Doctor Who_ Island of Death - Barry Letts [67]
His erstwhile allies would have to be brought on board anew, and then the rest of them; and there would be no chance of that if he hadn‟t been re-admitted.
The thought of the bleakness of his future if he was turned away clamped his mind and cramped his guts. Instead of inheriting the lordship of the world, he‟d be starving in a gutter.
He had to be sure that he would be accepted; and that meant neutralising Brother Will. But how? Plan after plan came into his mind, and each was discarded. One would take too long; the next was so complex that the slightest hitch could kill it; another meant involving too many people; and so on, and so on.
But by the time the stars were beginning to fade he‟d made up his mind how to do it. There was only one snag. He‟d have to find someone to help him.
Even with her camera case slung over her shoulder, it was very tricky getting down the rope ladder into the smaller of the two boats, especially as the Doctor had said they mustn‟t attract any attention.
Luckily, the sun wasn‟t up yet and there didn‟t seem to be anybody on watch. In fact, Sarah felt that if she really listened hard she might be able to hear the ship herself snoring. After last night, there was going to be one helluva hangover.
Once he‟d got the boat far enough out not to be heard, the Doctor put away the paddle, started the engine and brought the bow round on a course for the island, though he didn‟t seem to be making for the beach.
„I‟m beginning to get a pretty good idea of what‟s going on,‟
he said. „You were quite right in guessing that there are many more than one of the aliens. I‟ve thought for some time that the leaders of the Skang cult have been inveigled in some way into acting as herdsmen for them.‟
„And Jeremy and all the others are their cattle?‟ She‟d been struggling not to have that very thought.
„Exactly. I‟m pretty certain that the Skang themselves aren‟t on the island. If they were, we would never have been given carte blanche to wander wherever we wanted.‟
„So... where are they?‟
„That‟s what we‟ve got to find out. Maybe the ship wasn‟t sunk after all. But the first thing we have to do is stop the Hallaton from sailing on the tide.‟
Good luck, mate!
He caught her doubtful expression. „Exactly,‟ he said. „I wouldn‟t have a hope of persuading Lethbridge-Stewart and the others not to leave. Even though the mist has nearly cleared, the effects of the juice are bound to last for quite a while. So it‟s up to you and me to get the evidence to convince them that it‟s not all hunky-dory on the island.‟
Hunky-dory! The Doctor was even more out of date than Jeremy. But then, if anyone was, he was entitled to be.
„How are you feeling now?‟
„Well, I could do with a cup of coffee,‟ said Sarah. „I‟ve only had a couple of hours‟ sleep. But I must admit, I feel a lot better than I thought I would.‟
„Me too. We‟re still being affected by the mist.‟ He was steering towards the rocks south of the landing place. „We must keep our voices down,‟ he said. „I‟m pretty sure they‟ll have some of those guard fellows keeping an eye open.‟
He found a place where they could get ashore, a tiny inlet through the rocks with a few yards of sand and a convenient shrub to tie the painter to.
„What are we looking for?‟ said Sarah, in an undertone.
He put a finger to his lips. „Ssh!‟ he said; and, with a last look round, he crouched down low and disappeared, snake-fashion, into the undergrowth.
Hitching the strap round her so that the camera case lay on her back, Sarah followed as best she could.
Aggravating man. Why couldn‟t he tell her what he was hoping to find out?
Alex took a deep breath. At all costs, he must hang onto the appearance of normality. This fool was proving more difficult to persuade than he‟d expected. He would need all his old skills to do it.
„Once I am reinstated, the way forward will be clear,‟ he said. „But Hilda‟s foolish habit of seeing both sides to every question means that she always listens to her precious