Kevin shook his head anxiously, without looking through his pockets. He felt sure he would know if he had got any transducers, even if he didn't know a transducer from a muddy hole in the ground. The Doctor made a face at the antennae.
'Won't it work without one?' asked Kevin, more to ease the silence than in a genuine search for technical knowledge.
'Of course it won't work without one,' snapped the Doctor. 'How could it possibly work without one? D'you think I'd be sitting here twiddling my technically brilliant thumbs if it would work without one? It might... it just might...' he finished, muttering to himself, but the thought was overtaken by the sound of bootsteps in the corridor, and he had only just enough time to stuff the antennae under the bed as Kevin pushed the machine back to the wall before there was the sound of the key in the lock and Pen was pushed without ceremony into the cell.
'You didn't last long,' greeted the Doctor, never one for over-sentimentalising. The door slammed behind her before she could protest at her rude treatment, and the Doctor had jumped up on the bed and was fiddling with the sonic-screwdriver attachment to the surveillance camera before she could upbraid him about his compassionate welcome.
'What are you doing?' she asked instead.
'Just putting you in the picture,' he replied, pleasantly. He finished and jumped down again, dusting off his hands. 'Easier with practice,' he announced, smugly.
'What do'you mean "didn't last long"? I was nearly killed out there, so was he.' She pointed at Kevin. 'Both of him...'
'A copy?' queried the Doctor.
'What d'you mean, "both of me"?' asked Kevin, a split second behind.
'Not a physical copy,' explained Peri to the Doctor. 'Well, he was to start with but then he just — faded away...'
'Like the door,' pronounced the Doctor, nodding his head.
'He was not like a door,' protested Peri.
'Simple hologram, that's all,' shrugged Kevin. The Doctor beamed and nodded and then bent to retrieve the antennae from under the bed. Kevin took the opportunity to point an exaggerated finger at him, indicating more clearly than any words 'Humour him...'
'Solid, but not real, you know.' He nodded at Peri vigorously, who was forced to agree with him.
'Yeah, sure, that's the idea...'
The Doctor straightened slowly, the antennae in hand and turned to look at Kevin.
'Solid but not real,' he repeated.
'Yeah, right on. That's the stuff, yeah.'
The Doctor continued to look at him critically. 'Doesn't exist, but it's there...'
'That's it, that's exactly right. Couldn't have put it better meself,' replied Kevin, encouragingly.
The Doctor continued to look at him and then reached up and tweaked his ear. Hard.
'Awk!' screeched Kevin. 'That hurt, that did —'
'Seems real enough to me,' shrugged the Doctor to Peri, 'but then you never can tell with holograms. That's the point really, isn't it?' He smiled pleasantly, as he moved over to the machine and pulled it back from the wall again.
'Here, just a minute,' twigged Kevin, 'you think I'm a... hologram.'
'Not any more,' grinned Peri.
'Does he do that to you?' Kevin asked her, rubbing his ear.
'Not any more,' she and the Doctor replied in unison, he from the bowels of the machine.
'Known each other long, have you?' Kevin asked, looking at her with as much suspicion as the Doctor had previously regarded him.
'Yes,' replied Peri, shortly.
'Long enough to give me a hand?' called the Doctor from inside the machine. She grinned and went over to bend down by him. Immediately there was a puff of smoke and a coughing, slightly smudged Doctor appeared.
'You are back, aren't you? Now look what you've made me do..
There was only one change in the data room, but it was a major one. The tables and chairs which had been at the centre of the room had been taken out, and whilst the computers still clicked away tirelessly, pride of place was given to an enormous video games machine — seven feet tall, as wide as two ordinary machines, with a huge screen, curving almost from over the head off the player back to its base. The effect created was that of a head-up display which might be found on a very sophisticated space shuttle, or a very basic starship.
The machine breathed shiny and new at everyone who looked at it, and many were looking at it at the moment. All the senior staff of the Mandarin's several establishments were there — a dozen and a half of the finest technological brains in the industry, all in their white coats, all waiting... The low murmur of conversation died and floated away as Stefan heralded the entrance of the Mandarin, who crossed straight to the machine and looked at it with fatherly pride.
'Beautiful,' he breathed, 'beautiful...' There were congratulatory smiles all round. 'All is well?' he asked of the assembled company. Yatsumoto spoke for all.
'The prototype performs perfectly, Lord.' He smiled with smug satisfaction.
'You've tried it?' queried the Mandarin with polite surprise.
'In its component parts, honoured Lord,' modified the technician, 'there is no error —'
'But you haven't actually played the machine?' The Mandarin's insistence on an exact answer was no whim.
'I understood that honour was to be reserved for your esteemed guest — ' Yatsumoto looked around him, unsure of his master's mood.
'To the victor, the spoils, Yatsumoto. You shall be the first to play.' He started applauding softly, and the rest of the assembly joined in. Yatsumoto looked suitably flattered, but as much confused as anything. He could hardly refuse, and had yet to come across the western term 'poisoned chalice' in any of his technical manuals, but he sensed there was something wrong, some hidden purpose in the Mandarin's offer. Why else the shudder of fear as he approached the shiny new toy?
The Doctor was sitting on the floor, cross-legged, one tangle of wires over one shoulder, one over the other as he weaved them together in an intricate pattern which seemed to owe more to rope-making than electronics. One end of the electrical rope was attached to the back of the machine, one end to the antennae, and when he had finished this stretch, the circuit would be complete.
'... I don't know who he is,' he answered Peri's question as simply as he could. 'Nobody knows. He existed before the start of Time Lord records. There was an attempt to track him back through his own continuum — trace his path through the fabric of time, but the researchers got bored with all the games, which was possibly what they were there for. As they do so often,' he sighed, 'my erstwhile colleagues met something they didn't understand, and they ran away from it. If they'd been able to control him, they would have investigated further, I'm sure. But they couldn't, so they didn't.'
'A being the Time Lords couldn't handle?' asked Peri with a worried frown.
'Oh, there are plenty of them,' the Doctor reassured her. 'Time Lords generally aren't very good at handling things, especially themselves. I'm just the exception to the rule.'
'Right,' answered Peri. She wasn't going to argue with that last remark under any circumstances.
On a more positive note, the Doctor continued: 'We know he's telepathic, up to a point. We know he's telekinetic, up to a point. We know he can stand the most violent physical forces in our experience — he was once observed playing with a supernova as though it was a kiddies' paddling pool... and we know he's old beyond imagining...' The comment seemed to distract him for a moment, but then he shook himself and continued. 'Most of all, we know he likes games, all sorts of games, any sort of games, and the nastier the better. And that's what I'm going to do something about.' He was as quietly determined as Peri had ever seen him. It was left to Kevin to voice the sceptical question.
'You're going to beat him, then?'
'I'm going to escape from him,' answered the Doctor, coldly, 'and count myself very lucky if I do even that.'
The conversation was once again cut short by the sound of approaching footsteps in the corridor, but by now the
team had a routine as they camouflaged the electronic work, pushed the video game machine back to the wall and busied themselves looking as innocently inactive as prisoners should. By the time the door opened to admit Shardlow once more, they looked as though they'd been sitting there for years.
'My apologies for the delay, masters.'
'Nonsense, my dear fellow, we were just remarking on the speed and excellence of the service, weren't we, chaps?' the Doctor replied, jovially. There was a thoroughly unenthusiastic agreement from Kevin, and a wan smile from Peri. 'If only the accommodation were in the same style, eh?'
Shardlow looked both concerned and worried. 'Alas, sir, my Lord has instructed you be kept close confined.'
'I didn't think this was all your idea, old chap,' replied the Doctor, drily. Shardlow looked relieved.
'Indeed not, sir.' He turned to Peri. 'Mistress, I took the liberty of bringing a portion for you also.'
'Thank you.'
Shardlow bent to his task of serving them from an oval platter — a delicious smelling fish dish in a cream and mushroom sauce. He carried on clearing away the dirty soup dishes as his eye caught sight of the antennae, hidden under the bed not quite as well as it should have been. He addressed his next remarks with heavy emphasis to the Doctor, looking him straight in the eye all the while.
'Unfortunately, both my Lord and the Master Stefan are much engaged by the Great Work, to the exclusion of all else. They have little time to devote to your good selves, I fear. Not so much as they would like, I know. In a short time, however, I am sure they will be able to concern themselves entirely with you, and will take much pleasure in so doing...'
'Thank you, Shardlow,' replied the Doctor, quietly. 'I appreciate your consideration.'
Shardlow inclined his head in acknowledgement, and allowed a gentle smile to reach his lips for a moment only. Peri was starting to catch on, but Kevin had missed the code entirely, breaking into the moment abruptly with the question uppermost in his mind.
'Here, is there anyone else in this place like us?' Shardlow was about to reply, but Kevin rushed on regardless. 'I mean, you know — anyone halfway normal. Anyone playing with a full deck of cards?' Again Shardlow was about to speak, but Kevin was determined to get it out. 'For instance a bloke a bit like me only younger, four years younger actually, dark hair, quite tall, not as good-lookin'. Goes by the name of Geoff Bickerstaff...' He paused, as if daring Shardlow to reply.
'Why yes, young sir,' replied Shardlow, unable to keep the note of surprise from his voice, 'Master Bickerstaff to be sure, but he is not like you at all — that is to say — I mean no —'
'What? What's the matter? Is he all right?'
'Why yes, sir. But Master Bickerstaff is an honoured guest of My Lord, his trusted assistant in the Great Work...'
The screen on the game machine was filled with a three-dimensional block outline of a city — an American city, judging by the skyscrapers — in wonderful detail. It seemed that the player could control his movement down the street by use of the control joystick in front of him. The city was deserted. As Yatsumoto directed himself around a corner, a burning car could be seen, smashed into another at the side of the street. Broken windows were everywhere, and the goods scattered on the pavement seemed to indicate a riot, or looting at any rate. As Yatsumoto drew nearer to the crashed cars, a heavy crunchcrunchcrunch noise started, and grew louder.
From behind one of the crashed cars a figure appeared, a green, or red, glowing figure, it was hard to tell which as it kept changing colour back and forth. As Yatsumoto moved towards the figure, so the figure moved towards him, then there was an arc of fire and a sound effect as Yatsumoto fired his weaponry. The figure glowed bright red and swelled and burst into a million electronic fragments. Yatsumoto grinned broadly, ignoring the sweat trickling down his forehead. The score counter at the top of the screen flickered, registering the kill but, before he had time to gloat, the crunchcrunch noise started again, and another figure appeared from behind the burning car and lines of fire came at him, so effectively that he flinched. The screen lit up and jarred, and jarred again. This time he did flinch — it was impossible not to, and with the third shock registering on the screen, he couldn't help looking at the Lives on the bottom line. He had started off with three. Now there were two...
Grimly he set his mouth, and concentrated as the screen changed to show another part of the city. Yatsumoto did not look at all pleased. He was back at the start, and with one life less.
'Assistant?' queried Kevin, unbelieving.
'Great Work?' asked the Doctor, believing all too completely.
'Why, mercy yes, my masters. For what other purpose must we all serve?' The Doctor was about to tell him, and in no uncertain terms, but the old man carried on, dreamily. 'Not that I shall see the fruits of my labours... Master Stefan has called me to a game of backgammon, and I shall lose. I always do lose,' he added, without any rancour at all, 'but I am promised that this is to be the last game.' There was the faintest note of wistfulness in his voice, but then he turned to the Doctor and continued far more surely. 'And I believe I owe you a great debt of thanks, noble sir.'
'Do you?'
'Why yes, sir. Master Stefan said directly that now you had arrived to help our Lord, the Work would soon be completed. And thus my last game has come.'
'And what is the hazard this time, Shardlow?' The Doctor asked, grimly, although he believed he already knew the answer.
'Why, sir,' answered Shardlow with a soft smile, 'what else does an old man have to wager?' The Doctor nodded heavily. Peri saw it in a flash of understanding.
'Your life?'
'Of a certainty, mistress.' There was even a soft chuckle. 'And Master Stefan has always been one to call in a wager. For once, I cannot lose, for even in losing, I shall win my freedom. Is that not so?'
The Doctor nodded again in agreement, and extended his hand. 'Good fortune in any case, Shardlow. Give him a run for his money.'
'Thank you sir, I believe I shall.' He took the Doctor's hand gladly, 'Yes, tonight, I believe I shall.'
Yatsumoto was perspiring freely now, his hands at the controls tense and never still as he approached the burning cars once more. The crunchcrunch started again and, sure enough, the figure came out again, and sure enough met the same fate. This time Yatsumoto waited grimly for the second figure to show, and finished him off when he did. Then he poured fire into the blazing cars for good measure, and sure enough a third figure leapt out, only to disappear in a constellation of exploding sparks... Nodding with satisfaction, the Japanese technician moved himself further along the street and around the corner to be met instantly by a deafening crunchcrunch and a red and green monster, almost upon him. There was a blaze of fire arcing towards him, the screen flashed one, two, three times, and he almost slumped at the controls.
The Lives indicator went down by one again. Yatsumoto wiped the palms of his hands down his laboratory coat. Only one life left.
Peri was sitting on the bed, glumly holding the antennae as the Doctor worked behind the games machine.
'That poor old man,' she said sadly, unknowingly echoing the Doctor's earlier sentiments.
'He'll be all right,' reassured Kevin.
'Depends what you mean by "all right",' muttered the Doctor from the bowels of the machine.
'Well, they wouldn't hurt him, would they? Not over a stupid game.'
'If he loses, I shouldn't think he'll feel a thing,' said the Doctor in his matter-of-fact voice. 'We'll just have to get there before the game's over, that's all.' His face appeared from behind the machine for a moment. 'Give me a fork, would you?' Kevin reached one from the food tray and made to pass it to him. 'A clean one,' asked the Doctor with a note of exasperation. Kevin hunted through the discarded cutlery, and came up with an unused fork. 'What did you train as,' grumbled the Doctor, taking it suspiciously, 'a plumber's mate?' But before Kevin could reply effectively, he had disappeared down his electronic warren again.
/>
Yatsumoto was firing indiscriminately now, monsters exploding thick and fast around every corner. The crunchcrunch was everywhere, sometimes just in the background, sometimes almost next to his ear.
The lines of fire suddenly stopped arcing from his weaponry. Frantically he jabbed at the Fire button on the joystick and then he looked at the ammunition counter, a red line at the side of the screen with little green lines sticking up from it. There were no little green lines left.
From the left and the right, monsters appeared, firing as they did so. The ghost city was ablaze with gunfire and the crunchcrunch of approaching monsters. The lines of fire raced towards him, a hit, a hit, another hit... The screen flashed for the last time, and the monsters faded away, the noise receding to a distant but insistent crunchcrunchcrunch.
Yatsumoto looked shattered, slumped at the controls. Then his attention was engaged as the crunchcrunch became louder and louder. He looked puzzled, then bewildered. The game was over. He had lost. He had been playing under field-trial conditions, just as people would be soon, all over the world. The Mandarin smiled, the glint back in his eye. The crunchcrunch became louder and louder.
From the centre of the screen, lumbering down the street, came one of the electronic monsters, though no firing took place. The figure walked towards Yatsumoto, growing in size as he came.
Growing. And growing. And growing.
Yatsumoto stepped back from the machine instinctively. The monster filled the screen. More than filled it.
'Lord... Stop it, Lord, I beg you...'
The Mandarin watched, fascinated to see it all working.
The monster stepped out from the screen.
It grew before his eyes, reaching seven feet tall, thick set and heavily built on legs that were almost too squat for the enormous body, a body composed entirely of red and green crystals, hard, flat, angular surfaces like cut gemstomes, with two giant burning red rubies for eyes, and no other facial features at all.
DOCTOR WHO - THE NIGHTMARE FAIR Page 9
