Nyssa could hear the deep, muffled sound of the Doctor’s voice through the door of her bedroom as he spoke with someone softly in the corridor outside the console room. The door opened to admit Tegan still wearing her flight attendant uniform she had put on that morning thinking it would be her last day on board the TARDIS, thinking that she would be returning home. Closing the door behind her, she paused for a moment, a strangely distant look reflecting in her eyes. Nyssa furtively glanced at her friend, then back down at the book she had been reading on her bed.
Tegan shook her head and sighed into her voice in a high tone. ‘Nyssa, here I am again.’
Nyssa looked up and smiled with her eyes. She had only known Tegan for the few days the two of them had been on board, since the Doctor’s regeneration but there was something about Tegan that made it easy for Nyssa to be fond of her. Her look telegraphed that she was glad that Tegan was still with them. Nyssa was surprised to see that Tegan smiled back at her.
‘Will you be staying with us?’ asked Nyssa.
Tegan nodded. ‘Yeah, I’ll stay for awhile. I think I would like to see what the TARDIS can do. The Doctor says it can go anywhere. So far we’ve been just bobbing around Earth.’ She squinted. ‘I don’t think I’d like to go back to my old life, thinking I’d been able to go anywhere in the universe, and in any period of history, and I’d only seen one world besides my own —it’s a funny thought, all the same.’
Nyssa smiled openly. ‘Well, I’m glad.’ Nyssa would have said more, but Tegan was now sitting quietly on her bed, thoughtful once more. ‘Is there anything you’d like to talk about?’ she ventured.
Tegan looked up hesitantly, then answered in a small voice. ‘It’s been a lot. Is it always like this?’ she asked suddenly. ‘I mean, it’s been a week now.’
‘You’re thinking of the Mara?’
‘Yes,’ she answered. ‘And my aunt… And those frog things —‘
‘The Urbankans,’ Nyssa nodded. ‘They nearly killed me with their attempt to free me from the Flesh Time —so they said.’ Tegan was staring at her; this was the first she’d heard of it. ‘It was alright, the Doctor found me in time.’
‘The Doctor… I tried to kill him today,’ said Tegan.
‘Did you?’ Tegan nodded. ‘Oh, dear: the control bracelets.’
‘Seven days, and I’ve been taken over for three of them,’ said Tegan in a strained voice. ‘I hate it.’ Nyssa listened to the understated, cold rebellion in Tegan’s voice. ‘I don’t know why I’m staying, Nyssa. I just… I think I want it all to be worth it, I guess.’
‘Or to prove yourself?’
Tegan frowned. ‘Eh?’
Nyssa adjusted her perch on the bed. ‘Do you remember what the Doctor said in the Zero Room? He said you had it in you to be a fine coordinator. He trusted you with his life, and how long had he known you?’
‘Couple of hours,’ Tegan mused. ‘How could he know I’d not make a mess of it?’
‘The fact is that he did trust you, and you didn’t make a mess of it.’
Tegan thought about this quietly to herself as she prepared for bed. Only this morning she had sat in front of the mirror getting ready to leave. After she had showered and changed into her night clothes, she propped herself against her pillows. She closed the small cloth-bound book that had been open on her knee and placed it in her nightstand drawer. Sleepily, she arranged her bedclothes and settled into the welcoming pillows.
‘The Doctor says we’ll go somewhere nice tomorrow,’ she told Nyssa as she lay in her own brass framed bed across the room they shared. Nyssa smiled at the almost childlike anticipation which had crept into her voice. She was probably half asleep, thought Nyssa. ‘Somewhere wonderful, he said.’
‘I’m sure it will be lovely,’ said Nyssa. ‘Goodnight, Tegan.’
Across the room, Tegan wished Nyssa goodnight and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Tegan shook her head and sighed into her voice in a high tone. ‘Nyssa, here I am again.’
Nyssa looked up and smiled with her eyes. She had only known Tegan for the few days the two of them had been on board, since the Doctor’s regeneration but there was something about Tegan that made it easy for Nyssa to be fond of her. Her look telegraphed that she was glad that Tegan was still with them. Nyssa was surprised to see that Tegan smiled back at her.
‘Will you be staying with us?’ asked Nyssa.
Tegan nodded. ‘Yeah, I’ll stay for awhile. I think I would like to see what the TARDIS can do. The Doctor says it can go anywhere. So far we’ve been just bobbing around Earth.’ She squinted. ‘I don’t think I’d like to go back to my old life, thinking I’d been able to go anywhere in the universe, and in any period of history, and I’d only seen one world besides my own —it’s a funny thought, all the same.’
Nyssa smiled openly. ‘Well, I’m glad.’ Nyssa would have said more, but Tegan was now sitting quietly on her bed, thoughtful once more. ‘Is there anything you’d like to talk about?’ she ventured.
Tegan looked up hesitantly, then answered in a small voice. ‘It’s been a lot. Is it always like this?’ she asked suddenly. ‘I mean, it’s been a week now.’
‘You’re thinking of the Mara?’
‘Yes,’ she answered. ‘And my aunt… And those frog things —‘
‘The Urbankans,’ Nyssa nodded. ‘They nearly killed me with their attempt to free me from the Flesh Time —so they said.’ Tegan was staring at her; this was the first she’d heard of it. ‘It was alright, the Doctor found me in time.’
‘The Doctor… I tried to kill him today,’ said Tegan.
‘Did you?’ Tegan nodded. ‘Oh, dear: the control bracelets.’
‘Seven days, and I’ve been taken over for three of them,’ said Tegan in a strained voice. ‘I hate it.’ Nyssa listened to the understated, cold rebellion in Tegan’s voice. ‘I don’t know why I’m staying, Nyssa. I just… I think I want it all to be worth it, I guess.’
‘Or to prove yourself?’
Tegan frowned. ‘Eh?’
Nyssa adjusted her perch on the bed. ‘Do you remember what the Doctor said in the Zero Room? He said you had it in you to be a fine coordinator. He trusted you with his life, and how long had he known you?’
‘Couple of hours,’ Tegan mused. ‘How could he know I’d not make a mess of it?’
‘The fact is that he did trust you, and you didn’t make a mess of it.’
Tegan thought about this quietly to herself as she prepared for bed. Only this morning she had sat in front of the mirror getting ready to leave. After she had showered and changed into her night clothes, she propped herself against her pillows. She closed the small cloth-bound book that had been open on her knee and placed it in her nightstand drawer. Sleepily, she arranged her bedclothes and settled into the welcoming pillows.
‘The Doctor says we’ll go somewhere nice tomorrow,’ she told Nyssa as she lay in her own brass framed bed across the room they shared. Nyssa smiled at the almost childlike anticipation which had crept into her voice. She was probably half asleep, thought Nyssa. ‘Somewhere wonderful, he said.’
‘I’m sure it will be lovely,’ said Nyssa. ‘Goodnight, Tegan.’
Across the room, Tegan wished Nyssa goodnight and drifted into a dreamless sleep.