Doctor Who_ Curse of Peladon - Brian Hayles [9]
‘The delegate from Alpha Centauri,’ announced Hepesh, as politely as his distaste for both aliens would allow.
‘Greetings, delegate Arcturus,’ said the gleaming hexapod.
‘Have you heard about the incident? A court official has been killed.’
Inside its globe, the delicate organism grew agitated, its surrounding fluid darkening ominously. ‘If there has been violence, we could be in danger,’ rapped out the clinical voice.
‘Hepesh—explain!’
‘An internal matter, delegate Arcturus,’ answered the High Priest. ‘Do not be concerned...’
‘We are on a planet alien to our own life-form’ snapped Arcturus, ‘therefore we are bound to be concerned for our own safety. Self-preservation is of vital importance!’
‘Members of the Federation,’ explained Alpha Centauri with appropriate tentacle movements, ‘are committed to the rejection of violence.’
‘But,’ grated Arcturus chillingly, ‘we are capable of self-defence when necessary. Observe!’
Hepesh and Alpha Centauri watched, slightly puzzled, as Arcturus turned to face the statue in the far alcove. With a cold click, a panel on the front of the creatures life-support unit opened, revealing the stub of a normally concealed weapon.
Small in scale, it seemed innocuous—until it fired. Then, with a spit of electronic power, the pencil-thin beam of laser light flashed out. Within a split second, the statue glowed, then disintegrated. Hepesh remained impassive, but there was fear in his eyes. Alpha Centauri flushed deep blue with disquiet and was happy to see Arcturus deadly laser gun retract and click shut again.
‘Be warned,’ Arcturus cautioned. ‘Do not provoke us!’
Hepesh bowed politely and moved to the door. Before leaving he turned and said with dignity, ‘We desire only your friendship.’
The deeper Jo and the Doctor went into the mountain, the darker the passage became, in spite of the natural light from the strange streak of phosphorescent rock. The Doctor, leading carefully, suddenly stopped. Jo bumped into him and clutched his arm anxiously. ‘What is it?’ she whispered, straining her eyes to see what lay ahead, She could detect nothing.
‘It’s a light, Jo,’ murmured the Doctor. ‘It could be a door.
Gently, now...’
But the light falling into the passage a little way ahead was not a door. As they crept closer to the source, they saw it plainly for what it was: a window guarded by a carved stone grille. Still wary, they peered into the chamber beyond, and Jo gave a little gasp. Inside the grille, she glimpsed a small room containing an altar. Over it hung a mask, carved, hideous yet proud, into the living rock. Jo got her breath back and stared at the carving, fascinated. Her forehead pressed against the stone bars that kept intruders at bay. The Doctor looked thoughtful and said nothing. Neither of them knew that they were looking on the face of Aggedor.
The stark simplicity of the inner chamber was strangely impressive. Jo turned from looking at it, to question the Doctor.
She could tell that he, too, was impressed.
‘Doctor,’ she murmured, ‘what is it? Some sort of shrine?’
‘Yes, agreed the Doctor, ‘it could well be, Jo.’
‘Is that the god, then?’ asked Jo. ‘Or is it a demon? I’ve never seen anything like it before. Have you?’
‘No, I haven’t.’ The Doctor paused, then frowned. ‘Not on Earth, at any rate...’
Jo looked sharply at him. She understood just what he meant. Not on Earth! Then where were they? The Doctor didn’t give her the chance to ask the question.
‘Lets move on, Jo,’ he said, and walked forward into the tunnel which loomed ahead. Jo quickly ran after him. Within the space of a dozen paces, they had stopped again. Ahead of them the tunnel forked, and neither the right nor the left branch offered greater hope of freedom. Jo looked up at the Doctor’s brooding face and wondered what he was thinking.
‘Eeny, meeny, miney, mo,’ recited the Doctor,