Part 14 (1/2)

'What about Jamie and the Doctor?' asked Victoria.

'Where are they?'

Anne put a rea.s.suring arm around her shoulders. 'It's all right, Victoria. They're not far away...'

Feeling, as he said to himself, like some great daftie, Jamie crouched by the end of the platform muttering into the little radio-microphone. 'Come to me. I am at Piccadilly.

Come to me.' To his astonishment, he saw a Yeti moving along the track. Jamie was about to step out into sight but decided on a further test. 'Stop! Raise your arm!' The Yeti did neither. It simply lumbered on and out of sight. 'Och, it's no use,' rnuttered Jamie. 'Wrong Yeti!' He moved towards the platform arch-and walked straight into another one.

The small group before the pyramid looked up as the Doctor came into view, a Yeti close behind him, the strange-looking helmet already in place on his head. Victoria tried to run to him. but Travers held her back. 'Doctor, what are they going to do to you?' she called frantically.

The Doctor seemed quite cheerful. 'Don't worry, Victoria, everything's under control.'

'Indeed it is, Doctor,' boomed the mocking voice from the loudspeakers. 'Under my my control-as so many humans have been! control-as so many humans have been!

Harold Chorley stumbled into the concourse, a Yeti behind him. 'You.' said Travers angrily. 'You were the one who betrayed us to the Intelligence: Chorley was babbling with fear. 'No, it's not me, I wasn't helping the Intelligence. It was him!'

From the entrance behind Chorley a stiff figure walked forward, its face an impa.s.sive mask. It was Sergeant Arnold.

14.

The Final Duel.

Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart listened in shocked disbelief as the icy voice of the Intelligence came from the rugged old soldier who had served him an loyally. 'I chose to use the body of Sergeant Arnold from the first-just as I briefly used Travers. He revealed your plans to me, he concealed my Yeti in your Fortress. Now it is time to begin. This is the start of my conquest. And here is the last member of my party.'

Jamie came forward, a Yeti behind him as guard. From Arnold's lips the voice of the Intelligence ordered, 'Stand by the Doctor.'

Sullenly Jamie obeyed. The Yeti guarding the Doc-tor stepped behind him, and a s.h.a.ggy arm shot out to encircle his throat. Jamie gasped for breath. 'A re-minder. Doctor,' said the Intelligence. 'If you resist site, the boy will die. Go to the chair beside the pyramid.'

The Doctor did not more. 'No. I will will submit-but not until Jamie is released.' submit-but not until Jamie is released.'

There was a moment's silence. The spectators could almost feel the struggle. as the Intelligence locked wills with the Doctor. Then it spoke again. 'Very well.' The Yeti released Jamie, who staggered back, rubbing his neck.

Victoria wanted to go to him, but dared not move.

The Doctor started walking towards the pyramid.

Arnold followed. The Doctor seated himself, and Arnold lowered the metal circlet so that it made con-tact with the helmet on the Doctor's head. 'Soon your mind will be absorbed by the Great Intelligence. Your knowledge will a.s.sist my conquest of this planet, and of many more. You should be proud, Doctor.'

'Get on with it,' said the Doctor tersely. 'I just want to get this over and done with.'

'There must be no resistance,' warned the Intelligence.

'If there is, these humans will die. Prepare for a great darkness to cloud your mind.'

Travers, Anne, Victoria, Chorley and Evans watched as Arnold operated controls on the base of the pyramid. The Doctor's face was calm and relaxed as the machine began humming with power. Jamie was too busy to watch. He was slipping the microphone from inside his s.h.i.+rt with agonising slowness and raising it to his lips. 'Attack,' he muttered fiercely. 'Attack the other Yeti now!'

Suddenly the Yeti that had brought Jamie in, the Yeti he had discovered to his delight to be the one reprogrammed by the Doctor, lumbered into action. With great sweeping blows it smashed down the two Yeti guarding the Doctor.

'Now, get Arnold,' shouted Jamie. The Yeti lumbered obediently towards the new target, and clubbed him to the ground. 'Hold back the other two Yeti,' ordered Jamie. As his his Yeti began attacking its fellows, he ran towards the pyramid. Yeti began attacking its fellows, he ran towards the pyramid.

Arnold was on his feet, seeming unharmed by the blow.

'Yeti, protect the pyramid,' he screamed in the Intelligence's voice.

One of the two remaining Yeti held a Web-gun, which it swung to cover Lethbridge-Stewart. With a sudden burst of courage, Evans knocked the gun from its hand. The Yeti sent him flying with a single blow, and advanced on the Colonel, who dodged quickly away. The Yeti fell back, to defend the pyramid as commanded.

Meanwhile Travers and Jamie had reached the pyramid and, dodging behind the two Yeti, they were trying to drag the Doctor from his seat. To their surprise he resisted furiously. 'No, leave me alone,' he yelled. 'You're spoiling everything!'

Jamie decided the Doctor's will must already be under the Intelligence's control, and increased his efforts to drag him away.

The Yeti were fighting with maniacal fury. By now there were only two on their feet; Jamie's Yeti and one of the two guarding the pyramid. 'Destroy!' shrieked the Intelligence, and the two giants began exchanging great smas.h.i.+ng blows.

The Colonel and Evans had joined Travers and Jamie in trying to drag a furiously resisting Doctor from the throne.

Their combined efforts heaved him out at last, and all five landed in a struggling heap on the floor. Jamie saw that the helmet was still on the Doctor's head, and still linked to the pyramid. With a desperate lunge he snapped the joining cable, and wrenched the helmet from the Doctor's head.