Menagerie - Martin Day [83]
'Not far,' replied the scout. 'No, not very far.'
'You know,' said Jamie, swinging a boot at some litter, frozen solid by the years, 'the Doctor said he'd explain what the brotherhood did to my memories, but he didn't.'
'He seemed very preoccupied on the way down,'
commented Defrabax. 'His mind was elsewhere. But there is one thing we can be sure of: Zaitabor knew a lot more about science than he ever let on to his fellow knights.'
'So you think he used some sort of mind-control device?'
asked Jamie.
Defrabax seemed to weigh up the options, disguising the fact that he had no idea what Jamie was talking about. 'It's possible, I suppose.'
'More likely,' said the Dugraq, 'that he used some of the plants grown down here by the Taculbain.'
'Plants?' said Jamie. 'Here? I thought plants needed light to photosomething.'
'I believe the word is photosynthesize,' said the Dugraq.
'You're right, but some plants can survive in the dimmest of light. The Taculbain are great herbalists. They rely on particular leaves to trigger bodily transformations. If they want more soldiers, they feed certain of their number a particular type of dried leaf. There's a plant to change gender, another precipitates the transformation into a Queen in the rarest of individuals. It's a very useful system. I would imagine that these herbs would have very unusual effects on humans. Perhaps, centuries ago, such drugs were another area of research in this city. Who knows?'
'I'll not turn into one of those moth-creatures, will I?' said Jamie.
The Dugraq laughed. 'I don't think so. But if you start sprouting wings, I'll be the first to tell you.'
'How do you know where we're going?' asked Zoe, as they came to a halt before yet another fence topped with razor wire.
The Doctor passed a torch to the twins and asked them to hold it in position. He pulled out a pin and began to stab experimentally at the padlock that held shut a small gate.
The thing was red with rust and Zoe rated the Doctor's chances of success at less than zero.
'It's very simple, Zoe,' he said through gritted teeth. 'We're looking for the main military bunker, the place where they conducted the nastiest and most dangerous experiments.
You know what the military mind is like. The place is bound to be right at the heart of their best-protected area.'
He waved his arms around him. 'This place is smack bang in the middle of the city. When everything was working it was better protected than Fort Knox.'
'Fort what?' asked Reisaz.
The Doctor pointed at the grey building just visible through the lines of fence and wire. 'I think that looks like the place, don't you?'
'I wouldn't dare to speculate, Doctor.'
The Doctor threw the pin to the floor in exasperation. 'Oh, dash it! The lock's rusted solid.'
'I could have told you that,' said Zoe.
'Sometimes,' said the Doctor, grasping his lapels in a most uncharacteristic action, 'I wonder why I bother . . .' He looked along the length of the fence in both directions.
'Wire cutters would do the trick, I'm sure, but we'll have to make do with what we've got. Now, our friend the Dugraq seemed to indicate that they occasionally come to this place to seek out information. And I dare say that this is the android's "home" as well. So there must be some way in.
Perhaps there's a hole in the fence somewhere.' With that, the Doctor strode off in the direction of the nearest lookout tower.
'And scree beasts might levitate,' said Raitak contemptuously.
Kaquaan crept up to the door that led to Araboam's quarters, although it was clear that the young knight had long since departed. The door had been kicked open from within with such force that the lock had sheared away from the wood. The floor was covered with splinters and dust, scuffed into patterns by footsteps.
She stepped inside, noting that the huge wardrobe in which they had locked Araboam had received similar treatment. The door had come away from the hinges and lay on