by Mike Tucker
A young woman, the captain’s insignia on her uniform marking her out as the officer in change, approached them, her face a mask of incredulous amazement as her gaze went from the Doctor, to Bill, to the TARDIS and then back again.
‘Who the hell are you?’
Teske and Delitsky locked eyes.
‘Something outside the bell …’
‘I know, it sounds crazy, but—’
There was a sudden noise over the comms, loud enough to make Delitsky wince. The graph on the screen spiked alarmingly and Baines’s voice went up an octave.
‘Did you hear that? Tell me you heard that too!’
‘We heard some interference, Baines, but that’s hardly—’ ‘Holy … It’s back! I’m not kidding. There’s something outside the bell! I can hear it on the hull!’
‘Baines!’ Teske leaned forward over her screens, her voice urgent. ‘Roger, I need you to calm down.’
‘Calm down?’ Baines was almost hysterical. ‘Did you not hear what I said? THERE IS SOMETHING OUTSIDE THE BELL!’
Baines’s voice was now so loud in Delitsky’s ear bud that other people in the control room could hear it. The miner was clearly terrified. Warning lights were already starting to flash urgently on the medical readouts as his heart rate skyrocketed. Several of the crew were already looking up from their controls, casting curious glances towards the control pod. It wasn’t going to be long before they started to realise that something was wrong.
‘You’ve gotta do something to calm this craziness down, Johanna,’ whispered Delitsky. ‘He’s going to have a damn heart attack.’
‘Roger. Listen to me.’ Teske tried to keep her voice calm. ‘We both know that what you are saying is impossible. Think about where you are. There cannot be anything outside the bell.’
‘And I’m telling you there is!’
There was another strange noise, louder than the last.
‘Oh, God! They’re trying to open the hatch.’ Baines was screaming now. ‘You’ve got to do something. You’ve got to—’
Delitsky and Teske tore the buds from their ears as the comms channel was swamped by a deafening screech of static. Seconds later, alarms started to blare around the control room, and the harsh voice of the mainframe boomed from the speakers.
‘Warning. Mining bell hull integrity compromised. Warning! Mining bell hull integrity compromised.’
‘Get him up!’ yelled Delitsky. ‘Get him up now!’
Technicians scrambled to operate emergency controls that they had never dreamed would need to be used. Delitsky watched as the four huge winches in the hangar bay below him started to draw the bell inexorably back towards the mine.
‘Come on,’ he hissed through gritted teeth. ‘Come on …’
The entire rig suddenly lurched, sending Delitsky crashing into the control panel. The lights in the control room flickered and a new series of alarms joined their voices to the cacophony.
Delitsky staggered to his feet, clutching at his badly bruised arm. All around him his crew were struggling to get back to their feet. Behind him he could hear the high-pitched voice of Jenloz as he yelled instructions to his team, desperately trying to stabilise the rig.
Delitsky could only stare in disbelief at the winches in the hangar bay. The huge cables were unspooling at impossible speed, sending sparks showering into the air.
It was as if something had a hold of the bell.
Chapter
4
The Doctor had tried his very best to be nice, thought Bill, he really, really had. It was just that he wasn’t very good at it.
Things had started badly when the security guards had pushed them against a wall and frisked them. And it had got worse as soon as they found the diamond in the Doctor’s pocket, which hadn’t helped his attempts to convince them that they were just visiting and really didn’t mean any harm.
It was when they had started interrogating him about what the TARDIS was and how he had got it in here that things had really started to go downhill. It had reminded Bill of the time during one of the Doctor’s lectures that some foolish student had decided to argue with him about his conclusions with regard to cyclical time.
Bill shook her head. Poor Derek. He still couldn’t walk past the lecture hall without twitching …
Now the Doctor was pinned up against the wall by two of the security guards, both of whom seemed itching to just shake the information out of him, whilst the spherical robots hovered around his head like angry bees. Bill almost felt sorry for the pretty young commanding officer trying to keep some semblance of order. She really didn’t know what she was letting herself in for.
‘For the last time, will you just tell us who you are and where your accomplices are.’
‘And I keep telling you I don’t have any accomplices. I don’t need them. I’m clever enough on my own.’
‘Really.’ Captain Palmer jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the incongruous shape of the TARDIS. ‘Well, if you don’t have any accomplices then how did you get that in here?’
‘And if you would just pay attention to what I am trying to tell you about the interstitial nature of space-time then perhaps it would help you understand that better! But no, you don’t want to listen. Typical pudding brains!’
The security guards holding him tightened their grip. Bill could have sworn that one of them actually growled. If the Doctor wasn’t careful, he was going to get beaten up. She needed to do something.
She took a step forward, but the woman guarding her, a sergeant called Harrison, placed a firm hand on her shoulder. ‘Just stay where you are, miss. Captain Palmer will get to you in due course.’
‘But he’s going to get hurt.’
‘Not if he’s sensible.’
Before Bill could tell her that being sensible was the last thing that the Doctor ever did, the entire room suddenly shook alarmingly. The security officers looked at each other in bemusement.
‘What the hell was that?’
Without further warning the room lurched, sending everyone reeling. Seizing her chance, Bill tore herself away from Harrison, scrabbling across the tilting floor towards the Doctor.
‘Stop her!’
Half a dozen pairs of hands reached out to grab her, but the floor suddenly heaved again and Bill felt herself falling, sliding. She scrabbled for a handhold, but the metal floor was like an ice rink. Realising that there was nothing she could do to stop herself, she clasped her hands over her head and tucked into a ball.
She crashed against the wall with an impact that almost shook the teeth from her head. Around her, the shuddering and vibrating was slowly starting to subside, and Bill realised that if she was going to make the most of the confusion then the moment was now. Clutching at her bruised elbow she scrambled to her feet.
‘Doctor?’
‘Right behind you.’
Grateful to hear his voice, Bill turned. The Doctor was already on his feet, and had one of the snub-nosed blasters in his hand.
It was pointed directly at her head.
‘Delitsky!’
Nettleman’s voice snapped Delitsky from his daze. The company official was staring down into the control pit. He had a nasty-looking bruise on his forehead.
‘What the hell is happening?’
‘I wish I knew.’
Delitsky clambered up the ladder and pushed past him, hurrying over to where Jenloz was barking orders to the gravity control team.
‘Jenloz! Are we stabilised?’
The little Cancri turned and unleashed a stream of clicks and squeals that even Delitsky could tell was not well meant.
‘Don’t get snarky with me,’ snapped the Rig Chief. ‘Just give me some answers.’
‘Gravity inverters are recalibrated and holding.’ Jenloz glared at him. ‘But if we get another shaking like that …’
‘Right.’ Delitsky turned to his crew. ‘We have an emergency situation here, and I want everyone except essential staff to clear the room.’
A dozen or more people immediately got up and started to file calmly from the room.
‘I hope that doesn’t include Mister Nettleman and myself,’ said Rince, hurrying forwards and squinting at him through his glasses.
‘No, Mister Rince,’ Delitsky interrupted him. ‘I’m certain that your “expertise” will be of great assistance.’
Pushing Rince out of the way, Delitsky crossed to Jo Teske. The medic was still trying to get through to Baines in the bell.
‘Baines, do you read me? Baines!’
‘What’s going on down there, Jo?’
‘I don’t know.’ Teske was obviously at a loss; Delitsky had never seen her like this before. ‘Just look at the life signs.’
She pointed at the screen. Baines’s vital signs had peaked alarmingly at the moment they had lost contact with him, and then dropped to levels that even Delitsky could tell were a long, long way from normal.
‘Is he still alive?’
‘I have no idea, Jorgen. I’ve never seen life signs like this in my life before. All I do know is that we need to get him back up here, and we need to do it quickly.’
That was all Delitsky needed. He turned to his expectant crew.
‘OK, we’re going to perform an emergency retract.’
That raised a few eyebrows, but Delitsky quickly silenced the murmurs that started to echo around the room.
‘I’m aware that none of you will ever have done this outside of a simulator before. Well, guess what? Neither have I. But there is a procedure; we just have to follow it. Now please get to your stations and get ready.’
As Delitsky made his way back to his command position, Nettleman intercepted him, blocking his way. Delitsky stopped, not bothering to hide the distaste in his eyes.
‘Mister Nettleman, if you don’t mind?’
‘Did I hear you right? You’re going to initiate an emergency retract?’
‘You heard right.’
‘Can I remind you, Chief Delitsky, that an emergency retract procedure will require you to jettison all mining outriggers from the bell.’
‘I am well aware of that.’
‘But you can’t …’
‘I can see no other option.’
Nettleman leaned uncomfortably close to him; Delitsky could smell the sweat on the man’s skin. ‘But that will mean the loss of the diamonds,’ he hissed. ‘You must find an alternative.’
Delitsky stared back at him with nothing but contempt. ‘I don’t give a damn about the diamonds! I’ve got a man in trouble down there, and in my opinion an emergency retract gives us the best option of recovering him alive.’
‘Do I have to order you?’
‘Mister Nettleman, in an emergency situation all decisions relating to the safety of the mine and its crew devolve to the Rig Chief. All decisions. Now, either you get out of my way and let me do my job, or I will use that authority to call security and have you removed from this control room.’
Nettleman’s expression went from shock, to anger then embarrassment as he realised that he had no other option than to step out of the way.
‘Thank you,’ said Delitsky curtly, making his down the short ladder into the control position. He took his seat, aware that he had just made a very powerful enemy. ‘Anybody not ready to do this?’
There were no dissenting voices.
‘All right.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Pod control. Jettison all outriggers.’
A seldom-lit row of indicator lights went red on the panel in front of him. Not much fanfare when you realised that they indicated that three million dollars’ worth of diamonds had just been dumped into the atmosphere below.
‘Retract comms antennae.’
Another row of lights.
‘Flatten profile of pod gravity inverters.’
The final row of lights went red.
‘Close shutters.’
A series of huge steel shutters slid into place over the observation windows, cutting off the view of the hangar. To Delitsky, they only served to reinforce just how dangerous the operation they were about to attempt was. Personally, he’d rather see the danger than imagine it.
‘Retract.’
Delitsky braced himself. If whatever was below them still had the pod in its grip, he would have to take more extreme action. But this time there was only a slowly escalating whine as the four winches in the hangar below came up to maximum speed.
He could hear Robbins reading off the countdown as the pod was dragged back towards them. ‘Seven hundred metres. Six hundred. Four hundred. Three hundred.’ She was having to shout above the terrifying noise from the winches now.
‘Jenloz. Talk to me!’ bellowed Delitsky.
‘Holding stable.’ The little engineer’s voice was barely audible over the noise.
‘Two hundred. One Hundred. Zero.’
The rig lurched as the emergency brakes were applied and the pod slammed into the hangar.
‘Engage airlock.’
Delitsky was already out of his seat before the confirmation came. ‘Open those damn shutters and get an emergency crew in there!’
With a whirr of motors, the shutters started to retract, revealing the pod sitting somewhat drunkenly in the hangar. Stripped of all its external probes and fixtures it looked even more like an egg than before.
As Delitsky watched, the airlock doors slid open and an emergency crew, clad in protective suits, rushed forward, cutting gear ready in case it was needed.
Delitsky urged them on. ‘Hurry it up, hurry it up.’
The team leader hauled himself up onto the side of the pod, reaching out with heavy gloves to pull the emergency release handle that would release the hatch. With agonising slowness the heavy, armoured hatch swung open.
The team leader leaned forward, peering into the interior of the pod. Then he stopped, seemingly frozen.
‘What is it?’ yelled Delitsky. ‘Is he OK?’
The rescue worker looked up wordlessly from the hangar, his face pale with shock. He stepped back from the hatch allowing Delitsky a clear view into the interior.
It was empty.
Chapter
5
Laura had dealt with plenty of hostage situations in her career, but the one confronting her was not like any that she had had to deal with before.
As soon as the station had stopped shaking, the tall man – the Doctor, he had called himself – had recovered his balance with remarkable speed, darting forward and scooping up a g-Taser shaken from the grasp of one of her officers. What was surprising was that instead of pointing it in her direction, he had aimed it at the head of his young companion. It didn’t make any sense.
Around her, Harrison and the rest of her security team were struggling to regain their feet, their own confusion etched on their faces as they stared at the two intruders. Sillitoe, the rookie assigned to her team on this tour, was cursing loudly as he pulled himself off the floor, blood trickling from a painful-looking gash on his forehead.
‘What the hell happened, Captain? It felt as though the entire damn base was …’ He broke off as he noticed the Doctor and Bill, and his hand immediately reached for the g-Taser at his belt. ‘Son of a …’
‘Steady, Sillitoe.’ Laura placed a restraining hand on his arm. The wrong move at this juncture could result in things ending very badly. She frowned. There was something not quite right here.
As if reading her mind, the Doctor gave a thin smile and shifted his hold on the butt of the pistol, moving his thumb to reveal a small red warning light glowing steadily on the grip. Laura’s heart sank.
‘I’m certain that you know what that light means,’ called the Doctor.
Laura nodded. ‘I’m well aware of its significance. Are you?’
‘Oh, yes.’
‘Well, will someone please tell me?’ Bill’s voice was shrill and strained. Whatever was going on here, the girl was as surprised by it as everyone else.
‘This is a gravity-Taser,’ explained the Doctor
, calmly. ‘It’s a variation on the standard sidearm used on the majority of spacecraft and off-world facilities throughout the Terran empire. No projectile weapons allowed, you see. Bullets and pressurised environments don’t tend to go well together. The same goes for high-energy weapons. But this …’ The Doctor waggled the pistol. ‘Very clever. Emits a gravity pulse capable of knocking someone off their feet, or rendering them unconscious, with no threat of damaging any important structures or equipment.’
He paused.
‘But with the safety cut-out disengaged, and at this close range …’
‘Then the gravity pulse will take her goddamn head off!’ Sillitoe finished the sentence for him.
Laura shook her head in despair. When this was over, she would have to give the rookie a good talking to about the use of tact in a hostage situation.
‘Doctor?’ Bill was now looking extremely frightened. ‘Will you please tell me what you are doing?’
The Doctor shrugged. ‘Well I can hardly threaten them, can I?’ He nodded towards Laura and her officers. ‘I’ve just spent the last ten minutes trying to convince them that I mean them no harm, so it’s not going to look very good if I then go waving a gun in their faces, is it? I could threaten to shoot myself, I suppose – I’ve tried that before with reasonable success – but it’s me! I can’t go around shooting me. I’m brilliant! I’d never be able to forgive myself. So the only option is you.’
‘And how is threatening to shoot me going to help our situation?’ Bill’s voice was now little more than a squeak.
‘Ah, well now …’
Laura was certain that she saw the Doctor give his companion the smallest of winks.
Manoeuvring himself so that he was standing directly behind Bill, the Doctor glanced up at the hovering security orbs. ‘Our metal friends here are an incredibly complicated piece of positronic engineering. They have to be, don’t they? Putting law enforcement into the hands of an artificial intelligence is potentially extremely dangerous. Which means that you have to have layer upon layer of safety protocols, ensuring that their one overriding concern is to protect the innocent.’
