Doctor Who - The Colony Of Lies Part 8

Finally, Zoe saw a pitcher of water and with relief she poured herself a gla.s.s. She drank swiftly and felt a little better. The room was still swaying but only gently now.

"Doctor?" she called, and a woman appeared in the doorway. She was pretty and smiled warmly, which made Zoe feel a little better.

"I"m sorry," the woman said, still smiling her kindly smile, "I"m afraid I"m just a healer, not a doctor as such."

"I was calling for my friend, actually," explained Zoe. "The Doctor, untidy black hair, baggy check trousers..."

"Oh, him," said the woman. I"m afraid he"s not here right now. He went off with the sheriff to see our visitors. Our other visitors," she added. Zoe was disappointed and fell back against the pillow. "I"m Dee Willoughby," the woman introduced herself and offered a hand for Zoe to shake.

Weakly Zoe shook the proffered hand. "Zoe Heriot," she said by way of her own introduction.

"Pleased to meet you," said Dee. "And how are you feeling this morning?"

"Tired," said Zoe with simple honesty.

Dee felt her forehead and nodded. "No temperature now; I think the fever may have gone but you will be tired. If I were you, I"d get some sleep. Your friend the Doctor won"t be back for a few hours yet."

Zoe nodded and yawned and began to say something in agreement, but before she could get the words out, she was asleep.

The meeting between the representatives of Earth Gov and the leadership of Plymouth Hope was not going well. As Cartor spoke, outlining the reasons for their arrival on the planet, the Doctor could see Kartryte beginning to lose his temper. Eventually he could contain himself no longer.

"What do you mean - you had contact from the colony? No one from Plymouth Hope has had any contact with Earth Gov for decades," he exploded.

Cartor shrugged and looked over at Veena. "The message we received was from some group calling themselves "Realists"," she explained.

Kartryte was shocked. He looked at the Doctor, incomprehension written on his face.

"I can"t believe he did that," he said looking at Freedom.

"You know what Max is like. When he does something he does it for real," he replied evenly.

"It was one thing to be a dissenter, and to take a group away from the colony, but to jeopardise us all like this? To call in Earth Gov as if we"re failures that need a helping hand from the home world. How could he do that?" The Doctor could see that Kartryte was genuinely hurt by the news.

"Max always said we needed help; that was always part of the issue for him," Freedom reminded him.

Cartor cleared his throat. "I"m sorry to interrupt but your internal disputes are really none of my business."

"You can say that again," said Kartryte bitterly.

"Nevertheless," continued Cartor, ignoring the interruption, "I have a job to do here and I"m going to do it. I have to inform you that you are to receive some new arrivals."

This time the Doctor thought that Kartryte was going to have a coronary; his face reddened and he started to splutter indignantly. "What?!!" was the only word he could get out.

Even Freedom was concerned. He put a hand on Kartryte"s arm to calm him down but he brushed it aside.

"There"s a war on out there. A big one. An alien empire has been at war with us for the past seventy-five years."

"Daleks?" murmured the Doctor, a serious look on his face for once.

Cartor nodded. "They"ve been making gains in the third quadrant; we"ve lost five outlying colonies in the last four years."

"But what has this got to do with us?" asked Freedom.

"There are a lot of people who have been displaced by those losses: refugees. More than the home system can handle.

They need relocating, urgently. And Axista Four has been selected as one of their destinations."

The Doctor could see that Kartryte and Freedom were in shock. One moment they had a struggling colony; now they were faced with the prospect of new blood, increased numbers that might make the colony viable, but at what cost?

Cartor looked at the colonists and their "legal" advisor and tried to evaluate how they were taking the news. It didn"t seem to be going down very well. He decided to be a little economical with the details at this stage. Too many shocks at once might just kill the old guy.

"A ship of refugees is already en route', en route', he told them, avoiding any mention of the size of the ship or the number of new colonists it would be carrying. "It will be here in three months. Plenty of time for you to prepare for the influx." he told them, avoiding any mention of the size of the ship or the number of new colonists it would be carrying. "It will be here in three months. Plenty of time for you to prepare for the influx."

Kartryte shook his head firmly. "This is impossible - the new colonists won"t be committed to the Back to Basics Back to Basics philosophy..." He trailed off, seeing that this argument was not going to get him anywhere. "But what about the practical issues? We"ve been finding it hard to adapt the planet to support small numbers - how can it suddenly cope with a whole lot of new mouths to feed?" philosophy..." He trailed off, seeing that this argument was not going to get him anywhere. "But what about the practical issues? We"ve been finding it hard to adapt the planet to support small numbers - how can it suddenly cope with a whole lot of new mouths to feed?"

Cartor smiled. "That"s why we"re here - to help the transition."

Kartryte got to his feet and Freedom and the Doctor followed. "You can"t do this," he said, heading for the door.

"This is an independent colony. You have no right to force new colonists on us - no right at all. As the Doctor will prove, won"t you Doctor?"

The Doctor a.s.sumed a stern expression. "Indeed we shall Leader Kartryte, indeed we shall."

Cartor shrugged and glanced at Administrator Greene who then spoke in a quiet but commanding voice. "Check the small print on the doc.u.mentation," he said with a cold smile.

"No Earth colony is fully independent."

Dyselt abandoned the skimmer as he got close to the humans" settlement and continued on foot. The scent of the humans was everywhere now. As he ran, he felt a strange urge to fall on to all four of his limbs, to run like his primitive ancestors. Although the illness ravaging his body was inhibiting his normal brain functions he was not entirely mindless. In feet a raw animal cunning replaced his usual logic. He was aware that he was a lone warrior and that he couldn"t hope to make a direct a.s.sault on the humans. He knew he needed to be subtle.

He crouched low to the ground and considered his options.

The town in the valley below him was quiet; a few humans were going about their business but most of the colonists were at home on their farms. Dyselt had seen some during his journey and had avoided them all, save for one female who had been swimming in a lake. He licked his lips, savouring the remnants of his meal, enjoying the sweet taste of the human"s flesh. His hunger had been sated by the encounter but his need for revenge had not.

Although most of the buildings in the town had been clearly constructed from local wood, at one end of the main street Dyselt noted a structure that was very different. It was essentially circular at the rear and built on at the front but its original structure appeared to have been made of pre-formed segments. A red cross was painted across the roof of the building. It reminded Dyselt of the targeting sights on a Mark Three Nightstalker Missile and dredged up memories of long-forgotten battles from his time as an infantryman. He had found his target. Sticking close to the ground, he started to move towards the red-cross building.

Zoe dozed fitfully, despite the comfort of the bed. She stirred, suddenly aware of something wrong. What was it? She looked around but everything seemed exactly as it had been before; the strange mix of high-and low-tech medicine, the smell of the various herbs. But there was something else - something her unconscious mind had picked up on and decided she should wake to deal with.

"Dee?" she called, but there was no answer. Zoe strained her ears - perhaps the herbalist was working elsewhere in the building. It was no good - there was nothing to hear. And then she did hear something: a scratching sound from the other side of the room. She looked across and let out a gasp of surprise. A shadowy figure was standing just outside the room - she could see its silhouette, humanoid but somehow hairy against the fabric of the wall, and then before she could move or even scream the figure raised one of its arms and brought it down. With a terrible ripping sound a set of talons pierced the wall.

The creature"s claw pulled down, shredding the plastic as if it were paper. Zoe looked around for a means of escape but the creature was between her bed and the door. The creature made a second insertion and ripped a ragged hole in the wall.

It thrust its head through the gap. Zoe had a fleeting glimpse of a hairy face, savage, bloodstained teeth and wild eyes: the face of a rampaging werewolf or rabid dog. And then she screamed...

EPISODE THREE.

Chapter Seven.

Kartryte and Freedom were inclined to leave without any further discussion but the Doctor had one more item he wished to raise with the newcomers: Zoe.

"There is something else," he said, raising a hand as Cartor headed for the door. The Captain stopped and looked at the little man. "Another legal point, Doctor?"

"No, more of a medical one, actually. I wondered if I could ask a favour?"

Cartor frowned. A moment ago the colonists had been treating him like Public Enemy Number One; now this man was asking for a favour. "Go on..." he encouraged.

With a quick apologetic glance at Kartryte and Freedom the Doctor ploughed on. "I have a companion, a young woman.

She"s fallen ill and I"m worried that the colonists" medical facilities might not be... quite..." the Doctor faltered, embarra.s.sed, "well... up to scratch," he concluded, unable now to look at Kartryte.

Cartor considered for a moment and then nodded at his First Officer. "Go with them, Myles, take a medikit."

Kartryte was not impressed. "We"ll ride back - perhaps your new friend will give you a lift," he suggested. Kartryte and Freedom swept out without giving the Doctor a second glance. The Doctor looked crestfallen. He hated letting people down but he was too worried about Zoe to be upset.

He rubbed his hands together and looked at Veena enthusiastically. "So - can you provide some transport?" he asked her with a cheeky grin.

Veena found herself warming to the strange little man. She returned the smile. "I"ll see what I can do," she promised him.

Kartryte and Freedom said little on the journey back, both lost in their own thoughts. The certain knowledge that nothing would ever be the same for them or the colony was just beginning to sink in. A whole new group of colonists was already on its way, new blood, with new thoughts. Kartryte knew one thing - if this was allowed to happen it would be the end of Ransom"s dream. No more Back to Basics. Back to Basics.

Freedom was equally in shock. He"d been a thorn in the side of Kartryte for years, always complaining, b.i.t.c.hing about this and that, niggling away about the Back to Basics Back to Basics principles. But when the chance had come to do something about it, to join Doc Foide and his so-called Realists, Freedom had held back. Actually rebelling, making a stand against the accepted ideology, that was a step too far for Freedom. He was happy with the status quo; happy being unhappy, as it were. But now it was all going to end. A new influx of colonists would wash all the ideologies away, all the certainties. Everything was going to change. principles. But when the chance had come to do something about it, to join Doc Foide and his so-called Realists, Freedom had held back. Actually rebelling, making a stand against the accepted ideology, that was a step too far for Freedom. He was happy with the status quo; happy being unhappy, as it were. But now it was all going to end. A new influx of colonists would wash all the ideologies away, all the certainties. Everything was going to change.

And as they approached the town they became horribly aware that the process had already started. A trail of black smoke was rising above a building at the end of Main Street.

The men realised simultaneously that it was from the medical centre. Kartryte cracked the whip and the horses sped up.

"Are you armed?" he asked Freedom. Freedom nodded and patted his hip. "I"ve a rifle behind the seat, can you get it for me?" Kartryte asked and Freedom did as requested.

Kartryte pulled up and they jumped to the ground. There was an ugly tear in the fabric of the building and the smoke was coming from within. Slipping the safety catch on his rifle Kartryte led the way into the new access point.

Inside it was a scene of utter devastation. Vials and bottles of medicine lay smashed where they had been thrown at random. Furniture was broken and bedding scattered everywhere. Something had caught alight and a fire was blazing in one corner, sending into the sky the coa.r.s.e black smoke that had first alerted them. From further inside the building came the sound of continuing destruction.

Tam and Freedom hurried forward, weapons at the ready.

Tam went first. In the corridor it was worse; the smoke was thicker here and it was dark. A figure lay on the floor. Tam realised with a surge of horror that it was Dee. He bent to check and was relieved to discover that she was still alive.

Help her out of here," he told Freedom, and before the man could argue, he hurried on into the smoke.

Freedom bent down and picked up Dee as gently as he could. Already beginning to cough as the acrid smoke found its way into his lungs, he staggered back towards the sick bay and the rip in the wall that led to the fresh air outside.

There he put the woman down and tried to work out the extent of her injuries. There didn"t seem to be any visible blood; she"d been lucky. He wondered if he should return to help Tam and then, hearing a terrible cry of pain, feared he might be too late. Leaving Dee coughing gently, he ran back inside.

Tam Kartryte was not a coward. Life on Arista Four might not have been as dangerous as many of the places that humans had colonised in the far reaches of deep s.p.a.ce but it still threw up enough native threats - wild animals, poisonous plants, sickness-carrying insects - to have made the work of establishing the colony over the past hundred years full of perils. Over the years of his leadership Tam had led hunts and exploratory missions and faced pretty much every threat the place could throw at him. And in more recent times there had been the regular raids by the rebels to deal with, but this was something new. The Realists had only targeted outlying farms for food and the wreck of the colony ship for materials; never before had they actually come into the town. And never before had they left such destruction in their wake. They must be getting desperate indeed. Tam feared that the raiders would outnumber him and knew that the sensible thing would be to wait for more help, but the fire was spreading and more innocents might be at risk. And there was more to it than his duty. This attack was an outrage and he was mad as h.e.l.l about it. No one came into his town and did something like this. No one. Armed with both his own rifle and Freedom"s revolver, which he had dropped earlier, Tam headed without hesitation into the smoke-filled corridors.

It was almost impossible to see anything, and not too easy to breathe either. Tarn"s eyes watered and he began to cough.

Suddenly there was a shape in front of him - a ma.s.sive humanoid shape, impossibly hairy and fast. Before Tam could raise either of his weapons the shape slashed at him and Tam felt a sharp pain in his chest and screamed in agony, the sound dying as he fell to the ground.

It had taken time for a tech crew to unload and prep the ground car for action but now the Doctor and the First Officer of the Hannibal Hannibal, accompanied by two grim-faced, well-armed marines, were racing across the plain at speeds that the good citizens of Plymouth Hope could only dream of. The journey that had taken Kartryte"s horse and cart over an hour was taking them mere minutes. The Doctor had hardly finished adjusting his seat belt when the wreck of the colony ship came into view.

Veena found the sight uncomfortable. A ship of that size didn"t look right, as far as she was concerned, in the incongruous setting of a planet surface. It was like a sea creature marooned on a beach; it just looked wrong. She could imagine what it must have been like when the ship had crashed, hurtling into the ground like a ma.s.sive missile. It was a testament to the ship"s builders that so much of it was still intact.

The Doctor was more concerned with something else they could see on the horizon: black smoke bellowing from the township. He tapped Veena on the arm and urged her to hurry. Veena increased the speed of the ground car even more, hurling the Doctor back against his seat. As they came closer, the Doctor could see that it was Dee"s medical centre that was under attack.

Veena hit the brakes and the car skidded to a halt, throwing up a wave of sandy earth and startling the horses, which immediately bolted, dragging the cart with them. The Doctor hopped out of the car to deal with Dee, who was leaning against a wall, coughing. Without hesitation Veena ordered her two-man security detail to secure their facemasks. Then she grabbed a fire extinguisher from the car, and darted into the smoke-filled opening; the two men, now fully shielded, followed her.

Inside, Veena began firing the chemical fire suppressant at the various small fires, quickly dousing the flames. The smoke was beginning to clear now; another door was open somewhere. Leaving the extinguisher, Veena pulled her energy weapon from its holster. She nodded at the marines to start searching some of the other rooms.

It was Veena who found the body. Ugly splashes of blood marked the wall above the crumpled figure of the old man.

She checked for a pulse but couldn"t find one. Of his attacker there was no sign.

She ordered the soldiers to secure the building, picked up the victim and carried him back outside. She found that the Doctor had managed to locate some water and had revived the woman.

Dee looked up and saw that the uniformed stranger was carrying Tarn"s lifeless body. Helped by the Doctor, she got to her feet and hurried over.

"Put him down," she requested.

Veena did as she was asked. "I don"t think there"s anything that we can do for him," she explained gently.

Dee ignored her, carefully examining Tam. She looked up sharply. "There"s a pulse. He"s not dead yet."

"Perhaps the medical facilities on your ship...?" suggested the Doctor.

Veena nodded and activated her communicator. "Myles to Thor. Thor. Request immediate Medevac." Request immediate Medevac."

Dee and the Doctor watched as Veena made her report as quickly and efficiently as she could. Finally she clicked shut the communicator. "A flyer will be here in minutes, our surgeons are standing by," she told them. Dee nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

The Doctor was edging towards the ragged hole in the building. Wisps of smoke were still floating out of it. "Wait right there, Doctor. A full security squad will be here shortly to secure the area; until then I"d rather you stayed put,"

Veena requested.

The Doctor hopped from foot to foot impatiently. "But my friend...Zoe. She"s in there..." Veena pulled him away from the door as gently as she could. "I"m sorry, Doctor. We"ve not found anyone else in there, dead or alive," she explained. "I"m really sorry."

There was a sudden electronic bleep and Veena activated her communicator. It was the security detail reporting that they had found another survivor. Hope flared on the Doctor"s face but died a moment later as Val Freedom was helped out of the building, supported by one of the troopers.

He took in the sight of Dee, tending to Tam, and glanced over at the Doctor.

"Is he...?" he began.

"Barely," confessed the Doctor. "They"re going to do what they can."