Doctor Who_ The Caves Of Androzani Part 16

A voice said, 'Master.' It was the Salateen android, his greatest creation.

Jek staggered towards it. 'Hold me,' he ordered hoa.r.s.ely, and fell into the android's arms, slipping to his knees.

Leaning forward, the android held the dying body.

The door opened and the Doctor staggered into the room. As single-minded in his way as Sharaz Jek, the Doctor lifted the unconscious Peri in his arms, and carried her from the blazing workshop.

Calm amidst the chaos of smoke and flame and exploding equipment, the Salateen-android stood motionless, holding the body of its master.

The journey through the caves was an unending nightmare. As he staggered onwards the Doctor was vaguely aware that once again the whole cave system was shaking and trembling. Another mud burst was on the way the big one.

Somehow he reached the surface at last.

All at once he was staggering across the shallow desert basin, the TARDIS shimmering like a mirage on the other side.

The ground was shaking. Every now and again great mud fountains jetted like liquid volcanoes out of the ground, The Doctor ignored them. His task was almost over now.

When he reached the door of the TARDIS, the Doctor put Peri down, very carefully, and fumbled in his pocket for the key.

His fingers were shaking and somehow the little phial of bat-milk came out of his pocket at the same time. It fell to the ground, the stopper jarred loose, and the milky liquid began running away in the sand.

The Doctor's hand whipped out and s.n.a.t.c.hed up the phial. It was more than half empty. Picking up the stopper, the Doctor closed the phial and put it very carefully back in his pocket.

Somehow he got the TARDIS door open and dragged Peri inside. Leaving her huddled on the control room floor, he staggered up to the console and set the controls for take-off.

Outside, the desert ground was trembling now, and the huge mud geysers were everywhere.

As the TARDIS faded away, a huge volcano of mud erupted on the spot where it had stood just seconds before.

The Doctor watched the steady rise and fall of the time rotor, then slid gently to the ground.

For a moment he lay still. Then, realising that his task was still not completed, he began crawling determinedly towards Peri.

When he reached her he took out the little phial, unstoppered it with shaking fingers, and held it to her lips.

'Peri,' he whispered. 'Peri, can you hear me? Open your mouth. You must drink this...'

Peri's mouth opened, just a little.

The Doctor tilted her head back and poured the entire contents of the phial between her lips. Then he sank back, exhausted.

He lay there for a moment, quite contented, staring at the TARDIS ceiling.

Everything seemed strange, unreal. He could feel the TARDIS control room slipping away from him.

'Is this death?' said the Doctor wonderingly.

'Doctor? What's happening?' called a familiar voice.

Suddenly the Doctor became aware that someone was shaking him. He opened his eyes and saw Peri. She looked, under the circ.u.mstances, quite remarkably well.

The Doctor smiled. 'Ah, Peri, you're better... I see Professor Jackij knew his stuff.'

Peri stared at him, still a little dazed.

After a nightmare of shouts, and shots and flames, she had woken to find herself back in the TARDIS, a little weak but apparently quite cured.

Suddenly the memories came flooding back. 'Jackij!

You got the bat's milk?'

The Doctor nodded. 'Contains an anti-vesicant, I imagine,' he said brightly. 'Interesting!'

'Where is it?' demanded Peri.

'What?'

'The bat's milk!'

'Finished,' said the Doctor simply. 'Only enough for you.'

Peri stared at him in horror. 'No, Doctor. No! There must be something I can do. Tell me.'

'Too late, Peri' said the Doctor calmly. 'Time to say goodbye.'

'Don't give up,' begged Peri. 'You can't leave me now.'

'I might regenerate,' said the Doctor thoughtfully. 'I don't know. Feels different, this time...'

Suddenly the Doctor was nowhere, no-time, suspended in a kind of limbo.

Familiar faces appeared, floated towards him. They spoke.

'What was it you always told me, Doctor?' said Tegan.

'Brave heart! You'll survive.'

'Turlough was there. 'You must survive. Too many of your enemies would rejoice in your death.'

Kamelion appeared. 'Turlough speaks the truth, Doctor.'

'You're needed, you mustn't die,' said Nyssa.

'You know that, Doctor,' said Adric reprovingly.

'Adric!' The Doctor frowned. It was nice of all his old friends to come and see him, but surely Adric shouldn't be there.

Adric was dead.

But then, perhaps he was dead himself, thought the Doctor. That would account for it.

Another face appeared, driving away all the others. An evil satanic face with slanting eyebrows and a pointed beard.

The Master.

'No, my dear Doctor, you must die! Die, Doctor! Die, Doctor. Die!'

The Master's face grew to enormous size. He threw back his head and laughed and laughed...

Perhaps the Master's taunts affected the Doctor even more than the appeals of his old companions. The one thing the Doctor had never clone in all his lives was to let the Master have the last laugh.

Reality split, fragmented, shattered into a thousand pieces, a million choices.

Somehow amongst them all the Doctor chose survival.

Peri blinked and in that blinking of an eye there was a different Doctor in the TARDIS.

He wore the previous Doctor's clothes, but not his face.

Peri peered cautiously at the newcomer. He had a broad, high forehead and a mop of curly light-brown hair. There was something cat-like about the eyes, a touch of arrogance in the mouth.

'Doctor?' said Peri in astonishment.

'You were expecting someone else?' The voice was clipped, precise, with a definite edge to it.

Peri stammered, 'I... I... I...'

'Three I's in one breath? Makes you sound a rather egotistical young lady!'

Peri stared at him. 'What's happened?'

'Change,' said the Doctor the new Doctor. 'Change, my dear. And, it seems, not a moment too soon!'