Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 14 - Vanderdeken

by Christopher Bulis (pdf)

  Rexton simply strode away down the corridor, Bendix beside him. Dessel

  motionedtheotherson,thentookuptherear,carryinghisshoulder-slungrifleat theready,turningeveryfewpacestocheckbehindthem.

  Thecorridorranonforoverahundredmetres,givingtheillusiontheywere

  crossingaverylonghump-backedbridge.Halfwayalongitalargeplaquewas

  mountedonthewall,coveredwithmoreoftheshapestheyhadseenonthehatch

  keypads,plusanarrayofadditionalgeometricsymbols.Lysetphotographedit.

  'Well,Doctor?'Rextonaskedexpectantly.

  'Sony?' said the Doctor, who had been tilting his head and squinting at the jumbleofsymbols.

  'Whatdoesitsay?'

  'Idon'tknow.Ican'treadit.'

  'Noteventhenumbers?'

  "They'renotnumbers.'

  'Butthey'rethesamesymbolsasonthekeypads.Weassumed-'

  'Itcanbedangeroustoassumeanything.They'reallletters.'

  'Butthenifyoudecipheredthekeypads,whynotthis?'

  'Because it's gibberish.'And he smiled, as though inviting Rexton to join in his appreciation of the joke the universe was playing on them. Rexton merely gloweredandstompedaway.

  AstheycontinuedalongthecorridorSamwhisperedtotheDoctor,'Ithought

  youcouldreadalmostanylanguage.'

  'Notifitcontainsnointelligence.Thatdisplayreallywasnonsense.'

  'Thenwhyputitupthere?'

  TheDoctordidn'tanswer.

  Sam became aware of a deep, slow, throbbing pulse that reverberated

  throughthethinairandalongthefloorfromsomewhereaheadofthem.Theend

  ofthetunnelcameintoviewandtheyapproachedcautiously.Thespacebeyond

  widenedandsuddenlytheywerestandingonagalleryencirclinganopenshaft

  as wide as the landing bay. Above were more galleries linked by long spiral ramps. The centre of the shaft was half filled with massive conduits made of glass or plastic which glowed with multicoloured inner light. Between them were glittering metal grids, lenses and mirrors, all set at angles as though to deflectenergyoutoftheverticalshaftandofftothesides.

  'Hell of a setup,' Delray exclaimed, as Lyset began snapping away at the scene.

  'Ifthisisapowerplant,thenit'slikenothingI'veeverseenbefore,'Manders

  admitted.

  Rextonlookedabouthiminsilentaweandsatisfaction.

  Samsteppedovertothegalleryrailandpeeredupward.Thejumbleofpipes

  andlensesseemedtoblurintoahazehighaboveher.

  'Itmustrunrightupthecentreofthetower,'shesaid.

  Shelookeddown.Thestrangearrayofconduitsranintodarkness,likepipes

  disappearing into a well. In fact, she could almost imagine she could see reflections of water in the distance. She narrowed her eyes. There really were sparkles of light down there - blurred streaks of softly scintillating colour that seemedtodriftatsomeindeterminatelevel.SherealisedtheDoctorwasbyher

  sidefollowinghergaze.

  'Isthatthemaintunnelthatrunsthroughtheship?'Samwondered.'

  'Ithinkso.'

  'But it's open to space at either end. I suppose there must be a pressure

  curtainorsomethingkeepingtheairinhere.'

  'Or something,' the Doctor agreed. He sounded distracted and was staring intentlyintotheinkyblackness.

  'Andwhatarethosecolouredlights?'sheasked.

  'Iratherthinkthey'restars.'

  'What?'

  Theothershadheardhimtoo,andsuddenlyhewasthefocusofattentionfor

  severalincredulousfaces.

  'You'llsee,'hesaid.'Comeon!'

  Andbeforeshecouldaskanymore,hewasboundingupthenearestrampto

  thenextlevel.Theothersfollowedafterhiminconfusion.

  Thegalleryabovewascrossedbyoneoftheconduitarraysrunningoffthe

  centralshaft.Thecoreofthiswasatubeofsilverywiremesh,surroundedbya

  framework of supporting struts.The Doctor followed it along a radial corridor and into a large semicircular room.The open end of the tube faced an array of angledmeshpanelsmountedonasolid-lookingblackplinth.

  Theseseemedtoserveasprismsandmirrorstowhateverenergywasbeing

  guided down the conduit, for smaller conduits radiated out from it into half a dozen large banks of twisted green, bronze and silver machinery which were rangedinanarcaboutthewallsoftheroom.

  Samwalkedovertooneofthem.Itscontrolpanelwaspatternedwithlarge,

  round,multicolouredbuttonsarrangedinshortarcs,togetherwithcircularglass

  display screens, all labelled with embossed lines of the unreadable alien script.

  Thefloorbetweenthefreestandingequipmentwaslaidoutwithgridsandtrack

  lines,presumablyindicatingthepathsofreflectedorrefractedbeams.Setalong

  theselinesweremountedblocksandpanelsofvariousmaterials,asthoughthey

  mightbetesttargetsforexposuretothebeams.Manderswasexaminingoneof

  thesecuriously.'Itseemsfibrous,likedriedmossandplantstems.Whatwould

  anybodywantwiththat?'

  ThenSamrealisedwherethechamberwassituated.

  'This is the inside of one of those projecting fins higher up the tower,' she said.'Iwonderedwhattheywerefor.'

  'Laboratories or control rooms, I should think,' said the Doctor. 'They're probablyarrangedlikethissotheycanbetiltedtocompensateforgravityshifts-

  did you notice the overlapping segmentations along the entrance corridor?' He ducked nimbly under the mesh tubes so that he could examine the strange machinery more closely. "They tap the central core for energy to run experiments, and probably also feed modulated power or matter back into it to controltheshaftpotentials.'

  'Butwhy?What'sitsfunction?'Mandersdemanded.'What'sthiswholeship meanttodo?'

  The Doctor bunked at them in genuine surprise. He really forgets how

  differentheissometimes,Samthought.Ireallyforget.

  TheDoctorlookedatRexton.'Youknow,don'tyou?'hesaid.

  'WhatdoIknow,Doctor?'Rextonrepliedimpassively.

  The Doctor sighed.'Yes, I was afraid you did. Well there's no point in keeping it a secret then. Obviously this whole ship is an experimental

  hyperspatialbridge.'

  ***

  They placed the strips of explosive Tane had requested in a large circle inside therimofthehatchway.Nottrustingtoelectronicdetonatorsorcommandwires,

  they were using a simple chemical fuse. From the shuttle cabin, Argen saw Corporal Martel pull the activator toggle. The squad withdrew in close order, eyesalwaysscanningtheshadowsfortheunknownenemythathadkilledtheir

  comrades.They disappeared from view beneath the curve of the hull and a momentlaterhefeltthethudoftheirbootsontheramp.AssoonastheHATCH

  SEALEDlightblinkedon,Argencutintheunderjetsandtheyliftedclear.Five

  hundred metres up he banked into a wide circle so they could watch the hatch sitebelowthem.Inafewminutestheywouldhaveopenedawayintothealien

  ship.Ifanyoftheircomradeswerestillalivethatwastheonlyplacetheycould havebeentaken.Andtheyweregoingafterthem.

  ***

  'Youcan'tbeserious,'Delraysaidincredulously.

  'If the Doctor says this is a hyper
spatial bridge, then you'd better believe it,'Samtoldhim.

  'I've heard all the usual theories and rumours about such things,' Manders said.'ButasfarasIknownobody'severcomeupwithanythingpractical.'

  'Ididn'tsaythisconstructionwaspractical,'theDoctorcorrectedher.'Isaid

  itwasexperimental.Infactelementsofitlookill-conceivedandquiteunstable.'

  'But this is alien technology,' Manders protested. 'How can you possibly understandanyofitaftertwominutes'examination?'

  'Itravelalot,'theDoctorsaidlightly.'Onepicksthesethingsup.'Hiseyes

  foundRexton'sandanewcompellingtoneenteredhisvoice.'Andbasedonthat

  knowledge I tell you that this ship is dangerous. There are forces here you

  cannotcomprehend.Iwouldstronglyadviseyoutoleaveitbe.'

  Theyallsensedtheconvictionbehindhiswords.Rextonwasstaringathim

  intentlynow,asthoughweighingeverynuanceandinflectionofhiswords.

  "Thenyoureallyclaimtoknowhowallthisworks?'

  The Doctor took the room in with an appraising glance. 'I dare say I could reasonmostofitout.'

  'Thenyoucanexplainittome.'

  The Doctor shook his head. 'Apart from the matter of technical

  comprehension,therewouldbenopoint.Thismachinemustnotbeused.'

  Rexton's hand moved to rest on the butt of his bolstered sidearm and the otherslapsedintoashockedsilence.Sam'seyeswidenedinhorror.

  'Oh, very clever!' she began, taking a step towards him. 'Threaten a

  FederationModerator,whydon'tyou?'

  'Don'tunderestimatethelengthsIampreparedtogotointheserviceofmy

  homework!,' Rexton warned her. 'I cannot risk this ship falling into the Nimosians'hands.IfthereispowerherethenImusthaveitforEmindar.'

  'Power,'saidtheDoctor,almostsardonically.'Thisplacemustbedestroyed

  - that way neither Emindar nor Nimos stands to gain anything at all, apart fromthesafetyofeveryonehere.Isn'taresumptionofthestatusquopreferable

  totheriskofgoingtowaronceagain?''Whenyou'reasoldieryoulearntotake

  risks,'Rextontoldhim.'Youalsolearnwhentowithdrawgracefully,'theDoctor

  said,hisvoicehard.'Yousee,I'vealsobeenasoldier.Ihavefoughtinwarsyou haveneverevenheardof.AndIassureyouthiscraftisnotaweaponyoucan

  use.'Hisfacesoftenedalittle.'Now,wearegoingtofindthemainpowersource

  and see about shorting it out so that neither you nor the Nimosians will be temptedintomakingacatastrophicmistake.'HelookedatRexton'sgun.'Idon't

  reallybelieveyouwillshootmeinthebackfordoingthat.'

  Sam stared hard at Rexton. For agonising seconds Rexton's hand hovered

  overhisholster.Finally,itdroppedaside.

  'Ithoughtnot,'saidtheDoctor,notraceoftriumphinhisvoice.'Comeon,

  Sam.'

  Justthenafaint,sharpshudderpassedthroughtheframeoftheship.

  "That was an explosion,' Rexton snapped.'Maybe the Nimosians are up to something.'Hislipspinchedandheappearedtoreachadecision.

  'Manders,youandyourteamexaminetheequipmentinhere.Theremaynot

  bemuchtimebutanythingyoufindoutmaybeuseful.You!'Hestabbedafinger

  at Lyset Wynter. 'Take pictures of everything she tells you to. Cover the shaft outside as well, especially those power linkages, or whatever they are. Then we'llgotothecentralcontrolcomplex.'

  Lysetnodded,rapidlyinsertingafreshfilmcartridgeintothecamera.

  Rextoncontinuedtorapoutorders.

  'DesselandBendix,you'rewithme.We'llscouttheothersidetoseewhatthe

  Nimosians are up to.' He eyed Delray, who up until now had been following quietlyalongbesideLyset,speculatively.'Wantachancetoshowthatthosevid

  heroics weren't just play-acting, mister?' Delray stiffened. 'I'm with you, General.'

  'Good.' Rexton spared Sam and the Doctor a passing glance. 'It seems that you won't have time to sabotage anything after all, Doctor. Now if you won't help,stayoutofourway.'

  But the Doctor wasn't paying attention. His head was cocked sideways and hiseyeswerenarrowed.'Listen,'hehissed.

  Therewasachangeinthepowerhumcomingfromdeepwithinthebowels

  oftheship.Anewhigher-pitchedwhinesofaintastobeonthelimitsofhearing.

  ButevenasSamstrainedtomakeitoutitgrewsteadilystronger.

  'Eithersomeautomaticsystemhascutin,ortheshockoftheexplosionhas

  disturbedsomething,'theDoctorsaid.'Perhapswe'dbetter-'

  With a crack of displaced air the mesh conduit leading into the room from thecentralshaftlitupwithagreenradiance.Itstrucktheprimarydeflectorarray andsplitintohalfadozensecondarybeamsthatstabbedoutacrossthechamber

  into the hulking machines set about the walls. As though stimulated by this suddeninfluxofpower,lightsbegantoshowontheirdisplaypanels.

  'Don'ttouchthebeams!'theDoctorshouted.'Carefullyduckunderthemand

  makeforthedoorway.'

  With a slight hum a pair of the intermediate standing grids began to turn, creatingnewpatternsofcrossingbeamsthatsweptabouttheroom.

  'They must be working on a preprogrammed sequence,' the Doctor said.'Be

  carefulorelse-Sam,getdown!'

  Butitwastoolate.Oneofthetraversingbeamsstruckherinthebackasshe

  tried to take cover behind a target panel. She froze rigid even as another beam touched the panel itself. The light exploded in her mind and her consciousness seemedtodissolveaway.

  ***

  LysetWyntersawSamandthetargetpanelhaloedincoldgreenfire.Thepanel

  bowed and split, then burst into powdery dust. Sam screamed and her suit seemedtocollapseinward,fallingtothefloorinashrunkencrumpledheap.

  Then the power hum died away and the beams vanished, leaving ghostly

  afterimagesfloatingbeforetheireyes.

  InthreelongstridestheDoctorreachedSam'sbodyandkneltbesideher,the

  others gathering about him. Sam's helmet appeared to be empty. With frantic hastetheDoctorunlatchedtheclipsandtoreitoff.Therewasnothinginside.He

  letoutastifledgroanofanguish.

  'Sam.Sam,Sam...Oh,no...I'mso-'

  Then the chest of the suit stirred. Slowly a mop of tousled blonde hair appearedabovethecollarring.Itwasfollowedbythefrightenedfaceofaten-year-oldchild.

  WhosefeatureswereunmistakablythoseofSamJones.

  Chapter10

  Brothers

  RaskChenwasplayingpitchandcatchwithTalek.AsusualTalekwasthrowing

  the ball wide and much too hard - he always had been the stronger one even thoughhewasayearyounger.Rasksuckedhissmartingfingers.

  "That'stoohard.Anddon'tthrowsohigh.We'lllosetheballoverthefence,

  and you'll have to fetch it this time. I'm not knocking on old Parche's door again.'

  'ButIhadtogetyourattention,Rask,'hisbrothersaid.'It'sreallyimportant.'

  'Whatd'youmean?'Rasksaidabsently,lookingaroundhim.Nowhehadlost

  theball.Itmusthavefalleninoneofthefelchiabeds.Hebentdownandpushed

  hiswaybetweenthestalks,peeringintothecoolgreen-tintedworldundertheir

  broadleaves.

  'You'vegottogetawayfromh
ere,'heheardTaleksay.'It'sdangerous.'

  'Don'tbestupid.Thethornsaren'thardyet.'Hestillcouldn'tseetheball.He

  pressedforwardfurther,tryingnottobreakthestems.Hismotherhadtoldhim

  offaboutthatbefore.

  'No.Awayfromthealienship.That'swhat'sdangerous.'

  'Whatalienship?'

  'Youknow.Pleaselistentome.'

  Something was very wrong. The felchia bed was not this deep. He felt the mustiness of the earth and the heavy pollen catching in his throat. He tried to edgehiswayout,butsomethingwasholdinghimback.

  'Talek-helpme!'

  The felchia were closing in on him, suffocating him under their heavy

  leaves...

  'It's all right, Rask,' he heard Talek say. He felt a hand clasp his. 'All right Rask...Rask!'

  Hejerkedhimselfawakechoking,throwingbackthebedcovers.

  HewasnotaboyanymorebutSecondLieutenantNavigatorChen.

  Around him was the night-lit cabin on the Indomitable that he shared with LieutenantBorix.Automaticallyhereachedforthecomm-unitbutton,thinking

  there was a message playing on it from his brother Talek. But the unit was inactive.

  He sank gratefully back on to his pillow, and realised he was soaked with sweat. He glanced at the glowing time display beside the bedhead. The alarm hadn'tsoundedyet.Hehadplentyoftimeforapropershowerbeforehewasdue

  onwatch.

  Theshower,alternatelyhotandcold,revivedhim.Hecameoutofthetiny

  washroomcubicletowellinghishairandfeelingmorelikehisnormalself.

  'Shower's free,' he said, then bit back his words. It was the same phrase he had spoken a hundred times to Borix - except that Borix was on second watch and the room was quite empty. But he had spoken because the room had

  somehowfeltoccupied.

  He thought about his brother. Rask had received a spacegram from him a monthagobutithadbeenhalfayearsincetheyhadbeentogether.TalekChen

  wasamarinecorporalontheStarflreatleastthirtylightyearsawaysomewhere

  ontheothersideofNimosian-controlledspace.