Doctor Who_ The Web Of Fear Part 14

'What about Jamie and the Doctor?' asked Victoria.

'Where are they?'

Anne put a rea.s.suring arm around her shoulders. 'It's all right, Victoria. They're not far away...'

Feeling, as he said to himself, like some great daftie, Jamie crouched by the end of the platform muttering into the little radio-microphone. 'Come to me. I am at Piccadilly.

Come to me.' To his astonishment, he saw a Yeti moving along the track. Jamie was about to step out into sight but decided on a further test. 'Stop! Raise your arm!' The Yeti did neither. It simply lumbered on and out of sight. 'Och, it's no use,' rnuttered Jamie. 'Wrong Yeti!' He moved towards the platform arch-and walked straight into another one.

The small group before the pyramid looked up as the Doctor came into view, a Yeti close behind him, the strange-looking helmet already in place on his head. Victoria tried to run to him. but Travers held her back. 'Doctor, what are they going to do to you?' she called frantically.

The Doctor seemed quite cheerful. 'Don't worry, Victoria, everything's under control.'

'Indeed it is, Doctor,' boomed the mocking voice from the loudspeakers. 'Under my my control-as so many humans have been! control-as so many humans have been!

Harold Chorley stumbled into the concourse, a Yeti behind him. 'You.' said Travers angrily. 'You were the one who betrayed us to the Intelligence: Chorley was babbling with fear. 'No, it's not me, I wasn't helping the Intelligence. It was him!'

From the entrance behind Chorley a stiff figure walked forward, its face an impa.s.sive mask. It was Sergeant Arnold.

14.

The Final Duel.

Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart listened in shocked disbelief as the icy voice of the Intelligence came from the rugged old soldier who had served him an loyally. 'I chose to use the body of Sergeant Arnold from the first-just as I briefly used Travers. He revealed your plans to me, he concealed my Yeti in your Fortress. Now it is time to begin. This is the start of my conquest. And here is the last member of my party.'

Jamie came forward, a Yeti behind him as guard. From Arnold's lips the voice of the Intelligence ordered, 'Stand by the Doctor.'

Sullenly Jamie obeyed. The Yeti guarding the Doc-tor stepped behind him, and a s.h.a.ggy arm shot out to encircle his throat. Jamie gasped for breath. 'A re-minder. Doctor,' said the Intelligence. 'If you resist site, the boy will die. Go to the chair beside the pyramid.'

The Doctor did not more. 'No. I will will submit-but not until Jamie is released.' submit-but not until Jamie is released.'

There was a moment's silence. The spectators could almost feel the struggle. as the Intelligence locked wills with the Doctor. Then it spoke again. 'Very well.' The Yeti released Jamie, who staggered back, rubbing his neck.

Victoria wanted to go to him, but dared not move.

The Doctor started walking towards the pyramid.

Arnold followed. The Doctor seated himself, and Arnold lowered the metal circlet so that it made con-tact with the helmet on the Doctor's head. 'Soon your mind will be absorbed by the Great Intelligence. Your knowledge will a.s.sist my conquest of this planet, and of many more. You should be proud, Doctor.'

'Get on with it,' said the Doctor tersely. 'I just want to get this over and done with.'

'There must be no resistance,' warned the Intelligence.

'If there is, these humans will die. Prepare for a great darkness to cloud your mind.'

Travers, Anne, Victoria, Chorley and Evans watched as Arnold operated controls on the base of the pyramid. The Doctor's face was calm and relaxed as the machine began humming with power. Jamie was too busy to watch. He was slipping the microphone from inside his shirt with agonising slowness and raising it to his lips. 'Attack,' he muttered fiercely. 'Attack the other Yeti now!'

Suddenly the Yeti that had brought Jamie in, the Yeti he had discovered to his delight to be the one reprogrammed by the Doctor, lumbered into action. With great sweeping blows it smashed down the two Yeti guarding the Doctor.

'Now, get Arnold,' shouted Jamie. The Yeti lumbered obediently towards the new target, and clubbed him to the ground. 'Hold back the other two Yeti,' ordered Jamie. As his his Yeti began attacking its fellows, he ran towards the pyramid. Yeti began attacking its fellows, he ran towards the pyramid.

Arnold was on his feet, seeming unharmed by the blow.

'Yeti, protect the pyramid,' he screamed in the Intelligence's voice.

One of the two remaining Yeti held a Web-gun, which it swung to cover Lethbridge-Stewart. With a sudden burst of courage, Evans knocked the gun from its hand. The Yeti sent him flying with a single blow, and advanced on the Colonel, who dodged quickly away. The Yeti fell back, to defend the pyramid as commanded.

Meanwhile Travers and Jamie had reached the pyramid and, dodging behind the two Yeti, they were trying to drag the Doctor from his seat. To their surprise he resisted furiously. 'No, leave me alone,' he yelled. 'You're spoiling everything!'

Jamie decided the Doctor's will must already be under the Intelligence's control, and increased his efforts to drag him away.

The Yeti were fighting with maniacal fury. By now there were only two on their feet; Jamie's Yeti and one of the two guarding the pyramid. 'Destroy!' shrieked the Intelligence, and the two giants began exchanging great smashing blows.

The Colonel and Evans had joined Travers and Jamie in trying to drag a furiously resisting Doctor from the throne.

Their combined efforts heaved him out at last, and all five landed in a struggling heap on the floor. Jamie saw that the helmet was still on the Doctor's head, and still linked to the pyramid. With a desperate lunge he snapped the joining cable, and wrenched the helmet from the Doctor's head.

Drawing back his arm, Jamie hurled the heavy metal helmet with all his strength, straight into the glowing heart of the pyramid.

There was a brilliant white flash. A soundless explosion flung them all to the ground. Shakily Jamie picked himself up and looked round. Most of the others seemed unharmed.

Victoria was helping Anne sit up. Travers, Chorley, Evans and the Colonel were all struggling to their feet. Janie noticed with relief that the Yeti were not getting up again. They lay sprawled over the ticket hall, smoke pouring from gaping holes in their chests. He guessed that their control spheres had exploded, just as had happened in Tibet. He felt a pang of sorrow for 'his' Yeti, the one which had defended them so bravely. Arnold too Iay unmoving.

Jamie looked for the Doctor and found him standing by the pyramid, literally hopping up and down with rage. As Jamie came up to him, the Doctor said furiously, 'Why couldn't you all leave me alone?'

Still unbalanced by shock, decided Jamie. 'Hold on, Doctor, if we hadn't pulled you out, you'd have been a heap of dust ty now.' Jamie pointed to the pile of white debris, all that remained of the pyramid.

'I told you to leave me alone,' the Doctor repeated crossly. 'Now you've ruined everything.'

Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, Professor Travers, Anne and Victoria had joined them. Jamie glared angrily at the ungrateful Doctor. 'What's all the fuss about, we've won haven't we?'

'No, we haven't,' shouted the Doctor. 'Not a complete victory.'

Lethbridge-Stewart gestured round at the shattered pyramid and the still smoking Yeti. 'Looks pretty complete to me.'

Seeing the happy faces all round him, the Doctor shook his head and smiled, his bad temper forgotten. 'Forgive me, all of you. You weren't to know. You see it was such a splendid little scheme. I'd managed to switch off my Yeti guard and reverse the polarity on that helmet thing before they brought me in. The Intelligence wouldn't have drained my brain-I'd have drained the Intelligence! Instead we just got a giant short-circuit!'

'Then where's the Intelligence now?' asked Anne. 'Did we destroy it?'

'I doubt it. It's back floating around in s.p.a.ce somewhere. All we did was to snap its link with Earth. Look!'

The Doctor turned over Arnold's body which as lying face down. The features had crumpled into a horrifying death-mask. The Doctor sighed. 'Poor fellow.'

The Colonel stood beside him, looking down at the body. 'I just don't understand. Sergeant Arnold was so brave, so loyal. He took such risks to help us.'

'When the Intelligence wasn't in control, Arnold was his normal self,' explained the Doctor. 'Unfortunately the Intelligence could take over his mind and guide his actions whenever it wanted. Afterwards, Arnold had no recollection of what he'd been doing. I suspected it was him when I heard he'd come through the Web unharmed.'

Harold Chorley came over to the Doctor. Now the danger was past, he was fast recovering his old brag and bounce. In fact, he was almost back to his objectionable self.

'Well done, Doctor,' he said fulsomely. 'A splendid achievement.'

'Not really; said the Doctor. 'I'm afraid I failed.'

'Nonsense, Doctor. You're a hero. I'm going to make you world famous! First thing is for you to give a Press Conference...'

The Doctor backed away. 'Why don't you discuss it with the Colonel? He's very good at organising things.'

Chorley said, 'Good idea,' and went off to b.u.t.ton-hole Lethbridge-Stewart.

The Doctor turned to Jamie and Victoria. 'Come on, you two, I think it's time to leave.' They slipped out through a side exit and made their way down to the Piccadilly Line.

The little group in the concourse went on chattering excitedly. 'I reckon the least I deserve is a promotion,' Evans was telling Anne optimistically. 'I could end up a colonel myself.'

Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart was lecturing Professor Travers. 'What the world needs is a permanent International Organisation to deal with this sort of thing. A kind of Intelligence Task Force... I think I'll send the Government a memorandum...'

Harold Chorley bustled up. Now then, Colonel. I was just telling the Doctor...' He looked across the hall. 'I say he's gone. They've all gone.'

Professor Travers said, 'He's off to his TARDIS, I imagine. He disappeared rather mysteriously last time we met.'

Chorley snorted. He couldn't understand anyone wanting to avoid avoid publicity. 'Now about this Doctor chappie-I never did get the publicity. 'Now about this Doctor chappie-I never did get the full full story. Professor Travers, you met the Doctor first, in Tibet, I believe. Can you tell me all about him?' story. Professor Travers, you met the Doctor first, in Tibet, I believe. Can you tell me all about him?'

Travers shook his head. 'I only know a very little about the Doctor, Mr Chorley, and I don't think you'd believe me if I told you...'

The Doctor and his friends had pa.s.sed through Leicester Square, and were now approaching the spot where they'd left the TARDIS. Under their feet they crunched a crystalline powder, all that remained of the Web. 'The mist will have gone too, up top,' said the Doctor. 'They'll soon have things back to normal.' As the TARDIS came in sight the Doctor suddenly stopped. 'In fact I'd better get us out of here right away,' he said dramatically. 'We might soon be in the most terrible danger!'

Victoria felt she couldn't take any more excitement. 'Oh no, Doctor, what's the matter now?'

'Well, as soon as they can they'll get the Underground running again. Just think we might get run over by a Tube train! And after all we've been through, that would be most undignified!' The Doctor hurried up to the TARDIS and opened the door. Jamie and Victoria looked after him.

'He's mad,' said Jamie indignantly. 'Mad, I tell you. No telling where he'll land as up next.'

Victoria smiled. 'Come on, Jamie, time to go!' They followed the Doctor into the TARDIS. The door closed and after a moment a strange wheezing, groaning sound filled the tunnel. Slowly the TARDIS faded away. The Doctor and his two companions were ready to begin their next adventure.