Part 24 (2/2)

'Is...'Polly tried not to be squeamish. 'Is that the tumour?'

'Yes,' breathed the Doctor, as he arrived beside them and looked down at Haunt. 'The malignancy has been broken down, rejected through the pores in the skin...' He gave a dry chuckle. 'It's quite ironic of course, but this process may well have saved her life in the long term.'

'How long is long,' Ben reflected moodily.

'That countdown I saw,' Polly recalled. 'It ticked down to us taking off... I wonder if it's ticking down now to wherever we're due to arrive?'

Tovel had rejoined them. 'That blue light, yes... That and machinery of some kind, you said.'

The Doctor considered. 'It sounds like some kind of engine room, wouldn't you say?'

Tovel nodded and looked at Polly. 'And you saw someone there?'

'I think so,' she said self-consciously, hoping people weren't about to depend on the information.

'We need to check it out,' Tovel decided. 'Short of searching this entire asteroid for some sign of Shel, it's about the only positive thing we can do.'

Creben rejoined them, having laid Joiks down beside Shade. 'I agree. Having an achievable goal is better than just searching aimlessly.'

Roba didn't look convinced. 'And what if we run into more of them stone things out there .'

The Doctor looked thoughtful. 'We must attempt to communicate with them.'

'You ain't seen them, Doctor,' Ben said quietly. 'Don't reckon talking's on their mind.'

'If they meant to harm us now, why have they not followed us here? To attack us in our quite considerable disarray, hmm?'

'Well, even if they don't,' said Polly, 'what about Shel? He's still out there, and he nearly killed you.'

'We will take all the precautions we can, I promise you, Polly,' said the Doctor.

'Hang on,' said Ben. He didn't sound too happy. 'We? You mean you're coming with us?'

'Of course I am, my boy.'

'Hey, wait,' Roba scowled. 'Thought you were gonna fix up Frog?'

'By instigating this plan, I hope to,' the Doctor said tetchily.

'And I suggest we attempt to wake Mr Joiks, also. The area is blocked off by a rockfall, and we shall need his strength.'

There was a groan from the other side of the room, right on cue.

'Let's hope Frog knocked some sense into him,' said Ben.

'Indeed, yes. In any case, the rockfall... Once manual labour has cleared that, and the propulsion systems, as we hope them to be, revealed...' The Doctor tapped his head and chortled to himself. 'Then the mind must be put to good use in sabotaging them, hmm?'

Tovel saw what he was getting at. 'We can't steer without the crystals, but we can stop ourselves before we arrive!'

'Precisely,' said the Doctor.

Creben shrugged. 'We might buy some time.'

'And halt the malign influence affecting your friend here,'

the Doctor said to Roba, patting Frog on the arm. 'Before it strikes any more of us. Driving out impurities... and yet...' He trailed away, lost in his thoughts.

'What about Pol?' Ben demanded.

Polly had been asking herself the selfsame question. 'I suppose I should stay here,' she volunteered, with a sick feeling in her stomach. 'Look after the wounded.'

'I believe that will be safest,' the Doctor said, smiling at her.

Polly looked down at Frog's unconscious body, and didn't answer.

'What if one of them bodies goes walkabout again?' asked Ben.

The Doctor considered. 'Well, we came to no harm the last time the phenomenon occurred.'

'That was then!' Ben retorted. 'And in case you'd forgotten, there's still a secret doorway into this place that we don't know about.'

'We searched everywhere,' Creben told him. 'Found nothing.'

'Well how come Polly vanished then, eh? Went flying through the wall I suppose, did she?'

Look, I can't come with you,' Polly said flatly. I can't just leave Shade and Haunt here alone, can I? Or Frog.'

'Maybe I should stay,' said Ben.

Yes please, Polly thought to herself, but kept her face carefully neutral.

'The sooner we clear a path, the sooner we can return,' said Creben.

There were nods of a.s.sent from the others. Polly forced a smile. 'I'll be fine.'

'Shade's injuries are healing fast,' Creben added. Polly frowned; she found that hard to imagine.

'When he wakes up, he'll be protection for you. Plus you'll be barricaded in, Polly,' Tovel a.s.sured her.

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