

# Time Out Of Joint

Richard L. Foland Jr.

Copyright 2012 Richard L. Foland Jr.

Original Text Copyright 1995-1996 Richard L. Foland Jr.

Cover Illustration by Zonepix

Smashwords Edition

This is a non-profit-making ebook. No attempt has been made to supersede the copyrights held by the BBC, Davis-Panzer Productions or any other persons or organizations.

##  Table of Contents

Alternate Cover

Title Page

Table of Contents

Dedication

Author's Note

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

About The Author

Other Titles Available from this Author

Previews

Preview: At What Price?

Preview: Kayleigh and the Caterpillar

##  Dedication

For Bill

Who, in 1987, exposed me to the fact that Doctor who was an ongoing series and not just an old black and white Science Fiction movie (The Krotons omnibus version).

And For Tracy

Who, around that same time, introduced me to the original Highlander film.

##  Author's Note

Each chapter of this book begins with a recap of the end of the previous chapter. This is not a formatting error. From its beginning in 1963 until 1989 nearly every Doctor Who story was made up of two or more episodes that usually ended on a cliffhanger. The following week's episode would then begin with a recap of that cliffhanger. This book attempts to recapture the feel of that period of Doctor Who, which is wholly appropriate given that all of the Doctors from that era appear in it. If you find the repetition disturbing you can easily skip them by passing on to the next section which will be indicated by "***" or a change in location and time heading.

## Part I

"Time is out of joint; Oh cursed spite

That ever I was born to set it right!"

\-- Hamlet Act I, Scene V.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

The heat was unbearable. For the tenth straight day the mercury had risen above one hundred five degrees Fahrenheit. The streets were deserted; everyone was seeking relief from the heat indoors. Silence blanketed the city.

A solitary figure disturbed the serenity. He was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and he wasn't in a good mood. His name was Richard Ryan, but he preferred the more familiar Richie.

"That's it! That's the last time I ever do a favour for Mac. 'It'll only take a few minutes, Richie.' 'The place is air-conditioned, Richie.' Yeah, tell me anoth..." He trailed off reaching for his sword. It wasn't there. "Damn! I knew I should have worn something else."

The feeling was growing; another Immortal was near, very near. But where? Slowly, the air about thirty yards away began to solidify. It became a figure, which eventually became a man. He looked at Richie, a little disoriented, and reached for something. It wasn't there. He turned and fled down the nearest alleyway.

Richie breathed a sigh of relief. He had been very lucky and he knew it. That, he decided, would be the last time that he went anywhere without his sword.

***

"I'm telling you, Mac, he just materialized out of thin air!"

"Richie. Nobody materializes out of thin air. Not us, not anybody."

"I know what I saw. One second the street was empty. The next, there he was!"

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"What are you two discussing so vociferously?"

They both turned toward the new voice. In the doorway stood a fit looking black man. He was wearing a sleeveless sweat suit and looked as if he had been working out.

"Charlie, when did you get back into town? You should have called. We'd have met you at the airport."

"Are you okay, MacLeod?"

"Fine, why do you ask?" queried Duncan as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Well, for starters, I haven't been anywhere. Especially not anywhere that I'd need a plane to get back from. I think you might have a wire loose in that four hundred year old brain of yours."

Coffee showered the office as Duncan MacLeod nearly choked on Charlie's words. Richie, for his part, just stood there open mouthed with Duncan's coffee dripping off him. Charlie looked from one to the other.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Charlie," choked Duncan, "what did you mean by 'four hundred year old brain'?"

"You know. That wrinkled grey thing inside your head. What? Does immortality make you senile?"

"When did you find out about Mac's immortality?" asked Richie.

"Right after that Horton guy shot us, you remember MacLeod? You told me yourself, in the hospital, before you chased him to France."

"Oh, yeah! How could I have forgotten? Would you keep an eye on things while Richie and I catch lunch?"

"Sure, bring me back something, okay? No rice though."

"You've got it."

Duncan and Richie strolled out of the dojo lost in their own thoughts. Neither noticed the slight shimmer in the air as they left the building.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

The room was large, perhaps sixty feet across and was roughly hexagonal in shape. In the centre of the room, looking as if it had sprung fungus-like from the floor was a hexagonal control console. Scattered around the room were various pieces of antique furniture. A small man with dark hair was resting comfortably in what appeared to be a Louis XIV sedan chair.

Suddenly, the control panel emitted a harsh whistle and the room was plunged into darkness. The Doctor, as the small man liked to be called, leapt from his chair just as the whole room lurched to one side. He tumbled toward the console, managed to grab hold and pull himself upright. At that moment the interior door burst open and in pitched the Doctor's latest travelling companion. Her name was Dorothy, but she preferred to be called Ace.

"What's going on Professor?"

"There's a massive disruption in the fabric of the Temporal Vortex," The Doctor replied as if that explained everything. "And don't call me 'Professor'."

The TARDIS lurched again and smoke began to pour from the console. The Doctor's fingers danced across the controls. An ominous creaking sound filled the air.

"Doctor, I think the TARDIS is going to break apart!!"

"Don't worry, she'll hold together! I hope."

The Time Rotor, the central column of the control panel, slowed to a halt. The console gave out one last shower of sparks and fell silent. Ace picked herself up off the floor and walked over to where the Doctor stood. A low sonorous tone reverberated through the TARDIS.

"Doctor, what is that?"

"The cloister bell," the Doctor whispered.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

Duncan and Richie walked into Joe's bar. They waited inside the door to let their eyes adjust to the comparative gloom. Duncan signalled the bartender and he and Richie slid into a table in the corner near the door.

"What makes you think Dawson will know what's going on, Mac?"

"It's his job to know, Rich. I just hope he can tell us how Charlie found out about us."

Mike the bartender approached.

"I'm sorry, Mister MacLeod, I know that you and Joe had become friends before the accident. It's just that... Well, Miss Horton doesn't want you in here. She asked me to show you out and to tell you that if you come in here again she'll turn you over to the police for killing her father."

Duncan and Richie exchanged looks and headed for the door. They wanted to ask Mike about "the accident" and why Horton's daughter was running the place but they both seemed to sense the tension and decided to just leave. Neither of them noticed the slight shimmer in the air as they left.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

Boooooooom! Boooooooom! Boooooooom! The low sonorous tones of the cloister bell reverberated through the TARDIS. Ace ignored it as she studied herself in the mirror. She was dressed in jeans and a crop top, her midriff exposed. The Doctor would never approve, she smiled. Pity her other gear had been torn during the pummelling that the TARDIS had undergone. Boooo! The bell stopped suddenly as if it had been cut short.

Ace grabbed a rucksack and stuffed several cans of her home-made nitro-nine into it. She quickly tied her long brown hair into a ponytail and headed for the Control Room. As she left her room she grabbed her black bomber jacket. She couldn't leave it behind; it was as much a part of her as the Doctor's umbrella was a part of him.

She reached the Control Room in seconds and was about to ask the Doctor why the bell had stopped ringing, but she stopped short. The Doctor was talking to someone. On the view screen was a woman. She was beautiful and she carried an air of authority that Ace had never quite experienced before.

"The TARDIS is trapped in the Vortex, Doctor, we can not free it. The temporal distortions are to strong."

"I understand, Madam President."

"In order to correct the problem it will be necessary to determine who or what is altering history and stop it. The problem is that the distortions are so massive and intertwined that we are no longer able to determine which time stream is which. None of your previous selves were in the Vortex when the disruptions occurred, so we have decided to send them into the various time streams to try and unravel this mess."

"Yes, Madam President. That seems a wise course of action. What is the High Council going to do, if I may ask."

"We are unable to assist at this time. The shock wave that you felt was a million times worse here. The Capitol has been severely damaged and most of our temporal equipment is non-functional."

"I understand; Ace and I will have to find our own way out."

"Doctor, I've been studying up on Type Forty TT Capsules since we got your distress call. Is the Temporal Matter Transmitter in your craft operational?"

"Not really, Madam. The remote recall system was one of the ones scheduled for repair when I, er, liberated it."

"An interesting choice of words, Doctor. However, the actual targeting and transmittal systems are functional?"

"Yes, Madam, but I can not leave the TARDIS. She's..."

"I am aware of the connection between you and your capsule, Doctor. The problem remains that we need your help and you can't give it if you're trapped in the Vortex. We want you and your companion to come to Gallifrey."

"But, Madam President...."

"That is not a request, Doctor!"

The woman faded from the view screen and the Doctor operated the control to close the shutters over it. He did not look happy. He stroked the console.

"Sorry, old girl but orders are orders."

Ace could have sworn that the console beeped in understanding but she knew that wasn't possible. The TARDIS wasn't alive. Was it?

"Come on, Ace. The President awaits."

The Doctor operated another control and a section of wall disappeared revealing an apparatus that resembled the transporter from "Star Trek". In fact if Ace hadn't known better she would have thought that the Doctor had visited the Enterprise and convinced them to help him put one in the TARDIS.

"Cor, Professor. Beam us up!"

The Doctor smiled. This new companion of his was certainly going to be fun to have around. He activated the controls and stepped onto the platform. Ace followed. There was a feeling of dislocation as if her arms and legs had decided to leave on their own. She felt light-headed and her vision fogged. When it cleared she and the Doctor were standing in a street and two people were staring at them wide eyed.

"See, Mac, I told you!"

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

"This isn't right. I set the controls for Gallifrey. I wonder..."

"Professor?"

"Not now, Ace, I'm thinking."

"Professor, this is important!"

"What is it, Ace?"

"We've been spotted by the natives and they don't look pleased to see us."

The Doctor looked up to see two men approaching. Both were carrying swords and wearing clothes that must have been quite uncomfortable in the heat. No other people were visible.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor and this is my friend Ace."

"I am Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod and this is my friend Richie. Would you mind if I ask where you came from?"

The Doctor looked at Ace and she could almost see the question in his eyes. All she could do was nod. The strangers had seen them materialize.

"Well.... That might be a bit difficult to explain. Could you tell us where we are?"

"Seacouver," replied the one called Richie.

"Seacouver? We're on Earth then?"

The two strangers nodded. He could tell that they thought he was crazy. His next question would probably convince them that he was, but he had to know.

"What year is it?"

The two men exchanged a glance and tucked their swords away under their coats.

"1995. You'd better come with us."

***

They were in Duncan's flat, above the dojo. The four of them sat, drinking tea. Finally the Doctor broke the silence.

"Nice collection of antiques you have here."

"Thank you, Doctor. Now perhaps you'll tell us why you're here."

"Not until you tell us why we're here." He waved his hands, indicating the flat.

"Richie saw someone materialize out of thin air, much like you two did, earlier today. When you asked what year it was we thought you might be time travellers and if that is the case, maybe you can help us."

"Help you with what?"

"Something has been changing the past."

"Wait; let me see if I have this right. Your past is being altered?"

They both nodded.

"You are aware of these alterations?"

Another nod.

"You think it's possible that someone is travelling through time to do this?"

Nod.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why, Mr. MacLeod, do you think someone would be altering your past?"

"To disorient me. To make me an easier target."

"Target for what?" queried Ace. "And what makes you think we're time travellers?"

"You are the reason I think you're time travellers. I think we've met before."

"I think I'd remember meeting a tall dark swordsman. Besides that doesn't prove anything."

"You could be right. It's possible that I may have mistaken me for somebody else."

PARIS, FRANCE -- APRIL 1895

"Duncan, I'm glad you could make it."

"You know I'd never miss one of your parties, Fitz."

"Come with me, I've got someone I want you to meet."

Fitzcairn led Duncan through the house to a terrace in the rear. He grabbed them each a glass of champagne as they walked out onto the terrace. He handed one to Duncan and indicated a group of people at one end of the terrace and walked toward them.

"Dorathee, I'd like you to meet my very good friend..."

"Duncan MacLeod?"

"I'm sorry, have the two of you met?"

"No, we haven't. I think I'd remember meeting someone as beautiful as this lady obviously is."

"I must have mistaken me for somebody else," said Dorathee and offered her hand to Duncan. He kissed it

## Part II

"The future is purchased by the present."

\-- Samuel Johnson

PARIS, FRANCE -- APRIL 1895

"Duncan, I'm glad you could make it."

"You know I'd never miss one of your parties, Fitz."

"Come with me, I've got someone I want you to meet."

Fitzcairn led Duncan through the house to a terrace in the rear. He grabbed them each a glass of champagne as they walked out onto the terrace. He handed one to Duncan and indicated a group of people at one end of the terrace and walked toward them.

"Dorathee, I'd like you to meet my very good friend..."

"Duncan MacLeod?"

"I'm sorry, have the two of you met?"

"No, we haven't. I think I'd remember meeting someone as beautiful as this lady obviously is."

"I must have mistaken me for somebody else," said Dorathee and offered her hand to Duncan. He kissed it.

A GARDEN IN THE DISTANT REACHES OF SPACE -- ????

The Garden was carpeted with lush, deep green, grass and surrounded by a huge hedge. Thousands upon thousands of rose bushes growing in long beds of earth gave the air a heady scent. An old man with long white hair and a proud nose walked through the Garden with the assistance of a cane.

"Doctor."

The old man paused and looked around for the source of the voice. There were only the roses.

"Doctor, we have need of your help."

"Again? I've come to this place to rest. My old body is wearing thin and I shall regenerate soon."

"We are aware of that Doctor."

"Then why do you insist on bothering me, hmmm? I have already been pressed into service once since I arrived here. Can't you just get along with the aid of my future selves?"

"All your selves are being 'pressed into service' as you put it. Someone is altering time and we have effectively been cut off from providing our assistance. We must restore the timeline, but are unable to properly determine which of the divergent lines is the correct one."

"So you want my selves to determine that for you, hmmm? Well, will I be allowed to take Steven this time or are you going to whisk me away yet again?"

"We are unable to transport you ourselves. However, we should be able to help you by overriding the damaged control circuit in your TT capsule."

"In other words I may take whoever I please. Why didn't you just say so?"

"Good luck, Doctor. It's such a pity that none of your selves are more agreeable."

"Humph!"

The Doctor headed back to his TARDIS and his companion. He hated doing these things for the Time Lords, but if doing the occasional odd job allowed him to stay free then so be it. If only they wouldn't keep interrupting him at this point in his life. He was tired; he really should rest for a while, before he changed

PLANET 14 -- CIRCA 1965

The room was large, perhaps sixty feet across and was roughly hexagonal in shape. In the centre of the room, looking as if it had sprung fungus-like from the floor was a hexagonal control console. Scattered around the room were various pieces of antique furniture. The large double doors in one of the walls opened with a soft whirring sound and two people entered.

The smaller of the two was wearing checked trousers and a black frock coat. This was the second incarnation of the Doctor and he and his companion, who was wearing traditional highland garb, were engaged in conversation.

"I told you Jamie, the last time we met the Cybermen was in the future so it hasn't happened, er, at least not yet."

"I understand that, Doctor. I just dinna' understand why we let the silver beasties escape this time."

"I've explained. If we destroy the Cybermen now, then we wouldn't have been able to encounter them in the future. Unfortunately we did...," the Doctor trailed off. Jamie was staring fixedly at the scanner screen. The Doctor turned to see what he was looking at.

On the screen was a woman. She was dressed in the robes of the President of the High Council of Time Lords. She smiled sweetly.

"Doctor, we have a job for you."

"Oh, no! Not again. I've done enough jobs for you; I want nothing to do with it."

"Now now, Doctor. So tetchy. What would your previous self say if he saw you behaving so much like him?"

"He'd agree with me."

"That's as maybe, but we need your help. In fact we need the help of all your selves."

"What? After the last time I don't care if I see my other two selves ever again!"

"There are more than three of you now."

"Oh, how many of me are there?"

"Seven."

"Seven, already, we must be getting careless in our old age."

"Indeed. Will you help us Doctor? Someone is altering time and we have been completely cut off from the rest of the universe. The proper time line must be returned, however, we have no way of knowing which time line that is."

"I see, you want my selves to determine that for you. Is that it?"

"Yes."

"Well, why didn't you just say so?"

The Doctor smiled playfully and began to fiddle with the controls. The woman smiled back and faded from view.

LONDON, ENGLAND -- OCTOBER 1974

The UNIT lab was quite functional. It contained a work bench, a computer and a few shelving units for storage. The only thing that didn't really appear to serve a purpose was the Police Public Call Box standing in one corner.

A tall elegantly dressed man with a shock of white hair was puttering around the lab. He examined shelves, polished the work bench and even dismantled and reassembled the computer. He was doing anything he could think of to keep busy. The problem with being UNIT's unpaid scientific advisor was that sometimes it was incredibly boring.

"Doctor," a female voice called from the TARDIS.

The Doctor opened the doors and entered. On the scanner screen was a woman dressed in the robes of the President of the High Council.

"Madam President?"

"We need your help Doctor. Someone is altering time and we are unable to restore the time line until we know which of the alternatives is the correct one."

"Why don't one of you do it? I mean, I've already paid my debt. I'm free again, remember?"

"Then why are you still on Earth?"

"You know, I was just asking myself the same question."

"Well, since you're bored anyway, why not do this favour for us? We wouldn't ask, but we seem to have been isolated from space/time."

"You would so ask, you always do. However, I'll help you out just this one last time."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"Well at least you're getting more polite about these interruptions in my lives."

"Too bad we can't say the same about you Doctor," replied the President as she faded from the screen.

FANG ROCK -- CIRCA 1900

The fourth incarnation of the Doctor entered the TARDIS, followed by his companion Leela, and stopped short. Leela plowed into him.

"What'd you do that for?"

"Shhhh!" replied the Doctor indicating the scanner screen. "We seem to have company."

"Congratulations, Doctor!" said the woman on the screen. "The Rutans have decided to steer clear of Earth for a while. Most impressive."

"Thank you," said the Doctor sheepishly.

"We need your help desperately, Doctor. Someone is altering time on a massive scale. We have been effectively cut off from intervening and would like you to help determine which time line is the proper one."

"Help, whom am I to help? You said you were unable to interfere."

"We are seeking help from all your selves."

"All of them?"

"Well, from the seven of you that currently exist in space/time."

"Well, I normally like to work on my own you know."

"Your contact with your other selves will be minimal. You are to each explore the time lines and report your findings to us. Once we have that information we should be able to determine the proper time line and what course of action your selves will need to take."

"All right, I agree, but only because you asked first this time instead of just dumping me in the middle of things."

"We regret the action that that particular High Council took in regards to your involvement with Morbius and have therefore decided to be more up front this time."

"I appreciate that, Madam President."

The face faded from the screen as the Doctor began to work the controls. The TARDIS dematerialized from the island leaving behind the fog and the lighthouse with its dead occupants.

THE PLANET SARN -- FEBRUARY 1983

The fifth incarnation of the Doctor emerged from the interior of the TARDIS. He had cleaned himself up and pinned a new stalk of celery to his lapel. His youthful gaze took in the console room. He could understand Turlough's desire to return home, however, he would miss him. He always missed them.

Just then, Peri, his newest companion entered the console room. Well, she might be his newest companion. He wasn't quite sure.

"Well," he said, "I suppose we should see about getting you back home."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to stay awhile. After all, it's not every day that you find yourself in a time machine."

She smiled and he smiled back. He turned to the console and began to operate the controls. The sound of the scanner screen being activated made him look up.

"Madam President?"

"You seem surprised to see me Doctor."

"Well, as a matter of fact, I am. I rather thought I was President."

"Oh, you are Doctor. I'm your successor. One of your future selves suggested I stand for the post."

"I see. What can I do for my successor, then?"

"Someone or something is destroying the fabric of time. Unless the proper time line is re-established the universe will collapse. However, the disruption has effectively isolated us. We are working on the problem but, for the time being we need help. We want you to journey into the alternate time lines and try to ascertain which is the correct one."

"That may take some time, Madam President."

"Your other selves are also going to help."

"All of us?"

"Your first four personas have already agreed. Your seventh was trapped in the Vortex but has since escaped. He was supposed to come here and try to help our engineers repair the damage that the disruption has caused, but the distortions in the vicinity of his TARDIS were much too strong. He and his companion are now stranded in one of the time streams and will need to be rescued eventually."

"What of my sixth self?"

"We will contact him next. Good luck, Doctor."

BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND -- MARCH 1986

The Sixth Doctor and Peri entered the TARDIS. She operated a lever on the console and the doors closed behind them. At that moment the scanner screen was activated and the face of an intelligent self-possessed woman appeared.

"Doctor, Miss Brown, we need your help. Time is being altered to such an extent that the entire universe is on the verge of collapse. We need you to help the Doctor's other selves to determine which time line is the original and restore it to its proper place. The damage caused by the distortions have limited our ability to assist. We can only manage to communicate with you at the moment. Our engineers are working on a way to allow us to send someone to aid you, but for the moment it's up to you."

"What makes you think we will just blindly do as you ask? You constantly interfere in my lives, you manipulate me into fighting Cybermen, and who knows what else. Why not just manipulate me into helping you now?"

"We are asking for your help, rather than manipulating you into it, because the entire High Council has recently been replaced and we do not agree with the policies of our predecessors."

"Including me, Madam President? You are my successor, aren't you?"

"Yes, Doctor, I am your replacement and it was you that will suggest that I stand for the position."

"Oh, well I always have good taste. I'll agree to help, but this is the last time!"

"Thank you, Doctor and good luck. Oh, we should warn you that your previous self is also travelling with Miss Brown."

"I understand," said the Doctor as he began to set the controls.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

"You could be right. It's possible that I may have mistaken me for somebody else."

"If you're not time travellers, why did you ask what year it was?" asked Richie.

"He's got us there, Ace."

"So, will you help us?"

"I suppose we should. What I can't understand is how you can be aware of changes..."

The Doctor looked around as did Richie and Duncan. There was a strange tingling sensation running down the Doctor's back.

"Someone's coming," said Richie.

"Downstairs, quick," shouted the Doctor as he raced for the stairs. The others followed. When they reached the main floor of the dojo the Doctor stopped.

"There," he indicated a spot near the main doors.

"I don't see anything," said Ace.

Before she finished speaking a man materialized in the exact spot that the Doctor had indicated. Duncan and Richie both stepped forward with their swords drawn. The newcomer drew his sword as well.

"Uh, uh, uh. No two against one!"

"Thanks pal, we know the rules," replied Richie.

"I'm here for Duncan MacLeod."

"Then come and get me," said Duncan as he moved toward the centre of the room.

The stranger moved forward to meet Duncan. Their swords clashed and they began to move in a bizarre dance. It was soon clear that Duncan was the superior swordsman. The stranger began to tire and Duncan penetrated his guard. The sword passed right through the stranger's body and carried Duncan off balance. The stranger swung his sword and cleaved Duncan's head from his shoulders.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" shouted Richie as he charged toward the stranger.

## Part III

"Because I could not stop for Death--

He kindly stopped for me--

The Carriage held but just Ourselves--

And Immortality."

\-- Emily Dickinson.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

"You could be right. It's possible that I may have mistaken me for somebody else."

"If you're not time travellers, why did you ask what year it was?" asked Richie.

"He's got us there, Ace."

"So, will you help us?"

"I suppose we should. What I can't understand is how you can be aware of changes..."

The Doctor looked around as did Richie and Duncan. There was a strange tingling sensation running down the Doctor's back.

"Someone's coming," said Richie.

"Downstairs, quick," shouted the Doctor as he raced for the stairs. The others followed. When they reached the main floor of the dojo the Doctor stopped.

"There," he indicated a spot near the main doors.

"I don't see anything," said Ace.

Before she finished speaking a man materialized in the exact spot that the Doctor had indicated. Duncan and Richie both stepped forward with their swords drawn. The newcomer drew his sword as well.

"Uh, uh, uh. No two against one!"

"Thanks pal, we know the rules," replied Richie.

"I'm here for Duncan MacLeod."

"Then come and get me," said Duncan as he moved toward the centre of the room.

The stranger moved forward to meet Duncan. Their swords clashed and they began to move in a bizarre dance. It was soon clear that Duncan was the superior swordsman. The stranger began to tire and Duncan penetrated his guard. The sword passed right through the stranger's body and carried Duncan off balance. The stranger swung his sword and cleaved Duncan's head from his shoulders.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" shouted Richie as he charged toward the stranger.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- SEPTEMBER 1985

The car park was quiet and poorly lit. The row upon row of cars testified to the popularity of the wrestling match taking place at that moment in Madison Square Garden. In one darkened corner of level F the TARDIS materialized with its characteristic wheezing groan. The Police Box shell of the TARDIS seemed a little out of place, but much less so than when it materialized on planets other than Earth.

The deep silence that followed the arrival of the TARDIS was broken a short time later by the sound of feet on concrete. A man of average height and athletic build emerged from the shadows; his dusty blond hair seeming darker in the poor light. He glanced at the Police Box in the corner. It hadn't been there earlier; he felt sure. It probably didn't represent a threat; and the feeling of another of his kind nearby took precedence over this strange occurrence. He continued further into the garage. The sensation he felt grew strongest when he reached row thirteen.

"MacLeod!"

He turned at the sound of his name. The man facing him was slightly taller with light hair and mirrored shades. He was dressed in a dark suit and carried a black overcoat in one hand. In the other hand he held a sword. MacLeod's mind instantly identified the sword as a Toledo Salamanca.

"Fasil, wait!"

Fasil swung his sword. MacLeod dodged the weapon and landed a blow at Fasil's midsection which knocked him backwards. This gave MacLeod the time he needed to draw his own sword from inside his coat. The ensuing battle ranged throughout that level of the car park. After disarming Fasil, MacLeod took his head.

***

The Doctor and Steven had been watching all of this on the TARDIS view screen. Steven had been appalled by what he perceived as the barbarism of the twentieth century. The Doctor, for his part, had been fascinated by the anachronism of two men fighting it out with swords in a twentieth century car park. On the screen the winner of the sword fight was being pummelled with some kind of energy that seemed to emanate from the corpse which was now floating in mid air.

"Quite interesting, my boy. Wouldn't you agree?"

The Doctor didn't hear Steven's reply. There was a strange tingling sensation running down the Doctor's back. His attention snapped back to the view screen. The energy force seemed to have spent itself and the victor was on his hands and knees. Someone else was materializing out of thin air.

***

MacLeod felt another immortal and looked up to see some one appear out of nowhere. He saw the sword flashing downward and just managed to roll out of the way. He scrambled to his feet and assumed a defensive posture. He could hear sirens approaching and knew he didn't have any time to get away.

"We don't have time for this," he panted.

"It won't take long," the stranger replied.

MacLeod parried the first blow and then the second. He quickly realized that the stranger was right; it wasn't going to take long at all. He saw an opening and seized the opportunity. His sword passed through the stranger's body as if it were made of air, dragging MacLeod off balance. The stranger's sword arced towards him and he knew it was over.

The stranger laughed as the Quickening enveloped him.

"So long, Conner MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod!!! I'll see you in Hell!"

The Quickening ended and he slowly faded from view. Seconds later New York's finest arrived. They took in the devastation and the two headless corpses. It looked like a war zone.

"Oh boy," murmured one of the policemen.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

The stranger saw Richie bearing down on him and promptly disappeared. Richie stopped short. He glanced cautiously around. A blue glow had enveloped the headless body of Duncan MacLeod and it had begun to float in mid-air. Something that looked like lightning arced from the body. Richie was enveloped by the energy discharge. Lights exploded, the windows blew out and the sprinkler system started spraying the room with water.

The Doctor grabbed Ace's shoulder as she started towards Richie. She turned toward the Doctor and saw him subtly shake his head in the negative.

"We have to help him!" she cried over the noise.

"He'll be okay. Trust me."

The Doctor's voice was quiet but she heard every word as if his voice was the only sound in the room. Then she realized that everything had gone quiet, as if someone had switched off the sound. The sprinkler system was quiescent and Duncan's corpse was once again on the floor of the dojo. Richie was also on the floor, curled into a foetal position. She ran to his side. He was weeping.

"Are you all right?" she whispered.

"I took Mac's Quickening," he sobbed and Ace could almost swear she heard the capital Q.

Small goose bumps began to form on Ace's flesh. She looked up and saw the man who had killed Duncan fade into view. His sword was already swinging downward toward Richie's neck. Something intercepted the downward stroke and it took her a second to realize that the Doctor's umbrella had been the something.

The stranger looked at the Doctor who was staring fixedly at a spot just behind Ace as if he was expecting someone else to appear. The stranger back handed the Doctor who went reeling across the room. Ace pulled Richie closer to shield him from the sword with her own body.

"Out of the way, girl!" the stranger bellowed.

"Sod off!"

The hilt of the sword crashed down knocking her unconscious. The stranger pushed her limp body away and readied himself to take Richie's head. The Doctor was still a little dazed and he couldn't quite place the strange sensation building in his mind. He'd felt it before, but when? He shook his head. He could worry about that later, at the moment he had to stop this man from taking another head. The sword began to move in a downward swing.

At the exact instant that the stranger began to swing his sword all hell broke loose. A dark figure materialized out of nowhere. It leapt forward with all the speed and agility of a large cat. The stranger was knocked backwards several feet, his sword falling next to Ace's prone form. Richie was now scrambling to his feet rapier in hand. A small spherical object leapt from the hand of the dark figure and arced through the air towards the stranger.

"Everybody down!!!!" yelled the figure as it fit word to deed.

The explosion tore away one side of the building and threw Richie, who had remained on his feet, against the far wall a large chunk of wood protruding from his chest. The sprinkler system reactivated, sputtered, decided that it had had too much excitement today and promptly cut out. The Doctor crawled from beneath a pile of debris. The dark figure helped him to his feet and it was at that moment that he had placed the odd feeling.

A WARP ELLIPSE SPACECRAFT -- JUNE 1983

The fifth Doctor's youthful body was wired into a machine. His companions Tegan and Nyssa were also connected to the device. It was a metamorphic symbiosis regenerator; a Time Lord machine that had been stolen and used by the eight aliens, who were also wired to it. The aliens were trapped in an unending state of bodily regeneration. The Doctor had reluctantly agreed to help them by giving up his remaining regenerations. Tegan and Nyssa had been contaminated and would have to remain on the vessel unless he also gave them a portion of his life force. The Doctor's old friend Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart was operating the controls.

The Brigadier had been brought to the ship by the Doctor. A second Brigadier from six years earlier had been brought to the ship by Tegan and Nyssa. So far they had managed to keep them apart.

The Brigadier from 1977 entered the laboratory.

"Five, four..." The Brigadier from 1983 read off the countdown.

The younger Brigadier was momentarily stunned by the sight of the eight aliens connected to the machine. Then he caught sight of a young man in a frock coat, also connected to the device.

"What the devil...!"

"Three..."

The younger Brigadier stepped forward and saw, much to his disgust and horror, Tegan and Nyssa. They were lashed to the machine as well.

"Two..."

"Brigadier, get out of here!" yelled the young man in the frock coat.

The Brigadier took no notice, but advanced on the swine at the controls.

"One second..."

"What do you think you're doing?"

The operator turned.

For a moment time stood still. Brigadier stared at Brigadier, then, as their hands touched, there was a blinding flash and a tremendous explosion.

The explosion was the result of an energy release from the TARDIS by the Blinovitch Limitation Effect. The immense energy discharge as the two Brigadiers came together was exactly synchronized with the moment of transfer. Therefore, the aliens got what they wanted most, an end to their suffering, Tegan and Nyssa were healed and the Doctor still had all his remaining regenerations.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

"Hello, Ace. I hope you have the good sense not to touch yourself," said the Doctor, indicating the area in which the other Ace was lying under a small pile of debris.

"Actually, it's Dorathee now and I am quite aware of the danger of the Blinovitch Limitation Effect."

"Especially when the TARDIS isn't around," the Doctor added. "Or is it?"

"No, I have a slightly different method of time travel."

The Doctor studied her for a moment. She was at least a decade older and had a slight impish smile on her face. There was some sort of organic machine strapped to her back. He returned her smile.

"I don't suppose you could give me a lift to the TARDIS. She's trapped in the Vortex."

"I know."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"You stay here and get me out from under that rubble and I'll go get the TARDIS."

She started to fade from view, faltered for a second and solidified again.

"I almost forgot, you'll have to misplace your knowledge of my future until it happens. I'll ask the TARDIS to wipe it from your memory after this is all over. Oh, and I'm sorry about the nitro-nine. I really don't use it anymore, but this was a special case."

"I understand. Thank you for your help. If you manage to get the TARDIS free take it to Duncan's flat, upstairs."

"Will do," replied Dorathee as she once again faded from sight.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

Dorathee materialized in the TARDIS control room. She walked over to the console and patted it affectionately. She programmed the telepathic circuits to wipe the Doctor's memory of her. She then set the co-ordinates for Earth and tried to coax the TARDIS into materializing. The console groaned and the time rotor stuttered and died. The cloister bell tolled one sonorous note and was quiet.

"I guess I'll just have to carry you."

She ran into the interior of the TARDIS. She found a rope tucked up in one corner of her old room.

"I'll have it back before I even miss it," she muttered.

She returned to the console room. She opened the doors and stepped into the Vortex. She closed the doors and lashed herself to the exterior shell of the TARDIS.

"Here goes," she whispered and willed the hopper on her back to transport them to Duncan's flat.

## Part IV

"He knew very well that Immortality

was a curse, not a blessing."

\-- The Five Doctors.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

"Hello, Ace. I hope you have the good sense not to touch yourself," said the Doctor, indicating the area in which the other Ace was lying under a small pile of debris.

"Actually, it's Dorathee now and I am quite aware of the danger of the Blinovitch Limitation Effect."

"Especially when the TARDIS isn't around," the Doctor added. "Or is it?"

"No, I have a slightly different method of time travel."

The Doctor studied her for a moment. She was at least a decade older and had a slight impish smile on her face. There was some sort of organic machine strapped to her back. He returned her smile.

"I don't suppose you could give me a lift to the TARDIS. She's trapped in the Vortex."

"I know."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"You stay here and get me out from under that rubble and I'll go get the TARDIS."

She started to fade from view, faltered for a second and solidified again.

"I almost forgot, you'll have to misplace your knowledge of my future until it happens. I'll ask the TARDIS to wipe it from your memory after this is all over. Oh, and I'm sorry about the nitro-nine. I really don't use it anymore, but this was a special case."

"I understand. Thank you for your help. If you manage to get the TARDIS free take it to Duncan's flat, upstairs."

"Will do," replied Dorathee as she once again faded from sight.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

Dorathee materialized in the TARDIS control room. She walked over to the console and patted it affectionately. She programmed the telepathic circuits to wipe the Doctor's memory of her. She then set the co-ordinates for Earth and tried to coax the TARDIS into materializing. The console groaned and the time rotor stuttered and died. The cloister bell tolled one sonorous note and was quiet.

"I guess I'll just have to carry you."

She ran into the interior of the TARDIS. She found a rope tucked up in one corner of her old room.

"I'll have it back before I even miss it," she muttered.

She returned to the console room. She opened the doors and stepped into the Vortex. She closed the doors and lashed herself to the exterior shell of the TARDIS.

"Here goes," she whispered and willed the hopper on her back to transport them to Duncan's flat.

THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS -- JULY 1536

The TARDIS materialized on a hillside overlooking a battlefield. The doors opened and out stepped the Doctor and his companion. James Robert McCrimmon had joined the Doctor shortly after the battle of Culloden in 1745 on condition that he teach the Doctor to play the bagpipes.

"Ye've brought us to the Highlands, Doctor!!"

"Yes Jamie. A bit before your time I'm afraid. Mid-sixteenth century I should think."

"Look, Doctor."

The Doctor looked down on the battle waging below them.

"Some kind of clan war perhaps. Can you make out who they might be?"

"Aye. The MacLeods are fighting the Fraziers. But I dinna know who that black knight is."

"That's understandable; he's not likely to survive the two centuries until your time, Jamie."

***

Conner MacLeod cried out as the black knight's sword plunged into his chest. The Kurgan laughed as he pulled his sword from Conner's body. He raised the sword high for the killing stroke and a tide of MacLeods forced him away from the wounded Highlander. When he finally fought his way free there was no sign of Conner MacLeod.

Suddenly he felt the sensation of presence. Another Immortal was approaching. He turned this way and that but he couldn't seem to pinpoint where the other was.

"Looking for me?"

The Kurgan whirled around swinging his broadsword. It passed through the other Immortal's body. By the time this fact registered in the Kurgan's mind his head was tumbling from his shoulders.

***

The Doctor watched as the Highlanders fled from the bizarre electrical activity that surrounded the fallen knight and his killer. Jamie seemed to be transfixed by the spectacle. The energy appeared to flow from the headless body striking out like lightning. When it ended the remaining man just faded away as if he were just a dream.

"Come along Jamie. I think we've seen enough, we'd best be moving on."

"Aye," was the only reply that the stunned Highlander could offer.

The Doctor bustled him inside the TARDIS, which soon dematerialized with its characteristic wheezing, groaning sound.

SOMEWHERE ON THE PLANET EARTH -- ????

The Doctor had been walking for hours. When the TARDIS had materialized on Earth he decided he'd better try to find a town or village, but the desolation all around made that possibility seem less and less likely with each passing mile. He crested a hill and looked across a cratered wasteland. In the distance he could make out a small group of figures; two of them appeared to be swinging swords at each other.

The Doctor ran toward the figures, shouting and waving. The two men stopped their duel and looked up at him. The other two figures turned in his direction as well. As he drew closer, one of the figures resolved itself into a small furry creature which he couldn't quite place.

Within moments, the Doctor's long stride had covered the distance and he stood just out of sword's reach of the group. The furry creature and a small girl huddled behind the two men who now faced him, swords at the ready.

"Sorry to trouble you chaps, but could you direct me to the nearest city or town?"

"There's only one city and you wouldn't want to go there," replied the older of the two.

"Why on Earth not?"

"Kortan lives there," said the younger one, as if that explained everything.

"And just who is this Kortan?"

"Kortan has ruled this planet for nearly eight centuries. How could you not know who he is?" asked the older gentleman.

"Well that's a bit tricky to explain, but the truth is I just arrived here. I thought I was on Earth, but I must have been mistaken."

"This is Earth. Are you saying you're from outer space?"

"As a matter of fact, young man, I am saying just that. Now, if this is Earth something has gone seriously wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"I think I know what he means," said the older man. "Tell me, stranger, do you travel through time as well as space?"

"To be honest, yes. How did you know?"

"Come with us and I'll tell you."

With that he put his sword away. The boy did the same and the Doctor relaxed from the Venusian Akido stance that he hadn't been aware of assuming.

"By the way, I'm the Doctor and you are?"

"I'm Quentin MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod and this is my teacher, Ramirez," volunteered the youngster.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

The TARDIS and Dorathee slipped from the seeming unreality of the time Vortex into the real world. They had arrived exactly where she remembered, standing on Duncan's bed. She smiled as she untied the rope.

She re-entered the TARDIS and went straight to her former room to return her rope.

"As I said, I didn't even miss it."

Returning to the console room, Dorathee paused to examine the console. She ran her hand over the hexagonal unit, lovingly.

"Battered but not bowed?" she asked the TARDIS.

The Doctor had always said that it was alive and after her many years adventuring with him she had come to share his opinion. She had even formed some kind of telepathic link with first this one and then with the one that the Doctor had acquired from his former self on a parallel earth.

"I'm glad to hear it, even if I already knew," Dorathee replied to the TARDIS' telepathic assurance that it was functioning normally.

Dorathee exited the Police Box shell of the TARDIS and closed the door behind her. She took something from an inner pocket of her combat suit and, after scrawling a quick note on it, taped it to the exterior of the TARDIS.

"Sorry I can't stay to help, but it didn't happen that way," she told the TARDIS as she slowly faded from view.

***

The Doctor helped Ace from beneath a pile of debris. Her head was throbbing where she had been hit. Other than that she seemed to be all in one piece. She looked around taking in the devastation.

"Wicked," she said softly. "What happened?"

"No time. This way."

The Doctor led her to a slightly larger pile of rubble near one wall and began shifting the debris. Ace helped and they quickly uncovered Richie. Ace gasped. A large chunk of wood was imbedded in his chest and his eyes were staring vacantly into space. He was dead.

Despite her best efforts, Ace began to cry.

SOMEWHERE ON THE PLANET EARTH -- ????

It was dark. The Doctor and Ramirez were sitting by a small fire. Quentin was a little way off, going through some sort of martial arts exercise. The little girl and her small furry friend had fallen asleep earlier in the evening.

"Well, Doctor. I promised to explain what had happened here. Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes, I need to know. It's vitally important."

"First, I should explain that we're Immortal." He indicated MacLeod and himself.

"Truly Immortal?"

"As close as makes no difference. We can only be killed if we're decapitated. We fight each other until there's only one left. The last one will have the knowledge and power of all of us."

"I can see why you carry swords."

"Anyway, somehow one of us gained the ability to travel through time and space. He began to pick us off one by one. As our numbers dwindled we decided to band together to stop him. It was against the rules but we didn't have any choice. We all met at Stonehenge and waited for him to show up."

"What happened?"

"When he arrived we engaged him in battle. Unfortunately, a few of our less reputable numbers used the opportunity to get rid of some of their rivals. The multiple Quickenings somehow interfered with our quarry's ability to phase out of space-time and Kortan managed to take his head. None of us were prepared for what happened next.

"The stranger's Quickening was huge. It scattered us and devastated a large portion of the countryside. The major powers thought it was some kind of attack. The war that ensued lasted for only fifty-eight minutes, but it utterly destroyed civilisation."

"And Kortan just took over?"

"Yes. He was my friend once. I never knew a kinder, wiser man."

"What happened to him?"

"We call it a Dark Quickening. Kortan just couldn't handle all the evil that poured into him. Usually we have time between quickenings to process the evil and filter it out, but he got it all at once and his personality was warped by it. I lost a good friend that day and the world lost its freedom, but someday Quentin will defeat Kortan and save the Earth."

"What makes you think Quentin won't suffer Kortan's fate?"

"When Kortan took over most of the evil Immortals tried to kill him. They failed. The rest of us decided that we would one day willingly give over our power to one of our number who with his own heritage combined with our power would be able to withstand the effects of the Dark Quickening. Quentin was chosen because he's a MacLeod and the MacLeods have always been the best of us."

PARIS, FRANCE -- APRIL 1895

Dorathee faded into view in the wine cellar of Fitzcairn's home. She took the hopper off her back and gently hid it in a darkened corner. She could hear someone upstairs calling her name and it took her a few moments to realize that it was Duncan. She had to hurry.

She stripped off her twenty-fifth century battle armour and hid it with the hopper. Duncan's voice was dangerously close to the door to the wine cellar. She quickly pulled on her clothes. Well, as quickly as the bulky garments would allow. She only just managed to make herself presentable when the door at the top of the stairs opened and Duncan MacLeod descended.

"I wondered where you had got to."

"I always wondered what kind of wines Fitz kept down here and I thought it was high time I indulged my curiosity."

"What's your opinion then?"

"Very eclectic tastes."

MacLeod smiled with his eyes and Dorathee had to remind herself that now was not the time or place to get lost in them.

"Why don't we rejoin the party," she suggested.

"Only if I get the next dance," he replied offering his arm.

She took it and they strolled up the stairs as if they were taking a romantic moonlit walk. At the top of the stairs she risked a quick look back as Duncan closed the door. The hopper and combat suit were, thankfully, hidden from view.

"Shall we dance?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Aye, we shall lassie," Duncan replied in a heavy accent.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

"Ace." The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

"Leave me alone!"

"Ace, listen to me."

"He wasn't much older than I am," she sobbed. "That could be me lying there."

Richie inhaled sharply. His face contorted with great pain he reached up and pulled the piece of wood from his chest. He looked up into Ace's tear stained face.

"This might come as a bit of a surprise, but I'll live," he choked.

## Part V

"Call no man fortunate that is not dead.

The dead are free from pain."

\-- Sophocles' King Oedipus.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

"Ace." The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

"Leave me alone!"

"Ace, listen to me."

"He wasn't much older than I am," she sobbed. "That could be me lying there."

Richie inhaled sharply. His face contorted with great pain he reached up and pulled the piece of wood from his chest. He looked up into Ace's tear stained face.

"This might come as a bit of a surprise, but I'll live," he choked.

PARIS, FRANCE -- MAY 1995

The TARDIS materialized at the base of the Eiffel Tower. The doors of the Police Box shell opened and out stepped the fourth Doctor, his incredibly long scarf trailing behind him. He was followed by his companion Leela, a muscular young woman dressed in some sort of skins. The Doctor locked the TARDIS doors and then turned to Leela.

"We're in Paris," he said, indicating the tower. "On Earth," he added as an afterthought.

Leela peered up at the tower. There was some kind of movement near the top and every now and then she could see sparks as if metal were striking metal. Her eyes narrowed and her instincts took over. Some kind of battle was taking place on the tower.

"Someone is fighting up there."

The Doctor followed her gaze.

"I think you're right. Come on!"

He sprinted for the nearest steps and Leela ran after him. As they approached the level where the battle raged, the whole tower was illuminated by a flash of lightning.

"The Eiffel Tower," a voice said, "the world's biggest lightning rod."

Leela recognized the sound that followed as the sound of death, but she had never seen a death like this. She and the Doctor arrived in time to see a man with a sword being repeatedly struck by lightning which seemed to emanate from the decapitated body at his feet. The bolts also arced from him to the tower and then seemed to radiate out from the tower to the city below.

As the storm subsided the Doctor pulled her into hiding. They watched the swordsman stagger to the stairs and descend. When he was out of sight they approached the body.

"Some kind of electro-magnetic transference," the Doctor muttered to himself as he examined the corpse.

"Doctor, the killer is escaping!"

"Very probably, now let me think."

"We must follow."

"Not now, Leela. We have to get after that fellow with the sword. He may have something to do with the altered timelines."

Taking them two at a time the Doctor dashed down the steps. Leela shrugged and followed suit.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

The Doctor and Ace helped Richie to his feet. He looked at each of them and smiled. Surveying the wreckage of the dojo, his eyes came to rest on Duncan's headless body. The smile drained from his face.

"We'd better get outta here before the cops come," he said as he searched for his rapier.

He found it protruding from a small pile of debris near what had once been the dojo's office and started for the door. Realizing that the Doctor and Ace weren't following, he turned back toward them.

"This way, I should think," replied the Doctor.

He indicated the lift with his umbrella.

"We can't go back to the loft; the cops'll be here any second."

As if in confirmation of Richie's words, the sound of approaching sirens drifted in through the shattered windows.

"I should hope so too. Never the less, the loft is exactly where we MUST go."

Ace could tell that Richie was determined to leave as quickly as possible and decided to intervene on his behalf. One look at the dangerous expression on the Doctor's face however convinced her otherwise. She had only just joined the Doctor on his travels, but she knew enough from talking to his previous companion, Mel, not to argue with him when he was in "serious mode".

"Richie," she pleaded. "Please, come with us. The Professor knows what he's doing."

Richie reluctantly agreed.

PARIS, FRANCE -- MAY 1995

The Doctor and Leela reached the bottom of the tower in near record time. A small group of people, one of whom was the swordsman, were walking away from them. The Doctor stopped suddenly and she nearly bowled him over. There was a faint glow in the air between them and the other people and the hair on her arms was standing on end. Three of the people in the group stopped and began to turn every which way as if they were looking for something. Slowly, the faint glow became a man. Although his back was toward her Leela recognized him instantly. He was death incarnate.

***

Methos, Duncan and Amanda all drew their swords and began to look this way and that. Joe stepped away to give them a little room. They all turned to face back toward the tower and Joe followed their gaze. A man stood facing them, sword in hand.

"I've come for the girl!"

"I'm not a GIRL," Amanda snarled as she stepped forward.

Joe stepped back further into the shadows. Amanda's Watcher had been killed by Kalas and a new one had yet to be assigned, so he would have to fill in and it wouldn't do to be seen to clearly by this other Immortal. He studied the newcomer's face. He didn't recognize him, but that wasn't unusual. The guy could be relatively young, although his attitude implied otherwise. He had the air of someone who knew he couldn't lose.

"Amanda," Duncan hissed stepping forward.

"Stay out of this, Duncan, it's my fight."

"She's right Highlander, it's not your affair," shouted the newcomer as he closed the gap between himself and the other Immortals.

Amanda took another step forward. Duncan looked as if he were about to protest again, but Methos laid a hand on his katana and pushed it downward.

"She has to do this on her own," the ancient Immortal said softly. "Besides, you're in no condition to fight anyone else just yet."

Amanda and the newcomer crossed swords and began their duel. Having witnessed numerous battles, Joe was something of an expert on sword fighting. He could usually tell fairly quickly which Immortal was going to win any given duel. It was a gift that had only failed him once, when MacLeod had fought Grayson two years before. He knew almost immediately that Amanda was the better combatant and looking to MacLeod and Methos realized that they knew it too. What happened next shocked them all.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

The sight of the TARDIS standing on Duncan's bed brought a smile to Ace's lips. She had been afraid they would never see it again. The note taped to the exterior caught her eye and she reached for it. The Doctor snatched it away from her questing fingers.

"That was my handwriting," she said.

"Possibly," the Doctor replied eyeing her steadily.

He turned away and unlocked the door and went inside. Ace watched him enter then turned to Richie. He was really nervous now that the sirens had stopped. She could hear voices in the dojo below and the sound of feet on the stairs. She grabbed Richie's hand and hauled him into the TARDIS.

When the police entered the loft there was no sign of anyone despite the fact that they had heard machinery being operated just moments before.

PARIS, FRANCE -- MAY 1995

Leela watched as the woman's head fell to the ground and rolled to a stop near the feet of the man she had seen on the tower. He seemed to be in shock as did his two companions. The man who had just decapitated the woman laughed as he was enveloped in a blue haze. Lightning arced from the woman's body and struck him repeatedly.

When the storm subsided the man from the tower raised his sword and stepped toward the other killer. He had a look of total desolation on his face. Leela could tell that he was grief stricken over the woman's death. He certainly didn't seem like a killer now.

"It's my turn now!" Leela heard him snarl.

"Sorry, Highlander, I've already taken your head three months from now," replied the killer as he faded from view.

"Let's go, Leela. The fellow who just disappeared is responsible for the distortions in the time streams. We have to get after him."

The two of them returned to the TARDIS. While the Doctor unlocked the doors, Leela risked a glance back toward the small group of people. The one that had been referred to as Highlander was kneeling, holding onto the corpse of the headless woman and weeping. The other two men seemed stunned and at a loss for words. They too had tears streaming down their faces. She turned away and entered the TARDIS.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

Richie had quickly overcome his amazement at the size of the interior of the tall blue box. The Doctor was busying himself about the hexagonal control console and Ace was trying to get some information from the quiet little man.

"So how did the TARDIS get free of the Vortex?"

"A friend rescued her."

"The same friend who left the note?"

"Very probably."

"Look, Professor, I know what I saw. That note is written in my handwriting."

The Doctor turned and encouragingly asked, "And?"

"Well if it was written by the person who freed the TARDIS, then it follows that I freed the TARDIS."

"And?"

"And I haven't. Have I?"

"No, you haven't. Not yet anyway."

LONDON, ENGLAND -- NOVEMBER 1963

Methos had been in the Coal Hill area for several days. It had been an accident that had brought him across the Police Box, but he knew instantly what it was. It still looked much as it had the first time he had seen it, in Mesopotamia over four thousand six hundred years before.

The things he had seen over the last three days were truly amazing. Strange alien machines that were battling each other in the streets with some kind of light beam weapons. The Army seemed to be avoiding engaging these machines except when necessary. The most amazing thing of all, however, was the strange little man and his young female companion looking exactly as they had in Mesopotamia. Seeing people that didn't age was nothing new to him, after all, he was Immortal. The amazing thing is that these two weren't.

He watched from the shadows as the two of them entered the Police Box. He wasn't the least bit surprised when it faded away with a wheezing groan. What did surprise him was the appearance, in much the same manner, of an Immortal.

He quickly unlimbered his sword. He wasn't sure if he could handle this upstart. He hadn't had a challenge in nearly two centuries and was probably a little rusty. The other Immortal attacked and Methos parried the blow easily. The two combatants then joined into frenzied combat. The battle demanded so much of his attention that Methos failed to see the Police Box rematerialize on almost the exact same spot.

***

The scanner screen showed a pitched battle between to men armed with swords. The backdrop to this contest was a twentieth century city street.

"Interesting," said the Doctor, now in his fifth incarnation.

"Doctor, shouldn't we stop them?"

"Peri, do you know what happens to people who step unarmed into the middle of a sword fight?"

"No, but I have a nasty suspicion."

"Nasty seems an appropriate choice of word."

On the scanner one of the men made a mistake and his opponent took advantage of it. He swung his sword straight at the other man's neck and it passed through without resistance throwing him off balance. The second man swung his sword around and decapitated his opponent. The electrical disturbance that followed was classified as a threat by the TARDIS, which dematerialized to avoid the danger.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

"So, you're immortal?" asked Ace.

"For the most part."

"You can only be killed by beheading?"

"Yeah Doc, it makes for an interesting life."

"Two questions. One, exactly how old are you?"

"Just shy of twenty-one, and the second question?"

"What do you suggest we do now?"

"I don't know. What do you two think?"

"Well," said Ace," this toe rag is obviously whacking you guys and messin' up the time lines, so who can we get to help us?"

"I don't know who's still alive and who's not."

"How about some one who isn't alive?"

"Excuse me, Doctor?"

"This is a time machine. If you can think of someone who might be able to help us who is already dead, then we can go see them and be reasonably sure that this time traveller isn't going to show up."

"Darius! He was killed two years ago and he was a priest for fourteen hundred years."

"I fail to see why his being a priest is relevant."

"We can't kill each other on Holy Ground."

"I see. Well, shall we pay him a visit? I'll need to know the exact date you met this Darius and also the precise time he died so I can set the co-ordinates."

PARIS, FRANCE -- APRIL 1895

The servant took a deep breath and hesitated. Mister MacLeod wasn't going to be pleased with the interruption, but Mister Fitzcairn had been adamant in his instructions. He took another breath, let it out slowly and knocked on the door of the bed chamber.

"Ach, go away!"

"The master requests that you join him in his study, sir."

"Inform your master that I politely declined."

"I'm afraid, sir, that Mister Fitzcairn insists. He asks that you not lose your head over the interruption."

"Oh, all right. I'll be right doon."

"Sir, I've also a message for your lady friend. The messenger claimed it was quite urgent."

The door opened to reveal the lady in question; she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. She snatched the message from his hand and slammed the door in his face. The servant stood there, his mouth agape, for a moment and then hurried off to attend to his other duties.

## Part VI

"Giving ourselves is the most costly gift,

and the most valuable."

\-- Love's Abiding Joy.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

"So, you're immortal?" asked Ace.

"For the most part."

"You can only be killed by beheading?"

"Yeah Doc, it makes for an interesting life."

"Two questions. One, exactly how old are you?"

"Just shy of twenty-one, and the second question?"

"What do you suggest we do now?"

"I don't know. What do you two think?"

"Well," said Ace," this toe rag is obviously whacking you guys and messin' up the time lines, so who can we get to help us?"

"I don't know who's still alive and who's not."

"How about some one who isn't alive?"

"Excuse me, Doctor?"

"This is a time machine. If you can think of someone who might be able to help us who is already dead, then we can go see them and be reasonably sure that this time traveller isn't going to show up."

"Darius! He was killed two years ago and he was a priest for fourteen hundred years."

"I fail to see why his being a priest is relevant."

"We can't kill each other on Holy Ground."

"I see. Well, shall we pay him a visit? I'll need to know the exact date you met this Darius and also the precise time he died so I can set the co-ordinates."

PARIS, FRANCE -- APRIL 1895

The servant took a deep breath and hesitated. Mister MacLeod wasn't going to be pleased with the interruption, but Mister Fitzcairn had been adamant in his instructions. He took another breath, let it out slowly and knocked on the door of the bed chamber.

"Ach, go away!"

"The master requests that you join him in his study, sir."

"Inform your master that I politely declined."

"I'm afraid, sir, that Mister Fitzcairn insists. He asks that you not lose your head over the interruption."

"Oh, all right. I'll be right doon."

"Sir, I've also a message for your lady friend. The messenger claimed it was quite urgent."

The door opened to reveal the lady in question; she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. She snatched the message from his hand and slammed the door in his face. The servant stood there, his mouth agape, for a moment and then hurried off to attend to his other duties.

***

Once the door closed behind Duncan, Dorothee opened the message and read it. It was in her own handwriting and said:

"You forgot to meet with the Doctor's fifth incarnation. You have to send him to Paris to join up with the Doctor, Richie and ourself. He'll be arriving at the co-ordinates where we first met Duncan and Richie. He mustn't make contact with us there so you'll need to intercept him just prior to materialization.

\-- Dorothee.

PS Fitz found the hopper. He and Duncan have it with them, in the study."

"Damn!"

THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX NEAR NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- CIRCA 2024

The TARDIS lurched sickeningly. Sparks showered from the control console. The cloister bell tolled sonorously. Peri lost her grip and tumbled across the room. She fetched up near the interior door. The Doctor was saying something, but she had to strain her ears to hear him.

"...RDIS can't take this much longer! We have to abort the landing!"

The Doctor stumbled around the console his hands moving so fast she could barely see them. The TARDIS lurched again, throwing the Doctor against the exterior doors in a multicoloured heap. The cloister bell tolled one last time, the floor levelled out and everything was silent.

"Doctor, it stopped."

"Sometimes, Peri, your grasp of the obvious can be QUITE AGGRAVATING!!"

"Look, don't let's shout. We haven't the time."

"No, you're right. First things first."

The Doctor returned to the console and started operating controls that Peri had never seen him use before. One of the monitor screens on the console lit up, revealing to intertwining lines. The Doctor ran his hand through his fair curls as he studied the display.

"What do you make of this, Peri?"

"It looks like to strands of spaghetti all tangled together. What is it?"

"It's a display of the time line we just tried to materialize on."

"But, there's two of them."

"Two intertwining time lines occupying the same space and sharing certain events but in different sequences. No wonder the TARDIS couldn't handle the time stresses."

"So what next?"

"First, we contact Gallifrey and let them know about this."

"And second?"

"We improvise."

PARIS, FRANCE -- APRIL 1895

Duncan and Fitz were so absorbed in their examination of the hopper that neither had noticed Dorothee slip into the study. She crept silently toward them with the grace of a cat. Her blaster lay off to one side of the desk on which her belongings were scattered. She poised herself and in one fluid movement pounced forward, grabbing the gun as she rolled over the desk. She was on her feet in seconds blaster pointing midway between Fitz and Duncan, who were both in the middle of drawing their swords.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need my things," she said indicating the items on the desk.

Fitzcairn's pipe dropped from his mouth as he took in the nude figure before him.

"Please, put down your swords and back away."

Duncan took a step towards her and raised his katana a little higher.

"As you're Immortal this won't kill you, Duncan, but I guarantee that it will be very painful."

Duncan paused and Fitz, who had finally managed to pry his eyes away from Dorothee's body, put a hand on his shoulder. Duncan lowered his sword and stepped away from her, but he didn't drop it.

"That's better. Oh, don't worry I won't give your secret away."

Dorothee managed to scramble into her body armour without dropping her guard. She grabbed the hopper and quickly swung it onto her back, lowering the blaster in the process. Duncan attacked, trying to disarm her, but he wasn't quick enough. She willed the hopper away and quickly faded from view. The last thing she saw was the ghostly forms of the two men staring at her in disbelief.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

The Doctor's hands rested on the console as he stood there with his eyes closed. The scanner screen held the images of six other people five of them also had their eyes closed. The sixth was the woman Peri had seen earlier, the one the Doctor referred to as the President.

"What's going on?"

"The Doctors are holding a telepathic conference to decide their next moves," replied the President.

The six Doctors opened their eyes simultaneously.

"We're all in agreement then?" asked one of the Doctors from the scanner screen. He had long grey hair swept back from a high forehead and a hawkine nose.

"Yes," replied the other Doctors in unison.

"Right, then let's get on with it. We'll see you after you've rescued our seventh self, my boy," said the old man from the screen.

The five Doctors faded from the screen leaving only the President.

"Madam President, have you been able to locate my seventh self?" asked Peri's Doctor.

"No Doctor, but we have an approximate position where he disappeared. It's being fed into your co-ordinate subsystem now."

"Thank you, Madam."

"You are welcome, Doctor."

The President's face faded from the scanner. The Doctor busied himself with the controls. Peri moved to his side. He looked up and gave her a reassuring smile. It didn't work.

"Doctor?"

"Yes."

"What do we do now?"

"Well, you and I are going to rescue my seventh self."

"And the other Doctors?"

"My sixth self, the one with the obnoxious multicoloured coat, is going to try to link up with Gallifrey so that the President can join us. The other four are going to reconfigure their TARDISes into time cone inverters and apply temporal inversion isometry to as much of space-time as possible in order to slow down the fragmentation of the time lines."

"Doctor, I have no idea what that means."

"Hold tight, this may get a little bumpy!"

The Doctor barely finished his warning before the floor started to vibrate. Peri's vision began to blur and swim with colours. There was a sickening lurch and the TARDIS began to materialize.

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

Dorothee materialized in time to see her previous self, in the company of Richie, Duncan and the Doctor, round a corner further up the street. Perfect! In order to avoid altering the events that she remembered taking place, she had had to bump the arriving TARDIS a few minutes into the future. She then doubled back so that she would be waiting when it arrived.

PARIS, FRANCE -- MARCH 1993

Richie, Ace and the Doctor entered the chapel. He was barely inside the door when he sensed another Immortal. He turned about trying to orient on the sensation and the turned and walked toward the confessional. Before he was even halfway Darius emerged and looked at him with a slight trace of regret mixed with concern.

"I'm afraid you missed Duncan. He left fifteen minutes ago. He didn't mention that you had died, does he know?"

"Well, yes and no. Duncan will be there when I get killed, but that won't be for another five or six months. I've come back in time. I need your help."

"You've travelled back in time to seek my help?"

"Yeah, listen I know it sounds incredible..."

"But, no more so than Immortality. If you had to come back here for my help than I must not be alive in your time, is that so?"

Richie turned to the Doctor and Ace his face pleading for advice. The Doctor stepped forward, doffing his hat.

"How do you do? I'm the Doctor and this is my friend Ace."

SEACOUVER, WASHINGTON -- AUGUST 1995

The TARDIS materialized and out stepped a young man in a fawn frock coat with a stalk of celery pinned to his lapel. He was accompanied by a young lady. Dorothee immediately approached them.

"Don't bother locking the door, Doctor."

"Have we met?"

"From your perspective? No."

"Oh, I see. You know you shouldn't be telling me this."

"I know. However, I'm sure I can trust the TARDIS to edit the information out of your mind before we actually do meet. She seems to like me."

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here? Are you my seventh persona's companion?"

"I was. Now, I'm a free agent." She indicated the hopper on her back. "I've come to give you some important information. I retrieved your other self's TARDIS and he and my other self have left. If we all go back into the TARDIS I'll set the controls so that you can catch them up."

PARIS, FRANCE -- MARCH 1993

Darius looked at the three earnest faces around him. The story they had told him was amazing. An Immortal travelling through time to kill other Immortals. The problem was that he didn't have any more ideas than they did. What they needed was more information, but where could they get it. As if on cue a strange wheezing trumpeting groan filled the room and a Police Public Call Box materialized near the door.

Darius watched bemused as two young people, a man and a woman, emerged from the Police Box and walked over to join the group. The man walked up to the Doctor, who tipped his hat.

"How did you find us?" asked the Doctor.

"Your companion's future self..."

"Oi, what was that?"

"How stupid of me. Ace, this is me and his friend Peri."

"Huh?"

"Excuse me, but could someone please let us know what exactly is going on?" asked Darius, indicating Richie and himself.

"It's quite simple," replied the young man. "I'm the Doctor and this is my companion Peri..."

"Hang about. You're not the Professor, he is."

"Ace," interjected the Doctor. "He is me. My people have the ability to regenerate when our body is near death. Each time it happens there are physical and behavioural changes. Essentially each of us is the same person, but we're also each uniquely different."

"Oh, I see... no I don't... never mind..."

"Doctor, we need to pool our information," said the younger Doctor.

"Agreed. Contact."

"Contact."

The two Doctors stood facing each other with their eyes closed for several minutes. The silence was as dense as fog. Darius looked at Richie and the Doctors' companions. They all seemed rooted in place.

"I see," said the older Doctor, finally breaking the silence.

Darius let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The two Doctors both turned to look at Richie and himself and asked the question that set his heart pounding.

"What can you tell us about a Dark Quickening?"

"It's said that the Quickening of a very evil Immortal might be able to turn a good Immortal evil. However, I've never heard of one actually occurring."

"What about you?" asked Richie. "Duncan told me that you took the head of a Holy Man and his Quickening turned you good."

"That's true, but that would probably be best described as a Light Quickening. However, the principle would be the same."

"Is there anyway to counteract it?" asked the younger Doctor.

"The only way would be to make sure that the Immortal who took the Dark Quickening was sufficiently good to come out of the experience at a near neutral state."

"The problem is that the only Immortals that we know are still alive are you two. Obviously, Richie is too young to be able to do it. What about you?"

"I haven't faced anyone in battle for over fourteen hundred years; I'd never be able to win. I do, however, have a solution. In order to have any chance of surviving a Dark Quickening Richie must take my head."

## Part VII

"We have seen the enemy and he is ours."

\-- Oliver Hazard Perry.

PARIS, FRANCE -- MARCH 1993

Darius looked at the three earnest faces around him. The story they had told him was amazing. An Immortal travelling through time to kill other Immortals. The problem was that he didn't have any more ideas than they did. What they needed was more information, but where could they get it. As if on cue a strange wheezing trumpeting groan filled the room and a Police Public Call Box materialized near the door.

Darius watched bemused as two young people, a man and a woman, emerged from the Police Box and walked over to join the group. The man walked up to the Doctor, who tipped his hat.

"How did you find us?" asked the Doctor.

"Your companion's future self..."

"Oi, what was that?"

"How stupid of me. Ace, this is me and his friend Peri."

"Huh?"

"Excuse me, but could someone please let us know what exactly is going on?" asked Darius, indicating Richie and himself.

"It's quite simple," replied the young man. "I'm the Doctor and this is my friend Peri."

"Hang about. You're not the Professor, he is."

"Ace," interjected the Doctor. "He is me. My people have the ability to regenerate when our body is near death. Each time it happens there are physical and behavioural changes. Essentially each of us is the same person, but we're also each uniquely different."

"Oh, I see... no I don't... never mind..."

"Doctor, we need to pool our information," said the younger Doctor.

"Agreed. Contact."

"Contact."

The two Doctors stood facing each other with their eyes closed for several minutes. The silence was as dense as fog. Darius looked at Richie and the Doctors' companions. They all seemed rooted in place.

"I see," said the older Doctor, finally breaking the silence.

Darius let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The two Doctors both turned to look at Richie and himself and asked the question that set his heart pounding.

"What can you tell us about a Dark Quickening?"

"It's said that the Quickening of a very evil Immortal might be able to turn a good Immortal evil. However, I've never heard of one actually occurring."

"What about you?" asked Richie. "Duncan told me that you took the head of a Holy Man and his Quickening turned you good."

"That's true, but that would probably be best described as a Light Quickening. However, the principle would be the same."

"Is there anyway to counteract it?" asked the younger Doctor.

"The only way would be to make sure that the Immortal who took the Dark Quickening was sufficiently good to come out of the experience at a near neutral state."

"The problem is that the only Immortals that we know are still alive are you two. Obviously, Richie is too young to be able to do it. What about you?"

"I haven't faced anyone in battle for over fourteen hundred years; I'd never be able to win. I do, however, have a solution. In order to have any chance of surviving a Dark Quickening Richie must take my head."

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

The Doctor, Peri and the President stood in the control room, looking at the scanner. On the screen, four TARDISes were visible hanging in the Vortex. They seemed to pulse and shimmer as the power they channelled leapt outward.

"It appears that the plan is working, Doctor. Fragmentation has slowed by twenty-three percent."

"Now we wait for my other two selves to turn up. In the meantime, however, maybe we should add our support to the others and see if we can slow it even more."

"I'll help you with the reconfiguration."

"If you insist, Madam President."

PARIS, FRANCE -- MARCH 1993

The younger Doctor and his companion agreed to go on ahead and let the other Doctors know what was going on. After their TARDIS had dematerialized, Darius led the rest of them outside and away from the church grounds. When Darius had suggested the idea Richie had recoiled; he didn't want to do it. He insisted that there must be another way, but eventually Darius convinced him that it was the only way.

They found a secluded spot and Darius knelt in front of Richie. Richie unlimbered his sword and placed it against the monk's neck. He pulled back to deliver the death blow. A breeze whistled through the alley.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I can't do it."

He dropped to his knees in front of Darius, his rapier clattered to the ground. Great sobs escaped from his mouth and tears rolled down his face. Darius put one hand on Richie's shoulder and whispered something to him. Then he picked up the fallen sword and handed it to the Doctor.

"As long as Richie is present when I am beheaded, he will get my Quickening."

The Doctor nodded and raised the sword. The breeze died away and the birds stopped singing. The only sound Ace could hear was the beating of her own heart. The blade arced down and neatly severed Darius' head from his body. In the moments that followed all hell broke loose.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

The Doctor, Peri and Dorothee stood in the control room, looking at the scanner. On the screen, five TARDISes were visible hanging in the Vortex. They seemed to pulse and shimmer as the power they channelled leapt outward.

"It appears our plan is working. Fragmentation has slowed by nearly thirty percent."

"Now we wait for our other selves to arrive with Richie. In the meantime maybe we should add our support to the others and see if we can slow it even more."

"I can see why my seventh self is so fond of you. In many ways you think like us."

"Thank you; I think."

PARIS, FRANCE -- MARCH 1993

Ace helped Richie walk as they made their way to the TARDIS. Richie had wanted to give Darius a proper burial, but the Doctor had insisted that there wasn't enough time. Richie insisted and it wasn't until the Doctor pointed out that as soon as the time lines were repaired Darius' body would no longer be there, because none of this would have happened.

"Darius said something to you just before he gave the Professor your sword. What was it?"

"'Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.'"

"1 John 3:16," volunteered the Doctor as he unlocked the TARDIS. "Here, I believe this is yours."

Richie took the rapier from the Doctor and hid it inside his jacket. As he did so, Ace noticed that somewhere along the way the Doctor must have cleaned it; there was no blood on the blade at all. The Doctor stepped aside and motioned her and Richie into the TARDIS.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

Ace and Richie sat in the control room watching the Doctor. He had his hands in his pockets and his eyes closed. On the scanner screen where the faces of the other six Doctors. Each of them had their eyes closed as well.

"Maybe they fell asleep. I mean it's been twelve minutes already."

Ace could still hear the sadness in his voice as he said it. Poor guy, every friend he has in the world is being killed and to top it off he ended up taking two of their Quickenings. She wished there was something she could do to make him feel better, at least for the time being.

"Right, we all know what were going to do?" asked the Doctor of his other selves.

"Of course we do young man," replied the oldest Doctor.

"Right, now just one more thing," the youngest Doctor said.

"What might that be?" came the question from the little dark haired Doctor.

"Well, how do we keep the villain from just jumping time tracks to avoid Richie's sword?"

"We'll just have to find a way to synthesise multiple Quickenings," said a tall grey haired Doctor.

"The TARDIS has witnessed several of these Quickenings," said the Doctor wearing the scarf as he munched thoughtfully on what appeared to be a jelly baby. "Maybe the old girl has a suggestion."

The Doctor scrambled around to one of the monitors on the console and started keying in data. The other Doctors did likewise. Ace peeked over the Doctor's shoulder. On the monitor was a display of the seven TARDISes interlinked by a web of lines. Below the display was a single word, "Processing."

While they were waiting the Doctor removed the envelope, which had been attached to the outside of the TARDIS when it had mysteriously appeared at Duncan's flat, from his pocket and read it. He didn't even try to keep her from reading it over his shoulder. It was her handwriting, but it was written in French. It said:

"Found this note, addressed to you, in the back of your five hundred year diary. Figured it was probably important.

\-- Dorothee."

The Doctor opened the envelope and removed its contents. It was a short letter written in some language that she didn't recognise. Being thus thwarted she returned her attention to the monitor, leaving the Doctor to his reading. The monitor display changed. At the top of the screen were the words, "Blinovitch Limitation Effect." The text below the heading, however, was in the same language as the letter in the Doctor's hand.

***

After reading the TARDIS' suggested course of action the Doctors held another telepathic conference. When they finished the scanner screen went blank and the Doctor turned to Peri and Dorothee.

"We're going to have to use the Blinovitch Limitation Effect to simulate the multiple Quickenings. According to the TARDIS, it will take the energy released from two of these to do the job."

"Right," said Dorothee. "I'll take Peri to the Seventh Doctor's TARDIS and then go pick up her other self from the Sixth Doctor."

"Wait, what's going on here?"

"My future selves' travelling companions are your future self and Dorothee's younger self. The four of you have to come in contact with your other selves at just the right moment to prevent our quarry from using his time travel ability."

"Is it safe?"

"It's perfectly safe," interjected Dorothee. "From my point of view this has already happened and as you can see, I'm fine."

"OK, let's go."

Dorothee embraced Peri and willed the hopper on her back to transport them to the Seventh Doctor's TARDIS. The Doctor watched them fade away and then turned back to the console.

***

Peri watched as Dorothee faded from view. There was something about that woman that reminded her of the Doctor, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Oh well, better get to the console room. She scanned her surroundings. She was in the corridor just outside the console room. She opened the door and stepped through it.

She had already met Dorothee's younger self, who went by the name of Ace, but she hadn't noticed the difference between the two before. Ace was an aggressive teenager while Dorothee was a very self assured, confident young woman. The difference was so startling that Peri almost couldn't believe that the two women were the same person.

"Good, you've arrived," said the Doctor's other self as he busied himself at the console. "The others will catch us up."

***

Dorothee acquired the co-ordinates from the Doctor grabbed Peri and willed the hopper to travel. As she faded from view, the Doctor turned to the President and smiled.

"She's a remarkable young woman, Doctor. Sort of reminds me of you."

"Heaven forbid!"

"If they are successful, stopping this Immortal, then we still have to restore the original time line. Any suggestions?"

"Yes, Madam President. Time Ram."

"That might work. It would have to be a fairly large Time Ram, possibly requiring all seven TARDISes."

"Slightly larger, actually."

"The girl and her, what did she call it, hopper?"

"Yes, my Lady."

"I forbid it! She'll never survive."

"It's the only way."

"No, it's not. I'll do it; I have a better chance at survival."

"With all do respect, MADAM PRESIDENT, you wouldn't stand a chance."

"Yes, but I might be able to regenerate."

"What if you don't?"

"I don't care! I will not allow that girl to die, understood?"

"Yes, your Excellency."

"Good."

ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA -- DECEMBER 2000

The TARDIS materialized, with its characteristic groan, on the deck of a wooden sailing vessel. In the silence after its arrival the sound of merriment could be made out somewhere to the south. The door opened and out stepped the Doctor.

"Permission to come aboard?" he asked the empty ship.

The others filed out of the TARDIS and he locked the door behind them. The small group took in their surroundings, all but the Doctor's breath visible in the chill air.

"Where are we, Professor?"

"Doctor."

"Sorry, Doctor."

"We are on Oliver Hazard Perry's flagship, the US Brig Niagara."

"Then we're in the States?" asked Peri.

"North-western Pennsylvania to be more specific."

"What's the date?"

Both the Doctor and Richie began to scan the deck. It was obvious from the looks on their faces that they were expecting something. The Doctor's eyes came to rest on a spot, about ten feet off to his left, where something was beginning to coalesce out of thin air. Richie drew his sword and stepped toward it.

"It's the last day of the Twentieth Century," the Doctor replied as the coalescing shape solidified into a man holding a sword.

"Rather appropriate; don't you think?" asked the newcomer.

## Part VIII

"The man who comes back through the

Door in the Wall will never be quite

the same as the man who went out."

\-- Aldous Huxley.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

Dorothee acquired the co-ordinates from the Doctor grabbed Peri and willed the hopper to travel. As she faded from view, the Doctor turned to the President and smiled.

"She's a remarkable young woman, Doctor. Sort of reminds me of you."

"Heaven forbid!"

"If they are successful, stopping this Immortal, then we still have to restore the original time line. Any suggestions?"

"Yes, Madam President. Time Ram."

"That might work. It would have to be a fairly large Time Ram, possibly requiring all seven TARDISes."

"Slightly larger, actually."

"The girl and her, what did she call it, hopper?"

"Yes, my Lady."

"I forbid it! She'll never survive."

"It's the only way."

"No, it's not. I'll do it; I have a better chance at survival."

"With all do respect, MADAM PRESIDENT, you wouldn't stand a chance."

"Yes, but I might be able to regenerate."

"What if you don't?"

"I don't care! I will not allow that girl to die, understood?"

"Yes, your Excellency."

"Good."

ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA -- DECEMBER 2000

The TARDIS materialized, with its characteristic groan, on the deck of a wooden sailing vessel. In the silence after its arrival the sound of merriment could be made out somewhere to the south. The door opened and out stepped the Doctor.

"Permission to come aboard?" he asked the empty ship.

The others filed out of the TARDIS and he locked the door behind them. The small group took in their surroundings, all but the Doctor's breath visible in the chill air.

"Where are we, Professor?"

"Doctor."

"Sorry, Doctor."

"We are on Oliver Hazard Perry's flagship, the US Brig Niagara."

"Then we're in the States?" asked Peri.

"North-western Pennsylvania to be more specific."

"What's the date?"

Both the Doctor and Richie began to scan the deck. It was obvious from the looks on their faces that they were expecting something. The Doctor's eyes came to rest on a spot, about ten feet off to his left, where something was beginning to coalesce out of thin air. Richie drew his sword and stepped toward it.

"It's the last day of the Twentieth Century," the Doctor replied as the coalescing shape solidified into a man holding a sword.

"Rather appropriate; don't you think?" asked the newcomer.

***

Dorothee motioned Peri to keep quiet. They had materialized with the TARDIS between them and the others and she could hear their voices. She crept forward so she could listen better.

"What's the date?" she heard Richie ask.

A strange tingling sensation caressed her skin and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She had timed their arrival perfectly; the Immortal was just about to make his appearance.

"It's the last day of the Twentieth Century," came the Doctor's voice.

"Rather appropriate; don't you think?"

At the sound of the Immortal's voice Dorothee motioned for Peri to follow and slipped around the side of the TARDIS. Richie was facing the Immortal in the middle of the deck. They were both smiling.

"When I shout 'now' grab your other self," she whispered to Peri as she shrugged the hopper from her shoulders.

Richie swung at his opponent who parried the blow rather clumsily. The other Immortal attacked forcing Richie to take a few steps backward.

"You know our battle is private, so why'd you bring your friends?"

"Actually, they brought me. Otherwise we'd be settling this elsewhen," replied Richie as he switched to the offensive.

"I suppose it doesn't matter since after I take your head I'll have the prize," said his opponent between gasps for air.

"That's what you think."

Richie ducked under his opponent's blade, which thudded into the mast. Richie raised his sword as the other Immortal struggled to free his blade. Both combatant's smiled, secure in their victory. Richie's sword descended.

"NOW!!!"

Dorothee and Peri leapt forward, their hands touching their younger counterparts a nanosecond before Richie's sword connected with his opponent's neck. A massive outflow of power ripped through Dorothee's mind and she collapsed into darkness.

***

"Three... Two... One... Happy New Year!!!!"

Perry Square was filled with the cheers and whoops of the revellers. Fireworks burst in the air and strains of Auld Lang Syne filtered through the streets of the city.

A small group of people, who were lucky enough to be facing north, towards Lake Erie, witnessed a spectacular electrical disturbance. Lightning leaped upward from some point behind the buildings only to disappear in the low hanging clouds. When the lightning had died down, some of them decided to investigate this strange phenomenon. These people made their way north, in the direction of Dobbins Landing and eventually the Flagship Niagara.

***

"NOW!!!"

The Doctor felt the explosive power of the duel Limitation Effects roar around and through him and watched Richie's rapier cleave the other combatant's head from his shoulder. He could almost swear that there was a look of shock on the other Immortal's face as his head tumbled to the deck. The body followed its head downward and then a curious white light enveloped it and it began to float upwards. Lightning leapt from the body to young Ryan and from him upwards into the sky. The wind was whipping the Doctor's coat and he had to hold onto his hat. Then as suddenly as it had started the wind and lightning stopped and the body crashed downward. Richie, his mouth still open in a silent scream, fell to the deck stunned.

The Doctor hurried to his side and helped him to his feet. He was a little unsteady at first but soon got his balance sorted out. The Doctor looked at him worriedly for a few seconds and then dashed to the TARDIS. He quickly unlocked the doors and threw them open.

"Quick, help me with them," he indicated the two pair of bodies lying near the TARDIS.

The two men managed to drag the older women into the interior corridor, but it was clear that Richie was in no shape to help with the younger women. The Doctor sat him down in a convenient chair and dashed out of the ship. Grabbing Peri by the arms he drug her into the control room and hurried out after Ace. Scooping the teenager up in his arms he noticed the sounds of people coming up the gangplank. He barely made it back into the TARDIS without being seen. He put Ace on the floor next to Peri and headed for the console. His hand came within inches of hitting the dematerialization switch before he realized that the hopper was still out on the deck.

The Doctor activated the scanner screen. A large group of people were standing around the headless corpse. Several of them were staring at the TARDIS. He'd never make it to the hopper and back. He watched the screen as a small group started to examine the hopper. He had to think of something fast.

Of course, the hopper was controlled telepathically. Using the TARDIS' telepathic circuits the Doctor was able to send a command to the hopper without exposing himself to any unnecessary risks. Seconds later the hopper materialized atop the central column of the Time Rotor.

***

The group of people who had been attracted to the Brig Niagara by the freak electrical disturbance looked on in shock as the little blobby alien-looking thing disappeared. Their shock turned to awe when a few seconds later the large blue box, which greatly resembled a phone booth of some kind, followed said blob's example. They were all suddenly struck by the same thought; that it was a real shame that First Night was an alcohol free New Year's celebration, because they could all use a good stiff drink.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

The Doctor was in the process of establishing a communications link with the President and his Sixth self when he saw the reflection in the scanner screen. He dodged sideways just as Richie's sword sliced through the space he had recently occupied. Richie turned and stalked forward, sword at the ready.

"Richie! It's me the Doctor; don't you remember?"

"I remember. I remember everything. I know everything!"

"Think about what you're doing, Richie. You don't want to do this."

"I wouldn't bet on that if I were you."

The Doctor backed away, trying to get the console between himself and the young Immortal. He needed to find away to get close to Richie without losing any limbs. A limb would take centuries to grow back, assuming that he managed to avoid being killed. He felt a strange tingling sensation at his temples. Someone was rooting around in his mind. He quickly slammed down as many mental barriers as he could.

"Do you really think that shielding your mind from me is going to do you any good? I can read the minds of every creature in the universe. Don't you see? That's what the Game was all about. The Prize we were fighting for was GODHOOD!!!!"

"Richie, I've been a god. Trust me, it's highly over rated."

"No Doctor, you may have been worshipped as a god, but I am God. No one can resist me."

"Richie, you have to listen to me. The Dark Quickening is making you feel this way you have to fight it."

Richie launched himself over the console. The Doctor fell backward his left hand fetching up near his umbrella. Richie's rapier flashed downward and the Doctor deflected the blade with his umbrella. The Doctor scrambled to his feet using his umbrella to deflect blow after blow until he finally was able to gain the upper hand. With a flick of the wrist he knocked the sword from Richie's grasp and snatched it from the air. Richie looked at his rapier firmly clutched in the Doctor's hand and laughed.

"You can't kill me Time Lord. I've seen your thoughts. You are a weak, moral idealist."

"You could be right," replied the Doctor dropping his umbrella and reaching out to tap Richie in the centre of the forehead with his index finger. The young man dropped to the floor, unconscious.

***

The Doctor's seventh self peered out of the scanner screen at the President and the Doctor. He was relating the events that had transpired since their last contact.

"Even with the monk's quickening there was just too much evil for him to control."

"What do you intend to do with the Immortal to ensure that he doesn't try to interrupt our plans again?"

"I'm going to use the TARDIS' telepathic circuits to absorb all the quickenings from him until after the time line has been restored."

"Will the TARDIS be able to cope with the evil better than Ryan?"

"I believe she can, at least for a short period of time."

"Then proceed Doctor. Oh, one more thing, I'll be using the young lady's organic temporal device."

"I understand, Madam President. I'll send it over shortly, along with my previous persona's companion. Good luck to you, Excellency."

"To all of us, Doctor. To all of us."

Within moments the unconscious form of the Doctor's companion, Peri, materialized with the time hopper on her back. The Doctor helped the President strip the hopper off the Earth girl. She then strapped it to her own back as he carried the young lady into the interior of the TARDIS.

***

After using the telepathic circuits to issue commands to send the hopper and Peri to his previous self's TARDIS the Doctor lifted Richie's body by the shoulders and carried him to the console. He positioned the Immortal's hands against the contact points on the console. Then bracing Richie's body with his left foot, hip and hand he rapidly typed a series of commands into the console using a small keypad. Richie's body jerked upright, the lights dimmed and the ever present background hum dropped a few octaves.

The TARDIS had just completed absorbing all the Quickenings from Richie when Dorothee entered the console room. The Doctor looked her up and down and smiled as the lights and background hum returned to normal. She walked over to the console and stared him straight in the eye.

"I'll help you prepare for Time Ram."

"How'd you know?"

"It's the only way to return enough mass-energy for the universe to live out its allotted life span, by destroying the alternate realities."

"You sound like you've done it before," he said as he hung Richie's rapier on the hat stand along with the remains of his umbrella.

"You don't want to have this discussion, Doctor."

"I don't? Well, if you insist."

The Doctor looked up from the console. On the scanner were the faces of his other selves and the Lady President. He glanced quickly at Ace, Peri and Richie on the floor. Each of them were blissfully ignorant of the terrible risk that was about to be taken. He looked Dorothee square in the eyes and shuddered. They were dark pools of pain and knowledge; exact replicas of his own. She had, he realized, become a human version of himself.

"Ready?" asked his original persona.

"Ready," he replied with the others as he stepped back and let Dorothee take his place at the console.

"NOW!!"

Dorothee twisted a dial on the console, violently, past its upper limit.

***

Somewhere in the trackless reaches of the Space-Time Vortex seven Police Box shaped time capsules and an organic time hopper all tried to occupy the same space at the same time. The resulting explosion sundered the Space-Time Continuum.

## Part IX

"To be, or not to be; that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And, by opposing, end them."

\-- Hamlet Act III, Scene I.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

The Doctor looked up from the console. On the scanner were the seven faces of his other selves and the Lady President. He glanced quickly at Ace, Peri and Richie on the floor. Each of them were blissfully ignorant of the terrible risk that was about to be taken. He looked Dorothee square in the eyes and shrunk back. They were dark pools of pain and knowledge; exact replicas of his own. She had, he realized, become a human version of himself.

"Ready?" asked his original persona.

"Ready," he replied with the others as he stepped back and let Dorothee take his place at the console.

"NOW!!"

Dorothee twisted a dial on the console, violently, past its upper limit.

***

Somewhere in the trackless reaches of the Space-Time Vortex seven Police Box shaped time capsules and an organic time hopper all tried to occupy the same space at the same time. The resulting explosion sundered the Space-Time Continuum.

***

The console room was deathly silent. The Doctor groaned as consciousness returned. He struggled to his feet and stumbled to the console. According to the readings, there was only minor damage to the TARDIS. He began to operate various controls trying to bring up the log of the Time Ram. When he finally succeeded his face fell with the news it contained.

A small light on the communications panel began to flash. The Doctor operated a few switches and activated the scanner. The screen lit up to reveal the face of his original self. The faces of his other five selves soon joined it.

"According to my readings the President was destroyed along with the time hopper," he said to the images.

"She knew beforehand that she wouldn't survive," replied his Sixth self. "That's why she did it; to spare your friend."

"Yes. I'll inform the High Council."

"Please do, my boy, and convey our condolences as well," his First self said. "Now, I think we should all part company."

"Agreed!" exclaimed the other Doctors, rather hastily.

"Goodbye, I'm relieved to know that my future is still in good hands," the First Doctor said as his image faded.

"Goodbye, Doctors. I shall be quite happy if I never see any of you again," said the Second Doctor as he too faded away.

"Of all the insufferable..." the Third Doctor trailed off. "Yes, well never mind. Goodbye, Doctors. Let's not make this a habit."

"You know," said the Fourth Doctor, "I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but I agree with them. Goodbye."

"Well, Doctor, it seems you still have my companion. Where do you suggest we rendezvous to correct this small problem?"

"The Tempus Fugit? Say six years after you opened it."

"Agreed."

The scanner now contained only the image of the Sixth Doctor. He peered down at the Doctor with evident disapproval. After a few moments of silence, a mischievous glint entered his eyes.

"Do try to stay out of my way in future and in past, there's a good chap," he said as he faded away.

***

Dorothee regained consciousness with a low moan. She opened her eyes and sat up. Her head exploded with pain. She quickly lay back down. In order to give her body some time to adjust she took in her surroundings. She was in bed in the room that she had occupied all those years ago, while travelling with the Doctor.

When the throbbing pain in her head subsided she slowly crawled out of bed and made her way to the console room. She was halfway there when the Doctor came around a corner and handed her Peri's unconscious body.

"Tuck her up in your old room will you?"

"What about me?"

"What about you?"

"Where are you going to put my younger self?"

"Where did you wake up when you were her?"

"In Bernice's room."

"Bernice's room?"

"Oh, sorry. The room three doors down from mine."

"Well then that's where I'll put you."

"Stay with Peri until I come to get you. We don't want you to run into yourself again. Do we?"

***

The Doctor hurried back into the console room. Richie was lying on the floor near the exterior doors. A few feet away lay his head. Between them was the fallen hat stand, the rapier that had been hanging on it was covered with its owner's blood. It was rather tragic and just a little too ironic.

He righted the hat stand and placed the rapier on top of Richie's chest. He walked slowly to the console and picked up the letter from himself that Dorothee had given him. He read it for the third time, crumpled it up and threw it to the floor near Richie's body and tapped several commands into the console.

He scooped Ace up and left the room, carefully closing the interior door behind him. The console room was nearly silent for several seconds and then the exterior doors opened. The Time Winds roared into the TARDIS. The corpse on the floor began to decompose as it was sucked into the Vortex, where its atoms were dispersed along with those of the rapier and the Doctor's letter. The exterior doors closed, leaving no sign that there had ever been a decapitated corpse in the console room.

***

The Doctor and Dorothee entered the console room. She was telling him a story.

"So, I realized that I had left a temporal shield projector behind, but when I went back for it I was told that a Sorcerer named Nakano had taken it. I was about to track him down when the hopper relayed the information about the disturbances in the Vortex. I returned to my time and found a message from myself that sent me to a party, where I met Duncan MacLeod."

"I wouldn't worry about trying to track down this Sorcerer. Any changes to the Time Stream that may have resulted from his possession of the projector were probably repaired by the Time Ram," replied the Doctor.

"Probably. Where's Richie?"

"I sent him to my room."

There was something odd about the way he said it, but she didn't press the issue. After all, what could happen to an immortal? She glanced at the hat stand and noticed that Richie's rapier was gone too. That made sense; he probably kept it with him at all times.

"So, where to?" asked the Doctor.

"Oh, no you don't. I'll set the co-ordinates, thank you. You know too much already," she said as she fitted word to deed.

***

Once Dorothee was safely returned to her own time and place the Doctor contacted the High Council on Gallifrey. He sent them a telepathic message detailing everything that had happened and outlining his plans for clearing the Quickenings from the TARDIS. The Castellan contacted him almost immediately.

"Do you really think your plan is wise, Doctor?"

"I've done a little research and while there is no mention of Immortals in the original timeline, the Horstman Genetics Research Centre did have a substantial amount of research material stolen in the twenty-second century."

"Have you considered sending them to a planet other than Earth? Zeist, for example."

"I did consider it, but in all the timelines we encountered they were from Earth. I, therefore, thought it best not to risk altering the timeline by changing that."

"In that case Doctor, you may proceed."

"Thank you, Castellan."

THE PLANET PELLA SATYRNIS -- JULY 6217

The TARDIS materialized in a snow drift outside the Tempus Fugit. Next to it stood an identical Police Box. The Doctor, Ace and Peri emerged.

"Couldn't you have brought us here during summer?" asked Peri through chattering teeth.

"This is summer. Pella Satyrnis is an arctic planet."

"Who'd build a restaurant in this hole?" asked Ace.

"Yes. You and Peri go on inside. My other self will get you something to eat and I'll be right back."

The Doctor ducked back into the TARDIS as Peri and Ace entered the restaurant. A few seconds later it dematerialized leaving only its twin and a rapidly filling depression in the snow. Almost immediately it rematerialized and the Doctor strolled across the street and entered the restaurant.

HORSTMAN GENETICS RESEARCH CENTRE, EARTH -- DECEMBER 2112

The Horstman Genetics research centre was notorious because they artificially grew human babies, depriving them of sensory input to leave them mindless husks that could be experimented on with a clear conscience. They kept thousands of them in suspended animation so as to always be able to fill an order as soon as it was received.

The TARDIS materialized in the storage room and out stepped the Doctor. He looked around quickly to verify that no one was about and ducked back inside the TARDIS. It dematerialized for an instant and when it rematerialized all the cryonics equipment in the room disappeared. The TARDIS sat there alone for several hours and then dematerialized for a second time, leaving behind the empty cryonics equipment and a puddle of melted snow.

***

The Doctor examined the cryonics equipment that he had materialized around. There were thousands upon thousands of small cubicles. All but one of them contained a mindless baby. The unoccupied cubicle contained a note. The Doctor was unsurprised to see that it was from himself. It said:

"I needed this baby for something else. There are still enough for your purposes. Remember to keep track of the temporal co-ordinates for the one furthest back so that at some future date one of us can track him down and teach him the rules.

\-- The Doctor"

Stuffing the letter into his pocket the Doctor got to work. He brought all the babies out of suspended animation and connected them to the TARDIS' control console. When they were all connected he proceeded to download one Quickening into each baby from the TARDIS' telepathic circuit. As each baby received its Quickening it began to behave like a normal baby as opposed to the mindless husk it had recently been. After several hours, the Doctor downloaded the last Quickening into the last baby. He operated several more controls and the babies all disappeared with the same wheezing groan that was characteristic of the TARDIS. They had been scattered through Earth's history where they would be foundlings.

The Doctor rolled his sleeves back down and pulled his jacket back on. He operated the dematerialization circuit and walked over to the hat stand. He put his hat on his head and stared at his shredded umbrella. He unscrewed the red question mark handle from the umbrella, opened a nearby roundel and retrieved a brand new black umbrella. To this he attached the trademark handle just as the TARDIS landed.

The Doctor opened the doors and stepped out into the snow. He closed the TARDIS doors and strolled across the street toward the Tempus Fugit.

THE PLANET PELLA SATYRNIS -- JULY 6217

The two Doctors and their companions had a fine dinner although the Doctors did seem to be a little uncomfortable in each others presence. After dinner they emerged from the restaurant to find to identical snow drifts where they had left their TARDISes. They spent the next thirty-four minutes digging out first one then the other.

"Well, good-bye Peri," said the Seventh Doctor.

"Good-bye, Doctor, Ace."

"Good-bye, Peri, Professor."

"Professor? I'd thank you young lady to call me Doctor, if you don't mind. Well, Doctor I think we should be off."

"Agreed, and I must say that I think you are the most agreeable of my previous selves, even if you are reckless."

"Good-bye, Doctor."

The Fifth Doctor and Peri entered their TARDIS, which soon dematerialized. The Doctor looked at Ace and winked.

"I'm glad he's gone. It's always awkward, talking to yourself."

They entered the TARDIS and it too soon left Pella Satyrnis behind.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME VORTEX -- ????

The Doctor was pondering his and Ace's next destination when the scanner activated itself. The Doctor looked up from the console to see that the image of a Time Lord had filled the screen.

"Yes, Chancellor?"

"Doctor, it is my distinct privilege to report that you have been elected President."

"I've already been President. I was removed from office for avoiding my responsibilities."

"Never the less, you are now President Elect."

"I suppose you expect me to return to Gallifrey, forthwith?"

"Actually, no. It has come to our attention that the Daleks have sent a task force to Earth in the year 1963. We were hoping you might know why."

"The Hand."

"Are you trying to tell me that the Hand of Omega is on Earth?"

"Yes, my First incarnation left it there."

"In that case, you had better retrieve it."

###

##  About the Author

Richard L. Foland Jr. has lived a mostly nomadic life in western Pennsylvania, southeastern Ohio and (briefly) western New York. As his life has become increasingly more settled his faith in people, especially politicians, has become far more unsettled. He hates divorces, having been through one, and loathes large gatherings. The latter probably explains why he would prefer to sit alone at a keyboard rather than go to a party. It probably also explains why people think he might be antisocial although he would rather they called him Uncle Social.

You can follow his slow descent into inanity at the Pharos Blogject or on  goodreads.

##  Other Titles Available from this Author

At What Price?

Highland Blades Quartet

# Previews

## At What Price?

Justin awoke to find that he couldn't move; his body, from the neck down, just wouldn't obey him. After several futile minutes, spent straining against whatever force was holding him, he gave up his struggles and began to study his surroundings. He was lying on a table or bed of some kind in the middle of a vast open space. A bright light blazed down on him from a great height creating a cone of illumination. He was vaguely aware of movement and muted sounds emanating from the darker areas outside the cone.

He tried to remember how he'd come to be in this position but his memories seemed content to cower in some dusty corner of his mind and refused to be coaxed out. Fear, however, had decided that it would like to occupy the space left by the absent memories and quickly spread downward from there until it engulfed his heart in its icy grip. Something was definitely wrong with this situation; he just couldn't tell what it was.

A figure stepped into the light cone and slowly walked toward him. It was a rather large man in his late forties with a touch of gray at his temples. He smiled down at Justin in a rather predatory manner. There was something familiar about that smile and Justin struggled to remember what it was. Fear tightened its grip on his heart and shifted its position just enough to allow a name to filter into his conscious mind. Alexander Vernick. Justin's eyes widened and a soft gasp escaped his lips.

"So you recognize me, eh?" Vernick's silky baritone voice echoed slightly as he spoke.

Justin nodded dumbly. Alexander Vernick had been his boss until he'd turned State's Evidence back in twenty twelve. He'd been relocated after that and had almost forgotten about his previous life in the intervening seven years. Now it came rushing back with a vengeance.

Vernick held up a large hoop of metal with several long thin needles projecting towards its center. The light glinted off the apparatus in a nearly hypnotic pattern.

"Do you recognize this as well?"

"A neural inhibitor," Justin managed to croak.

Now he knew why he couldn't move. The neural inhibitor had been invented to replace anesthetic in most medical procedures. When clamped around the patient's neck it intercepted all but the body's autonomic neural signals. This meant that the patient could not feel pain and also ensured that he didn't move during the procedure. It even recorded the neural impulses so that neurologists could study them. They were a boon to medicine, and to criminals. With the collars, they could torture a victim once during which he would feel nothing and then they could just sit back and let him experience the pain, he'd missed, continuously until he was broken. The best part was that the victim couldn't die from the accumulation of wounds and if he blacked out from the pain it would just be waiting for him when he regained consciousness even if his tormentors weren't present.

"Exactly! You are no doubt aware that you are currently wearing one but don't worry I'm not going to torture you with it. You see, I want your suffering to be worse than anything you could possibly imagine and physical pain although unthinkable is really quite easy to imagine. I thought about all the things I could do to you and ironically enough none of them seemed quite right until I actually found you. You and that new bride of yours."

The word bride was stressed rather oddly and fear took advantage of the opportunity to spread to Justin's stomach. Vernick snapped his fingers and two thugs walked into the cone of light dragging Alicia between them. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and she was shaking violently. Tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of him lying helpless on the table.

"If you've done anything to her, I'll..."

"Oh, come now. You're in no position to threaten me. However, you may put your mind to rest we haven't done anything to her. Not yet anyway. Have we my dear?"

Alicia shook her head to indicate that Vernick had indeed not harmed her. Justin sighed with relief. As if this were his cue, Vernick stepped towards Alicia and clamped the neural inhibitor he'd been holding around her neck. Immediately she slumped and was scooped up by the two thugs. Rough hands grabbed Justin, hauled him upright and slammed him into a nearby chair as Alicia was dumped onto the table. His head, the only part of his body that was still under his control, was strapped to the chair to prevent him from turning away from whatever they planned to do to his wife.

"The inhibitor will ensure that she feels nothing," Vernick was saying. "After all, I have no quarrel with her. She's just a useful tool in my revenge against you."

The thugs left and Justin listened as their footsteps faded into the distance. He wasn't really a religious man, hell, he wasn't even sure if God existed but as he listened to those echoing footsteps he prayed. He prayed for his wife, that she would be spared from whatever Alexander had planned. He didn't pray for himself; he wasn't important. The echoing thud of a door being closed stopped him in mid prayer. The thugs were gone, only Alexander, Alicia and himself remained.

"She's quite a beautiful woman," Alexander complimented as he walked slowly around the table. In his hand he now carried a jeweled stiletto, which glinted menacingly in the light. "This stiletto reportedly belonged to Lucretia Borgia; it's said that she used it while preparing the poisons that she so loved. Personally, I doubt that's true but one never knows. Of course, if it is that would mean that the blade is envenomed with the stuff. Shall we find out?"

###

##  Kayleigh and the Caterpillar

Once, not so very long ago, in a place, not so very far from where you are now, lived a little girl named Kayleigh. Now, Kayleigh had a small problem; she was extremely curious. She was so curious, in fact, that her parents used to joke that it was a good thing she had not been born a cat and her grandfather called her "George."

One beautiful, sunny fall day Kayleigh's parents decided to have a family picnic. They packed a picnic basket with sandwiches and salads, as well as a blanket and some bottles of water. They loaded the basket into her mom's car and the three of them drove to a nearby park.

After arriving at the park they drove around until they found what looked like the perfect place for their picnic. It was a small glade which was surrounded on three sides by a large forest. The park road emptied into a gravel parking area that marked the fourth side.

"Don't go too far," Kayleigh's mom said as they climbed from the car.

"I won't," Kayleigh promised as she ran across the glade.

Kayleigh reached the edge of the glade and stopped. She looked into the forest and then back to the car where her parents were unloading the picnic supplies from the car. She was very excited about the picnic and she had just promised to not wander off, but she really wanted to see what was in the forest. She quickly decided that going into the forest would be okay if she only went a short way. After all, her Mom and Dad would call her when the picnic was ready. She walked into the forest.

There was a thick layer of leaves on the ground and they made a fun swishing sound as she walked through them. Little spots of sunlight speckled the forest where it wasn't blocked by the colorful leaves that were still on the trees. It was the prettiest place Kayleigh had ever been. Even the old dead tree being held upright by the branches of its living neighbors was oddly beautiful.

Kayleigh heard a rustling in the leaves nearby and began to move toward it. A squirrel burst out of the leaves at the base of a small bush and ran up the dead tree and across the branches that held it up. Unfortunately the movement of the branches caused by the squirrel's passage caused the dead tree to slip from their grasp and fall to the ground. Kayleigh screamed and covered her head with her arms as the tree crashed down on top of her.

###
