Jo followed him, and found herself standing in a control room like, and yet curiously unlike, the Doctor's own.

She glanced over her shoulder there was the square blue shape of the TARDIS she just left. 'I don't get it!'

'Don't you? Follow me.'

The Doctor led the way across the strange control room and out of the door on the other side.

Jo found herself back in the more familiar control room of the Doctor's TARDIS-with the computer cabinet that disguised the Master's TARDIS behind her 'I still don't get it!'

'Oh really, Jo, it's quite simple. My TARDIS is inside the Master's.'

'But his is inside yours!'

'Exactly! They're both inside each other. I should have expected that.'

'So what can we do now?'

The Doctor smiled. I'II give you three guesses.'

Jo pretended to consider. 'Wait?'

The Doctor snapped his fingers. 'Right first time.'

The Master and Krasis were back in the laboratory and the Master was making a few final adjustments to the main TOMt.i.t controls.

Krasis was looking out of the window. 'Master, look! Men in wagons!'

The Master hurried to the window. Coming up the drive of the Inst.i.tute was the UNIT convoy, arriving at last. He hurried back to the controls. 'I'll soon deal with them them . . .' . . .'

The Brigadier was leading the convoy in his land rover. He came to a halt and the other vehicles drew up in line behind him.

The Brigadier leaped over the side of the land rover and began barking orders.

'Right, A squad here, B squad round the back. Keep your eyes open. At the double no-oo-oo...'

Time suddenly slowed. To the Brigadier, everything felt normal but, as the time field took effect, Krasis and the Master saw the Brigadier and his men freeze like statues.

'That'll keep them nicely unoccupied for the time being. In you go, Krasis!'

Krasis recoiled. 'Where?'

The Master flung open the front of the computer cabinet. 'Into my TARDIS, man, and be quick about it!' Reluctantly Krasis obeyed.

The Master made a last adjustment to the TOMt.i.t console. 'They won't stop me now!'

The lab door was flung open and Ruth Ingram appeared. 'Sorry, Professor, that's where you're wrong!' Behind her was Stuart Hyde, brandishing his enormous spanner.

The Master. took a step forward. For all his moderate size he was enormously strong, and he knew full well that he could brush these two aside like cobwebs. 'Well, well, well, my devoted a.s.sistants! And are you going to stop me?'

'Not by ourselves, no,' said Ruth steadily. 'Take a look behind you.'

The Master's lip curled in scorn. 'Oh, really! You don't expect me to believe . . .'

From behind him Benton's voice said, 'Suit yourself mate. But you'd better get those hands up!'

The Master whirled round. Benton had just finished clambering through the window covering him with the big service revolver. Slowly the Master raised his hands. 'I should have finished you off when I had the chance.'

'You'll never get another one. Stuart, see if he's got a gun.'

Stuart moved to search the Master - and made the elementary mistake of coming between the Master and Benton's gun. It was only for a second, but for the Master it was long enough.

With one savage sweep of his arm, he sent Stuart spinning across the room. Then he dashed into his TARDIS, closing the door in Ruth's face as she tried follow him.

Seconds later, the computer cabinet disappeared before her astonished eyes.

In the Master's TARDIS, Krasis was pointing to a square blue shape by the far wall.

'Master, look! The other one. Your enemy is here!'

The Master gave an exultant laugh. 'Good! Now I've really got him really trapped!'

11.The Time-Eater

Inside his his TARDIS, the Doctor was being pitched about like a pa.s.senger in a small boat on a stormy sea. Jo was sent flying across the control room. She picked herself up and clung to the console. 'Doctor what's happening?' TARDIS, the Doctor was being pitched about like a pa.s.senger in a small boat on a stormy sea. Jo was sent flying across the control room. She picked herself up and clung to the console. 'Doctor what's happening?'

'We're on our way, Jo. The Master's taken off for Atlantis!'

'But the TARDIS has never behaved like this before!'

The Doctor was struggling frantically with the controls. 'The two TARDISes are operating out of phase, that's why.'

Suddenly the TARDIS seemed to settle down a little. 'There,' gasped the Doctor.

'That's better. I've managed to calm her down. She has a very nasty temper when she's roused.'

'I never know if you're joking or not,' rubbing an ache at the base of her spine, 'I've bruised my tailbone.'

'I'm sorry about your coccyx Jo, but these little things are sent to try us.'

'My what?'

'Your coccyx - your tailbone!'

Another voice said, 'I'm sorry about your coccyx too, Miss Grant.' The Master's face had appeared in the scanner screen set into the TARDIS wall. 'How very sociable of you both to drop in!'

Ruth Ingram was staring at the still gently throbbing TOMt.i.t apparatus. 'I think we ought to turn it off.'

Benton disagreed. 'I don't think we should touch it.'

'Why ever not?'

'The Doctor was going after his TARDIS - and that thing's some sort of time-machine, isn't it?'

'So?'

'So we'd better leave well alone, Miss.' Benton couldn't help feeling that interfering with TOMt.i.t might somehow foul things up for the Doctor.

'Very well. You're in command, Sergeant 'And a right muck-up I've made of it,' said Benton bitterly.

'Come on, it's not exactly your your fault.' fault.'

'Don't look at me,' said Stuart hurriedly. 'You can't say I didn't warn you, now can you, Sergeant?'

'I'll listen to you next time. That was the nearest I'll ever come to capturing the Master, that was.'

'Oh, come on, it isn't the end of the world after all.'

'Isn't it? The Doctor seemed to think it might be. No telling where the Master is by now - or when when he is for that matter!' he is for that matter!'

Ruth gave a sigh of exasperation. 'Honestly, you two make me sick. Standing about moaning like a couple of old women.'

Stuart was indignant. 'Old women?'

'Look, I mean it, Stu. Okay, so the Master's gone off somewhere. And whether he's gone into the future or the past - well, frankly I don't know and I don't care. The point is, we're still here and the first thing we've got to do is to define the problem.'

Stu had wandered over to the window during this little speech. At this point he turned and said, 'You can stop right here, Ruth, the problem is defined. Come and look.'

They joined him at the window and looked at the Brigadier and his men, still frozen in their temporal stasis.

'It's the Brig,' said Benton wonderingly.

Ruth said, 'Exactly the same as before.'

'But how can it be the same as before,' said Stuart, 'now that the crystal's gone?'

'Don't you remember? The Doctor said TOMt.i.t works quite independently, even without the crystal.'

Benton looked alarmed. 'Do you realise this means we're trapped?'

'Now will you let me turn off the transmitter?'

They wrangled for a few minutes longer but at last Benton said 'All right, turn it off.'

'Ah, a man of decision!' Ruth hurried to the controls. The TOMt.i.t noise began to die 'Go on then,' said Benton. 'Turn it off!'

'I have.'

'But - they're still stuck!'

'That's impossible!'

Stuart turned from the window. 'Well, you'd better go and explain it to them, love. ?

They still think they're stuck, apparently.' still think they're stuck, apparently.'

'And we're still trapped,' said Benton. 'In here!'

'Now, Doctor, what can I do for you?' said the Master smoothly. 'Or is your visit purely social?'

'Oh, I thought we might have a little chat.'

'What an excellent idea. Why not join me out here?''

'Because one step outside my TARDIS and that would be the end of me!'

The Master looked hurt. 'You have a very low opinion of me!'

'You've noticed that, have you? Well, well, well!'

'It may interest you to know, Doctor, that I've put a time lock on your TARDIS. You cannot leave unless I lift it, of course.'

'Do you think I haven't thought of that too? You're as trapped as I am. You can't even open your door unless I wish it.'

'Alternatively, I could fling you out into the time vortex.' the Master continued. 'I very much doubt if you could do that to me. So, do be very careful.'

'Do you really think I care what happens to me the moment? Don't you realise that your plans could bring disaster to the entire Universe?'

The Master yawned and flicked a switch on his console. The Doctor's voice faded, leaving his silent mouthing face on the screen.

The Master turned to Krasis. 'An excellent brain, I must admit, if a little pedestrian.

But what a bore the fellow is!'

'Is he dangerous?'

'Dangerous enough. But don't worry, I can deal with him.'

'In there?' asked Krasis. 'Surely, he is safe in there?'

The Master chuckled 'As soon as he realises he's talking to himself, he'll be out in a flash.' He glanced the at the scanner and saw the Doctor suddenly stop his face indignant. 'Ah, he's realised at last. That took a long time, the slow-witted. Now you watch. He cannot bear not to have the last word!'

The Doctor saw the Master wave mockingly and turn away from the screen. 'He's not even listening. He's turned down the sound!'