We passed upon the stair, we spoke of was and when
Although I wasn't there, he said I was his friend
Which came as some surprise I spoke into his eyes
I thought you died alone, a long long time ago


Oh no, not me, I never lost control
You're face to face
With the man who sold the world...
	--David Bowie



CHAPTER 8:  THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD

	Graham McCormick was nervous.  He shouldn't be, he and Nick had been assured of their
 safety by a man whose word one did not question, but he was nervous all the same.  Perhaps 
it was this unnatural California sunshine streaming through the plate glass windows of the 
terminal, or all these tan rich people walking about as if the world was their oyster with an 
R in every month. 
	He sat reading the paper (well, looking at it anyway) waiting for Nick to return from the 
lockers.  His eyes kept darting around, checking for any surveillance.  When Nick came up behind
 him and laid a hand on his shoulder he almost jumped.  Almost.
	"Relax, Graham."
	"I don't like this, Nick.  Let's get out of here."  He got up casually and the two well-dressed
men began moving down the concourse.
	"What's not to like?  No one could possibly know we're here."
	"That's what the boss said about Melbourne and who did we find there?"
	"You've got Jovanka on the brain.  We don't know it was her.  Coulda been just some of her 
goons."
	"No, I'm telling you she was there, she was there and she was *waiting* for us."  He gave 
a little shiver at the memory.  "God, I hate that bitch.  She never lets up."
	"Whoever it was, we were damn lucky to get away."
	"Luck runs out."
	"Well she's not here now, I guarantee it."
	"Let's just get the hell out of here and make the rendez-vous.  Charlton's here somewhere,
 he'll join up when he sees us go by."
	"Right you are."


	Tegan hung up the phone and was about to check the attenuation on her tracker when the 
signal blipped across her field of vision.  She opened her purse anyway, making as if to look for
 something while she watched the signal grow stronger.  Her blood began to run faster and she 
surreptitiously glanced about the concourse.  She saw nothing unusual...except for two people 
standing across the way staring intently at her.  She moved to the Arrivals/Departures monitors
 next to the pay phones and feigned interest in them while she examined her observers in the 
reflection.
	A man and a woman.  Man, early to mid 40's, about 5'6", bright eyes, nonthreatening 
careworn face.  Tweed slacks, dark waistcoat of indeterminate pattern, burgundy jacket, hat. 
 Woman, mid 30's, 5'4" or so, strong jaw, large eyes in a hard face, ponytail.  Jeans, plain 
white oxford shirt, dark blazer.  They appeared to be conferring with each other.
	She took in these details in less than a second and decided that her tracking signal was far
 more important.  It had paused for a moment but now resumed its approach towards her.  She 
slowly turned her head and looked towards the end of the terminal and saw McCormick and Nache 
approaching.  She turned back towards the monitors.  It was very unlikely that they'd recognize
 her.  The brush cut was new, and this was hardly her usual mode of dress.  Aside from that, 
neither of them were exactly Holmesian intellects.  She shouldered her satchel and started 
towards them, intending to pass them, double back and follow them until she could get them 
cornered and away from innocent bystanders.


	"Are you sure that's her?"
	"Positive."
	"She looks a lot different than in that picture on your dresser."
	"It's been ten years, people change."
	"Look who's talking.  She won't recognize you."
	"That's easily gotten around."  He started towards her.  Tegan had her back to them now, 
facing the schedule monitors, and was staring away from them down the concourse.  Ace 
reached out and grabbed his arm.
	"No, don't."
	"Why on earth not?"
	"I get the feeling she's busy at the moment."
	"What makes you say that?"
	"Instinct.  Let's wait."
	"Come, Ace, you're being skittish.  If she leaves we'll lose the chance to see her."  Tegan
 swung her knapsack onto her shoulder and started to walk down the concourse, away from them.
  She was heading towards two large men in suits coming the other way.  The Doctor pulled away 
from Ace and walked towards her.  "Tegan!" he called.  At that moment, time seemed to slow 
down to a crawl as a number of things happened in quick succession.  Tegan and the two men in
suits all froze in their tracks.  Her head whipped around to glare at him, her face at once shocked
and furious.  Ace's mind quickly digested this situation and though she could not see the details 
she could see the outlines.  She ran headlong at the two men, who both wore identical deer-in-the-headlights expressions.
	"It's Jovanka!" one shouted, near-hysterically and quite unnecessarily.  He reached into 
his jacket and whipped out a very large gun.  Bystanders screamed and hit the floor.  The Doctor,
 realizing too late his mistake, darted towards Tegan as both men leveled their guns at her.  
Unnoticed by the thugs as they concentrated on the presence of their arch-tormentor, Ace 
plowed into one of them at top speed, dropping her shoulder and pistoning all her weight into his
 stomach, knocking him clear across the concourse.  The other one fired as Tegan dropped one
 knee and rolled across the floor, pulling her own weapon out from under her jacket.  In a fluid 
motion she finished the roll in a crouching positon and placed a bullet with surgical precision in 
the guy's firing-arm shoulder.  He dropped the gun and fell over.  Ace was sitting on the other 
thug's chest.  He was barely conscious.  Her eyes widened as one of the cowering bystanders 
got to his feet and with a hostile expression ran at Tegan.  
	"Behind you!" she cried.  She watched, impressed, as Tegan whirled and seized the guy's 
fist, which he had been clumsily swinging at her.  She twisted around, allowing his forward 
momentum to flip him over her hip and hurl him to the floor.  He was up quickly but not quickly 
enough.  Tegan whipped her leg around, placing a back spin kick directly into his gut and then 
dropping him to the floor with a punch across the jaw while he was doubled over.  With 
impeccable timing, the airport security began to descend on this little scene, although in truth 
the whole thing had taken about twenty seconds.  Tegan showed them something in her wallet, 
after which they accepted her orders and took over restraining the Three Stooges.  Her heart 
sank as she turned and saw the man who'd caused all this lying on the floor where he'd fallen 
after his misguided attempt to knock her out of harm's way.  She crouched by his side. 
	"I don't know who you are or how you know me, but you almost got us all killed," she said,
 rolling him over.  She swore under her breath as she saw his fluttering eyelids and a red stain 
spreading across his chest.  Laying him down quickly, she tore open his shirt and was relieved
 to see that McCormick's bullet had struck him high in the shoulder well clear of his lungs. 
 He'd recover.  But...something felt wrong under her hand.  Something about his heartbeat.
	"Doctor!" she heard a woman cry out.  A moment later the woman who'd been with him 
was kneeling on his other side, checking underneath him for an exit wound.  There was none.  
"C'mon, Doctor, snap out of it.  It's just a flesh wound, you'll be fine."  She yanked off her 
blazer and folded it up, pressing the cloth onto his wound, her manner businesslike and her 
face determined.  Tegan sat back, slack-jawed, realizing what had been strange about his heartbeat...heartbeats.
	"Did you say 'Doctor?'" she asked.  Ace glanced up at her.
	"That's right, Tegan.  It's the Doctor."  At that, he opened his eyes.
	"What happened?" he mumbled.
	"You got shot," Ace said calmly.  "It's not serious.  Just relax, I'll take care of you."
	"Okay," he said dreamily.
	Tegan leaned forward cautiously.  "Doctor?  Is that you?"
	He smiled at her weakly.  "Brave heart, Tegan..."  His eyes slipped shut again.
	Tegan looked up at Ace.  "Oh my God..." she whispered.  "He's...um, could you..."
	"Can we talk about it later, please?" Ace said shortly.  "Gimme another bandage."  Tegan 
looked around wildly.  A woman standing nearby handed her some cloth diapers from a baby 
bag.  Ace applied them on top of her soaked blazer and leaned most of her weight on the 
wound to staunch the bleeding.
	The airport security men who were still milling about cleared a path through the crowd
 so the paramedics could get through.  Tegan watched, all her usual brashness and take-charge
 demeanor doused with surprise and confusion, as the Doctor was loaded onto a stretcher.  
The strange woman, whom she assumed was his latest companion, hauled her to her feet and 
led her by the hand to follow the paramedics out of the crowded concourse.  As they reached 
the edge of the crowd she spotted Sargeant Howe and Lieutenant Crimmon running up to the 
scene.  The sight of them made her remember who and what she was, and what she was doing 
here.  "I'll catch you up," she said to Ace, who nodded brusquely and continued to hurry along 
with the stretcher.  She turned to her men.  "Listen, the airport police are expecting you.  
Take these men to the police station but don't let the LAPD near them, understood?  Lieutenant, 
arrange at once for transport back to HQ for them and you.  Howe, stay at the police station 
until I call for you."
	"What about you?"
	"I have to look after this injured man, he's an old friend of mine and ours."
	"Ours?"
	"Just tell Anselyn that the Doctor has turned up and he'll understand.  Off you go, then." 
 She trotted after the paramedics and got there just in time to see the companion climbing into 
the back of the ambulance.  She started to climb in as well, but the paramedic tried to stop her.
	"It's all right, she's a friend," said the companion.  Tegan met her eyes as she stepped up 
and saw there a kindred spirit.  She sat down next to her as the ambulance roared off, sirens
 blaring.


	Through some tacit agreement they didn't speak during the ride to the hospital.  The Doctor
 was taken to a trauma room and the two women drifted into the waiting room.  Ace flopped 
into a chair, still holding his brolly, distractedly placing his hat on her own head.  Tegan regarded
 her thoughtfully.  She was certainly handling this well, but it was clear that the Doctor was 
very important to her.  It was also clear that this woman was no shrinking violet.  She'd taken 
out Nache, who was easily twice her size, with little or no difficulty.  Tegan sat down next to her.
	"I guess it's time we met properly," she said.  She held out a hand.  "Tegan Jovanka.  I 
assume you know that I was one of his companions."
	Ace smiled and shook Tegan's hand.  "I'm Dorothy McShane, but you can call me Ace.  I'm 
his wife."  It was the first time she'd used the word, and was glad to find it didn't stick in her throat.
	Tegan blinked and dropped her hand.  "I'm being serious here."
	"So am I."
	Tegan leaned forward, her eyebrows arching.  "You're really his wife?  As in...wife?"
	Ace leaned in as well, smiling at the woman's confusion.  "Listen closely.  I'm...his...wife."
	Tegan blew air through her teeth and sat back.  "Wow.  That's...that's something I never 
expected.  How did that happen?"
	Ace shrugged.  "How does it usually happen?" 
	"But...how did you...damn, I have too many questions I can't think where to start."
	Ace grinned at her.  "Let me give you the ultra-short version of a very long story.  When 
I was 16, I started traveling with him.  First we were friends, then we were good friends, then
 he used me, then I hated him and then I left.  Then I came back but I still hated him.  Then I 
stopped hating him but I didn't trust him.  Then we were friends again.  Then we were super-close
 friends.  Then I went my own way for awhile.  Then, surprise, I figured out that I was in love 
with him.  Then, bigger surprise, I discovered that he was in love with me.  Then we got together,
 then we married each other."
	Tegan's face deserved some sort of historical preservation.  "Hot damn, I can't wait to hear
 the long story.  You were 16?"
	"Yeah."
	"And now you're..."
	"34."
	"Jeez, you've spent your entire adult life with him."
	"Not exactly.  I spent three years with Spacefleet, hunting Daleks and that sort of thing.  
I spent quite a bit of time on my own, guarding a time rift in France.  But mostly you're right.  
He's been in my life so long, I can scarcely remember anything else."
	"Yeah, the Brig once expressed a similar sentiment to me."
	Ace blinked in surprise.  "The Brigadier?  You work for UNIT!"
	Tegan smiled.  "Yes.  That's quite a story in itself."
	"Don't tell me yet, the Doctor will want to hear it too."
	Tegan shifted and looked at her hands.  "How...how did my Doctor die?"  she asked quietly.
	The question surprised Ace at first, but then it occurred to her that although she herself 
might be closer to him than any other companion, she'd never seen the Doctor regenerate.  This
 woman had, and Ace imagined that it gave a person a different perspective on the Doctor to 
watch him change.  "It happened just a short time after you left him."
	"Was Turlough with him?"
	"No.  Turlough left almost right after you did, to go back to his home planet.  The Doctor 
had a new companion, Peri, and they both contracted some disease and there was only enough 
cure for her, so he regenerated."
	Tegan sighed and Ace saw the glimmer of tears in the corners of her eyes.  "He only had 
some woman he barely knew for company?  Bloody hell.  I should have been there with him."  
She looked away.  "I should have been there," she repeated softly.  She looked back at Ace.  
"Was it hard?"
	"Well, sort of.  The sixth was sort of a strange one.  Somehow I don't think you and he 
would have gotten on very well."
	Tegan smiled vaguely and seemed lost in memories.  "He almost didn't make it the fourth
 time."
	"I know."  Ace leaned forward and placed one hand over Tegan's.  "I know that you and 
Nyssa saved him.  Just for that, you'll always be a friend of mine."
	The doctor came into the waiting room.  "Ms. McShane?" he called.  Ace and Tegan stood
 quickly.  He smiled and came over to them.  "Your husband will be fine.  We've removed the 
bullet and stitched it up.  He's lost some blood and it is a somewhat serious injury so we'd like
 to keep him overnight."  His smile faltered and he started to look very uncomfortable.  "There's 
just one thing that we noticed, and I'm not sure how to broach the subject..."
	Tegan stepped forward and showed him her badge.  "Doctor, whatever you've noticed, I 
want you to forget.  There's nothing unusual about your patient."  He started to protest.  "Don't
 worry about it."  The doctor looked dubious but he agreed.
	"He's been taken upstairs.  Fourth floor."  Ace and Tegan exchanged a look and headed for 
the elevators.


	He was lying partially elevated, his shoulder bandaged and his eyes closed, when they 
entered.  Tegan lingered by the door and watched as Ace hurried to the bedside and sat down 
on it.  He opened his eyes as she bent over him.
	"Ace!" he said, sitting up.  "And Tegan!" he exclaimed, seeing her by the door.  "Oh good,
 neither of you are hurt."
	"That's more than I can say for you," Ace admonished him.  "Why don't we just paint a 
big bullseye on your chest and save everyone the trouble?"  He stuck his tongue out at her.  
She chuckled and leaned down to kiss him.  Tegan could see by the way his hand lingered on 
her face that Ace had been telling the truth about their relationship.  She came forward to 
stand next to the bed.  The Doctor smiled up at her, and in his eyes she could see her old friend.
  Unable to restrain herself, she threw her arms about his neck and hugged him, being careful 
to avoid his injured shoulder.
	"Doctor, I'm so glad to see you," she said.  He hugged her back as best he could with one arm.
	"And I you, Tegan.  It's been a long time."  
	She pulled away and smiled at him.  "You certainly have changed."  She sat down on the 
unoccupied bed on the other side of the room as Ace settled herself in a chair at his side.  
"This makes six of you that I've met.  That must be some kind of record."
	"Yes, I think it must be.  What's the verdict?"
	She nodded approvingly.  "I like it.  But to be honest, I think I'll always be partial to 
*my* Doctor."
	"Yes, they usually are," he chuckled.  "I was rather charming then, wasn't I?"
	"When you weren't being insufferable, perhaps."
	"Insufferable?  When was I ever insufferable?"
	"Oh get off it, Doctor.  You were always getting us stranded in the middle of nowhere 
or else you were dragging us around to some hellish corner of the galaxy where we might 
meet God knows what awful fate.  You even managed to turn a perfectly pleasant afternoon 
of cricket into a murder mystery!"
	"It wasn't my fault Cranleigh stole the harlequin costume...and as for our adventures, you 
know you loved every minute of it."
	She started to protest but then just shook her head and laughed.  "It was a hoot at times, 
I grant that."  They smiled at each other with the bond of shared experience.  "I've been talking
 to your...great gobs, your *wife,* I can hardly believe that!"
	"It's true.  We're still getting used to it ourselves."  He looked over at Ace and then back 
at Tegan, a thoughtful expression on his face.  "You know it just now occurs to me how much 
alike the two of you were, and are.  Neither of you ever let me get away with anything, nor 
were you ever shy about expressing yourselves."
	"We might be more alike now than ever, Doctor," Ace said.  "Tegan's with UNIT now."  
	The Doctor turned to her, incredulous.  "Really?  I had guessed you weren't an air hostess."
	"No, I'm no longer an air hostess."  She curled her legs underneath her and removed 
her jacket.  "When I left you, I thought that all I wanted was to return to normal life.  Life 
where police boxes were just police boxes and were people didn't get killed everywhere I went.
  I picked up where I'd left off and managed to get my airline job back, but I soon found out that
 you'd spoiled me for normal life, Doctor.  It was all so commonplace and...well, normal.  I was
 bored silly within a few months.  I eventually quit and just set off on my own.  I had no real 
family and no ties, so I sort of went walkabout for awhile.  India, Japan, Greece...it's all sort 
of a blur.  I had dozens of joe jobs and a bewildering array of shithole apartments, but I didn't 
feel safe anywhere, so I finally took the offensive.  I learned how to handle myself, and I learned
 it very well.  I read everything I could get my hands on, and I ended up hanging out with 
some...interesting people, but I learned something useful from every one of them.  After a few
years I ended up in the field of personal security."
	"You were a bodyguard?" Ace asked, fascinated.
	"Oh yes.  I looked after the lives of the rich and mighty, if not the righteous.  It rubbed
 me the wrong way a lot of times, the sort of people I ended up working for, but I had to eat...
and I'm happy to admit that while so employed I did find ways to bring a few of them down."  
She looked delighted at these memories.  "My last job as a bodyguard was to look after the 
wife and children of a certain governmental official who shall remain nameless.  While in their
 employ I got noticed by some people in other branches of that government, and before I knew
 it I was a spy.  At first I was just a glorified messenger, but I proved quite skilled and before 
long I was doing counterintelligence.  Of course, the government I worked for and I had some 
differences when it came to scruples, to wit, I actually had some.  I kept my mouth shut, put
on a happy face and began quietly assisting several rival governments including but not limited 
to this country's as well as Her Majesty's.  Finally when things began to get a little too hot 
where I was, I arranged to have myself sent on assignment to England and...well, let's just say 
I slipped away.  I remembered the Brigadier and his stories about UNIT as well as yours, so I 
offered them my services and here I am."  She grinned.  "I hope you don't mind me dropping 
your name as a reference, Doctor."
	"Why didn't you just work for MI5 or something?" Ace inquired.
	"Nah, they're too official.  I like working behind the scenes.  Besides, my years traveling 
in a police box made me uniquely qualified to assist UNIT against non-terrestrial threats, and I
 admit it was nice to be around people who knew you, Doctor."
	He shook his head, marveling at this story.  "Well, Tegan, you have succeeded in surprising 
me.  But then again, I always thought you were ill-suited to be a stewardess."
	"Seems you were right," she said, beaming.  "Anyway I love my work and I'm very good 
at it."
	The Doctor looked sheepish.  "Seems I messed things up beautifully for you today."
	Tegan cleared her throat.  "Well, you meant well.  And we did get those three into custody, 
which was always part of the idea."
	"Mind telling us what was going on there?" Ace asked.
	Tegan looked uncomfortable.  "Yes, I will, but I think I'd better wait.  I don't really want
 to talk about it here."
	"Fair enough."  Ace stood up.  "I should go to the TARDIS and get a few things."
	"What things?" the Doctor asked.
	"Were you planning to wear a torn, bloodstained shirt out of here?  Besides, with recent 
developments there are a few items that I'd feel safer if I had."  She squeezed his hand and
moved away.  "I'll be back soon.  It'll be a good chance for you two to get caught up," she said, 
smiling at Tegan.  She strode confidentally out of the room.  As soon as she was out of sight, 
she stopped and put a hand against the wall to steady herself, releasing a pent-up sigh of relief.
  Just a flesh wound, she told herself, taking a few deep breaths.  Feeling better, she set off 
for the front entrance to hail a cab.


	Tegan sat down in the chair Ace had just vacated, observing the way his eyes followed 
Ace's departure.  She smiled at him.  "You really do love her, don't you?"
	He looked over at her, arching his eyebrows.  "Is that so hard to believe?"
	"No!  No, that's not it...it's just unprecedented."
	"Yes," he said quietly.  "Yes, it is."
	"Well, she's quite something, if I may say so.  I'd like to have her on my team."
	"She's had a hard life, no thanks to me, and has managed to come out better for it.  I 
admire her a great deal."
	They fell silent for a moment.  Finally Tegan reached out and grasped his hand.  "Doctor...
I'm sorry I wasn't there when you regenerated.  I always thought I'd be there, like I was before."
	"Oh, Tegan, there's no need to apologize.  You left because you had to.  You didn't know if 
my next regeneration would be in two weeks or a hundred years."
	"I suppose," she said grudgingly.  She sat back and looked at him thoughtfully.  "Doctor, 
what are you doing here in L.A.?"
	"Ace and I are here on honeymoon, you might say."  He sniffed brief laughter.  "Some
honeymoon it's turned out to be so far."
	"But why here?  You've got the whole universe to choose from.  And why now?  I mean, 
your timing at the airport was nothing short of disastrous."
	His brow furrowed.  "Now that you ask me, I've actually no idea.  We were talking about 
where to go, and this city and this time just sort of popped into my head.  It seemed like 
somewhere we should go.  I set the coordinates for this date, but as to the hour and minute 
that's pretty much up to the TARDIS."
	She considered this.  "Interesting."  She shrugged.  "I suppose it's nothing.  It's just part
 of my job to be suspicious."
	"At any rate, I'm glad you've found a career you're happy with," he said, a tad doubtfully,
 then trailed off.
	Tegan raised her eyebrows.  "But?"
	He sighed.  "Well...you know how I feel about violence.  It was one of the reasons that UNIT 
and I didn't always click."
	She sat back and crossed her legs.  "The universe is a violent place, Doctor.  I learned that
 from you.  I choose to take affirmative action to combat it.  My methods might not get your 
stamp of approval," she said intently, looking straight into his eyes with a stare that he imagined 
had withered the resolve of more than one hardened criminal, "but like it or not I am exactly the
 way you made me."


	Theo heard the door to the lounge that she had unofficially taken over open and several 
sets of footsteps enter.  She stood where she was until they stopped behind her, then turned
 to see Space, Dimension, and Life looking at her.  Their expressions were almost betraying
 an emotion, something must really have happened.
	Life spoke.  "He's landed in Los Angeles and hooked up with his old companion," she said 
excitedly.
	One corner of Theo's mouth curled upward.  "Told you."


	When Ace came back into the hospital room the Doctor and Tegan were chatting 
animatedly, smiling and laughing.  She smiled as she entered, carrying a bag with some 
clothes and a strange-looking clay pot.  The Doctor looked up at her, noting these items and 
that she was wearing a new blazer...the way it hung on her told him at once that she'd armed 
herself.  His gaze focused on the clay pot.
	"You brought the elixir?"
	"I didn't think you'd be too crazy about spending the night here.  There's hardly any left
 at all, but I didn't know if you wanted to save it for a real emergency."
	He shook his head.  "There isn't enough left to bring anyone back who wouldn't come back 
by themselves.  Might as well put it to good use."  He sat up as Ace set the jar down on the 
nightstand.  She gingerly peeled the bandage away from his shoulder, wincing at the angry 
red wound.  She opened the jar, dipped her hand in and came out with a small dab of white 
stuff that looked like Vaseline on her finger.  Tegan leaned forward and watched as Ace 
carefully applied the goo to the wound and her jaw dropped as the stitched edges of the excised
 bullet hole immediately sealed themselves up, the stitches themselves dissolving into his 
skin as they were meant to.  After a few seconds you couldn't even tell he'd been shot.  He 
reached up and pulled the bandages completely away, flexing his shoulder.
	"Better?" Ace asked.
	"A little stiff, but fine," he said, pulling the clothes she'd brought him out of the bag.
	"Tegan, you'd better come with me to get him checked out," Ace said.  "I have a feeling
 we might have some explaining to do."


	About an hour later the three were in a rented Land Rover driven by Sargeant Howe on 
their way back to the temporary UNIT base that had been set up here.  Tegan sat in front talking
 with Howe in a low, commanding voice and spending a lot of time on her cell phone, organizing
 interrogations and conferring with HQ back in Britain.  The Doctor and Ace sat in the back, 
nonplussed.
	At one point Ace leaned over to whisper to him, "Boy, you can tell who wears the pants 
in this team."
	"I always told her she was a natural organizer," he said with a touch of the air of a 
proud mentor.  They pulled in to an upscale, hairs-breadth-from-posh hotel in downtown L.A.
	"A hotel?" Ace asked, puzzled.
	Tegan got out and opened the door for them.  "Hotels make great temporary bases.  
Conveniently located, a degree of anonymity, easy to give a phony name, and difficult to 
stake out effectively.  Not tomention that room service is mighty convenient," she said, 
grinning, as they walked in.  Tegan's steps quickened as she cast a nervous glance towards
a glassed-in office where a small mousy man in a hotel blazer was talking on the phone.
	"Let's hurry before the concierge sees us.  He thinks I'm in the movie business and he's
 been sucking up to me shamelessly."  They escaped into the relative safety of the elevator.
	Tegan used a key card to open the door to a large suite on the 10th floor and ushered them
 inside, closing and locking the door after her.  The suite's central room was set up as a 
conference area, with a long table in addition to the couch and wing chairs.  Tegan motioned for
 them to sit down, and leaned against the edge of the conference table facing them.
	"Okay.  Let me fill you in.  We're tracking a group of terrorists who've been quietly 
operating all over the world for several years now.  We've been following them actively for 
over a year, officially to gather enough evidence to apprehend their leader."
	"And unofficially?" Ace asked.
	Tegan's face hardened.  "To stop them, whatever the cost."
	"Why does this fall to UNIT?" the Doctor asked.  "Usually the national agencies would
 handle terrorism in their respective countries."
	"True, but we're trying our best to make sure none of them know about this."
	"Why?"
	"Because, Doctor, the FBI doesn't have a great track record catching time travelers, and 
that's just what we're up against."
	"Time traveling terrorists?"
	"Yes.  At first we just suspected.  They knew things they shouldn't know, they were able 
to be in just the right place at just the right time.  But eventually we had to accept that it was
 fact.  At one time, I even had a notion that their leader might be a Time Lord."
	"Impossible," the Doctor said.  "If a renegade Time Lord decided to set his sights on Earth,
 he'd never bother with petty acts of terrorism."
	"Yes, I came to that conclusion as well, especially since these chaps travel in time without
 the aid of a vehicle like a TARDIS, merely disappearing and reappearing at another time.  I've 
seen them do it...and the only thing we can determine is that whatever technology they're using 
leaves a characteristic artron signature.  That's what our trackers key on."
	Ace drummed her fingers on her knee, thinking.  "To what use do they put this ability? 
 Robbery?  Political posturing?"
	Tegan shook her head.  "We've been unable to determine their exact motives.  They've 
stolen nothing, they've demanded nothing, they've made no statements...in fact, they do their 
damndest to make sure no one knows about their activities.  This is unusual behavior in terrorists,
 in fact I only use that term for lack of a better one.  The only thing I can tell you is how it 
seems to me...and it seems as if they're using their foreknowledge of future events for no 
other purpose than to spread chaos."
	The three looked at each other for a moment in silence.  Tegan could see that her friends 
didn't quite follow.  She pulled herself up to sit upon the table, crossing her legs.  "Let me give 
you an example, one of the first acts we were able to pin on them.  About a year ago, there was
 a terrible bombing in China at a large ceremony celebrating the conclusion of a weeklong G7 
economic summit.  Despite tight security, killed in the blast were a number of heads of state 
and religious leaders, and the consquences of these deaths to their native countries cannot be 
calculated.  One country descnded into civil war because of it, and another who'd just signed a 
peace treaty with a neighboring country resumed hostilities, and that was just the beginning.  
Blame was thrown everywhere, and international relations haven't been worse in over a decade."
	"Your terrorists caused this explosion?"
	"No, that's not it at all.  During the investigation it came out that a number of the people 
who were killed, including the leaders of the two countries I just mentioned, were not on the 
invitation list for the ceremony...and yet they came, and presented valid invitations at the 
door.  Someone wanted those men there very badly, and they went to a lot of trouble to get 
them there.  There was other evidence that I won't go into, but it all suggested that someone
knew how and when the bombing was going to occur."
	"That only implies that they planned it!"
	"No.  The bombers were caught, and the evidence against them was conclusive.  Furthermore,
 it's been proven that the incident was planned no more than two weeks in advance, but the 
phony invitations were received two *months* in advance.  We could probably have rationalized 
that away as well, if this were an isolated incident.  This group's knowledge of the future has 
enabled them to rig elections, incite riots, and take advantage of natural disasters.  It's amazing 
what one can accomplish when you know what's going to happen next, isn't is, Doctor?"
	"Yes," he agreed.  "Amazing indeed.  You've no idea what their motivations are?"
	"I can't even be sure of what it is they're doing, Doctor.  How can I gauge their influence 
when I can't see what would have happened if they hadn't interfered?  Even if I had my own time
 travel, I'd have to know what they were going to do ahead of time so that I could jump ahead 
and see how it *would* turn out before they messed with it!"  She sighed and pressed a hand 
to her forehead.  "This hunt is starting to wear me down," she said.  "It just goes on and on 
and sometimes I despair of ever making any headway.  I just keep tracking their movements 
and arresting the mindless thugs like those clowns at the airport.  Once in awhile I catch them 
before they put their latest project into action...but what I really want is to find whatever 
technology they're using to travel through time.  If I could find it, we might be able to neutralize 
it.  Their leader, Grant Jenkins, he's much smarter than the muscle he hires to help him.  I'm not 
entirely sure where he operates from, and until I get closer to him I'll never find that technology."
	"Can't you arrest him?" the Doctor asked.
	She laughed.  "He's also smart enough to keep his nose clean.  I've got nothing on him 
personally.  I just keep hoping that one of his little minions will crack...but they might not know
 any more about him than I do."  She looked out the window and shook her head.  "And that's not
 a lot...just that he's clever, he's a time traveler, and he's trying to plunge his planet and his 
species into total anarchy."  Her cell phone rang.  She jumped a little and then answered it.  
"Jovanka.  Yes, Sargeant.  So soon?  He's moving fast this time.  Okay, send him up."  She 
hung up and hopped off the table.  "Speak of the devil, Jenkins is on his way up to see me."
	"He's coming here?" Ace said, surprised.
	"Sure.  He and I have had a number of conversations, mostly involving my lack of any 
right to incarcerate his employees, which is I'm sure what this is about.  He keeps up a clean
 front so I have no legal right to accuse him of anything.  You two better duck into that 
bedroom over there, I'd rather he didn't see you."  She shooed them through the door.  "But
 you can watch on the monitor on the desk, it's hooked up to the closed circuit.  I'd be very 
interested in your opinion of Grant, he's quite a piece of work."  She shut the door.
	Ace and the Doctor looked at each other for a moment.  "Are you buying all this?" she asked. 
	He just bit his lip and shoved his hands in his pockets.
	"Me neither," she said.  "I think Tegan's being straight with us, but there's got to be more
 to it.  It doesn't make any sense."
	"It's difficult to see the whole picture with so little to go on," he said.  "And I'm suspicious 
of their alleged time travel.  The way she described it doesn't fit with any technology I'm familiar with."
	"Yeah, I hear you.  Well, let's get a look at this Jenkins bloke anyhow."  They went to the
 desk, where the monitor showed Tegan waiting in the conference area.  They heard a knock, 
and she walked out of the camera's field of vision to open the door.
	"Jenkins," they heard her say, her voice sharp and businesslike.
	"Good evening, Tegan," he replied, all courtesy and charm.  "Ah, I like your new haircut." 
 His voice was low, cultured, and completely unaccented.  "It's always a pleasure to see you."
	She sniffed.  "I bet it is," she muttered.  The Doctor couldn't help but smile.  Same old 
Tegan.  She reappeared on the screen, followed by a small man with dark hair wearing a suit. 
 They sat at the conference table.
	"Can we zoom in on his face?" the Doctor asked.  Ace leaned forward and tried a toggle 
switch on the control board.  The camera shifted and she focused in on the man's face.  Jenkins
 wore a beard, a mustache, and glasses.  He looked distinctly nonthreatening.  The Doctor 
leaned in and studied him.  "He does appear human," he began, and then Jenkins turned slightly 
towards the camera and his eyes became visible.  Ace sucked in a sharp breath and turned away,
 one hand to her throat.
	"He's not," she gasped.
	The Doctor stood and put a hand on her arm, concerned.  "What's wrong?"
	"Doctor...that man is Legion."