Doctor Who: The Savages (9 page)

Steven shrugged. ‘It’s possible.’

Tor turned in triumph to his fellows now crowding into the cave. ‘They can destroy our enemies! The strangers must be gods...’

8 ‘The Trouble With You People On This Planet...’

Senta completed his examination of the Doctor who was still lying unconscious in the office.

‘Are we to release him into the outside world like we do with the others?’ asked the first assistant.

‘He is certainly not one of the savages,’ said Senta. ‘He couldn’t look after himself out there. No, he will be kept here in the City. Take him to the guest apartments. That was where the Elders originally intended him to stay. Assist him.’

The Doctor was taken away, walking like a man in a dream.

‘Treat him with great care,’ Senta called after them. ‘He is most valuable to us.’ And then he hurried to join Jano who was already waiting in the laboratory.

‘I have dismissed all the assistants,’ said Senta.

‘Good,’ Jano nodded. ‘It is important we keep this transference a secret until we know the results. I do not wish to alarm anybody.’

‘I understand.’

Senta showed Jano into a small, elegant recess in which a chair was attached to a multitude of instruments. The walls were lined with panels and dials.

Jano had gone through the process many times before, receiving his regular boosts of life force, though he had never before subjected himself to the ordeal of absorbing the full content of such a unique subject as the Doctor. Indeed, there could be no other source of such intellectual vitality in the universe, Jano supposed.

He sat back in the chair and fastened the clips over his head and heart as usual.

‘May all go well,’ said Senta earnestly. ‘Give me the signal when you are composed.’

Jano signalled immediately. Senta took a deep breath then switched on the instruments across the control panel. The huge vats beside him instantly began to churn and bubble; they were full of a light clear liquid, but almost at once they began to cloud over, turning to grey then becoming almost black.

Senta checked the reading on the dials beside him, and made slight adjustments. All was going unbelievably well.

Once Exorse was firmly tied up in the cave — so tightly he couldn’t move hand or foot — courage seemed to seep into the veins of the savages that crowded round.

‘We should kill him while we have the chance,’ said Tor.

‘He is more use to us alive,’ Steven replied.

‘They have killed our people,’ said Tor. ‘It would be justice.’

Nanina pushed him aside. ‘Leave him.’

‘How can you have pity on him, Nanina? Think what they are doing even now to the old man, the stranger.’

‘Perhaps we could help the Doctor,’ suggested Steven.

‘Too late,’ said Tor. ‘What can we —’

Chal cut him short: ‘Be silent.’ He turned to Steven. ‘What do you wish us to do?’

‘How can I get into the City without being seen?’ he asked.

‘There is a way, but it is dangerous,’ Chal told him. Steven held up the light gun. ‘With this all things are possible. Just show me the way.’

‘And once you are in?’ asked Nanina anxiously. ‘Then Dodo and I will find the Doctor.’

‘Do you know where he is?’

‘We were given rooms in the guest apartments.’ ‘I don’t think you can do anything,’ she said. ‘We have to try,’ said Steven.

‘Very well,’ said Chal. ‘I will show you the way.’ As they left the cave Steven called back, ‘Guard the prisoner well.’

The moment they were out of sight Tor grabbed up a club. ‘The safest thing is to kill him,’ he said, swinging the heavy weapon at the prostrate guard. Nanina moved quickly, throwing herself at him, so that the blow scraped past.

‘No!’ she shouted and as he saw her angry face Tor reluctantly tossed aside the club.

Nanina examined the bruise on the prisoner’s arm.

‘Are you hurt?’ she asked. Exorse shook his head.

‘I will make sure it is clean.’ She began to bathe

the grazed arm.

‘You are the girl I brought into the laboratory?’ She nodded and continued to clean the wound. ‘Why do you help me?’ he asked.

‘It would do no good to let Tor kill you.’

He watched her. ‘What is your name?’

‘Nanina.’

‘I shall remember,’ he said.

On the edge of the scrubland Chal came to a halt. ‘The entrance is over there,’ he said pointing towards the wall of the City. ‘The door in the wall leads to the laboratory,’

‘Sure?’ asked Steven.

‘Oh yes. Many times we have been released that way after they have taken our strength from us.’ ‘Down!’ whispered Dodo suddenly.

Through the bushes they could see a guard sitting on the ground eating some fruit, his gun propped up a few feet away. ‘They have had so little trouble from us that they have become careless,’ whispered Chal.

‘We can make use of that,’ said Steven. He indicated the gun he carried. ‘How close do I have to get before this is effective?’

‘A little further,’ said Chal.

‘Wait.’ Steven crept forward cautiously through the scrub. The guard must have heard something for he looked up casually. ‘That you, Exorse?’ he called.

Steven didn’t give him a chance to check his mistake. He jumped to his feet, ran a few steps towards the startled man, lifted his gun...

‘Why, it’s...’

The beam of light hit the man before he could move, and he immediately stiffened.

‘Get his gun!’ Steven shouted to Dodo, and she ran to pick it up.

‘You can switch the gun off,’ called Chal. ‘He will not recover for a long time.’

Steven hurried to the door. ‘How do we open this?’ ‘It is simple.’ Chal pressed the control beside the handle and the door eased back.

‘Right,’ said Steven, ‘drag this fellow into the bush. Then wait for us.’

‘What will you do?’

‘Dodo and I have got to find the Doctor.’

Chal was uneasy, but he dragged the body away as Steven and Dodo pushed open the door and disappeared inside the corridor.

Senta mopped his brow as the transference ran through its program. He had never been so nervous about an operation, but it had gone without a flaw. Perfection... And the vats were now at the last stage of colouration, an inky blackness, with the bubbling reduced to a trickle.

The timer cut off automatically. For record purposes he spoke into the microphone, ‘Intransfer complete.’ Then he switched off and heard the comforting hiss of gases that signalled completion.

He actuated the panels of the recess and they slid open. Inside as the air cleared, Jano could be seen in his chair.

‘Are you all right, Jano?’ he called.

There was no reply, and Senta had a moment of concern. ‘Jano... Jano... Are you all right?’ He hurried into the recess just in time to see Jano making the adjustments to the connections.

‘Oh good,’ he said, relieved. ‘I thought for a moment something had gone wrong.’

Jano looked at him sharply, and for a moment Senta thought he reminded him of someone else. He had adopted an unusual mannerism, tucking his thumbs into his jacket and peering down his nose, like an old schoolteacher.

‘What’s all the fuss about?’ said Jano. ‘Of course I’m all right. The trouble with you people on this planet is that you find it hard to understand...’ He checked himself with a puzzled look.

‘What do you mean, Jano?’ asked Senta. ‘You are one of us. One of the people of this planet.’

‘Of course I am,’ said Jano. But he still frowned as if unable to understand something. ‘I think I’m not quite myself after that experience.’ He nodded towards the recess.

‘I understand,’ said Senta. ‘I shall give orders you are not to be disturbed.’

‘An excellent idea,’ said Jano. Again he reminded Senta of someone else as he went on, ‘It will take time to get adjusted, and my two young friends...’ Again the look of bewilderment on Jano’s face, and he passed a hand over his eyes.

‘You mean Flower and Avon?’ queried Senta. ‘No,’ replied Jano, puzzled. ‘I mean Steven and

that child with the ridiculous name... Dodo.’ ‘The strangers?’ Senta frowned.

‘They may be strangers to you, my dear fellow, but I have known them a long...’ He broke off, trying to make sense of his thoughts. ‘Yes, of course. The strangers.’

He sat in silence for a moment, his head in his hands. Senta looked on, dreading to think what might be the cause of his odd state. ‘I shall leave you, Jano,’ he said.

When Jano was alone he looked at his clothes, at his own hands, and then at the room he was in. And when he spoke there was something in his voice very like the indignant note the Doctor often had in his own voice. ‘So,’ said Jano, ‘I’m in this dreadful place, am I? Very well, I know what to do with their wicked apparatus.’

He picked up a heavy measuring rod, lifted it above his head and was about to bring it down on the control panel... But he checked himself in horror.

‘What am I doing?’ he said aloud. ‘What’s happening to me? Who am I? Jano? The Doctor?... What am I to do?’

He threw the rod away and covered his face again. He looked as though he were in real pain.

As they moved along the corridor Dodo had a growing feeling of uneasiness.

‘There’s something wrong, Steven,’ she said. ‘It shouldn’t be as easy as this to get in.’

‘They didn’t expect anyone to break in,’ said Steven.

‘Surely they should have some sort of security?’ ‘Perhaps they think one guard outside is enough.’ But Dodo was right to be concerned. Every step

they took was monitored and watched with interest

on a screen in Security Control.

With Captain Edal were a number of his guards. Senta joined them. ‘I think they’re stopping,’ he said.

Dodo had indeed come to a stop, anxiously peering along the passage. ‘I don’t want to go any further, Steven,’ she said.

‘It’s our one chance to help the Doctor,’ Steven encouraged her.

But still Dodo hesitated.

‘We’ll have to encourage them,’ said Edal as he watched the scanner. He spoke into the transmitter beside him: ‘Contact the guest apartments. Instructions from security. You are to conduct the time-traveller to exit passageway number U-2.’ His voice could be heard in the laboratory where Jano sat in the huge empty room, alone and silent.

Edal continued, ‘You are to leave the traveller by himself in the passageway. This is an immediate instruction. Out.’

Jano did not appear to have heard.

Dodo recognised the corridor ahead. ‘It’s the one I came along before. It turns a corner just ahead.’ ‘Into the lab?’ asked Steven.

‘Yes.’

‘Come on then.’ By now Dodo was getting over her fears, and followed him. As they turned the corner, they both pulled back. ‘There’s someone there,’ said Steven. And when they looked again they couldn’t believe their eyes. ‘It’s the Doctor!’ cried Dodo. They raced towards him. ‘Doctor! It’s great to see you! But what are you doing? How did you get here?’

The flow of questions dried up as they saw the Doctor made no reply. Indeed, he didn’t seem to see them, standing like a sleepwalker.

‘Why doesn’t he answer?’ asked Dodo.

Steven took the Doctor’s arm. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked.

(In Security Control Captain Edal looked on with satisfaction. He could hear Steven’s voice whispering, ‘Come on, Doctor. We’ll get you out of here.’ On the scanner it was clear that the Doctor made no move as his two friends tried to help him.)

‘He’s not coming,’ said Dodo anxiously.

‘Give him a hand,’ said Steven. ‘We’ll take him between us.’

(On the scanner Edal watched as the Doctor was led step by step along the corridor towards the exit door. Then he leaned forward and pressed a release button on the panel, and the door at the end of the corridor was seen to close.)

‘It’s shutting, Steven!’ shouted Dodo.

Steven spun round in time to see the door had nearly closed. He dashed forward and managed to get between it and the locking mechanism.

‘Dodo, quickly! Give me a hand!’

The two of them together, exerting all their strength, struggled to push back the door until it was wide enough for a man to pass through.

‘That’s it, Doctor,’ shouted Steven. ‘On you go, now. You can make it.’ But the Doctor looked blankly into space and didn’t move.

‘Doctor... Doctor... Go on... Get out!’ Still the Doctor gazed into space, seemingly aware of nothing.

‘You’ll have to help him, Dodo,’ said Steven.

But when Dodo went to take the Doctor’s arm the door pressure had Steven forced backwards. He got his shoulder down to it, pushing as in a rugby scrum, but the weight was too great. Dodo got the Doctor to move a couple of steps, but it was too late. Steven was squeezed aside. The door clicked into place. There was no way out. The Doctor showed no interest, no emotion.

‘What have they done to him?’ whispered Dodo.

(Edal had every reason to be satisfied. He turned to his security guards: ‘Get down to that passageway. Use destructive vapours as protection against their lightguns. Let the vapour roll towards them, and you can advance behind it. Before you reach them, all three of them will have passed out.’

The guard saluted and hurried out. From where he was the Captain could sit in front of his scanner and watch the capture of the three time-travellers in comfort. He was going to enjoy this...)

The first indication that they had been discovered came as a blanket of smoke began to blow down the corridor. ‘Look out!’ shouted Dodo.

They backed away from the thick, slow-moving vapour that seemed to come from nowhere, and threatened to envelop them. ‘Get the Doctor!’ cried Steven.

The Doctor had made no move to get away himself, and the cloud was almost on him. Steven and Dodo grabbed him and dragged him back down the corridor almost to the door which was firmly closed behind them. When they looked back the smoke seemed blacker and thicker, puffing forward, filling the corridor from wall to wall and ceiling to floor.

‘Steven, what can we do?’

There was nothing he could say. It was only a question of time, and they both knew it. ‘There’s someone behind it,’ said Steven.

They could see figures through the smoke, hooded, and uniformed. ‘Use your light gun, Dodo,’ Steven said.