Doctor Who_ Curse of Peladon - Brian Hayles [22]
‘You slipped away without anyone noticing, remember.’
Jo had to admit that this was true. But that still didn’t explain the reason for what Ssorg had done.
‘But he nearly killed Izlyr as well!’ she pointed out. ‘And even if that was just some sort of cover up, what would they be after here?’
The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. Jo could be right about the cover-up. As for what the Ice Warriors might be after...
‘When I knew them before, Jo, they wanted to colonise Earth. And you may have noticed that this planet, backward though it is, is very much like yours.’
Jo wasn’t at all sure that the Doctor was right. ‘But they’re here for the same reason as the other delegates—peace!’ she said.
‘Are they, Jo? I know them, remember. I’ve seen what they’re capable of doing. Not only are they technically highly advanced, but they’re also a ruthless and warlike race. I’m afraid I don’t trust them.’
‘And you’re always telling me to look for the good qualities in alien life forms!’
‘The Ice Warriors are the exception to that rule, Jo. For me, at any rate. I’m telling you, I’ve met them twice so far, and they only have one aim—conquest!’
‘I still think you could be jumping to conclusions’, Jo retorted.
‘Alright then, look at it another way. Who else could be responsible? Arcturus is only a box of tricks. He certainly couldn’t’ve got up to that balcony!’
Jo nodded in agreement. She didn’t especially like Arcturus, but he was hardly an athlete.
‘And as for Alpha Centauri,’ continued the Doctor, ‘I can’t imagine a creature like that harming a fly, can you? But whether it’s the Ice Warriors or not... I wish I knew just what it is they’re up to.’
The familiar expression that Jo was getting to know so well crept over the Doctor’s face. He’d caught a whiff of adventure.
More than that, he wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d got to the bottom of it—unless Jo put her foot down.
‘Look, Doctor,’ she insisted firmly, ‘do we have to find out?
Why don’t we just organise getting the TARDIS dug out, and get out of here? You know what happens when you get involved.
Look what happened in the throne room!’
‘I didn’t really have any choice, Jo,’ the Doctor protested defensively.
‘Oh, come on! You love all that Chairman Delegate stuff.
Admit it!’ Jo had scored a bull’s-eye. Without bothering to deny what she had said, the Doctor merely looked at her with a wicked twinkle in his eye.
‘And how do you like being a princess, Princess?’
Jo blushed, but her chin tilted defiantly.
‘As you said yourself, there wasn’t much choice, was there?’
Suddenly, she whirled round. She could hear a strange, high-pitched sound, pulsing sharply. The eerie tone was definitely electronic, and Jo’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘What’s that?’ she cried, clutching the Doctor’s arm.
‘Its an alarm of some sort!’ he exclaimed, already moving towards the door. ‘And its coming from the delegates conference room! Quickly!’
As soon as the Doctor entered the delegates’ room, he could see what was wrong. Apart from the shrill audio signal that Arcturus was giving out so desperately, various telemetric warnings lights were flashing on and off about the globe that contained the Arcturian neuroform. Crouching by the complex traction and support unit, the Doctor soon found the cause. A whole series of plugs and wiring had been exposed and torn out.
As he studied the tangle that was destroying Arcturus, Jo came to his shoulder, and looked down. She gasped in horror at the sight of the disembowelled life-support unit.
‘Doctor, what can you do?’ she whispered, not needing to ask how great the danger was. It showed in the violent discoloration of the neuroplasm, and the almost complete misting over of the interior of the containing globe. Unless something was done quickly, Arcturus would die.
The Doctor was searching desperately amongst the tangle of electronic circuitry. He mumbled to himself as he identified the various strands. Then he suddenly sat back and looked about the floor, sharp-eyed.
‘Someone’s taken the servo-function unit, Jo—’ he snapped.
‘There