Doctor Who_ Curse of Peladon - Brian Hayles [24]
The room that Jo entered was, like all those allocated to the alien delegates, a stark, stone chamber made elegant by rich furniture and wall hangings—but basically primitive for all that. The door had been closed, but unlocked. No one had answered Jo’s discreet knock, and when eventually she plucked up enough nerve to enter, the room was deserted. Closing the door quietly behind her, she stood against it and surveyed the room. The mere presence of the Ice Warriors seemed to have turned the place into a barrack room. Items of military equipment were laid out neatly everywhere, as though ready for inspection. An important feature was what looked like a communications set, but there was no sign of life from it. Jo moved about the room quickly and silently, looking for the telltale electronic cube that would confirm the Doctor’s suspicions. She could find nothing remotely like it. Finally, she came to a compact box that seemed to be made of the same material as the electronic key she had found earlier on the balcony. It had no lock, and opened easily.
But Jo, being human, couldn’t hear the sonic frequency the box emitted as its security system. She only had eyes for the contents inside: several elaborate tools—and the servolink cube! The Doctor had been right! Jo picked up the transparent cube with trembling fingers and held it up to the light. Inside was an intricate maze of embedded filaments, the circuitry that, once removed, could destroy Arcturus. She frowned. Why should the Ice Warriors try to kill anyone in such a complicated way? She had seen the wrist-gun on Ssorg’s arm, and its deadly efficiency had been fully described by the Doctor.
Suddenly, a sound from outside the door startled her. As the handle started to turn, she concealed herself behind one of the ornate tapestries. The material was so dusty that it was all she could do not to sneeze or cough. Hidden behind the thick folds, she could see nothing, and her imagination magnified the least sound. The heavy shuffling movements were unmistakable: Ssorg, the Ice Warrior, had entered the room. Jo held her breath. Although she had replaced everything else precisely as she had found it, she had made one mistake: the box in which she had found the cube was still open! The sound of his feet stopped. All she could hear was the serpent-like hiss of his breathing. Then, he was moving again. But where? Jo quickly found out. A mighty hand tore the tapestry aside and she found herself face to face with the grim warrior. She couldn’t even scream.
‘Earth Princess,’ Ssorg whispered accusingly, ‘why are you here?’
Jo gripped the transparent cube defiantly. ‘I was looking for something—and I found it!’ The huge Martian made no attempt to snatch her discovery from her. Instead, he inspected it very carefully—almost as though seeing it for the first time.
‘This object,’ he hissed, slowly pondering, ‘it does not belong here. It is not ours.’
‘I know it isn’t!’ exclaimed Jo. ‘It belongs to Arcturus! You tried to kill him!’
The Martian stared at Jo, but still made no threatening move. Out of the corner of her eye, Jo saw that the door was open. Could she make a dash for it?
‘You are the intruder here,’ breathed Ssorg harshly. ‘You have opened equipment that is not yours to touch. I heard the sonic warning, and I came.’
‘That’s where I found this servolink.’ snapped Jo angrily.
‘Only you didn’t hide it very cleverly, did you?’
It was the Ice Warriors turn to be angry. ‘You say you found this. I say you were putting it where it would later be found to incriminate my master, Izlyr!’
‘That’s a lie!’ cried Jo in desperate protest, and tried to escape—but too late. Ssorg’s mighty fist gripped her by the wrist.
With his other huge hand, he took the transparent cube from her with surprising care. Jo was completely helpless in his grasp.
Ssorg pushed her roughly into a nearby chair. She stared up at him, in terror.
‘You will stay here,’ declared the Martian. ‘I must inform Lord Izlyr of what has happened.’
Then, taking the cube, he strode out, closing the heavy wooden door