His small force were gathered on the high terrace supporting the docking boom to which the ghostly form of the Cirrandaria was moored. One of the
hatches it connected to was open, with only a couple of guards standing by it.
Theywereobviouslynotexpectingtrouble.
Evennowthemenhe'ddetailedwereworkingtheirwayalongtheunderside
oftheboomoutofsightoftheguards.Oncetheyhadneutralisedthemtherest
couldcrossbytheupperwalkwaydirectlyintotheship.Iftheywerequickthey
couldreleasetheprisonersbeforetheenemyknewwhathadhitthem.Thenhe
wouldhaveanarmybehindhim!
Hisdaydreamwasshatteredbythefaintvoiceonhishelmetradio.
' Cirrandaria , close all external hatches. A hostile force may be about to attacktheship.'
Theyhadbeenbetrayed!Butwhoby?ThefalseVega?Thegirl?
Buthismenhadreachedtheirobjective.Hesawthemvaulttherailsandfall
upontheguardsbeforetheycouldsealthehatch.
'Forward!'hecried,andraninlongboundingstridesalongthewalkwaywith
therestofhismen,draggingLysetafterhimlikearagdoll.Hewoulddealwith
heroncehehadtakentheship.
Inside the hatch ghostly forms were fighting. Nets were being thrown and tridentsthrust.Buthismenwerepressinginexorablyforward.Withafierceyell
heloosedasprayofautomaticfireintothemelee,whichpassedthroughfriend
andfoealikewithoutnoticeableeffect,andleaptinafterthem.
He had taken half a dozen steps into the misty insubstantial interior of the ship before he realised his error. The deck gave like a sponge under his boots, separating coldly around them as he sank up to his ankles. He floundered forwardanotherstep,plungingdowntohisknees,lookingforsomethingsolidto
catch hold of but finding nothing. Even in the low gravity the deck was too insubstantialtosupporthim!LysetWynterwasstrugglingfeeblybutsinkingas
well. Then his legs were kicking in emptiness as the deck slipped up over his chest,impartingtheslightestfeelingofconstriction,thenclosedoverhishead.
He dropped slowly into a corridor on the next deck, scattering a crowd of insubstantial figures who had been running in apparent panic along it. He sank up to his waist in the floor and slid from sight in seconds, despite making desperatepaddlingstrokestotrytoresisthisfall.
Theydroppedagainandagainataleisurelybutinexorablerate,leavingthe
scene of combat far above them. He was being taken from his men when they mostneededhim!Suddenlytheywereslidingthroughtheundercurveofthehull
andtherewasnothingbelowbutfiftymetresofvacuumbeforetheveryrealand
solidsurfaceofthenextterrace.Theydroppedfreelyawayfromthesoap-bubble
ship,tumblingslowlyastheyfell,andhittheground.
hithelowgravityitwastheequivalentofafallofalittleovertwometreson
Nimos.Shohitwithhiskneestogetherandlegsbenttoabsorbtheimpact,rolled expertly and came up unharmed. Lyset landed awkwardly, bounced, and
droppedbacklimpandwinded.
'SquadleaderSho!'
The voice came over his earphones. It seemed familiar. A small party was heading along the curve of the terrace towards him. Some were ghosts, others solidrealpeople.SomewerewearingNimosianuniforms.
'Sho!'camethevoiceagain.'Remainwhereyouare.That'sanorder.'
ItwasthetraitorVega.Hemusthavewarnedthelineroftheassault.Nowhe
andhisfellowturncoatswerecomingafterhim.Sholookeddesperatelyupatthe
glowingintangiblelinerabovehim,buttherewasnowayhecouldreturntoit.
All he could do was buy his loyal men time to release their comrades. He gathered up Lyset's limp form in one arm and held his rifle to the side of her helmet.
'Staybackorshedies!'
Theyskiddedtoahaltandheheardaconfusedbabbleofvoices.Hebacked
awayuntilhehadthewallofthenextterracebehindhim.Howfarawaywasthe
nearestrampleadingup?Ahundredmetres.Hebeganedgingsideways.
Afiguredetacheditselffromthegroupandsteppedtowardshim.
'Stayback!'hewarned.
'Ican'tdothat,'themansaidflatly,almostwithoutemotion.'Yousee,Iknow
you'regoingtoshootheranywayassoonasyougetclearofus.Thatiswhatyou
meantodo,isn'tit?'
It was, but how did he know? Sho was certain he hadn't told anybody. He wasgettingconfused.Themancontinuedadvancing.
'Sothere'snothingtolosebytryingtosaveher.Ioweittoher.Iletherdown oncebefore,butIwon'tdoitagain,hiamomentyou'llhavetopointyourgunat me, and then you die. Or you'll kill Lyset and then you'll die anyway. I'll kill you, I promise that. If you drop her and run maybe you'll live.That's the only wayout.'
Hewaslessthanfivemetresawaynow.
Shojerkedhisgunawayfromthewoman'shelmetandfiredattheman,who
clutchedhissideandfelltotheground,evenasanindistinctformlauncheditself from the shadows. Cold fangs buried themselves in Sho's gun arm. He heard a ferocious snarling growl seemingly right inside his suit. He shrieked in pain, droppedthewomanandwithhisfreearmclubbedatthethingthatwasattacking
him.Butthenthemanwasupagain,tacklinghimlowandknockinghimtothe
ground,pinninghimbythechest.Theunseenthingcontinuedtotearathisarm
and he felt the pressure dropping in his suit. But all he could see was a fist
holding a pistol filling his field of view, the muzzle rammed against his faceplate.
'Itoldyou,'saidtheman.
Thenthegunslowlysagged,limply,andtheweightonhischestvanishedas
themantoppledsideways.Shoheardshoutsof'Pickhimup...I'vegother...back
totheshuttle...they'recoming!'
The teeth released their grip on him. He reached over weakly and tried to closetheraggedtearsinthearmofhissuit,buthehadn'tthestrength.
AbovehimhesawtheCirrandaria.Agreymistseemedtobepouringoutof
her.Itwashismen!Theyhadreleasedtheprisoners!Hehadwon!
Even now some were dropping down from the upper terrace, falling like
thistledown in the gentle gravity. Wait. His eyesight was fading but there was something wrong.They were falling as men, but by the time they touched the groundtheyhadbecome...
No-
And so the insane host fell upon Harren Sho, and fed until they had drawn thelastscrapofheatandlifefromhim.
***
The Doria emerged into the cavern containing the alien vessel and Rexton realised why he had not recognised it earlier. Apart from the gloom, walls had beenblastedouttoaccommodatethehugecraft.Thewarmusthaveforcedthem
toabandonthedeepsystemsecurityresearchcomplexandbringithere.
Butthatwouldmeanthiswasthesameshipasbefore.
Hewasgettingconfused.DamntheDoctor'stales!Focusonyourobjective,
hetoldhimself.
They berthed the Doria in a twin of the bay they had used on the forward sideofthealienship'scentraltower.Thistimetheywouldbeonthefarsideof
theinterface.Nowalltheyhadtodowasreachthecontrolroom.
Rexton led the way through the triple-doored airloc
ks with his gun ready, whileBendixheldoneoftheDoctor'snonnalisers.Buttheshipwastotallystill
and silent, with no ceiling lights giving their telltale warning flicker. All the ghostsofwhateverkind,andtheNimosians,too,mustbebackintheportwith
their hands full. Rexton could hardly have arranged it better. By the time they followedhimherehewouldhaveaccomplishedhisobjective.
HeledBendixalongatransversecorridor,hopingthatwhatheremembered
wouldbethere.Itwas.Aroundhatchintheceilingatthetopofarecessedsetof rungs. He continued along the corridor, counting hatches until he reached the
fourth. Then he started up, through the hatch, and into a long segmented shaft thatstretchedabovehimfortwohundredclearmetres.Theywereinsideoneof
theverticalrodstructuresthatranupthroughtheprojectinglaboratorymodules
ontheoutsideofthetower.
Serviceaccessshafts,theyhadclassifiedthemas.
They climbed up and up, past four side hatches leading off the shaft. The fifth Rexton opened and stepped into another small triple-doored airlock, gasketed to allow for movement of the tower module. Beyond it was a large chamber ringed with curving banks of instrument panels.The chamber was
dividedhalfwayacrosstheroombyashimmeringblurredcurtain.
'It'stheothersideofthecontrolroom,'Bendixsaid,'beyondtheinterface.'
Rexton was already unslinging Lyset's camera. 'I never leave a job
unfinished,'hesaid.'Withdetailsoftherestofthemaincontrolfunctionsthey will be able to complete the repairs on the other ship. Then we shall have a devicewhichwillrevolutionisethetacticsofspacewarfare!Imaginebeingable
toprojectafleetrightintotheheartofanenemysystem,evenintoorbitround
itshomeplanet!Nowkeepwatch.'
Hebeganworkinghiswayaroundthechamber,recordingthearrayofneatly
labelledcontrols.Bendixwatchedhimforaminuteinsilence,betweenanxious
glances at the interface and the service hatch. Then he said
hesitantly,'Councillor, if this is the original ship you found years ago, and the ghostsfoundtheselabelsalreadyhere,wheredidtheycomefrom?'
'Theteamworkingontheship,ofcourse,'Rextonsaid.
'Butwheredidtheygettheinformationfrom?Yousaidtheyhadn'tworked
out the control functions. I can see there could be millions of possible combinationshere.Didtheyworkitalloutinthatlastyearofthewar-orlabel themupfromthepictureswe'rejustgoingtosendthem?Isn'tthataparadox,a
loopintime?'
Rextonhesitated,thensaidfirmly,'Paradoxisjustaword.It'sanadmission
ofignorance.Ionlycareifitworks!'
He finished snapping the last of the panels, wound the film on and ejected the cartridge. He held it up before Bendix. 'This is the most valuable item you will ever see. It's more important than your life or mine.' He slipped it into an outer pocket of his suit and closed the seal firmly. 'If anything happens to me, you are to see that it gets back home by any means at whatever cost.
Understand?'
Bendixnoddedgrimly.Theystarteddowntheserviceshaftagain.
Theywerealmostatthebottomwhentheceilinglightsbegantoflicker.
***
It was a sight Sam would never forget. She had not realised how closely the concentricdescendingterracesoftheportresembledthedescriptionofHellfrom
Dante'sInferno.Butnowtheyhadreallybecomeatwilithell,populatedbysouls
aslostasanytheancientItalianhadeverimagined.
Theruleoftheinsanehadbegun.
TheypouredinalivingstreamoutoftheCirrandaria,metamorphosingand
changingevenastheywent,takingtheformofeverymonstrositythatcouldbe
dredgedfromthedarkestdepthsofthemind.Armouredguardswentdownbefore
them,losingtheirownhumanformsastheyfell.Darkandterriblethingspassed
overhead,leapingandspringinglikemonstrousgrasshoppers.
Theyranbeforethisunstoppabletidetowardstheremainingshuttle.Samhad
Lyset Wynter slung over her shoulder - no burden in this light gravity, her weight even improved the traction underfoot. The Doctor was carrying Delray.
AroundthemVega'smenfiredattheirpursuerswithblastersandtheircopiesof
theDoctor'snormalisers.Thingsflickeredoutofexistenceorfelltotheground, cutandburned,thrashingaboutastheyregeneratedandre-formed.Theadvance
falteredandbrokearoundthem,butitdidnothalt.
Sam saw hopping creatures pouring at incredible speed back through the
tunnels leading to the other cavern and the alien ship. They want to use it to attacktherealCirrandariaagain,shethought.Andtherearetentimesasmanyof
themnow.
Aheadshesawthattheevacueesfromthespaceportloungehadbeencaught
in the open ground halfway to the Nimosian shuttle. Flashes of fire from the guardsaroundittoldthemitwasalreadyunderassault.
'Evenifwehavetimetogetthemallonandtheyletustakeoff,thereisn't
goingtobeenoughroomi'Vegasaid.
'Thenwe'llusetheTARDIS,'theDoctorsaid.
'What?'
'Mybluebox.Trustme!'
TheyarrivedattheTARDIS,skiddingtoahaltinspraysofdust.TheDoctor
opened the door. Vega held back doubtfully. Sam pushed past him with her burden, through the TARDIS's equivalent of a pressure curtain and into the improbableneo-Gothicspaciousnessoftheinterior.
'See-there'sroomforeverybody,'shesaid.
Vegarecoveredhimselfandspokeoverhisradio:'AbandontheDauntless.
FallbacktotheDoctor'smachine.'
SamlaidLysetdowninthenearestarmchairandunfastenedherhelmet.
She looked exhausted and very pale, but otherwise unharmed. The Doctor came in with Delray. There was a blackened scar on the side of his suit. He wasn'tmoving.
'Helpgettherestinside,Sam,'theDoctortoldher.
Sheranoutofthedoorsagainandstartedshovingtheshambling,confused
survivors through them. One of the first was Dan Engers Junior, propelled throughbytheshadesofhisparents.Buttheyshrankbackfromtheinteriorof
the TARDIS as though it was painful. Suddenly she knew they would not be comingwiththem.AllSamcoulddowasmouththroughthevisorofherhelmet,
'He'llbesafe-Ipromise.'Theirfaceswerethoseofthetwicedeadastheyturned away.
She was practically throwing the survivors though the door. The remaining NimosianmarinesformedatightcircleabouttheTARDIS,gunsandnormalisers
stabbingoutintothewallofslavering,clawing,slashingthingsthatboredown
upon them. Even as she watched something with folded legs and snapping
mandiblesdroppedoutofthedarknessandsnatchedamarineaway.Atentacle
curled around the side of the TARDIS and she felt its cold caress. She kicked furiouslyandcrusheditagainstthebox'sside.
There were only four human ghosts left now: Vega, Lanchard and the
Engerses, holding back the insane horde with tridents dropped by the guards.
ThefinalfewsurvivorstumbledinsidefollowedbythemarinesandVega.Sam
sawJeniEngers'sghostlyformmeltintoablackspideryshapeandspringaway.
Herhusbandsnatchedafter
herandwasgone.Lanchardwaspulleddownbythe
horde and vanished from sight.The ghost of Vega turned to them, his body flickeringandbreakingup.Hisfeaturesdissolveduntilonlyhismouthandone
pleadingeyewasleft.Shesawhislipsshapethewords'Endthis!'
Then the TARDIS's door closed with a heavy boom, shutting out the
nightmare.
Sam sagged against the wall, fumbled with the catch of her helmet and
pulleditoff.TheairoftheTARDISwaswarmandcandle-scented,andheldthe
friendlymustinessofalibrary.Itsmelledwonderful.
Then she turned her head and saw they were not quite done with loss and pain.LysetWynterwaskneelingbyDelray'schair.TheDoctorstoodoverthem
lookinggrave.
Sam pushed through the numbed, bewildered crowd of survivors that still
huddled close to the doors. Young Dan was standing there, almost unnoticed.
God,shethought,he'swatchinghisherodie.Shetriedtoleadhimasidebutthe
boypulledawayandtheDoctorgaveatinyshakeofhishead.Allshecoulddo
washoldhimtightly.
Theboysaidinatinyvoice,'Washebrave?'
'Yes,hewasverybrave,'Samsaid.
Distantly,inexplicably,shethoughtshecouldhearananimalwhining.
ThenagreymistliftedfromDelray'sbody,tookshapeandsteppedaside.
ItwastheimageofDelrayformedinshadowsandhalf-lights.Lysetlooked
from it to Delray's still form and back again almost without expression, as thoughhernormalresponsesoffearandshockhadbeendraineddrybywhatshe
hadsorecentlyendured.
'We had to get it right this time...' the ghost said, his words like the wind whisperingacrossthegrass.TheDoctorgavethehintofasad,knowingsmile.
TheslightmovementofDelray'schestceased.
Therewasathinmournfulhowlfromnowhere-alamentforaninsuperable
loss.They all shivered. Delray's ghost began to fade away. It looked down at itself,thenatLyset.'Don'tbesad...'Alow,grey,vaguelydoglikeformappeared athisheels.'You'llhavetolookafterEvan...Maybeyoucanstopthishappening tohim.
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