Raskdresseduneasily,tryingnottokeepturninghisheadinresponsetothe
persistent itch between his shoulder blades. He made himself take the time to checkthathisuniformwasallcorrectinthemirror,justtoprovetohimselfthat hewastoosophisticatedandintelligenttobefrightenedbystupiddreams.
Moving with deliberate care, he opened the door, turned off the cabin light andsteppedoutside.
'Rask,'camehisbrother'svoice,whisperingfromthedarknessbehindhim.
Hebolteddownthecorridor.
Chapter11
APatriot'sTale
SamJoneswasterrified.Shedidn'tknowwhereshewasorhowshe'dgotthere.
It wasn't her room at home. It was filled with odd shapes and lights in the ceiling. She was dressed in clothes that seemed far too big, which bunched up around her. Strange people in spacesuits, just like she'd seen on the telly, were loomingoverherandallspeakingatonce.Whatwashappening?Shestartedto
cry.
Thenavoicecutthroughthebabble.
'Sam.Sam,listentome.'
Itwasawonderfulreassuringvoice.Theface,whatshecouldseeofitwithin
thestrangehelmet,wasfullofconcern.Hehadalongproudnoseandeyesthat
seemed to shine from within. As she looked into them her panicky breathing slowedandthetearssubsided.
'Sam,' the man continued in the same gentle tone. 'I know you must be feelingveryconfusedandfrightened.Butyou'requitesafeandnobody'sgoing
tohurtyou.There'sbeenanaccident.Itwasn'tyourfault.Iwantyoujusttolie stillforafewminuteswhileItrytoputthingsright.Canyoudothatforme?'
Suchwasthepowerofthisman'swordsthatagreatcalmnessseemedtoflow
over her. She nodded dumbly and laid her head back, staring up at the ceiling.
Thepeoplewithdrewalittlewayfromherandsheheardastrangeconversation
takingplace.'What'shappenedtoher?'
'Shewasstruckbyanegativetemporalchargeandregressedalongherown
timelinewhileretainingthesamelocationinphysicalspace,'thekindmansaid.
"Through time?' 'Try to twist space and you affect time. It's inevitable - and dangerous.'
'She doesn't seem to know us.' 'The reversal has effectively wiped her
memories.Shecannotknowattenwhatshewouldn'tlearnuntilshewastwenty-
one.'
What were they talking about? Sam wondered. It sounded as though she'd
beenill.Maybethatwaswhyshewasn'tinschool.Perhapsthiswasahospital.
Butitdidn'tlooklikeone.Wherewerethenurses-wherewereMumandDad?
Too busy to find the time for her again? Well, maybe this was outside visiting hours.ButDadwasadoctor-hecouldcomeanytime.
And Mum was always finding time to help other people while she was
social-working-singlemothers,poorpeopleandthieves-everybody!Butwhat
abouther?Didn'ttheycare?Howcouldtheyleaveherlikethis?
Samstartedtocry,littlechokingsobsthatshetrieddesperatelytostifle.
Suddenlythekindmanwasbendingoverheragain.
'Bepatient,Sam,'hesaidgently.'Everythingwillbeallrightagainsoon.It'll allmakesensetoyou.Ipromise.Doyoutrustme?'
Andsherealisedshedidtrusthim.Hiswordsweretheonlythingshehadto
believein.
'Itrustyou,'shesaidquietly.
HesmiledandSamlaybackagain.Hewithdrewfromherlineofsightand
thestrangedistantconversationcontinued.
'Butwhathappenedtothatslabbesideher?'
'Itwasirradiatedwithapositivechargetomaintainthechroneticbalance,'
the kind man said. 'It was organic material of some kind and aged in the oppositedirection.'
'Buthersuithasn'tchanged.'
"Thebeammusthavebeenattunedtoaffectorganicmatteronly.'
'That'sincredible.'
'It was an attempt to manipulate raw temporal flux as though it was
electricity,andthatcan'tbedonewiththissortofequipment.'
'You seem awfully sure of yourself, Doctor,' said a stern accusing
voice.'Howcanyoupossiblyknowallthis?'
'It doesn't matter how I know. I've got to reactivate the system and reverse theprocess.'
'Youthinkyoucanoperatethesecontrols?'
'Thereshouldbesomelogictotheirlayout.
SamheardmorerapidfootfallsasthemanwhohadbeencalledtheDoctor
begantomoveurgendyabouttheroom.
***
Argen barely allowed time for the fine plume of dust and small fragments blastedupwardbytheringchargetodisperse,beforehetooktheResolvedown
tolandbesidethehatchway.Aneatholehadbeencutoutofitscentre.Hardly
hadthewashoftheunderjetsdiedawaybeforethemarineswerepilingoutand
running in long strides across the derelict's marbled hull. They had conferred with Commander Vega as they had circled high over the derelict and knew exactlywhattheyhadtodo.
As soon as they were clear, the engineering tech closed the hatch. Argen wanted to go with them, to find their lost shipmates and, if possible, teach whoeverhadtakenthemthatNimosiansneverabandonedtheircomrades.
Buthewastheonlypilotandhadtostaywiththeshuttle.
Hewatchedintentlythroughthecockpitcanopyastheyclusteredroundthe
newly formed aperture and shone torches into the void beneath. It was
apparentlyclear,fortheybeganrigginglines.Onebyonetheyquicklylowered
themselvesintothedarkness,leavingtwomenonguardatthetopoftheshaft.
There came a faint whir of motors from the upper hull as the turret gunner trackedhissightsacrossthemachinescapearoundthem.Nowalltheycoulddo
waswait.
***
Don Delray paced about the gallery outside the time laboratory, his eyes flickering about the levels and the dark mouths of the passageways leading off them. From within he could hear the Doctor and Manders debating some
technical point. Lyset circled the central shaft, happily snapping away and building up a record of its glittering complexity as Rexton had requested.
Rexton,DesselandBendixwereonthelevelsaboveandbelowthem,watching
outforanysignoftheNimosians.
He could tell Rexton wanted them to move on, but he couldn't very well insist that they abandon the Jones girl in the state she was in. He was still a politician and he had an image to maintain. That was something Delray
understoodonlytoowell-exceptthatRextonseemedsoutterlysureofhimself.
Delray,ontheotherhand,didn'tknowhowlonghecouldgoonactingthepart.
***
On the bridge of the Cirrandaria Arcovian looked anxiously at Captain
Lanchard.
'Isn'tittimetheycheckedin?'heaskedforthetenthtime.
'Sixminutesmore,'shereplied.
'Andyou'lltellthemwhattheNimosianssaid?'
He was not being rhetorical, Lanchard decided. 'You can be certain I'll do that,MrArcovian,'sheassuredhim.
***
Vega hunched forward, staring intently at the screens, which reproduced the magnifiedimageofthederelict'shull.Alightbegantopulseonthebeetle-like
formoftheResolve.
'MrArgensignals,ALLISWELL,sir,'oneo
ftheobserversreported.
He'dorderedArgentomakecontacteverytenminutes.Ofcourse,thattold
them nothing about the status of the marine rescue party. Shielded by that massive hull and the interference anything could happen to them and they'd neverknowit.
Heopenedachanneltotheengineeringbay.
'Howlongbeforethesecondshuttleisready?'heasked.
'Atleastanothertwohours,sir,'Reng'ssecondreplied.
'Allright.Continueatyourbestspeed.'
If only Reng himself had been there, Vega thought, the work -would have beendonebynow.ButlioRengwassomewheredownonthederelict,andVega
didn'tknowwhetherhewasaliveordead.
He made a note to stop thinking of it as a derelict. He'd convinced himself that it was abandoned, as he suspected the Emindians had, because it was simpler that way. But in fact it was an alien vessel of unknown origins and potential.
Andsomethingwasaliveinsideit.
***
Therisinghumofpowerreverberatingthroughthecentralshaftbroughtthemall
racingbacktothetimelaboratory.
DelraysawthatSamJones,almostenvelopedinhersuit,wasnowstanding
white-facedandwide-eyedwithfearonthespotwhereshehadbeenstruckby
the beam. A fresh organic panel had been set up beside her to replace the one thathaddisintegrated.TheDoctorwassteppingquicklyfromonecontrolbankto
another,makingminuteadjustments.Mandersandherassistantswerestandinga
littlewaybackfromhim,watchinghisactivitywithbaffledinterest.
'Areyoureadynow,Doctor?'Rextonasked.'Wecan'triskstayingheremuch
longer.'
'Anymomentnow,'theDoctorcalledbackoverhisshoulder.'Ican'taffordto
makeamistake...Keepstill,Sam.It'sgoingtobeallright.'
'Isthisgoingtowork?'RextonaskedManders.
'Maybe. I don't know how he puzzled out the controls.This set-up's beyond me. Even when he tried to explain I didn't understand a tenth of what he said.
ButIthinkifanybodycandoit,hecan.'
Withacracktheconduitfilledwiththegreenhazeofenergy.
'Thisisit,'saidtheDoctor.'Everybodystayclear.
The young Sam whimpered. The refracting grids began to rotate. The split
beams flickered about the chamber and suddenly illuminated Sam and the test panel.Greenfireenvelopedthem.TheyheardSamgiveashrillscream,thenthe
energyflickeredanddied.
By the time Delray had bunked away the afterimages, the Doctor was
supporting Sam Jones in his arms. Her suit fitted properly once again and her facehadregaineditsmaturity.Butitstillheldalookoffearfulconfusion.
'Sam,' the Doctor asked anxiously.'Do you remember who I am and where
youare?'
Therewasalongpause.Thencomprehensionseemedtoreturn.Shenodded
slowlyandmadeavisibleefforttopullherselftogether.
'You'retheDoctor.I'vejustbeenzappedbythisexperimentalaliengizmo...
andLysetWynterhasjusttakenmypicture.'Sheforcedalopsidedgrin.
'CanIhaveacoupleofprints,please?'
'You've got them,' Lyset assured her with a broad smile. 'Nice to have you back.'
DelraysawalookofimmenserelieflighttheDoctor'sfaceashebeamedat
Sam.They'reclose,Delraythought,reallyclose.
'Lookatthat,'Manderssaidinawe.
The organic test panel that had been set beside Sam was now a swollen, glisteningmassofmattedplantstemsandcrumpledhalfcompostedleaves.
'Entropydemandsthatabalancemustbekept,'theDoctorsaid,helpingSam
toherfeet.'Sam'syearshadtocomefromsomewhere.'
"Then...thismachineactuallycanrestoreyouth,'Lysetsaid,thepossibilities obviouslyonlynowdawningonher.
'Was I really ten years old again?' Sam asked. The Doctor nodded
solemnly.'Wellit'snotworthit,'SamsaidtoLysetwithfeeling.'Believeme.'
'Anygaininyouthwouldbeattheexpenseofallthememories,knowledge
andexperiencethatwenttomakeyouwhatyouwere,'theDoctorwarnedLyset.
"The person who emerged would not be the person who made the decision to regress.'
'Nevermindallthat,'Rextoninterjectedimpatiently.'Areyoufittoproceed,
MsJones?'
'I'mOK.'
"Thenwemustmoveon.'
'Just a moment,' said the Doctor.'First you are going to explain how you knewsomuchaboutthiscraftbeforeyoueversetfootinsideit,andwhyit'sso
importanttoyou.'
'Youseemquitewellinformedyourself,Doctor,'Rextoncountered.
"That was simply the application of general principles and a little
improvisation,notforeknowledge.I'veneverbeeninacraftlikethisinmylife-
but I think you have.And, volunteers or not, these people are running a considerable risk providing you with an exploration team.They're not soldiers blindly following orders and, as we've just discovered, this is a dangerous environment.Theydeservetoknowthetruth.'
'IftheGeneralwantstokeephisreasonssecret-'Bendixbegan,butRexton
silencedhim.'Thankyouforyoursupport,MrBendix.PerhapsIshouldexplain.
But first we must get to the central control module. If the Nimosians are on boardwehaven'tmuchtime.'
'After you,' the Doctor said,'and explain as we go. I'm sure you know the way.'
***
AlenJeneztwistedthewheelbesidethekeypaneluntiltheroofhatchhadirised
halfwayopen.Hepickedupthepowerfulemergencysignallampthathehadrun
out on a long cable from the shuttle, and sighted its scope through the roof aperture to the distant spark that was the Cirrandaria . He sent, ALL WELL.
EXPLORATIONCONTINUING.
TheCirrandaria'slightspulsedback,RECEIVED.NIMOSIANSECOND
LANDINGPARTYHASFORCEDACCESSONOPPOSITESIDEOF
DERELICTAFTERREPORTINGFIRSTPARTYATTACKEDBY
UNKNOWN FORCES. SUGGESTYOU ABANDON EXPLORATION
AND
RETURNIMMEDIATELY.
Jenezsentback,RECEIVED.WILLPASSONRECOMMENDATION.
Thenhehastilyshuttheexternalhatchagainandstowedthelampaway.
Hewaspronetolettinghisyouthfulimaginationrunawaywithhim,andthe
last hour alone had been ample time for his mind to populate the ship around himwithallmannerofbeings,mostlymalevolent.Butatleasthefeltsafeinthe shuttle. He was fairly certain a blast of the underjets or manoeuvring thrusters woulddeterallbutthemostdeterminedaggressor.
But now he would have to make his way far enough into the craft to re-establishalinkviathesuitradiowiththeexplorers.Whyhadn'tRextondetailed
somebody to remain with him to act as a messenger for just this eventuality?
Probablybecausehedidn'twanttobebotheredbymessagesfromtheCaptain,
hedecided.Buthe'dhavetotakenoticeofthispieceofnews.
Jenez closed the shuttle's hatch, checked once again that his sidearm was looseinitsholster,andsteppeduptotheairlockthroughwhichtheothershad
passedanhourearlier.Automaticallythedooririsedopen.
***
Rextonledthemuptherampstothehigherlevelsofthetower,talkingrapidly.
'I knew what to exp
ect when we boarded this ship because I've seen one almost identical to it. Years ago we found it drifting in towards the edge of Emindarhomespace.Exceptthatunlikethisshipitwasbadlydamaged-
whether by deliberate intent or accident was impossible to determine for certain.Anyway,itwasrecoveredbymilitarytugsandtakentoahigh-security
researchstationbasedsomewhereintheoutersystem-youunderstandIcannot
be more specific as to its location. And there it has remained undergoing painstaking examination and reconstruction. Over the years, as I gained
seniority,Ihavebeenabletooverseetheproject.'
'TolearnhowtouseitasaweaponagainstNimos,'Samsaidautomatically.
Samwasfeelingfullyrecoveredfromherdisconcertingexperience,andwas
pleasedtofindherperceptionsandresponsesfunctioningnormally.
Rextongloweredather,butshesimplysmiledbacksweetly.'Well,doyou
denyit?'
'I will not confirm or deny anything,' Rexton said stiffly. 'That craft was emptyandabandonedanddriftingintoourspace.Itwasobviousthatastudyof
itmightrevealnewknowledge,perhapsofmilitaryvalue.
Assuming it was, is it a crime to wish to see one's homeworld properly defended?'
Heglancedroundatthem,asthoughdemandingtheirunderstanding.
SuddenlySamsuddenlyfelthisorationshiftgears.
'Emindar has cared well for me in the past,' he continued in smooth but fervent tones,'and now I am repaying that debt. I was a homeless orphan from backwoods Melconville.The state raised me and gave me an education and
opportunitytomakesomethingofmyself,andIseizedit.
NowIVerisenalmosttothehighestofficethestatehastobestow.'
Sam felt she was listening to lines rehearsed in endless political rallies. It almostsoundedasthoughhewereproudofhislackofantecedence.Wasthatthe
ultimatepolitician'sappealtothecommonman?shewondered.
Theyturnedoffanuppermaingalleryandalongaradialcorridor.
Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 14 - Vanderdeken Page 11
