Part 22 (1/2)

'What kinds of things?' Mike asked.

'Well, for instance... I know that... that multiplying and expanding is all important to them.'

'You make them sound like fat maths teachers,' said Mike, then saw her face. 'Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood.'

'I know that a mature Xaranti would always infect you rather than kill you - unless you were unusable, of course.'

'Unusable?'

'Old, crippled, infirm,' said Tegan, her face deadpan, hand straying to the itch on her shoulder again.

'A lot of the dead people we've seen today weren't old or crippled or infirm,' Mike pointed out.

'They weren't killed by mature Xaranti.'

'What's the difference?'

'Inferior races in the mid-stage of transformation can't cope with all the Xaranti energy rus.h.i.+ng through them, so they need an outlet for their aggression.'

'Inferior?' Mike exclaimed.

Tegan looked gla.s.sy-eyed, as if she'd been awake too long or was under the effect of a strong sedative. 'What?'

'You said inferior.'

'Did I?' She looked confused. 'I meant...' Then she seemed to snap out of it. 'Oh G.o.d, it's getting worse.'

'Are you all right?' Mike asked diffidently.

Her eyes flashed. 'Of course I'm not b.l.o.o.d.y all right!' Then, abruptly, her face crumbled, anger sliding into fear. 'I'm so scared.'

Cautiously he reached for her, and this time she leaned into him, allowed him to hold her. She felt hot, as if she had a fever.

'Hey,' Mike said gently, 'come on. Don't give up hope yet.

Any minute now the Doctor'll pop awake and come up with some brilliant solution. You'll see.'

The smile he had hoped his words might raise from her failed to appear. Instead, her voice barely a whisper, she said, 'A while ago, there was this... this creature called the Mara. It took over my mind, made me do evil things. It filled my head with rage and hate. It was awful. I don't think I could ever go through anything like that again.'

'You won't have to,' Mike replied.

She said nothing for a moment, then unfolded herself from his embrace and sat up. 'This isn't getting us anywhere, is it?' she said, 'I ought to tell you what else I know while I still can. It might come in useful later.'

He ignored the doubt in her voice and said lightly, 'Forewarned is forearmed. Fire away.'

'The Xaranti affect different people in different ways, like any normal disease. Some show the symptoms quickly, some hold out for a lot longer. Except that in the last few hours, the whole process has been speeded up. It's as if... as if a switch has been thrown.'

'What kind of switch?' asked Mike.

Tegan thought for a moment. 'A telepathic one.'

'You mean... you mean someone is controlling this infection by thought?'

'Not someone,' said Tegan.

'Something then then ?' ?'

Tegan's face creased with the effort of trying to express in words the half-formed impressions that flashed sporadically into her mind. 'The Xaranti creatures have no name for it. It controls them. It is is the Xaranti. The creatures are its... its limbs. Its weapons.' the Xaranti. The creatures are its... its limbs. Its weapons.'

'How long have we got?' asked Mike. 'How long before everyone in this country is either dead or has turned into one of those things?'

Almost casually Tegan said, 'A week.'

'And what about you? And the Brigadier? And the Doctor?'

Again, that gla.s.sy-eyed stare, that deadpan expression. 'A few hours.'

Mike sighed. A few hours. Which meant that every minute that ticked by was another nail banged into the coffin of the planet. And what was he doing about it? Driving around aimlessly, hoping that the unconscious man in the back would suddenly spring to life and come up with something that would get them out of this unholy mess.

He had never felt so useless. For a while now he had been asking tough questions of himself and his life, had been wondering whether in fact he made any difference at all. His whole existence had been centred around weapons and violence for so long that the real, fundamental issues had been lost somewhere along the way. He believed in peace, had had believed - or at least had managed to convince himself - that UNIT was in essence a peace-keeping force. But how could you possibly maintain peace with guns and tanks and bombs? All right, so Daleks and Autons and the like wouldn't give a hoot about pet.i.tions and marches and protest songs, but surely there must be some other way, some other option to consider? believed - or at least had managed to convince himself - that UNIT was in essence a peace-keeping force. But how could you possibly maintain peace with guns and tanks and bombs? All right, so Daleks and Autons and the like wouldn't give a hoot about pet.i.tions and marches and protest songs, but surely there must be some other way, some other option to consider?

'We - they they - want the Doctor,' Tegan said suddenly. - want the Doctor,' Tegan said suddenly.

'What?'

Her eyes were wide as if she'd been struck by a sudden realisation. 'It's their overriding imperative. They know all about him from looking into the minds of his friends. They know everything he's done from the Brigadier and Sergeant Benton and anyone else from UNIT who's had contact with him.' She looked momentarily afraid to go on. 'Soon they'll find him through me. I'll lead them to him. I won't be able to help it.'

'We'd better move quickly then, hadn't we?' Mike replied decisively. 'Get him into hiding.'

'Maybe you should just leave me behind,' Tegan said.

Mike shook his head. 'No chance. You're coming with us.

I'm not leaving you out here to fend for yourself.'

'Promise me one thing then,' she said.

'What?'

'If I get... uncontrollable... promise me you'll shoot me.'

Mike said nothing for a moment, then he smiled stiffly and squeezed her hand. 'I promise I'll do whatever I have to.' He put the truck into gear and rolled down into the car park.