Part 23 (2/2)

A countdown of fifteen seconds flashed up on the console.

Eddie patted his pockets, and joined the others.

There was an uncomfortable silence. Even Stokes was quiet, his head bowed. Romana supported his shaking frame.

Xais stood alert, hands on hips. The Nisbetts stood together, faces set into the familiar brutal impa.s.sivity. Pyerpoint remained aloof.

'Well,' the Doctor said happily, 'this is nice, isn't it?'

n.o.body answered him.

The timer clicked down to zero, the transmat platform glowed with power, and they s.h.i.+mmered and faded away.

12.

The Truth Will Out.

The Doctor's stream of comment was almost obscured by the warble of televerification a.s.semblers as the small party of miscreants and heroes reappeared on a platform inside the Planet Eleven mineralogical survey base. The transmat chamber was similar to the one used aboard the Rock, but smaller, darker, and with a lower ceiling. It was sited at the end of one of the three arms that led from the central dome of the base.

Gjork stepped forward to greet his superiors. 'Transfer complete.'

Charlie nodded and stepped from the platform. 'Good.

Where are the others?'

'Other lads in survey room as you order, Mr Charles. With gear. Waiting for you.'

'There's no time to waste,' said Xais. She turned her blank glare on the four prisoners. 'What are you going to do with these?'

'Don't mind us,' the Doctor said.

'Shut up, you bug-eyed freak.' Eddie spoke evenly, but the tip of his revolver nudged the Doctor's ribs. 'You've done well to get this far alive. Shame to spoil it all now, eh?'

'We'll lock them away for the moment,' said Charlie. 'You know this place, Xais. You see to it. We've got work to do.'

He straightened his suit and set off down the corridor towards the dome. Eddie tapped the Doctor's chin with the handle of his revolver and followed his brother.

Xais cursed her allies in an obscure mutant tongue as they departed.

'Creative differences?' queried Romana.

The silver mask regarded her with disinterest. 'I will kill you shortly. You are unimportant.' She turned to the nearest Ogron. 'Follow the signs to storage area three. Put them inside and lock the door. Do you understand?'

The Ogron nodded. 'Yes, Xais.' He prodded Stokes with his rifle. 'Move, fat one.'

The artist shuffled off in compliance. The Doctor and Romana, mindful of the a.s.sembled firepower of the surrounding Ogrons, got into file behind him.

The Doctor stopped at the door and looked out through a large viewport streaked with dark blue grime. The valley outside was thick with dirty gases. The plastigla.s.s of the viewport thrummed in time to the rumblings of a close storm.

'Oh, what very charming weather,' said the Doctor. 'So this is Planet Eleven. Stale, flat, but perhaps not so unprofitable, eh, Xais?'

The Ogron pushed him on before Xais had the chance to reply. She placed a hand on Pyerpoint's shoulder as he made to follow the others. 'Not you.'

He met her smooth silver face without fear. 'Your strategy failed.'

'No. I have decided that I want you with me. There may be unpleasantness. With the brothers.' She reached inside her tunic and brought out a small silver pistol. 'I liberated this from an Ogron.' She handed it to him. 'Of course I have no need of it. But you may find it useful.'

Pyerpoint tucked the weapon into his waistband. 'You trust me,' he said, watching her all the while. 'If you turn your back, I can kill you. I have reason to.'

She turned and walked on. 'I trust your ambition. Without me, you will never be able to activate helicon.'

The Ogrons hurried the Doctor, Romana and Stokes along the narrow and oppressively low-ceilinged corridors of the base.

The only sounds were the distant crackle of s.h.i.+fting gas clouds and the barely discernible hum of the life support systems. The recycled air was still and smelt sour.

The small party reached a large grey hatch that was marked STORAGE AREA 3. One of the Ogrons thumbed a panel on the wall and the hatch swung slowly open. It revealed a small room filled with racks of crates and boxes. A single strip light flickered, casting a winking gridded shadow over the faces of the three prisoners as they were thrown roughly inside. The hatch shut with a definite-sounding clunk.

The Doctor tapped at the hatch with the tips of his fingers.

'It's megalanium. Even K9'd have trouble cutting through it.'

His hand, which had been scrabbling instinctively for the sonic screwdriver, emerged from his pocket.

Romana sunk despondently onto one of the boxes. 'Things don't seem to be going very well, do they?'

The Doctor smiled. 'I wouldn't say that. They may have got us where they want us, and their plans may be proceeding smoothly, and we may have become separated from any effective means of resistance, but, er, no, you're right, things aren't going very well, are they?' He joined her on the box.

Stokes broke his long silence with a whimper. 'You think you're very clever, don't you?'

Romana looked over at him. He was standing on the other side of the room, twitching one leg like a horse at a starting post. The excesses of the past few hours had left him crumpled and forlorn, and his large face shone with sweat under the intermittent fluorescence. 'The both of you,' he went on. 'Sat there looking pleased with yourselves. All this ridiculous running about! You seem to find it very amusing.'

Romana said calmly, 'I can a.s.sure you we do not. But there's no point in losing your head. Try to relax.'

He shuddered. 'Are you insane?' He hammered on the wall.

'We're all going to die here!'

Romana crossed the small room in two long strides and grabbed Stokes by the shoulders. 'Stokes! Stokes, listen to me!

We'll find a way out of here, but you have to keep your nerve.'

Stokes wriggled free from her grip and flopped down in a corner. 'Oh, leave me alone,' he said pathetically. 'Please, just leave me alone.'

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