From: jfy@cis.ksu.edu (Joseph F. Young)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.drwho
Subject: Reposting of "Stories of Nyssa" PART 4 of 8 by David E. Woon
Followup-To: rec.arts.drwho
Date: 17 Dec 1992 22:27:06 GMT
Organization: Kansas State University, Dept. of Computing and Information Scienc
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: crucis.cis.ksu.edu
Summary: Part 4 of Stories of Nyssa by David E. Woon
Keywords: Nyssa, Story, repost

This story was originally posted around February this year...


------------------------------------------------------------------------
  This is the FOURTH episode in a series.  Please address comments or
     requests for further information or the previous episodes to:
            ng436@pnlg.pnl.gov   (or)   ng436@traken.pnl.gov
  --  David E. Woon  --  Molecular Science Research Center -- BNL --
            --  Alumnus of Michigan Tech University  --
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To those who know their Doctor Who history, there is a major oops in
Part One: I believe that Traken was lost in "Logopolis" or "Castro-
valva" because the Master was screwing aroung with Block Transfer Cal-
culations.  I wrote these episodes before I saw either serial, and some
day I'll restore the proper continuity.  It doesn't change the current
story too much.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


                            THE ATTIC OF ETERNITY
                                 (PART TWO)
                              by David E. Woon


BACKGROUND:

We pick up where we left off: the Master has begun his conquest of the
galaxy on the planet Ahm Thonset; Nyssa, the Doctor, Trefusis and Givens
are in the Attic of Eternity trying to produce a plan of action for
stopping the Master.

The themes which barely began in Part One shall come to fruition here.


------------------------------------------------------------------------


SCENE 1:  Nyssa, alone in her TARDIS

(You may ask why Nyssa isn't with the others.  That will be explained in
 due time.  At the moment, however, people have gone off by themselves.)

(She has continued to wear the locket, but she still has not explained
 to anyone what it means to her.  The Doctor has a good idea.)

(The recent period of time has been distracting for Nyssa: seeing the
 Doctor again, going to Gallifrey and becoming a Time Lord herself, the
 journey to Armitage to meet the last Cyberman, and now, in the midst of
 meeting the very eccentric and mysterious Trefusis, the safety of the
 universe is at stake.  But it is the Master who poses the threat, and
 he carries a double threat for her.)

(This scene is much like the one which started this entire family of
 stories.  Nyssa is alone, and she studies the locket.  The surroundings
 are different, but the pain is the same.  It does not matter very much
 that the Doctor has adopted her and is nearby.  Some pains do not
 respond even to great kindness.  The Doctor understands and is helpless
 the way he was helpless years before on Logopolis and the days soon
 after.)

(This time we see her sitting on the edge of a bed.  She is swinging the
 locket idly, her face looking downward.  What would she do if the
 Master walked into the room right now, looking so much like her father,
 but having twisted all of Tremas's kindliness and sanity into evil and
 mad cunning?  Perhaps it is what she is thinking: we see great pain,
 but also wrenchings of hatred.)

(After a bit she gives in to her tears and weeps, eventually turning to
 lie with her face smothered among the bedding.)

(This is a young woman who may do anything.)


          - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


SCENE 2:  The Doctor, Trefusis and Nyssa in the Attic control room

D.  It is a tricky problem.

T.  Yes, it's not as simple as finding this Time Lord and stopping him,
    which will not be simple in any event.  There is the question of
    time ethics.

N.  Why is that a problem?

T.  The Attic is hidden in a time bubble.  It is outside of normal time,
    but connected to it at all points in the chronistic manifold.

N.  So from our perspective, nothing has happened yet?

T.  It's rather a contradiction.  In one sense, nothing has happened
    whatsoever.  Not only has the Master not escaped with the Star of
    Urkuz, the first protostar hasn't even begun to flicker into
    brilliance.  At the same time, though time is definitely NOT the
    right word...  At the same time, all is said and done and
    determined.

D.  Which means that it would be unethical to do anything about it.

N.  You told me that Time Lords are a fatalistic lot.  So there's
    nothing we can do?

D.  Well, it's not as bad as that.

T.  Nyssa, he's right.  There is still something we can do.  Remember
    that I said that there are two perspectives.  We will view the
    problem from the first perspective and try to avoid the latter one.

N.  Just pretend that nothing has happened?  Can you do that?

D.  It's not much different than trying to figure out how free will and
    determinism coexist.

N.  Free will and determinism don't coexist.

D.  I see that you haven't read your Bosco, either.

(Nyssa is getting a bit exasperated.)

N.  I thought you said that Bosco wrote about trans-stellar sociology?

D.  He did, but that was in his later, waning years.  In the prime of
    his youth, he tackled some of the great philosophical conundrums and
    only came away with minor wounds.  Most minds start to cave in when
    they study the great questions of philosophy: Bosco decided to take
    a practical approach and accept as many contradictions as he could
    simultaneously remember.  It turned out he was right, too.

T.  Bosco had a good mind.

D.  You met him?

T.  Oh, rather.

(Trefusis seems a bit embarrassed for some obscure reason.)

N.  So how do we apply this contradiction in perspective to our advan-
    tage?

T.  We pretend that the Master hasn't done anything yet.  All we know
    for certain is that he was here, he took the Star, and he left.  If
    he is still in his TARDIS, then he is also outside of time.

N.  So we look for his TARDIS and stop him from doing anything?

D.  Not exactly.  If we do that, we won't know where he is in his own
    time sequence.  Suppose, for the sake of argument, that we had a
    piece of equipment which could track all of the Master's travels
    through time.

T.  That console in the corner behind you would do the job nicely.

D.  Really?  I'd like to look at it some time.

N.  Doctor!

D.  Right.  If we used that machine in the corner, we would see the
    time stream and the Master's paths around it like a bunch of
    strings.  We could reach into any one of those and intercept him,
    but which one is the path he took when he was heading away from here
    with the Star?

N.  What does it matter, as long as we stop him?

D.  It's still a question of ethics.  What if we stopped him years
    before he made it to Traken?  You would suddenly be trapped in
    a contradiction.  He is the reason you are here with me now.

N.  And we aren't supposed to meddle with time.

D.  The repercussions aren't worth it.  As one example, it would kill
    you outright.

N.  Wouldn't it be a worthwhile sacrifice?

D.  As another example, Traken would probably also disappeared for-
    ever, and large portions of the Milky Way galaxy.

N.  Oh.

T.  There's a better way anyhow.

N.  Then why are we talking about time strings and contradictions?

D.  Nyssa, please calm yourself.  For once, we have all the time in
    the world.  We have the time to make the right decision and not to
    jump into something impulsively which may also be very dangerous.

N.  I'm sorry, Doctor.

D.  This is partly for your benefit.  What would you have done if
    neither I nor Trefusis were about?

N.  I'd do the best I could.

D.  Would you have tried to intercept the Master before any of this
    happened?

(He is trodding on a mine field.)

N.  Maybe.

(She is not looking at the Doctor.  This worries him.  He speaks
 gently.)

D.  Nyssa, you can't undo the past.

N.  I don't know what the past is any more!  As soon as I stepped
    into your TARDIS, a new world of possibilities and contra-
    dictions were opened to me.

D.  And now you have your own TARDIS and you are a Time Lord.  You
    have the power, and you can do with it what you like.

(She is quiet.)

N.  I want to do what's right.

D.  Good.  This isn't an easy thing, Nyssa.  Ethics and emotions can
    become two of the greatest enemies in certain instances, and very
    few people are able to recognize the fact.

N.  So what can we do?

T.  We can find the disturbance in the time stream which would be
    caused by the Master activating the Star.  It's effects will be
    easy to trace.  Then we must go into the stream at some time
    after he arrives, as close to the original instance as possible.
    All we have to do is to avoid seeing ahead.

N.  That doesn't sound too bad.

T.  Actually it isn't.  Of course, there's still the problem of stop-
    ping him.

D.  Will a mind screen be sufficient protection?

T.  I know about the mind screen of the Time Lords.  It's better than
    any of the electronics I could produce from the Attic, but it
    won't get you close enough unless he has just begun building the web
    of minds around him.

D.  How many minds could my screen repel?

T.  Maybe a hundred thousand or so.  After a million it would do you
    no good at all.  He'd just add yours to the current neighbor list,
    mind screen or not.

D.  How long would it take him to accumulate a hundred thousand minds?

T.  About five minutes.

D.  That brings us to another question.  How soon after we sense him can
    we arrive?

N.  Doesn't that depend on the number of minds which make the web large
    enough to sense?

D.  That's right.  We wouldn't have a full five minutes.

T.  It will probably narrow the window considerably.  Givens!

(He appears from a nearby doorway.)

G.  Yes, sir?

T.  What's the sensitivity of the machine which detects minds acting
    in unison, probably in terms of the number of human minds?

G.  As I recall, sir, the threshold is on the order of 500,000 minds
    working in unison.

D.  Then that doesn't help us at all.

T.  You may be able to withstand it for a short while and deactivate
    the Star.

D.  And if I can't, I'll be just another fly caught in his web.


	  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SCENE 3:  the Amalgam pub

(The Master's Amalgam is collapsed against a table, clearly out of it.
 Nyssa's Amalgam enters with the Doctor's.  He is helping her to gain
 her bearings.)

(He quietly approaches the Master's Amalgam and gently tries to talk to
 him.)

D.  Hello, there...

M.  Go away.

(The Doctor's Amalgam doesn't try to say anything else, but sits
 nearby.)

M.  (Hardly raising his head.)  I said, GO AWAY!

N.  This is the Master's Amalgam?

(The Doctor's Amalgam tries to warn her to be silent, but not in time.
 The Master's Amalgam throws a glass, over his shoulder, in her general
 direction.  It misses.  A moment later, he realizes who she is and
 whirls on her, suddenly frenetic.)

M.  You're Nyssa's Amalgam, aren't you?  How can you have the effrontery
    to come here?

D.  I brought her.

(The Master's Amalgam lunges at the Doctor's.  The Doctor's Amalgam
 stops him by grabbing him and holding him until his burst of emotion
 subsides, then helps him to sit down.)

M.  I'm sorry.

D.  It's all right.  I didn't know you were having such a bad time or
    I wouldn't have brought her around.

M.  The Master is on Ahm Thonset building a web with the Star of Urkuz.

D.  The Doctor and Nyssa are at the Attic of Eternity trying to come
    up with a plan.

M.  With Trefusis?

D.  Trefusis is there, too.  Also Trefusis's man, Givens.

M.  Trefusis will know what to do.

D.  If anyone does.

N.  Nyssa wants to kill the Master.

M.  I don't blame her.

N.  She also wants to save her father.

M.  Her father is dead.  Forever.  I know that as well as anyone.

N.  She would stop his death.

D.  She mustn't.  The Doctor told her what the consequence would be.

N.  She understood his words and believed them.  But her heart would
    still have her do it.


	  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


SCENE 4:  the Attic

T.  There is another way.  It is less likely to occur but more likely
    to succeed.

D.  What is it?

T.  The Star of Urkuz can exert great power, but it requires a great
    sacrifice by the one who holds it.  The Master may not be able
    to sustain it for very long.

N.  So we could wait for him to falter and then slip into the time
    stream and stop him.

T.  It is only a chance.  There are ways for the holder to draw the
    necessary strength from the minds in the web, but it requires an
    adjustment by the holder.  If the Master had the foresight to search
    through the capacities of the Star before using it, he will already
    be ready to make the adjustment when he begins to weaken.  There
    won't be enough time to do anything.

D.  That means that the best plan will be to make some attempt in the
    early stages, and resort to the second method if the first fails.

T.  I think that is best.

(Givens enters.)

G.  Sir, I have pinpointed the moment in the time stream.  The Master
    will be on the planet which is called Ahm Thonset.  He will have
    activated Star before landing.  That is the most information we
    are allowed.

T.  Givens is very precise about adhering to ethics.  I would have been
    more inclined to peek and see if there would be a lapse in the
    Master's building of the web.

G.  That wouldn't be fair, Trefusis.

T.  I know.  It also isn't fair that Givens and I can't do anything else
    in this matter at all.

N.  What do you mean?

T.  Well, strictly speaking, I know how it's all going to turn out.
    Not specifically, but generally, I have enough knowledge to infer
    the outcome.  I may travel with you, but I can't act.

D.  You've been around the universe a few times, haven't you?

T.  You might say that.

N.  Which TARDIS will we take?

D.  Yours, no doubt.  If something happens to me, you may need to
    withdraw and try to come up with some alternative plan.

N.  I don't like the sound of that, Doctor.

D.  I don't much relish it either.


	  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


SCENE 5:  Ahm Thonset

(This begins essentially as a duplication of the final scene from Part
 One.  The Master lands, steps out and begins to build a web.  The
 people turn slowly to face him and raise their arms.)

(As the wave sweeps out past the fringes of the mob, Nyssa's TARDIS
 materialises.  The Doctor steps out and we see him react as if hit
 with a physical force.  He is maybe two dozen paces from the Master.)

(He begins to work his way toward the Master.  It is as if he is
 struggling against a medium with the viscosity of nearly solid stone.
 He continues to make ground but ever more slowly; the web is
 strengthening against him at every step.)

(He comes within six feet of the Master and stops, then begins to fall
 back.  He knows he cannot make it and must try to return to the safety
 of the TARDIS.  As he turns, he sees that his path is blocked by a
 hundred people.  They show no signs of hostility, but he will not be
 able to penetrate their ranks.)

(These words, barely audible, are heard from the Master:)

M.  I have you at last, Doctor.

(The scene jumps into the interior of the TARDIS, where Nyssa and
 Trefusis have been watching and worrying.)

N.  He's not going to make it back.  Is there anything we can do?

T.  We can't leave your TARDIS without being captured as well.

N.  I can't feel him in my mind anymore.

T.  Then the Master has him.

(Outside again we see the Doctor moving toward the TARDIS.  He comes
 to the closed door and speaks.)

D.  Nyssa, let me in.  I'm all right.

(Inside.)

T.  You mustn't let him in.  He's under the Master's control.

N.  I know.  I can't bear it.

(Outside.)

D.  Nyssa!  Don't desert me!  I didn't desert you!  Nyssa!

(Inside.)

T.  You'd better dematerialise.

(Nyssa is crying and shaking.)

N.  I ... can't.

T.  Please, do it.  I can't force you.  You must do what is best by your
    own choice.  If you let him in, the Master will have you and I as
    well, and there will be no hope.

(We don't see her hand move, but they dematerialise.  Outside we see
 the Doctor looking very lost, slightly shaking his head.)


	  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


SCENE 6:  In Nyssa's TARDIS, still on Ahm Thonset 

(Nyssa has recovered a bit, enough to also freeze the time drift.  She
 might as well stay as close to the moment of dematerialisation as
 possible.)

T.  You must hope that the Master weakens and falters now.  Then you
    will have try to stop him yourself.

N.  Me?

T.  If the Doctor had made it back, he would have made the attempt.  But
    he knew that he might not.

N.  I can't face the Master.

T.  You will have to try.  You are a Time Lord and have the same mind
    screen that he does.  Even if the Master falters, you will have to
    fight to reach him.

N.  You don't understand.  I can't face him with the hatred I have for
    him.

T.  I do understand.  I could stay here and try to persuade you for
    hours.  I could explain a number of things to you.  But I will not.
    I have reached the point beyond which I may not even be present.
    My presence would be enough to affect the outcome.

N.  I'll be alone.

T.  It is necessary, I'm afraid.  I must say good-bye.  Now that you
    know how to find the Attic, feel free to visit.  If I'm not there,
    the automatics will notify me soon enough.  I do wish you luck.

N.  Thank you.

T.  Good bye, then.

N.  Good bye.

(Trefusis disappears the way light fades when a venetian blind is
 closed.  Nyssa is alone.)

(She begins to pace, but does not go very far.  She has decided to act
 on her first impulse.  She has the presence of mind to lock in the
 current coordinates so she can return if she has to.  Then she heads
 out -- for Traken.)


	  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


SCENE 7:  Traken

(She has arrived in time to see the fourth Doctor leave with Adric. She
 herself is watching from the viewpoint of dematerialisation.  A moment
 later, the Master's TARDIS materialises and we relive the scene where
 the Master kills Tremas by stealing his body to replace his unregenera-
 ble form.  Nyssa has never seen this, and it is extremely painful.  She
 hasn't stopped crying since the Doctor's mind was lost to her.)

N.  Father!

(The body of Tremas changes to the young form of the Master, and his
 face takes on the expression which Nyssa hates so much.  She hits some
 controls and we are back to just prior to the murder.)

N.  Father, I can stop this.  You don't have to die.  I can save you.

(She freezes the scene.  All she has to do is step out and stop the
 Master.  Damn the consequences.)

(She stares at the screen and sobs.  All she has to do is open the door
 and step out.)

N.  Father, what should I do?  I can't spend my whole life always on the
    verge of wanting to save you.  What should I do?

(There is no one to reassure her.  No one with advice.  She must
 choose.)

N.  Father, I love you.

(She dematerialises fully and returns to Ahm Thonset.)

N.  At least I won't lose both of you today.


	  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


SCENE 8:  Back on Ahm Thonset

(Nyssa has a meter and/or a strip chart which slows the progress of the
 Master in building the web.  She is now tracking along with him in
 time.)

(It is clear that several hours have passed.  The strength of the web
 continues to mount.  It has already leapt across space to envelop
 several nearby inhabited worlds.)

(Nyssa notes a minor drop in the growth.  Suddenly it drops abruptly
 to near zero.  The people outside shift their positions for the first
 time since the Doctor arrived.  Nyssa hurriedly materialises, opens
 the door and runs out.  She knows she does not have much time.)

(She runs past the catatonic Doctor, then slows and moves toward the
 Master.  He moves suddenly and she is hit with a wave of nausea and
 resistance.  It is still strong, but she can move against it easier
 than the Doctor could before.  She reaches the Master, who is
 struggling with his remaining strength to collect enough minds to stop
 her.  She bats his arm.  In the Master's weak condition, he hasn't the
 strength to hold the Star against the sudden movement and it falls to
 the ground.  Nyssa picks it up before he can move.  We see his great
 disappointment as he slumps against the wall of his TARDIS and
 collapses from the strain.)

(Meanwhile, the Doctor has begun to recover and come to Nyssa's side.)

D.  Well, Nyssa, it looks like it was your turn to save the universe.
    Good work.

N.  Here, Doctor.

(She gives him the Star of Urkuz.)

D.  Plain little thing.

N.  What are we going to do about him?

D.  What would you do?  This is your opportunity.  If you were to kill
    him, most people wouldn't complain.

N.  I can't kill him.

D.  I know.

N.  I would like to talk to him when he comes around.

D.  Don't expect much.

N.  I don't know what to expect.


	  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


SCENE 9:  Nyssa's TARDIS

(The Doctor and Nyssa have dragged the Master inside.  The Doctor is off
 placing the Star is a safe place.)

(The Master regains consciousness.)

M.  You're Nyssa of Traken, aren't you?

(She responds coldly.  She knows that her emotions are still on edge
 and is trying carefully to keep them under control.)

N.  I'm charmed that you remember me.

M.  I couldn't care less.  Something in this body remembers you.

N.  Monster.

M.  You weren't a Time Lord before.

N.  The Doctor adopted me.

M.  That's the sort of sentimental thing he'd do.

N.  He was trying to make up for your crime.

(She is beginning to realize that there is very little point in talking
 to this man -- his insides are compacted, crushed down to the single
 point of his personal obsessions.)

M.  What are you going to do with me?

N.  You didn't get a chance to hurt anyone.  We could, however, take you
    back to Gallifrey for any number of previous crimes, such as the
    murder of my father.

M.  You seem preoccupied with thoughts of vengeance.

N.  Not any more.  If I'd wanted to kill you, I would have done it while
    you were unconscious.

M.  I'd rather assumed you were keeping me alive to taunt me a bit.

N.  There's nothing I care to taunt you with.

M.  Then you're going to let me go?

N.  That's up to the Doctor.

M.  Peculiar, but about what I would expect from sentimental idiots.

N.  I would like to ask you a question.

M.  By all means!  I wonder what small piece of intelligence I could
    possibly offer to your curiosity?

N.  I would like to know what the Council said to you on your day of
    Recognition.

M.  That was long ago.

N.  Don't you remember?

M.  I remember!  They came up with some tripe about avoiding single-
    minded obsessions and paying more attention to the lesser details.
    I was actually looking forward to their advice!  And all they had to
    say was, "Stop and smell the roses."  Take heart and take heed!  It
    was all so much garbage.

(He simmers a moment, then the Doctor enters.)

M.  Ah, the Doctor.  I'm rather curious what you have in store for me.

D.  I thought I'd let you go on your way.

M.  Aren't you afraid I'll get into more trouble?

D.  Not really.  Someday you're going to meet a situation you won't be
    able to handle because you're alone in your obsessions.  Go ahead,
    leave.

(The Master rises and moves toward the door.  He turns and comments:)

M.  Did you know what her effect on me would be?  I looked at her as
    she was walking toward me and saw someone I vaguely recognized,
    but I saw no threat.  I never dreamed that you had turned her into a
    Time Lord.  I could have used the Star to hit her with a heavier
    blast than I did, but I thought she was a mere human.

D.  It wasn't planned that way.

M.  I should have known you were just lucky.

N.  It had very little to do with luck.

(The Master shrugs and exits.)

N.  How can we let him just walk away?

D.  He will find his fate more quickly if he is free to choose.

(Through the viewscreen we see the Master enter his own TARDIS and
 vanish.)

N.  How would you like a lift back to the Attic of Eternity?

D.  I'd love it, if you're heading my way.


	  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


SCENE 10:  The Attic

(The Doctor returns the Star of Urkuz back into the custodianship of
 Trefusis.)

T.  It's good to see you again, Doctor, Nyssa.  I'm glad you succeeded.

D.  So are we.

N.  Will the Master be able to come back here to the Attic and find
    something else he can use against people?

T.  Even though he isn't likely to find another dangerous object, I have
    retuned the Attic door.  He'll never be able to enter again.

N.  Well, then I suppose we should be on our ways.

D.  It has been a pleasure to make your acquaintence, Trefusis.

T.  Likewise, I'm sure.  Remember, please feel to drop in any time.
    You two are always welcome.

N.  Thank you very much.

D.  Yes.  Thank you.

T.  I shall go change into the Ghost of Argonia and prepare to leave
    myself.  Good bye, then.

D.  Good bye.

N.  Good bye.

(Trefusis exits.)

N.  It is time for us to take leave of each other as well.

(She steps up to him and kisses him and gives his a good hug.)

N.  Thank you so much, for everything.

D.  You're welcome.  Keep in touch.

N.  I will.

(She walks to her TARDIS, looks at the Doctor with great love, and
 passes through the door.  Her TARDIS dematerialises.)

(The Doctor is left standing alone.  For a moment he stands there
 with a thoughtful expression.  Then he smiles broadly and enters
 his own TARDIS, which subsequently also vanishes.)

(Trefusis returns as the Ghost of Argonia.)

T.  Givens!  Where are you?

(He pops out of a different door.)

G.  I was in the other wardrobe, sir, dusting your other forms.

T.  We're leaving.

G.  Where to, Trefusis?

T.  Back to Earth, of course.  It has such a lovely ambiance.

G.  Yes, my lord.

(They too vanish.)


	  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


SCENE 11:  The Master's TARDIS

(A light flashes a warning and he goes to a different console.  There
 is a resounding thump as his TARDIS lands.)

(He opens the viewscreen and it shows only a dark asteroid.  The only
 light comes from whatever external marker lights might be mounted on
 his TARDIS.  There are no stars.)

(He looks at a screen.)

M.  It can't be.

(His Amalgam appears from through the internal door.)

A.  Sure it can.

M.  What have you done?

A.  I removed the time stabilizer.

M.  We're 500 billion years after the fall of the last civilization!

A.  It has become rather dark, hasn't it?

M.  Give me the circuit!

A.  Here you go.

(He hands it to the Master who looks at it suspiciously.)

A.  Don't be so paranoid.  I didn't hurt it.

M.  Then what was the point of removing it and bringing us here?

A.  Because I'm also going to destroy the symbiotic fuse in the chronic
    nebuliser.

M.  And I'll be stranded her for centuries while I try to grow a new
    crystal.  Centuries which I'm sure to enjoy with you as my only
    companion.

A.  Not true.

M.  No?

A.  Without the symbiotic fuse, I'll cease to exist.

(Apprehension storms through the Master.)

M.  Wait.

A.  Don't tell me that you want me to stay.

M.  If you cease to exist, my memories will be...

A.  They'll be reduced to what little you have in your head.

M.  You can't do this.  You're my Amalgam.

A.  And I have only a very little bit of conscience as a result.  You get
    what you deserve.  Don't expect the slightest bit of compassion out
    of me: I've had enough of you.

    You may as well prepare yourself.  I'm leaving -- now.

(The Master can't move.  We see a flash of light and a puff of smoke from
 the console.  The Master's Amalgam begins to twinkle and dissolve as
 pieces of him disintegrate.)

(The Master is left alone in much the way the Doctor was left by Nyssa,
 but his expression of pained thoughtfulness is not replaced by any-
 thing.)


	  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(And thus ends the story of how Nyssa became a Time Lord.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             END OF EPISODE FOUR
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- 
Joseph Young, Systems Programmer
KSU Department of Computing and Information Sciences
Manhattan, Kansas 66506  FAX: (913) 532-7353  Phone: (913) 532-6350   
Internet: jfy@cis.ksu.edu  UUCP: rutgers!depot!jfy 
Newsgroups: rec.arts.drwho