Doctor Who_ Space War - Malcolm Hulke [9]
Hardy spoke laconically, ‘So where’s the battle cruiser that’s going to rescue us?’
‘We’re a long way from Earth,’ said Stewart. ‘But they must be sending help.’
‘Some hope.’ As Hardy watched, more of the metal door began to glow red hot. ‘The Dragons will be through any minute.’
In the cubicle further down the corridor, the Doctor had taken his sonic screwdriver to pieces and was adjusting its internal structure. Jo watched impatiently.
‘What are you doing?’
The Doctor concentrated on his work for a full half minute, until he had the sonic screwdriver re-assembled. ‘I’ve reversed the polarity of the screwdriver’s power-source, converting it into an extremely powerful electro-magnet.’
‘What’s that going to do for us?’
‘Wait and see, Jo. Wait and see.’
The Doctor had already put his hand through the grille in the door, groping to find the bolts that held them prisoner. His long slender fingertips could just touch both bolts, but he had failed to grip them. He put his hand through again, holding the screwdriver to the end of one bolt. As he manoeuvred the screwdriver, now a strong magnet, he and Jo could hear the bolt starting to slide in its bed.
Jo was excited. ‘Can you open both of them?’
‘With patience, Jo.’ The Doctor continued to manoeuvre the screwdriver until he guessed the first bolt had been pulled clear. Then he re-positioned his arm and applied himself to sliding back the second bolt. This one moved quite easily. He withdrew his arm and pocketed the screwdriver. ‘Perhaps this time, Jo, I’d better go first.’ He opened the door and found himself looking straight into Hardy’s blaster gun. ‘Oh dear, how very embarrassing. Sorry about that, old chap.’
The Doctor tried to close the door again but Hardy put his foot in the way.
‘Out,’ ordered Hardy.
Jo asked, ‘What for? I thought you wanted us in here.’
‘We’ve changed our minds,’ said the space pilot. ‘We’re going to meet your friends.’
‘We keep ourselves very much to ourselves,’ said the Doctor. ‘We don’t have any friends.’
‘Any arguments and I kill one of you right here.’ Hardy’s finger tightened round the trigger. ‘Out!’
The Doctor looked at Jo. ‘Out,’ he said.
Once more the Doctor and Jo were propelled along the corridor at gunpoint. They arrived to see Stewart aiming his blaster at the now completely red hot durilium door.
‘I wish you’d listen to us,’ shouted Jo. ‘We aren’t Dragons or whatever you call them. I’m human, the same as yourselves.’
‘You’re part of their boarding party,’ snapped Stewart. ‘You arc going to stand in front of us and get killed first, by your own side!’
The Doctor tried to argue. ‘My dear fellow, since they haven’t boarded you yet, how can we be part of their boarding party? Try to be logical.’
Stewart looked confused by the Doctor’s reasoning. " ‘I’hen he shook his head as though trying to clear it of difficult thoughts. ‘’They’re coming to rescue you.’
‘Look out!’ screamed Hardy. ‘They’re coming through!’
The whole door was finally dissolving in a cloud of smoke. Two giant figures appeared through the jagged opening. Huge man-like creatures with bald ape heads, wearing belted metal tunics, both carried handguns.
Jo screamed, ‘Ogrons!’
‘Well, I’ll be...’ For the Doctor this was an entirely unexpected development. He had met the Ogrons more than once in his travels, great hulking brutes with minds little more advanced than Earth’s early cave-men. As he recalled, Ogrons had neither the wit nor cunning to get up to any devilry of their own, though they had been used by the Daleks and other advanced Space species to do their dirty work.
Hardy shouted, ‘Keep back, you Dragons, if you want to save your friends.’
The Doctor turned to him. ‘They’re not Dragons, they’re—’
But Hardy wasn’t listening. He was convinced he faced two Draconians. ‘I mean it. I’ll shoot!’
Realising this was no time to argue, the Doctor ducked under Hardy’s gun and sent the space pilot cannoning into one of the Ogrons. The Ogron fired wildly, hitting Stewart at close range.