At the far end of the room, Warden Mithrael stood defiant, arms folded as the soldiers around him screamed and died. He said nothing, did nothing. Waiting for death. Beside him, a woman was caught full in the blast of a VETAC’s fire, was hurled backwards to land in a broken, smoking mess against the wall. Mithrael’s jaw tightened, his cheek quivered slightly, but otherwise he remained firm and still. He was still standing unmoved when the next burst of liquid flame engulfed him. The flames licked round his upright form, taking hold and bursting through his armour, but still he did not move or fall. At last he crumpled, first to his knees, then forward on to his blackened face.
*
Victoria was running, running faster than ever before, or so it seemed. Her hair was breaking free of its ponytail and stinging in her eyes. In front of her Helana Trayx’s white gown blew back, away from her body as she ran. It occurred to Victoria that she should have thought to put her own clothes back on over the under-armour as Helana had done. And almost immediately she was glad she had not. She felt weighed down and sluggish as it was. Jamie was dragging her by the wrist as her feet seemed to be getting heavier and slower.
Behind her Logall, Darkling, Haden and a few others were running backwards, firing all the time. At the far end of the corridor, as she looked back over her shoulder and tried to shake the hair from her face, Victoria saw the VETACs framed in the doorway. They were moving fast now – faster than such heavy creatures had any right to move. They were almost running.
A bolt of lighting cut into the wall above Victoria, blowing chunks of plaster and stone across the corridor. A soldier close beside her collapsed in a smoking ruin as his legs were blown from under him. There was a smell of burning in the air. The only light came from the occasional red emergency bulbs and the destructive fire that shot from the VETACs’ arms and from the soldiers’ weapons.
Another soldier was caught in a blast, knocked sideways into the wall and bouncing back into the corridor. Victoria screamed as she jumped over the body, as she saw the sightless eyes staring back up at her. She could not even hear her scream above the sound of the battle.
Ahead of them the corridor stretched seemingly for ever in a straight line. No cover. No escape.
Then a door.
‘In here, quick,’ the Doctor shouted. Again his voice seemed to carry where other sound was lost.
‘No, Doctor, keep running.’ Trayx was shouting, barely audible.
The Doctor dragged him into the room, Trayx’s face a mask of surprise at the Doctor’s sudden strength. ‘We’ll all be dead before we reach the next doorway.’
They tumbled into the room after the Doctor and Trayx. Logall was last in, his right shoulder sagging and smoking through the armour. His face was contorted with pain as he pushed the door shut and collapsed against it, slipping slowly down until he was sitting on the floor. Haden reached over him and slammed bolts home. Then she stooped down to help Logall. Darkling joined her, helping to loosen the captain’s armour. The room was stained blood red by the emergency lighting.
‘The door is duralinium-lined.’ Prion’s voice was as calm as ever. Apart from Kesar, he was the only one whose forehead wasn’t running with perspiration. Helana was retching in the corner of the room, trying to get her breath back. ‘It will hold them for a short while.’
‘So what’s your plan, Doctor?’ Trayx asked between gasps.
‘Plan? Well, we escape. Get as far away as possible before they get through the door.’
Trayx nodded. ‘Good plan,’ he muttered.
‘Doctor,’ Jamie was looking round. ‘Doctor –’
‘It’s all right, Jamie.’ The Doctor was mopping his brow with his handkerchief. ‘We’ll get our breath back first, then be on our way.’
‘There is one small flaw in your plan, however.’ Trayx was leaning forward, hands on knees and breathing deeply.
‘Oh?’
‘This room has only one door.’
‘What?’
‘Aye, Doctor,’ Jamie said. ‘I was trying to tell you.’
The noise echoed round the small room like an explosion. It was a heavy metallic thud, as if something had slammed into the other side of the door. Everyone turned to look as the sound was repeated. Splinters of wood flew from the door, revealing the dented metal beneath.
‘Oh my word,’ the Doctor said. His finger was looped into the corner of his mouth. ‘I think I might have been a bit of a silly billy.’
The VETACs from the Banqueting Hall had split into two groups. One was smashing its way into the room where their ultimate objective – Kesar – was cornered. The other group had made its way to the point where the main access corridor was blocked.
With VETACs now working from both sides to clear the rubble, it would not be long before the way was passable.
VC5 knew all of this: through the VETAC units he experienced it all as if he were there. It seemed as if the objective was almost achieved, though the corridor would still need to be cleared for the return to the cruiser. But VC5 knew enough about Milton Trayx, had enough of Trayx’s expertise programmed into his own expert systems, to know that nothing was yet certain.
Jamie was once more at a loose end. Together with the surviving soldiers he stood facing the door as the wooden shell splintered and the metal beneath dented and bulged under the impact of the blows from outside. It could not be long before the door collapsed inward. And then…
Behind Jamie, Victoria sat with Helana. Trayx had spent a few moments reassuring his wife before huddling into a muted conference with Prion, Kesar, Cruger and the Doctor. Helana sat quietly, clasping one hand tightly in the other for a short while, then swapping them round. She seemed to be staring into space – her only reaction had been when Victoria put her arm gently round Helana’s shoulders. Then she had smiled. It was a thin nervous smile, but a show of appreciation nonetheless.
At the back of the room, the Doctor had finished his abject apologies and was now explaining how he intended to redeem the situation.
‘The sonic signal,’ the Doctor was saying, ‘should resonate at a frequency which is in harmony with the individual molecules in the mortar between these stones.’ He pointed to the heavy stone blocks from which the back wall of the room was built.
‘And what does that mean?’ Cruger asked.
‘It means you should stand clear,’ the Doctor replied, holding up his sonic screwdriver. With his free hand, he shielded his eyes. ‘Could be some dust,’ he warned, and promptly sneezed.
It took only a few seconds before the sonic screwdriver began to have a visible effect. Distressed mortar was trickling like sand from between the stones in the wall, falling to the floor and making little heaps in line with the edges of the stone blocks.
The Doctor lowered the sonic screwdriver at last, slipping it into his coat pocket. ‘Now where’s Jamie got to?’ he asked, flicking his hanky in front of his face in a fruitless attempt to disperse some of the fine dust that clogged the air by the wall. ‘Jamie,’ he called as he coughed. ‘Jamie, come over here and lend a hand, will you?’
‘That door’s not going to hold much longer,’ Jamie told them when he arrived. ‘What is it you want, Doctor?’
‘I’d like a few of those stone blocks removed, if you can manage that. Just enough to make room for us all to squeeze through.’
Jamie looked dubiously at the wall – the blocks were large and obviously heavy.
‘Don’t worry, Prion will lend a hand, won’t you, Prion? Good, I thought you would.’ The Doctor smiled. ‘I imagine he’s quite strong under that unassuming exterior.’
‘Doctor,’ Jamie hissed, ‘he’s a –’
‘I know, Jamie. It’s all right. And we need his strength. Unless you can manage it on your own.’ He raised an eyebrow, as if the question was genuine.
It took Jamie, Prion, Trayx and Darkling to shift the first stone block. There was little room to manoeuvre it even with the mortar gone. But once that first block was gone, the othe
rs were easier to push through to the far side of the wall. Before long, there was a gap almost big enough for a man in battle armour to squeeze through.
Almost.
Then the door sagged inward, twisting around on the surviving lower hinge, wrenching free and pivoting downward to the floor. Through the opening, half a dozen VETACs were visible. Already they were stepping forward, pushing the door away from them even as it fell, crossing the threshold into the small room. Bolts of blaster fire scythed across the room, cutting down two of the soldiers where they stood.
Darkling and Haden fired almost simultaneously. The leading VETAC was held in place, framed in the doorway by the power of the blast. It seemed to be struggling to proceed, as if caught in a fierce wind, battling its way forwards.
‘Come on!’ At the back of the small room, Trayx pushed Victoria after his wife through the hole they had made in the wall. Cruger was close behind her. The Doctor was practically jumping up and down beside the gap in the stonework. ‘Hurry up, quickly.’ He waved to Jamie. ‘You next.’
‘I’m not –’ Jamie started.
‘Yes you are,’ Trayx said before he could finish. He put his hand behind Jamie’s head and forced it down as he propelled him through the gap. Jamie coughed as the dust caught in his throat. He forced his way between the stones, felt them scrape at his shoulders through the padded under-armour. Then he was free and falling forward into the corridor beyond. Victoria helped him to his feet, and Jamie turned in time to help drag the Doctor through after him.
Logall saw it all through a blur. The pain in his wounded shoulder was like a knife thrust deep into him. He was slumped at the base of the wall beside the door, looking up at the VETAC that was held back by Darkling and Haden’s combined fire. The few other troops who had survived the attack in the Banqueting Hall and the subsequent chase down the corridor were already making their way through the gap in the wall. Soon only Haden and Darkling would be left. And Logall.
He struggled to pull himself upright. He had no idea where his weapon was, could not see it in the dim light. The output from Darkling’s blaster was already fading – it needed a chance to recharge itself. ‘Go!’ Logall shouted hoarsely at the two soldiers. ‘Get out now.’
They were backing away, but they would have to stop firing to turn and force their way through the narrow hole in the wall. And as soon as one of them stopped firing, or as soon as Darkling’s weapon expended its main power, the VETACs would be on them.
Logall staggered forward, pushing himself away from the wall, hoping that one of the two would see him. He smiled grimly through the pain as he heard Haden shout to Darkling to cease fire. And he stumbled into the now advancing VETAC.
‘Get out,’ Logall shouted again. He did not look back to see if they were obeying him. ‘That’s an order.’
The VETAC was swinging round, the weapon pod built into the right arm coming up to cover him. To kill him. Logall hurled himself forward with the last of his energy. He saw the flames erupting from the VETAC’s forearm as he dived towards it. He felt the icy fire eating through his armour and into his body as he reached out with clawed hand. His fingers scrabbled across the VETAC’s control unit, felt for the recess he knew was located between the unit and the armpit, felt his fingertips brush against the small ring set into the recess.
He grasped the ring tight, held on with the last of his strength, felt the force of the blast hurling him backwards. And felt the pressure of his fingers round the ring. Knew that he was still holding it.
The warning bleep was louder than the blood in his ears as Logall fell back. The red light flashing in time to the bleep was all he could see. The light of the VETAC’s control unit flashed faster, the bleep was quickening, gaining volume as it rose in pitch. As it reached a crescendo, Logall closed his eyes. Or, perhaps, it just went dark.
Haden pulled Darkling through the gap. She could hear the destruct warning from the VETAC behind them and knew what Logall had done. As soon as Darkling was clear, she pushed him ahead of her down the corridor after the others. Then she dived out of the way.
A second later, a huge ball of smoke and fire exploded through the hole in the wall, showering debris across the corridor. In among the stone and dust were the small fragments of the VETAC. Shards of stone rained down on them as they ran. The heat of the blast overtook them, while the blast wave carried them forward like a tail wind. She grabbed at Darkling, and felt his arm round her as he dragged her along.
There were few of them left now, thought Trayx: himself and Helana, the Doctor and his companions, Kesar, Prion and Cruger and eight troopers, including Darkling and Haden. They hardly spoke as they traversed the dimly lit passageways. Trayx led the way, his face set in a determined expression as he marched swiftly along the corridors of Santespri.
Before long they reached a set of heavy doors. They were made of thick, dark metal, studded with large rivets and braced with bands of duralinium. Trayx stood aside to let Kesar through first.
As he passed, Kesar paused, and turned to Trayx. ‘So,’ he said, ‘we are all prisoners now, it seems.’ Then he stepped through the doorway.
‘Where are we?’ Victoria asked.
‘This is the entrance to the Secure Area,’ Trayx said. ‘The prison, in effect. It was built to keep Kesar and his fellows in. But it can equally well keep the VETACs out.’
‘Aye, but will it?’ Jamie wondered.
‘For a while,’ Prion answered. ‘Even their weaponry and resources will take time to penetrate the security.’
‘So we just wait in here until they do get through? Is that it?’
‘Not entirely.’ Trayx held his hand up to stop his wife as she approached the doorway. Then he beckoned two of the soldiers to join her. ‘Sanjak, Howper. You three will head back for my ship. We’re lucky that the VETACs did not destroy it on their final approach, and we can’t afford to ignore the opportunity it presents.’
‘I’m not leaving you,’ Helana said quietly. ‘Not ever.’
‘You are leaving us.’ Trayx’s voice was firm. ‘I want you away from here. I can’t afford to have you here with me when I need a clear mind. And I do need you to go for help.’
‘Someone else can go.’
‘No. You must go. Get a message to Consul Jank. If anyone can persuade him to take a stand, to finally make a decision for himself, it is you.’
She considered. Finally she nodded, her face pale and drawn. ‘I’ll get help,’ she said. Then she leaned forward, put her arm round Trayx’s neck and pulled him close to her. She kissed him long and hard.
‘Doctor,’ Trayx said when he was done. ‘There is room on the ship for one other person.’
The Doctor nodded. ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘I would appreciate that.’
Jamie’s mouth dropped open. ‘Doctor, you’re not leaving us –’
But the Doctor was waving him to silence. ‘No, Jamie, no,’ he said quietly. ‘He didn’t mean me.’
Jamie’s eyes widened slightly as he realised what Trayx had meant.
‘Victoria,’ the Doctor was calling.
‘Yes, Doctor?’
‘I want you to do something for me, if you would.’
‘Yes?’
‘Go with Helana, will you? Look after her, and make sure she’s all right.’
Victoria looked from the Doctor to Jamie, then back again.
‘Please, Victoria.’ The Doctor’s voice was deathly quiet. ‘It is important. We’ll see you again soon.’
She was still looking into the Doctor’s face when Helana Trayx took Victoria’s arm. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘We’d better be on our way.’
Trayx and the Doctor stood together, Jamie beside them, as they watched Victoria, Helana and the two soldiers start off down the corridor. They watched until the figures were out of sight. Then they turned and crossed into the Secure Area. Trayx closed and sealed the huge blast doors behind them.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
POISONED PAWN
THE DUST WAS thick and heavy, huge opaque clouds of it rolling along the floor of the corridor. Every detonation that the sappers set off added to the grey fog of pulverised stone. But the VETACs’ optical systems were able to pick out each discrete mote of material and eliminate it from the picture fed into their processing systems. The area behind the speck of dust was filled in by an expert system that analysed the space around it, and then filled in the blank.
The resultant picture was slightly grainy, slightly uneven, since there was so much alien material to be eliminated and replaced, but once computer-enhanced and sharpened it was more than adequate to show VC5 the progress his units were making in digging through the obstruction in the main corridor. A similarly enhanced picture from the less sophisticated units on the far side of the barrier showed him that they were making equally encouraging progress.
Soon, very soon, the main force of VETACs would breach the fortress.
Their journey seemed unnervingly slow to Victoria. The area they were in was better furnished than where they had left the Doctor, Jamie and the others. The walls were panelled with dark wood that looked like oak, and there was a thin faded carpet running down the middle of the corridor.
Every so often, the corridor widened into a formal room. If colour had once been a theme separating the rooms, the paintwork and fabrics were so faded and worn now that it was impossible to tell. The result was that while they were undoubtedly making progress, each room seemed much like the last. To Victoria it was as if they were going in endless circles, chasing their own shadows and waiting to be found.
The two soldiers were taking it in turns to scout ahead or bring up the rear. Howper was the more serious, and Victoria guessed he was older. Sanjak seemed happy to be doing something. He had more energy than his colleague, led them forward more quickly when he was out in front. Perhaps he was simply reckless.
‘How much further?’ Helana asked Howper as he passed her, swapping places with Sanjak at an intersection. It was the third time she had asked in as many minutes.
Doctor Who: Dreams of Empire: 50th Anniversary Edition Page 18