Doctor Who: The Mutation of Time

by John Peel

  ‘Nothing’s happened,’ Sara said, bitterly.

  The Doctor glared at her coldly, then produced his key. This time, it slid into the lock and turned with ease. Pushing the door open, he gestured for them to precede him. Steven halted in the doorway and smiled.

  ‘Doctor, you’re a genius’

  ‘Yes, my boy, I know. I know.’ The Doctor followed his friends into the TARDIS, and closed the doors behind him.

  The Monk was still hidden behind the rocks, trying to stifle his laughter, and unaware of what had happened. He was wondering how long he’d leave the Doctor to suffer when he heard a very familiar noise – unbalanced dematerialization circuits. He shot around the rock in time to see the TARDIS fade away. His face fell, and then he stamped his foot, petulantly.

  ‘Don’t think I’m going to leave it at this!’ he yelled at the universe in general. ‘You haven’t heard the last of me! You haven’t heard the last of me!’

  ‘If you ask me; Steven observed, ‘we haven’t heard the last of the Monk.’

  ‘Quite so,’ agreed the Doctor, hovering over the controls. ‘Hell be on our trail just as fast as he can.’

  ‘But this time, we’ll be expecting him,’ Sara said, significantly.

  Exactly, my dear.’

  ‘At the risk of sounding stupid,’ Steven interrupted, ‘just how did you get as back into the TARDIS?’

  ‘Don’t worry about sounding stupid,’ the Doctor answered, patting his arm. ‘You can’t help it. Make yourself useful and keep an eye on the time-path indicator. We must know how far behind as he is. As to how I broke his trap – why, he gave me the clue himself, unwittingly. Optics! He boasted that that was how he’d got out of our little trap, so when I realized he’d frozen our lock somehow, I knew he’d have done it with optics – his childish mind likes things like that. All I had to do was to break his delicate adjustments with a little interference of my own.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Steven asked.

  ‘Well, he used a laser light to set up a force field on the lock. I merely used my ruby ring and torch to create a low-power laser of my own. It set up interference patterns in his field, thus cancelling it. Simplicity itself.’

  ‘Yes, but...’ Steven began, but the Doctor cut him short. ‘Are you going to be argumentative all day? Kindly be quiet, and let me land the ship. I should very much like to examine the lock and make certain the Monk’s little trick hasn’t damaged it in any way.’

  The TARDIS was landing already. The Doctor had managed to programme in a short hop, and smiled with satisfaction as the ship materialized. He switched on the scanner. Outside, they could see they were in London again. It was night, and they could make out Nelson’s Column, which was surrounded by a huge crowd of people, waving and cheering. A peal of bells rang out, and loud cheers as midnight struck. The people began singing: ‘Should auld acquaintance...’

  ‘I don’t think you’ll be able to carry out your repairs here, Doctor,’ Steven observed.

  ‘It’s some sort of celebration, isn’t it?’ Sara added.

  ‘Yes,’ the Doctor agreed, slowly. ‘I’ve seen something like this before..’ He snapped his fingers. ‘Of course – the Relief of Mafeking!’

  On Kembel, the final Daleks moved into the Dalek time-machine. Mavic Chen and the Red Dalek followed, and the door closed. After a short pause, the air puckered, and with its customary whisper, the time-machine vanished.

  The Black Dalek turned to the scientist Dalek. ‘Report to Skaro – the time-machine is on its way. The Taranium core will be recovered, and the Doctor and his companions will be exterminated!’

  Chapter 6

  Land of the Pharaohs

  The early morning winds stirred the sands fitfully. The sun was ascending, and the desert growing hotter by the minute. The horizon shimmered in the haze of the early day. Though the River Nile was just a short distance away, none of the luxuriant foliage that grew about the mighty river extended this far from its waters. Life in Egypt was the Nile, and the deserts held nothing but death.

  Standing as a mute, imposing witness to the reality of death was a huge pyramid. It was almost five hundred feet high and over seven hundred and fifty feet long on each side at its base on the rock below the shifting sands. In time, two more pyramids, both smaller, and a strange, stone creation named the Sphinx would join this pyramid; at this point in time, however, the great pyramid of Khufu – known to later Greek travellers and posterity as Cheops – stood alone in the desert, save for its associated buildings.

  Around the pyramid was a wall, enclosing the building site. At one side was a small temple, to be used to conduct the funerary services for Khufu when the gods should call him. Small shacks, that once housed the building force of slaves and master architects working on the pyramid, now stood apparently deserted. Slabs of stone and white Tura limestone had been left abandoned. The place looked already dead.

  Almost two and a half million stone blocks had been used to construct this incredible edifice, and each stone had weighed from two and a half to fifteen tons. The finished pyramid was enclosed in a facing of the limestone, and the white surface polished until it gleamed, reflecting the diffuse rays of the sun at any observer.

  Save for the occasional cries of the cranes from the Nile, however, the stillness of the tomb already lay upon the site. Then, shattering the stillness for a few seconds, the TARDIS materialized just inside the wall.

  ‘The travellers have landed,’ the technician Dalek reported to the Red Dalek. The screens within the Dalek time-machine had tracked the TARDIS into its landing, and their own vessel was on the same course through the space-time vortex.

  ‘Ascertain their position exactly,’ the Red Dalek answered. The technician turned to do so as a third Dalek crossed the large control room to join the Red Dalek.

  ‘Landing will be achieved shortly,’ it reported.

  ‘Programming has been completed,’ the technician added. ‘The enemy time-ship will be visible on the Time-Space Scanner.’

  The Red Dalek turned its eye-stick to face the circular screen that dominated one of the nearby panels. Its random patterns slowed, and then faded. In their place now appeared an image of the TARDIS. It stood in the desert, alongside numerous objects destined for the Pharaoh’s final resting place – beds of wood and beaten gold, chests, statues and mummified animals.

  ‘Shall I prepare a task-force?’ the third Dalek asked.

  ‘No,’ the Red Dalek decided. ‘It is essential that the Taranium core is recaptured intact. Premature annihilation of the humans might lead to its destruction’

  At this point, Mavic Chen entered the main control room from the side room that had been assigned to him – either for his convenience, or as his cell; he was not certain. He crossed to join the Red Dalek, his perpetual smile still hovering about his cruel lips. If he had any doubts as to his safety, none showed on his arrogant face.

  The Red Dalek regarded him for a moment before speaking. ‘Mavic Chen, the recovery of the Taranium core is your responsibility.’

  ‘I welcome it,’ Chen declared. ‘These thieves are of my race, and guile and cunning will succeed where force would fail.’

  Uninterested in his speeches, the Red Dalek interrupted. ‘You will be watched. Treachery on your part will be dealt with swiftly.’

  Chen attempted a placating smile. ‘When I have completed this mission, you will come to see that I am totally worthy of your trust.’

  ‘Once the Taranium core is in your possession,’ the Red Dalek continued, unaffected by Chen’s reassurances, ‘then we shall eliminate the fugitives’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ Chen turned to the scanner and studied it, thoughtfully. ‘I assume that that is where they have landed?’

  ‘Correct.’ The Red Dalek studied the instrument readings. ‘We shall arrive shortly – in four Earth minutes.’

  ‘Yes.’ Chen stroked his beard, thoughtfully. ‘It would have been nice to have had complete surprise, but you told m
e that they have equipment in their ship that tells them when they are being followed’

  ‘The travellers are making no attempt to resume their journey,’ the Red Dalek noted.

  ‘That’s very strange.’ Chen was puzzled by this little problem. The Doctor must know he was being followed at this point. ‘Why should they choose to wait and face us?’

  The Dalek did not care. The motivations of a humanoid were important – results were all that mattered. In four were minutes, they would arrive...

  The Doctor was working away at the lock of the TARDIS, using a small tool kit he had set in the open doorway of the time-machine. He was utterly blind to his surroundings, and paid none of the golden ornaments for the pyramid the slightest bit of attention.

  Steven wandered out from the TARDIS, and squinted off into the distance. ‘Haven’t you finished mending that lock yet?’ he asked. The Doctor gave him a filthy look in reply, which didn’t affect Steven’s cheery disposition at all. ‘The other time-machine’s still registering,’ he added.

  ‘Mmm,’ the Doctor agreed, trying to ignore the distraction and finish his work. ‘But not for long, I fancy. That wretched Monk should be landing any time now.’

  Steven picked up one of the gold-inlaid boxes, and admired it. The gorgeous blue of the lapis lazuli was dazzling. ‘Quite impressive, isn’t it, Doctor?’ He put down the box, and picked up a painted urn.

  ‘Yes, I suppose you could say that,’ the Doctor agreed, absently, and then glared at him. ‘Although, since the pyramids are one of the seven wonders of your world, I think impressive is something of an understatement.’

  Steven just grinned cheekily, and wandered off to look at a few more objects. ‘There’s nobody around,’ he said. ‘Do you suppose they’ve finished it?’

  ‘I’ve no idea, no idea at all.’ The Doctor continued his work on the lock, striving to ignore the meaningless chatter.

  ‘They didn’t clean up the place very well, did they?’ Steven surveyed the abandoned blocks and the piled treasures with a disapproving stare.

  The Doctor straightened up and pointed the small instrument he had been using at the young astronaut. ‘Young man, you are supposed to be watching the Time-Path Indicator.’

  ‘Sara’s taken over,’ Steven answered. ‘She’ll let us know when the Monk arrives.’

  ‘Oh.’ The Doctor glowered at him. ‘That’s still no reason for you to bother me while I’m trying to work! Make yourself useful, and pass me the distrab.’ He gestured to his toolbox.

  Steven picked the first tool out of the top of it and handed it to the Doctor. The Doctor looked at it in disgust, and replaced it, taking out the correct instrument instead and returning to his work.

  Still looking around the building site, Steven commented: ‘There’s not all that much cover, is there? If the Monk makes a landing on this side of the pyramid, we should be able to see him whatever his TARDIS disguises itself as.’ After a moment’s silence, he added: ‘Don’t you think so, Doctor?’

  ‘Yes! Yes! If you say so!’ the Doctor snapped, wishing Steven would just shut up.

  Steven looked off, and saw a small ramp of earth on the side of the pyramid. ‘I think I’ll climb up there,’ he said. ‘It’ll give me a better view.’

  When he got no answer from the Doctor, Steven shook his head in amusement, and then headed off towards the ramp. After a moment, the Doctor glanced up.

  ‘If you really want to watch out for the Monk, you should climb up somewhere higher.’ He abruptly realized that he was alone. ‘Well, perhaps now I can get a little peace and quiet to finish my work!’

  Inside the Dalek time-machine, the activity had increased. The moment of landing was approaching, and the systems were being shut down one by one to allow the ship to materialize in exactly the right place and time. The Daleks in the main control room were finishing their adjustments, while Mavic Chen stood by the exit door, impatient to be off.

  ‘Materialization approaches,’ the technician Dalek announced, adjusting the controls to ensure that they landed a short distance from the Doctor’s time-ship.

  The Red Dalek turned to another Dalek. ‘You will escort Mavic Chen until he has recovered the Taranium,’ it instructed. ‘If he shows the slightest signs of betraying us, exterminate him.’

  ‘I obey.’ The Dalek glided off to join Chen at the door.

  ‘Arrival!’ the technician announced, as the ship whispered into the normal space-time continuum again, and the flight systems were all closed down.

  ‘I can see it, Doctor!’ Steven called from his perch on the ramp. ‘I saw it land!’

  Sighing at this further interruption, the Doctor straightened up as Sara came out of the TARDIS. Steven ran back to join them both.

  ‘Whatever was following us has landed,’ Sara reported.

  ‘It’s here,’ Steven said, puffing slightly. ‘About a quarter of a mile off. You can see it clearly from that ramp over there.’

  ‘Yes, well, good,’ the Doctor sniffed. ‘Now if you will be so kind as to get out of my way...’ He shooed them both off, and returned to his work on the lock.

  ‘Shouldn’t we take the initiative?’ Steven asked, amazed. ‘Go and meet the Monk?’

  ‘My dear boy,’ the Doctor snapped, you know perfectly well that I never leave the TARDIS unlocked. It might interest you to know that I’ve been forced to strip down the entire mechanism to repair it.’

  Sara frowned. ‘The only person who’d even want to get in is this Monk character you’ve told me about,’ she objected. ‘And if we were to get over to his ship fast enough...’

  ‘You’ll do as I say and wait here!’ the Doctor ordered.

  ‘Well, how long are you going to be?’ demanded Sara.

  ‘Young woman, that is entirely beside the point.’

  ‘Doctor,’ Steven broke in, ‘why do you always have to...’

  ‘I refuse to discuss it!’ The Doctor waved his hands as if to close the argument, then bent back to his work on the lock. ‘None of us will move from here until I say so. And that is final.’

  Sara indicated to Steven with a nod of her head that they should leave. Steven looked towards the Doctor, and Sara raised her eyes to the heavens in mock despair. When Steven showed no evidence of moving, Sara waved slightly, and started off alone. With a last, anguished glance back at the Doctor, Steven followed. He knew that there would be an awful lot said about this later.

  The Doctor worked away on the lock, muttering to himself. ‘I think it’s about time that some people remembered that these journeys of mine are for the purpose of scientific discovery! I’m not in the business of giving sight-seeing tours of the Universe, with everyone behaving like a bunch of rowdy tourists and rushing off to look at whatever they wish! I thought that Barbara and that Chesterton fellow were bad enough, but it’s getting worse! Much worse’ The Doctor continued muttering under his breath as he laboured on, unaware that he was alone, at least for the moment.

  *

  Work on the House of Eternity had taken a long time, and Tuthmos had been the Pharaoh’s overseer for all of this. He had grown old on the project, and was immensely pleased with the way it had turned out. Khephren had designed this new style of architecture, and despite the vast amount of labour it had required to construct, Tuthmos rather thought that it would catch on. The original designs had been modified from time to time by the Pharaoh, as was his right, since his spirit would dwell within this House. Now, though, Khufu lay in his final illness, and all was virtually ready. All that had to be done now was to place the treasures that would accompany the Pharaoh on his journey to meet the gods within the tomb. Tuthmos was taking a final inventory of the items when he spotted the strange blue box – and then the even stranger old man who was bent over it.

  Tuthmos was old himself, and not in any shape to accost strangers. Instead, he retreated silently, and then hurried back to the house by the entrance that was Khephren’s workshop. It was a rough place, of mud-brick and wattle,
since it would be torn down as soon as the pyramid was sealed. Khephren was taking his morning meal with Hyksos, the swarthy captain of the local guards. Both men looked up in considerable surprise from their bowls as Tuthmos uncharacteristically rushed into the room. Gesturing outside, the overseer gasped: ‘Strangers – at the tomb!’

  Steven and Sara soon reached the vicinity of the other time-machine, which simply sat in the sands. It was a featureless box, some ten feet to a side, which puzzled Steven.

  ‘It hasn’t worked this time, has it?’ he muttered.

  ‘What hasn’t?’ Sara asked. She was getting a little tired of these shared secrets Steven and the Doctor had about the Monk, and of Steven’s habit of letting them slip through his fingers one at a time. She knew that he was trying to show that he was better informed than she, and should therefore be in charge.

  ‘The Monk’s TARDIS,’ he explained. ‘It usually disguises itself. Appears as something to suit its surroundings. Like the Doctor’s should...’

  ‘Maybe the Monk didn’t bother this time?’

  ‘Maybe – but I thought it was automatic.’ Steven had a very uneasy feeling about this, which he tried to shrug off. ‘Anyway, let’s go and have a look at it...’ He broke off, and pointed. There was now a door in the side of the cube facing them. ‘He’s coming out.’

  The figure that paused in the doorway of the time-machine, however, was not the Monk. It was Mavic Chen, who stood there for a moment and then, shielding his eyes, moved into the sands. A Dalek glided out of the time-machine behind him.

  ‘Daleks!’ Steven exclaimed, but quietly.

  ‘Here’s our chance,’ Sara said, drawing her blaster.

  ‘Chance?’ Steven echoed, gripping her arm to restrain her. ‘Chance for what ?

  She looked right through him. For a second, she seemed to be looking at a ghost behind him, then she blinked, and gazed straight at Steven. ‘We’ve got to face them.’