Doctor Who Fan Fiction ❯ A Growing Madness ❯ Chapter 10

Doctor Who and its accoutrements are the property of the BBC, and we obviously don't have any right to them. Any and all fan fiction characters belong to their respective creators. Alas no one makes any money from this story, and it's all done out of love for a cheap-looking sci-fi show.

 

Chapter 10

How frustrating it was to have an idea, and be unable to carry it through. Ace was thinking this at the very moment she found the Doctor's cell. By pure luck it seemed she kept out of the way of the Karakulians. One baseball bat, even charged with Time Lord energy, could not stop twelve Karakulian Collectors?

Doc Martins pounded the steel pavements. Eyes glanced up from a plastic- glazed map to the corridor markings as she ran along. Grated voices sounded only mere meters away. Ace struggled to remember how they could track her. Then she remembered the last time she'd fought other beings like this. They were called Daleks. Somehow they sensed infrared energy. Like the heat left over when a human being ran. It was so frustrating. She couldn't mask the heat seeping through her shoes. "If I could find the environmental controls of this city, I could crank up the thermostat."

"Where the heck am I gonna find time to find that," she cursed. All the time to draw elaborate plans, and no way to carry them out without being killed. Maybe that power room, where they were captured, was the place to look. If only. Desperately she fought with the conflict. Dodged behind a corridor, pressing her back flat against cold metal walls. Silently praying to a deity that she didn't believe in that she wouldn't be captured.

Straining her neck, she could just glimpse around the door frame. A squat shadow glided into view, low along the wall. A whole row of them slid diagonally up the flat wall. Soon the scant light swirled into a strange burst of energy. Instinctively Ace curled her fingers around her baseball bat's handle.

"Alien human female detected! Pursue!"

The light solidified into a six-foot tall human male. Energy swirled around him as he appeared. Right in the path of the Karakulian patrol. With just seconds, Ace sprang to her feet.

"Halt! Alien Male detected!"

"Begorra!" he shouted. "Where'd ye pop up from?"

"Cease and desist!"

Reluctantly he raised his hands. Then looking beyond the Karakulian, he smiled. "Of course," he smiled innocently.

"Exterminate this!" shouted Ace, swinging the bat down. Right behind the first Karakulian, the second fired. Callom grabbed the second Karakulian's gun. Ported. An unearthly howl erupted from the second Karakulian as its gun vanished. .Sparks also flew wherever Ace's bat impacted. She'd finished off the first Karakulian, only to face a third. Out of nowhere, Callom appeared. His claymore blade glanced off the third's casing with a clang.

"You idiot!" shouted Ace, despite herself. "That's no good against them!"

Still completing a second swing, Callom crashed his claymore down on the top of the third Karakulian collector. This time, it cleaved the sensor in two. Now, Ace could swing her bat once more against the blinded Karakulian. Both teenagers stood opposite each other, through the smoking ruins. One teenaged hand grasped a bat; the other person's a sword hilt. Like bizarre mirror images they converged as Ace and Callom met in the middle.

"You saved my life," he gasped, only inches from her. Coughing, he stared at the sparking remains of their work.

"Don't you know how dumb that was?" she snapped. "Appearing right in front of a Karakulian."

"Good to see you too, lass," he huffed. Up and down moved the ruffles on his shirt while he gasped in the smoking air.

"Did you get Raina to safety?"

"Aye. In a manner a speaking."

"What?"

"She wanted me to come back, and help ye save the Doctor. I ken where he's being held."

"We'd better get moving. Those Karakulians are swarming all over this place," she said. Callom nodded, and started out in the direction of the labs. Like before he sensed the strange emotions. And felt confused. She was angry at him, and at the same time concerned. How typical. What Callom couldn't decide was whether it was the anger a sister has for a brother, or the anger a woman has when a man she cares for is in danger. The difference seemed important now. He could have very well insisted she thank him for saving her life. But Ace wasn't one of those damsels in a fairytale. She could take care of herself. And him, apparently.

"Serve me right, if they got me," he said.

"Look, that was pretty stupid, but brave, back there," she said. "Thanks."

"Jest hope I remember not to next time."

"What's the Yank doing?"

"She's gone to the Growth Accelerator. Trying to get it back."

"I thought you took her back to the TARDIS," said Ace, disappointed.

"She wants to pay the Karakulians back, fer hurting her. An I cannae argue wit that."

Ace drew in a sigh. "That's one brave woman."

"I'm looking at one, mahsel nau. Sure more brave than I feel."

She said nothing, when he said this. Teenage reluctance, Callom read in her thoughts. Would he be so guarded about his feelings when he was her age? He turned his attention to remembering the Doctor's lab. "I ken remember that the Doctor was strapped to some kind of table, before they took me away."

"Did it look like a mind draining device?"

"I would nae ken one if I saw one," he admitted. "But he could nae move, once they pressed a few switches. I dinnae think they drugged him. There were one or two electronic clamps on his legs, but his hands were free."

"Once we get there, I'll creep over, and try and free him. But I'll need you to make the Karakulians think I'm not there."

"It'd be a matter a' blocking their thoughts. Should nae be too hard. But there's one thing, though."

"Being?"

"If there is more than one there. I Cannae affect more'n two minds at a time."

"Sh!" she hissed, grabbing his arm.

"What?"

"Patrol."

Callom reached out with his thoughts. Struggled to reach the minds he sensed. Horrible computer-boosted circuits buzzed in his inner hearing. Desperately he forced an image through his mind's eye, out into theirs. Of a blank wall. No life signs. He motioned Ace to silence. Right before them glided the Karakulians. Eye stalks swiveled up and down on turning domes. "Heat traces lead to wall."

"Impossible! Heat trail stops. Heat sources detected."

"No visual range. Visual perception suggests nothing there."

Callom realized they could see heat. Desperately he struggled to stop the inputs to their brains. Computers enhanced perceptions he didn't count on. But he did not affect the eyes. It was their perception of what they saw.

"Nothing present. Heat traces stop."

"Illogical."

Only inches from Ace's nose swung a Karakulian eye stalk. She could see the iris dilate as the puzzled Karakulian tried to decide if it saw something or not. Callom wrinkled his forehead more. Ace could see the strain as he forced the image into the Karakulian's visual cortexes. Just a blank wall. Infrared sensors detect nothing. A blank wall! A blank wall. Tears dripped from his eyes. Ace reached for his clenched fist. Only inches from taking his hand, she hesitated. It was better not to distract him. Two Karakulians swung around to face each other. Mechanical claws clenched, unclenched. Hover discs glided. Indecision.

"Suggest humans have devised a jamming scanner," said the first.

"Proceed with search patterns," recommended the second. Swinging round in unison, they slid away.

Ace gasped in fresh air. She didn't realize she'd been holding her breath the whole time. Callom put hands to his forehead, and rubbed his temples. "Och, I was beginning t' think they'd niver decide."

"Mega," she said. "If you can do that, we'll have no problem getting the Doctor out."

All the young Scot could do was lean back against the wall. Pressing his eyes shut, he silently cried. Why was it so hard all of a sudden to cope? "Hey, that took a lot out of you, didn't it?"

"Somehow, their minds are harder to affect," he said.

"Must be their computerized brains," she said. "They're blobs with bits in them. Cyborgs. Like Daleks."

Putting her arm around his shoulders, she guided him along the hall. "It's okay, Callom," she whispered. "Save it for the room. I know you can do it."

"Just so hard. What if I fail?"

"You won't. I know it."

This time there was no 'Kid' or 'squirt'. She used his real name. Sincerity cracked her hard casing. For the first time, the scared, sixteen-year-old Dorothy seeped through.

***

Back in the main laboratory, the Doctor fought his own battle. Desperately he struggled against immobilization. If the treatment continued, he couldn't stand it much longer. Through the darkness he heard a faint whisper. "Ace," he croaked.

"I'm here, Professor," she said.

Another illusion. But wait. He could feel someone's breath wafting against his ear and cheek. No Karakulian device could duplicate that. "You're in great danger . . . coming here. The Rani. She set us up. For these monstrosities."

"I'm not leaving without you," she said. "I'll get you out of here."

"They'll find you . . ."

"Well, are you keen on dying?"

"What are they doing to you? You look drugged or something."

"Some kind . . . of an inhibitor. Can't move! They're stimulating . . . my bodily production . . . of comatase . . ."

"What?"

"The enzyme . . . in a Time Lord's body that triggers . . . a comatose state . . . They're using the growth accelerator to stimulate . . . its production . . ."

"But Raina's with the Growth Accelerator," said Ace. "That thing above you doesn't look like any growth accelerator I remember."

"What?"

"I'm trying to rescue you. Now shut up, and tell me how to get you loose. Will disconnecting you hurt you?"

"I... don't know. There could be a massive feedback . . ."

Ace checked the restraint clamps. Sure, they looked simple enough. Yet she didn't have the keys with her at the moment. Were they magnetic, or mechanical locks? Then she remembered the terrible strain Callom was under, trying to block her from the Karakulian's perceptions. Desperately she tried to unfasten the Doctor. Hoped she wouldn't activate an alarm. Fingers probed the cold metal restraints clamped to his ankles. Other touches tried the switches. Eyes kept a sporadic lookout for the Karakulian technician at the console. It kept right on depressing controls. Ace wondered if they had anything to do with the Doctor's imprisoning device. She couldn't help but feel that by pulling him from the table, she'd kill him. If it was a mind probe, the sudden shock to his system could overload his synapses.

"Decrease stimulation to temporal lobe. Fifty percent rise in comatase levels.

Again she was faced with something beyond her comprehension. "Doctor!" she hissed. "Help me. What is this machine?"

"A . . . a mental stimulator. . . it's all I can do . . . to stay awake . . ."

"Negative, comatase levels dropping."

"I need to know. Will I kill you if I just pull the plug?"

"It depends . . ."

"On what?" she demanded. "Stay with me, Professor. I need your thinking. This isn't a growth Accelerator. It looks like a mind probe or something."

"Mind probe? Of . . . course . . . mental stimulation . . . of my brain centers. Stimulating the production . . . of adrenaline . . . that's how the settlers died!"

"Come back! I'm talking about you."

"N...no! The settlers were subjected to . . . a ray that stimulated their emotional centers . . . in their brains. Produced em field . .. Those govern fear and anger receptors . . . they. got the technology from the Rani!"

“Dammit, then I was right,” Ace cursed.

"Doctor Subject failing to respond to prompt. Suggest suffering from hallucination."

"How do I turn this bloody thing off?" she gritted.

"See that wire, running to the analyzer?"

"Yes," she said, gripping it in her hand.

"Don't touch it, whatever you do!"

"Tell me something I can do," she snapped.

"Alright. Swivel the main element. There's a control knob .. . on that clamp. Turn it . . . to the lowest setting."

"Then what?"

"Increase in heart rate detected. Raise power setting to compensate."

"Grab the panel, on the side .. . of the table. Rip. . . it off!"

"Okay. There's a mess of wires. And circuit cards."

"Pull out . . . the middle card . . . no wait . . . the one to the left of the middle. . ."

"Make up your mind."

"Left for positive flow, right for negative," he babbled.

"Alpha waves increased. Report, test report query . .."

Sighing, Ace ripped out all the cards. Surely this was the control center. Half the time, the Doctor didn't know what he was talking about. She hoped this was one of those times. "Press the red button . . . and stand back . . ."

Nothing happened. Except a small hum. Terminals went black. That glazed look in the Doctor's eyes cleared up immediately. Unfortunately the lights on the main terminal went dead as well. The Karakulian Technician may not notice the Doctor and Ace, but it did notice the defunct switches. "Alert! Systems malfunction in Psinapse stimulator! Doctor escaping!"

"I do suggest we make all haste, and get out of here," said the Doctor. He sat right up.

"Come, on then!" Ace cried. She grabbed his hand, and yanked him off the table. Pressed the umbrella handle into his grasp. Heard the thump of his feet as he raced after her. Heartbeats later they emerged from the lab. For a moment the Doctor dabbed his forehead with his paisley handkerchief. Leaned on the shaft of his umbrella for support. "Phew, I can't believe I got out of there," he gasped. Nothing answered him, except for the cold metal silence of the corridors. Nothing, but someone sobbing faintly. He pressed his hat on his head firmly. Glanced down to where the wall met the floor. There, huddled a fully grown Highlander, pressed into the satin sleeved arms of his companion. "Shh, it's all right," she soothed, stroking his head and back. "It's all over."

"Am I missing something?" interjected the Doctor.

Tears dripping from his eyes, the stranger looked up. Still his chin was pressed into Ace's shoulder. Perspiration plastered his long, blond hair into wavy strands.

One glance confirmed his identity. Despite the Black Watch plaid twined around his body, those kilt pins were unmistakable. So were the soft, bright eyes. "Callom?" gasped the Doctor, crouching with hands resting on his thighs. "Is that really you, lad?"

Shaking, Callom managed a smile. Strong square cheekbones creased with dimples and freckled flesh. "Aye."

Clasping the lad's hand, the Doctor helped him to stand. Ace braced her shoulder into the Scot's armpit, and lifted. "Easy now, take it easy. I know what's what now," said the Doctor. As he draped the Scot's other arm around his neck, the Doctor's hat almost fell off.

"Come on, let's get to the Power room, quickly."

"I'm sorry, Doctor. I could nae keep it up for much longer. Dinnae ken why not."

"That device was sending out interference waves. That's why. I'm amazed your powers worked at all."

"What?"

"That device was a mental stimulator. The peculiar field it sets up when turned on can affect telepathic signals."

"Raina said she can do the same thing," said Callom, sounding recovered. He managed to stand on his own.

"What?"

"Yes. Said she was able to dampen psychic powers."

"But that's not the same thing as that device," said the Doctor, shaking his head. "It was utilizing covariant electromagnetic fields . . . and the e/m distortion feedbacks in the Karakulian's perceptions were making it difficult for you to block its perceptions."

"You mean, the Karakulian's perception was enhanced?" asked Ace.

"Karakulians can perceive infrared energy. As you well know. But the strain of the machine's interference was influencing Ace's em pattern, and enhancing it."

"Oh, just explain it later," snapped Ace quickly. "We gotta get out of this place."

"How are we going t' do that," gasped Callom. "Ma power's na strong enau to fool a whole city."

"It will, if we can heat up the city."

"That's just what I was thinking. Jack up the thermostat, to ninety-eight- point-six, so they can't see us."

"But there's one problem. They may still be able to sense my body temperature."

"If it only sees a few less of us, so what?" asked Ace. "They'll be blinded."

"By the way, Ace. I do hope you kept those circuits that you pulled out."

"Sure. Why?"

"I'm going to need them soon."

Ace shook her head. Caught Callom's eye. Simultaneously they understood.

***

Raina stood on both her legs now. Peered through a beaker Callom had only hours before. Immersing one finger, she swirled the green soup. "I wonder how many more of these beakers there are," she asked herself. By now she'd determined what each beaker held. The green sludge was a sort of plankton. It was basic nourishment for the Karakulians. Indeed she remembered seeing a lake full of such green sludge boiling with tubes. And the tubes leading from these green filled beakers sloshed into the petri dishes. Those pieces of skin and muscle were her own tissues growing at a fast pace. Unfastening the Growth Accelerator, she removed it from the tripod. Unclipped the power source feeding into it. It had its own battery pack, and the LCD screen indicated a charge of two earth hours.

"Good," she nodded.

If those samples of tissue were in here, what other labs held such experiments? Only slightly limping now, she crossed to the door. Slid open the panel, and checked the hall. No Karakulians. The room she was in was on automatic. Her other hand jerked the tubes from the petri-dish incubators. Slowly, twelve hundred replicas of her skin stopped growing. And died. It wasn't a sin to kill simple tissues. Yet it might be a problem later if what she suspected were true. Why the Karakulians wanted a growth accelerator. Or why they went to so much trouble to capture the Doctor. Slowly she reached her mind to the place that she shared with Callom:

*Where are you now?

*We've got the Doctor! came his excited reply.

*I've got the device.

*Stay put! We're in the Power room

*Power room? Why?

*The Doctor's gonna turn up the heat.

***

Hands to the sides of his head, Callom concentrated. "She's at the Growth Accelerator room," he reported, staring half at his friends, half into another dimension. "Says she found a whole bunch o' tissue cultures."

"I'm not at all surprised," said the Doctor, serious faced. "They must have been testing the Accelerator on her bodily tissues."

Then, turning to Callom, he asked, "Ask her to give me a description of the wing she's in."

For a moment, Callom moved his lips silently as he thought the information to her. Seconds later, he opened his eyes. "Raina says she's proceeding to a room we saw on the way. There's a sign, with letters."

"Can you project an image of what she's seeing, into my visual cortex?" asked the Doctor. "I'll let down my barriers so you can get it through."

Before his eyes materialized an image, superimposed on his own sight. "Ah. That's a Karakulian tissue bank room. Raina's found it."

"There's a set of these tubes running here," she said. Raising her hands, she grabbed the metal bolts, and twisted.

"Nobody could open that," said Ace. "She'll need a maser for sure .. ."

"Wait," said the Doctor. "I do believe our friend is quite strong."

Raina wedged her ice axe between the bolt's and the door. Pushing down, she managed to pry the locks loose.

"Why do I think what she did was too easy?" asked Ace.

"The Karakulians don't expect anyone to get into that wing."

"But she's Karakulian fodder for sure," said Callom, temporarily breaking concentration. The picture faded from view. "No wait, she says she sees nothing. But I'm worried."

"Keep a mental link open with her. I'm nearly there."

In the Power room the three companions now stood. Wisely the Doctor had barricaded the molten door from attack. The only way out was if Callom teleported someone out. Ace sat on the floor, next to Callom. She was keeping stock of her remaining cans of Nitro-9. Only two were left. Tucking his plaid under himself, he sat on one computer terminal. Callom closed his eyes, and fixed his concentration. Near the Power vats, the Doctor removed a panel from a large computer bank. On his back, he reached up inside at the machine's innards.

"Seems strange they'd have the city brain in here," muttered Ace.

"Not the city brain, but there are computer access panels. If I can get the right access codes, I may be able to change the climate."

"Even if you could flood the city with heat, what's to ensure that they won't see you, at least."

"Your point being?"

"Your body temperatures' about sixty degrees Fahrenheit, and our body temps are well over ninety. And you say you're setting the temperatures to flood at the human body temp range. What good will it do you if they spot you?"

"But that's precisely what I want . . ." he said.

"What? After all we went through to get you out of there?" asked Ace, outraged. "And you say it was a waste of time."

Scooting out from under the computer bank, the Doctor sat up. "Ace, let's get one thing clear. I totally appreciate your efforts to liberate me. Really."

"Then what are you talking about?"

"I want to have them find me, so you three can get away. I want to get into the place where they have their secret weapon."

"Secret weapon?"

"Och, I knew they had something else brewing," interjected Callom. "There was a reason why they attacked that colonists' ship, wasn't there?"

"Raina said it was a trap to lure you here," said Ace. "And you say the Rani."

"Right. But they were the ones who disabled it in the first place. " said the Doctor. "Under her guidance."

"How could they target a ship in hyper drive?" asked Ace.

"In this time period, the Karakulians have limited space travel. Yet there are Karakulian outposts on some of the major planets. I'm assumign the Rani must have visited this planet and helped them in their nefarious experiments. With her help, they broke into the Earth sub-space shipping records, and learned of the Growth Accelerator. With her help they ended up developing a long range warp disabler. It traces ships passages through hyper space. And targets their nuclear drive mechanisms."

"Is that what stopped the TARDIS?" asked Ace. "But that's not possible, because we travel in time and space."

"They knew they'd eventually catch me, in a certain region of the Vortex. The Hyper space region that ships use is a section of the Vortex. And the Karakulians know a good deal about time travel. In this century. They knew my TARDIS traveled through hyper space at least once in my Transference. If they kept their device activated, they'd snare me. And in so doing, exact the revenge that the Rani wished upon me for spoiling her experiments on Tetrabyria."

"And the ship?"

"Was an unexpected piece of bait they kept floating. Once they detected materialization on board."

"But the ship was so far from Karakul . . ."

"Not really. The navigational instruments were faulty."

"But you acted like Raina was wrong," said Callom.

"Yeah," added Ace. She rested hands on her hips, and stood next to the Scot.

"I, er underestimated her powers of deduction," he sighed. "My plan wasn't exactly foolproof."

"Ye'll niver make that mistake again, I hope," said Callom, sitting down again.

"Did you really know the Karakulians were behind this, from the start. Be honest, Professor."

"Not at first. But once I realized the name, Karakul, the pieces fell into place."

"What ever happened to the colonists on the ship? We only saw the crew . . ."

"I'm still working on that, no doubt the Rani had some experiment in mind for them. Working through the Karaulians." said the Doctor. Poking his head into the console, he scooted himself back underneath. Only his plaid pants were visible now. And those brown and white shoes.

Ace sat down at the base of the console, near Callom. She drew both legs together, and crossed them Indian-style. "Well. What's Raina telling you now, kid?"

"She's inside the Room. She says that she sees all kind of weird things. But she knows I have na the stomach to listen to a detailed description."

"Tell her not to bother. I've already seen Aliens," said Ace, looking up at him. His hairy bare knees hung over the console side, and his booted feet dangled just above the floor. For a moment he looked like a small child sitting in a highchair. Then he slid down to the floor. Carefully he pulled the kilt underneath himself as he sat down next to her.

"Want some chocolate?" she asked, reaching into the zipper part of her backpack. "I dunno about you, but I'm starving."

"When was it I last ate something?" he wondered. His mouth watered as he heard the rip of wax paper and the crinkle of aluminum foil. Ace broke the candy bar in half, and handed him a slab of smooth dark chocolate. It smelled like ambrosia. Going down it was the best thing he ever tasted. "Y'know wha Miss Ferguson always told me? When I'd pay her a compliment on dinner?"

"What?" she asked, scooting closer. Like two schoolchildren sharing secrets, they leaned their heads closer.

"That Y'know you've waited too long t' eat, when what ye put in yair mouth's the best thing you ever tasted."

"Typical," laughed Ace. "She sounds like my gran."

"She was modest all right."

Immediately the smile disappeared from her face. Callom felt the tenseness in her mind. He quieted down, resting his chin on his hands. "Sorry t' make ye remember something."

"It's nothing, really," she said quickly.

"D'ye suppose I'm gonna stay this way forever?" he asked her, to change the subject.

"You mean all grown up?"

"Aye. It does nae feel right."

"Believe me, your better off. Being a teenager isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"I'm feeling like I'm missing something though. Like I'm cheating if I stay like this."

"You don't know a good thing when you have it. Now you don't have to worry about how you're gonna look when you stop growing."

"But part o' growing up is having fun being a lad," he said. "Now I can't do it anymore. Can't run and play."

"Who says that?" snapped Ace. "That's a load of rubbish. Look at the Doctor. He doesn't act grown up, and he's old enough to know better."

"How old is he, anyway?"

"Last time he told me, nine-hundred and fifty-four."

"Och, he's the biggest little boy I ever met," grinned Callom. He'd finished his half, and was reaching into his shoulder bag for his canteen. "Water t' wash that doon?"

"What?"

"Water. That chocolate sticks t' ma mouth."

"Oh. That crazy accent's hard to understand."

"Does nae surprise me at all. Whenever I get excited, I slip back into it. Yuirs is nae always easy t' get either."

Ace pulled at her hair briefly. The braid was staying in place. Callom's own braid, wound with thread at its end, hung down the side of one cheek. It looked natural. Right in place with the rest of his outfit. Weird. How they were both stuck in this futuristic city, probably close to being blasted by Karakulians. And how they were talking as a brother and sister talked to each other.

***

Raina completed her examination of the Embryo room. She wondered, like the Doctor, why no Karakulians were searching for her. She glanced at her watch. The analogue hand stood at the eighteen, and the six. "Mm. Been three earth hours. I'm no closer to what I wanted to know."

Already it felt sweltering. This room was kept a bit warmer. But somehow the thermostat was creeping up. How did heat affect Karakulians. Were they used to a narrow or a wide range of climates? She didn't know. Looking about the room's contents, she was glad Callom wasn't there. Although he had no problems with the sight of blood, he did have problems looking at biological specimens. The misshapen figures suspended in vats were enough to dissuade Hollywood's best horror fans. A stranger to bizarre aliens, Raina shuddered. Such utility existed. As many variations existed as races on Earth. But even the Ice age members of her species were beautiful compared to this.

Sadly she looked at the people. In glass casings. Mutations were already underway. These were once people with hopes, emotions and dreams. In her society, adapting to adverse conditions was a voluntary choice. But these people were conscripted to adapt, into one of the more vicious species in this galaxy. Humans had never fought or heard of Karakulians. Yet from what she'd seen of their primitive, vicious nature, she was certain they were every bit as dangerous as the Doctor claimed. Even worse. It had nothing to do with their appearance. But with their callous disregard for the consequences of their tinkering. Her species tinkered. But not with other species DNA. That was their first solemn law. No mutation without representation.

Yet the Rani had forced something unknown into her system. Polluted her gene-pool. She remembered Vitreum telling her about her people, the Mantissans, who were once stern rivals for the power of Time Travel. Many centuries separated the two cultures, which had achieved a steady policy of mutual non-intervention. Space was divided, as well as time amongst their scientists.

And because she and Callom had touched this alien scientist with their humanity, she had risked her life and died setting them free. She owed Vitreum her life. Grimly she set the Growth Accelerator. Perhaps she could halt the mutation's progression. Reverse the effects, and reselect the replication of human proteins.

"I'm no biochemist, but perhaps I can save them from becoming Karakulians."

How was she going to do that? She knew a thing or two about gene splicing. If the treatments were discontinued, perhaps that would be enough. Then she could accelerate human DNA replication and protein synthesis with the Accelerator . . .

"You will get to your home, I promise," she said solemnly. Again, she looked at the misshapen humans.