The members of Eden Advance, as well as every unarmed Time Lord in the courtroom, dove beneath the seats as the withering fire from the Daleks tore overhead. The thin blue energy beams crisscrossed the courtroom and a dozen of the Citadel Guard fell within seconds.

The Doctor crawled over to one of the dead guards and grabbed his staser. He thumbed the power setting as high as it could go and disengaged the safeties, priming it to overload. The gun started emitting a high-pitched whine, growing into a shriek.

The Doctor braced himself, then burst up from cover and threw it high over the Daleks, close to the ceiling. He dove beneath a bench again as Dalek energy beams ripped through the space where he'd just been standing.

The overloaded staser pistol reached the top of the courtroom and exploded.

Although stasers contained incredible amounts of energy, one was insufficient to damage a building on Gallifrey – under normal conditions. But the Doctor was gambling that the weakened roof would be unable to take the added strain.

He was right. Within seconds, the back section of the ceiling collapsed even further, for the Daleks had already taken out one of its supporting walls. With a deafening roar which shook the building, great slabs of rubble buried most of the Daleks instantly, and also blocked off the courtroom from any reinforcements coming to join them.

Two Daleks remained, not quite caught by the ceiling's collapse. They fired on, still shouting in a bloodlust, completely unconcerned with anything except victory.

A concentrated ball of energy erupted from the opposite end of the courtroom. It hit one of the Daleks dead center, bathing it with an electric glow. The energy enveloped it, tendrils wrapping around it in a dance of death. The Dalek rolled backwards, then its gun and eyestalk went limp.

A second burst of energy did the same to the other Dalek.

For several seconds, there was nothing but a deathly silence. Even the alarms throughout the rest of the city had stopped. Only the distant sounds of more explosions, and the occasional scream of the far-off dying, reached their ears.

Shaking, everyone still alive slowly climbed to their feet. The Doctor turned to see who had taken out the last two Daleks. He saw Alonzo on the witness stand. Ulysses was slumped in his arms, unconscious, still gripping a staff that buzzed with energy.

"I think it took everything he had," he could hear Alonzo tell Devon, who was stumbling her way to them. "He channeled everything he could to get that last one."

Julia was frantically helping the wounded. Under her supervision, clothing and ornate draperies from along the walls were quickly used as bandages. Almost everyone in the room was in shock, stumbling around, moaning or crying, not knowing what to do. The judge strode forward to join Andred, the Doctor and Romana. Ferain was nowhere to be seen.

After making sure that Romana was unharmed, Andred again attempted to raise Central Control, or anyone, on his wrist communicator. No one answered.

Yale came up to them. "Shouldn't we be evacuating to somewhere else?" he asked.

"To where?" Andred asked in return. "No one's responding on the communicator. The entire city is under attack. You're as safe here as anywhere else. I need to find some men, reach Central Control, and coordinate a counterattack."

Yale gripped Andred's arm, startling him. "Didn't you hear what the Daleks said when they came in?" he shouted. "'Capture the president!' They knew she was here! Do you think it's a coincidence that the first missile bombardment hit almost everywhere around the capital, but not this building? Or that the first wave of shock troops came here first?"

Andred stared as the implications of what Yale was saying sunk in. Then he turned to Romana. "Lady President, we need to get you into the Matrix. You are the only one with the authority to release the weapons we need."

"What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"We could time-loop Skaro, for a start!" he growled.

"No, we couldn't," the Doctor said.

"Why not?" Andred demanded.

"I hate to interrupt," Julia said. "But we have about 20 people who are going to die very soon without some serious medical attention. Is there any way of getting them out of here?"

"Not without carrying them," Andred said. "The transmat beams are housed in Central Control."

"We can't carry them!" Julia said. "Their conditions are far too delicate for that! Most of them can't be moved."

"We need to get everyone out of here," a new voice said. They all turned to find that Nesbin had joined them. He nodded at Yale and said, "This man is correct in his assessment of the Daleks' strategy, and they will return. But the Daleks probably do not know about the Shobogans. If we can leave this courtroom without being detected, I can lead everyone here beyond the wall to safety. I know the secret ways through this city."

The Doctor added, "If we get separated, get them to the TARDIS landing platform, Nesbin, and get off Gallifrey altog-" the Doctor stopped and held up his hand. "Listen."

A pounding came from the rubble at the back of the courtroom and it began to shift.

"They're breaking through," Nesbin said. "We must hurry."

The Doctor turned to the judge. "The back door leading to your chambers. I take it there's an exit?"

"Yes," she nodded. "All the law offices are back there, with several exits from the building."

"What about the wounded?" Julia asked.

The Doctor and Romana looked at each other. Their eyes met, and they shared the same thought.

The Doctor jumped onto the nearest seat and clapped his hands loudly. "Listen up everyone!" he shouted, his voice full of authority. "We don't have much time! I need every single Time Lord who isn't seriously wounded to stand by one who is and aid them in a forced regeneration!"

When he received blank, shocked stares, Romana climbed up next to him. "That's a presidential order!" she shouted, furious with impatience. "Hurry!"

With Andred and the rest of the Citadel Guard ushering them along, every available Time Lord in the building – including the Doctor, the judge, Romana and Nesbin – stood next to one of the Time Lords still lying on the ground fighting for life. Eden Advance was left with nothing to do, and even Reilly was no longer under guard. Julia checked on Ulysses, who was beginning to come around.

One of the pieces of rubble at the back of the room started to shift, and metallic, hate-filled voices could dimly be heard from the other side.

Danziger took one look at the weakest part of the rubble blocking the courtroom and motioned to the others. "If we get a few of these benches propped up here, and here," he motioned to two particular areas, "we can hold them off for a little while longer."

"And there," Reilly said, pointing out another weak spot on the edge. He ran his gaze swiftly over the rubble with an appraising eye. "If we find something to use as a brace between that spot and the wall, it will help to reinforce the entire area."

"Yeah," Danziger said quietly, giving him a quick glance. But now wasn't the time. "Let's move, people," he said.

They jumped to the task, and Reilly worked alongside the Edenites. They hauled benches which had broken loose during the collapse and moved them back into positions which would further block the Daleks and buy them some more time. Zero really proved useful here, pulling up more benches with the greatest of ease and forcing them into positions which others couldn't have done.

Reilly found himself next to Danziger again. They were both sweating and breathing hard. "That one area needs a brace, too," Reilly said. "We need something very hard and about two meters long."

"You got any ideas?" Danziger asked him. They both looked around, then stopped and stared as they each had the idea at the same time.

Danziger glanced at Reilly, who nodded him forward. "It seems to be just the thing."

 

The Time Lords were all concentrating, trying to communicate telepathically with the grievously wounded. They stood quietly around them, some with their hands resting on the patients' heads.

Forced regenerations were tricky things.

One by one, the wounded Time Lords accepted their fate and instructed their bodies to regenerate. It was either that or stay behind to be killed when the Daleks broke through. None of them had the opportunity to prepare for the regeneration, or to choose what their next faces would look like. None of them had ever been forced to regenerate in an emergency before.

Danziger and Reilly stepped back from the wall of debris, admiring their handiwork, then joined the others. Having braced the rubble as best they could, the humans watched in fascination as the bodies of the wounded began to glow. Within the glows, their forms shifted and changed.

One of the wounded screamed and his helpers backed away. The glow around him subsided and he lay still, his eyes glaring open in true death. His face remained unchanged.

The others slowly began to stand up, looking in wonder at their new hands, touching their new faces. Broken bones, lacerations, crushed organs – all were miraculously healed.

The Doctor stood up, relieved that most of them had made it. He looked at the work Eden Advance had done while the Time Lords were regenerating, and smiled. "Oh, well done!"

Lying on their sides, forming a brace between the rubble and the wall, were the two Daleks which Ulysses had shot earlier.

Danziger shrugged. "We figured we'd put 'em to good use."

The Doctor turned to the judge. "You and Nesbin, please, lead everyone out of the building."

"Everyone, follow us!" Nesbin said. There were about 75 people left now and they all stumbled after him in a procession, picking their way through the debris to the offices beyond the courtroom. Danziger carried True, protectively huddling her in his arms, much the same way as he'd done on the Roanoke when it had crashed, a lifetime ago.

They threaded their way through several corridors and offices, always listening to the distant rumble of explosions, and arrived at a small door set into the rear of the building. The Doctor peered out cautiously but he couldn't see anything suspicious in the gathering night. The power was out for most of the city and he knew Crossamain wasn't due to rise for another couple of cycles, so as soon as the fading sunlight was gone altogether, they would be moving through the city in total darkness. Advantage, Daleks, he thought grimly.

"K9, can you sense anything outside?" he asked.

The antenna ears of K9 Mark I waggled back and forth. "Results indeterminate," he said.

"Check again. Both K9s. Give us any information you can." Then he turned to Zero. "Zero, I know you're programmed to protect humans above all else, but are you flexible in your interpretation of that programming?"

"What do you mean?" the robot asked.

"I mean your programming will probably tell you to attack a Dalek if it appears to threaten a human, even though it would destroy you in a second. I'm asking you to interpret your programming so that you will do the most good for the humans you serve in a logical manner. In short – if Daleks appear, don't rush to engage them. Your services can help to save people's lives in other ways, but only if you're intact. Can you do that?"

"I follow your logic, Doctor," Zero said. "I will leave combat to those more equipped to do so unless no one fitting that qualification is in the vicinity. However, if no combatants are nearby and a human is threatened by a Dalek, I will have no choice but to attack it."

"Good enough," the Doctor said.

K9 Mark II spoke up. "Results double-checked and correlated," he said. "Still indeterminate."

"We can't stay here forever," Nesbin urged impatiently.

The Doctor nodded. "Be wary," he said. "Something doesn't feel right about any of this."

"That, my friend, is the understatement of the millenium," Nesbin replied. With a staser in his hand he stepped outside and beckoned for the others to follow. The Doctor went with him, still looking around, Reilly and the members of Eden Advance following close behind. Romana remained inside for the moment, surrounded by Andred and a cordon of guards.

Before them was a plaza with a central fountain. Two large buildings faced it, one on either side. On the opposite side of the plaza wide steps led down to a long promenade which stretched all the way to the Panopticon in the distance. The Presidential Palace was in the opposite direction, behind them.

Nesbin and the Doctor led the others across the plaza to the building on the right, urging everyone to keep quiet. The distant sounds of battle still drifted to their ears. The fleeing Time Lords followed the Doctor and the Edenites. Romana and Andred brought up the rear.

"Warning," K9 Mark II suddenly said. "Two static gateways opening in vicinity. Take immediate cover." But before the robot could even finish his sentence, two Daleks materialized out of thin air around the fugitives and began firing. A third drifted forward from the shadows of the building across the plaza.

The Citadel Guard returned fire, shielding Romana with their bodies. Several fell. The remaining Time Lords, including the judge, broke and ran in a panic, much to the Doctor's dismay. The members of Eden Advance stayed together and hit the ground – all except one.

Ulysses tore himself away from Devon's side and ran closer to the Daleks. "Uly!" Devon screamed, but the boy paid no heed. She tried to run to him, but the fleeing Time Lords ran into her and knocked her down.

Uly powered up his staff and fired at the nearest Dalek, but he was still too weak to do any damage. All he did was attract its attention. Devon watched in horror as the Dalek turned to Ulysses and returned fire at point blank range.

"Uly, watch out!" she heard, and a figure leaped at her son and tackled him out of the way. The energy beam cut through the place he'd been standing and hit a fleeing Time Lord in the legs, causing him to fall to the ground, yelling in pain.

The figure quickly huddled Uly to the central fountain and took cover behind it, keeping him safe, and his eyes looked up and met hers.

Devon looked back at Councilman Reilly with both terror and relief.

Then they heard a whoop of triumph as the plaza suddenly filled with Shobogans. Up the steps they ran, shouting in a fury, dressed in their tribal robes and vests, brandishing powerful weapons.

The Daleks turned and fired on them instead, moving out of the static gateways and letting two more Daleks appear in the same places. But no matter how many Shobogans the Daleks hit, none of them died, or even slowed down.

"They've got personal force fields," the Doctor breathed with relief.

"And atomic disruptors!" Nesbin announced with pride, and he stood up and yelled at the top of his lungs as his people raced past him and quickly dispatched the Daleks, hitting them with a powerful energy beams which caused them to start disintegrating instantly.

"Back to the courthouse!" the Doctor yelled.

Everyone who was still alive and who hadn't bolted in panic – and there weren't many – sprinted back to the courthouse while the Shobogans dealt with two more Daleks who were coming through the gateways. Devon ran to Ulysses, took him in her arms, and ran after the others. Reilly was close on her heels. They all piled back through the door and stopped, catching their breaths.

"Would somebody mind telling me what just happened?" Danziger asked.

"It was a trap," the Doctor said. "There was a hidden Dalek waiting for us to leave. As soon as Romana was out of cover, it sent a signal and they opened up static gateways. It was their contingency plan in case breaking into the courtroom failed."

As he spoke, the static gateways outside faded away. For the moment, the Daleks were retreating.

Andred turned to Nesbin. "How long have your people had atomic disruptors and force fields?"

"Ever since the Sontarans invaded," Nesbin replied. "We thought it would be best if Gallifrey had a second, hidden line of defense, so we took it upon ourselves to make sure that it did."

"And you didn't tell the High Council?" Andred asked angrily.

"We don't answer to the High Council," Nesbin said. "And under the circumstances, it's probably good that we don't."

Andred flushed and was set to deliver a blistering reply when the Doctor interrupted. "Later, gentlemen, later," he said, and turned to Andred. "All that matters right now is that the weapons are available, and you now have a force with which to fight back."

Andred nodded, composing himself. Then he said, "Well, there's at least one thing we can do, now that the immediate danger is past." He slammed Reilly against the wall and put his staser beneath his chin. "You'll tell us everything you know or die!"

Zero strode forward. "Attention, Castellan Andred," he said. "My programming will not allow me to stand by and watch while a human is threatened or shot. I must ask you to remove that weapon from Councilman Reilly's neck or I will do it for you."

Reilly actually smirked.

"Zero, I am a representative of the ruling government of Gallifrey," Andred said impatiently. "I'm sure that somewhere within your programming you are empowered to accept the death of a human being in certain circumstances – namely, a legal and justified execution of a proven criminal. Correct?"

"Correct," Zero said.

"This man is a criminal under Gallifreyan law, and for that purpose we have the power to mete out justice in any way we see fit. It would be a legal execution."

Zero stood silently for several seconds. He finally said, "I am uncertain as to whether or not the law of a non-human species is capable of overriding my programming."

"Zero," Yale said softly. "You'll have to make a choice."

Zero looked at everyone, at all the faces staring back at him. Then he looked at Reilly. Then he looked at Andred.

"My apologies, Castellan Andred," he finally said. "I acted under the belief that you were threatening a human being." He swiveled his head to look at Reilly. "But I see that I was mistaken." He walked back to the door.

Baines's face broke out into a grin, and even Devon smiled at that. Reilly was stunned as he watched the robot retreat, but he recovered his composure quickly.

"Talk, Councilman," Andred said.

"I don't know anything," Reilly said. "That's the truth."

"You wouldn't know the truth if it bit you," Danziger snorted.

"I admit I was working with the Master," he said. "But you must believe me, he didn't tell me he was going to bring about this kind of mayhem and destruction. All he told me was that he would help me understand the secrets of G889 if I did as he asked. If I'd known he was a murderer and a criminal I would never have agreed to work with him."

"He asked you to lie on a witness stand," Devon said. "Wasn't that a clue?"

Reilly started to answer her, then sighed. "Devon, Doctor, everyone...you must believe me. Every single thing I have done is for the betterment of the human race. We need a new home, and G889 is it. Humanity can be given peace and stability for the next millenium if we can take G889, and we are so close to achieving it. That goal is my only agenda, and I would give my own life, if necessary, to bring it about."

"And the lives of the Terrians," Cameron said.

"And the life of a convict child," Julia said.

"Julia's life," Alonzo said.

"The life of my son," Devon said.

"All our lives," Danziger said quietly.

"Balanced against the lives of millions of people back on the stations, all of whom need a new place to live," Reilly spoke urgently. "I would sacrifice your life, and my own, to help all of humanity."

"Do the ends justify the means, Mr. Reilly?" the Doctor asked.

"Some ends are too large and too valuable to measure against any means, Doctor," Reilly replied. "But all of you seem to regard me as a criminal. What none of you seem to understand is that I regard each of you to be criminals, guilty of negligence and the failure to give of yourselves to help the human race."

Devon felt a wave of white-hot fury such as she had never known. It started at the soles of her feet and worked its way up to engulf her mind. "How...DARE you!" she shouted. "You represent the Council, the same entity which tried to condemn over four hundred Syndrome children to an undignified death for its own selfish purposes. Don't you dare speak to me about sacrifice, about service! You don't know the meaning of the words!"

"You're welcome, Devon," Reilly said.

"For what?" she asked darkly.

"For saving your son's life."

They stared at each other, neither quite knowing what to say.

Andred pressed his staser even further into Reilly's neck. "Well, let me give you a taste of your own medicine, Mr. Councilman. The only race I really care about is the Gallifreyan race, and if your death will help us make it through this disaster, I will kill you here and now. Last chance. Where is the Master, and what is his plan?"

"I would help you if I could, Castellan," Reilly answered. "But I honestly know nothing about the Master's plans or whereabouts. If it helps to convince you, I was in the courtroom when the Daleks attacked, and from what I have heard about them, they wouldn't have bothered making any distinction between you and me. Whatever partnership I may have had with the Master is finished. I now see that he used me, and he betrayed me when I was no longer of use."

"Oh, we already knew that," the Doctor said. "Believe me, Mr. Reilly, you're nowhere near the first he's used."

Reilly looked Andred in the eye. "I know nothing."

"I should kill you anyway," Andred replied quietly. "Good people have died today, and you had a part to play in it."

"Take him into custody, Castellan," Romana ordered.

"With respect, Madam President, I have neither the means nor the manpower to hold or to protect a prisoner right now. I need every man I can spare for the war."

"We'll take him, then," Devon said. "We'll take him back with us to G889 and hold him there."

"This man is now a criminal of Gallifrey, also," Andred said. "I wish I didn't have to let him out of my sight, but I see no other alternative. I accept your offer. We will return for him when this war is over."

"There might not be anything of him left," Alonzo said.

Andred's communicator beeped. He answered it frantically.

"Castellan Andred." It was Harrigan's voice, laced with static. The tiny wrist monitor could barely show any picture at all. "Are you there?"

"Harrigan, where are you?" Andred snapped.

"We're holed up in Central Control," he replied. "We-" static "-o seal the doors in time. The Dal-" static "-eed the machinery intact, so they can't just blow this place op-" static "-ly limited power to the outside. What's the situation out there?"

Andred was about to reply when Yale's hand closed over the communicator, causing him to look up in astonishment. Yale was making silent gestures to close the link. Alarmed, Andred raised his eyebrows. The Doctor and Romana did the same.

"Castellan, are you there?" Harrigan asked.

Yale gesticulated even more wildly. The Doctor and Andred gesticulated back, making circular motions with their hands. Yale responded with a few of his own, then Devon and Danziger tried to get in on the act, all trying to ask Yale what was bothering him.

"Castellan! Are you-"

The Doctor grabbed the communicator off Andred's wrist. He raised it to his mouth and cupped both hands around it, miming a distorted voice and sounds of static. "Harrigan, we ssssshhh, sssshhhhh, breaking up ssssshhhhh, ssssssshhhhh, we'll get back with you." He turned it off.

"What was that all about?" Devon asked.

"What if the Daleks are listening in?" Yale asked.

"They can't," Andred replied, irritated. "The encryption we use-"

"Just like they couldn't get past your impenetrable force field?" Yale asked.

Andred was about to reply when he saw the logic of what Yale was saying.

"The Daleks have had inside help so far," the Doctor said. "It's reasonable to presume they have it still."

"But what do I tell Harrigan?" Andred asked.

"For now, tell him nothing," the Doctor said. "Harrigan can do nothing to help us where he is, so keeping him in the dark won't hurt anything."

"Better yet, give him false information," Yale said. "Tell him we're going in the opposite direction than we really are."

"Yale's right," the Doctor said. "Tell him we're making for Central Control to launch a counterattack on the Daleks who are holding him in there, and that we'll be armed with atomic disruptors."

"But these atomic disruptors are still a secret," Andred objected. "We could still use them to take the Daleks by surprise."

The Doctor shook his head. "The Daleks which were destroyed would have reported back to their battle computers just before they died the weapons we were using, so they're not secret any more. Stating that we have them on a supposedly secure channel will lend credence to your report."

"And what do you suggest we do in the meantime?" Nesbin asked.

"Attack one of the Daleks' landing craft," Yale suddenly said.

"That's madness!" Andred exclaimed.

"You're badly outnumbered and you have no information," Yale said. "Right now, surprise and your wits are your only allies. The Daleks expect us to run, their troops have left their landing craft and are in the city so the craft might be relatively unguarded, and I feel positive they're monitoring all transmissions. So send through the false report that you're going to attack Central Control. The Daleks will expect you to do that. While they send their forces there, attack one of their drop ships, steal some of their weapons, gain some mobility, and possibly find out from their battle computers what their plan is."

Andred thought about it for a second, nodded and activated his communicator again.

"In the meantime, what do we do for real?" Danziger asked.

"We'll head for my TARDIS," the Doctor said.

"Your TARDIS is still a captive," Romana reminded him.

"And you're still the President," the Doctor said. "There isn't a computer on Gallifrey which won't obey your commands."

"To release your TARDIS, I can only give the order to the computer in Central Control."

The Doctor looked as if he'd run smack into a brick wall. He gaped at her and his hand drifted in short stages to his mouth as he tried to find an answer to that. "Stymied," he finally muttered.

"We're in contact with someone in Central Control right now," Bess said, nodding to Andred. "Just tell Harrigan to release the Doctor's TARDIS."

"The Daleks would probably pick up that transmission, too," Yale said.

"Not only that, but the Presidential codes which give Romana her authority are encoded within her DNA. She has to be physically present at the computer to give it the command." The Doctor grimaced and smacked his fist into his palm. "This changes things. We'll have to do it the hard way, stealing a TARDIS from the landing platforms."

Nesbin said, "I can only spare one of my people to lead the humans to safety. The rest of us are needed to defend Gallifrey."

"I'll send one of the K9s to go with them," the Doctor said, then turned to Devon. "This is where we part company."

She took his hands and looked at him with sadness. "I'm sorry for what you're going through," she said. "I...I can't help but feel we're somehow responsible, in some tiny way. If you hadn't stayed to help us the first time we met-"

"Don't, Devon," the Doctor said. "This has nothing to do with you. This is the continuation of a battle which began eons before you were born. If any human were to blame, it would be Reilly." The Doctor nodded to the Councilman, standing by the door. "The greatest service you can do for me now is to get yourself and your group back to G889 and live the rest of your lives there. Please hurry."

Devon hesitated just for a second, then leaned up to kiss the Doctor on the cheek. Without another word she and the rest of Eden Advance, along with Reilly, set out with a woman named Cienna, the Shobogan whom Nesbin had assigned to escort them. K9 Mark II followed them out into the darkness.

The Doctor and Romana watched them cross the plaza and disappear around the corner of the next building without incident. As they left, Andred finished his conversation with Harrigan.

"Well, Doctor," Nesbin said. "What did you think of Yale's plan to attack the landing craft?"

"Foolish and extreme. In other words, perfect. I can't fault his reasoning."

"What about the President?" Andred asked. "I can't fight a war and protect her at the same time."

"I'm beyond needing protection now," Romana said. "Gallifrey is our sole concern."

"I will not have you go into battle like a soldier!" Andred persisted. "Only you have the authorization codes we need to power our main weaponry."

"She and I both do," the Doctor said. "But we're not going with you. Romana, K9 and I are going to force a remote link to the Eye of Harmony, bypassing Central Control, and get into the Matrix."

"That's impossible," Andred said.

"Extremely, but that's never stopped me before. The rest of you get started. Be wary that the Daleks don't find a solution to your atomic disruptors. They know you have them."

"If I need to find you, where will you be?" Andred asked.

"Romana and I are still going to try to find a way into my TARDIS. Once I have access to it, I can do a world of good in a place the Daleks can't reach."

"If you're still heading for your TARDIS, why did you send the humans to the landing platform?" Nesbin asked.

"Because I'm not entirely sure I can get into my TARDIS, and frankly, Romana and I have a lot of work to do which the others would have gotten in the way of. I felt their chances were better heading straight to the platform and leaving Gallifrey."

"Doctor, I'm sorry," Andred said. "But the one who set the force field up around your TARDIS was Konran. He was the only one who knew the code to disable it."

"You didn't have him write it down anywhere, or tell someone else?" the Doctor asked incredulously.

"We didn't exactly know that he would die two days later and that we would go to war!" Andred replied.

The Doctor tapped his lips with his fingers. "There still may be a way. We're off. Andred, Nesbin, good luck."

"And you, Doctor," Nesbin replied, and handed him an atomic disrupter. "At least take one of these."

The Doctor looked at the weapon with distaste. "I suppose I must," he sighed.

Andred stood at attention, facing both the Doctor and Romana, and saluted. Then he, the remainder of the Chancellery Guard with him and the Shobogans headed out across the plaza.

"Just like old times, eh, Doctor?" Romana asked when they were alone.

"Except that I'm a little bit thinner," the Doctor answered. "Let's go."

He, Romana and K9 stole into the night.