afraid.
‘For pity’s sake,’ begged the mutant. ‘You cannot refuse.’
The Doctor turned his back on Mawdryn and his seven companions.
Even Tegan was upset by such coldness. ‘Why can’t you help them, Doctor?’
The Doctor rounded angrily on his companion. ‘A Time Lord can only regenerate twelve times. I have already done so four times.’
‘So?’
‘Don’t you see!’ shouted the Doctor, desperate to escape from the laboratory. ‘Eight of them. Eight of me!’
The silent eyes of the eight mutants never left the Time Lord. The Doctor felt paralysed by their desperate need.
‘They want my eight remaining lives to end their mutation,’ he whispered, white with anxiety. ‘They want to take away my own regenerative powers!’
7
Double Danger of the Brigadier
Turlough searched nervously for the Brigadier who had come with Tegan and Nyssa from 1977. He was not convinced that the sleepers from the dormition chamber were as harmless as the Black Guardian claimed, and was anxious to avoid a second confrontation.
He darted behind a convenient piece of abstract sculpture. Someone — or something — was coming towards him. Turlough smiled as he spotted the dapper blazered figure walking slowly down the corridor. It was the Brigadier, all right; but this confident, strutting, military man was not the Brigadier that Turlough knew.
What was more to the point, neither did this — the younger Brigadier – as yet know Turlough.
‘Hello, Brigadier!’ Turlough stepped out in front of a startled Lethbridge-Stewart.
‘Who the devil are you?’
‘Turlough, of course,’ said Turlough mischievously.
‘Heard about you from Tegan,’ said his future maths master.
So this, thought the Brigadier to himself, was the famous Turlough. Just wait till the boy got to Brendon.
He’d have that impudent grin off his face.
‘I’ve come to take you to the Doctor,’ continued Turlough insolently.
‘The Doctor? You know where he is?’
‘Of course. Come on.’
‘Not so fast,’ growled the Brigadier. ‘And keep in the shadows. We’ve got some disagreeable fellow passengers.’
Turlough was far more afraid of the mutants than the Brigadier, but he was keen to score off the military man in the blazer. ‘They’re harmless,’ he jeered. ‘You’re not afraid, are you?’
The Brigadier could have boxed his future pupil’s ears for cheek, but he said nothing and followed the boy in the direction of the Hall of Likenesses. ‘What does this Doctor look like?’ he asked as they walked past the icons.
‘Older than me. Younger than you.’
‘I mean, is he... normal?’
‘Of course.’
‘Then that deformed creature in the TARDIS was an imposter!’
Turlough stopped at the open door of the dormition chamber. ‘Doctor? The Brigadier’s here.’
The Brigadier peered over Turlough’s shoulder. He pushed the boy aside and stepped into the inner room.
‘Doctor?’ He wrinkled his nose at the faintly rank odour, akin to overipe pheasant, that hung about the chamber.
‘Doctor?’
There was a rumble and a click. The Brigadier spun round to see the entrance behind him sealed. The wretched boy had led him into a trap.
‘We are scientists,’ explained the mutant leader to the Brigadier as he tried to hurry the Doctor to the safety of his TARDIS. ‘The Doctor can help us only of his own free will.’
‘You cannot ask me to change my whole nature,’ the Doctor repeated stonily as Mawdryn pleaded with him to end their infinite journey.
‘Come on, Doctor, we’re getting out of here,’ whispered Tegan.
But still the Doctor lingered by the regenerator. He could not believe he was destined to escape so easily. ‘You have the regenerator and the facilities of the laboratory.
Continue with your experiments. Find how to reverse the process.’
‘We have known for many years that the process is irreversible.’
Nyssa moved to the Doctor’s side. ‘There must be something you can do to help
‘For pity’s sake,’ begged the mutant. ‘You cannot refuse.’
The Doctor turned his back on Mawdryn and his seven companions.
Even Tegan was upset by such coldness. ‘Why can’t you help them, Doctor?’
The Doctor rounded angrily on his companion. ‘A Time Lord can only regenerate twelve times. I have already done so four times.’
‘So?’
‘Don’t you see!’ shouted the Doctor, desperate to escape from the laboratory. ‘Eight of them. Eight of me!’
The silent eyes of the eight mutants never left the Time Lord. The Doctor felt paralysed by their desperate need.
‘They want my eight remaining lives to end their mutation,’ he whispered, white with anxiety. ‘They want to take away my own regenerative powers!’
7
Double Danger of the Brigadier
Turlough searched nervously for the Brigadier who had come with Tegan and Nyssa from 1977. He was not convinced that the sleepers from the dormition chamber were as harmless as the Black Guardian claimed, and was anxious to avoid a second confrontation.
He darted behind a convenient piece of abstract sculpture. Someone — or something — was coming towards him. Turlough smiled as he spotted the dapper blazered figure walking slowly down the corridor. It was the Brigadier, all right; but this confident, strutting, military man was not the Brigadier that Turlough knew.
What was more to the point, neither did this — the younger Brigadier – as yet know Turlough.
‘Hello, Brigadier!’ Turlough stepped out in front of a startled Lethbridge-Stewart.
‘Who the devil are you?’
‘Turlough, of course,’ said Turlough mischievously.
‘Heard about you from Tegan,’ said his future maths master.
So this, thought the Brigadier to himself, was the famous Turlough. Just wait till the boy got to Brendon.
He’d have that impudent grin off his face.
‘I’ve come to take you to the Doctor,’ continued Turlough insolently.
‘The Doctor? You know where he is?’
‘Of course. Come on.’
‘Not so fast,’ growled the Brigadier. ‘And keep in the shadows. We’ve got some disagreeable fellow passengers.’
Turlough was far more afraid of the mutants than the Brigadier, but he was keen to score off the military man in the blazer. ‘They’re harmless,’ he jeered. ‘You’re not afraid, are you?’
The Brigadier could have boxed his future pupil’s ears for cheek, but he said nothing and followed the boy in the direction of the Hall of Likenesses. ‘What does this Doctor look like?’ he asked as they walked past the icons.
‘Older than me. Younger than you.’
‘I mean, is he... normal?’
‘Of course.’
‘Then that deformed creature in the TARDIS was an imposter!’
Turlough stopped at the open door of the dormition chamber. ‘Doctor? The Brigadier’s here.’
The Brigadier peered over Turlough’s shoulder. He pushed the boy aside and stepped into the inner room.
‘Doctor?’ He wrinkled his nose at the faintly rank odour, akin to overipe pheasant, that hung about the chamber.
‘Doctor?’
There was a rumble and a click. The Brigadier spun round to see the entrance behind him sealed. The wretched boy had led him into a trap.
‘We are scientists,’ explained the mutant leader to the Brigadier as he tried to hurry the Doctor to the safety of his TARDIS. ‘The Doctor can help us only of his own free will.’
‘You cannot ask me to change my whole nature,’ the Doctor repeated stonily as Mawdryn pleaded with him to end their infinite journey.
‘Come on, Doctor, we’re getting out of here,’ whispered Tegan.
But still the Doctor lingered by the regenerator. He could not believe he was destined to escape so easily. ‘You have the regenerator and the facilities of the laboratory.
Continue with your experiments. Find how to reverse the process.’
‘We have known for many years that the process is irreversible.’
Nyssa moved to the Doctor’s side. ‘There must be something you can do to help
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