Part 16 (1/2)

'I fear the darkness,' said one of the Ogrons.

'Yes,' his comrade murmured. 'One ugly girl is not important. Masters will not care. We will go now.'

Romana heard them moving away. She waited a few moments and emerged from hiding. Her only chance now, she knew, was to get K9 operational again. His nose laser would make short work of the boulders blocking the door of the TARDIS. She took the toolkit from the inside pocket of her jacket and got back to work. Perhaps it would be a better idea to cross his geostatic traction links with his power accelerator...

Thus engrossed, Romana was unaware of the large, lumbering figure moving through the shadows towards her.

9.

The Plotters.

-h! A friendly face, at last!'

'A Romana jumped at the sound of the distinctively plummy voice and gave a sigh of relief as the new arrival revealed himself. For this was an infinitely more rea.s.suring presence than a returning Ogron.

'Mr Stokes! You made me jump!'

He waved a hand. 'I must apologize. I didn't intend to give you a fright.' Romana noted the genuine contrition in his voice. He walked into a shaft of light and she saw the streaks of grime that covered his big sweaty face and the disarray of his clothing. His suit, which had never been immaculate, was torn in places and the collar of his s.h.i.+rt was askew. 'Alas,' he went on, 'I was overcome by enthusiasm at the sight of your prettiness.'

He blew out his cheeks and sat down on a ledge that formed a perfect seat in the rock. 'What is that curious object?' he asked, indicating the inert K9.

'Never mind about him,' Romana said hurriedly. 'Tell me what happened to you.'

Stokes wiped his forehead and smeared an even longer greasy streak across it. 'It was horrifying, my dear,' he said. 'I was ruminating in my cell when I heard screaming and shouting. And shots. Then the door of my cell opened by itself and they were telling us to evacuate. For a moment, I thought I'd landed myself in the middle of a break-out. Until I saw one of those brutes with the guns.' He shuddered. 'Well, of course, everyone started running for the escape capsules or the transmat. Including myself. Except I got lost, didn't I?'

'You know the station well enough to find your way about, surely?' asked Romana.

'Oh yes, I know it very well, when the lifts are working.

But all those stairs!' He took a dirty handkerchief from his pocket and coughed into it. 'Goodness, yes, with those hairy monsters lumbering about. I haven't run like that for many years.'

Romana felt he deserved an explanation. 'Yes, well these creatures are called Ogrons. They're a slave race. At present they appear to be working for the Nisbetts.'

Stokes's red face blanched white in less than two seconds.

'The Nisbetts? The psychotic brothers?'

Romana shrugged. 'I suppose so.'

The artist lurched to his feet and started to wring his hands.

'And I didn't believe things could get any worse! This is appalling news!' He looked about at the catacombs. 'I don't know whether my bladder can stand all this!'

'I hope it can,' said Romana. 'Because I think the Doctor's been captured by them. And we have to rescue him.'

A thought struck her. 'And Xais is involved as well. She's somehow reincarnated herself using that mask you made for her.'

'I won't say that's any more impossible than anything else that's happened today,' Stokes said. 'In fact, it seems almost rea.s.suringly ordinary.' He shook his head. 'Oh no, my dear,'

he told Romana, 'I'm afraid I'm not trained for this sort of thing.'

'No doubt.' Romana had to admit that Stokes was more of a liability than an a.s.set. 'But I'm afraid we've no choice. We have to rescue the Doctor.'

Stokes backed away. 'I don't think so, my dear. I know he meant a lot to you, but if the Doctor has fallen foul of the Nisbetts, there is every likelihood that his internal organs are now scattered in small gristly portions. And I, for one, have no intention of joining him in that fate. I've often stated that the kidneys belong inside the body.'

He straightened his collar and started to walk away.

'Goodbye, my dear. I hope that your venture brings you success.'

Romana watched him depart. 'It's best if we stick together,'

she called after him. 'Stokes!' But he had gone, without a backward glance.

She returned her attentions to K9. The breakthrough was near, she was certain. A green light showed that his power distributor links were almost powered up. Theoretically, he could come back on line at any moment, as long as nothing else had been damaged.

Stokes came cras.h.i.+ng back through the catacombs. Romana jolted upright, terrified that he had led the Ogrons to her.

'What are you doing?' she whispered as he stumbled towards her.

He pointed dumbly behind him. 'It's coming,' he gasped at last. 'One of those great hairy Orgons.'

'Ogrons,' Romana corrected.

'Whatever they're called, it's right behind me,' he blurted.

'I b.u.mped into the blessed thing, it's huge, covered in long filthy coa.r.s.e hair. Ugh!'

'You idiot!' cried Romana as they heard the sound of approaching steps. 'You've led it here!' She looked around but there was nowhere to run. The footsteps grew nearer.

Spiggot emerged into the light, smoothing back his long permed hair and trying not to look too ruffled.

'All right there,' he greeted them confidently and lit a cigarette. 'I think it's about time we got this mess sorted out, don't you?'

Xais observed her allies closely.

Eddie was looking up at the high ceiling of level two of the station. Inscribed in gilt letters was a scroll that detailed the achievements of the Uva Beta Uva state since its foundation almost two hundred years ago.

'Look at that! We could strip that lot, make a fair few bob.'

He squinted up at the letters. 'I can't make it out.'