Doctor Who_ The Paradise of Death - Barry Letts [39]
‘I’m stuck!’ he squeaked, as he tried in vain to pull it out. What the Brigadier said remained private, as an even nearer explosion quite drowned it. Nevertheless, he ran back to Jeremy, and with a strong pull, yanked him free.
‘My shoe! I’ve lost my shoe!’
‘Come on!’ cried the Brigadier, and hauled him, hobbledy-skip, across the mud to the TARDIS.
The post-mortem started as soon as they were safely inside and the door closed.
‘How could the TARDIS make a mistake like that? Is that circuit still broken?’ the Brigadier asked rather testily.
‘The TARDIS didn’t make a mistake,’ said the Doctor.
‘I did. I foolishly made the assumption that the hair in the psycho-telemeter came from a creature that is a native of Parakon.’
‘Ah, I see,’ said the Brigadier.
Well, I’m hanged if I do,’ said Jeremy, sulkily. ‘I don’t know what’s going on at all. And I’ve only got one shoe now.’
‘The psycho-telemeter guided the TARDIS to the place of origin of the hair,’ explained the Doctor. ‘Just as it was intended to do, in fact. But the creature came from Blestinu, not Parakon.’
‘So what are we waiting for?’ said the Brigadier.
‘What do you mean?’ said the Doctor.
‘Now we know, we’d better get a move on.’
‘And how do you propose to do that?’ said the Doctor.
‘We are in the right sector of the Galaxy, certainly, but there must be several thousand possible planets to choose from. You like a flutter on the horses it seems. If there were two or three thousand runners, you wouldn’t risk a ha’penny on the favourite, let alone an outsider. And we’d be gambling with Sarah Jane’s life.’
Tragan seemed to lose interest in Sarah once he had shown her his real appearance. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, becoming quite still. It was almost as if he were meditating.
The pause gave Sarah the time to gather her shattered defences. After all, she thought, it didn’t really matter what he looked like, though she couldn’t stop herself from shuddering when she tried to look at him with an objective eye. It was sheer prejudice to judge people by their appearance.
‘Never mind his looks,’ shrieked another voice in her head. ‘It’s what he’s doing to you – what he’s going to do!’
She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. He hadn’t really done anything yet, apart from tying her up.
Maybe it had all been just talk. Maybe he was just trying to frighten her.
She opened her eyes and realized with a shock like touching a live terminal that his eyes were open and he was staring at her with his colourless heavy-lidded eyes. That was another thing, she realized. He never blinked.
Okay, mate, she thought. You’re trying to frighten me; and you’re succeeding. But I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of knowing it. Okay?
Realizing that an attempt to stare him out could only end with her as the loser, she closed her eyes again and did her best to forget her surroundings. At once her mind filled with the events that had brought her to this pass; and her heart sank anew. The Doctor was dead.
The sound of the pilot’s voice on the intercom interrupted her thoughts: ‘Vice-Chairman?’
‘Ready when you are, Crestin,’ Tragan replied, a slight ripple passing over his face. ‘More than ready – eager!’
‘No, it’s... I’ve got Chairman Freeth for you.’
‘Oh. You’d better put him through, then.’
She felt an irrational hope – surely his boss, even if he were a crook, surely he wouldn’t let Tragan... wouldn’t allow him to... Sarah’s mind refused to go on.
But Tragan had continued, ‘Oh and Crestin, don’t tell him about our guest.’
‘I already have. Sorry, sir.’
Tragan’s fluid face trembled like a badly made blancmange, but whether in fury or disappointment it was impossible to guess.
‘Never mind. Put him on. No wait! Ask him to hold on.’
‘He’s very impatient to speak to you, sir. It seems he