Part 13 (1/2)

Thirteen.

'Is Peri dead?' the Doctor's question was directed to the Valeyard.

'That is difficult to answer precisely.'

'Then what was the point of showing that sequence?'

the Inquisitor asked with a sharp edge to her question.

'Simply as further evidence of the Doctor's interference.'

'I thought it gratuitous.'

'And highly prejudicial! You won't convict me by using shock tactics.' The Doctor, feeling the Inquisitor to be favouring his case for once, tried to score as many points as possible.

The Valeyard remained unruffled. 'I require nothing so crude, my dear Doctor, all that will prove necessary is the plain, literal truth.'

'Then tell it!' the Doctor challenged.

'Enough of this bickering!' the Inquisitor said testily.

The Valeyard bowed in acquiescence. 'May we proceed with the evidence?'

'Indeed, Sagacity, we must.'

All heads turned to the screen where Frax was picking his way among the bodies of Peri, Yrcanos, Tuza and the Lukoser.

Yrcanos was the first to stir as the effects of the stunning force bolts began to wear off.

'Uhooh... uh! My head feels as if it's been trampled by the seven-legged chargers of Corojaam,' Yrcanos groaned.

Peri was the next to stir. 'My legs, my arms...'

'You are fortunate to be alive,' Frax said, looking down as the quartet regained consciousness.

Tuza stared up at the officer. 'So the Mentors can experiment with us?'

'Think of it as a community service, my dear Tuza.'

Yrcanos climbed to his feet flexing his legs painfully.

'You are a fool to leave us alive. I wouldn't have set the phasers to stun. Only kill. Kill.'

'That is because you are a barbarian.'

Peri tried to clear the painful throb of pain that was making a circular tour of her skull. 'You're some angel of mercy, huh, Frax?'

The officer became bored with the conversation. 'Get up. All of you!'

As they obeyed the order Peri asked, 'How did you know where we were?'

Frax shrugged. 'We have always known about the arms dump.'

'Liar!' Tuza accused the officer vehemently. 'You would have acted before now if you had!'

Frax regarded the group before him. His look s.h.i.+fted beyond them to the abject band of Alphan prisoners.

'Weapons are only as good as the training of the men that use them. You are no warrior, Tuza...' Frax then turned a thumb to indicate Yrcanos. 'But him now he's just enough in love with death to inspire rabble like yours into action. And we were right... now move.'

Surrounded by guards who seemed anxious to practise their expertise with phaser weapons, there was nothing any of the rebels could do but to move off a dispirited band following a king whose eyes streamed with tears of humiliation at the dishonour of being made a prisoner.

'The sea... the sea... strong, strong, strong, too much... too...

sting, sting, strike!'

Worriedly Crozier followed a scan of the mind of Lord Kiv. The Mentor leader continued to ramble incoherently as he lay under the examining lights that beamed down from above the operating table.

Sil was becoming more and more agitated. 'Why is the Lord Kiv talking of such things. He hates sea water.'

Crozier shook his head worriedly.

The Doctor walked across from behind the bank of computer heads and paused to look down at the babbling, feverish, Kiv. 'The body you transplanted Kiv's brain into, whose was it?'

'Just a body,' Crozier said.

'Bit casual that, isn't it?'

'I had no choice, Doctor, there are hardly any suitable donors.'

The Doctor moved to Crozier and viewed the scramble of erratic fines on the brain scan chart. 'Might have been better if you'd waited.'

'There wasn't time.'

The Doctor traced a random line of the VDU. 'Look at that the host brain cells are trying to influence Kiv's implanted cortex. Attempting to alter and distort his memory.'

'A few must have escaped the laserisation.'

Unnoticed, Sil had been carried within earshot by his bearers. 'You have blundered, Crozier, you have reduced the greatest business brain in the universe to a mere catcher of sea snakes!'

The Doctor became thoughtful, unmoved by Sil's bl.u.s.ter. 'Perhaps the trauma of the donor's death lingers and is infecting Kiv's brain.'