportunity slip by unexploited," the Doctor 
commented.  "No doubt he thinks he can get something out of us."  Silence.  
Ace leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest.  She glanced up to see 
him looking at her speculatively out of the corner of his eye.  He looked away 
and shifted his weight, looking a bit uncomfortable.  Ace knew what was on 
his mind as surely as if he'd come out and said it.
	"Doctor...it's all right.  You can ask me about us if you want."
	He glanced at her.  "Don't tell me you're telepathic on top of everything 
else."
	"Nope.  Doesn't take a telepath to read body language, especially yours."
	He chuckled.  "Seems you know me quite well, don't you?"
	"After all this time I ought to."  They smiled at each other.  Romana 
rolled her eyes, unnoticed, and stood up to look out the door panel again, her
back to them.  The Doctor sat down next to Ace.
	"You're probably wondering why I didn't really react when you told me 
who you were."
	"No, I'm not.  You're trying not to think about it.  For you it's not really 
real, it's like we were talking about someone else."
	He nodded.  "Quite so.  I've never really thought about marriage...my 
own, that is.  My companions seem quite eager to participate, I've noticed."  
He looked over at her.  "Is it nice?  That is to say, do I think it's nice?"
	"You seem to.  So far so good."
	"How did it happen?"
	"Oh, don't ask me that right now.  It's a very long story that I must 
admit I'm getting a bit sick of telling, and after all you'll find out eventually."
	Pause.  "This must be strange for you, to meet me in this incarnation.  
Have you ever seen me regenerate?"
	She shook her head.  "No, I haven't.  Sometimes I feel like I should have, 
as close as we are, but it thankfully hasn't happened."
	He opened his mouth to reply but was stopped short as the door to the 
bridge slid open.  They both stood and Romana turned from the door.  The 
bridge commander rolled into the cell.  "YOU ARE THE DOCTOR."
	"Haven't we been over this already?"
	"YOU WILL BE TAKEN TO THE EMPEROR TO BE INTERROGATED.  IF YOU 
RESIST YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED."
	He and Ace exchanged a look.  Ace's jaw tightened.  He might look 
different, but this man was her husband, or at least he would be.  She didn't 
want to let him out of her sight...after all, she'd promised to protect him.  
She said nothing, however, because there was nothing helpful to say.  He 
would either go to Davros or be killed.  Trying to reason with Daleks was 
usually an exercise in futility.  The Doctor stood up and glanced at Romana, 
then walked onto the bridge followed by the commander.  The door slid shut 
behind them.  Ace kicked at the metal wall in frustration, her hands balled 
into fists.  Her eyes met Romana's.  The Time Lady was looking at her with 
thinly veiled distrust.  Great, Ace thought.  Locked in a cell with a woman
who seems to hate my guts for no real reason.  What else can go wrong 
today?  Next thing you know the Daleks will decide to cheer me up with a nice 
clown act.


	The Doctor snapped awake and sat up, feeling as though something had 
startled him out of sleep.
	"Romana, did you hear something?" he said, rubbing at his eyes.  
"Romana?"  He looked around the room to find himself alone.  He jumped up
and went to the window.  The square was deserted.  He grabbed his hat and 
brolly, uttering a light Gallifreyan curse.  "Where's she got herself off to?" 
he said under his breath.
	The main room downstairs was also deserted, but the matron's door 
was open and a candle flickered inside.  He knocked softly, and after a few
moments she opened the door and smiled at him.
	"Oh, hello.  Can I help you?"
	"Perhaps.  Did you happen to see my daughter leaving?"
	"She's gone off by herself?  At this time of night?"
	"She often like to take strolls in the moonlight, it helps her relax.  I 
woke up and she'd gone.  I'd like to locate her, I worry when she goes out 
alone."


	"Yes, of course.  I'm sorry, but I didn't hear anyone leave."
	The Doctor fixed her eyes with his.  "What did you hear earlier this 
evening?" he said evenly.
	The matron stared back at him, her face slack.  "I heard an upstairs 
door creak...I heard someone's step outside my door...I saw a shadow move 
across the room...I heard their foot scratch on the gravel outside..."  She 
trailed off.
	"Thank you for your help," he said, blinking.
	The matron snapped out of it.  "I'm sorry I couldn't help you.  I hope 
your daughter returns safely."
	"I'm sure she will," the Doctor said, doffing his hat and turning to the 
door.  He stood in the doorway and stared at the ground outside in the square. 
 His eyes narrowed, examining the pattern of footfalls in the dusty 
gravel...after a few moments he was able to pick out Romana's footprints
leading away from the inn towards the palace.  He sighed.  What was she 
thinking?  It wasn't like Romana to just wander off on a fool's errand like 
this.  Squaring his shoulders, he strode across the street right up the front 
steps of the royal residence.  The guards were so surprised they scarcely 
knew how to react. 
	"Halt," one of them finally managed, stepping in front of the door and 
holding up his sword.  "None may enter without..."
	The Doctor cut him off.  "Oh, stop your babbling, I'm here to see Prince 
El-Amjad, I'm a very old friend...or at least I will be soon."  He raised his 
brolly, pushed the sword out of the way and was through the door before the 
dumbstruck guard could get out another word.
	The two door guards hurried after the Doctor, but they had a hard time 
keeping up with his quick strides even though they were considerably taller.  
"Stop!" one of them shouted after him.  "Stop that man!"  The Doctor 
nervously quickened his pace, racking his brain for the route to the Prince's 
chamber.  His usual "act like you own the place" approach usually worked, 
and he was confident in his ability to fool the Prince if these louts would only 
let him get there in one piece.  Another guard stepped out of a doorway 
directly in his path and the Doctor ran right into the man's chest.  It was like 
hitting a brick wall.  This man looked to be a captain or some other similar 
person, his clothing was more elaborate and his helmet had more decorations.
	"Where do you think you're going?" he growled.
	The Doctor smiled and doffed his hat.  "Good evening.  The Prince is 
expecting me tomorrow..."
	"Then why are you here now?"
	"Well, I am traveling with my assistant and she seems to have 
misplaced herself.  I was hoping the Prince would consent to help me locate 
her, I'm afraid she may have come to harm."
	The guard peered down at him.  "A woman with pale hair?"
	The Doctor swallowed.  "Yes..."
	"I knew it!  She is a spy, we apprehended her earlier this evening.  You 
must also be a spy sent by the Jinnee to watch the Prince!  Take him to the 
dungeon!" he exclaimed triumphantly, with a sweeping arm gesture to the 
other two guards, who grabbed the Doctor's arms and bore him away, his 
feet swinging several inches above the stone floor.


	The two women parried back and forth in the room for some minutes 
after the Doctor was taken away.  Romana would move towards the bench, 
Ace would stand up and go to the door.  Ace would cross towards the bridge, 
Romana would countercross towards the hallway.  Finally Ace stopped and put 
her hands on her hips.
	"Okay, what's going on here with us?  You know, you and I are friends in 
the future."
	"I may be many things in the future, it has nothing to do with the way 
things are now."
	Ace rolled her eyes and dropped her arms.  "Romana, where does this 
attitude of general unpleasantness come from?"  She took a step towards her, 
her eyes narrowing.  "You couldn't possibly be jealous, could you?"
	Romana glared at her.  "That's ridiculous."
	"Is it?  Remember who you're talking to.  I know that you and he had a 
bit of a thing.  I'm not sure how I'd feel if I were in your shoes and someone 
showed up claiming to be his future wife."
	Romana seemed to soften a bit and sat down.  "Ace, I assure you that I 
am not jealous.  I don't own him.  Just because we occasionally share a bed 
doesn't mean I consider him attached to me, nor I to him.  You attribute human 
perspectives to us where it's not warranted."
	Ace considered this statement.  It sounded like the truth, or as close to 
it as she would get.  She sat down next to Romana.  "Then what is it?  You
don't trust me any further than you could throw me, that much is abundantly 
clear.  I've been straight with you from the beginning.  What more do you 
want from me?"
	"I guess I'd like some assurance that Fenric isn't going to use you to get 
us all killed!" Romana exclaimed.  Ace drew back, stung.  Romana looked a
little surprised by her own outburst.  She sighed and looked away.  "Oh, I 
didn't really mean that.  I know it's not your fault, nor do I think you'd 
consciously let anyone get hurt.  It's just frustrating to be this helpless."
	"If you feel helpless, think how it feels for me!" Ace said.  "I can't trust 
a single idea in my head because I don't know if it's really my idea or 
Fenric's!  I was totally unprepared for this, I don't have any of my usual
resources, I'm over a century away from my home, people I think of as 
friends see me as a stranger and I miss my husband.  On top of everything 
else there's a bit of pressure.  If anything happens to the Doctor now, my 
entire history will unravel not to mention some disastrous consequences to 
the rest of the universe!  I tell you, Romana, I keep waiting for the other shoe 
to drop."  Ace leaned back against the bulkhead and let her shoulders sag.
	Romana looked over at the woman's bowed head and felt thoroughly 
ashamed of herself.  She turned towards Ace and laid a hand on her shoulder. 
 "Ace...you make me feel as if I've treated you very shabbily.  I'm sorry."
	Ace looked up at Romana, a little surprised.  The Romana she knew was 
a lovely person, but could also be arrogant and self-righteous.  Ace had never 
heard her apologize to anyone.  "Are you sure?" she asked.
	Romana nodded.  "It's pointless for us to keep picking at each other 
anyway.  We're stuck here and there's nothing we can do about it.  We might 
as well try to get along."  Ace smiled to herself.  That sounded more like the 
Romana she knew...she had just turned her apology into a practical facilitation 
rather than an admission of wrongdoing.  They sat in companionable silence 
for a few minutes.  Ace could feel Romana's curiosity coming off her in 
waves and wondered how long she'd be able to hold it in.  Turned out it wasn't 
long.  "Tell me about your Doctor," she finally asked.
	"No need.  You'll meet him someday."  Ha ha, chew on that.
	"Hopefully soon, when we get you back to him."
	"I doubt you'll remember, though.  I think there's some kind of memory 
suppression trick the TARDIS does when Time Lords meet themselves.  He 
won't remember meeting me now, and I don't think you will either."
	"Oh."  Pause.  "How does it feel to meet a previous incarnation?"
	Ace shifted slightly.  This was a subject she'd tried not to think too 
much about.  "It's well strange, I can tell you.  He's the same person, but I 
have to keep reminding myself of that.  I do see many things that are the 
same in him, but many things that are different."
	Romana cocked her head, reading between the lines.  "Do you feel the 
same about him as he is here and now?"
	Ace cleared her throat.  "That's what I'm afraid to think about too hard. 
 I look at him, and I see the Doctor, but he's not my Doctor.  He's younger, 
and it shows.  And he doesn't know me, which makes a huge difference."
	"That's not really an answer," Romana said, smiling a little.
	"I know it's not.  I wish I had a better one to give you.  Think about this 
for a sec:  if you were married, and then you went back in time and met your 
future husband before he'd met you, wouldn't you still love him even then?  
Of course you would.  But what if he were a different person?  How much of a 
difference would that make?"  She thought for a moment, biting her lower lip. 
 "You know what?  I love the *idea* of him.  That much is still here, even if 
the execution won't come about for awhile."  She looked down at her hands.  
"What makes me nervous is that this might come up again, if my Doctor 
regenerates.  I once told him that it would make no difference to me if he did. 
 Was I lying?  How can I know for sure?  Who can say what it is about him 
that I love, and how much of it would disappear with a new body?  His eyes?  
His smile?  His voice?"  She shook her head.  "I just don't know.  I'd like to 
think that even though it would be a difficult adjustment that our relationship 
is strong enough to survive it.  But now I'm here, and I look at him and I don't 
love him...and what is this situation but a dry-run for a regeneration?"
	Romana sighed.  "I don't think you're being fair to yourself.  Perhaps if 
you were stuck here with this Doctor you would come to love him.  And don't 
forget the tiny fact that he doesn't love *you* right now.  If he did, you 
might find it easier to make the adjustment...and if your Doctor regenerated, 
he'd still love you."
	Ace felt a bit reassured.  "Maybe you're right.  I suppose we'll just have 
to burn that bridge when we come to it...if we come to it."  She smiled at 
Romana.  "Thanks."


	The Doctor was shown into an interrogation room across the bridge 
from the cell where Ace and Romana still sat.  It was as featureless as any 
other part of this ship.  He whistled idly, rocking back and forth on his heels, 
as his Dalek escort fell back, the door sliding shut and leaving him alone in the 
chamber.  Momentarily, another pneumatic door slid open across from him 
and Davros slid into the room, looking as inhumanly twisted as ever.  Even
more so, perhaps...he seemed to be discarding the last vestigial semblance of 
humanity that might still have been clinging to him.  He sat in a cylindrical 
white and gold casing, only his upper chest and shoulders exposed, and even
those parts seemed so supplemented with bionic augmentation they barely 
seemed human.  One thing was the same, however:  the insane gleam in his 
glassy eyes.
	"WELL, DOC-TOR, YOU HAVE RETURNED."
	"Against my better judgment, yes."
	"WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE HERE?"
	"Now, whatever makes you think I have a purpose?"
	"DO NOT TOY WITH ME, TIME LORD.  SOON MY IMPERIAL DALEKS WILL 
POSSESS THE ULTIMATE TOOL WITH WHICH TO DESTROY ALL OF GALLIFREY 
AND GAIN THE SUPREME POWER OF THE TIME LORDS."
	"Imperial Daleks?  I must say you don't seem terribly imperial at the 
moment.  A few dilapidated ships cruising the expanses of space, no home, no 
planet, no one to conquer."
	"A TEMPORARY DISLOCATION WHICH WILL SOON BE RECTIFIED.  I FIND IT 
ONLY FITTING THAT IT WILL BE YOUR WEAK-HEARTED ACQUIESCENCE LONG
AGO WHICH PROVIDED THE INFORMATION THAT WILL PERMIT MY IMPERIAL 
DALEKS TO BECOME TRULY THE SUPREME LIFE FORM..."
	"Yes, yes, yes, conquer the galaxy, crush the lower races, I know the 
words.  If you've such a marvelous plan laid out, Davros, then why bother 
interrogating me now?"
	"YOU UNDERESTIMATE ME, DOC-TOR.  THERE IS STILL MUCH YOU CAN 
TELL ME ABOUT THE TIME TRAVEL CAPABILITIES OF THE TIME LORDS."
	The Doctor's affable demeanor fell away.  "If you think that I'm going to 
once again fill your ears with secrets such as those you're even more 
delusional than I thought."
	Davros chuckled, a disturbing gurgling sound.  "PREDICTABLE AS EVER.  
IT MATTERS NOT.  YOU HAVE BROUGHT ME ANOTHER TIME LORD THIS TIME,
DOC-TOR.  SHE HAS EVEN MORE INFORMATION THAN YOURSELF, AND MORE 
RECENT KNOWLEDGE.  IF YOU WILL NOT DIVULGE TO ME THE INFORMATION I 
REQUIRE, THEN PERHAPS SHE WILL.  OTHERWISE, YOU, SHE, AND THE HUMAN 
WOMAN WILL DIE."



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