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Liz Shaw was looking at the ship that was on the ground inside the compound on Dartmoor. She had heard the Brigadier mutter "Dominators!" as soon as he'd seen it. "Not again!
He'd immediately order the troops to hold the perimeter. Then been on the radio to Air Vice Marshall Gilmore.
This was the site of the old Dominex Nuclear Reprocessing Plant. The company that a few years ago had boasted it could produce cheap and limitless energy using some new process that would solve the Earths energy problems. They had been the centre of interest for every physicist on the planet! Liz had been astounded by their claims to be able to reprocess any nuclear waste into energy! As she had told colleagues, what they were claiming was impossible. And so it had proved, when only months later their plant had exploded! But now it seemed that it had been to do with Aliens and the Brigadier had been involved! Well, that probably explained things, there were a lot of explosions whenever the Brigadier had anything to do with problem solving!
A reconnaissance team had been sent in to check that there were no civilians on site!
Sargent Benton reported back, "Deserted Sir! There were a couple of those big blokes you warned us about, also several of those funny little robots!"
The Brigadier's eyebrow rose and a haunted look crossed his face.
"There is nothing funny about the Quarks, Sargent, I saw them vaporize two good men, the last time I encountered them!"
We kept well away from them, Sir! There's definitely no sign of civilians. Osgood used the thermal imaging equipment to double check. The site is clear of human life!"
The Brigadier looked towards Liz who had been using a new radio microphone she had been developing!
"No human voices, just three deep voices talking about someone called Vaar! I think it's some sort of rescue mission!"
The Brigadier nodded grimly, took out his walkie-talkie called up an air strike straight away. He also put the nearest missile defence team on alert with instructions to shoot down any object that left the area after the bombers had cleared, just in case the ship survived and tried to escape.
Liz thought it was a good thing the Doctor hadn't been around! "Surely if it's just a rescue mission..." Liz started to say.
The Brigadier looked at her sternly. "That ship isn't leaving this site!"
He looked at his watch, "Right Captain, get the men pulled back to a safe position!" he ordered. "Miss Shaw!" he said sternly as she hesitated for a moment.
Sighing Liz climbed back into the Land Rover that held her equipment and Corporal Wallace drove her to the safe zone, about a mile further back. She got out of the Land Rover and went towards where the Brigadier was standing watching the compound through his binoculars. She could hear the bombers coming in.
The Brigadier ordered the men, "Turn away from the blast, get down behind some cover and protect your eyes!" He pulled Liz behind the Land Rover and dragged her down to the ground.
She was about to protest. Then they heard the blast and a wave of hot air rolled over them!
It was an Air Blast Bomb, the most volatile of all the RAF armaments without being Nuclear.
Liz turned around, she saw the devastated area that remained after the blast. Approximately four acres of land were scorched bear. Nothing was left of the buildings or the ship. Not a blade of grass remained it was certain that any life forms would have been wiped out. Liz shuddered at the thought!
She looked at the Brigadier appalled by his method of dealing with the incident. "A bit extreme, even for you!" she muttered sharply.
He shook his head and just walked away! She heard him on the radio.
"Thank you Ian, please pass my thanks on to your boys. Yes, right on the button! I owe you a Whiskey next time we are at the club!"
"Any time Alistair!" came back the reply. "Do you think you got your chap Vaar?"
"No!" the Brigadier said dejectedly!
"Sorry, old man, but you will! You'll get him, one of these days! Over and out!"
Liz wondered who this Vaar was and why the Brigadier had a personal vendetta against the man.. , Dominator or whatever he was.
The Drive back to HQ had been long and tiring. Liz had fallen asleep long before they had got to Denham. She was looking forward to getting back and to a long hot soak in the bath. At this new place at least she had a fairly spacious room with her own small bathroom, instead of the cramped little room she had been given previously.
Only the month before they had moved to their new base, it had been a large old manor house before the war. It was certainly an improvement on the London Offices they had occupied when she first joined UNIT. The Manor had been an American Air Force base relinquished six months previously. The Brigadier had managed to appropriate it for UNIT. It was ideal as it had all the accommodation and facilities a military organisation required.
Liz had over seen the fitting out of the labs. Their old lab had been cobbled together, as an after thought, in a freezing underground storage room. Best of all they didn't have to share with Sargent Osgood and Liz even had a small lab to herself for the times when the Doctor was being even more annoying then usual.
Liz had been filling in the final page of the usual after action reports when the Doctor walked into the lab. Liz looked up at him and noted that he still seemed tired and haunted after that trip to what he termed a parallel Universe. Liz wasn't sure what to make of the story, the Doctor was certainly convinced he'd been there and met some frightening alternate versions of the Brigadier, Benton and herself, but she still thought it could have been a dream, well more like nightmare!
He smiled at her weakly, and picked up the pages of the report she had completed!
"Dominators?" he said rubbing his chin. "Dominators?"
"You know of them!" Liz asked
"I feel I should!" he said obviously searching for a memory, but then in defeat shook his head. "Another memory scramble by the blasted Time Lords!" he said angrily.
He read on and she could see him getting angrier.
"A rescue ship! He blew up a rescue ship! The man's a monster! Him and the Brigade Leader, there's nothing to choose between them!"
Liz managed to stop him storming off to confront the Brigadier by asking what the blinking light on the TARDIS console was.
The Doctor spun around to look and went over to investigate.
Liz breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever the Dominators were and whoever this Vaar was it had been obvious it had been something of a very sore point with the Brigadier. She had seen the Brigadier this morning, it looked like the man had had very little sleep. Liz knew the Doctor starting another argument wouldn't help either man.
They had been working on the console for almost an hour. Liz was trying to reach the circuit panel just to the side of the time rota. She pulled up a small step stool to help her.
The Brigadier and Benton entered the Lab.
Seeing Liz the Brigadier approached her.
"Arrr, Miss Shaw, I was wondering if you had completed your After Action Report?" he asked politely.
The Doctor, who had been at the other side of the Lab came storming over and grabbed the report off the desk! "Worried, she may have painted your militaristic actions in a bad light!" he spat, shoving the report into the Brigadier's chest.
The Brigadier stumbled back and collided with Liz. There was a flash from the circuit board Liz was holding then the TARDIS's console started to dematerialise.
The Brigadier grabbed on to the edge of the console and managed to catch Liz with his other arm before she took a nasty tumble to the floor.
Before either the Doctor or Benton could do anything the console vanished along with Liz and the Brig.
Both Benton and the Doctor could do nothing but stare on in horror!
The Brigadier hung on for dear life, it felt like he was being ripped into multiple parts. He held tightly to Liz who looked back at him in a shocked and amazed way. The Brigadier closed his eyes in the hope that it would stop him feeling nauseous!
Suddenly there was a jarring thud that knocked them both to the ground, he managed to prevent Liz falling but stumbled and hit his head rather firmly on the tarmac! He laid back hoping the world would stop spinning. After a few seconds Alistair felt a hand on his cheek.
"Brigadier!"
He blinked his eyes open and looked up in to Miss Shaw's worried face.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
He nodded, then winced.
"Yes, thank you, Miss Shaw!" he said with as much dignity as he could.
He got to his feet and was a little put out that Liz thought he needed her help.
Benton was the first to break the shock, "Doctor, what have you done, where have they gone?"
The Doctor looked back at the Sargent, turned and ran to the TARDIS!
"Doc, you can't just ..."
The Doctor dodged back out, holding a box. "Not to worry Sargent, I've got a remote control!"
"So you can get them back?"
The Doctor smiled, "Easily Sargent!" he said pressing numerous buttons.
A look of relief appeared on the Sargent's face. It turned into a smile as the tell tale sound of the TARDIS could be heard. But the smile vanished when the console rematerialized but without her passengers.
"Doc, where are they?" the Sargent asked in dismay.
The Doctor was looking worried now!
Seeing the worry on the Doctor's face brought a feeling of dread to the Sargent!
"Doctor, how are we going to find them! They could be anywhere!"
"What happened to the TARDIS Console?" The Brigadier asked as he looked around and saw they were in the carpark outside the manor!
"It disappeared seconds after we got here!" Liz said shrugging.
She heard the Brigadier mutter, "Typical!"
At least we didn't land in the rubbish heap!" Liz said grinning.
She set off towards the main door of the manor!
"Don't panic, Sargent, the TARDIS doesn't just hop around at random, coordinates are set and the TARDIS keeps a record of where she has been!" he said giving Benton a small smile.
He looked at the readout on the console and looked up at the Sargent smiling wider. "According to this they have travelled just a few hundred yards."
"You better hope they didn't end up on the rubbish heap, otherwise the Brigadier will be furious and Miss Shaw will be out for your blood!" the Sargent said grinning.
The Doctor just smiled impishly, he new the TARDIS couldn't move far in time and space, not unless the Time Lords wanted it to. Then frowned as he looked at the read outs! Something was off with the readings, he double checked them, the TARDIS had travelled only a few hundred yards, but it had gone back to 1965. That wouldn't be a problem he'd just nip back and get them. But when he checked the power reserve it was almost completely drained. Such a short trip should have used minimal power. He double checked his calculations and he was right, he checked again and felt dread entering his heart. The only thing that could have drained so much power was if they had crossed over into another dimension! Like he had done during the Inferno project! The Doctor's hearts froze.
Alistair took a minute to dust down his uniform using his cap. It didn't do for the C.O. to be seen looking like he'd been rolling on the ground, especially when in company of his young female scientific advisor.
As he walked through the door it was to see Liz stood with her hands up, while a corporal and private held her at gun point. As they noticed him the corporal pointed her gun at him!
"Hand's up!" she snapped.
Alistair was about to demand to know what the meaning of this was when he saw her uniform and the black side cap with the tri arrow badge. Somewhere at the back of his mind alarm bells were ringing!
Liz was looking at him wondering why he wasn't tearing a strip off these two. Then she frowned at the look of what seemed to be confusion, turning into horror on his face.
Liz was about to speak but the Brigadier just squeezed her arm and shook his head slightly.
A gun was pressed into the Brigadier's back.
"Take them to the Colonel's office!" a voice said.
Liz recognised it as that of Captain Munro!
She spun around but instead of the smile she expected from the young officer she was met with a fierce unfriendly stare.
They were marched down to what should have been the Brigadier's office. Munro knocked, waited to be called in, then opened the door and marched the two prisoners in.
"Intruders, Sir," Munro snapped!
Looking at the officer Liz realised he looked a lot younger then she remembered him.
"Thank you Lieutenant!" the officer sat at the desk said still looking at his paperwork. Then he looked up! His eyes opening wide in surprise!
"Alistair! Old Man, what are you doing back here?"
Liz heard the Brigadier say "James?" then to her horror he fell into a dead faint!
The Colonel quickly came around the desk, full of concern. Liz was already kneeling next to the Brigadier loosening his tie and collar. Munro was just looking on in confusion.
"Lieutenant, don't just stand there, go and get Dr Beswick,.. and Major Kyle straight away."
The Lieutenant still hesitated, unsure about leaving the Colonel with unknown intruders!
"Go, Lieutenant, he's my brother and this is his wife!"
Liz heard Munro running from the room! She looked up at the man and yes, he could be the Brigadier's brother there was definitely a resemblance. But what the hell was happening here and why had Alistair fainted!
Liz was checking the Brigadiers pulse and checking around his head to see if his previous fall had injured him more seriously then she had thought. But as far as she could tell there was nothing physically wrong. She started to put him into the recovery position, with the help of the Colonel.
Liz noticed how tenderly the Colonel touched Alistair.
"Never thought I'd see you again, Old man," he whispered his voice catching. "I always hoped you'd got back to your Sally safe! I see you must have done and you've been promoted too!"
Liz looked at the man confused! Sally? She was about to ask what he meant when two women in army uniform came running in!
The younger one, in the smarter uniform, looked at the Colonel then at the man on the floor! "So it's true, he is back!" She glared at Liz "and with... his wife!"
Liz got the feeling the woman wasn't happy with the prospect of her being Alistair's wife. Liz was about to put her right, when the other woman, who was obviously Dr Beswick knelt down and started her own examination.
Liz looked at Dr Beswick. "I think he just fainted, but I don't know why?" Liz said worriedly.
"We'll check him out in the medical centre and then see what we find!"
Two orderlies arrived at the door and Alistair was put on a trolley and wheeled to the base infirmary. Liz holding one of the Brigadier's hands, Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart was at the front clearing the way. Dr Beswick was at the head of the trolley. Liz could feel Major Kyle's eyes boring into her as she followed up from the rear.
The Colonel, Liz and Major Kyle were all looking at Dr Beswick! Who had just completed her examination.
"Well, physically there is nothing wrong with him. He's in perfect health. His heart rate is slightly elevated but ..."
"But what?" the Colonel snapped.
"It's the EEG readings that are a little worrying!" she said glancing at the Colonel concerned.
The Colonel pushed his hand through his hair and placed his other hand on Alistair's shoulder.
"Is this anything to do with your treatment from last time?" he asked menacingly.
Dr Beswick looked appealingly from the Colonel to the Major.
"That's hardly fair, Colonel. Both you and the Major authorised the use of drugs and it was in line with state protocols for interrogation of state enemies!"
Liz was looking between the three people, she was trying to understand what they were saying.
"Wait are you saying Alistair has been here before and you used drugs to interrogate him?"
Liz shook her head and refocused on the more important fact.
"You said drugs, what drugs did you give him?"
Dr Beswick and the Colonel looked very uncomfortable.
"SB-117 a psycho active ..." the Major started to say.
Liz frowned as the name rang a bell. She then remembered it had been developed by Professor Stering at Cambridge, as a possible cure for paranoia! Her eyes opened wide in horror when she recalled what she knew about the drug and it's side effects!
"Good God, that stuff was banned over a decade ago! What the hell were you people thinking giving him that!"
She gripped Alistair's hand tightly.
"The side effects are appalling, it caused a total mental breakdown in almost all the people it was given to. Even small doses were ..." she stopped seeing the guilty looks on all three faces.
"We didn't know at the time it was ..." Dr Beswick started to say.
"So how much of the Drug did you give him?" Liz demanded.
Liz and Dr Beswick eyed each other, Dr Beswick dropped her gaze.
"I want to see his medical records, NOW!" Liz said in her most imperious voice.
"Well, I don't know.. you'd need to be...!"
"I'm, Dr Elizabeth Shaw, I'm the Brigadier's chief scientific advisor, I'm also a fully qualified medical doctor and I assure you I am able to interpret your notes!"
All three of them were looking at Liz in amazement. "So, you aren't his wife, you aren't Sally?" Major Kyle said sounding much happier!
"No, I've no idea who this Sally is, as far as I know his ex wife is called Fiona!"
The Major looked at Dr Beswick, "Henrietta, go and get the Col.. Brigadier's file!"
Dr Beswick looked at the Colonel, who nodded his consent!
"Bring the full file not just the medical notes. I want Dr Shaw to know what she is dealing with!"
Liz saw the sour look the Major shot the Colonel.
A few minutes later Liz was handed a thick folder with Top Secret stamped on it! She started to read in disbelief the documents in front of her!
Liz looked at the date again she turned to the Colonel. "What is today's date?" she asked.
"23rd of March 1965!" the man said.
Liz blinked so they had travelled back in time but this wasn't the 1965, England she knew. She assumed they were in a parallel universe, similar to the one the Doctor had visited.
"So what was the date in your dimension?" the Colonel asked.
"23rd of March but 1973!" Liz told him.
Liz stroked the Brigadier's arm unconsciously, and heard a catch in the breathing of the Major who was now stood closer at the other side of the bed.
The Colonel called the Major over to him.
Liz was listening in to their conversations.
"So how did they get here? The dear old Director isn't messing around with the Hart Farben project again is he?" he asked sharply.
"How should I know?" the Major spat back!
"No of course, you're out of favour with dear old Dad!" the Colonel said in a cold mocking tone.
Liz was reading the part the Major had played in the Brigadier's interrogation! God these people would do anything. They had used dangerous psychoactive drugs to create a fictional life, to make Alistair believe he was the commander of the base in Germany and that he was in a relationship with the then Captain Kyle. While all the time trying to find out who he was spying for. She was appalled to see how much SB-117 the Brigadier had been given! In Liz's opinion it was a miracle the Brigadier was able to tie his own shoe laces, never mind run a military organisation!"
Liz looked across at the two people "Is it possible to see the information you hold on SB-117?" she asked.
The Colonel nodded, sending the Major to collect the relevant details.
"So you, and Alistair, are brothers, of sorts?"
The Colonel nodded, "Yes in this reality, I saw my younger brother, Alistair, die in an accident when he was nine!"
Liz noted the pain in the Colonel's face that the memory of that incident caused.
"In Alistair's world I died in roughly the same sort of accident when I was twelve. Alistair witnessed my death!"
Liz winced at the thought.
"So, you can imagine what it was like for each of us to be confronted by our own dead brother, fully grown. It was harder for Alistair of course because of the drugs."
Liz tried to imagine what losing a sibling at such young ages was like. But to then be confronted by your lost brother fully grown must be mind blowing even under the best of circumstances.
"Then you worked out what had happened and some how you got Alistair back home!"
The Colonel nodded, Liz saw the emotion in his eyes.
"Well, I had to hope he got home safe! I was never sure, but I hoped. I just couldn't let myself believe I'd lost my little brother again! Then when they found out about SB-117 I had to hope I hadn't condemned him to some mental hospital!"
Liz watched the Colonel as he slumped down in the chair next to Alistair's bed!
"I had my brother back for a few days, we.. we worked together and I knew, just knew, he was my brother. He was the fine man I knew he would have grown into!"
The Colonel looked at Liz hungry for information on this man who was, sort of, his brother!
"What's he like? Really like?"
Liz thought on this!
"High bound, stuffy and 100% a soldier!" Then her tone softened, "But with that he is, honest, brave, always leads his men from the front and is loved by them for it!"
"But what about his other self?" the Colonel asked.
Liz looked at the man, he was eager to know about this brother who never got to become a man in this world.
"He tries to bury that part of himself Colonel. But if you look hard you find he has a wry sense of humour and a fierce loyalty to his friends and the people he loves! Oh, and he is intelligent and cunning, knows how to play the system to achieve a fair and just outcome!"
The Colonel took his brother's hand and in a choked voice said, "I always knew you'd have grown up into a fine man Alistair! Always!"
It was much later when Liz had finished reading the file.
As the Colonel and Major re-joined her, Major Kyle asked a question that seemed to be praying on her mind. "So he has never mentioned us, never spoken about visiting another reality?"
"No, no!" Liz said thoughtfully. "A fellow scientist and I were once discussing the possibility of other realities but Alistair seemed to think the idea was preposterous!"
Dr Beswick suddenly jumped up. "Maybe that's why the SB-117 hasn't effected him severely. He has just buried the incident and refused to accept it ever happened. After all he thought he was being held and interrogated by.."
"Russians!" the Colonel supplied.
"Could anyone be that strong minded?" Major Kyle asked.
Liz snorted with laughter "Oh believe me, Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart could be!" she smiled looking at the man on the bed. "My colleague, the Doctor, usually terms it being stubborn and pig headed!"
The Colonel laughed, "My childhood friend, Raymond, used to say the same about... " he broke off and just sat with his thoughts. He then reached out to hold this other brother's arm.
"Do you think, this fainting was due to him being reminded of his last encounter with us?" Dr Beswick asked Liz.
Liz was considering this. "Yes, it very well could be. I think his mind brought on the blackout to protect itself!"
So, if we don't interact with him then maybe we can prevent the effects of SB-117 overwhelming him?" the Colonel suggested hopefully.
"That's got to be worth a try!" Liz said.
The Major looked upset.
"You weren't hoping to pick up were you left off were you Marianne?" the Colonel asked scathingly. "I think the fact you were in favour of arranging his execution, may have put the dampers on rekindling any romance. Bit of a passion killer knowing your other half was about to do away with you!"
The Major shot the Colonel a withering stare.
"No we will leave the Brigadier in Dr Shaw's care. She can tell him he was injured in some way and we will stay away from him and try to work out how to get you two back." The Colonel said.
"I think my colleague will be working on that, after all it was an accident in his lab that got us here!"
The Colonel and Major raised eyebrows.
"If you find a tall arrogant man, with white hair, wearing a velvet jacket and frilly shirt he's with us!" Liz said. "You may find him near a blue police box or a strange hexagonal work bench!" She grinned seeing their expressions. "If you do find him treat him gently!"
She smiled to her self before adding,
"Oh and if you hear a noise like a cow with asthma running the three minute mile, that'll be our ride home arriving!" Liz said her grin getting wider.
"Well, Doctor?" John Benton asked for the sixth time! Looking into the TARDIS where the Doctor had been reinstalling the console.
Look Sargent! I've told you I know where they are, it's just a matter of replicating the power surge cause when Liz pulled that circuit! This is science you know not ..!" he threw his arms up in the air! "Just go away for a while and let me get on with this!"
"But, what do I tell anyone who asks where the Brigadier is?"
"I don't know, what does he tell you to say when he doesn't want to be found?"
Benton grinned "He tells me to say he's sorting out the Doctor's latest mess!"
The Doctor just glared at him!
"Well we better hope there isn't an emergency between now and when you get that thing sorted!" Sargent Benton said as he left the lab.
The Doctor blew out his cheeks in relief he was almost ready for a test run. The thought of returning to that other world so like this one but so unlike it, frightened him. But he couldn't leave Liz and the Brigadier there.
"Well old girl, I'm going to need your help to do this, Once we are through I need you to home in on Liz!" He could feel the TARDIS's unease. "Oh alright, and the Brigadier, I just don't know what you see in that pompous, pig headed, idiot!"
The Doctor took a deep breath and threw the dematerialisation switch.
Liz looked over at the man on the bed worriedly. He seemed to be having a nightmare she took his hand and squeezed it trying to calm him.
"Alistair, Alistair, it's alright, you are in the infirmary, you had a bit of an accident and hit your head!"
She saw his eyelids flutter he was beginning to wake up. She found her heart was beating very fast. Would he still be the Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart she knew?
"Sally?" he asked unsure.
"No, Alistair, it's Liz! But I can call Sally for you, if you want?"
He frowned seem to think about that, then gave her a look full of distress and loss.
"Come on Alistair, tell me about it!" she encouraged him and to her surprise he did.
He told her about the Dominators plan to destroy the Earth, about losing good men while stopping them. He explained about capturing Dominic Vaar and sparing his life.
Liz thought how the Doctor would be surprised and how he would approve.
Then he told her about Sally, how they ended their engagement, but there had been tentative suggestions about getting back together. How Varr had killed Sally and how it was all his fault because he had let that monster live!
Liz held his hand and just listened to his pain filled story. Then she understood why he had destroyed the Dominators ship and why he would kill Vaar the first chance he got. After an experience like that she could see why the Brigadier wasn't keen on the Doctor's love thine enemy approach.
She also knew under normal circumstances he wouldn't have told her about Sally, if she had been pulling his finger nails off with pliers. So it was information she would never share with anyone. But she also knew she would never again take the Doctor's side when he was criticising the Brigadier's tactics.
James Lethbridge-Stewart was sat in his office with Marianne Kyle they each had a glass of whisky in front of them.
"You could get back into the dear old Director's good books by handing Alistair over to them you know?"
Major Kyle gave him a daggers look.
"I know you won't believe this, Colonel, but I do have standards! I also know what is right. This Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart is a decent man, a honourable man and yes, if it were possible I would want our relationship to be real, but it isn't possible. He deserves to go back to his world and carry on with his life."
"I rather think Dr Shaw will become an important part of that life!" James said to test her out further.
Marianne, sighed and just nodded. "Yes, I suspect you are right?"
"Jealous?" he asked curiously.
"Extremely," she said with feeling "if I could turn back the time, if I could go back to his world with him but..."
James just looked at her and nodded.
Marianne Kyle took a deep swig of her whisky.
"What would your father make of this, Alistair, do you think?"
"Another disappointment! A mummy's boy wanting to make the world better for everyone, not just the elite!"
Marianne snorted, "Is that what he thinks of you?"
James smiled one of those half smiles that she had found so attractive in Alistair and he nodded. The two brothers were very similar. It was a pity that James and she knew each other just too well to ever trust each other enough to have a relationship!
Suddenly there was an awful noise coming from the store room next door.
"Does that sound like a cow with asthma running the three minute mile?" James asked.
Marianne laughed and they both headed to the store room. They dismissed the soldier who was already outside the door and drawing their side arms entered the room.
As James entered the room the man stood behind the door shot out a karate chop headed towards his neck. James just saw it in time, he ducked left and rolled. As the Doctor tried to follow up a gun was poked into the base of his neck and angled up.
"Don't even flex a muscle or I may just forget that Dr Shaw asked us to treat you carefully!" Marianne Kyle purred into his ear.
"Arrr, so you are friends of Liz's?"
"More like friends of Alistair's, but yes Liz told us to keep an eye out for you!"
"Doctor!" the familiar voice of Liz Shaw called from the door! "I thought that was you I heard arriving!"
The Doctor spun around.
She looked closely at the scene, "Doing your bit for Interdimensional harmony I see!" she said trying to keep the laughter from her voice.
"Liz, my dear!" he said relief in his voice as he went forward to hug her!
"Where's Lethbridge-Stewart?"
Liz smiled, "Let me introduce you, Doctor, this is Colonel, James, Lethbridge-Stewart, Alistair's older brother," she grinned at the startled look “and this is Major Kyle!"
The Doctor looked from one to the other and nervously rubbed his face.
"Where's the Brigadier?" he asked and noted with concern Liz's worried expression.
"Alistair is in the infirmary!" Liz said unhappily.
The Doctor shot looks at the two army officers, "What did they do to him?" the Doctor demanded.
James opened his mouth to tell the Doctor they hadn't done a thing, but closed it again because in truth they had!
Liz squeezed James's arm, then turned to the Time Lord.
"He's not seriously hurt Doctor. But because of what happened to him from the last time he visited here he's had a mild trauma!"
"The Brigadier's crossed into this reality before?" the Doctor asked amazed. He then was angry, “He's visited a different dimension and then disbelieved me when I said...!"
"Doctor it wasn't like that, Alistair had forgotten!"
The Doctor looked incredulous! "You forget your key's Liz, you don't forget travelling to another dimension!"
"There is a reason he doesn't remember, Doctor.." The Colonel raised an eyebrow inquiringly.
"Smith!" the Doctor said.
"Come to my office and we'll discuss it!"
In the Colonel's office the Doctor flicked through the file on Subject Zero, Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart. He rubbed his hand across his face.
"Poor, Alistair, and I thought what they did to me was bad!"
Both the Colonel and the Major couldn't believe anyone could read that fast.
"And you think that his mind has coped with this by just blocking it out?" he asked Liz.
"Yes, and as soon as he started to remember it, he blacked out!"
The Doctor nodded, "Yes, a self defence mechanism!" he said. "Yes I concur with your diagnosis Liz!"
Liz smiled.
"Has he come around yet?"
"Liz nodded, “He doesn't seem to remember anything after we arrived in the car park and him hitting his head. He has accepted he's got a mild concussion from that incident and that he is in the base infirmary! His memories of the day before seem to be fine, he clearly remembers who he is and who I am!”
Both the Colonel and the Major seem relieved.
The Doctor nodded, "We need to make sure he's not reminded of his previous visit here!"
"The Colonel has kept everyone he would have met before or who he would recognise from our world, away from him!" Liz said.
The Doctor smiled at the Colonel, "Thank you for that!"
"We are not monsters Doctor, I care very deeply about my brother.. about Alistair, your Brigadier is as near to my brother as I'm ever going to get!" he looked away sadly. "There's not a day goes by that I haven't regretted how we treated him or wondered if he got home safe. I'm just sorry he doesn't remember me! And even more sorry I can't spend more time with him now!"
The Doctor looked at the young man, he was nothing like the offices he had met in that parallel Universe during the inferno incident!
"Come on, Doctor, you can give us your opinion on how Alistair is! Then we need to put him to sleep and get him back to the UNIT infirmary!"
They entered the infirmary and saw the Brigadier sat up in bed reading a book with a puzzled frown on his face.
Liz looked alarmed, "Alistair, you shouldn't be reading, you should be resting!" she admonished taking the book from him.
She passed it to the Doctor who placed it on a locker further away!
"Strange book anyway, must be one of those alternate history books! It doesn't mention the second World War. There is a chapter on the British Revolution of 1920 and a whole chapter on the Royal family being executed!" the Brigadier said. "Enough to give you a head ache!"
"Yes, that certainly is an alternative history!" the Doctor chuckled. "But enough of that, how are you feeling now old boy?"
"Still a bit hazy, I feel sure there is something I've forgotten? But no matter how hard I try I just can't seem to remember it?"
"Well, TARDIS travel can do that to you!"
The Brigadier snorted, "Hardly a long journey Doctor! Less then 300 yards into the car park!"
"You were lucky. I ended up in the rubbish heap if you remember!"
The Brigadier did remember, it was also obvious, from the look on his face, he remembered the Doctor's verbal assault against him, as well. "Like I said Alistair, TARDIS travel messes with your mind at times!"
"Yes, but I wish I could remember what it is that is bothering me!, I'm not normally forgetful, can't afford to be in my line of work!"
"Alistair try not to worry about it. You hit your head very hard saving me from falling!" Liz said giving his arm a pat.
"Liz, says you remember what happened to you!"
Alistair yawned and nodded. "Excuse me! Yes, well mostly!"
The Doctor smiled "That's good!" he said and patted his shoulder.
Alistair slumped back on the bed.
Liz looked alarmed.
"Calm down, Liz, I have just knocked him out for a couple of hours!"
"Doctor is that wise?"
"Vernusian Aikido, much safer then drugging him. We need to get him back in to the TARDIS then we have to get you two back where you should be!"
They got Alistair into a wheelchair and Liz collected their belongings.
When they got to the store room Major Kyle and Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart were there looking at the police box!
"You sure that thing is safe to travel in?" James asked.
"Perfectly!" the Doctor said affronted by the slight to his TARDIS!
The Colonel squeezed the shoulder of the man in the wheelchair. "Bye again, old man!" he stopped to steady his voice. "You stay safe in your world this time!"
He gripped Liz's hand, then the Doctor's "Take care of him for me! After all he hasn't got his big brother to do it for him in your world!"
"We will!" Liz assured him with a smile.
Marianne Kyle just nodded to Liz. She took one last long look at Alistair then just walked out.
The Doctor opened the TARDIS door and they wheeled the Brigadier inside
Alistair woke up back in the UNIT infirmary, the Doctor was sat next to his bed.
"Welcome back Alistair, we thought you were going to sleep the day away!"
Liz came over and smiled. "Are you feeling any better now?"
Alistair thought about that for a moment. "Yes, I do honestly feel much better!"
"Good, well so long as you take things easy for the rest of today, I see no reason to keep you here!"
Alistair looked relieved.
"I'd have suggested more rest but I think you are right Doctor the sooner he is back in his routine the better!" she said as they walked down the corridor.
"By the way he told me about the Dominators, seems they wanted to start a nuclear war when he last encountered them to recharge their ships with the radio active fall out!"
"Those Dominators!" the Doctor said remembering. "Yes, I destroyed their ship on Dulkis when they tried something similar!" He rubbed his face and looked pained. "Seems I owe the Brigadier an apology!"
They walked on in silence for a while then the Doctor stopped turned to looked at Liz and sadly told her what was troubling him, "It's a shame that the Colonel will die when the inferno project breaks through the Earth's crust in their world. He seems a very decent man!"
Liz smiled, "I don't think that was the same parallel world you went to Doctor!"
The Doctor looked puzzled.
"Doctor, if one parallel world exists then there must, in theory, be an infinite number of parallel Universes!"
The Doctor nodded.
"Well don't you see, you met Brigade Leader Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart! But in Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart's world Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart died aged 9!"
The Doctor looked relieved. "You are right Liz, that's a relief!"
Back in the parallel world James Lethbridge-Stewart looked at the picture in the news paper. It was of a tall, imposing young man, with an eyepatch and scar, who had just been promoted to Section Leader. A young man from another dimension, a young man who aged rather faster then normal.
He passed the paper to Major Kyle.
"This young Alistair, isn't going to grow up into the type of man our Alistair is! You do know that, don't you?" she said looking at James sadly. "Your father has corrupted and drugged every decent instinct out of him! He's going to be a perfect little fascist soldier!"
James thought of the young boy that he and Alistair had found in a third dimension, a young boy who had escaped the destruction of his world by aliens and ended up in James's world. A boy of 16 years old who had a deep scar on his cheek and who had lost his left eye in the escape.
"I know!" James said quietly. "It rankles even more when you see what he could have been!"
He scowled at the photo, this Alistair had been turned into a proper fascist by the corrupt state he now found himself in.