Doctor Who: The Visitation (10 page)

Nyssa closed the door and watched him on the scanner-screen, walking away from the TARDIS. The light was now beginning to fade rapidly, the glow of the setting sun finding it more and more difficult to penetrate the deep shadows.

Knowing Nyssa would be watching, Adric quickly turned and waved. As he turned to continue his journey, he found his way barred by two masked villagers. Quickly the boy spun round, but a third man was behind him, cutting off his retreat.

Nyssa watched, frantic, as he was led away. She opened the door and was about to run out into the woods, but realised there was little she could do, and her capture certainly wouldn't help anyone.

Reluctantly, she closed the door and walked dejectedly along the corridor, back into her room.

The sonic booster stood in the middle of the floor, wires hanging from it like tendrils from a plant.

Nyssa stood before the machine. Such was her state of mind it seemed to mock her, reminding her of her helplessness. She felt wretched, frustrated and alone.

Suddenly she turned on the sonic booster in a fit of wild anger. 'Stupid machine,' she shouted and started to kick it hard.

Lazily, the miller's horse looked up from munching a pile of hay as Mace and Tegan, controlled by the bracelets they were wearing, loaded down with reinforced ampoule-boxes, emerged from the manor house.

An early evening badger poked his head from a nearby bush and for a moment watched the strange procession, before setting off in search of supper.

Held firmly by the android, the Doctor, too, was part of the procession, only his journey was from the Terileptil's laboratory to the cellar.

The android halted near the Terileptil who was rummaging in a large box near the table where Tegan had been working. Slowly he rose clutching a pair of ancient handcuffs.

'Don't I qualify for a control bracelet?' said the Doctor.

'Your mind would over-ride the effect.'

'I wouldn't be too certain.'

The Leader's lip curled in a sort of smile as he snapped the handcuffs onto the Doctor's wrists.

'Cruder, but more effective, I think.'

The Doctor held up his hands and rattled the chain connecting the cuffs, as though testing their strength. 'Tell me,' he said, 'what happened to the occupants of this house?'

'A noble death. They were allowed to die fighting.'

The Terileptil raised a webbed hand and the android escorted the Doctor across the cel ar towards the steps where he halted.

'Do you enjoy killing?' the Doctor shouted back over his shoulder.

The Leader hissed. 'We are at war, Doctor. And war is honourable. Even on this planet it is considered so.'

'I know...' The android prodded the Doctor indicating he ascend the steps.

'But by your own admission, these people are still primitive. What's your excuse?'

The android placed a steel hand on the Doctor's shoulder and squeezed, causing the Doctor to wince.

'Take him away!' commanded the Leader.

Far more roughly than was necessary, the Doctor was dragged up the steps and along the corridor to where Adric and Tegan had been held prisoner.

While the android opened the door, the Doctor saw Richard Mace enter the tradesmen's entrance at the far end of the corridor. Although the Doctor shouted, the actor didn't respond. A moment later he was thrust into the room and the door slammed shut and was locked behind him.

Despondently the Doctor looked around, the room now completely bare, the stool and palliasse having been removed after Tegan and Adric's escape.

Even the fanlight had been sealed again, this time with heavy beams of timber.

The Doctor looked down at the handcuffs. Old-fashioned though they were, without some way of unlocking them they were as effective as any sophisticated device.

Quickly the Doctor searched in his pockets for his sonic screwdriver.

Finding it proved easier than removing it from the tangled lining of his jacket. As he tugged and pulled, other objects trapped in the folds of the pocket - safety-pins, the powerpacks found in the barn, coins of uncertain denomination and origin - cascaded to the ground. The Doctor bent down and started to gather them together. 'I must get a proper survival kit together one day,' he muttered.

With the screwdriver free, he set about trying to release himself from the cuffs. Although the sonic device was more than capable of dealing with the crude works, manipulating the screwdriver was made difficult by the very short chain connecting the cuffs.

Several minutes passed as he continued to tussle, but he couldn't quite line up the sonic beam with the lock. His task was made more arduous and painful as the friction from the cuffs had started to skin his wrists.

'Oh, for a proper key,' he muttered, and sat back on his haunches to rest for a moment.

At that moment he heard the sound of a key in the door.

Speedily, the Doctor picked up one of the powerpacks and the safety-pins, and was stuffing them back in his pocket as the door was pushed open.

'Stay where you are, Doctor,' the Leader hissed.

He froze as the Terileptil strutted into the room, stun gun in hand.

'You are a foolish man, Doctor,' the Leader said, his eyes falling on the screwdriver.

'Drop the sonic device.'

He obeyed, sending the silver shape slithering across the floor. As it came to rest, the Leader fired, and the sonic screwdriver exploded, bursting into flames.

The Doctor looked at the twisted strip of smouldering metal, unable to believe what he saw. 'I feel as though you've just killed an old friend.'

'And soon you will join it.'

As the Leader spoke, Tegan, carrying a large covered box entered the room and placed it on the floor near the Doctor. Behind her came Richard Mace carrying a pistol.

'It saddens me that you should die,' said the Terileptil, 'but if I allowed you to live you would be a greater menace than all the primitives on this planet.'

'I think you overestimate me,' said the Doctor, looking suspiciously at the box Tegan had brought into the room.

'But there would be the argument over the TARDIS.' The Leader nodded to Tegan who started to uncover the container. 'I said I would demonstrate how I am to rid the planet of its primitive inhabitants,' said the Leader, the sibilance of his voice becoming more pronounced as though he were excited or stimulated in some way.

Tegan dragged the cover from the box to reveal a cage full of black rats.

'The infection the rats now carry,' the Terileptil continued, pointing at the box, 'has been genetically re-engineered. Though heavily infected, they will outlive you all.'

The Doctor looked puzzled. 'But you'll need thousands of them.'

The Leader's lip curled in an ugly smile.

'We have thousands. They are awaiting release in a nearby city. Their infection will kill every living thing,' he said, almost proudly.

'I thought the local plague was already doing that.'

Slowly the Doctor began to edge towards the box.

'Our rats will ensure there are no survivors.'

'A final visitation,' the Doctor muttered.

'Precisely! We do not need the primitives. Now we have your TARDIS we will be able to travel to any part of the Universe and acquire androids.'

'Such carnage isn't necessary!' The Doctor was angry.

The fins on the Terileptil's neck rippled slightly.

'It's survival, Doctor,' he hissed. 'As these primitives kill lesser species to protect themselves, so I kill them.'

'That's hardly an argument!'

'It isn't supposed to be.' The Leader strutted to the door. 'It's a statement!' His voice was harsh. 'If you try to interfere with the cage, your friends' controlled minds contain but one thought...' he turned to face the Doctor, his massive bulk framed in the doorway, '...and that is to kill you.'

The Doctor could only watch as the heavy door was slammed shut and locked. Mace and Tegan continued to stare about them, their expressions blank.

Urgently the Doctor turned his attention to Tegan. 'I know you never listen to what I say...'

She blinked back at him.

'...but please put the cover back over the cage.'

Tegan remained perfectly still, the bracelet on her wrist pulsing all the while.

'You can do it.' The Doctor made a sudden move towards the box, but Mace instantly raised his pistol and cocked it.

The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks and raised his hands.

'Just concentrate, Tegan' he continued, his voice insistent. 'Just concentrate and you can over-ride the control...think hard.'

She didn't move, just continuing to blink. The whole rhythm of her body seemed to be keeping time with the pulsating bracelet.

'Cover the cage, Tegan!'

This time she did respond and bent down to the cage. The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, but it was premature. Instead of covering it, she started to unfasten its door.

'No! Don't open it!'

She continued to fiddle with the catch.

'If you do, it's the end for us al !'

But Tegan didn't respond.

Suddenly the Doctor remembered the powerpack he was still holding. Gingerly he fingered it, uncertain whether its charge would be strong enough. He looked at Mace and then at his pistol. He could not let Tegan open the cage. He had to risk it, knowing that if he failed the actor would kill him.

Tentatively, he angled the powerpack towards the barrel of Mace's pistol and twisted the top. A bolt of electricity shot from the pack, but instead of zig-zagging to earth, as it had done before, it leapt towards the barrel of the gun.

The actor let out a loud scream, dropped the pistol and staggered around for a moment before collapsing. Tegan abandoned her work on the catch and made a lunge for the pistol, but the Doctor's foot got to it first and set it spinning across the floor out of reach.

Tegan jumped to her feet and adopted an aggressive pose.

'We haven't got time to fight,' the Doctor said urgently.

But Tegan didn't agree. Her foot shot forward forcing the Doctor to jump backwards to avoid the blow. He knew that although Tegan was physically small she was strong. And as his hands were still cuffed, the chances of her delivering a knock-out blow were greatly increased.

Tegan lashed out again, but the Doctor was able to side-step the attack.

She kicked again, this time overbalancing. The Doctor quickly grabbed her arm, swung her round and pinned her against the wall with his shoulder.

Tegan continued to struggle, trying to punch and bite. But trapped as she was, the Doctor was able to use his additional weight and strength to restrain her while he disconnected her bracelet.

Instantly Tegan stopped fighting and slowly slithered down the wall. The Doctor moved quickly to the cage of rats and checked that it was still fastened. He then crossed to where Richard Mace was lying stunned and released the powerpack from his bracelet.

As soon as he had freed it, Mace sat bolt upright.

'What happened?' he demanded in an almost perky voice.

Suddenly the Doctor felt very tired. 'Just relax for a moment,' he said sitting on the floor next to the actor. 'You'll be all right.'

Mace looked at the Doctor. 'And how do you know?'

The Time Lord sighed. 'Because I'm the Doctor...'

On the other side of the room Tegan started to groan. She was beginning to recover.

With a sigh of relief, the Doctor realised that he didn't have to worry about his two fel ow prisoners any more. They would both be fine.

He cast his eyes over the heavy door of the room. Getting through it would be the next problem.

Awkwardly, the Leader, now wearing a long black cloak, lumbered along the corridor and out through the tradesmen's entrance into the steel-blue light of the early evening.

Deprived of Soliton gas, the Terileptil wheezed and gasped as he made his way to the waiting wagon. Slowly he climbed onto its box, aided by the android.

Once settled, he wrapped the heavy cloak around his legs and pulled the hood over his head to hide his reptilian features.

'Go,' the Leader rasped to the android. 'Search for the TARDIS. When you find it, pilot it to the base in the city.'

Silently the massive android turned, fitted his death's-head mask and strode off towards the forest, while the miller loaded the last of the ampoule boxes on to the wagon.

'Cover them quickly.'

The miller obeyed, pulling the heavy tarpaulin in place.

'Now return to the laboratory. You have my instructions.'