Confounding of the Imagination.
by Christine D. Soto and Clive May.
Doctor Who is copyright BBC.
Ali Lang is copyright Christine D. Soto.
------------------------------------------------------------------
There were intruders.
They could not have come at a worse time. One end of the link was down,
and the newcomer was not really any help. It was time to take action. The
TARDIS began to reconfigure the architecture.
Ali was speechless. She stared at the face of the unconscious man, who
used to be, and apparently still was, the Doctor.
"He's heterotrophic," she said surprised, as she felt a weak but steady
double pulse.
He looked so vulnerable and small inside the huge burgundy coat. She was
afraid to move him from the floor of the console room. The Doctor felt so
cold, though, Ali decided she would get some blankets and cover him until
he came too. With a final look, she stood and went through the inner door.
"Now where was the room I woke up in?" She talked aloud to keep calm. "It
figures. As soon as I join up, the man has to become seriously ill." If
she had looked back, she would have seen the corridor become blocked by a
wall.
"I don't need a blanket," the Doctor said suddenly sitting up. He looked
around to see whom spoke. He was alone. "Oh dear," said the strange
voice, "I've regenerated again."
Weakly, he got to his knees and used the console to help stand.
"I say! This coat is rather warm."
He shrugged off the coat, looking at it sadly, puzzled.
"Now why would I need a blanket? More importantly, who was going to get
it?"
Amidst the humming, the console gave a loud squawk. The Doctor eyed the
controls with uncertainty.
"Are you a parrot?" A memory of a recent conversation rushed into his head.
"Ali!"
He set off through the inner door. That young woman was going to cause a
lot of trouble. He could just feel it in his hearts.
"She'll be lost before she knows it. The only problem is, I've already
beaten her to it."
<> Cardinal
Drambrozian's lecture droned on without apparent end, the Doctor
remembered. Why couldn't his ability to remember such lectures be
confounded, instead of his ability to find where he was going? Still warm,
he unwound the scarf from his neck and let it fall to the floor. If he
looked behind as he walked on, he would have seen a wall cut the scarf in
half.
"How far have we traveled from our point of entry?" Davros looked at the
Dalek on his left.
"Four deklabs."
"And we have not returned to our point of origin once?" Davros would have
been in awe if he were not so arrogant. "The Timelord waste their
technological skills on such petty transcendental trickery!" he snorted
derisively. "Once I control Gallifrey, the pathetic inhabitants will be
pushed to their limit to build a new race of Daleks that will prevail over
the whole of the universe throughout eternity! I will eradicate the doctor
from all of time!"
The creature roared its approval as it trotted beside Davros' chair.
Ali had the feeling that she was descending a long spiral ramp as she
traversed the endless white corridors, the walls broken only by doors
leading to storerooms.
"Now I know it didn't take me this long the first time."
Ali hated admitting she was lost, even to herself. She had long given up
trying to find her room.
She paused and looked around. "If there was only something familiar, I
could find my way; but it's all the same!"
In the silence after her exasperated shout, Ali faintly heard what she
thought was running water.
"Now THERE is something different!"
She ran towards the sound.
Eventually she entered a large atrium. At the center of the vegetation, a
small waterfall spilled gracefully into a black pool. A gentle breeze came
from nowhere. There appeared to be no ceiling, and the floor had become a
red brick path trailing through flowering bushes and trees.
"Forget the yellow brick road!"
Something moved in the pool.
She took the path to the pool, and knelt beside it. The water was still
and very deep. A shoal of goldfish swam contentedly about. Every so often
one would ascend through the limpid water to the surface.
A sudden roar made Ali start. She looked - and saw Davros with two Daleks
approaching the atrium.
She needed a place to hide, and quickly. Breathing deep, she quickly got
into the pool. The water was warm. By the time they entered the atrium,
she was completely submerged.
"Sensors detect recent passage in the area by a humanoid," a Dalek
reported.
The creature explored the bushes lazily. There was nothing worth eating
here.
"Where does the trail lead?" Davros asked.
"The water."
They rolled along the path to the edge of the pool. The creature glared at
the fish, which instantly dove deep. They milled around at the bottom, and
had no intention of coming to the surface. Davros stared hard at the
water.
Confounding of the Imagination Part 2 - Christine D. Soto and Clive May
Davros stared hard at the water.
The Doctor began to regret dropping his coat and scarf. His temperature
was returning to its normal levels and the TARDIS was rather cool. His
sense of direction seemed also to be slowly resurfacing from the muddle in
his mind. He could now tell he was going down a long ramp. As he crossed
an intersection, he halted and came back to it. The corridor to his left
had a mirror with a cricket bat next to it. He slowly walked to the
mirror, wondering what he looked like now.
"That's the other problem with regeneration", said the blonde fair young
man staring back at him through the mirror.
He tilted the mirror a little for a better view. The bat crashed down on
his foot. The Doctor yelped with a hoop giving the bat a withering look.
He then picked it up. It was drier than a tinderbox. A sudden urge to oil
it up for game readiness filled his mind. He noticed a door next to the
mirror, and opened it - a locker room for cricketers! Ali would be all
right for a little while.
Finding a large bottle of linseed oil, the Doctor sat on a bench and began
his work on the bat. By the time he finished, there was as much oil on his
shirt as the gleaming bat.
"Always with a job well done", he observed wryly, looking at his clothes.
"We will continue." Davros said as he rolled away from the pool edge a few
minutes later.
The Daleks followed, and after a moment more of sniffing suspiciously at
the surface of the pool, the creature also. The invaders made their way to
the corridor where Ali had entered earlier.
After a couple of moments more, a long black wool coat floated to the
surface. Sputtering, her lungs heaving, An almost drowned Ali immediately
followed it. She gasped in a great lung full of air, hoping they would not
return. Silently she thanked her brother for holding her under water all
those summers of her childhood.
She climbed out of the pool, dragging her coat with her. Soon the goldfish
had claim over their entire pool. A cool breeze blowing down the
passageways sent shivers through Ali. Now she needed to find dry clothes
along with telling the Doctor about Davros. She made her way to the
corridor by which Davros had entered.
The Doctor no longer felt cold. He had found a cream cricket sweater, with
a red stripe along the V-neck, to go over a white button down shirt that
had red question marks on the collar tips. He finished off his outfit with
a pair of orange striped pants and a cream-colored frock coat with red
piping.
He soon found his way to the atrium, drawn by the sound of water. The
gentle splash of the waterfall was relaxing. He would have to bring Ali
here when He found her. Noticing a black heap by the pool, he ran to the
edge. The goldfish swam peacefully. He knelt down to discovered the heap
was a soaked, wool coat - the one he had given Ali. Looking around, he saw
a trail of wet marks on the bricks. He stood, and quickly followed the
trail of damp footprints.
Ali had been opening every door she found, hoping to discover dry clothes.
She was about to open yet another door when...
"Ali!" A strange man's voice called out.
She jumped at the voice, terrified at the thought of Davros finding her.
The voice belonged to the Doctor, who was wearing a strange new outfit.
The man had no fashion sense whatsoever.
"Doctor!"
"Did you have a nice swim with the fish?"
"Doctor, we're in trouble. Davros is here, and he has two Daleks and that
creature with him!"
"What?"
"Davros-"
"I heard what you said. Now shush! I need time to think."
The Doctor closed his eyes and pinched his brow. His mind was still so
unfocused.
Ali shivered. She looked quickly inside the room of the door she had
opened. The answer to her prayers was there. A room filled with more
clothes than a department store lay waiting.
"You think. I'm getting out of these wet clothes."
Soon she emerged, wearing black jeans. A suede black vest covered a white
turtleneck. Her wet hair was pulled back into a chignon.
The Doctor was still in deep thought.
"Doctor?"
Suddenly the TARDIS turned on its side. They crashed against the wall.
Just as quickly, the TARDIS righted, sending them into a heap on the floor.
"Oh no! They're trying to take control!" The Doctor scrambled to his feet
and ran off down the corridor.
Ali was not far behind.
Davros had laughed wickedly as he hit the button that would send the TARDIS
to Gallifrey. He had not expected such a violent reaction to his attempt
to change the coordinates, nor the hat stand crashing down on him. It was
almost as if the TARDIS were against his usupation of control. His life
support system stepped up to counter the shock of the blow from the
hatstand, returning his physiological level to normal. He stared
thoughtfully at the console. The TARDIS' telepathic sense could not be
strong enough to attempt to resist, unless...
He flung the stand aside. The Traumens Noctulus leapt to avoid the flying
pole and resumed its eager sniffing of the floor. It whined softly,
trembling with eagerness. It kept glancing at Davros, begging for the
command.
"You have the scent? Good. Seek the Doctor. Kill him!"
The hunter killer probe set off at the run, its nose pressed to the floor,
quivering with the anticipation of the kill.
Confounding of the Imagination - part 3 - Christine D Soto and Clive May
The hunter killer probe set off at the run, its nose pressed to the floor,
quivering with the anticipation of the kill.
The Doctor skidded to a halt at a three-way intersection. Ali almost
cannoned into him.
'Which way?' She panted breathlessly.
The Doctor spun right around and pointed down the left intersection with
the bat he still clutched. 'This way!'
He bolted down the right hand corridor.
Ali could not help a tiny smile. As she set off in pursuit, an excited
baying began somewhere in the TARDIS corridors.
They ran on. Ali began to fall behind. The Sound of the hound grew closer
behind until it seemed the thing was snapping at her heels. The Doctor
rounded a bend. When she came up to it, there was no sign of him.
'DOCTOR!' she yelled.
He came pounding back down from the left. 'Quick. This way.' He ran on
past. Ali, panting heavily now, set off again.
Almost immediately they ran into a blank wall. Behind them the baying
swelled into a triumphal howling.
'Now where?'
'I don't understand. It should be here.' The Doctor held his head.
'What should?'
The Secondary Console Room.'
Ali looked all around. The walls were patterned with the usual roundel
pattern. There was no sign of a door anywhere.
The Traumens Noctulus came into sight.
Andersan looked every inch the Captain. He was tall, straight, and
strongly built. His beard and mustache were blond and luxuriant -
likewise, his shoulder length hair. This was held back from his icy blue
eyes by a leather thong around his forehead. Attached to the thong, in the
middle of his brow, was a bright medallion. It was incised with an
intricate, twisted design.
On a certain closed planet in the constellation Castorborus, the design
would have been very familiar to the inhabitants. They would have called
it: The Seal of Rassilon.
It was the symbol of trust given by the Traveller, who had come among them
in his forefathers' day - at the time of the Great Disaster. The
entertainers sang of it still, that time of terror when the home of the
Tribe had fallen from the sky into the Great Marsh. To Andersan, it was
the symbol of his power as Chief of the Tribe of the Crew.
It also proclaimed him as Custodian of the Key - which was a square of
shiny material about six inches on a side. It was glossy black. A chain
of gold links passed through a small hole in one corner.
Andersan wore it around his neck, even when he slept. The safe keeping of
the Key was a sacred duty of the Captain. It was to be guarded against the
day when the Traveller would come again to claim his property.
All this Andersan knew, it was the lore of the tribe. Yet he was troubled.
He took the holy relic in reverent hands and peered at it. He frowned,
uncertain. Rippling lights blinked and sparkled under the surface. The
endlessly recursing patterns they made fascinated his mind.
A hand fell on his arm. He started and looked up, blinking.
Anna, the First Mate, stood behind him in the cramped confines of the
sanctum of the Captain's Cubby. She was a head shorter than he was. Her
hair was light brown and fell loose to the middle of her back. The First
Mate's uniform of leather shirt and kilt had been artfully decorated with
carved bones and teeth and the silvery scales of the giant glitter fish the
Crew sometimes caught. They sparkled and twinkled among the badges of rank
sewn to the tunic. The small buttons and medallions were dull and
tarnished but clearly incised on each was the legend: SSL. The Crew no
longer associated that with the chant of Sagittarius Space Lines of their
rituals and litany.
'What is it, husband?'
He held it out to her. 'It is the sign.'
'Are you sure?'
He nodded. 'So was it written in the Log Book at the time of the Great
Disaster so has it now come to pass.'
'What must we do?'
Andersan laid a massive hand on his wife's shoulder and gazed into her
green eyes. He nodded slowly. 'That, too, is written in the Log Book.
When the Traveller returns we must hand back the Key he entrusted to our
forefathers for safe keeping.'
'But there has been no sign of anyone. We stand the watches, faithful to
the Regulations of the Crew. No Traveller has been seen.'
'Nonetheless, he is come to claim his property. We must seek him out -
assemble the Sections of the Crew. We must go out into the Great Marsh and
seek the Traveller.'
The Traumens Noctulus skidded to a halt. Its great tongue lolled out,
dripping venomous green saliva. Tiny wisps of blue smoke rose from where
it spotted the floor.
Ali backed into the Doctor.
He handed her the cricket bat. 'Try and hold it off with this. I need a
few moments.'
Ali took the bat. It did not seem much of a weapon.
The Doctor hammered on the end wall. 'Come on Old Girl! What have you
done with the Secondary Console Room? You can't have lost it?' He hammered
again on the wall. There was no response.
The Noctulus gave a great howl and launched itself. Ali screamed, and
swung the bat. It connected with the side of the creature's head. The
Noctulus could not be stopped; but the blow deflected its charge. It
crashed into the wall to her left. In an instant, it was up and lunging
for her ankle. Ali swung again. The Noctulus kept low. The bat passed
over its head and slammed against the wall, jarring her hand.
Ali screamed as the jaws closed on her ankle. One scratch would be fatal.
The jaws, dripping with green venom, closed with a snap. Suddenly, she was
yanked backwards. The teeth missed her flesh by a whisker, fixing
themselves in the fabric of her jeans.
The Doctor dragged her away; but the Noctulus came with them. Desperately,
Ali beat at it with the bat. The horror would not let go. It was half
dragged through the doors that had opened in the end wall.
The doors closed with a snap - on the neck of the creature. It let go and
began to scream. Venom flowed from its jaws as it thrashed and scrabbled
to get free. Ali watched in fascinated horror as the monstrous thing
finally pulled its head free. The doors snapped shut. She collapsed to
the floor with a great sigh of relief.
The Doctor hurried to a console, enclosed by a rail broken at intervals.
He began to set controls.
Ali, remembering her training, took some deep breaths. In a moment or two
her resolve had stiffened. She got up and looked around. This Console
Room looked completely different from the main one. It was paneled in dark
wood, and would not have been out of place in a Victorian mansion. It did
not look to Ali much like the command center of some high tech space and
time machine.
On unsteady legs, she made her way to the Doctor. Even the console, though
retaining its mushroom shape, had an "antique" look about it.
'Are we safe in here?'
'For a while,' the Doctor answered her abstractedly. He flipped some more
controls, and looked irritated.
A terrific howling and scrabbling at the doors made Ali glance nervously in
that direction. 'Are you sure?'
The Doctor did not answer. Ali peered at the controls. Lights flickered
and pulsed there. 'Is something wrong?'
'Not exactly.'
Now that the fear had abated a little, Ali felt irritated by the Doctor's
attitude. He seemed almost to have forgotten her presence.
She put hands on hips. 'What do you mean...Exactly?'
He looked up at her. 'Oh. I mean, exactly: that I cannot take control.
Davros has locked out the coordinates.'
'Is there anything you can do?'
'I can break the circuit and let the TARDIS drift. I won't be able to
direct where she goes - but neither will Davros.'
'And is there anywhere in particular the TARDIS will take us? Is there
some homing beacon or something?'
The Doctor tapped his chin thoughtfully. 'Good question.'
'And the answer?'
'Hmmm. Well there are a lot of places she might take us. Most of them on
Earth. But you can never be sure. When she is given her head, she has
this knack of finding difficult situations and right now we have about as
much "difficult" as we can manage.' He glanced significantly at the doors.
'Davros will be down here shortly and he'll soon force those doors open.'
'Is there a back door?'
'I'm afraid not.'
'So how do we get out?'
'Through the main doors.'
'And right into what ever "difficult" situation the TARDIS has decided to
drop us into?'
The Doctor gave her a rueful smile. 'Exactly.'
>From outside came the sound of Davros' voice and the grating replies of
his two guard units.
'Eh...Doctor. I think you ought to do something - and right now!'
'Yes, Ali. I think you're right - hold on!'
He pressed a large red switch. The floor lurched and spun. Ali hung onto
the rail for dear life. The groaning wheezing noise of the TARDIS engines
filled the air. Davros ranted and raged outside the door, but his threats
were drowned in the noise.
At last the noise stopped with a very final thump.
'We're here.'
Ali experimentally released her grip on the rail. 'Where?'
The inner doors bulged suddenly inwards and fell aside. The Noctulus leapt
through.
'Kill the Doctor,' screamed Davros.
Confounding of the Imagination - part 4 - Christine D Soto and Clive May
'Kill the Doctor,' screamed Davros.
It was not his fault. Nobody could blame him. The cylinder had just been
lying there beside the path as he strolled in the afternoon sunshine in the
Prydonian Gardens. Naturally, he had picked it up; and the madness had
begun.
Cardinal Drambrozian sighed. He continued to stare through the panoramic
window of his office at the Academy, at the elegant towers and constructs
of the Citadel as it lay under the warm sunshine. He was not seeing the
aesthetically pleasing scene before him. Instead, he was seeing that cold,
gray desert of Skaro, and turning over in his mind the things he had done
to get himself out of there.
It was not treachery, really. He had not wanted to do any of the things he
had done.
None of this was his fault; he was not beholden to do anything about it.
For Rassilon's sake, he was a lecturer at the Academy. He had no training
to deal with things like this. It should be left to the Chancellery Guard.
He sighed again, turned from the view an sat down at his desk.
His gray eyes fell from habit upon the little plaque mounted on a stand at
the corner of his desk.
NO! He was a Prydonian! Prydonians did not act like that. He picked up
the Family Crest from the corner of his desk. He could almost feel power
flowing from it, stiffening his resolve, reviving his self-esteem.
He WAS a Prydonian!
By Rassilon! He could not just sit here and let those bestial machine
creatures have their way.
He got up and left the quiet safety of his office. Drambrozian had no idea
what he would do, but he was determined to do something.
The Doctor grabbed Ali and sprang for the exit doors. They swung open as
they reached them, swung to behind them.
They pelted out into lush, green knee high vegetation. It clawed at their
legs. They stumbled to a halt. The Doctor released her arm.
The world was silver and green, gray, white and blue. Ali thought that
she'd never seen such a wide sky. It reached from horizon to horizon in an
unbroken blue bowl. And under that arch of heaven lay a land of water and
reed grown hummocks, some of the larger ones topped off with ominous
looking trees, strangled by vines. The vista stretched away in all
directions to the horizon, made indistinct by shining haze.
Thin tendrils of mist hunted among the reed beds, like white snakes seeking
some ethereal prey. Low in the sky to their right a huge, pale sun hung,
barred with golden bands of cloud. Was it sunset or sunrise?
Ali saw this in a single glance, and hardly noticed it at all. The thing
that drew her attention lay directly before her. It hunched there in the
marsh, about three hundred yards distant. A vast, roughly dome like
structure shining a ghostly gray in the misty air. It looked like some
vast whale rising from a sea of silver and green. Clustered at its base
was a huddle of tumble-down structures. They formed a ring about the
monster, almost as though it floated on a raft of marsh detritus.
'What IS that?' Ali gasped, half lifting a hand to point.
'The Starfire - if I'm not mistaken.' And the Doctor looked very troubled.
The doors of the TARDIS swung open. The Noctulus sprang out. Once more,
Ali was grabbed and unceremoniously dragged, stumbling and falling through
the tangling vegetation. But there was no place left to run.
They were on a small island or sand bar. It was about fifty yards long and
twenty wide. At its highest point, where the TARDIS stood, it was not more
than ten feet above the level of the water.
They reached the far end of the island and turned to see the Noctulus
porpoising through the vegetation towards them. Behind it floated Davros
and the two guard units on whining ground effect motors.
'Doctor -' Ali started to shout, leaning against him, suddenly very afraid.
He put a comforting arm about her shoulder and hefted the cricket bat. 'I
know, Ali,' he said quietly. He hugged her. 'Brave heart!'
The water behind them erupted.
Ali screamed.
A gigantic, scaly crocodile like creature burst from the water and rushed
upon them. Long, tooth studded jaws swung wide. A vast red maw opened to
engulf them.
The Noctulus roared. It galloped full speed at them. When it was almost
upon them, powerful hind legs launched it into the air.
The Doctor pushed Ali down. He leaned away and swung the bat - a perfect
"late cut", deflecting the Noctulus into the path of the crocodile. The
bat splintered from the impact leaving him holding only a shattered stump
of handle.
The Traumens Noctulus yelped in panic as it flew into the gaping mouth of
the crocodile. A horrible snapping sound cut off the squealing; it made
Ali's blood run cold. In silence, the brown creature slid back into the
water, dragging the limp body of Davros' creation with it.
Davros shrieked curses. His favorite creation was destroyed. "Exterminate
them! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!"
The Doctor flung the handle from the bat at the Daleks. It was a futile
gesture. He took hold of Ali and dragged her into a nearby clump of reeds.
The Daleks fired. Energy beams cracked in the humid air, but the Daleks
were not able to get a clear shot due to the obscuring vegetation. In
moments the beams set the reeds afire. Smoke began to build up, providing
more cover for the Doctor and Ali. She held onto him tightly, her eyes
stinging and tearing from the acrid smoke. She would have coughed if she
weren't so short of breath.
the Doctor hauled Ali through the marsh, splashing through calf deep water,
through clinging mud, up onto another larger hummock. This one had tree
cover - and promised a greater level of safety. At last the Doctor
considered they were at least temporarily safe. Ali was not keeping the
pace as well anymore, and he too needed a brief rest. He floundered to a
stop amid the first trees.
Ali gasped as she bent forward and held onto her knees. The muscles in her
legs ached, and she knew she would feel it later. Eventually she had
caught her breath enough to collapse onto the trunk of a fallen tree. She
noticed that he too was breathing heavy, but nothing like she was.
"So what's next on our weird little agenda, Doctor?"
He grunted vaguely in reply, remained intent on his study of a small green
plant that reminded Ali of celery. She tapped his shoulder.
"Doctor?"
"This looks extraordinarily similar to a celery plant. Look at the
leaves."
He picked a piece of the leaf, rubbed it between his fingers and sniffed
the residue.
The reeds nearby rustled. It re-focused Ali's mind on their pressing
problem - where was Davros? And more importantly, what was he up to? He
was not the type to give up the chase easily.
"Doctor!" Ali shook his arm.
"Yes? What is the matter?" He sounded a little irritated.
"There was a sound in the bush."
'Was there?' He echoed her words, sounding vague, abstracted. He studied
the small piece of celery like plant. 'You know, I'd swear this is actual
celery.'
"What about Davros? How are we going to get back to the TARDIS?"
"All in good time, Ali, all in good time. First things first" He bent down
and picked a stalk from the plant. He put it into the left lapel of his
blazer, admiring the effect.
"Well what's first?"
The rustling in the bushes grew more violent. The Doctor seemed to snap
back to the present. He looked around.
"Now is not a good time for discussion. I think it would be wise to
continue, if you've got your breath? Come on, Ali!"
A loud crash shook the nearby reeds. Some brightly colored birds clattered
noisily into the air from the stooping trees, squawking in raucous alarm.
"RUN!" yelled the Doctor and took of at high speed, leaving Ali to scramble
up and flounder in his wake through the low growing vegetation. The Vines
and branches slowed her down, and she began to fall behind.
Ahead of her, the Doctor stumbled over a hidden obstruction. He went down,
but came up again in a single motion. He ran on. Hidden gears whirred.
Behind his flying feet a metal panel swung down out of sight exposing a
shaft. The black maw gaped right in Ali's path.
She saw it, but could do nothing to avoid it. Shrieking, she plunged into
darkness.
At her scream the Doctor stopped and turned back. Ali was gone. He
trotted back a few paces, unknowingly stepping on the now closed trap door
of the shaft.
"Ali! Ali," he called out. "Ali!"
He peered around, at the trees, the reed clumps at the shining water a few
yards off. She was nowhere to be seen.
The vegetation off to one side thrashed and rattled violently. Two
familiar shapes emerged onto the open ground by the shore.
The Dalek units settled to the boggy ground a few yards apart, covering the
Doctor with their weapons.
The Doctor's expression was grim. He glanced around. This did not look
good. Sinister logs, with eyes and teeth, glided in close under the reeds.
They clustered in the shining water, radiating an air of hopeful
expectancy. There was nowhere left to run. One piece of luck though - Ali
had managed to slip away to safety.
Davros glided up and halted his chair between his two guard units. The
slight hum faded as it settled onto the ground.
"So, Doctor," he purred. "Now you will pay for destroying my Hunter Probe.
I shall take great pleasure in watching my units exterminate you."
Confounding of the Imagination - part 5 - Christine D Soto and Clive May
"So, Doctor," he purred. "Now you will pay for destroying my Hunter Probe.
I shall take great pleasure in watching my units exterminate you."
Drambrozian was glad he came to his senses when most of the Capitol was in
sleep cycle. The fewer open eyes the better. Already he had achieved much
this night, all that remained was for him to acquire a Capsule and bring
back the Matrix Key and prevent the looming apocalypse of the universe.
If only he had not had it on his person when that cylinder had transported
him to Skaro, none of these terrifying clandestine actions would be
necessary. If only he'd had the patience to wait for formal permission to
take the key for his research. But they were so slow and cautious in
Matrix Management. So he had assumed their agreement, and taken the Key.
Because of this rash act, he could not now just dump this whole mess onto
the Chancellery Guard. There would be awkward questions - an inquiry...
Drambrozian shuddered. The thought of his fine, if somewhat plodding,
career ruined by a single precipitate action in not waiting for formal
permission to take the Key stiffened his resolve. If he could just get it
back without word finding its way to the President's office...
A young Cap-tech, not even 150 years old, was asleep at his console. This
at least was going to be easy; Drambrozian smiled. He quietly walked past
the youth and switched off the security field surrounding the Capsule keys.
Even though he had done something fairly blameworthy and horrible, there
was no need to travel in the overused Type-88 Surveyor. After all he was
trying to help. The Prydonian reached for the Genus-25 key; the most
sophisticated Capsule so far developed. As he switched the security field
on again, there was a slight popping noise from air being vacuumed from the
Key-case. The Cap-tech started awake.
"What do you- Oh, I beg your pardon, Academician Drambrozian. May I ask
the purpose of your visit?" He knew he was caught sleeping, but he was
young enough and arrogant enough to question the prestigious old Timelord.
No one ever came in here this hour of the Cycle.
Drambrozian, thinking quickly, decided to try and sweet-talk the youngster.
"I am performing a study of whether the change in sleep patterns affects
the alertness of people and their ability to perform their duties. Based
on what I found with you tonight, I would like you to come to my next
lecture as an example for my presentation. You demonstrate extreme
alertness, even though you were sleeping at your post."
"What if I don't want to be in your study?"
"I will report you to your superior for sleeping during your work shift."
Drambrozian smiled innocently. He waited, exhuding confidence.
"What time is your lecture?" The Cap-tech figured he would rather sit
through one of Drambrozian's lectures than one of his superior's.
"Let me see... Oh dear, I had my schedule here somewhere. Oh how foolish!
I left my Palmputer at the entrance to the lift. Be a good lad and get it
for me. Otherwise..." Drambrozian smiled and left it hanging.
With a sigh, the tech got up and left the room.
Drambrozian ran to the Genus-25 and opened the door. He flew inside.
Ali plunged into a faintly glowing green gloom. For long seconds a slime
covered wall raced past her face. Then, screaming, she fell into empty
air. A moment later her yell was extinguished in an explosion of cold,
green flames.
A few seconds later, sputtering and gasping, Ali broke the surface of the
stinking underground pool. Ripples of green phosphorescent fire spread out
around her, and reflected from the circular walls. Treading water, she
drew in a lung-full of the foul air - and yelled.
"DOCTOR!"
The faintly glowing walls swallowed the shout. A muted echo shivered in
the dank air. There was no answering yell. She looked up. Directly
overhead was a dark opening in the center of the domed ceiling. She must
have fallen through that, but how far? There was no way to tell.
Ali began to seek a way of escape.
At four points around the wall were dark openings. They were about eight
feet wide, and about three feet above the level of the pool. A thin
trickle of water ran out of each. Ali struck out for one of them.
Something touched her right ankle.
A long, cold shudder of pure terror ran the length of her spine. The thing
groped around, exploring her foot. Steeling herself, Ali looked down into
the depths.
Something amorphous and faintly glowing moved under her. Spaced around the
dim greenish mass were four large, unblinking eyes. They shone a cold,
pale blue.
Ali's heart leapt into her throat, choking off the scream that rushed up
from her lungs.
Something looped over her foot, closed with an iron grip. It dragged her
down into the foul water.
She got the scream out then. The wet walls swallowed the sound up. Ali
exploded into frenzied action. Kicking and thrashing, without any clear
recollection of how she did it, Ali hauled herself from the water into one
of the dark tunnels.
In desperate haste she scrambled upright. She had lost a shoe in the
struggle. She was never so glad to have lost something in her life. She
leaned against the curving wall and retched up some foul water, trembling
from head to foot.
The subsiding surface was broken by a dark, greenish bulge. Four eyes
regarded her with baleful intent. A thin tentacle slithered over the rim
of the tunnel and reached for her ankle. A low, sobbing moan bubbled from
the monster in the pool. The sound was full of a terrible eagerness.
Ali burst into furious action. With her still shod foot, she stamped
repeatedly on the tentacle, until it was withdrawn. But it was immediately
replaced by two others, questing for her ankle.
Ali's nerve broke. She turned and fled, limping into the green gloom of
the tunnel. Little explosions of green phosphorescent fire bloomed and
faded in her wake.
The great blubbery bulk of the thing heaved itself over the lip of the
tunnel, and oozed along in Ali's wake. It pushed a tide of faint green
fire before it along the ancient tunnel.
Its sobbing wail of hunger hunted Ali down the dank pipe.
Drambrozian rushed into the console room of his stolen TARDIS. A scented
breeze caressed his flushed cheeks. Somewhere, wind chimes clanged
tunelessly. He stopped short, staring round at the flower beds, the lawns
and the carved white marble fountain at the focal point of several gravel
paths. The central column of the fountain was a pedestal supporting a
statuette of Rassilon, complete with scrolls. An expression of anguished
resignation crept over his long face.
This fad for flashy interiors was becoming tiresome to one of his ascetic
sensibilities. Something ought to be done about this decline in standards.
Perhaps he should present a lecture on it at the Academy? Yes! A lecture
- the very thing! Now...What should the title be?
In thoughtful abstraction he moved to the console and studied the
representations of water nymphs and fish sporting among lily pads carved
around the rim of the basin. Identifying one of the lily pads as the link
control panel, he pressed the palm of his right hand to it.
"Not assigned yet. Now there's a piece of luck," he muttered.
If it had been linked to a mind, then when he sheared that connection, a
Time Lord somewhere would have experienced a sudden (and very nasty)
headache. Quickly, Drambrozian imprinted his mind on the TARDIS,
established the link, and brought the TARDIS to life.
He moved around the bowl of the fountain, brushing fingers over the
carvings, setting a course for Skaro. Confirmation of his instructions
surfaced in bright green script from the still water in the basin.
Satisfied, Drambrozian pressed the demat button.
The fountain came to life. Streams of multi colored light jetted up into
the air about the central pillar. They mingled and wove together into a
shimmering coronal display, until the mesmerizing curtain of light arced
over and streamed back into the basin. The central column rose and fell
through the misting radiance, rotating at a sedate pace.
Drambrozian put a hand over his eyes.
"Ghastly!"
This was too much. He really would have to do a paper.
Scandalized, he took a step back. He drew out a staser from his robes and
flourished it. He aimed the ugly little weapon at the column, rising and
falling in its rainbow cocoon. He sighted along it, feeling a surge of
excitement.
Stuffy was he? Boring was he? Well tonight he had already liberated a
staser from the Chancellery Guard Armory, successfully hoodwinked a guard
and stolen the latest model travel capsule. Not bad for a stuffy old bore
from the Academy!
He grimaced in what he hoped was a menacing way. He was quite taken with
the idea of Drambrozian -storming to the rescue. By Rassilon! He'd show
them!
He lowered the staser and studied it. Now all he had to do was work out
how the weapon fired...
The unseen wind chimes jangled an urgent warning.
Drambrozian looked up from his study of the staser. Red lettering in the
summer blue sky informed him that the TARDIS had veered off course.
Tucking the pistol away, he tried to reset the course. But the new
co-ordinates, emblazoned across the sky, refused to change. The TARDIS
seemed to have a mind of its own.
It was taking HIM where IT wanted to go.
Suddenly, he did not feel quite so brave.
"And now, I suppose, you're going to have your Daleks exterminate me?"
inquired the Doctor calmly.
"Of course, Doctor. What else? You have meddled in my affairs once too
often. Now would seem to be an excellent opportunity to put an end to your
annoying interference in my plans."
The Doctor assumed an air of unconcern. He adjusted the piece of celery in
his lapel and said. "How tiresome. You know that's your trouble Davros,
you're so predictable."
"You forget, Doctor. The Daleks now have the benefit of the imaginative
power of thousands of minds. When that is implemented, my Daleks will be
invincible."
"True," admitted the Doctor. "However, I think you'll find that it will
not work as you expect."
"Oh? And why is that, Doctor?" Davros grated, enjoying his superior
position.
The Doctor, still feigning unconcern, went on. "You see, while I was alone
in the control room I put a very special virus in to the system. And Only
I can remove it without wrecking the delicate balance of the Gestalt
mind."."
Davros, who was on the point of giving the order to fire, paused,
considering. "Oh, Doctor. You disappoint me. Such a childish ploy. You
are of course bluffing to gain time are you not?"
The Doctor took his time gazing around at the water and reeds, inspecting
the two Dalek units, before returning his attention to Davros. "I might be
bluffing," he admitted. "But can you take that chance? What with your
fleets poised to strike? And all of their battle strategies dependent upon
the directions from the Imagination Computer?" He left it hanging there,
and watched for Davros' reaction. Having to rely on manipulating Davros'
megalomania to stay alive was, even the Doctor had to admit, a pretty
chancy undertaking. There were several gaping holes in his argument. When
Davros spoke, he knew that Davros had seen them too.
"You are bluffing, Doctor." Davros signed to the unit on his right. "Kill
the Doctor!"
The Doctor decided it was time to play his trump card. "WAIT!" he cried.
"If you kill me the TARDIS will automatically be recalled to Gallifrey.
You'll be stranded here. Your fleets will launch their assault and you
will not be there to savour the triumph. Think of it, Davros. The Daleks
final triumph and you're stuck on this mud ball of a planet light years
from the glory."
Davros pondered this thought a long moment. "Come now, Doctor. Another
bluff?" The wizened little figure in the chair scoffed. But he did not
sound certain.
"No bluff. Not this time. But if you want to test it, go ahead and kill
me. You should be able to hear the TARDIS take off from here."
Davros sat straighter in his chair. An unholy air of triumph radiated from
his ruined features. "This is excellent news, Doctor."
He signed to the unit on his right. "Seize him!"
The unit shot out its manipulator. The clamp closed over the Doctor's
wrist.
Davros powered up his chair. It rose to hover a few inches above the
water-logged ground. "Goodbye, Doctor," Davros cackled. "As I was on my
way to Gallifrey before this little side excursion, I shall get on my way.
When I am in the TARDIS, my unit here will kill you and I shall be carried
to Gallifrey."
"It won't work,' cried the Doctor, a hint of desperation creeping into his
tone. "With enemy aliens aboard, it will not go anywhere without me. It's
a fail safe system. If you go aboard and kill me the only thing that will
happen is that a distress signal will b sent out and you'll have a heavily
armed detachment of the Chancellery Guard down on you. And they'll be
looking for trouble. Two Dalek units won't pose any serious problem for
them."
The chair lowered to the ground. "You are beginning to vex me, Doctor. I
see that I must postpone your death for a short while. Release him!"
The unit let go. The Doctor rubbed his wrist. "Now what?"
"Now, Doctor, you will precede us to the TARDIS. And then you will undo
whatever lock you have put on the controls. Then you will set a course
back to Skaro and repair the damage to the Imagination."
"And if I don't? What are you going to do? Exterminate me?" The Doctor
grinned at him. "I rather think not. What we have here is an impasse."
"Not at all." Davros pointed his claw past the Doctor, to where five men
and a woman were scrambling from a large, flat raft-like boat. Two of the
men took up positions beside the boat, wielding long poles with V shaped
ends to discourage the animated logs that were taking a keen interest in
the proceedings on shore. The two remaining men and the woman made their
way through the reeds towards the little group. They were dressed in rough
stitched leather jerkins and kilts which somehow retained more than just a
suggestion of a uniform.
Davros cackled triumphantly. "If you do not do as I say: then I shall
exterminate those savages."
The Doctor turned to face a tall, blond man and a strong, brown-haired
woman at his side. They had the look of command about them. The man
stepped forwards. He picked up a large black rectangle from where it hung
against his chest. He held it out to the Doctor, studying the flickering
lights that played under its surface. He turned to the woman, and with a
slight nod of his head, smiled broadly.
He announced in a strong voice: "It is the Traveller. The time has come to
fulfil the pledge given by the ancestors of the Tribe."
He un-looped the chain. With deep reverence, Andersan held out the object
to the Doctor.
"I, Andersan, Captain of the Tribe of the Crew of the Starfire, honor the
promise made and given in the dark days of the fall from the sky to the
Traveller. I give back that which was entrusted to the safe keeping of the
Captain of the Crew."
The Doctor stared, horrified. He had not thought that things could get
worse, but they just did. With that in Davros' hands there was no hope at
all for the teeming peoples of the galaxy. He would be truly invincible -
even the Time Lords would not be able to stand against his Daleks with that
small, harmless looking piece of equipment in his grasp.
Andersan looked puzzled at the expression on the Doctor's face. Had he
done something wrong? Why did not the Traveller take back his property?
He held it out a little more insistently, a pleading look in his blue eyes.
This had to be. The Traveller MUST take back his property - or the
Prophecy could not come to fruition. And when Andersan had read the
Traveller's return in the flickering lights, he had felt a great joy that
the Prophecy would be fulfilled during his term as Captain. And now the
Traveller...
The Doctor grimaced. There was macabre irony in this, he realised. To see
the disastrous outcome of a plan he had not yet put into action. And to
know that at some time in the his future he was going to do something that
would loop back upon itself and doom the galaxy. If only he could work out
what it was he was going to do? He had felt the first intimations of this
action and this disaster when he burst from the TARDIS and see the
Starfire. Now he knew it would happen, that it would end in this disaster,
but he still did not know what? If he could only work that out he might
have a chance. But for now, there was nothing for it but to stand by and
watch the predestined events unroll, unless...
He accepted the square of black, his fingers drumming a complex pattern
along one edge.
"Give me that!" screeched Davros. He knew what the Doctor held; and he
knew also that it held the final realizing of his evil ambitions. With
that in his hands his Daleks would be truly unstoppable. He would have
total power over an entire universe - for all time.
"Give me that !" he commanded again in an excited screech. "NOW! Or I
shall exterminate the savages!"
There was nothing for it. With a grim expression, the Doctor handed over
total domination of the universe to the creator of the Daleks.
The tunnels down which Ali fled, pursued by the abomination from the green
pool, had been built a long age ago by the people who had called this world
home in the dawn time.
Long before the Tribe fell from the sky, that ancient race had looked with
covetous eyes upon the Great Marsh, and drew up their plans for a mighty
feat of engineering. They would drain the marsh.
They had labored for centuries to build the drains. And, then, on the eve
of the fulfillment of their endeavors, they had withered and gone down into
the dark oblivion of history, leaving no clue as to the reason why -and
leaving the mighty work unfinished.
Ali limped on, knowing nothing of this, nor caring.
Then the thing Ali most feared happened. She rounded a bend in the tunnel
and saw, about ten yards ahead in the dim light, a blank wall!
Trapped!
She splashed to a halt. In the sudden silence, the slithering noise of the
creature sounded close behind. Ali turned to look. Four pale eyes glowed
in the dimness, drawing closer. The thing let out a slobbering moan and
increased its pace. The nerve melting sound filled up the pipe.
Now what was she going to do?
"Wretched woman! You will release my TARDIS this instant!"
Ali spun around at the querulous voice. The blank wall now had a door in
it. Standing before the door, back lit by the light streaming through the
opening, was a tall, indistinct figure, head cupped in a high collar. It
held out one hand towards her. A small gun gleamed, clutched in the fist.
It was pointed at her.
A warm, fresh breeze lightened the heavy, dank air of the tunnel. The
scent of summer flowers tantalized. From somewhere came the jangle of wind
chimes. The whole moment took on a surreal aspect.
This is just too much, thought Ali, fighting for calm. She drew in a long
breath of the scented air.
"If," she said in a voice that held onto calmness by a whisker. "If you
want to discuss this I would suggest that you point that thing at that!"
She pointed over her shoulder at the monstrous tentacled creature oozing
quickly around the corner.
"Ah...Well. Actually," Drambrozian said "There would not be any point.
You see, I cannot make it fire. Look!"
He pointed the gun at the roof. There was a vivid flash of violet light.
A sharp crackle of energy split the heavy air. Ali's hair lifted from her
head, blue discharges flashed about the tips. The surge of energy awoke
momentarily a sense of multiple personalities all crowding inside her head,
all calling, shouting and chanting concepts she could not quite understand,
in a fractured unison.
An instant later the spell was broken by a heart stopping roar. A lance of
raw energy speared up into the curving ceiling, throbbing and pulsating.
There was a deafening explosion, vast and staggering. An instant later
huge shattered lumps of masonry began to tumble down all around them.
First stinking mud, then water cascaded down from the ruined roof.
Drambrozian just stood there, staring stupidly at the gun in his hand, his
mouth agape.
Cracks radiated along the tunnel. The sudden inrush of water and filthy
ooze increased with alarming speed.
Ali gave a wordless yell. She plunged forward and grabbed the bemused Time
Lord by the arm. He did not resist when she hauled him through the doorway
into his TARDIS. She stopped in utter amazement at the flower garden. But
the situation was too dire for staring round in amazement.
"Shut the door!" she bellowed at the still stunned man in the rich robes
and high collar.
Water rushed in through the gate in the garden wall. It ran over her feet.
The man just stood there, gaping.
Ali was suddenly beside herself with frustration at the immobility of the
Time Lord. And to think, the Doctor had once chided her for loosing her
head in a desperate situation! With a yell that was partly anger and
partly frustration, she grabbed the man's arm.
"SHUT THE DOOR! Or we'll be drowned!"
A gale of dank air, driven by the collapsing tunnel, shouldered its way
into the TARDIS. It carried with it the thunderous roar of water and mud
gathering momentum.
A pillar of violet fire vaulted up from the shining water about a half mile
distant from the shore. Everybody stopped an stared for a frozen moment.
The water around the spot blossomed upwards, opening like a flower. From
the unfolding petals of steam a might column of mud, dirty water and marsh
detritus speared into the morning sky.
Then everyone began speaking at once.
Andersan gazed upon the spectacle for a long moment. The light of
understanding lit his grave features. His inner joy at the sight radiated
from his shining eyes. As he watched the mist thinned and blew away on the
light breeze. Where it had been was a hole in the world. The shining
water of the great marsh was whirling around and around and vanishing down
the hole. The spiraling water carried with it all kinds of marsh rubbish
and the giant crocodiles. Thrashing and clawing, the dangerous creatures
were sucked down out of sight.
Behind him the Executive retinue began to cry out in fear and terror. They
clutched at each other, eyes wide, mouths open as the hole swallowed the
world they knew.
Andersan turned to them, his face shining. "And it is written that upon
the return of the Traveller and the return of his property shall the land
rise anew from the waters and be given over to the Tribe of the Crew for
them to dwell upon for all of time as a reward for keeping the pledge.
Fear not. It is the Prophecy come to fruition as it is written in the
Captain's Log. Fear not, but rejoice. The hour is come. The land is
reborn for the joy of the Tribe."
And so saying, he turned and drew Anna, the Captain's Mate, close to his
side to watch their world rising from the water, reborn.
Confounding of the Imagination Part 6 - Christine D. Soto and Clive May
And so saying, he turned and drew Anna, the Captain's Mate, close to his
side to watch their world rising from the water, reborn.
"Staser fire?" The Doctor almost began to wonder if his bluff about the
Chancellery Guards might be taking on a life of its own.
Davros overheard his muttering.
"Doctor, you will return me to Skaro immediately!" He still was unsure if
the Doctor was telling the truth about the Timelord army, but the weapon's
fire certainly weighed as proof.
"Why not wait for Chancellery? I'm sure they will be along soon." He
forced his body to relax, better carry this as far as possible.
Davros signaled and a Dalek used its manipulator to grab Anna's wrist. She
was pulled away from Andersan before the Tribe could react.
The woman cried out in fear as the Tribesmen tried to rescue her. The
Daleks fired their weapons. The men of the Tribe fell lifelessly to the
mud. Anna cried hysterically, calling for Andersan.
"That was not necessary!" The Doctor bellowed furiously.
He stepped up to Davros angrily. The other Dalek caught hold of his wrist
and held him in place.
"Doctor, you will now return me to Skaro or I will command my Daleks to
that wreck to exterminate every living being there. Then I will order them
to kill this last remaining savage as well as an extra lesson in the folly
of not obeying my orders instantly!" Davros acted as though he was talking
to a child of three.
The Doctor seethed inwardly, his face red and his breath short. Anna
sobbed, senseless of the threat to her, lost in shock and grief.
There was nothing for it. "Alright!" the Doctor breathed. 'Alright. I'll
take you back to Skaro."
"A sensible decision," Davros observed mildly. "After you, Doctor."
The small group made their way through the reeds back to the TARDIS.
Ali stood in the doorway of the Genus-25 and peered into the gloom of
Tribe's Council chamber. This was certainly better than being at the
bottom of the drain for smelly marsh water. Ali stared around at the
ill-lit passages radiating away in all directions from the hall. They were
somewhere in the depths of the Starfire. Little of the original interior
fittings could be seen. Everywhere were tapestries and hangings. Reed
mats covered the corroding metal of the floors. Yes, definitely better.
Although...She sniffed. The place did have an aroma all of its own. It
was not so much unpleasant as...overpowering!
She turned to fix her gaze on the strange, lanky old man talking to some of
the natives. He looked to frail to hold up the heavy elegant, and now
somewhat dirty, robes. Gray hair fringed out from his skullcap. Knurled
hands gestured constantly as he spoke. Was this the same man who had not a
clue in the world about squeezing the trigger?
"Ali, please join us." Drambrozian beckoned, fixing on her with his gray
eyes.
At any other moment Ali would have had a facetious comment prepared, but
that was the furthest thing from her mind now. She left the doorway of the
Genus-25 and joined the group.
A stir ran around the gathered men and women. There were little gasps of
shock and fear. Many of them made the signs of warding off evil with their
hands, aiming the protective magic at Ali. They shuffled back away from
her presence, muttering darkly.
"Ali, this is Navarone. He has been telling me an interesting story..."
Drambrozian slipped effortlessly into "lecture mode" and began to elaborate
about the Prophecy.
Ali almost died of boredom, catching the meaningful bits in between.
Apparently someone called the Traveller had burst onto their ship during an
attack by demons and helped to crash land the ship onto this planet. He
had given something important into the keeping of the tribe against his
return. At least, to judge from the way the old Time Lord began to wave
his hands, to splutter, and began almost to shout, Ali judged it to be
quite important.
There was a commotion at the other end of the dome.
"Great Guide! Andersan, what has happened?" Navarone started out of the
daze Drambrozian caused.
Andersan stumbled to the ground panting. The Tribe surrounded him, but
left room as Navarone, Drambrozian, and Ali knelt beside him.
Ali checked his pulse. It was rapid, but steady. The man looked
exhausted, and the skin on his arm was seared.
"The Prophecy! Danger! The Traveller...The Demons have taken the Key of
the Traveller. The Prophecy...Anna...Anna..." He lost his voice but went
on mouthing silently, his eyes wide with shock.
"Andersan, what about the Traveller and Anna? What danger?" Navarone
gently shook the Captain.
"The Evil One has taken them to the Place of Skaro. Not written...not
written in the Log...Not written..." Andersan passed out.
Navarone looked at Drambrozian. His world was starting to fall apart.
Drambrozian stood up.
"We need to get this man some medical attention. I need three men to carry
him to my ship." Everyone stood motionless. "Now!"
Navarone and two others gently picked up and carried their Captain after
Drambrozian and Ali's lead.
They entered the Genus-25. Drambrozian led the men through the console
room, and Ali stayed behind to prevent the rest of the Tribe from
following.
"I think it best you remain outside for now. Please return to what you
were doing before and we will let you know what happens." She spoke in
commanding tones. They obeyed with alacrity, once more making those
warding off gestures at her. Ali frowned, wondering why they were so
afraid of her.
Once they were gone, Ali found and pressed the cherub that closed the outer
doors.
"Ali, I will need your help" Drambrozian said. He stood at the entrance to
the rest of his ship.
With a raised eyebrow, Ali went with him.
"How much longer will you trifle with your machine?" Davros asked
impatiently.
"Well, I couldn't say; I never had this type of damage before." The
flippant response came from the owner of the striped pants that protruded
from under the secondary console.
"I will not warn you, Doctor, of the fate of the savage should you attempt
to disobey or delay me any longer."
The Doctor had long been finished with repairs, but puttered around to
allow time to think. Time had just run out; and had not thought of
anything useful that he could do. He counted for two more minutes before
sliding out from under the console.
He checked the controls on the console; hopefully he remembered to
reconnect everything.
Anna was huddled in a corner quietly sobbing. A Dalek guarded her.
"We're ready. I've repaired as much as I could. I only hope we get there
in one piece." He set the TARDIS in motion. Under his breath he promised
Ali he would return for her just as soon as possible.
"He should heal up quite nicely." Drambrozian returned the medical
equipment back to their proper places. He hated to leave anything untidy.
Ali watched with the others in amazement of how much better Andersan's arm
looked. He was still unconscious.
"Tell me, Navarone, who is the Evil One?"
"He is the enemy of the Traveller. It is written that he invaded the Home
of the Tribe before it fell from the sky. Some said that the demons of the
Evil One caused the fall. It is said that Evil One had an army of 1000,
1000 metal demons. In the Prophecy, the Traveller is said to banish him
with the Key of the Tribe at the time the Captain returns the Key and the
land would rise from the water for the joy of the Tribe as a just reward.
Andersan said the Prophecy was in danger. Has the Evil One tricked the
Traveller? Is the prophecy false?" Navarone looked with eyes, haunted by
doubt, at his unconscious Captain.
Drambrozian looked very grave. "Do you know what the Evil One or the metal
demons look like?"
"Yes, they are in the Logbook. Why?"
"I have a suspicion. Please bring me the Logbook."
Navarone and his men left.
"Drambrozian, I shut the outer doors." Ali spoke up.
"I know. I just told the computer to open them." He smiled.
"What do you think is going on? Is the Doctor in danger?"
"My dear, the Doctor has been in some sort of danger since the day he first
drew breath." He gave her a mirthless grin. "But this time, I am afraid he
may well have over-reached himself. The young fool has been trying to
wrong foot destiny. Not a wise thing to attempt. Not wise at all. If he
is not careful he could find himself in a Blinovitch Loop."
Ali wasn't following this and was glad when the Time Lord deliberately
changed the subject.
"This is a nasty wound. He will awake soon, and will need looking after.
Do you have any healing knowledge?"
"I'm a physical therapist."
"Good. You must stay here and look after this man."
Drambrozian headed for the door.
"Hey," called Ali. "Where are you going?"
"I must get a look at that Log Book. It's vitally important that I know.
I may be able to prevent a major disaster."
"Wait a minute! I'm not a nurse."
Drambrozian swept out of the room.
Ali seethed. How had she gotten herself into this? A tiny headache
started just behind her eyes. She perched herself on a corner of the
table, moodily considered the unconscious man a long moment, then bent and
pulled off her one remaining shoe. She stared at it, contemplating
throwing it across the room, before putting it back on.
"I've given up enough stuff for one day." She took off her vest, and
managed to make a slipper out of it with some tape she found in a cabinet.
No one ever said she wasn't resourceful.
Drambrozian flipped quickly through the Logbook. The story was the typical
religious primitive description of true events beyond their comprehension.
He finally came upon a lasargraph of Davros and his metal abominations.
There was a peculiar insubstantial quality to them; but that was not what
caught his attention and pulled his long face into a grave expression. The
Daleks he had been expecting. That was bad enough, but the ethereal image
of Ali overlaying the lasargraph...
It was just the confirmation he was hoping against hope that he would not
find. He shook his head. "Oh dear, Doctor. I DO hope you know what
you're doing. I really DO hope you know what you're doing."
He turned his attention to the waiting Navarone. "Thank you for all your
help, Navarone. Ali and I must leave you now. We have to help the
Traveller."
"What about the Captain?"
"He will come with us. I need to keep him under medical care for a little
while longer, before he will be stable enough to return. It won't be for
long. I promise." He returned the Logbook and showed Navarone out.
He then shut the doors and quickly set his ship in motion. He would yet
make it to Skaro.
The ship gave a sudden lurch. The Chimes seemed to be playing backwards
and the water from the fountain that had not spilled on the floor flowed in
reverse. Yet again his ship was taking him where IT wanted to go, and
Drambrozian had a nasty suspicion it was back home to Gallifrey.
Ali, too, felt the lurch. She fell connecting her head with the corner of
the table. She hit the floor in a daze. After a few moments, she stood in
a stiff, mechanical manner.
"I will obey," she said in a harsh monotone.
The Doctor straightened and looked around the Dalek command center. The
Daleks were efficient; you had to give them that. There was no sign of the
damage that had been done the last time he was here. The door, which had
been cut down, was back. It was closed again, with five guard units
standing in a phalanx before it, their guns trained on him and the woman.
Davros sat in his chair nearby, holding up the black shiny key, and exuding
an air of insufferable smugness.
The Doctor shuddered at the sight. What if Davros suspected? If he did
then it was game, set, and match to the Daleks. He drew in a calming
breath. One thing at a time, he told himself. One thing at a time.
"I've cleared the virus," he announced.
Davros did not seem to hear him immediately. He continued to gloat over
the key in his claw. He came back to himself with a start.
"Excellent. Excellent. My monitors tell me that you have obeyed without
trickery. I am so glad that you have seen fit to co-operate fully." He
broke off to glare at the cowering woman in the corner by the lift shaft.
"But, of course, what choice did you have? Sentiment is a crippling
weakness, Doctor. That is why you have failed and my Daleks have
triumphed."
He rolled to the console and held up the key. He stared at the Doctor with
his sightless eyes. The Doctor felt a chill go down his spine. His grim
foreboding about the key worried at the certainty of his cleverness. Had
he tried to be too clever? No, that was unfair. There had been seconds
only to try and save the situation. What else could he have done?
Davros' next words confirmed his worst fears.
"What do you think will happen, Doctor, when I insert this?" A Dalek unit
rolled forwards. Clutched in its sucker was a gray cylinder. "This is, as
you have by now guessed, the link cylinder for that charming young Earth
woman so recently in your company. Now. What do you suppose will happen
if this is in place when I plug in the Matrix Key?" When the Doctor did not
answer, Davros went on in a chiding tone. "Come now, Doctor You must have
an opinion?"
He leaned his ruined head to one side. "Perhaps when the gate opens to the
Matrix my Imagination mind will be sucked in and drowned in all the
recorded reality of the Matrix? What then will be the fate of that young
woman?"
Still the Doctor said nothing. His mind was working furiously, but could
not find a path out of the deadly maze of events. There had to be
something he could do? There had to be something? He could not just stand
by and let Davros take over the universe.
Davros dropped a casual inquiry into the fraught silence. "No? Well, let
us see then."
Davros signed to the unit holding the cylinder. It rolled forward and
inserted it into a slot in the side of the console. A darting pattern of
lights ran over the tell-tales and readouts.
The Doctor realized he had badly miscalculated. He had banked on Davros'
eagerness to plug in the Matrix Key and open a reality phase with the
Matrix on Gallifrey. That was why, during the few seconds he had held the
key, he had desperately tried to re-program it. He had attempted nothing
grand, just a reversal of the flow so that the minds of the Imagination
would be absorbed and lost in the Matrix. Now, he suspected, his
programming had been undone and the Matrix lay at the mercy of the Daleks.
Which was just as well. If the Key worked properly, Ali would be lost
forever. Davros' production of Ali's link had been a bit of a shock. The
monster was toying with him. And he still did not know. With a grim
expression he waited to see which way the sword stroke would cut.
"You were too quick to hand the key over, Doctor." Davros explained.
"Naturally, I was suspicious so I checked and had it re-programmed. I now
have the Matrix at my command. I now rule the universe!"
Ali flew in the colors. The TARDIS medical room faded into a dream. Once
more her reality became the focal point of many, many voices, chanting
concepts mathematical and logistical, strategical - and full of a single
purpose...
The conquest of the universe!
So the mind of the Imagination reformed, accreting itself around Ali's
consciousness. The voices, thousands of them, melted, melding into one
voice - the voice of the Imagination. It was the voice of Davros, the
Creator of the Daleks. It gave orders. Orders that had to be obeyed.
The great creator wished a TARDIS of his very own. He would have this one,
the very latest model - for the Flagship of his invincible fleet.
Ali turned and left the room.
In the garden she marched up to the fountain and laid her hand over the
mind link. Now she had the power to form a link, she knew how; and she had
her orders.
With brutal directness, she severed Drambrozian's link. With a strangled
scream, the old man crumpled into the flower-beds. He thrashed around a
moment, holding his head, before becoming still.
Ali reset the controls for a new destination. This time the resistance of
the TARDIS was beaten down with contemptuous ease. It could not fend off
the will of thousands of minds focused through Ali.
Resistance was useless.
Moving in a dream, Ali turned and walked to the prone form of Drambrozian.
She prodded him with her bare foot. Drambrozian did not move. None too
gently, she rolled him onto his back. She hunted among the robes and
fetched out the staser. She rose and went to stand at the garden gate.
The materialization sound faded; the gate swung open; and she stepped out
into the Dalek command center. She raised the staser and aimed it at the
dismayed Doctor.
"Shall I exterminate the enemy of the Daleks now, Creator?" A harsh
monotonous tone inquired.
Davros considered this a long moment, as if thinking it over, then said in
a conversational tone. "Why. Yes my dear child. I think that would be a
very good idea. Exterminate the Doctor now!"
Ali squeezed the firing stud.
Confounding of the Imagination Part 7 - Christine Soto and Clive May
Ali squeezed the firing stud.
Nothing happened. She became as still as a mannequin.
The Doctor pulled a cricket ball from his pocket and threw it at Davros'
hand. With a yelp, Davros dropped the Key.
"Exterminate all of them!" He held his sore hand gingerly, rolling back out
of the way.
Anna screamed and the Doctor held his breath. This was going to be the
shortest regeneration yet.
The Daleks stood immobile.
"Daleks, obey me!"
Nothing moved in the command center. The lights on the panels blinked and
twinkled in the silence.
The long pause was broken by a light voice. "So sorry. But your little
army seems to have become rather indisposed just at the moment. Might I
suggest another alternative - surrender?"
Drambrozian stood in the doorway of his Genus-25, looking quite like the
professor who was tutoring a rather difficult student.
With a little sigh of relief, the Doctor smiled.
"You!" Davros hissed. "What have you done to my Daleks?"
Drambrozian held up a gray cylinder. Ingenious devices - these link
cylinders. Amazing what you can do with them and the new improved linking
facilities of a Genus-25." Drambrozian affectionately patted the doorway.
"I tapped into the Matrix and created a program that would cause a feedback
loop to occur in the mind of anyone linked in to the Imagination." He
glanced at the immobile Daleks. "Have you never heard of a quaint Earth
saying: 'Never put your eggs all in one basket'. You really ought to give
your units independence from the main controller. All this connectivity
has certain drawbacks. Would you not agree, Doctor?"
"Definitely." He had a huge grin on his face.
Drambrozian casually glided to the computer and reached for the input
panel. "Now all we have to do is implement a Carrion Pulse Wave Derivative
into the computer here and the Dalek fleet will receive some very unusual
instructions. Of course, had you the foresight to give them
independent..." Drambrozian was settled into his lecture mode and was well
under way.
"Wait!" The Doctor put a restraining hand on his arm. "Ali is linked as
well. If we send that pulse her mind will be destroyed. She is acting as
the focus of the Imagination." He fingered the end of the cylinder
protruding from its slot. "While the Gestalt mind is operating we can't
just remove the cylinder. That, too, would kill her."
Davros laughed.
"I've always known your compassion was your downfall, Doctor. How fitting,
for you to have to destroy your companion in the process of destroying my
Daleks. If you let my fleet go, I will allow Ali to return to you."
"No deal, Davros!" Drambrozian said quickly before the Doctor could
respond.
"Well, Doctor?"
"Husband!" Anna cried out happily. She ran to Andersan, who stood by the
Genus-25, in a dazed manner.
"Anna?"
They hugged tightly.
"I thought you would be lost in the marsh tides with the rest of the Crew
Sections." Anna had never been so glad to be wrong with an assumption in
all her life.
"That's it!" The Doctor suddenly shouted.
He picked up the Key and began to reprogram it.
"I can enter the Matrix and break the gestalt from within. When it comes
apart I can try and drag her clear from the vortex."
"Doctor, I don't need to tell you how dangerous that is for you. You can
be pulled away as well."
"A risk I'm willing to take. She risked her life for me quite enough
already." He tapped in the final information. "I'm ready. As soon as I
get in, you give me five minutes to find her, then initiate the
Derivative."
"You never did listen to my warnings, Doctor. Good luck!"
He closed his eyes. Drambrozian plugged in the Key. The Matrix opened and
swallowed the Doctor.
They faced each other in the misty waste of the water world - the Doctor,
and the thing that Ali had become. About her was a dimly seen haze of
pulsing colors, a rainbow mist of minds. Through it, where the ship of the
tribe should have been, was a shining expanse of water.
'You will give us the Key!' said the Focal point of the colors. The halo
of joined minds shimmered about her. She seemed to have grown in stature
but also to have thinned and become less substantial.
'Ali. You must fight it, Ali,' cried the Doctor. 'Please, Ali. You must
withdraw, allow the Imagination to disperse. The vortex will open as soon
as Drambrozian inputs the virus. The Imagination will be drawn off and
submerged. You must let it go or the Matrixial Vortex will drag you down
with it. Please Ali.'
But she was not listening. 'You will surrender us the Key. We shall
triumph. Surrender the key,' Ali chanted. The fog of intelligence
thickened about her. 'You will surrender the Key now...Or we shall take
it!'
'Ali..'
'We are not Ali. We are the Imagination.'
'Ali, please,' pleaded the Doctor, his voice strained. From his pocket he
took the gray cylinder that had begun the madness for Ali. 'You know what
this is?'
Ali hissed wordlessly.
'You know what will happen if I crush it!'
The curtain of living colors rippled with agitation. 'You will not,' said
Ali with contempt. 'Your compassion weakens you.' She raised her arms.
'And since you will not surrender the key. Then we must take it!'
Ali brought her hands around in a wide sweep. Suddenly the area behind her
was filled with Dalek units. And behind them, a ghostly image of Davros
glowered. As one the Dalek guns swiveled to focus on the Doctor.
The Doctor smiled grimly. So. The destiny foretold could not be averted.
He had given it his best try, but he had never really thought he could
change this particular probability. It seemed that Blinovitch would have
his pound of flesh after all.
With a heavy heart the Doctor opened his mind, touched the core of the
Matrix, and fled away down the corridors of time. And, as he knew they
must, the Imagination's followed him into the past, into a reality of his
own manufacture.
The man in the Chief Engineer's uniform looked up from his station. His
eyes went wide at sight of the stranger standing in the engine room. 'Who
are you?' he asked starting to rise. A moment later a force of squat Dalek
units materialized behind the sad faced stranger.
Other Power Room officers turned at the shout, just in time to see the
Chief Engineer jerk and writhe in agony as the Daleks blasted him down.
With heavy hearts the Doctor ran down the passageways, trying to stop his
ears to the horrible sounds issuing from the Power Room hatch. The cries
of agony and the screeching battle cries of the Daleks pursued him down the
passageway. In his head the words "what will be will be" kept going around
and around. He had put himself in danger over and over again, moved
mountains with his bare hands but he had not been able to prevent this
slaughter.
Dalek units came into the far end of the passageway, guns blazing, cutting
down the panicking passengers and crew alike. And he could do nothing. He
set his jaws grimly and plunged on.
He dived onto the bridge squeezing between the closing blast doors.
Employing every bit of his command voice training he took control, brushing
aside all and every question. He began to snap out orders.
He worked at the controls feverishly. It seemed to go on for hours, the
bridge crew working around him, following his orders.
The end came suddenly with a world shattering crash. Jagged rents opened
in the walls of the bridge, water and mud poured in, flooding over the
floor.
The Doctor was still talking earnestly to the Captain, detailing what must
happen now, ignoring the hammering against the outside of the blast doors.
There was a final mighty concussion and the blast doors, that had held the
Daleks at bay, buckled inwards. Through the gap strode Ali, her eyes
gleaming in the darkness.
The Doctor opened his mind again. Once more he fled away down the
corridors of probability, back to the Matrixial reality of the water world.
Now, in the distance, the bulk of the downed liner brooded on the horizon.
'Foolish! Foolish! Doctor. There is nowhere you can run in the Matrix
that we cannot track you. Now. Give me the Key!'
Ali stood before him, at her back the Imagination generated Daleks.
'I haven't got it any more.'
'You abandoned it on the ship,' said Ali turning to look at the gray bulk
in the water.
'I gave it to the Captain with certain instructions.'
'It is the work of a moment to retrieve it.' The halo of colors rippled.
She started to fade. A look of effort and concentration formed on her
face. The Dalek units faded as she dedicated the whole of the the
Imagination to going back. But the effort was in vain. Try as it might,
the Imagination could not roll back time.
'Blinovitch Limitation,' observed the Doctor conversationally. 'It works
here in the reality of the Matrix because what is here is a reflection of
what is real. What happens here happens there. Blinovitch cannot be
circumvented. Not even in this reflection of the universe.'
Ali turned back to him, her face a mask of hatred. 'For that: a special
punishment is earned,' she snarled. 'For every year from then to now a
populated planet will be destroyed before your eyes. Consider it, Doctor.
How many thousands of years have elapsed since the liner came down. A
planet for every one. We shall exterminate! WE SHALL EXTERMINATE!'
Ali's voice had taken on a multiple quality, shadowed by the tones of
Davros.
Somewhere else, Drambrozian, counting backwards, reached zero, and pressed
the key to enter the program.
'Oh. I rather think not. Look!'
The Doctor pointed to the water a few yards away. A violent beams struck
upwards. Steam roared and boiling water erupted. Almost instantly a
whirlpool grew in the water.
'Drambrozian has entered the program,' announced the Doctor. He held up
the cylinder before Ali. Then, with an exaggerated motion, flung it into
the heart of the whirlpool.
Somewhere, something snapped.
The scenery began to change a little. The material of the dome began to
transform into emerald.
Ali screamed. The halo of light contorted, writhed and shimmered, began to
dissipate. A great roaring wind blew up out of nowhere, tearing the
distressed curtain of consciousness into tattered shreds and whirling them
away. In the distance a bit of yellow began to show through the mud and
debris.
The rip-tide of spiraling water took them both. Clutching each other, they
went down into the cold embrace of the water.
'ALI?' the Doctor yelled as she began to fight him. 'Ali, the Imagination
is broken. Let them go! You are Ali! Remember! Ali!' But the racing
water and the roaring wind funneling out of existence through the hole in
reality drowned his voice. Ali continued to fight him.
He caught a glimpse of the growing strip of yellow stones that now led to
the emerald dome. It was now or never, if he couldn't get through the
crack that led to Ali's mind, they would be lost in the Matrix.
He slapped her, slapped her again. 'Remember!' he yelled.
'Remember...Remember Toto...Remember Kansas...Kansas.'
Ali's struggling subsided. 'Toto?'
'Yes! Toto! Remember.'
'Ali remembers...The Yellow Brick Road...Ali...I...remember.'
'Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Ali! Follow the Yellow Brick Road. See.
Here it is. Set your foot to it; and we'll be off to see the Wizard! Come
on, Ali? Follow the Road!'
Suddenly, under her feet, Ali felt a firm surface. Sputtering and gasping,
clinging to the rock of the Doctor's certainty, she got a footing on the
road.
And found herself back in the control room.
With a great sigh, she sunk to the floor in the middle of a spreading pool
of water and marsh detritus.
"I will not allow you to destroy my fleet!" Davros spat. He flicked a
switch on his console. A weapon hidden in the base of his chair sighted on
the group. "I shall exterminate you all!"
"No! You shall not win, Evil One." Andersan ran up to Davros and smashed
his fist with shattering force into the console Sparks flew into Davros'
face. He gurgled and flopped over on one side as his life support system
malfunctioned. He went into dormant mode.
"A timely intervention. Thank you, young Andersan." Drambrozian said He
moved to aid the Doctor and Ali.
Ali awoke to find herself lying on the cold hard floor of the Daleks'
headquarters. With a start she sat up, immediately regretting it from the
headache now pounding. The staser was still in her grip.
The Doctor was lying face-down in the same pool of water beside her. He
moaned as his eyes opened.
"I should have killed you!" She said in surprise, throwing the weapon away.
"Actually my dear, that weapon is quite useless. Its powerpacks were spent
when I shot through the roof of the tunnel." Drambrozian smiled wryly as he
retrieved the weapon and stored it in the folds of his robe. He helped Ali
up.
Andersan and Anna were standing together in front of Drambrozian's
Genus-25.
"I will return you to your Tribe. Please go inside and make yourself
comfortable."
"Thank you, Lord Drambrozian." Andersan said ready to escort his wife
inside. "And thank you, Traveller, for saving my mate as well."
He made a motion with his hand that had had its origins in a crisp formal
salute, bowed to the Doctor, who was now standing and looking only a little
soaked.
"Ah, you're welcome. Good luck to you and your Tribe."
"Well, Doctor, it is time for me to go. I will take the Key if you don't
mind. I am heading that way. I am truly sorry about all this. But it has
provided me with a lesson that I shall ponder and hopefully be able to
prevent happening to others. Goodbye!"
Drambrozian had spoken rather too quickly as he shook the Doctor's hand.
"Goodbye, Ali. Thank you for your help." He glided into his ship and the
door swung shut.
"Drambrozian? Wait!" The Doctor shouted running up to the Genus-25.
There was a quiet whir and Drambrozian's ship vanished.
"He had quite a bit of explaining to do!" He paused remembering the
lectures. "Then again, I don't know if I want to listen to him for that
long."
"What?" Ali asked.
"Nothing. Come along, Ali. We have quite a trip back to the TARDIS."
"Doctor we can't leave Davros here like this."
"Why not?" He paused to examine Davros, and the computer.
"When he wakes up, he will try all over again!"
"Oh Davros will be out of commission for rather a long time, and the heart
of the Imagination has been drawn into the Matrix and absorbed. It is
damaged beyond repair."
"He could try again after he wakes up."
"Not likely. Davros never does repeat performances. Especially since all
of the remaining transport cylinders have disintegrated by now." As he
spoke, he opened a plate next to the door, and did some rewiring.
"So you're telling me it's over."
"For now."
Ali looked thoughtful. She watched the Doctor a moment as he worked at the
door panel. At last, frowning in puzzlement, she asked: 'Doctor?'
The Doctor stiffened at her tone. 'It's not about the Key? Is it?'
'Well...Yes. Doctor Where did the Key come from. What I mean is...You
received the Key from Andersan and then took it back. So, where did it
come from in the first place?'
The Doctor straightened, and turned to face her. He considered her puzzled
frown then took pity on her. 'It's simple. Drambrozian had it on him when
he was transported. When we met on the walkway, I was trying to get it
back and wreck the Imagination at the same time. I had the Key in my
pocket which was why I was so desperate to get out of the Headquarters.'
'I still don't see...?'
'I'll draw you a diagram when we get back to the TARDIS,' said the Doctor
with a grin. Come on. Shall we go?'
He took her arm and guided her through the open door.
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"You not only look different, but you don't act like yourself anymore!"
"There is no reason I should. I have a new personality. Though granted
one always tends to be less adept at prioritizing priorities when one has
newly regenerated. So you have not actually seen the new me at my best."
They emerged from the lifeless Dalek headquarters, and began walking across
the cold desert.
"Not seen you at your best! Doctor, you've been reckless since I've met
you!"
"Reckless?"
He strode ahead of Ali, which was easy for him with his long legs. She
managed to pace herself though. How dare he walk away from her!
"Oh don't play the innocent here. Because of you I was a laser target,
brainwashed, and repeatedly almost eaten or drowned. Not to mention losing
my shoes!"
The Doctor abruptly stopped. She stopped as well. He looked at her hard.
Somehow she had managed to use her vest as a covering for her barefoot.
"May I remind you that you were the one who initiated the events you
describe by picking up that cylinder you found on Earth." He said in a smug
tone. He never did like being the accused.
Whatever Ali was going to say next, she swallowed. She started to walk
again in silence. With a quiet sigh, the Doctor followed.
The wind blowing over the desert seemed very loud as they finished their
journey to the TARDIS.
As the sun on Skaro slid yet again behind the mountains, they stood at the
door of the Police Box. He opened the door and allowed her to enter first.
They were in the wood paneled console room.
As the Doctor drew breath to speak, Ali broke the silence first.
"Doctor, I'm sorry for what I said. It wasn't your fault. If it weren't
for you, I would still be inside that machine. I also know you risked a
lot, much which I won't even pretend to understand, to save a lot of
people."
"That is very cricket of you to say that, Ali. I accept your apology, but
only if you accept mine for what I said to you. Anyone could have found
that cylinder and picked it up." He seemed a little flushed from having to
open himself up in this way.
"I hope you will stay on for a while. I need someone to help me keep my
priorities straight every now and again."
"I think I can hack it for a while."
"Then welcome aboard, Ali!"
The Doctor extended his hand with a cheery smile. Ali smiled in return and
shook his hand.
In the cold desert night, the only sound carried on the wind was that of a
TARDIS dematerializing.
...
He wandered through the metallic corridors staring at the lifeless robots.
The cylinder he found in the corner of his prison cell had disintegrated
soon after his arrival. The Warden was known to do nasty things to the
Inmates. So his time had finally come.
Well he wouldn't give up without causing a good bit of damage. He never
should have been sent to that rock in the first place. The AYEN
Corporation would pay for stealing his design someday.
Salbetan entered a room where a decrepit creature, who was sitting in the
bottom half of one of those robots, sat next to a severely damaged
computer. There was a flickering light on the creature's console.
"Get that piece of trash up and running, and maybe I'll find out what's
going on."
Another story for another time...
------------------------------------------------------------------
Main Page