Doctor Who_ Space War - Malcolm Hulke [31]
‘No doubt to control the Universe.’ The Doctor smiled.
‘Even I have my limitations,’ bantered the Master. ‘But shall we say this galaxy, the Milky Way?’
‘Tell me,’ asked the Doctor, more seriously, ‘why am I still alive?’
The Master laughed. ‘We Time Lords live to immense ages.’
‘You know what I mean, why have you gone to all this trouble to retrieve me alive from that prison?’
‘Believe it or not, Doctor, your health is very precious to me—at least for the moment. My employers are very interested in you.’
‘Your employers?’ said Jo, curiously. ‘The Ogrons?’
The Master’s smile faded. ‘Please, Miss Grant, I employ them .’
‘Whatever you’re up to,’ said the Doctor, ‘you’ll get no help from me.’
‘I don’t need it, thank you. Your presence will be enough. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some rather complicated astro-navigational calculations to make. We are about to go to the outer extremity of the galaxy, to the home planet of our friends the Ogrons.’
‘Why are you taking us there?’ asked Jo.
The Master’s smile returned. ‘That, my dear Miss Grant, you will discover when you arrive. Believe me, I have a big surprise in store for you.’ He turned to leave them, then paused. ‘Please don’t try to escape. You’ll find it’s quite impossible. What’s more, a television eye will be watching you in your cage at all times. From where I shall be sitting at the ship’s controls, I shall be able to see you at any moment. Have a happy journey.’ With a cheery wave the Master left the hold, making his way for’ard towards the ship’s flight deck.
‘The moment the Master had gone, the Doctor inspected the lock on the gate set in the cage wall. He shook his head. ‘No chance of picking that.’
‘What about your sonic screwdriver?’ asked Jo.
‘The Master took it off me at the prison, when they gave me back my own clothes. Anyway, we don’t want to escape just yet.’ He settled back on to one of the bunks.
‘But why not? I’m tired of being cooped up like an animal!’
‘You heard the Master, Jo. We’re going to the Ogron’s planet. He says that’s where the TARDIS is.’ He leaned back, cradling his head in his hands. ‘We wait till we’re well under way, then we escape.’
‘How?’
‘With this.’ From its hiding place under the back of his jacket collar, the Doctor pulled out a string file. It looked like a very thin necklace.
‘What about the television eye? He’s going to be watching us.’
‘Then he mustn’t see anything to worry him. We’ll set to work as soon as we’ve taken off.’
‘Just as you say, Doctor.’ Once again Jo sat down to wait.
On the flight deck the Master completed his navigational calculations. His hand on the control that would start the ship’s powerful motors, he paused to consider how his plans were going. It was unfortunate that the Doctor had accidentally turned up at the same moment in Time when the Master hoped to seize total power over the millions of suns and planets of the Milky Way. Still, he had so far turned the situation to his advantage. His allies, whom he personally loathed and despised, would be delighted to have the Doctor turned over to them as prisoner. He could see them in his imagination, gliding forward to take a closer look at his catch, chattering in the soulless, metallic voices.
‘Stupid pepper pots! ‘ he said to himself with a grin. ‘Stupid Daleks!’
He gently moved the control. The engines roared into life as the ship rocketed from the Moon’s surface, and into the endless blackness of Space.
The Doctor and Jo lifted themselves from the floor of the cage, where they had been thrown by the force of take-off.
‘He could have warned us,’ said Joe, tenderly feeling a bruised knee.
‘Well he didn’t.’ The Doctor glanced towards the television eye, sure that once they were in flight the Master would be making his first visual check of the two prisoners.
Jo said, ‘Do you think he’s watching? You said that once we were under way—’
The Doctor herrurmphed loudly, pretending to clear his throat. ‘So I said to the