Doctor Who_ Divided Loyalties Part 25

Around them, the Dymova were comatose again.

How long have we been awake?' the Doctor asked.

A couple of minutes,' Desorgher said. Nyssa wandered off, you said to look for her and then you vanished for a few seconds.'

The Doctor breathed out deeply. Ahh... yes, Nyssa...'

She walked back into the chamber at that precise moment, ignoring the others, and went straight up to the Doctor. You pig,' she said as forcefully as she could.

And then she slapped him hard around the face.

Nyssa?'

No more games, Doctor. Not now. Not ever.'

The Doctor took a deep breath. Look, Nyssa, whatever the Toymaker implied -'

You will try to dismiss. Yes, Doctor, I've seen you in action before. Tell me, can you separate Rallon and the Toymaker? Do you even want to?'

The others watched this curious exchange with some trepidation. Something had clearly occurred of which they knew nothing. Something that had upset the normally placid and introverted young Nyssa.

I... I honestly don't know.'

Do you want to?'

Yes. Yes, I do. He was my friend...'

Nyssa stepped back, almost as if the Doctor had hit her like she had hit him. Her eyes filled with tears. You... you'll try to find a way, won't you. Knowing you, you'll do everything you can to help separate him.'

The Doctor clearly didn't know what to say to mollify her.

He opted for what probably seemed to him to be the best route - the truth.

Yes I will. And then, maybe I can use that skill to try and help your father...'

Nyssa waved her hands uselessly around, tears trickling down her face, her eyes confused. She didn't know what to say, couldn't form a sentence. Maybe...? Maybe? Maybe? You told me it was impossible! You told me to think of him as dead and now, because a friend of yours is in trouble, you think You told me it was impossible! You told me to think of him as dead and now, because a friend of yours is in trouble, you think maybe maybe you might do something later on if you can be bothered and there isn't an alien race to save or a super-villain to lock away that day!' you might do something later on if you can be bothered and there isn't an alien race to save or a super-villain to lock away that day!'

She backed away, gripping the door jamb for support. I trusted trusted you, Doctor. I believed in what you said. But it was all lies, wasn't it? Hollow stories, because the truth is you simply weren't interested in saving my father. You'd rather have the Master out there justifying your oh-so-heroic place in life than actually doing some real good and rescuing Father!' you, Doctor. I believed in what you said. But it was all lies, wasn't it? Hollow stories, because the truth is you simply weren't interested in saving my father. You'd rather have the Master out there justifying your oh-so-heroic place in life than actually doing some real good and rescuing Father!'

With a choking sob, she turned away and ran back into the darkness.

The Doctor made to follow her, but Dieter held him back.

Let her go, Doctor. I don't hope to understand what that was about, but I know enough to see that you are the last person she needs right now. Let me go after her.' She patted his arm and headed off after the young girl.

The Doctor turned to the others - he simply didn't know what to say.

And then he gasped. The Dymova! Where've they gone?'

The slabs were empty. Nothing, it seemed, was going very well.

It should have been dark in the corridor, but Dieter could see reasonably clearly, albeit everything had a dull green glow.

Some kind of phosphorus perhaps? But if it was, why hadn't she seen it when the Observer had led them to the chamber? Come to think of it, none of this looked at all familiar.

Nyssa?'

Dieter could make out a figure ahead sitting...

No! That was impossible!

She was sitting on an old-fashioned wooden stile, and beyond was a field, with a tree and a sunny sky and...

Nyssa?'

The figure turned, beckoning her, and as Dieter got closer to the impossibility she realised the figure wasn't Nyssa at all. She's gone home,' said the figure in a male American drawl. Very tired and emotional.'

Dieter half wanted to run away, back to Commander Oakwood and the others, but her curiosity got the better of her.

Who on earth are you?'

The man jumped off the gate, and now stood on the other side. He was oddly dressed - old-fashioned. Even his moustache seemed anachronistic and vaguely silly.

Ma'am, my name is LeFevre, g.a.y.l.o.r.d LeFevre, resident of Louisiana, although much of my time is spent upon the waters, travelling between Minnesota and St Louis. Heck, ma'am, I've even taken a trip down to Mexico, but that's a strange and primitive place and I don't care to go there again in a hurry. May I?'

By now, Dieter had reached the gate, and LeFevre held his hand out to offer a.s.sistance over the stile. Although her instinct was to refuse, she found herself saying Why thank you, Monsieur LeFevre, that's very kind of you.' For some reason, she was not the least bit surprised to find that she was wearing eighteenth-century dress.

Ma'am,' he said once she was over, and as he tucked her arm under his, it's a pleasure, a mighty real pleasure to have your company on a day as fine as this. Is home like this?' And Dieter suddenly thought of home - her tiny apartment on the twelfth floor of a thirty-storey block in Dusseldorf. Two rooms with grey, featureless walls and furniture, the sky blackened by the emissions from the kraftwerks kraftwerks and the windows failing to keep out the roar of the autobahns and and the windows failing to keep out the roar of the autobahns and flugplatz. flugplatz.

No,' she said quietly. No, monsieur, this is a paradise.'

I think, ma'am, you would like to stay a while then, enjoy our hospitality. A game to while away the hours?'

Hours...? No, I... I...'

Yes, ma'am?'

Dieter knew something was wrong. She glanced back to the fence, but beyond it were fields and trees. Surely something was missing? She didn't remember fields and trees.

Something about darkness? Green light? A girl she was following?

Why, sir, I am daydreaming. Where are my manners? Of course, I'd love to watch you play at your sports.'

Watch? Why, ma'am, the challenge is in the playing. You must a.s.sist me.'

Me?' Dieter flushed with embarra.s.sment. Why, sir, it's not comely for a lady to play at sports.'

LeFevre laughed. This is not the Middle Ages, ma'am. The Toymaker would be very disappointed if you didn't join in the festivities over yonder.'

Toymaker? Why did that name ring a bell?

What game are we playing, good sir?'

Why, Ms Dieter... may I call you Ms Claudia?'

Claudia. There was a name she'd not heard for a while. She'd been Oh, Nurse Dieter...' or Lieutenant-Commander Dieter...

or Dieter, do you think you could...' for years now. The last person to call her Claudia was Merten back home in... in...

Nurse Dieter? Why on Earth did she think she was a medic? And where, if she was, did she practise? She had some bizarre whimsy that last night she had dreamt about outer s.p.a.ce, being out among the stars. Why on Earth did she think she was a medic? And where, if she was, did she practise? She had some bizarre whimsy that last night she had dreamt about outer s.p.a.ce, being out among the stars.

What rot.

No, here she was, a lady of leisure, enjoying a fine summer's day in the Black Forest with this fine American gentleman.

Where's the picnic, Monsieur LeFevre?'

LeFevre smiled at her, as a father might smile at a child who finally understands a problem. Why was he doing that? Ah well, no matter - before them was a fine picnic being enjoyed by life-sized pppchen. pppchen. As one, they turned their china or wooden heads, with their painted faces and gay clothes, to say h.e.l.lo. As one, they turned their china or wooden heads, with their painted faces and gay clothes, to say h.e.l.lo.

In her head she heard them calling to her and, smiling gleefully, she settled down with them.

Will you not join us, Monsieur?'

But LeFevre shook his head. I have to ready this afternoon's entertainment, ma'am, but I'm sure I shall rejoin you soon.' He turned to leave, then stopped. Oh, Ms Claudia, I don't think you have been introduced to the gentleman who has prepared today's events. Allow me to present my lord, the Toymaker!'

Enchanted,' she said to the tall, elegantly dressed gentleman who was suddenly sitting amid the pppchen. pppchen.

The Toymaker bowed slightly. Oh, you will be, Nurse Dieter. Tell me, dear lady, do you perhaps play the game of schachspiel?' schachspiel?'

Adric decided he'd really had as much as he was going to take of all this.

It was bad enough that Niki Paladopous and the others on the bridge clearly had no recollection of him, but while they were dragging him to a storeroom that they decided would make a good cell, word had come in that one of the station's crew had been murdered - stabbed in the back.

Adric's protestations that he had neither a knife, nor blood on his hands or clothes - or any reason to kill the unfortunate man - had no effect. The lieutenant - or Commander Paladopous as he now called himself - just locked him in the cell, suggesting that Earth Security would question him when they were ready.

Of course, it might take them a week or three to get here, so you'll have plenty of time to think on what you've done!

Adric thought about this for a few moments after Paladopous's footsteps had faded away. Obviously something was askew - Adric had faced anger alongside the Doctor(s) often enough to see that. Personality transplant aside, Niki was acting completely irrationally for a commander'. Therefore, he was influenced by something. And that something had not only wiped Adric's origins from the lieutenant's mind, but had also blotted out his memory of the crew who had gone to Dymok along with the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa.

Ah well, there was nothing Adric could do about it right now - better to wait for a chance to make his escape when they brought him some food. Starving a prisoner to death was unlikely to be Earth Security's preferred method of getting a confession, so he was reasonably confident that a window of opportunity would present itself soon.

With a sigh - cells were so boring - he closed his eyes and settled back on the hard floor to wait.

The door opened, but Adric kept his eyes shut, waiting to see who spoke.

Adric?'

Is that you?'

He sat upright, suddenly cold.

Morell? Tanisa?

Mother? Father?' Adric stared up at his parents. The three of them were inside a cave overlooking the Starliner on Alzarius.

Adric's heart sank. Oh. It's not really you, then. Another trick, like last time.'

His mother frowned and his father crouched down in front of his son. See. You had the dream again?'

Dream? What dream?'

The same one you have had for the last couple of nights, my love. The one about travelling between the stars, with your faithful robot dog and his friends the wizard and the ice maiden.' Tanisa had joined her husband by Adric's feet. Oh I am so sorry. We really did think that the solitude and the alt.i.tude of the cave would solve the problem!

I think, son, it would be best if you came back down with us. With Varsh gone, your mother needs both of us to help around the home.'

Adric looked from one to another. Look, I really don't know what you are talk-' He stopped, putting his hand to his throat.

His voice sounded odd. Alien, really. Certainly very different. He tried again.

All right, I'll try it your way. What is the true origin of Mistfall?'

Adric thought that if he queried his phantom parents on this subject - to which he knew the answer but they didn't - and they answered correctly, he would know this was a trick of the Toymaker.

His voice still sounded strange. Smaller, Weedy. A different pitch... oh no...

He touched his throat harder. No thyroid cartilage. His hands were smaller, thinner. He checked the other relevant parts of his body but he was right.

No... I'm young again...'