Doctor Who_ The Twin Dilemma - Eric Saward [40]
'And when the planet hits the sun,' muttered Hugo, 'it'll be like the birth of a super nova.'
The Doctor glanced at Hugo as though he had forgotten he was in the room. That's right.'
Hugo emptied his beaker. 'Do you think Mestor knows what will happen?'
The Doctor nodded.
Then why does he allow it?' said Peri. 'He'll be killed too.'
The Doctor smiled at her naivety. 'I have the feeling he'll be long gone by then.'
Watched by Drak, the group settled into an atmosphere of silent depression. Yet the same question pounded through each and every brain in the room: what did Meslor hope to achieve by deliberately destroying his own sun?
Soon they would find out.
10
END GAME, PART TWO
The Doctor stared at the glass partition which separated Mestor's hatchery from the laboratory area, and allowed his mind to flick through the many pages of his long memory, hoping some half-forgotten incident might jog his inspiration into solving the current problem.
But it didn't.
All he seemed able to recall were faces and fragments of incidents, some of which he would rather have forgotten.
He recalled Jo Grant, with her soft, pretty face, framed by her always perfectly groomed, blond hair. He remembered Tegan, Leela, Zoe and Jamie. Even Turlough, the only companion who had seriously tried to kill him, flittered in and out of images of Nyssa, Romana and Liz Shaw.
But the image that danced most frequently across the history of time was that of Adric, for he performed the most grotesque caper of all, that of the Dance of Death.
Adric who, despite possessing a mathematical skill equal to the twins, had always managed to aggravate everyone aboard the TARDIS with his childish antics denying him the thing he desired most: to be loved and accepted for what he was.
It was Adric who had been killed whilst trying to divert a freighter, controlled by the Cybermen, from crashing into prehistoric Earth.
Stubborn Adric, who had refused to leave the ship and had given his life to help others.
It was this memory that the Doctor feared most. Not only had he been forced to stand helplessly by, but the boy had died without the Doctor ever being able to fully praise, help or ultimately like. It was these feelings that made Adric the saddest and most painful memory of all.
The Doctor shook his head as though trying to shake himself free of the unpleasant image. It wasn't the time to remember such things. He had more urgent problems to occupy his mind.
Slowly he refocussed his eyes so that his gaze passed through the glass partition and into the hatchery beyond.
The technicians had gone and the conveyor belt was stationary.
The level of lighting had also been reduced, creating dense, eerie shadows.
The sight made the Doctor feel uneasy and he climbed to his feet, crossed to the control box situated at the side of the partition and fiddled with one of the switches.
Slowly the lights came up inside the hatchery, forcing the shadows to hide. 'What's this?'
Azmael ambled over to join the Doctor. 'Mestor's hatchery.'
'Can we get into it?'
The elderly Time Lord operated another lever on the control panel and, as the heavy partition started to rise, Peri crossed the room and joined them.
'Why do you want to go in there?' she enquired.
'I'm curious.'
Peri glanced at Azmael and hoping for his support said: 'But do we have the time?'
If Azmael agreed with the question, he didn't care to pursue it, as he remained silent.
Neither did the Doctor answer. Something was aggravating him, gnawing at the back of his mind.
With the partition fully open, the trio entered the hatchery. As they scrambled past the conveyor belt, they entered the dark cavern which was the main incubation area. It was hot and sticky and gave off a pungent, fruity smell.
As their eyes became accustomed to the gloom, it became apparent that the cavern went on for miles. Packed around its walls were millions of eggs, each one fitting neatly and precisely into a purpose-built slot.
Cautiously, the Doctor moved to one of the racks and lifted out an egg. It was