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The Doctor grabbed frantically for a handhold as he fell. Would all his previous lives flash before him? The drop was more than long enough!

His wildly flailing hands found a tree branch. He swung into it, bruising his ribs. Joel, falling next, grabbed his leg. Ace caught the next tree branch down. Maxx missed the tree, and kept falling. His claws slashed at lower branches, until finally he managed to wedge a claw into a lower tree trunk. Ace's bag and ladder, falling, bopped him on the head. He managed to stick an arm inbetween ladder rungs, and caught it.

"Climb down!" Maxx called to the others, and began using his claws to lower himself.

"Easy for him, he's got claws," said Joel. "But I'm no monkey."

"Neither am I, but we must get down," replied the Doctor. "So grab hold of the tree, and let go of my leg!"

Mike Nelson woke up. He didn't know where he was. He was hanging from the ceiling, wrapped in Christmas tree lights. The lights were on, blinking in that random, annoying, headache-inducing way that such lights have. He could see where the lights were plugged into the wall. He wiggled around, trying to swing over to the plug.

Gone was now using a white Isz to hold up his head. The stranger was walking off towards the Labyrinth. "I'll see to the new human, and set up the toys for the Doctor's arrival," he said.

Gone nodded absently. His alliance with the stranger was purely to get Maxx out of the way, so he could continue to work on Julie. His ally had no style or sense of theatrics, he felt. As soon as the Maxx was finished, so too would the alliance. And in any case, Gone was convinced that the Maxx, at least, and maybe this "Doctor", too, needed a little more pushing. He gave the Isz a command to head for the crevasse.

Maxx got down after about five minutes of climbing. Surrounding him was the splattered remains of the Isz the Doctor had tricked into walking over the edge of the crevasse. He didn't know who this Doctor was, but he was impressed by him. Perhaps he was a sorcerous rival of Gone.

Ace clambered down. "Hey, Maxxie, can I have my bag back?"

He handed it over. As she was rolling the ladder back into it, he asked, "Who is this Doctor you travel with?"

Ace looked at him somberly. "I know he's a time traveler, and a crusader against evil. But what I don't know about him could fill several libraries. I think nobody really knows him."

Joel arrived at this point. Hands on knees, he tried to get his breath back "Then...(wheeze)...why do you....(pant)...travel with him?"

Because she knows that I do good, and because she wanted to see some of the Universe," the Doctor answered, clambering down. "Now Maxx, you said this crevasse was dangerous?"

"Yes," Maxx replied. "Even the airwhales fear to come here. I know that the Jungle Queen keeps some of her great cats here, but beyond that it's a mystery to me."

"Probably why the bad guys put their base on the other side," Joel muttered.

"Indeed," said the Doctor. "Let's get going."

Mike finally managed to reach the plug. He yanked it out, and the power died. But he was still hanging there. So he began to unravel the wire from the socket end he had just unplugged.

Gone reached the other side of the crevasse, and the Isz began to carefully climb down that side.

The stranger reached the Labyrinth. He stepped into his secret entrance, and uttered a word of command. The various games and toys activated themselves.

"This time, Doctor, you will die. And I will take your TARDIS and rule the Universe!"

The stranger, the Celestial Toymaker, threw back his head and laughed.

Mike unwound the Christmas lights and fell to the floor. "Ooof!" he puffed. At that moment, all the lights came on, and he could hear machinery moving in other rooms. He stepped through the nearest door, and stared.

Sitting at a table with an unappetizing pizza before him was a middle-aged man, filthy, dressed in a raggedy outfit and hat. As he rose and turned towards Mike, a cheesy tune started playing in the background. His legs wobbled, and he used a staff to support himself.

"I am T-t-torgo," said the man, "I ke-ep house w-while the master is aw-w-w-ay." Then his eyes seemed to focus. "You are out of your bonds. T-the master will n-not be pleased."

"Your master makes Doctor Forrester seem sane," Mike shot back. "And can that music!"

"W-what music?" asked Torgo.

Not wasting any more time on trying to reason with Torgo, Mike shot out of the room, running as fast as he could. Sighing, Torgo contacted the Toymaker with his mind.

*Master, the p-prisoner has escaped.*

The Toymaker's thought came back puzzled: *Number Six?*

*N-no master, the o-one you had me tie up.*

*No matter. I have activated the Labyrinth. He won't get far.*

The Doctor, Joel, Ace, and the Maxx were dodging between the trees. Already, several carnivorous birds (Shrikes, the Doctor said they were called) had attacked them, and only Ace's bat and Maxx's claws had kept them at bay. Now they were confronted by a wide river.

They had looked for vines to throw between trees, but none were long enough. The Doctor was searching his pockets, but it was Ace who found a grappling gun in her pack. She fired it at a tree across the river, and then swung across. she rewound it, and fired it back across the river. "Climb over!" she called, "Maxx last! Too heavy for him to go with the others!"

The Doctor went first, Joel right behind him. Once they were safely over, Maxx started. Even with all three of the others holding the line, it barely held him. Suddenly, a yellow octopus lunged out of the water, lashed three limbs around Maxx, and pulled. He let go of the line, and fell into the river.

"Maxx!" The Doctor and Joel shouted together. There was no movement save the rushing of the river. "Cruk!" Ace hissed. "We needed him."

"He's on the cutting room floor now," said Joel mournfully. Both the Doctor and Ace looked blankly at him. At that moment, Maxx burst out of the river onto the bank, covered with the octopus' blood.

"The Maxx...(huff)...is mightier than...(cough)...any river beast!"

"Congratz, Macho-Maxx," Ace muttered, but they helped him up.

"Macho, macho Maxx," sang Joel, "He's got to be a Macho Maxx!" The Doctor groaned, and Maxx looked miffed, but Ace laughed.

Mike was stumbling through various corridors, totally lost. "This is like a Professor X episode," he complained, to nobody in particular. Then he stepped through an archway, and found himself in front of a giant dollhouse.

The Doctor and company were once again walking through the trees.

"How much daylight is left?" the Doctor asked the Maxx.

"Two hours, maybe less. We've got to find shelter soon," said Maxx. "No place in the Outback is safe at night."

"We'll probably have to climb one of the trees--" the Doctor began, but was interrupted at that point by a lioness, roaring at them as it charged...

PART 8

Maxx jumped in front of it, and it bowled him over. His claws were keeping its fangs at bay, barely. Ace waded in with her Hand of Omega supercharged baseball bat, and whacked the lioness on the head. It slumped into unconsciousness. Maxx pushed it off him.

"I think that's enough excitement for one day," said Joel.

"Quite right," said the Doctor. "Up the tree, everyone."

"This isn't Lothlorien," Joel said to the Doctor. "Just because we're up a tree, doesn't mean we're safe."

The Doctor gave him a queer smile. "No safe places in this country," he said, in a good imitation of Gollum. Joel cringed. "Besides," the Doctor went on in a normal voice, "We can't sleep on the ground at night."

"But we should be wary," said Maxx. "Leopards can climb trees, and there are some of them here, too."

"Then I'll take the first watch, since I don't need as much sleep as the rest of you," the Doctor replied, and began climbing the nearest tree.

Mike stared at the giant dollhouse before him. He knew it was a dollhouse, cause of the cheesy Barbie-style construction. The Celestial Toymaker appeared beside him.

"Welcome to the house of dolls," he said.

Mike jumped back from him. "Who are you?"

"You'll never know," the Toymaker replied. "All you need know is that if one of the denizens of this house catches you, you will become like them."

"And why should I go in then?" Mike demanded.

The Toymaker smiled malevolently and gestured with one hand. Mike heard a *thunk* behind him. He turned, and saw that he was cut off from the Labyrinth by a bare brick wall. The Toymaker laughed, and faded away. Mike sighed and pushed open the door. The entry foyer was empty, as were the adjoining rooms. Mike reasoned that a way out should be around back. He stepped towards the back of the house, and froze.

Standing by an empty plastic "pot" on the "oven", was Barbie. She turned towards him, a plastic smile on her face, and charged.

The Doctor idly swung his feet in a lower branch of the tree. Ace and Joel slept deeply. But Maxx stirred, and woke, and looked down at the Doctor.

"Will you not sleep?" Maxx asked him.

"Later," the Doctor answered, distantly. Maxx noted that his eyes were grey again, and he seemed to be focused inward.

"What do you brood on?" the Maxx asked him.

"Something about that city we saw...reminds me of someone I faced long ago," he said, and said no more.

Mike was running out of breath. Barbie had been chasing him around the lower floor of the house for what had seemed to be hours. In desperation he charged up the stairs, to the second floor. He was much faster than Barbie, but she did not tire. He barged through a door to a bedroom, and saw an action figure lying on a bed. At his entrance it jerked upright and began to move towards him. He ran back out, to be caught by Barbie. She lifted him over her head and began to bear him downstairs, where he presumed he would be turned into a doll. That thought almost froze him in terror, but then he realized; she must've once been human, too.

"Hey you," he said, feeling ridiculous talking to a doll, "Barbie."

Barbie kept moving forward, but her head craned upward, her painted face looking at him.

"Shouldn't you be in your dream house with Ken, instead of here serving the guy in the 'Big Trouble in Little China' outfit?"

Barbie hesitated, and her grip on him loosened. He wriggled free, and ran up the stairs. The action figure was waiting for him. He jumped through its legs, and charged into another bedroom. In this one, a robot doll rested. As it jerked up, Mike jumped desperately through the window. It crashed, and he fell...and landed on his feet on a high wall. He looked back, and saw the three action figures staring at him from the window. The wall he was on ran around the house. And below the wall was a long walkway, leading away from the rear of the house. He nervously clambered down on it, but before he had gone far, the Toymaker faded in behind him.

"Well done!" he said with false cheer. "Now you come to the next stage. A popular video game, which you might recognize." He faded, but in his place stood a ninja in yellow and black. Mike whirled to face the other way, and saw a woman dressed in green blocking that direction.

"Oh no," Mike whispered, "Mortal Combat."

"Oh no," Mike whispered, "Mortal Combat." Then he ducked as the ninja hurled a harpoon at him. "Where was he hiding that on himself?" Mike wondered, but had no time to think about it as the woman came charging at him. He ducked as she leapt into a flying kick. She sailed over him, and the ninja blocked the attack. Mike went tearing down the walkway, but heard them chasing him. He threw himself flat on the ground, just as the woman fired some sort of energy bolt at him. It passed over harmlessly. He rolled to the edge of the walkway and hung himself off the side. The ninja, leaping to the attack, went over the edge. The woman in green began to kick at him. He caught her foot and sent her sprawling, then climbed back onto the walkway and started running again. This time, he wasn't so lucky, as her next energy bolt grazed his side. He yelped, reached the end of the walkway, and dived over another low wall. But the floor on the other side was far lower. He landed unceremoniously on his rump, and found himself back in the Labyrinth.

The Doctor was about to turn the second watch over to the Maxx when he sensed someone below the tree. He looked down, and say the bodiless head of Mr. Gone, still being held up by an Isz.

"Who are you?" he demanded loudly, waking Maxx and Ace.

"I am Mister Gone. And you are interfering in my plans. I had to ally with an old foe of yours, just so I could concentrate on Maxx. But of course, you chose to travel with him. How foolish of you."

"He is wiser than you, Gone!" rumbled Maxx, as Joel snored on obliviously.

"Oh do be quiet," snapped Gone irritably. His eyes glowed, and the tree branch they were on snapped off and fell. This woke Joel. Ace already had her baseball bat ready, and she and Maxx advanced on Gone.

Gone laughed spitefully. "You cannot withstand me," he intoned. His eyes glowed more brightly, and suddenly each of them saw their worst nightmares.

Joel saw himself trapped alone in the Satellite, without the bots or the parts to make new ones, doomed to forever watch the same documentary on slugs over and over.

The Maxx saw the Outback turned into a desert, with Julie starving to death before him.

Ace saw herself as a pawn on the Doctor's chessboard, moving aimlessly, uselessly, until the time she would be discarded.

The Doctor saw...

He saw...

"No," he said firmly. "You died at my trial. I know you did."

"Did you truly think you could be rid of me so easily?" laughed the Valeyard. "You knew I'd be back after that business with Ashley Chapel and Saraquazel in London. And did you really think that you would have been able to formulate a plan to destroy Skaro without me?"

The Doctor stared him down. "The elements of my personality that could become you I do not deny. But I will never become you!" The Doctor's eyes cleared. Gone stared at him in shock.

"None has broken my power before!" he gasped.

"You're not the first foe to underestimate me," the Doctor replied, "And you won't be the last. Your ally, whoever he is, should've told you that much at least."

Gone laughed. "My ally is almost as pathetic as you. But never mind. You will not survive the Labyrinth. I've made some...additions of my own. You're not immortal. It's only a matter of time." and with that, he vanished.

The others blinked as they woke from their own nightmares. "Who was that?" Ace demanded.

"He is Mister Gone, my sworn enemy," thundered Maxx.

"And he's in league with one of my old foes, apparently. Labyrinth...labyrinth...now what does that remind me of?" The Doctor pondered.

Mike had been stumbling around the corridors for a long time before he tripped into a new room with high grass.

*This is one of Mister Gone's improvements,* the Toymaker whispered in his mind. *I doubt you'll survive.*

Before Mike could ask who Mister Gone was, hundreds of black Iszes were charging him...

Desperately, Mike leaped for the vine hanging in front of him, not bothering to wonder where it came from in his haste. As he climbed, he saw it led up into a high tree. The Iszes chomped at the vine but couldn't get a hold; with every bite they took, that part fell off. Mike was safe, within moments, in the heights of the tree. Down below, he saw the Iszes begin to climb the tree. Desperately, he ran down one of the tree's longer limbs, and jumped. He landed, painfully, on his feet on the edge of the Labyrinth surrounding the room. He jumped out of the room, back into the Labyrinth.

Mister Gone went slowly back towards the Labyrinth on his Isz-mount. The Doctor had been stronger than anticipated; his alliance with the Toymaker was going to last a little bit longer after all.

Through the rest of the night, as first the Doctor and then Maxx had kept watch on a higher tree branch, the troupe slept uneasily. Finally, the sun came up.

"Up, children!" the Doctor exclaimed, waking first. Ace and Joel groaned, and got up slowly.

"Aint'cha never heard of sleep, Professor?" Ace asked blearily.

"Sleep is for tortoises," the Doctor replied cheerily. On we go!"

Mike had collapsed in a hallway of the Labyrinth and slept for a while, but not very long. He woke with a start, and stumbled onwards, he entered a room, and heard a grunting he recognized.

"Oh great," he said, "Doom. This guy plays too many video games."

The Doctor and company were trudging through the jungle, which was getting oppressively hot. Monkeys--or at least, things that *sounded* like monkeys--chittered at them out of the trees.

"Look!" said the Doctor. "See there? The other edge of the ravine. We'll be out of this valley well before nightfall."

"None too soon," Muttered Joel.

"Oi," said Ace. "Whassat?" She was pointing at what appeared to be a small ruined fortress sitting at the edge of the clearing they were now in.

As they got closer, they heard sounds of fighting within. Before they could even enter, a man in armor backed out of it, panting and slashing at some tentacled horror within with a great sword. Ace lobbed her last can of nitro through the opening. The blast knocked the sword-man back, and seemed to kill the tentacled thing. The man got up and glared at them, his sword thick with the thing's blood...

Go on to the next part…