Doctor Who_ Space War - Malcolm Hulke [45]
‘On the contrary, Miss Grant. I want him here. To achieve that. I’m going to set a trap for him, and you are going to help me.’
Jo said nothing.
‘What’s this, Miss Grant? No noble speech to say that you’d rather die than do anything to harm your precious Doctor?’
‘You know that I’m never going to help you. If you’re going to set a trap you can do it with your stupid Ogron friends.’
‘And if I should force you?’
Jo nerved herself. ‘If you want to hurt me there’s nothing I can do to stop you.’
‘Exactly, Miss Grant. I’ve tried hypnotising you before now but you fail to respond.’ He glanced round at the electronic equipment in the cave and his eyes settled on a small, dull grey box with various knobs and controls. ‘My hypno-sound device, perhaps? I could terrify you with illusions that you were seeing Drashigs and other monsters.’ He picked up the box lovingly. ‘Ingenious, don’t you think?’
‘Is that how you made Draconians see Earthmen?’
‘And Earthmen see Draconians! Yes, entirely my own creation.’ He put the box down. ‘But I doubt that would work on you a second time. So we may have to use cruder methods to persuade you to help me trap the Doctor—’
A tall Ogron entered the cave. ‘Master, I bring news.’
The Master looked up. ‘What is it?’
‘Two of our raiding ships come back. They find two Earth cargo ships. One fought back. They smashed it.’
The Master smiled. ‘Excellent! There must be war now!’
Waiting for General Williams to prepare his spaceship, the President, the Doctor and the Draconian Prince watched a flash newscast on her television wall. ‘Two more Earth cargo ships have been intercepted in Earth Space by the Draconians,’ said the newscaster. ‘Mass rallies are demanding war with Draconia.’ The picture cut to a shot of Congressman Brook addressing a crowd of thousands. ‘I warn the President that we shall no longer tolerate these murderous attacks! I hear cries from, all sides—Attack Draconia! Attack now! ‘There is only one final solution and that is war, war, war!’ The crowd went mad in a frenzy of cheering. then in unison chanted the word, ‘War!’
The President switched off the television wall and turned to the Doctor and the Prince. ‘I don’t know how much longer I can hold them. The thought of war always excites people.’
‘When they have so much to lose?’ said the Draconian Prince. ‘Even their own lives?’
‘When in history have people thought about that, Your Highness? People enter war always thinking that they will win, and that they personally will survive.’
The Prince threw back his head. ‘On Draconia meetings such as these’—he indicated the blank television wall—’would not be permitted. Only noblemen may express opinions.’
‘Our nations are very different,’ said the President. ‘Earth prefers democracy, but that in itself creates problems. Give me proof about the Ogrons, and I shall speak to the people of Earth and convince them that Draconia has had nothing to do with these attacks on our cargo ships
General Williams entered the President’s office. ‘Madam President, everything is ready. We shall take my personal scout ship.’
The Prince took the President’s hand and kissed it. ‘May you live a long life and may energy shine on you from a million suns.’
The President replied formally, ‘And may water, oxygen and plutonium be found in abundance where-ever you land.’
The Prince continued to hold the President’s hand in his green scaly claw. ‘My life at your command.’ he said with meaning, something he would normally have said only to his father the Emperor.’
‘And mine at yours,’ she said, moved by the Prince’s words. ‘Now go, the three of you, and may your mission be successful. The future of two great empires depends on you.’
The Doctor bowed to the President and hurried away with the Prince and General Williams.
12 The Trap
Jo sat on the hard earth floor of her cell in the Ogron stronghold and tried not to cry.