Part 22 (1/2)

He probably still didn't realize how much she was capable of but he'd find out if he gave her half a chance. 'Come on,'

she encouraged him. 'I'm not going anywhere, am I? Almost as easy as kidnapping helpless children, isn't it?'

He cast his eyes around the laboratory, clutching his hand. 'I've got to get this seen to,' he muttered, refusing to be baited.

'Stick it in your healing jelly,' she suggested. 'That should do the trick.' She grinned. 'As long as there's nothing else in there, of course. You didn't swat a fly, did you? Maybe you'll grow compound eyes if there's a fly in your ointment.'

That taunt hit home. Ross stared uncertainly at the container of the salve. He was obviously a basically weak and insecure man, prey to nightmares and ma.s.sive feelings of inferiority. Sarah was certain that she could get him worked up enough to become reckless, if she had the time alone with him.

She didn't.

The door to the laboratory opened and the Doctor walked in.

'Doctor!' she exclaimed happily. 'Am I glad to see you! It's a bit tiring, all this hanging around.'

The Doctor shook his head and pointed to Breckinridge, who had followed him in. One by one, Doyle, Colonel Ross, Abercrombie, Brogan and Raintree filed into the room.

'This isn't a rescue, I'm afraid, Miss Smith,' Breckinridge said pleasantly.

'It's not even a party,' agreed the Doctor. 'I forgot to bring the cake.' He peered at Ross. 'Ah, you must be the mad scientist, I a.s.sume.' He held out a hand. Ross whimpered.

'Sorry,' Sarah apologized. 'He's not going to be shaking hands for a while. I'm afraid I broke it. Careless of me, I know.'

'Very,' agreed the Doctor.

Colonel Ross stepped forward and glared at his younger brother in disgust. 'Percival,' he growled, 'you've certainly dis-graced the family name.'

' Percival?' Percival?' echoed the Doctor in mock horror. 'This whole insane scheme was dreamed up by a man named Percival? echoed the Doctor in mock horror. 'This whole insane scheme was dreamed up by a man named Percival?

Oh, that's too dreadful for words.' His eyes darted about the laboratory, intrigued, and came to rest on the vat of gelatin.

'Ah! So that is what is behind all this.' He wandered across to it.

Brogan raised his revolver, lining up on the Doctors back, but Breckinridge shook his head. 'There's no need for that yet,' he said. 'So, Doctor, what do you think that is?'

His face almost in the goo, the Doctor replied, 'It's obvious: Rutan healing salve. The store brand, too, by the stench of it.' He dipped his finger in and examined the glob. Then he sucked it off his finger. 'Cherry my favourite flavour.'

Breckinridge stared at him in shock. 'Don't you know what that can do to you?' he gasped, appalled at what he'd just witnessed.

'I know what it can do to you you,' the Doctor countered. 'It won't affect me.'

'It affects any human being,' croaked Ross, ashen at the thought of what the Doctor had done.

'Precisely,' agreed the Doctor. He wandered over to the closest aquarium tank and stared down at the baby seal inside.

'h.e.l.lo, little fellow. Lost your mummy?'

'Doctor,' Doyle asked, 'what the blazes is going on here? Do you really know what that stuff is?'

'Yes,' the Doctor replied, spinning about on the b.a.l.l.s of his feet. 'It's Rutan healing salve. The Rutans are a species of amorphous nature that live ' he gestured vaguely in the air ' in a galaxy far, far away. They have the ability to alter their appearance because their cellular structure is unstable. As a result, when one of them is injured, they need a medication that's pretty unstable too. Like this goo. The problem is that the salve works on the basis of reforming the amorphous cells.

When it comes in contact with some non-Rutan tissue, it causes genetic fusion.'

'Which we witnessed in the hound-boy and the mermaids,' finished Sarah.

'Precisely.'

Colonel Ross raised an eyebrow. 'And these ”Rutans” of which you speak; they are of otherworldly origin?'

'Very.' The Doctor grinned at the agent. 'Do you find that rather incredible?'

'No,' Ross replied. 'I've seen too many strange things during the course of my life to balk at the thought of a non-Earthly lifeform.' A thought seemed to dawn on him. 'Ah! Doctor, am I to take it that you you are another?' are another?'

The Doctors smile grew even wider. 'I knew it would dawn on someone sooner or later.'

Doyle shook his head. 'This is all getting far too preposterous for me,' he opined.

'Me too,' agreed Abercrombie. 'Non-humans. I hate non-humans. I've had enough bleeding non-humans to last me several lifetimes.'

Sarah realized that the Doctor had obviously learned something about Colonel Ross's past that was still hidden from her, but it was obvious that Ross was on their side at least for now. Which definitely made matters interesting. Counting Ross's brother, there were four of the villains here; not counting her, since she was manacled and hardly free to move, there were four on the other side. Even forces, if Brogan and Raintree had not been armed. She decided that the best thing she could do was to keep attention focused on her and trust the Doctor to improvise something as usual. 'Junior Ross here,' she said, nodding at the scientist, 'mentioned finding the stuff on a flying saucer that had crashed in Limehouse.'

'Part of their almost eternal war with the Sontarans, Sarah,' the Doctor answered. 'They've been fighting in this sector for a while. The Rutan must have been a casualty and come down in flames.' He glared at the tub. 'Which is where that stuff belongs.'

'No, Doctor,' Breckinridge broke in. 'That stuff belongs with me. Ross and I have a great deal more use for it yet.'

'I don't get it,' Sarah said, puzzled. 'I can see what Frankenstein-hopeful here gets out of all this. He's just wild about breeding his own lifeforms, like the poor kid in the bottle over there. But what's in it for you? Just the pleasure of hurting little kids, robbing graves and killing people?'

Breckinridge was stung by this. 'Miss Smith!' he protested. 'You do me a grave injustice. I am not some mindlessly sad-istic monster. Surely that is obvious?'

'What is obvious,' Colonel Ross said coldly, 'is that you are a depraved human being who has no thought for the consequences of his actions.'

Oh, well done! thought Sarah. Ross's accusation had really wounded Breckinridge's pride. The factory owner went almost purple with rage, and then managed to gather his wits together. thought Sarah. Ross's accusation had really wounded Breckinridge's pride. The factory owner went almost purple with rage, and then managed to gather his wits together.

'Very well,' he said, frost dripping from his voice. 'No thought for the consequences of my action, indeed? Well, I'll show you just how wrong you are.'

'Breckinridge,' the scientist said, the pain still twisting his voice, 'he's taunting you. He does this all the time. Kill him now. Better yet, let me kill him.'

'Brotherly love,' murmured the Doctor dreamily.

'How much of a fool do you think I am?' growled Breckinridge. 'I know what he's trying to do. And if you want to murder him, you can be my guest. But not until after he's seen what I am creating here.' He glared at the colonel. 'I am not having him die thinking I'm a savage.'

'Oi,' put in Sarah. 'What about me?'

Breckinridge studied her for a moment, then he nodded at Ross. 'Get her down from there. I want her to see this as well.'

Ross shook his head. 'I don't trust her,' he protested. 'She's already broken my hand and '

'And I'll break the other one for you if you don't do as you're told!' screamed Breckinridge. He raised his hand, on the verge of slapping Ross. It was clear to Sarah that Breckinridge didn't like his orders questioned even when they were quite idiotic.