Doctor Who_ The Power of the Daleks Part 16

'Not quite yet,' Bragen replied. Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, he added: 'I need another card in my hand. The Examiner bothers me.'

'That ridiculous man?' Janley scoffed. 'I thought Quinn was the only danger to our plans.'

'Not any more.' Bragen rubbed his chin, deep in thought. 'And don't dismiss the Examiner as a fool. A lot of that's merely an act to disarm suspicions. He wouldn't be where he is today if he were really that idiotic. What we need is something else, some other card in play...' Then the answer came to him. A wolf-like smile slowly spread across his features as he carefully told Janley what she had to do.

'I told you they wouldn't let you see Quinn,' Ben grumbled, following Polly down the latest corridor. The place was beginning to get on his nerves, it was so bleak.

Every corridor looked like the last, without individuality or interest.

'Then we'll have to talk to somebody else, won't we?'

Polly replied firmly. 'The Doctor is relying on us to get him the background information he needs about the rebels while he concentrates on the Daleks.'

Ben hated it when Polly got into one of her moods.

Sometimes she could get quite bossy, especially when she was on one of her crusades. She was quite determined to vindicate Quinn and get him freed, that much was obvious.

'So, who else is there?' he asked. 'We can hardly ask Hensell to tell us. And Bragen's the Security Chief he won't admit that there's any problems he hasn't solved.'

Polly gave him a cheerful smile. 'Then we'll have to talk to Thane, won't we?'

'The medic?' Ben considered the suggestion. 'You may have something there, d.u.c.h.ess. People tell all their aches and pains to their doctors, don't they? But do you think she'll see us?'

Polly halted beside the community notice board. 'I know she'll see us,' she replied brightly. She tapped a piece of paper on the board. 'I spotted this last time we walked past. It's a note from her asking you, me and the Doctor to stop by for a check-up.'

'Blimey, Pol,' Ben said in admiration, 'what sharp eyes you have.' He frowned at the board. 'You know, there's something that puzzles me about this place. On the one hand, it's on an alien planet, light-years from Earth, with starships coming in and all this electronic whiz-bang stuff all over. Then, on the other hand, they use a message board and drawing pins to leave each other notes. Odd, ain't it?'

'It is a bit strange,' Polly agreed. 'A mixture of the ultramodern and the primitive. Well, maybe Thane will have some answers for us.'

The blonde doctor did at least have a friendly smile for them. 'I see you got my message, then.' She stood up.

'Don't worry, it's nothing serious. I just like to check upon some of my successes now and then to make certain I'm not deluding myself.' She came to a halt beside a machine that looked like a weighing machine. It had a base joined to a five-foot long handle. Atop this were two hand-grips, and two digital read-out screens. 'Right, who's first?'

'Me, I suppose,' Polly volunteered. 'What do I have to do?'

Thane sighed. 'Yes, I suppose it's a bit of an antiquity by Earth standards, isn't it? Like most things here. Just stand on the platform and grip the handles, please.'

Polly did as she was instructed, picking up on Thane's bitter comment. 'You get a lot of out-dated equipment here?' she asked.

'As much as the Company feels it can get away with to cut costs,' Thane replied. She began tapping b.u.t.tons on the panel.

'The Company?' Ben prompted her.

'Yes.' She gave him a quick, puzzled look. 'They really didn't brief you very much, did they? Surely you know that this planet is owned and operated by International Mining Corporation?'

'As a commercial venture,' Polly said. 'So they provide only what they have to in order to keep you going and cut corners where they can.'

'Precisely.' Thane sounded angry. 'If they'd given me the medical facilities I was promised, we'd have had a lot less deaths. They're not interested in people, just output.'

Polly began to understand some of the older woman's anger. 'And they say it isn't economical to give you better technology or more supplies.'

'And that's why the place looks so barren and you have to leave messages on a bulletin board,' Ben finished off triumphantly.

'Exactly.' Thane jotted down the readings from the dial.

'It looks like you're in good shape, Polly. No aftereffects from the mercury poisoning at all. Right, off you get.' She nodded at Ben. 'Your turn now.'

Polly was beginning to understand the situation much better. Here was the reason for the discontent, and the fuel that kept the rebels going. This IMC company was bleeding the planet dry to make itself rich, and keeping the colonists dependent on it for whatever supplies they did get. She could hardly blame some of them for wanting to change things. It also explained why Hensell wasn't well-liked as mouthpiece for the Company, he was distrusted by the colonists. And as a good company man, he probably worked to keep production up and costs down. And he no doubt had a fat retirement pension waiting for him back at home on Earth when he was finished here. It was definitely a poisonous situation here, and not just from the mercury, either.

As Ben took his turn on the diagnostic machine, Thane asked Polly: 'Where's the Examiner? He must have his tests done too, you know.'

'He's with Lesterson in the laboratory,' Polly answered.

'I'll ask him to stop by and see you as soon as he's finished, shall l?'

'I'd appreciate that,' Thane said gratefully. 'I can close his file then. I'd hate to see any drastic changes in his health.'

'Yeah,' Ben muttered in agreement, 'the last change was bad enough.'

'Oh?' Thane raised an eyebrow. 'Having medical problems, is he?'

'Not exactly,' Ben hedged. 'More like he's giving us us medical problems.' medical problems.'

'Ah, I see.' Thane smiled. 'There must be a lot of stress in your line of work.'

'More than you'd think,' Ben a.s.sured her.

Polly slipped out of the room while Thane was conducting her examination of Ben. She was glad of the excuse to go looking for the Doctor. Now she had some facts to give him about the rebels. Maybe this would help the Doctor somehow to free Quinn. Absorbed in her thoughts, she almost b.u.mped into one of the colonists who was pinning a note to the bulletin board. 'Oh, sorry,' she apologized. She was about to back off when she recognized the girl. 'You're Lesterson's a.s.sistant, aren't you?'

'That's right,' Janley agreed. 'You're not looking for the Examiner, are you?'

'Well, yes,' Polly replied. 'Isn't he in the laboratory still?'

'No, they finished their tests,' Janley replied. 'And we just received the word that the Communications Room is now operational, so the Examiner went there to send a message to Earth. About the Daleks, I believe.'

Excitement surged in Polly: it looked like both of their problems were about to be solved. 'Great,' she said happily.

'Thanks. I'll catch him while he's there, then.'

'You'll find it easily enough,' Janley told her. 'It's on the right, down the next corridor spoke.'

Polly nodded and hurried off in the indicated direction.

Janley watched her leave, a nasty smile playing about her lips. It was all going exactly according to plan.

As Janley had predicted, Polly found the Communications Room within moments. She tapped on the door, then opened it and entered.

She frowned in puzzlement. Despite Janley's claims, the Doctor wasn't in the room. Nor, apparently, was anyone else. That was odd, because there were supposed to be some technicians working on repairing the smashed units.

'Doctor?' Polly called. 'h.e.l.lo! Is there anyone here?'

Then, as she moved forward, she realized that Janley had definitely lied to her: the main computers were dead, and the central panels were still in pieces, electronic parts and wiring scattered about the floor. The room was certainly not operational, as the other woman had claimed.

Worried now, Polly turned back to leave the room. As she started to move, a strong hand clamped about her mouth, and a second about her chest, pinning her arms to her sides. Polly struggled to free herself from this unseen a.s.sailant. Then, as she fought, there was a sickly smell as something cracked beneath her nose. She couldn't help breathing it in, and then she collapsed in her attacker's arms.

Janley hastily replaced the shattered ampule of tranquilizer into her jacket pocket. She would dispose of it later, where it wouldn't be found. then she smiled up at the man holding Polly's limp form in his strong arms. 'Well done, Valmar. That should keep her quiet for a while.'

Valmar glanced down at the woman again. His craggy face creased into a frown. Then he looked up at Janley from under his long, dark fringe. He was a slender man, nervous, but intense. His dark eyes seemed to absorb information as he looked around. A genius with all things mechanical, he constantly allowed his curiosity to override his judgment. 'I've got no idea who she is, but she was snooping about. She may have understood what I'm doing with the Comm units.'

'I sent her,' Unity told him. 'She's one of the Examiner's a.s.sistants. We want her kept safely out of the way for a while. Get a couple of your men to keep her in a safe place.'

Valmar nodded, then let Polly's unconscious body drop cruelly to the floor, He stepped over it to look at the bundle that lanky clutched under her arm. 'Is this it?'

'Yes.' She unwrapped the Dalek gun-stick and held it out to him. 'This is what I told you about.'

Examining the weapon made Valmar's eyes gleam. It was bcautiftilly constructed, with a single purpose in mind.

'Should have quite a good range.' he said in admiration.

'Workmanship. this is.'

'Can you fit a trigger?' Janley asked.

'Easily.' Valmar's face split into a grin of pure pleasure.

'This little beauty should win us the revolution.'

Janley smile echoed his, 'Splendid. Then, very soon, we shall throw off the shackles of slavery and become a free people.'

'And Hensell will be first against the wall,' Valmar said with satisfaction. Originally one of the senior engineers, Valmar had been demoted by the Governor after an industrial accident. Hensell had blamed Valmar for the four men who had died, even though it had not been Valmar's fault. But it looked better on the Governor's report to lay the blame at the feet of an individual, rather than where it belonged with the IMC board of directors.

Now Valmar aimed to have his recompense.

'All of our oppressors will be dealt with as they deserve,'

Janley told him. 'And any who side with them. Those who are not with the revolution are against it!'

'Freedom!' Valmar replied happily. He bent to examine the Dalek gun again, and thus missed seeing the mocking smile on Janley's lips.

Fool, she thought. So easily manipulated by stupid phrases and idiotic desires, Soon there will be change all right. but there will be precious little freedom for you idiots,

17.

When I Say Run. Run Like a Rabbit Ben glanced about the empty medical room blankly. 'I don't understand it, Doctor,' he said. 'Polly was definitely going off to look for you.'

The Doctor looked about with little interest. 'Well, I was with Lesterson all the time till you came and got me for this silly medical. Polly never came for me.'

Ben nodded. 'So I was sure she must have come back here. But there's no sign of her, is there?'

'Nor of Thane, either.' the Doctor said. 'I do so hate being kept waiting by doctors. Still, maybe we can make the best of a bad situation. Why don't we run the tests on me ourselves and leave Thane a note of the results?'

Trying to ignore his worry about Polly, Ben led the Doctor over to the diagnostic machine. 'It's quite simple,'

he explained, demonstrating it. 'You just stand on the platform and hold the handles. The instruments monitor your heartbeat, breathing and the rest.' He nodded at the small panel in the centre of the machine. 'It all shows up there.'

The Doctor peered at the rend-outs with interest. 'Oh, this looks like fun.' He raised an eyebrow. 'Judging by these figures, you're in excellent condition. Almost as fit as I am!'

'I should think so,' Ben laughed.

'Come on, get down.' the Doctor said, waving his hand.

'Let me have a go.'

'Anyone'd think it was a toy,' said Ben, relinquishing his place.

The Doctor hopped up on it and gripped the handles firmly. 'Does it have a kick-start'?' he asked.

There was a howl from the central panel, and Ben bent to examine it. 'No, but according to these figures, you should have! It looks like you're dead!'

'Don't be silly. I haven't felt this fit in five centuries.'

The Doctor peered rather myopically at the read-outs. 'Oh, of course! It's calibrated for humans, isn't it? I must be giving it something of a mechanical nervous breakdown.'

'I'll say.' Ben shook his head. 'Well, we can't leave those those readings for Thane. She might want to have you buried. readings for Thane. She might want to have you buried.

We'd better make some up.'

The Doctor glared at the machine as he clambered off it.

'I a.s.sure you, Ben, I'm as fit as a man of a tenth of my age'

'Yeah, but if you're over seven hundred and fifty years old, that's not saying much, is it?' Ben finished making his notes, and then his mind went back to his primary worry.

'I wonder what's happened to her?'