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By Root 162 0

filled the room, echoing from the metal walls, as they picked her up bodily to throw her into the furnace. Then, suddenly, a small doll-like creature seemed to swim up from the flames, its tiny white hand raised. The Primitives dropped Jo and backed away in terror. The robed creature looked about blindly, not knowing what had happened. The Doctor found his arms released, and the Primitives who had held him began backing away from the creature that had materialised from the furnace.

'I am the Guardian,' said the little doll figure that seemed to float is the flames. 'Why have you entered this place?'

'I was brought here,' answered Jo.

'And I came to take her back,' said the Doctor. 'May I ask what it is that you guard?'

The Guardian ignored the Doctor's question. 'All intruders in this city must die. That is the law.'

'The race who built this city.' said the Doctor urgently, 'were intelligent and civilised. Their laws would not condemn the innocent.'

'The law must be obeyed,' said the Guardian.

'Surely all true laws must be based on justice?' the Doctor argued. 'We are strangers to this planet. All we ask is to be allowed to go.'

The Guardian seemed to consider this point. Then it spoke again, 'You are of superior intelligence, so you may go free.'

Jo hugged the Doctor. 'Thanks,' she said to the Guardian.

'But you,' the Guardian said to Jo, 'are of no value. I shall give you to the servants for a sacrifice. It amuses them.'

'I refuse to leave without her,' said the Doctor. 'I am responsible for her safety.'

'And I,' said the Guardian, 'am responsible safety of that which I guard.'

'Does the amusement of your servants warrant the death of an intelligent being?' said the Doctor.

Again the Guardian seemed to weigh up the Doctor's words before answering. 'I was sacrificed, and I still live.'

'Not all are like you,' said the Doctor, 'so that is no argument.'

'I appreciate logic,' said the Guardian. 'Is this creature you protect of some value?'

'She is life,' said the Doctor. 'That which is living is always of value. It cannot be replaced.'

'Therefore,' said the Guardian, who seemed to be enjoying this debate, 'do you not eat?'

'I regret, sir,' said the Doctor, 'I do not understand your question.'

'If you eat flesh then the life of that flesh ceases to exist,' said the Guardian.

Jo clung to the Doctor's arm. 'Tell him we'll be vegetarians from now on.'

'I understand your remark,' said the Guardian. 'But if one eats vegetation, that too dies. What is your answer to that?'

Jo whispered desperately to the Doctor. 'Doctor, just plead for my life! I have a right to live!'

'It's no good,' whispered the Doctor. 'The Guardian only understands logic. Leave this to me.' He turned back to the little doll creature that floated in the white hot flames. 'I concede your point, Guardian. All nature kills to eat, but that is for the purpose of continuing life in another form. To throw this girl into those flames would be to extinguish life totally.'

The Guardian thought for a full minute before replying. 'You make good argument. Both of you may now leave. You will not be harmed.' Slowly the Guardian faded back into the flames.

Within an hour the Doctor and Jo had safely emerged from the Primitive City and driven across the flat desert back to the colonists' dome. The Doctor first knew things had changed when an armed IMC guard stepped forward from the entrance to the dome and said, 'That buggy is IMC property.' The Doctor gladly dismounted from the vehicle. 'I had every intention to return it,' he said.

'The tribunal's re-convened,' said the guard. 'Why not go in and hear what the Adjudicator's decided?' He pointed his gun menacingly at the Doctor.

'I take it,' said the Doctor, 'that you've all got your guns back?'

'You take it right,' said the guard, and pushed the Doctor with the nozzle of his gun.

The Doctor said, 'This way, Jo,' and led her by the hand into the main meeting room. All the colonists sat on one side, the IMC men on the other. As the Doctor entered he stopped and stared at the man seated on the large