and your Strategic Council are rather short of just now... and it may be that I can help...’
Styr hesitated. He was heaving with the effort of supporting the Doctor’s weight, severely weakened by the unaccustomed effects of Earth’s gravity, and by his attempts to catch the Doctor in the rugged terrain.
Meanwhile, the Doctor had been secretly feeling in his jacket, while whispering intently into Styr’s ear in order to distract the Alien. He sneaked out a small pocket flask, uncorked it, sniffed briefly at the contents, and then reached across and tipped the flask upside down into the vent at the back of the unsuspecting Sontaran’s collar.
When the flask was empty, the Doctor re-corked it and thrust it back into his pocket.
Finally Styr lost patience. He whirled the Doctor round in the air and shook him over the sheer drop into the ravine.
‘For the last time,’ he roared. ‘You will tell me the truth... or you will perish..
Styr’s words dissolved abruptly into a harsh torrent of black smoke and steam which gushed out of the vent behind his shoulders and from his mouth and nostrils. He stamped about on the narrow ridge, gasping and roaring.
With a sudden shrug, he sent the helpless Doctor flying into the ravine.
Sarah crouched by the slab, staring up at the ridge in horror as Styr began to lurch down the slope towards his spacecraft, his bulky limbs twitching spasmodically and dense smoke pouring out from all over his huge body. She shook her head slowly in disbelief, and gradually her eyes filled with tears.
‘Doctor...’ Sarah murmured, ‘Oh, Doctor...’
Harry shrank back behind the ring-shaped bulkhead which surrounded the communication port joining the two modules, and made himself as small as he could. He watched with bated breath as the little spherical robot glided past him, its tiny scanner sweeping from side to side. It buzzed into the centre of the chamber where he was crouching and paused, its circuits working busily as it scanned the mass of instruments covering the walls. Harry jumped when a thin probe shot out from the capsule and operated a row of contact buttons. But then the probe was retracted, and the miniature Scavenger hummed on its way into the next module.
Amazed at his narrow escape, Harry waited until the robot had gone and then clambered cautiously into the module ahead of him. Following the Doctor’s instructions as best he could, he selected a sequence of coloured keys set into the panelling and turned them slowly in what he hoped was the correct order. Nothing seemed to happen.
‘So far so good,’ he muttered, wiping the sweat from his eyes and licking his dry lips nervously.
He worked his way through a series of modules which grew progressively larger, stopping occasionally to make adjustments to the instruments in accordance with the Doctor’s directions, and listening constantly for the robot.
Eventually Harry reached the very heart of the Sontaran spacecraft: a dark spherical chamber about nine metres in diameter, almost completely filled by a broad cylindrical structure in the centre, that crackled and flashed with some prodigious source of energy.
‘This must be it...’ Harry breathed, ‘the Catalytic Energiser...’
Slowly he advanced round the structure, searching the quivering, flickering array of instruments for the section he wanted.
Suddenly something loomed in the shadow of a deep, semi-circular alcove which ran the height of the structure.
Harry all but jumped out of his boots as he distinguished the bulky figure of a Sontaran standing motionless with its back against the Energiser. Unable to move, Harry gaped at the massive, dark shape. Its eyes were two dull points glowing faintly and staring straight ahead. Its slow, deep breaths sounded like some vast and distant machine.
‘I’m too late,’ thought Harry, his heart sinking. ‘Styr’s beaten us to it... there’s nothing we can do now.’
Eventually he took a brave and careful
Styr hesitated. He was heaving with the effort of supporting the Doctor’s weight, severely weakened by the unaccustomed effects of Earth’s gravity, and by his attempts to catch the Doctor in the rugged terrain.
Meanwhile, the Doctor had been secretly feeling in his jacket, while whispering intently into Styr’s ear in order to distract the Alien. He sneaked out a small pocket flask, uncorked it, sniffed briefly at the contents, and then reached across and tipped the flask upside down into the vent at the back of the unsuspecting Sontaran’s collar.
When the flask was empty, the Doctor re-corked it and thrust it back into his pocket.
Finally Styr lost patience. He whirled the Doctor round in the air and shook him over the sheer drop into the ravine.
‘For the last time,’ he roared. ‘You will tell me the truth... or you will perish..
Styr’s words dissolved abruptly into a harsh torrent of black smoke and steam which gushed out of the vent behind his shoulders and from his mouth and nostrils. He stamped about on the narrow ridge, gasping and roaring.
With a sudden shrug, he sent the helpless Doctor flying into the ravine.
Sarah crouched by the slab, staring up at the ridge in horror as Styr began to lurch down the slope towards his spacecraft, his bulky limbs twitching spasmodically and dense smoke pouring out from all over his huge body. She shook her head slowly in disbelief, and gradually her eyes filled with tears.
‘Doctor...’ Sarah murmured, ‘Oh, Doctor...’
Harry shrank back behind the ring-shaped bulkhead which surrounded the communication port joining the two modules, and made himself as small as he could. He watched with bated breath as the little spherical robot glided past him, its tiny scanner sweeping from side to side. It buzzed into the centre of the chamber where he was crouching and paused, its circuits working busily as it scanned the mass of instruments covering the walls. Harry jumped when a thin probe shot out from the capsule and operated a row of contact buttons. But then the probe was retracted, and the miniature Scavenger hummed on its way into the next module.
Amazed at his narrow escape, Harry waited until the robot had gone and then clambered cautiously into the module ahead of him. Following the Doctor’s instructions as best he could, he selected a sequence of coloured keys set into the panelling and turned them slowly in what he hoped was the correct order. Nothing seemed to happen.
‘So far so good,’ he muttered, wiping the sweat from his eyes and licking his dry lips nervously.
He worked his way through a series of modules which grew progressively larger, stopping occasionally to make adjustments to the instruments in accordance with the Doctor’s directions, and listening constantly for the robot.
Eventually Harry reached the very heart of the Sontaran spacecraft: a dark spherical chamber about nine metres in diameter, almost completely filled by a broad cylindrical structure in the centre, that crackled and flashed with some prodigious source of energy.
‘This must be it...’ Harry breathed, ‘the Catalytic Energiser...’
Slowly he advanced round the structure, searching the quivering, flickering array of instruments for the section he wanted.
Suddenly something loomed in the shadow of a deep, semi-circular alcove which ran the height of the structure.
Harry all but jumped out of his boots as he distinguished the bulky figure of a Sontaran standing motionless with its back against the Energiser. Unable to move, Harry gaped at the massive, dark shape. Its eyes were two dull points glowing faintly and staring straight ahead. Its slow, deep breaths sounded like some vast and distant machine.
‘I’m too late,’ thought Harry, his heart sinking. ‘Styr’s beaten us to it... there’s nothing we can do now.’
Eventually he took a brave and careful
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