Doctor Who_ The Ice Warriors - Brian Hayles [45]
‘You’re more important, Victoria,’ murmured the Doctor, then spoke to Varga defiantly. ‘You won’t find Leader Clent so easy to persuade! He’s got a will as hard as granite!’
‘The sonic cannon,’ whispered Varga, ‘can be programmed to disintegrate the hardest rock. This man will do as we ask—or we will smash his installation to pieces!’ He pointed through the open doorway of the airlock.
There, at the entrance to the ice cave, pointing out over the hillside towards the Base, stood the sonic cannon. At Varga’s gesture, Zondal stepped forward to the control panel inside the main complex of the spaceship. A video-radar screen, with a fire-path already plotted, was suspended over the gun controls.
‘The weapon has only to be primed, and fired at my command,’ hissed the warlord. ‘Zondal is an expert bombardier. Let us hope he does not have to demonstrate his skills more than once!’
When Clent and Miss Garrett arrived in the medicare centre, Jamie was already encased in the computerised diagnostic chamber. Penley, who was overseeing its purring function, didn’t seem to hear Clent enter.
But when he did turn round to acknowledge the Leader’s sour greeting, his expression was one of deep relief.
‘So you’ve come back!’ commented Clent.
‘Of my own free will,’ replied the renegade scientist.
‘Largely because I was talked into it by that chap the Doctor—
and this young friend of his.’
‘Is that all you expect?’ jibed Clent. ‘Free medical treatment? Don’t think you’ll be reinstated! You’re an outsider—self-declared!’
Jan was examining Jamie. ‘What’s wrong with him?’ she asked Penley anxiously. He smiled in reply, appreciating that she didn’t share Clent’s anger.
‘He was shot by the warriors’ guns,’ Penley answered soberly, ‘when they killed Arden. I was afraid there’d be some neural damage, but the diagnosis says it’ll only be temporary—given the right treatment,’ he added challengingly. ‘Or will you try and put a stop to that, too?’
Walters, hovering in the background, looked uneasy. All the signs pointed to yet another row between the two scientists. Clent gestured Walters to remain.
‘Stay here, Walters,’ he ordered, ‘you may be needed.’
‘I’m not liable to be violent!’ snapped Penley. ‘I’m here to make sure that this lad gets the attention he needs—that’s all. Besides which, there’s this chap the Doctor—’
‘Where is he?’ asked Jan quickly. ‘We lost contact with him over an hour ago. Have you seen him?’
Penley nodded, then threw an acid glance at Clent, who glowered back at him fiercely. ‘He’s up to something inside the alien spaceship. Trying to save your skin, I suppose!’
Clent stiffened, but Penley continued. ‘What are you going to do about him then?’
‘There is nothing we can do,’ announced Clent. ‘The computer has given its instructions.’
Instantly, Penley flared into anger. ‘You haven’t changed have you? Can’t you ever think for yourself? It won’t fall apart because you tell it to mark time for a couple of hours!’
Clent’s reply was cool and smug. ‘We are marking time—at the request of the computer itself. For once.’ smirked Clent, pleased to score over Penley’s incessant jibing at the computer’s authority, ‘you and the computer are in agreement!’
‘In that case, something’s badly wrong. Has it got digestion—or mumps even?’ he asked hopefully. Jan replied, trying desperately to keep the peace. If only these two would sink their petty differences and cooperate, she thought, their problems would be solved in no time!
‘The spaceship may contain a reactor system that could explode under the effect of the full Ioniser impact,’ she said simply. ‘We daren’t use it. But World Control have ordered us—’
‘I know about the spaceship’s reactor,’ Penley replied.
‘Didn’t anybody have the sense to work out the time needed for isotope degeneration? For all we know, it may be perfectly harmless...’ He turned to Clent, no longer joking. ‘Now there’s a sensible job for your computer, Clent.’
Clent almost snarled with rage.