From: doctor@infopls.chi.il.us (david lucas)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.drwho
Subject: shada text part three
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 92 17:30:50 CDT
Organization: INFOPLUS support, Wheeling, IL

continued from previous post
 
 

   "Accomplished."

   "Good, now this is the difficult bit........"

   The Doctor's voice penetrates to the generation vat.   

   The Krarg is near completion.

         

   The Doctor has now finished his reprogramming.

   "Let's see if that works. Alright, ship, activate all re-aligned 
circuits."

   "Something very strange is happening, Doctor!"

   "Don't worry, keep going."

   A familiar sound reverberates round the ship.........

   ...

   "Bingo!"

   Apprehension fills Chris's voice.  "Ah, what have you done, Doctor?"

   "I've  constructed a primitive form of dimensional stabilizer by  
remote 

   control. The journey will now take a couple of minutes to anywhere."

   "For a dead man, Doctor, you are extremely ingenious," the ship puts 
in.

   The Doctor shivers.  "Yes, well, let's not harp on that aspect, shall 
we?"

   Silence.

         

   Skagra is standing beside the sphere.

   "Now, my dear, you shall see that though your friend the Doctor is

   unfortunately deceased, his mind lives on in the sphere."

   He turns to the window and an image forms on it......

   ...

   "Ah, you see what is uppermost on his mind.  He is fond of you."

   Romana flashes him a look of pure hatred.

   "But not what I am looking for.  Somewhere in his mind I am convinced 
he

   knows the code that will unravel the secrets of this book for me."

   Skagra concentrates on the sphere.

         

   ---

   The  Doctor  is looking over the control system.  

   "Well, where-ever it is, we're going there."

   "Whilst Skagra is presumably going in the opposite direction," 

   Chris replies.

   "I know. Worrying, isn't it. It's the only thing we can do, though."

   "It would help if we knew who Shada was."

   "Who, or what."

   Outside the control room occupied by the Time Lord, the newly-created 
Krarg

   is moving down the corridor.

         

   Skagra is concentrating on images thrown up by the sphere over the 
window

   area.

   Romana is also watching.

   "What's so important about the book?"

   "It's the Ancient Law of Gallifrey."

   "So?"

   "So what does a Gallifreyan Judge say when passing sentence?  

   I'll tell you. `We but administer. You are imprisoned by the power of 
the 

   Law.'  That  used to be quite literally true."

   "You mean the book is the key?"

   "The  key with which the Time Lords used to imprison their most feared 


   criminals. Like, for instance--"

   A further series of images flash past their eyes....

   ...

   "He doesn't know!  He doesn't know the code!!"

   Romana breathes a sigh of relief. 

   "I'm glad you realise that. It is about time."

   Skagra looks at her, forming the thought over in his mind.  

   "Yes, time. I should have seen that. A Gallifreyan code would have to

   include the dimension of time." 

   He turns back to the sphere. 

   "Find me the Doctor's last reference to time."

   Just  as  the  Doctor is bringing the ship out of time travel, the 
Krarg

   bursts through the door.

   K9 blasts i but can only hold its momentum. Every time he stops 
firing, it

   starts to move again.

   Supplying a power cable, the Doctor gives K9 enough power to hold out 
as 

   the ship comes in to dock....

         

   ---

         

   Skagra is reviewing the Doctor's last few hours. He finds the section 
he 

   wants....

   ...

   "You really are snooping through the Doctor's mind. I think that is 

   horrible."  

   Romana shivers.

   "Quiet!  I think I have the answer.  Come, we will try a little 
experiment."

   Skagra leads the way to the TARDIS.

         

   The Doctor and Chris leave Skagra's ship and enter the Think Tank. K9 
stays

   behind, his blaster firing constantly to hold the Krarg.

 

   ---

         

   Skagra stands by the TARDIS console, flipping through the pages; he 
isn't

   making much progress. He returns to the first page and, after studying 
it,

   turns to the second. As he does so, the column gives a small twitch, 
which 

   he doesn't notice. Romana's mind races to find some form of 
distraction.

   Too late! Skagra turns the next page and notices the movement. With 

   mounting excitement he establishes that turning the pages operates the

   column.

   Skagra  slams the book shut.

   "Time runs backwards over the book. So I turn the pages within the 
time

   field of this machine and the machine operates. Good. And 

   turning the last page will take me to Shada."

   Grabbing Romana, he leaves the TARDIS.

   Back in his command ship, Skagra orders preparations to be made for 
the 

   entry into Shada. He turns to Romana.

   "And you must prepare yourself to meet one of the most powerful 
criminals in

   history. A man the Time Lords have chosen to forget!"

   Romana's through feels dry as she voices her worst fear.  

   "Salyavin...?"

   "Salyavin!  The lynch pin to my great plan."

         

   ---

         

   K9 is getting desperate.  "Master, the creature is absorbing 
impossible

   amounts of energy. Master!"

   The Doctor cannot hear him; K9 is alone in Skagra's ship.

         

   ---

         

   K9 is frantic.  "Master, this creature is not only absorbing energy; 
it is

   growing stronger. Hurry, master!"

         

   ---

   

   K9 is clearly losing the battle with the red hot Krarg.

         

   ---

         

   K9's blaster beam is now fused into the haze that surrounds the 

   Krarg. It starts to move and K9 backs off.

   Realizing he has lost the battle, K9 heads for the door.

         

   ---   Episode 5

 

   Rushing into Skagra's ship, the Doctor orders it to dematerialize.

   ...

   Safely away, the Doctor addresses the ship's computer again.

   "We're  still no nearer to finding Skagra and Romana.  Ship, I'm going 
to

   ask you once again.  Where is the Lord Skagra?"

   "He did not reveal his destination to me."

   "Doesn't the wretched man have a home to go to?"

   "Yes," came the surprising answer.

   "What?  Then will you please take us there?"

   "Instructions accepted."

   The Doctor smiles at Chris. "I do hate computers; they're so 
literal-minded.

   Aren't they, K9?"

   "Master??"

         

   ---

      

   Aboard  the carrier ship, Skagra prepares to leave for Shada.  

   He now has a full complement of Krargs.

   "Good.  Then let us go."

   Romana is startled by a tap on the shoulder.

   "Doctor!!  How did you get here?"

   "These kind people brought me."  He moves aside to reveal 

   several Krargs.

   "Doctor!!!"  Skagra is amazed.

   "Ah, hello there."

   "I am...a little surprised to find you here."

   "Your ship was a little surprised to find itself bringing me."

   "You stole my ship."

   "Only  after you stole mine. Ah, there she is. I hope you've been 
looking

   after her; may I check?  If you've been over-revving her in third 
phase--"

   Two Krargs bar his way.

   Skagra ignores the request.

   "I am curious to know how you survived the treatment of my sphere."

   "It only looks for what it expects to find. I made it look for the 
wrong

   things. We Time Lords have highly trained minds."

   "So I am aware, Doctor.  If you have come here in the hope of 
interfering

   with my great purpose, I am afraid you will be--"

   The Doctor grins.  "Great purpose?  Ha Ha!!"

   "Yes, Doctor; the very greatest."

   "I  know what you want to do; you old slyboots. You want to  take  
over the

   universe, don't you?  I've met your sort before. Any moment now, a mad

   gleam will come into your eye and you'll start shouting,

   `The universe will be mine!'"

   Skagra  looks at him quizzically. 

   "How naive, Doctor. How pathetically limited your wisdom is."

   "Limited!" the Doctor shouts.

   "`Take over the universe.' How childish. Who could possibly want to 
takeover

   the  universe?"

   "Exactly! That's what I keep on trying to tell people. It's a 
troublesome 

   place, difficult to administer, and as a piece of real estate it's 
worthless

   because by definition there'd be no one to sell it to."

   "Such visions are for infants. My purpose is to fulfill the natural 

   evolutionary goal of all life."

   "Oh yes?"

   "With  the  aid of the sphere, I shall make the whole of creation 
merge into

   one single mind; one god-like entity."

   "You will?"

   Skagra's  voice  becomes intense with emotion.  

   "The universe, Doctor, as you so crudely put it, shall be me!!"

   "Ah....  Have you discussed this with anyone? Why don't you send one 
of your

   Krargs over there to make some tea; we could sit down and--"

   "Doctor,  your  inane witherings do not interest me.  This will 

   happen.   It  will 

   start within hours.  Once started, nothing you or anyone else can do 
will 

   stop it." 

   He turns to the Krargs.  

   "Take them away.  Lock them up; throw away the key."

   Before  the Krargs can move, the Doctor rushes toward the TARDIS, but 
his

   way is blocked and he runs off down a corridor.  Chris and K9 manage 
to 

   follow him but Romana is grabbed.

   Skagra waves his hand.  "Kill them, then!"

   Several Krargs move off in pursuit.

      

   The Doctor, Chris and K9 are being pursued down endless corridors.

         

   Skagra enters the TARDIS with Romana and a detachment of Krargs.

         

   The net is closing in on the Doctor.  Doubling back down a corridor, 
they 

   spot an unusual door.

   "This wasn't here before," Chris cries.

   "Get in!!" the Doctor pushes him through.

       

   ---

         

   Arriving outside the door, the Krargs try unsuccessfully to break in.

         

   ---

 

   Skagra  stands, book in hand, by the TARDIS console. Romana watches, 
flanked

   by Krargs, unable to interfere.

   As he turns the pages, Skagra watches the central column move as if 
tied by

   invisible threads to the book. A deep melodic hum fills the air.

   "The key turns slowly in the lock.  The door to Shada opens."

   He begins to turn the pages faster.

         

   ---

  Continued next post

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