The Romance Of Crime Part 24

Romana turned to the Doctor. 'Well? What is the way out?'

He hitched up his scarf. 'I'll think of something.'

The survey room at the centre of the base was cramped and dark. Contoured charts of the planet's surface shifted into new patterns on the row of screens set into one wall, a display of weather movements from distant areas provided through a network of relays. The consoles and computer banks always found in such places were beneath the screens. Broad-shouldered shadows were thrown onto the walls as the brothers prepared a group of Ogrons for the next stage of the operation.

Eddie unpacked the third helmet and pa.s.sed it to Gjork.

The leading Ogron clamped it down on his head. It connected automatically, with a loud hiss, to the clips on the neck of Gjork's atmosuit. Gjork and two others were now suited up and ready to begin the mining operation. During the long wait for Xais's signal, Eddie had trained these three specimens with the mining gear. The Ogrons' willingness to learn and practical skill, qualities that were a legacy of their confused evolution, were a considerable a.s.set in a slave race.

'All set,' Eddie reported.

Charlie sat before the main computer display. The base's drinks machine had provided a cup of tepid coffee, from which he took measured sips. 'Right. Get down to the air-lock.

Take the probe.'

Eddie was confused. 'We don't need the probe. Xais is going to tell us where to set up the rigs.'

Charlie patted the seat next to his in invitation. Eddie joined him before the console, and was greeted with a powerful pinch on the arm.

'It's a good job Mum and Dad aren't here, you know,'

Charlie said as he loosened his grip. 'What would they think of you, boy? "Xais is going to tell us where to set up the rigs."

You don't think, that's your trouble. No sense.' He leant closer to his luckless brother and whispered, 'With the probe we can have a good look at this planet for ourselves. Find out what she's really after.'

'Well, we're going to kill her anyway, aren't we?' Eddie protested.

Charlie nodded and reached for a nearby box. 'Yes.' He pushed open the lid of the box and produced one of the bombs.

'Let's get this set up.'

The bomb fitted snugly between the console and a free standing unit beneath. Charlie pushed a tiny b.u.t.ton on one side of the device and a red light flashed on.

Eddie jumped up. 'It's not going to go off, is it?'

'Not yet.' Charlie closed the lid of the box. 'But now it's armed. So, whenever I'm ready I can detonate.' He leant back in his chair. 'Right. Get down to the air-lock. Proceed as drilled.'

Eddie leapt up and selected a particular crate from the pile.

He beckoned to the three atmosuited Ogrons. They followed him as he left the survey room and headed for the air-lock.

Spiggot put out a hand to steady himself as the Rock of Judgement swayed slightly. A further series of b.u.mps followed before the corridor steadied. 'Hey, was that what I hope it was?' he asked K9.

K9's antennae twitched and he replied, 'I am unable to answer your question until you tell me what you hope for.'

'Well, I hope it was the Ogron ship splitting off.'

'It was what you hoped it was,' K9 said. 'The Ogrons have left the Rock of Judgement. My sensors indicate that two transmat transmissions have been made recently. Inference is that Doctor Master and Mistress Romana, along with Xais and the Nisbett brothers, have used transmat to reach Planet Eleven.'

'Let's get after them, then,' Spiggot said. 'The transmat's only down one level from here.'

'Unnecessary,' K9 said primly. 'Travel by TARDIS more efficient.'

'Oh, not that stupid box?'

K9 trundled off towards the nearest lift without comment.

Stokes was slumped in his corner. He looked over resentfully at the Doctor and Romana. She was sighing, he was staring ahead and cogitating in that irritating way of his. She sighed again.

'Romana, will you stop that, please?'

'Stop what?'

'Sighing.'

'All right. But I feel so helpless, sitting here.' She slid off the crate and her eyes widened. 'Doctor!'

He stayed still. 'Yes?'

'What have we been sitting on all this time?'

'Our bottoms?'

She pulled him away from the crate and pointed to stencilled lettering stamped where they had been sitting.

Stokes peered across. The letters read DANGER!!!

BLASTING MATERIALS.

As one the Doctor and Romana prised the lid off the crate.

Stokes shuffled over to them. 'What have you got there?'

The Doctor whirled round. He helpd up a small red device decorated with a couple of yellow stripes and said, 'Our deliverance, Mr Stokes. A Z7 hermite pack. This little beauty packs a punch that'll blast our way out of here.'

'In a s.p.a.ce as small as this it might also blow us to pieces,'

Romana pointed out.

'Well, have you got any better ideas?' the Doctor said bullishly.

'It is my idea,' Romana said.

'Well, then you should feel very proud. Now then.' He examined the controls attached to the blast pack. 'This must be the timer. I'll give it a few minutes.' He twisted a dial and fixed the pack to the hatch. 'I suggest we all get behind the crate.'

Braah, home planet of the Ogrons, was a ma.s.sive grey ball some light years from the central s.p.a.ceways. The bulky Ogron frame had been designed for the high gravity of that enormous world, and was well equipped for the deadening atmosphere of Planet Eleven. Gjork and his two colleagues moved through the thick grime with powerful, loping strides, the tough rubber joints of their atmosuits creaking at the knees.

Gjork had been drilled in the use of some of his suit's more basic functions, and he stopped to consult his wrist read-out. A line of neon numbers glowed beneath a panel that was kept clean by an automatic sprinkler. 'Stop,' Gjork told the others.

'We have walked enough metres now. Unpack the probe.'

One of the others slung a carrying case from his shoulder and unclipped a row of bolts on its side. The lid whirred up and the Ogron removed the probe, a fat silver tube about half a metre long that was packed with sensor circuitry of the highest calibre. The tube tapered to a snout at the front and a couple of glowing red power-packs were attached to the rear. Gjork reached over and took the device. He pressed a b.u.t.ton on the snout and it tingled against his gloved hand. Carefully, he bent over and angled the probe like a spear at a soft piece of ground nearby. It beeped three times and shot from his grip into the slimy soil, disappearing within seconds.

Gjork nodded, pleased, and opened his communicator frequency. 'Mr Charles. Gjork here. I have activated the probe as you ordered, at,' he consulted his wrist read-out again, 'distance of 1401.'

'Good,' said Charlie. He checked the position of the Ogron mining team on the map of the locality displayed above him, and made an approving noise. That was far enough out from the more solid ground where the base had been built for a general reading to be trusted. 'Were there any complications?'

he asked Gjork.

'No complications,' Gjork replied. 'We wait for probe to come back now, yes sir?'

'That's right. Call back upon its return. Out.'

Charles heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Xais, who must have overheard the exchange. She stiffened and threw back her head. 'You've sent down a probe? Why? There is nothing of value in this region.'

The far door hissed open and Eddie walked in. 'It won't hurt to have a look, though,' he told Xais. 'Just a general survey of the region. To see what's about.'

'You are wasting time,' said Xais. 'There is nothing here.'

Charlie took a checker-patterned vacuum flask from a crate and unscrewed its lid. His nostrils twitched at the tempting vapours of the steamy broth within. 'Like Eddie says. We're just having a look. No harm in that.' He took a sip of broth.

'And we've got the gear, remember. You won't get far without it. From now on you do as we say.'

Xais battled with the urge forming behind her eyes, a familiar sticky hotness that was pushing at her brow and tugging at the pulses in her forehead. One glance could crush these recessives. But she had to remain calm. They had to remain allies until the rigs were set up and programmed and the helicon gathered. It would take at least two months. Two months of this. At least she had the lives of the Doctor and his Normal friends to feast upon while she waited.

The lives of the brothers, though, were what she wanted. It would be so good to feel their agony and fear. She imagined Charlie's brain bursting through his head and suppressed a l.u.s.tful chuckle.

A louder roar burst over the rumble of the gas clouds.

Eddie looked up. 'That must be the lads coming down.'

Charlie stood up. 'I've cleared security on the pad. Tell them they can set down.'

Eddie nodded. 'Base to Flarkk,' he transmitted. 'You're clear for landing.'

Xais watched as Charlie noted Pyerpoint's silent presence in the survey room for the first time. The old judge had slipped in behind her, his face still as ever. 'What's he doing here?'

Xais faced Charlie. 'Pyerpoint has specialized knowledge.

Security codes, and the like. We may need him.' She noted Charlie's suspicious expression. 'Don't worry. My eyes are upon him at all times. He can do nothing.'

Charlie frowned and stalked away.

Pyerpoint's hand moved down to the bulge in his tabard where his laser pistol was concealed. 'No?' he whispered to Xais with a glance at the brothers.

She curled a hand over his and said, 'No. Not yet.'

The boom of the ancient, spitting motors of the landing Ogron ship concealed the detonation of the hermite pack as it blew open the hatch of storage area three. Despite Romana's fears, the hermite had exploded outwards into the corridor, leaving the occupants of the storage area unscathed. The Doctor's head popped up from behind the crate and he removed his fingers from his singing ears. 'There we are.'

Romana looked up and blinked away the smoke from her eyes. A pleasantly sized hole had been blasted in the hatch.

Flames danced around the glowing edge of the gap. 'Well done, Doctor.'

He leapt up and made for the hole, but stopped as if he had forgotten his manners. 'Please, ladies first.'

Romana nipped through the scorching ring of fire and called back, 'It's all right, Doctor. It's quite safe.'

He followed her, dusted himself down and rearranged his scarf 'I know it's safe.'

The Doctor turned at the sound of Stokes's voice. 'Where are you two going now?' he asked from the other side of the hole.

'Well, we're going to defeat Xais, of course,' said the Doctor. 'Or try to.'

'Why don't you stay here?' suggested Romana.

Stokes took a little run-up and jumped through the hatch.

'Oh no,' he said, looking up and down the corridor. 'No. I shall return to the transmat. As would you, if you had any sense remaining to you at all.'

Romana frowned. 'Don't be ridiculous. The Rock's probably drifted out of range by now.'

Stokes backed away. He appeared genuinely afraid of them.

'It doesn't matter. I'm prepared to take a chance. I'd rather I were scattered painlessly into the ether than have my spleen squeezed until it pops by a gang of psychopaths.'

He gave Romana a little wave. 'Farewell, my angel. I wish only that your level of sanity was equal to the magnitude of your attractiveness.' He looked less fondly at the Doctor and added, 'You are obviously as mad as you appear.'

Romana watched as he scurried off. 'Doctor, we can't just let him go like that.'

The Doctor was already striding in the opposite direction. 'I think we just have. Now, which way to survey control, I wonder?'

'Now this has got to be some sort of trick,' said Spiggot as he entered the brightly lit control room of the TARDIS. He looked back at the big white double doors, which were decorated with a pattern of indented circular panels. He was sure the door he'd pushed open had been wooden, and blue, and had belonged to a box large enough to hold four people at most. There was only one way to check. He stepped back through the white doors and was back in the cavern, standing in front of a tall blue box. He pushed open the door, stepped through slowly and he was in the huge white room. 'No, this has got to be some sort of trick. You've got a teleporter rigged up or something, yeah?'

K9 whirred forward. 'Please mind the doors.' The big white doors swung shut with a low electronic hum.

Spiggot shook his head and marvelled at his new surroundings. 'So, this is your TARDIS, eh? I guess I was wrong to doubt you. But how do you get,' he waved a hand about, 'all of this inside that little box?' He gestured to the hexagonal control console which bulged with k.n.o.bs, switches and levers of various shapes and colours. 'And how does all this work?'