'I can't see Striker or Marriner accepting anything from Wrack. They don't trust her.'

Turlough felt quite euphoric. 'Luckily for us!' he enthused. But the Doctor's face had clouded again. 'That won't stop her,' he said. 'She'll find a way.'

Carrying the crystal carefully, Wrack crossed the room and held it up to the tiara in Tegan's hair. Matter was malleable in the hands of an Eternal, and when she lowered them again they were empty. The crystal remained, set perfectly in the centre of the tiara. Its shape and size were exactly that of the ruby in Critas's clasp, the sapphire in the hilt of Davey's sword, the pupil in the eye of the amplifier. Wrack stepped back and surveyed her creation. 'Perfect!' she said, with a little laugh.

10.

Spy!

To Turlough's surprise, the Doctor stopped suddenly at the door of the ion chamber.

'Before we leave,' he said, 'we must work out some sort of plan.'

Turlough could hardly believe his ears. 'Here!' he complained, looking apprehensively at the grid and at the panel of warning signals, now blessedly quiet. 'Let's get out of this place! We don't want to hang about making plans in here! here! ' The Doctor stayed put. 'We do' he said. 'This is the best place. They're far less likely to pick up our mind vibration at this level.' Turlough sighed in exasperation. ' The Doctor stayed put. 'We do' he said. 'This is the best place. They're far less likely to pick up our mind vibration at this level.' Turlough sighed in exasperation.

'All right, what d'you think we ought to do, then?' he asked, grumpily. The Doctor gave him a searching look.

'I've got to think of some way of staying on this ship...'

'You want to stay!' Turlough exclaimed in amazement.

'Why?'

'Because I've got to stop Wrack winning this race somehow. Any ideas?' Again the Doctor gave him the same long questioning look. An idea was beginning to form in Turlough's mind, though it may not have been quite the sort that the Doctor envisaged. Turlough was thinking of a way to have his cake and eat it.

'Let me me stay,' he said. And then, as the Doctor did not respond, he added in an aggrieved voice, 'Or don't you trust me yet?' stay,' he said. And then, as the Doctor did not respond, he added in an aggrieved voice, 'Or don't you trust me yet?'

'You couldn't cope.' The Doctor was kind but firm.

'These creatures have vast powers. That's why none of them must win. To achieve further power would be disaster.' And as though that was his final word, the Doctor started opening the door.

'But what about the other ships?' Turlough could not help exclaiming. 'We can't stop all all of them winning.' of them winning.'

The Doctor smiled at him. 'We can try,' he said.

And then the door was at last open, and they walked out into the safety of the corridor and straight into the arms of Mansell and two officers. There was no time to think of excuses. Without a word, the two officers grabbed the Doctor. He struggled, briefly, while Turlough watched, paralysed with fright. But he was no match for the power of the Eternals, and very soon they had him pinned to the floor. Mansell's cutla.s.s was an inch from his throat. 'Resist further and you will regret it,' the buccaneer said. His expression seemed to indicate that he personally would positively enjoy the bloodshed to follow.

Tegan stood silent and still. There was not the slightest movement from a ribbon on her gown, or a stray wisp of hair. She did not even seem to breathe. Wrack sauntered over and surveyed her. She looked at the crystal gleaming in the centre of the tiara, and then she said pleasantly, 'Where were we? Oh yes Have you heard of time standing still?' and she snapped her fingers. Immediately Tegan clicked out of her frozen state and went on talking as though nothing had happened.

'... Yes... It's just an expression. It means '

She suddenly broke off and looked around her. 'Why have you brought me here' she asked. Everything seemed strangely disconnected, as though she had just woken from a dream.

'I wanted you to meet someone, but they seem to have gone,' Wrack smiled at her. There was something gloating in those heavy lidded eyes that Tegan did not care for. 'I'd like to rejoin the party please,' she said, rather haughtily.

Wrack's smile grew blander. 'Of course,' she purred. And then, with a sly sideways look, she added, 'And I I would like to speak to the Doctor. The image of him in your mind is quite intriguing.' would like to speak to the Doctor. The image of him in your mind is quite intriguing.'

There was no sign of the Time Lord in the stateroom.

Tegan stood in the entrance, surveying the scene, Wrack at her side.

'I can't see him anywhere,' she said anxiously.

'But there is Marriner,' the other woman murmured in her ear. 'Longing for your company.'

Tegan was not interested. All she wanted to do was find the Doctor. But Wrack watched the young man pushing his way eagerly towards them through the crowd, and she seemed amused. 'Don't let me detain you,' she whispered, and moved away, a second before the First Mate arrived at Tegan's side.

'I've been looking for you everywhere,' he said urgently.

'I was worried. Where did Wrack take you?'

Tegan found his concern slightly irritating. 'To the wheel-house.' She tried to sound as noncommital as possible, but Marriner was not diverted. 'You're unharmed?' he asked, even more fiercely. Tegan gave him a bored look. 'Of course.' Marriner made the mistake of inexperience he tried to explain himself. 'I I was concerned for you,' he muttered. For the first time, Tegan felt that she could cope. There had been other young men boringly concerned about her in the past. She was on home ground.

'Thank you. You needn't have been' she said, dismissively.

The squelch did not work on Marriner. He ignored it, and simply continued to state his own feelings, which appeared to be quite impa.s.sioned.

'I missed you' he said, hotly. 'I was concerned.' He looked into her eyes. 'I am empty without you.'

That was enough for Tegan. 'Please go away,' she said firmly.

But none of her usual ploys seemed to work. Marriner still went on. 'You are life itself. Without you, I am nothing. Don't you understand?' Tegan stirred uneasily.

She did hate emotional scenes, particularly when she could not return the emotion. 'What?' she murmured vaguely.

Marriner held her arm. 'I'm empty. You give me being.'

His voice shook with pa.s.sion. 'I look into your mind and I see life, I see energy, excitement. I want them. I want you.

Your thoughts shall be my thoughts, and your feelings my feelings.' Tegan decided that this time she really had got out of her depth. She tried to sound as blase as possible as she said, dampingly, 'Wait a minute, hang on are you trying to tell me you're in love with me?' Marriner's face went blank. 'Love?' he said, as though he had never heard the word before. 'What is love?' And then his urgency returned and he looked into her eyes and said, longingly, 'I want existence.'

The Doctor and Turlough were being marched along under guard, when round a corner they came face to face with Wrack. Mansell saluted. 'I found them coming out of the grid room,' he reported. Then, before anyone could stop him, Turlough suddenly shook off the hands holding him, stepped forward, and pointed at the Doctor. 'He's a spy!' he said, accusingly. The Time Lord looked at him with surprise, and for a second they stared at each other in silence. Then Turlough turned to Wrack.

'I saw him wandering around and followed him,' he said plausibly.

Mansell, at least, was not easily taken in. 'What were you doing in the grid room?' he rapped.

'I followed him in,' came the innocent reply.

'Why didn't you summon help?'

'From where?' Turlough was a good liar. 'I was trying to apprehend him myself, when you found me.'

Wrack had been listening to this exchange with interest.

Now ignoring both of them, she stepped up to the Doctor and looked, long and hard, into his face.

'Spying, Doctor?' she asked sweetly.

'I'd hardly call it spying.' The Doctor kept his tone as mild as possible in an attempt to play down the situation.

'We were welcomed as guests given the freedom of the ship.'

'You think freedom extends to a door marked "Danger"?' Wrack was equally conversational, but there was a hidden menace in her words. She smiled at Turlough. 'What should I do with your friend the spy?' she asked, companionably. They both looked at the Time Lord. Turlough did not even hesitate. 'Get rid of him,' he said in an expressionless voice. Wrack seemed intrigued.

'How?' she asked, as though torn between several delicious choices. Turlough's composure faltered, and he almost stammered as he hurried to explain, 'I meant send him back. Send them all back. To Striker.'

Wrack gave him a melting look. 'And what about you?'

she asked softly.

The guard of honour was still presenting cutla.s.ses, still standing at attention, as Tegan and Marriner emerged from the stateroom and looked down between the long lines of buccaneers. Two officers had interrupted Marriner's conversation with her, somewhat to Tegan's relief, and asked them both to leave. There had been no explanation, but even Marriner did not attempt to argue.

Had the men been mere Ephemerals, he would have dealt with them, but they were creatures of his own kind, with equal powers. There was obviously some urgency about their departure, for Tegan was almost hustled into the pa.s.sage. 'All right, all right don't push!' she protested, shaking off the hand of the officer who was trying to hurry her along. At almost the same moment, she caught sight of the Doctor, waiting in Mansell's custody. 'Where's Turlough?' she asked, running over to him. The Doctor did not reply, simply gave a warning glance in the direction of his captor.

'You will board the launch now,' the tall buccaneer said, impa.s.sively.

'What about Turlough?' Tegan whispered into the Doctor's ear.

'He's staying,' came the whisper back.

And Mansell spoke again. 'The launch. Now.'

It was clearly a final order, and the two officers drew their swords.

'Come on,' the Doctor said breezily, and started off down the pa.s.sage. The rest of the cortege fell in behind. By walking slightly more quickly than the others, Tegan managed, apparently casually, to catch up.

'You can't let them keep him!' she hissed.

'He wants to stay,' the Doctor was as emphatic as he could be out of the corner of his mouth.

Tegan was nothing if not persistent. 'Why?' she asked through closed lips, like a ventriloquist. The Doctor halted, pretending that he had dropped something. And as they both searched for the imaginary object on the floor, he muttered, 'Wrack mustn't win the race. He's stayed to prevent her.'

Tegan forgot to keep her voice down. 'What!' she exclaimed, 'You can't believe that! that! ' '

'Sh!' came from the Doctor.

But it was too late. Mansell towered over them. 'Move!'

he said, stonily.

Wrack was pouring a pale golden wine into the silver goblets. She poured carfully, ignoring Turlough. She sipped, just as carefully, and a look of pleasure crossed her face. 'Muscatel,' she murmured, and turned sleepy eyes to the boy, as he stood watching her dejectedly from the doorway. 'The grapes are grown in an island in the ocean the Atlantic, I believe they call it on that planet. Its taste was buried deep in the mind I took it from. He was a Captain too of a ship like this. A buccaneer. I had to dig deep to get it' she smiled, cruelly 'Very deep. I'm afraid I hurt him.'

'Wh-where is he now?' Turlough asked.

'I had no more use for him,' Wrack answered, and held out a goblet. 'Drink.'

It sounded more like a command than an invitation, and Turlough took the proffered wine and drank, trying hard not to think of the wretched buccaneer whose mind had unwittingly provided it.

Wrack wandered over to a divan in the corner of the room. 'Your friends have gone,' she commented idly, sinking down amongst the cushions.

'Good riddance.' Turlough mustered as much bravado as he could.

Wrack beckoned him over. 'My thanks for detecting the spy,' she said, smiling up into his face. 'And for choosing to stay with me.' She patted the divan next to her, and Turlough sat down, beginning to feel pleased with himself.

Her next remark caught him off guard. 'Why did you?' she asked.

'I told you,' Turlough thought quickly. 'I like to be on the winning side.'

Wrack seemed amused. 'And you want a share of the winnings?' Turlough nodded. 'Even if you're not sure what they are?'

Turlough's mouth set in a stubborn line. 'I know what the prize is,' he said. 'Enlightenment.'

'And you know what that means of course.'

He had a sneaking feeling that Wrack was laughing at him, but as she got up and started to pace the room, still talking, he realised that she was completely carried away by her plans, and hardly conscious of his presence.

'When Enlightenment is mine,' she said, 'I will no longer depend on Ephemeral minds. Everything conceived, from the beginning of time to the end, will be clear to me.' Her eyes glowed. 'I shall create and destroy as I wish. I shall never be bored again.'

'So Enlightenment brings knowledge, is that it? Or is it power?' Turlough felt completely fuddled.

'Enlightenment brings whatever one desires,' Wrack said. 'I desire to be amused.' She crossed to one of the portholes. 'And I have a new toy to show you.' She beckoned to him. 'Come and see how I entertain my guests.'