Chapter Three: Seek and Destroy

Lisa and the Graak found themselves in what looked like an old console room, but the exterior doors were gone and only a Databank and two buttons were functioning. The scanner was showing a large, black and white image of the Fourth Doctor.

We must hurry, said the Graak. I am energy-dependant and can only survive for so long unless we can find some way to recharge me.

Lisa nodded. “Okay, then.” She tried the only two remaining doors, but only one would open.

Strange, commented the Graak.

Even stranger was that they next came to another door that wouldn’t open. Lisa put her hand on the wall; the vibrations felt discordant.

“This isn’t good,” she said, wishing she could communicate with the Doctor, her Doctor. “Let’s try going back.”

As they headed back towards the console room, a voice spoke to them. It was a very familiar voice, that of the Fourth Doctor.

Now, if you had a radio transmitter, you could make contact with my old friend, Alistair. That’s Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart to you. I seem to remember having pulled a transistor radio to pieces years ago. My Third incarnation was always fiddling with bits and pieces like that. It’s probably in his…well, my laboratory. Could be useful. Set the TARDIS to contact my Third self.

“Doctor?” Lisa said. Doctor? she tried telepathically. No answer.

He said to set the TARDIS to his Third incarnation to find the radio. I think we should.

She nodded and they went back to the console room. Looking at the controls, she noticed the two buttons. One had the number four and the other was just red in color. When the numbered button was pressed, it spun through the numbers one through seven and changed the other button to green except when it was set to four. This probably meant that the TARDIS could take them to one of the Doctor’s incarnations, however, not the Fourth as they were already there.

Or something.

Lisa spun the numbers until it showed the number three and an image of the Third Doctor appeared on the scanner, then she pressed the now-green button. The TARDIS seemed to dematerialize.

When the time rotor stopped oscillating, they left the console room via the only open door available. It seemed that the door that would open had some kind of triangular symbol on it. That was useful to know.

They came to another dead end, two doors that would not open. Then they heard the Third Doctor’s voice.

The TARDIS is dimensionally transcendental.

“Yeah, we knew that, Doctor…”

They turned around and, upon going through the door they had previously exited, found themselves in a different part of the TARDIS. It looked like a conservatory and there was an Auton stalking around the far door.

“Oh no…” said Lisa. “Not only is the TARDIS traumatized, the Master has brought our old enemies back. And the temporal grace circuits aren’t working. If that thing fires, it’s going to hurt.”

There were two doors in the conservatory, however, only the one the Auton was guarding would open.

“Graak, I’ll distract him and you head for the door.”

What if he fires on you?

“I can’t die. I’ll be fine.”

It was impossible for the protoplasmic Graak to make any kind of expression, however, he gave off a sense of being dubious.

Even so, Lisa ran towards the Auton while the Graak went around. The android shot at both of them, missing Lisa but catching the Graak, depleting some of his energy.

They both made it through the door, which led to the Doctor’s laboratory. The radio they needed was sitting on a stool by another Auton. Another door was on the far side.

Run! the Graak shouted and he and Lisa both made their way in the room and to the radio. They managed to snag it, avoid the Auton and get through the other door where there was no immediate danger.

Lisa breathed a sign of relief, then frowned when she noticed the radio floating within the Graak’s body.

I can manipulate objects, Lisa, he said, as if sensing her confusion.

“Oh. Are you okay?”

My energy levels are still quite high. I am fine.

“Good. Well, let’s turn the thing on.”

Activating the radio, it blipped and beeped and the Brigadier’s voice filtered through.

“Lethbridge-Stewart, here. Are you receiving me, Graak?”

Yes.

“Me, too.”

“Good. I’m receiving you, too. Not exactly loud and far from clear, but, we’ll just have to make due. Now, listen to me, you two. Now you’ve got your radio link operational, you can contact me here at UNIT HQ. I’ll give you all the help and advice I can. Oh, and something else – somehow the Doctor’s linked his TARDIS to the UNIT surveillance system, so I can pick you up on my video monitor. Some of the time, anyway. Hang on…signal fading. Now, take care, you two. Greyhound One over and out.”

My energy drains faster when this is used, observed the Graak. It needs my energy to power it.

“We might have to be on our own, then. Let’s keep moving.”

They came to an intersection with a hall with two doors – only one functional – and a stairway leading down.

Eenie, meanie, miney mo… stated the Third Doctor.

Perhaps being trapped is affecting his mind.

Lisa only shrugged. They tried the door first, however, that only led back to the console room. Quickly, they back up before it had a chance to close and went down the stairs. Another Auton was blocking the door, but they had no choice.

It can’t attack us both. You go one way and I’ll go the other.

It was as good a plan as any, so they waited for the Auton to get closer and then ran for it, making it through the door with minimal difficulty.

What greeted them on the other side was very strange indeed. They were on a bridge made of red, yellow and black stone. Similarly colored clouds floated in an orange sky.

“Where are we?”

I don’t know. Anything is possible with the Master in control of Siralos. Let’s move on.

Slowly they kept moving until they came to a great chasm. All of a sudden, an image of the Master appeared before them.

“Welcome to the Great Divide, you two. All you have to do is select a symbol and then go away and solve a simple riddle. Trust me. There’s really nothing to it.”

He faded away and four symbols took his place, floating and rotating around them. They picked one at random, touching it as it passed by. The symbols disappeared and the voice of the Master descended on them.

“I happen to know that your dear Doctor has in his possession the Blue Crystal of Metebelis III. Fetch, now.”

“Meh-teh-bee-lis,” corrected Lisa darkly. The Master had pronounced it “Meh-teh-beh-lis”.

The Great Divide faded to black and, when they could see again, they found themselves back in the Doctor’s TARDIS. Stalking towards them was a Sontaran.

They ran past it, being shot in the process, and noticed a strange glowing diamond across from the door they were heading for. In the process of trying to escape the Sontaran, they made contact with the diamond. They saw a vision of the Third Doctor and he spoke to them.

“It has strange properties, the Metebelis Crystal. It can affect the mind. It clears the mind and amplifies its power.”

Lisa and the Graak were back in the TARDIS, both feeling drained.

That telepathic link…sapped my energy, said the Graak.

She didn’t have time to dwell on how woozy she felt, for a Sontaran was right on their tail. They ran for the double doors and up the stairs. Another Sontaran was patrolling up here.

They waited for him to walk away, then they ran for it. They knew they were looking for the Metebelis Crystal, however, they didn’t know where it was.

With Sontarans after them, they searched the TARDIS as quickly as they could. The bedroom was empty, as was the pool room – and Lisa found its inclusion to be strange, as they’d jettisoned the pool a while back due to it leaking.

When they entered the conservatory, there was a Sontaran right in front of them. A bees’ nest was on the wall and there were planters along a different wall. A blue crystal sat beneath the machinery in the middle, however, it wasn’t the crystal they were looking for.

While trying to escape the Sontaran, the Graak picked up the bees’ nest, releasing one. It immediately headed for the Sontaran, causing it to scream in pain and fall to the floor clutching its head.

Bees kill Sontarans?

“I guess.” Lisa shrugged, then got an idea. “Hey!” she called to the bee. “Have you seen a blue crystal anywhere?”

The bee buzzed to the crystal beneath the center machinery. The Graak went to it and picked it up.

Ah… he said. This power rod restored my energy to maximum.

“That’s good, but it’s not the crystal we’re looking for.” Lisa told the bee. “Have you seen another?”

It hovered a bit, then buzzed around one of the plants, circling the pot.

Is it telling us where it is? the Graak asked, amazed.

“Yeah, but how do we get it out?”

Looking around, they saw another Sontaran stalking towards them. More bees left the hive to attack it.

We must hurry.

Lisa spotted a watering can by one door and a switch by the other. When they turned on the light, plants sprouted from the pots.

“This is a crazy idea, but…” Lisa watered the plants and they opened, one of them revealing the crystal. “Yes!”

They grabbed it and started to search for the Great Divide. They wound up backtracking, dodging Sontarans and finding many dead ends. Luckily, they did find another power rod for the Graak. The entrance wound up being the other door in the bedroom.

They approached the chasm and the Master appeared again.

“Good boy, Graak. Place what you have before your Master.” He grinned. “That’s a good little doggie.”

The Great Divide reappeared and a bridge crossed the chasm. One stone was slightly higher than the others, a pedestal for the Metebelis Crystal. Once it was placed there, the stone lowered, allowing them to cross.

More symbols awaited them and they chose another. The Master reappeared.

“Research the roars in which monsters speak. To one Doctor, two unique. That’s all you get. Be off.”

They appeared back in the Doctor’s TARDIS. An Auton was stomping towards them. They chose a direction and ran, winding up back in the area with the stairs that went down. Another telepathic link was at the bottom.

“Is your energy all the way up?” Lisa asked the Graak.

Yes.

“Then let’s see what he has to say.”

They approached the link and the Third Doctor said, “Yes, of course. Why didn’t I think of that before? Aggedor and Autons.”

Aggedor and Autons? the Graak said after a moment of recovery. Perhaps they are the two monsters we need to research.

Lisa wasn’t listening. She was staring at an unusual distortion beside them they hadn’t noticed before. She was getting a bad feeling from it.

“I don’t like that thing…” she said. “Let’s go.”

They went back up the stairs and turned left, going through the door, finding themselves back at the Great Divide.

“Just step over the edge and put your faith in me,” goaded the Master. “Trust me. Everything will be all right.”

“Not on your lives.”

We did not research any roars, Lisa, the Graak pointed out.

“I know, but we can’t stop now. I’m okay with the Autons…I just hope I still remember the sounds Aggedor made.”

They walked to the chasm and the Master appeared again.

“Over the stepping stones, Graak, time for a challenge. All you have to do is tell true from false. Simple, really.”

Two tiles labeled T and F appeared, then they heard a very loud roar.

“I’m almost sure that was Aggedor. Step on T.”

They did. Two more tiles appeared with an odd squeaking sound.

“Neither of them made that sound, I don’t think. Step on F.”

Another two tiles. The next sound suspiciously resembled that of the sonic screwdriver.

“F. I really hope that was the sonic screwdriver.”

It was and the next sound could be Auton.

“T.”

Unfortunately, she was wrong. The Graak’s energy began to rapidly deplete and pain shot through Lisa’s body. Quickly, they backtracked and stepped on F, ceasing the attack.

“Sorry…” she said, breathless. “I’m so sorry.”

It is all right. I am still at seventy percent.

So concerned as she was, she missed the next sound, so they just had to guess. They picked F and it wound up being right.

The next sound was definitely Auton. They’d heard it while being stalked by them in the TARDIS. They stepped on T. This was the last tile and they stepped to the other side where more symbols awaited.

The next symbol they chose had the Master tell them, “Here’s your clue…The sacred beast the miners fear, even Alpha Centauri came not near. Now get out.”

Lisa and the Graak found themselves in the cloister room of the Doctor’s TARDIS being attacked by an Ice Warrior. Another telepathic link was floating on one side of the room.

They dodged the Ice Warrior and made contact with the link.

The Third Doctor appeared. “I must say he’s quite pleasant company…for an animal. He didn’t even seem to mind when I scratched him behind the ears.”

They didn’t have time to be tired. They fled the cloisters and searched for the Great Divide. Every corridor looked exactly the same and the Ice Warriors bore down on them. They did obtain another power rod for the Graak, though it didn’t do much good with so many of the monsters shooting them.

Finally, they came to an area with three doors, only one able to be used. The Third Doctor, again, said, The TARDIS is dimensionally transcendental.

“I hope that’s a good sign,” Lisa muttered as they ran.

The Third Doctor began to sing a tune when they came to the top of a flight of stairs. The next door they went through past the conservatory led them to the Great Divide.

They took a moment to catch their breath – or whatever it was the Graak could catch.

I know you’re a lark, said the Third Doctor, but you needn’t be.

Lisa, we do not know what the beast in the riddle was, the Graak pointed out.

“Well…” she said, “two monsters the Doctor mentioned were Aggedor and Autons. Since Autons were androids, maybe Aggedor is the answer.”

Approaching the chasm, the Master started to laugh, then he said, “This way, Graak, just cross the Grid of Stones and you can face me in a challenge. But tread carefully, Graak, whatever you do. One false step and you’re doomed.”

Stones with letters appeared before them. It was obvious what they had to do.

“Only step on the letters in Aggedor.” Lisa said. “A, G, E, D, O and R.”

They did so and quickly, as the tiles randomly rotated. Making it across safely, they were met by the symbols once again. Only one hadn’t already been chosen, so they touched it.

“Seek out and bring me the Nestene Sphere.”

They next found themselves in an unfamiliar corroder with one of the Doctor’s telepathic links on the wall.

Lisa shivered. The feel of the ship was different here. More evil. They must be inside the Master’s TARDIS.

In need of a familiar, friendly presence, they made contact with the link.

“They have a natural affinity for plastic.”

“The Autons. They were controlled by the Nestenes.”

The corridor they were in held two sets of double doors, however, only the bright-colored set opened. Perhaps even the Master’s TARDIS had been traumatized. Lisa couldn’t blame her, with an operator like him.

The door led them to a darkened chamber with an Auton. They took the first open door they saw and followed the corridor to the end. All they got for the effort was another power rod.

Continuing the search, they found another set of doors and that corridor let to the sphere sitting on a raised platform. They were about to run and grab it, but an Auton got in their way. Lisa took it upon herself to levitate it to them.

“Let’s go!” she said and they backtracked to the previous chamber.

The only other doors available to them were a set of single ones guarded by an Auton, but they passed it with little difficulty.

They followed the corridor around until they were stopped by a similar distortion to the one Lisa had seen before, only this one didn’t give off a sense of evil.

That must be the way back to the Doctor’s TARDIS.

They plunged through. Though passing through the distortion drained the Graak of some energy and caused Lisa some pain, they were glad to see that they were indeed back in the Doctor’s TARDIS. The only open door led them to the Great Divide.

They approached the chasm, causing the Master to return. “Oh, my gooey friend, I feel inclined to squash you.”

“Don’t listen to him.”

“Good boy, Graak. Place what you have before your Master. There’s a good little doggie.”

The bridge with the raised stone appeared again. They put the sphere in its place and crossed the chasm.

Yes, well, I think that should do it! said the Third Doctor.

“Well done, old chap,” said the Master. “I knew you’d be more than a match for those pitiful plastic imposters. Come on it and try the next test. It’s very simple. Trust me. You haven’t a thing to worry about.”

The Great Divide vanished and the pair saw the Master at the help of a ship.

“Execute countdown,” he said.

A Dalek voice filtered through the speakers. “Five, four, three…”

“Controls to manual.”

“…two, one. Blast off.”

“Boost the power to maximum.”

The next thing they knew, they were inside their own ship searching for the Master’s. Once they spotted it, they fired. After three hits, an image of the Third Doctor appeared.

“I am the Doctor!” he proudly declared.

The Master was next. The Dalek voice resonated over the speakers.

“Emergency! Emergency! Evacuate! Evacuate!”

The Master was glaring. “You have incurred my most profound displeasure. Bad move, you two. Bad move.”

End chapter three.

Back *~*~* Chapter Two *~*~* Chapter Four