Part 9 (1/2)

9.

Kidnapped!

Travers's first thought was for his daughter. He backed towards the door, shouting as loudly as he could. 'Anne! The Yeti are here! Run and hide!'

The Yeti lunged.

In the laboratory, Anne Travers heard her father's voice. 'Anne... the Yeti... hide-' Suddenly the voice choked off. She ran towards the door-and into a Yeti. The Yeti's arm flashed out in a casual sweep that sent Anne flying across the room. She crashed into a bench, slid down and rolled underneath it. The Yeti looked at her crumpled motionless form. Methodically it began to wreck the laboratory. When the place was a shambles, it turned and lumbered away.

As it moved along the corridor, another Yeti appeared from the Common Room. It dragged the un-conscious Travers behind it, as a child drags a teddy-bear by one arm.

The two Yeti and their captive moved towards the exit. The door was standing open, the cobwebbed bodies of the sentries sprawled beside it.

The Yeti, with their prisoner, disappeared into the tunnels.

Jamie, the Doctor and Private Evans were racing along the tunnels in the direction of Covent Garden. Jamie tried to argue with the Doctor-never an easy thing to do, particularly when running at full speed,

'What does it matter if this Chorley does get to the TARDIS? He canna operate it. He won't even be able to get in.'

'Not if he's a normal human being, Jamie. But suppose he's been taken over? The last thing we want is the TARDIS in the hands of the Intelligence.'

'Aye, you're right there.' Jamie shuddered at the thought.

'We're nearly there,' said the Doctor encouragingly. 'If we go down this tunnel here-' He turned and stopped, pointing. 'Look!' A glowing, pulsating ma.s.s filled the tunnel before them. 'The Web has beaten us to it.'

Victoria tugged at the Doctor's sleeves. 'So we can't get to the TARDIS after all?'

'I'm afraid not, Victoria.'

Jamie looked at the glowing Web with distaste, remembering how it had nearly trapped him. 'What's happened to Chorley?'

'Just what I was thinking, Jamie. I wonder if he reached the TARDIS before the Web arrived.' The Doctor started walking towards the glowing ma.s.s.

Jamie tried to stop him. 'Doctor, don't be so daft!'

'It's all right, Jamie, it doesn't seem to be on the move. I just want a sample for a.n.a.lysis. Anyone got a container?'

Evans produced a worn and s.h.i.+ny tin. 'There's this - but I'm very attached to it.'

The Doctor took the tin from him, opened it and tipped out the contents; some rather dry tobacco and a packet of cigarette papers.

'Hey, that's my baccy,' protested Evans.

'Smoking's very bad for you,' the Doctor reproved. He walked up to the Web and fished a pair of tweezers from his pocket, using them to tease a fragment of the Web away from the main ma.s.s. Dropping the curious cotton-wool like substance into the tin, he handed it back to Evans. 'Here's your precious tin- you you look after itl' look after itl'

As if resenting the Doctor's attack, the Web began to glow and pulse with light, giving out its high electronic shriek.

Slowly it started to billow towards them. 'You've set it off again now,' said Jamie.

The Doctor called out to his companions, 'Come on everybody, run for it.' They pelted off down the tunnel, leaving the angrily pulsating Web behind them.

Turning a corner they ran suddenly into a party of soldiers, who instinctively swung their rifles to cover them.

'All right, Sarge,' yelled Evans. 'Don't shoot, it's only us.'

Sergeant Arnold lowered his rifle. 'You'll pop up once too often some day, my lad.'

The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria caught up. 'Any luck with the explosives at Holborn?' asked the Doctor.

Arnold shook his head. 'The Web beat us to it. Blocked the tunnels just before we arrived.'

'Aye,' said Jamie, 'the same thing happened to us. Seems to know what we're planning every time. What are you lot doing here?'

'Waiting for the Colonel. He's taken a party on a recce to see if they can find a way through to Holborn by the Piccadilly Line. If they don't come back, we a.s.sume the way is open and follow. What are you doing?'

'Looking for Chorley,' explained the Doctor. 'He seems to have got himself lost'

Arnold grunted. 'That won't break anyone's heart. I'd like you all to go back to H.Q. at once, please, Doctor. These tunnels are no place for civvies.' It was obvious from Arnold's tone that this was an order rather than a request.

The Doctor accepted the instruction meekly. 'I expect you're right. I've got work to do anyway-and I've taken a sample of the Web. I want to show it to Professor Travers.'

Arnold nodded dismissively. 'Off you go, Doctor. I'll tell the Colonel about you when I see him. Right, lads, time we were on our way.'

The soldiers moved off, and the Doctor and his little group hurried back towards H.Q. The rest of the journey was quiet enough. But when they reached the Fortress door it was open wide, light streaming into the dimly-lit tunnel. They went inside, stopping horrified at the sight of the cobwebbed bodies. The Doctor led them quickly past. 'Come on, we most find out what's happened.'

They looked into the empty Common Room, then continued along the corridor. As they approached Travers's laboratory they heard a faint moaning sound. They hurried inside and saw Anne Travers struggling to her feet. The Doctor ran to help her. She looked at him fearfully. 'The Yeti... have they gone?'

The Doctor nodded. 'No sign of them now.'

'My father... what's happened to him?'

The Doctor led her to a seat. 'Don't worry, we'll find him. Look after her, Victoria, will you? Better go to the Common Room and bathe that cut.'

The Doctor, Jamie and Evans searched the Fortress for Travers, but found no trace of him, living or dead. As they were making their way to the Common Room, Jamie said, 'What do you reckon happened to him, Doctor?'

'The Yeti must have taken him.'

'Why would they do that?' Evans demanded. 'Why not just kill him?'