The Doctor looked at Ezak.
‘Is there any known cure for this venom? What is its effect?’
Ezak looked apologetic. ‘We know very little. It is incredibly fast acting, and from what we have learned from victims of the beast, the venom spreads rapidly like an alien infestation throughout their body.’
The Doctor paced distractedly, rubbing his head in vexation. ‘Come on, think!’ he said to himself, ‘There must be something!’
‘Doctor,’ Liz said gently, with only the merest tremor in her voice, ‘I can’t see how we can save him.’
As she knelt next to the Brigadier, cradling his head in her lap, Liz’s voice was matter-of-fact, displaying her many years of professional detachment. Only her eyes gave her away, speaking eloquently of her despair and grief.
The Doctor looked down at the Brigadier, then reached into his pocket. He brought out the molecular suppression transmitter and turned it over thoughtfully. It was exactly as he had hoped; given time he could have used this to get his TARDIS working permanently. But suddenly, he didn’t have a lot of time. Not if he was to save his friend.
With the sudden energy of decision, the Doctor summoned Captain Lunden and his guards.
‘Captain, help me!’ he ordered, taking one of the Brigadier’s arms, ‘We must get this man to my ship as quickly as we can. Every second is vital!’
Aided by the Captain and two of his guards, the Doctor carried the Brigadier through the castle and to the courtyard, where the TARDIS had been placed after being recovered from the Duke’s dungeons. Ignoring the stares of the castle population, he thrust his key into the lock, opening the door.
‘Liz, help me get him inside!’ he asked of Liz, who complied instantly.
The Doctor turned to the Captain and to the Queen, who were considering him wide eyed.
‘I am very sorry,’ he said, ‘I will either fail, in which case our friend is lost. Or I will succeed, in which case this is goodbye.’
And he closed the door in their faces.
Liz had laid the Brigadier on a sofa. She hadn’t remembered it being there when they had arrived, and briefly entertained the ludicrous idea that the spacecraft was sentient. The Doctor meanwhile walked directly to the TARDIS console.
‘What are you intending to do?’ Liz asked.
She had half expected the Doctor to chide her, and explain he had no time for explanations. To her surprise, he replied ‘Well Liz, this little device here which we went to such pains to get is really quite extraordinary. It works by dissembling objects to their molecular level then reconstructing them elsewhere.’
‘Just like the TARDIS?’ suggested Liz.
‘Oh no!’ protested the Doctor, ‘The very reverse. The TARDIS works by lifting a whole object and using a vortex to transport it trans-dimensionally. The Taran project is based on making something easier to move by breaking it up into little bits.’
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Dan Talks Doctor Who 