Doctor Who_ The Twin Dilemma - Eric Saward [5]
It is said that he had regenerated into the most beautiful person ever to be seen on Gallifrey. As a rule, beauty earns little esteem on that planet, but Verne was so startling in his good looks that other Time Lords wanted to be seen in his company. Soon he had been elevated to the rank of Councillor by his rich and powerful admirers, but some said, perhaps jealously, that he was as stupid as he was beautiful. Whether that was true or not didn't alter the fact that he was totally unsuited to the world of politics. And it was this ineptitude that brought about his downfall.
The Council of Gallifrey had been in session for days. The motion under debate was a very delicate one. The Council was divided, but the faction who included those who had sponsored Verne's rapid rise to power were certain they had won enough members over to their point of view. When it came to the vote, Verne cast his for the wrong side, and the motion was lost.
No-one ever did find out whether Verne had voted against them on purpose. Some say he had spent most of the debate asleep and, on being suddenly woken, had pressed the wrong voting button in a somnolent daze. The more wicked observers say he had never learnt to read and therefore was unable to decipher the words 'for'
and 'against' printed above the voting buttons. But whatever the reason, his foolishness caused inflamed tempers to rupture and a fight broke out, during which Verne was so badly hurt that he was forced to regenerate to save his life. Unfortunately the regeneration process was not as kind as it had been before. What emerged was a very plain face which housed a voice a full octave higher than is normal for a male Time Lord. And such was its sing-song quality it caused those around him to involuntarily snigger when he spoke.
To be laughed at is never fun. To Verne, who had received nothing but praise and admiration since his last regeneration, it was unbearable. And such was his pain that he forced himself to immediately regenerate once more. Alas, the strain on his system was too much. What emerged was a bent, twisted, deformed old man.
Verne was devastated. He regenerated yet again, this time into an amorphous blob that belched and gurgled. He attempted to regenerate one more time, but the hideous monster that emerged was ordered destroyed by the then Lord President.
Although this fate did not await the Doctor, his regeneration could have gone better. Whereas his features had matured slightly and his waist thickened a little, his overall appearance was quite presentable.
It was his mind that was unstable.
Watched by Peri, his American companion, the Doctor slowly climbed to his feet. The poor woman was terrified. Being stuck in space in a time-machine she could not fly along with a human chameleon, did not reassure her at all. Slowly she backed across the console room of the TARDIS, even though she had no idea where she was going or what she could do.
As she reached the door leading to the corridor the Doctor turned to face her. 'Well,' he said enthusiastically. 'What do you think?'
Peri gazed back at the Doctor. 'Er... Er. .. Er. ..' Her mouth worked up and down like a demented goldfish. She seemed unable to shape her lips to form words.
'Well?' insisted the Doctor.
'It's ...' Peri willed herself to speak. 'It's... terrible?
The Doctor looked down at his clothes, completely misunderstanding what she had meant. Because he had grown in bulk, the seams of his jacket had split, making him look like some dishevelled tramp. 'Oh, never mind about the clothes,' he said dismissively, 'they're soon changed. What about me - the way I look?'
Peri didn't care how he looked. She wanted to know how he had changed. Because from where she came people didn't behave as the Doctor had. No one!
Why doesn't he understand me? Why doesn't he realise how terrified I am. Why hasn't he told me he was capable of such