Input and Output

Meanwhile, back in the Capital...

The others listen in on the conversation that is taking place. Betty and Ragan look a bit worried when they hear the voice of the Master....for it is that of the Master they heard in The Five Doctors. In other words, it's the voice of Ainley's Master instead of Delgrado. What that could mean as far as what might have happened with Logopolis......

"One crisis at a time, Betty," Betty mutters to herself, drawing odd glances from several of the others.

Ragan notes that there is one voice absent from this little chat that there had been in the original dialog they are eavesdropping on: Borusa. From further eavesdropping there appears to have been a small problem with trying to locate the president....and some passing reference to some rather......odd..... items they found within his quarters that turned up while the guards tried desperately to locate the man.....

None of the adventurers know this yet.

Betty and Ragan look at each other in surmise at what those "things" Flavia sounded a little embarrassed to mention in this conversation with the Master.....

As it was Flavia sounded both embarrassed and a bit angered at whatever it was....and apparently is speaking for the Supreme Council for the time being......

As it was, the conversation was still somewhat following what both Betty and Ragan were familiar with.....

Flavia had just offered the Master a pardon when the Master made a rather snide comment.

"What makes you think I want your forgiveness?" the Master seems to smile at his conversation mates.

Inquirer notes that the Fourth Doctor has an especially attentive look on his face.

Romana was also listening in with much interest, for she'd only hear the stories whispered about this rather evil Time Lord and now here she was......almost in the same room with the villain! Inquirer is gladdened to see that the rumors of her being an able and self possessed woman were true, for she'd seemed to have recovered from some rather strange and unsettling shocks quickly.

"We can offer you an alternative to your renegade existence." Castellan said, sounding annoyed at the renegades flippant attitude.

"Regeneration. A complete new life cycle." Flavia says softly, sweetening the deal. Inquirer notes that while she hides it well enough, the entire fact that she must deal with this person is sticking in her craw.

Betty notices the storm clouds gathering over both the Fourth Doctor's and Dr. Who's faces. Romana does a double take, noticing a rather uncharacteristic look of utter outrage on her partner's face.

She has a pretty good idea just why, too. The Master is a villain without pier, guilty of many crimes, and has been declared a renegade by the Supreme Council. The Doctor(s) has also been exiled, his name stripped, and pretty much declared a renegade by the Supreme Council, but is...... Well, the difference between the two is night and day! The mere fact that the Council would even THINK of pardoning this man.....

Both Time Lady and Betty are gratified that they don't start to shout in outrage (though it looked to be a close thing).

"What must I do?" the Master asks, suddenly warming to the whole deal.

"Rescue the Doctor." Flavia states simply, resigning herself to this deal. She'd not been able to get into contact with the other Doctors over this whole affair that somehow was connected with the unexplained energy drain on the Eye of Harmony that threatened Galifry. She had advocated sending in the two Council members, friends and allies of hers, into the Death Zone to investigate....but now not only did it look to be disastrous (thus garnering favor for Castellan's initial proposal-reasons behind such a controversial proposal as of yet unknown-of enlisting the Master's aid in this affair).....

Besides the loss of political face, there still was the matter....an important matter....that her friends apparently had died......

Later, time to regroup and....perhaps grieve.....later.

Galifry and duty first.....

She then pauses, looking around the room. She swears that somebody is....watching.

This has happened in the past at odd times, but now!.....

Never this strong before.....

She shakes it off and sighs....

Oh please! Dr. Who thinks angrily, enraged at the injustice of this, She lectured me on not intervening in other culture's affairs....advocated having me banished and my life lessened by four life cycles in ADDITION to banishment. Then she goes and offers the worst evil that the Time Lords ever produce pardon for crimes much worse than mere intervention. Even if they are trying to save my life, supposedly, I can see the life cycle....maybe......but not that and a pardon.....

Dr. Who is not amused.

"Maybe she'll give him one of the four they took from me when they exiled me," he whispers softly, disgusted.

The other Time Lords stare wide eyed at this, while the others nod....remembering the injustice of it in the tales they had heard.

"It didn't happen that way," the Fourth Doctor whispered, wide eyed at the revelation of what had befallen his brother. "I just was banished and prematurely Regenerated....."

"That was barbaric!" Romana whispered in disgust, "Not even the worst of criminals....that punishment has not been used since the Dark Times....."

"That's in your Gallifry," the Doctor muttered as shouts of surprise come from the other side of the door, "This is my Gallifry."

The Time Lords from the other universe look at each other, and silently agree that perhaps it would be an especially good thing to get home....where things were a bit more....familiar (and maybe just a tad more just).

"With things going as they've been going....with the introduction of us 'random elements' into the mix," Betty whispers, "I don't see why we shouldn't muddy the water a touch more by stepping in now?"

Though I pray we don't push things TOO far and cause a paradox that might well erase the other Doctors...." Ragan whispers to her, "Lord knows what telling him about....certain astronomical instruments will do to his future and all."

Only Betty and those with super hearing (the elves, Inquirer, and Sigin) hear what Ragan said. For a brief second, they all worry about what is "too much".....and hope that what needs to be done won't be "oo much".....

"'Too right!' as Walker would say," agrees Dr. Who, loud enough for those outside to hear, since he does not wanting to hear any more about this nonsense the Council has cooked up in using his worst enemy to save his life (even though his is not in danger). "Using the Master to help is like inviting in the wolves to take care of the foxes!"

A dead silence signals that those in the other room had heard that.

"Well, that tears it," Inquirer chuckles, deciding to go with the hand dealt.

"Hey out there!" the female golem calls, "Can you get this door opened up?! There doesn't seem to be a way to open it on this side....from what I can see!"

It quickly became apparent that those on the other side had no easy way at opening the door from their side, either. All they saw was a portrait of Rassilon....with no way to open the hidden door.

"Wait," Betty finally puts in, annoyed. "The way they did it in.....what I remember of the way the door was open I was told was to take the Harp of Rassilon and play the tune in the picture."

"We will send at once for the Harp," Castellan says, gesturing to a guard, "We will have it in a moment."

Sigin looks at the others and then......

"Allow me," the dragon mage says, calling forth one of his more powerful portal opening magic (since it was clear even by the most casual of glances that this portal would be resistant to anything less than what only he was capable of at the moment). In time his pupils would be able to cast such powerful spells, but that was later.

For the matter at hand, the less time spent fiddling around on trivial things, the better! From what Betty and Ragan had in their conversation on what the best course of action was......time was of the essence if this other Doctor was to be saved.

"He does have a rather good singing voice," the Fourth Doctor observes as the door's locking mechanism squeals in protest as the magic forces the door open (causing the door mechanisms to give off arcs of electricity and smoke). "Rather good for a sometimes dragon....if my ears didn't deceive me....."

"You get good at it when the only way you can cast a spell is singing," the mage says between coughs as Inquirer and Dr. Who cast hasty spells to put out the electrical fire and clear the smoke out of the room. "I can't cast them in the traditional way.....since I stutter when I attempt it thus. Been that way for around the two thousand years I've lived......"

The other Time Lords look at the dragon mage strangely, then decide not to ask.

"Eh, right," Romana says as the faces of the Council appear in the doorway, "I believe that there is a need of explanation?"

Flavia and the others look like that would be MOST appreciated.

"Doctor, what a delight," the Master says with a slight false note in his cheerful voice, "We were just speaking about you....."

"Yes, I couldn't help but overhear," the Fourth Doctor smiles. "Care for a jelly baby?"

The Master's teeth make an audible grinding sound, for he is angry. See, though the evil Time Lord had been willing to go in and do the requested task for the offered prize.....the Master can see that with the sudden arrival of the Doctor that this business with the Council is over.

He has no idea who the strange man is with the long scarf and the candy is.....nor does he care. Several others notice this......

He growls and leave in a huff. Some of the adventurers look like they'd like to protest and stop him.....but that would be awkward since was clear form the previous eavesdropping that the evil Time Lord is here under something of a flag of truce....and thus any attempt at halting the vile man's leave would be dealt with harshly. Also, the resulting problems and delays would surely put to paid any hope of rescuing the analogous Doctors and others still within the Death Zone.

"He did leave in a snit, didn't he," the Fourth Doctor says to nobody in particular.

Dr. Who smiles, though he is thinking that a bit odd this man might be, he still has a....bit of a style that he likes for some reason. Can't say much for his sense of style of clothing, but.....

"Naturally he didn't recognize the Fourth Doctor," Ragan whispers to Betty, "Since 'our' Doctor is basically 'stuck' in his third Regeneration....."

1. "Who are you?" Flavia asks, looking at those who were standing with Dr. Who.

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