Doctor Who_ Space War - Malcolm Hulke [29]
‘You aren’t answering my question.’
‘Perhaps not. Shall we agree that I’m very ambitious?’ A red light on the control panel flashed brilliantly. ‘There, we’ve touched down. I’m going to be rather busy now presenting my credentials to the Prison Governor. I suggest we continue this interesting conversation some other time.’
The Doctor cautiously followed Professor Dale down a bare, metallic maintenance tunnel, leading away from the prisoners’ main association area. He whispered in Dale’s ear. ‘Why is Cross helping you escape?’
‘He’s a petty criminal,’ Dale replied, also in a whisper, ‘but not really a bad man. I promised him that when the Peace Party comes to power on Earth, he will be released from this terrible place.’
‘And he trusts you to keep your promise?’
‘I have a certain reputation for honesty. Ah, here it is!’ The professor stopped at an air-lock door. ‘Let’s see if he’s kept his promise.’ He tried the main handle of the heavy metal door. There was a click and the door swung gently open. ‘After you, Doctor.’
The Doctor stepped into a small metal room with bare walls and another door at the far end. Two bright yellow space suits lay on the floor. Standing against the wall were two oxygen cylinder packs. Without speaking, the Professor closed the heavy door, bolting it firmly to ensure that it was airtight.
‘Quick,’ he said urgently. ‘Get one of the suits. Cross gave me precise directions. We have a ten minute walk ahead of us on the Moon’s surface. Then we’ll be at the landing pad. In a few hours we shall be back on Earth.’
The two men started to pull on the heavy space suits.
Cross came soundlessly down the bare maintenance tunnel, keeping to the contour of the metallic wail. Standing at the far end of the tunnel, blaster gun at the ready, was one of the Prison Governor’s personal guards, just in case anything went wrong. It was the Governor’s proud boast that no prisoner had ever escaped and that most of those who tried died in the attempt, a fact that deterred the majority of prisoners from even contemplating a break-out. To maintain an atmosphere of futility, a few of the trusted guards were under instructions to co-operate with occasional escape attempts. then help to kill the escapers.
Cross had now reached the closed door to the air-lock. He took a quick glance through an inspection panel set in the door, turned to the waiting guard and gave the thumbs-up sign. The guard nodded. Cross silently slid over the bolts on the outside of the door.
The Doctor and Professor Dale had on their space suits. Dale said, ‘Clip my cylinders on to the back of my suit, Doctor, then I’ll fix yours.’
The Doctor picked up one of the cylinder packs, reacted to its lightness. ‘This is empty.’
‘It can’t be...’ Dale picked up the other cylinder pack, felt how light it was. ‘There’s some mistake.’
‘I don’t think so.’ The Doctor dropped the pack he was holding, crossed to the door that led to the maintenance tunnel. He slid back the bolts and tried to open the door. ‘It’s locked from the outside.’
As he spoke they both heard a hissing sound. Dale looked startled. ‘What’s that?’
‘They’re depressurising,’ exclaimed the Doctor. ‘They’ve let us get ourselves in here without oxygen, and now they’re pumping all the air out!’
‘We’ll suffocate!’ Dale, white with fear, crossed to the bolted door, pounding it with his bare fists. ‘Help! Let us out!’
‘You’re wasting your breath,’ warned the Doctor. ‘They’ll never hear us. In any case, I don’t think they want to.’
8 Space Walk
‘I don’t like it,’ said the Prison Governor, still scrutinising the Master’s forged credentials. ‘Normally no prisoner leaves here, at least not alive.’
The Master stood respectfully before the Governor’s desk. They were in the Governor’s private office, a large metal-walled room. The only decoration was a three-dimensional colour portrait of the President on the wall behind the Governor’s desk.
‘I have permission