Chinn, who was still looking at the map, turned and said, 'Yes, I think that more or less wraps it...' He broke off, realising that the Axon was no longer there. 'Funny chap, that...'
The Brigadier snorted. 'I'm off to see Filer in the medical wing. I gather they're expecting him to come round about now.'
The Brigadier. marched from the room. Chinn was left alone with his map. He was quite unaware that his efforts had brought considerably nearer the total destruction of Earth.
Filer had indeed recovered. Still pale and shaky, watched over by a hovering nurse, he gave the Brigadier the true story of the events in Winser's laboratory.
The Brigadier was highly delighted. 'So the Doctor and Miss Grant weren't killed?'
'They sure weren't. The Axonite got Winser—then that spaghetti-monster turned up and clobbered me. My guess is the Axons have got them.'
'The Doctor definitely said Axonite was dangerous?'
'Sure! Said it could drain all the energy from the planet.'
The Brigadier stood up. 'I'm off for a word with Chinn—not to mention our Axon friends. Maybe we can still stop distribution. Stay here and rest, Filer.'
'Not on your life,' yelled Filer. But the Brigadier was gone. Filer turned on the hovering nurse. 'Don't just stand there, Florence Nightingale. Get me my clothes!'
The Axon leader moved between the concrete buildings of the Nuton Complex. His humanoid form was already dissolving into a monstrous many-tentacled figure, the Axons' basic shape.
The golden appearance was assumed only to reassure humans, and maintaining that shape took up much of the Axon's strength. He needed all his energy for the task before him.
A UNIT guard appeared, and stopped at the sight of the horror lurching towards him. He raised his rifle but the monster was already upon him. A lashing tentacle, a surge of energy and the guard crumpled to the ground. The Axon moved on.
Nuton's Main Reactor was housed in a squat, blank-walled building with massive steel doors. Two bored sentries were on patrol. Boredom changed to unbelieving terror as the Axon monster turned the corner of the building and came rushing towards them.
Shaking off their fear, they opened fire. They poured shot after shot into the heaving tentacled mass, with absolutely no effect. The monster seemed to flow towards them... One of the sentries fled in panic. The other hesitated too long and was blasted to extinction by the Axon monster's tentacle.
The creature moved up to the massive steel doors. Its tentacles flailed out, there was a massive surge of energy, and the doors sprang open.
Returning from the medical wing, the Brigadier heard the rattle of gunfire. Drawing his revolver he set off at a run. He ran straight into the fleeing sentry, and grabbed him by the shoulders. 'Pull yourself together, man. What happened?'
The sentry pointed a shaking hand behind him. 'Killed my mate, sir. It just went in there... inside the Reactor!'
The Brigadier let the man go and sprinted for the Reactor. He saw the steel doors hanging open and peered cautiously inside. At the end of a concrete-lined corridor the Axon monster crouched by a heavy, lead-shielded door. The Brigadier was just in time to see the door fly open, there was a glare of light... and the Axon disappeared. Shaking his head in disbelief, the Brigadier turned and ran back to the administration buildings.
As he arrived outside the main block, a car drew up and Sir George Hardiman stepped out. The Brigadier ran up to him. 'Sir George, come with me!'
'What's happened? What's going on?'
'I want you to check the Main Reactor.'
'Then we'll have to go to the control room. What is going on, Brigadier?'
The Brigadier bustled the astonished Hardiman over to the laboratory block and into the control room. 'I'm sorry, sir, this really is urgent.'
'Oh, very well!' Watched by a puzzled technician Hardiman began checking the maze of dials and meters that lined the walls of the reactor control room. Suddenly he broke off, peering through the picture window. 'I say, why is there a police box in Winser's laboratory?'
'Part of the Doctor's equipment. The Reactor, Sir George!'
Hardiman completed his check. 'Everything seems pretty much in order. The readings are slightly up. Now, what is this all about?'
'Our Axon friend has just walked straight into the furnace of the Main Reactor.'
Hardiman looked at the Brigadier as if he was mad.
Inside the TARDIS, the Master straightened up with a groan. 'Hopeless! Over-weight... underpowered... museum piece!' He pulled a lever and the TARDIS console vibrated alarmingly. Hurriedly the Master switched it off. 'Might as well try to fly a second-hand gas stove!'
He turned on the scanner. Rather to his surprise it actually worked. The Master scanned round the laboratory, zooming in on a close-up of the Particle Accelerator. 'Now that is interesting. If I cannibalise some of the parts...'
The Master had never had the slightest hesitation in helping himself to other people's property. He collected tools from the Doctor's locker and opened the TARDIS door.
Hardiman said obstinately, 'If the Axon did go into the Main Reactor, then he's simply committed suicide. No living being could survive the energies...'
Captain Yates had come into the control room. Suddenly he called. 'Look, sir! In the laboratory.' A black-clad figure was calmly dismantling the Particle Accelerator. 'It's the Master, sir!'
The Brigadier drew his revolver. 'So it is. And this time—we've got him!'
9
The Sacrifice
Absorbed in trying to dismantle the laser-trigger from the light accelerator, the Master was unaware of the Brigadier and Yates creeping down the iron stair-case and across the laboratory towards him.
Hardiman appeared at the top of the staircase, yelling, 'Brigadier! There's a massive power surge in the Main Reactor!'
Alerted, the Master spun round, only to find the Brigadier covering him with his revolver. He made a dive for the TARDIS, but Yates blocked his way. The Master snatched out his laser gun. 'Drop that thing or I'll blow your head off!' The Brigadier levelled his revolver.
The Master considered the odds then shrugged. As always, he preferred to live and fight another day. He tossed the laser gun to the floor and the Brigadier picked it up. 'Now then—what are you doing here? What are you after?'
The Master nodded towards the TARDIS. 'That—unfortunately.'
'You wanted to steal the TARDIS?'
The Master shrugged. 'My own is in the hands of Axos. I needed a vehicle with which to leave this planet—before it's too late.'
'But why bring it here?'
'That was the Doctor's idea. By the way, I'd hoped for the pleasure of meeting him... just once more. Where is he?'
'In the hands of the Axons, like your TARDIS.'
Hardiman calve running down the ladder, near-panic in his voice. 'Brigadier, don't you realise? There's an uncontrollable power build-up in the Main Reactor, it could go critical at any moment. The whole place will blow up.'
'What's happened?' Such was the authority in the Master's voice that the Brigadier told him. The Master nodded. 'I'm afraid the Axons have taken over your Reactor. They're stealing its energy for some purpose of their own.'
Hardiman was on the verge of panic. 'They don't understand the dangers involved. They'll kill us all if it overloads.'
The Brigadier looked at the Master. 'You! You know these creatures. Is there anything we can do to stop them? It's your life too, remember.'
'I'm afraid there's nothing you can do. There might be something I can do... in exchange for my freedom.' The Master glanced meaningly at the Brigadier's revolver.
'That's quite impossible.'
The Master sighed regretfully. 'Then in that case...' He leaned back against the wall, folding his arms. 'We'll all go up together!'
Urgently Hardiman whispered, 'Brigadier, if this place goes up it will cost untold numbers of lives. All it needs is a chain reaction and this whole complex will become an enormous nuclear bo
mb.'
The Master gave a judicious nod. 'I'm afraid he's right, Brigadier.'
Hardiman grabbed the Brigadier's arm. 'For heaven's sake—if there's a chance this man can help give him whatever he wants.'
The Brigadier looked agonised at the thought of losing his prisoner so soon. But there was really no choice. 'Very well.'
'My absolute and unconditional freedom?' insisted the Master.
'Yes! Now get moving!' Reluctantly the Brigadier holstered his revolver.
The Master turned to Hardiman. 'Listen carefully,
I want a power-link from the Main Reactor into the TARDIS.'
Hardiman was boggled. 'How will that help?'
'I shall store up the power, then boost it through the Accelerator and back to Axos. Instead of a gradual build-up the Axons will get it all in one devastating surge.'
'Is there anything else we can do?'
'Oh, you might try the usual nuclear blast precautions—sticky tape on the windows, that sort of thing...'
The Master opened the TARDIS door, just as Filer ran into the lab. Bill Filer's arms instructor would have been proud of him. When he saw the Master, he made the fastest draw of his life. As if by magic, the Colt Cobra was in Filer' hand and jammed behind the Master's ear. 'O.K., brother, hold it right there.'
The Master sighed wearily. 'Really, Brigadier, do you want my help or don't you? I really can't concentrate with these constant interruptions.'
Regretfully the Brigadier said, 'Put the gun away, Filer.'
'But this guy's the Master. Don't you realise'
'I know. For the moment we happen to need his help.'
'He's helping you? Are you crazy, Brigadier?'
'Very probably, Mr Filer. But we don't seem to have any choice.'
'But...' Filer couldn't believe that his prey was going to slip through his fingers yet again.
'No buts,' said the Brigadier firmly. 'Put the gun away, Mr Filer.' Numbly Filer obeyed.
'Thank you,' said the Master acidly. 'Now perhaps I can get to work.'
Once again, he started to enter the TARDIS. Hardiman was making for the control room. 'I'll set up the link at once.' He paused, looking back at the Master. 'Where will you be?'
The Master opened the TARDIS door. 'In here.'
Hardiman was baffled. 'In there? Why?'
'Because theoretically this contraption should be able to store the energy generated around it. Think of it as a giant battery!'
For the first time Hardiman seemed to take in the Master's plan. 'Are you trying to tell me you can store the entire output of my Main Reactor in a police box?'
'Oh yes,' said the Master gently. 'At least, I hope so. It'll be just too bad for all of us if I'm wrong.' He disappeared inside the TARDIS and closed the door.
In the Brain area of Axos there was frantic activity. The whole of Axos hummed with energy. The Doctor looked on in an agony of remorse. He had given the Axons the Time travel equations in the certainty that they would never be able to use them. But he'd underestimated them. Somehow they were getting the power they needed.
He watched intently as the power-equations flashed across the screen. The Voice of Axos whispered, 'Forty per cent Time Field capability. Forty-five per cent...' Then, 'Sixty per cent... Fifty per cent...' The Voice changed. 'Emergency, emergency!'
The Doctor looked hopefully at Jo. 'Something's going wrong. They're not getting the power through!'
The Voice of Axos began issuing a rapid stream of orders. 'Locate power failure source. Investigate possible cell damage. Evaluate, trace and restore all energy absorption channels. Emergency, Emergency...'
Suddenly the Doctor realised that the tendrils holding him were beginning to slacken their grip. So totally was Axos involved in the crisis that even the tiny amount of power needed to hold its prisoners was leaking away. Slowly he edged free, gesturing to Jo to do the same. Once they were clear of the tendrils he grabbed Jo's hand and they set off at a run.
Luckily for them, the Brain of Axos could spare them only a little of its attention. 'Attention, Time Lord and companion escaping. Close all exit tracts. Surround, neutralise and retrieve once emergency is over!'
The Doctor and Jo fled through the glowing corridors, somehow managing to elude the tendrils that lashed out to catch them. Axos was confused and distracted. While that distraction lasted, there was a chance, just a chance, that they might win free.
A powerful throb of energy was shaking the laboratory. Massive cables ran from the Reactor into the TARDIS. Hardiman stood by the control console, monitoring the enormous flow of power. Somehow the Master's extraordinary set-up was working. The Main Reactor's output was flowing not to Axos but into the TARDIS. Helplessly the Brigadier looked on. Hardiman looked up at him, raising his voice above the deep throbbing hum. 'It can't take much more, Brigadier. It can't!'
Inside the TARDIS, the Master presided over the rocking, throbbing TARDIS control-console like the captain of a ship in a typhoon. He could see the Brigadier and Hardiman on the scanner. Hardiman was saying, 'I daren't feed in much more. I don't want to risk the cables burning out!'
'The Master switched on the TARDIS loudspeaker system and yelled, 'Risk the cables, man! Risk everything! We've got to!' As his fingers flashed over the TARDIS console, the Master was actually smiling. He liked a good crisis. In his own peculiar way, he was enjoying himself.
Jo and the Doctor found their progress slower. More and more tendrils reached out for them, and the walls seemed to be closing in. Suddenly the narrow space through which they were squeezing turned into a dead end. Tentacles wound round them, holding them trapped. They were prisoners once more.
The Master was outside the TARDIS now, working on the connections to the Particle Accelerator. He finished making adjustments to the main power lever and looked at his worried audience—Yates, Hardiman and the Brigadier. 'I've adapted the power lever so that it will free the vast surge of energy now stored inside the TARDIS. When that energy is released it will surge back to Axos in one enormous boost!'
Hardiman asked, 'And what will that do to Axos?'
'Cripple it, I hope. Perhaps even kill it. Let's see, shall we?'
The Master's hand stretched out for the power-lever. Suddenly the Brigadier knocked it away. 'Just one moment. We have reason to believe that the Doctor and Miss Grant are prisoners inside Axos. What will happen to them?'
The Master smiled. 'I was wondering when that would occur to you, Brigadier. There is one slight disadvantage to my plan. When the power-surge hits Axos, the Doctor and Miss Grant will die. They won't stand a chance.'
In a horrified voice the Brigadier said, 'No, I won't let you do it.'
The Master sounded calm, almost amused. Clearly he was enjoying the situation. 'The choice is yours—but remember... unless we deal with this crisis, the whole complex will explode. And that's just part of it. Unless we destroy Axos, Brigadier—Axos will destroy the world!'
The Brigadier stood very still. Once again, there was no choice. How could he set the lives of two people against the life of the world? He stepped away from the console.
The Master reached out and pulled the lever.
10
Brainstorm
Axos convulsed.
The massive, unexpected surge of energy almost crippled it, almost killed it. But not quite. Summoning all its resources Axos began to fight back..
In the middle of the energy storm that lashed through Axos, Jo and the Doctor found themselves free again. The Doctor grabbed Jo's hand and dragged her through the chaos. All around them Axos seethed and pulsed. Even the surface beneath them rolled in waves of movement. A kaleidoscope of flashing lights spun before them, and a mad, high-pitched screaming filled their ears. Jo sobbed, 'Doctor, I can't take any more.'
Ruthlessly, the Doctor urged her on. 'Keep going, Jo, we'll die if we stop.'
Jo collapsed, her hands over her face. She began sobbing hysterically. The Doctor heaved her to her feet and shook her rough
ly. 'Stop it, Jo. We must keep going.'
She shook her head to clear it. 'What's that screaming noise?'
'Axos,' said the Doctor simply. 'The whole creature's electro-convulsing. The power's creating an electric storm in the brain. We're going straight through the centre of the trauma. Look here! '
Their flight had taken them back into the Brain area, the heart of the power-storm. The agonising pain of Axos showed itself as patterns of liquid light, flowing across the walls. The Eye lashed to and fro on its stalk, totally uncontrolled. Jo felt the pain and the near-madness of Axos reaching into her mind, overwhelming her... She staggered, clutching her head.
'Fight it, Jo,' shouted the Doctor. 'Don't let it get a grip on your mind. Listen to me... Three sevens... What's three sevens? Tell me!'
All the time he was pulling her onwards.
Jo found that concentration on the absurdly simple sum did help to withstand the barrage of sound and light stimuli all around her. 'Twenty-one...' she muttered. 'Three sevens are twenty-one...'
They fought their way across the Brain area and into an outer chamber. Here too everything was a chaotic turmoil of light and sound. Jo reeled back...
'Times four,' called the Doctor. 'Now multiply by four.'
Jo grappled with the problem, her eyes tight shut against those terrible anguished patterns of light. It was harder this time '... Eighty... eighty-four' she gasped triumphantly.
'Well done—now—divide by six! '
So they struggled on, the Doctor firing off sums, Jo forcing herself to answer them. At last they reached an opening on the far side of the chamber. The Doctor helped Jo through it, and they started down the long tunnel beyond.
He paused as they came to a fork. 'I think there's a way out down here...'
They ran along the tunnel, which seemed to sway to and fro as they moved along. A shapeless figure appeared, lurching towards them. Jo cowered back against the wall. It was an Axon, part golden humanoid, part tentacled monster. It reeled almost blindly ahead, lashing feebly at them. The Doctor ducked, and gave it a hearty shove. The already decomposing Axon slammed into the wall, then slid to the floor, dissolving into a shapeless puddle of Axonite. Jo covered her eyes...
DOCTOR WHO AND THE CLAWS OF AXOS Page 8
