turned
gratefully to go, leaving the chamber as fast as his dignity would
allow him.
As the Doctor
watched him go a theory was already forming in his mind. 'How very
convenient,' he reflected to himself. 'Noise and darkness - the two
things the Sensorites dislike the most. There's more to this than
meets the eye . . .'
He turned to follow
the course of the pipelines into the darkness beyond. There in the
inky blackness was the source of all the Sensorites' troubles; and no
matter what danger lay ahead he was confident that he would soon sort
it all out.
The Doctor was
enjoying himself immensely.
Back in the Palace
Susan was looking down at Ian's smiling face. They had waited over an
hour for the Sensorite scientist to bring the antidote, and when he
had not arrived the First Elder had sent one of his own servants to
fetch another sample from the laboratory. Now some time later Ian was
feeling much better although he was still weak and his face was
deathly pale.
'I cannot
understand why we never received the antidote,' said the First Elder,
disturbed.
'We got some in the
end though - that's all that really matters,' said Susan, and turned
back to Ian. 'Now, there'll be no running about for you for a while,'
she teased.
'Yes, Matron,' said
Ian, joining in the joke. 'I'm quite happy to stay here.'
The Senior
Scientist was announced and when he entered the room the First Elder
addressed him sternly. 'I asked for regular reports on the production
of the antidote,' he reminded him. 'Why have my orders not been
complied with?'
'Forgive me, sir.
The Doctor asked me to escort him down to the aqueduct. He said that
was where the root of all our trouble lay.'
The First Elder was
horrified. 'Did you not warn him?' he asked.
Susan left Ian's
bedside and joined the others. 'Warn him of what?' she asked.
'There are monsters
in the aqueduct. . .'
'And you let him go
down there alone!' Ian was outraged.
'I couldn't stop
him,' claimed the Senior Scientist weakly.
'Haven't you got
someone you can send down and help him?' Ian asked.
The First Elder
came to the defence of his fellow Sensorite. 'The caverns are dark.
We are helpless there. Other expeditions have tried to penetrate the
blackness and all have failed. Those that return speak of the most
terrible things. . .'
'Then I'll have to
go myself,' determined Ian, swinging his legs down off the bed and
beckoning Susan to help him to his feet.
'You're too ill,
Ian,' she protested in vain.
'I'm not that ill,'
was the angry retort. 'Anyway we can't stay here.'
Susan gave way to
his determination and helped him to stand. As she did so the First
Elder pleaded with them: 'If you are resolved to go down to the
aqueduct I shall not stop you; the Senior Scientist will arrange
transportation and show you the way . . . But I beg you, please
change your mind; you cannot save your friend.'
Ian looked
incredulously at the First Elder. 'We'll never know till we try, will
we!' he shouted, deliberately raising his voice. 'You people amaze
me: the Doctor's just saved your people and now you're perfectly
happy to let him die! Well, I'm not!' Disgusted, he turned to the
Senior Scientist. 'Now, lead the way!'
Susan and the
Scientist helped Ian out of the room, leaving the First Elder alone,
Ian's voice still pounding painfully in his ears.
The schoolteacher's
words had struck home and for the first time the Sensorite leader
recognised the true worth of the Earth-creatures. Determining to tell
his Second Elder how they had misjudged the humans, he raised his
mind transmitter to his forehead . . .
... In the
Disintegrator Room the Second Elder's hands were tightly bound with
plastic wire. Standing gloatingly by the Disintegrator control panel
was the City Administrator, still wearing the Second Elder's sash of
office.
Suddenly the Second
Elder stiffened in his chair as the First Elder's thought waves
reached his mind. The Administrator came instantly to his side.
'Some mind is
contacting
gratefully to go, leaving the chamber as fast as his dignity would
allow him.
As the Doctor
watched him go a theory was already forming in his mind. 'How very
convenient,' he reflected to himself. 'Noise and darkness - the two
things the Sensorites dislike the most. There's more to this than
meets the eye . . .'
He turned to follow
the course of the pipelines into the darkness beyond. There in the
inky blackness was the source of all the Sensorites' troubles; and no
matter what danger lay ahead he was confident that he would soon sort
it all out.
The Doctor was
enjoying himself immensely.
Back in the Palace
Susan was looking down at Ian's smiling face. They had waited over an
hour for the Sensorite scientist to bring the antidote, and when he
had not arrived the First Elder had sent one of his own servants to
fetch another sample from the laboratory. Now some time later Ian was
feeling much better although he was still weak and his face was
deathly pale.
'I cannot
understand why we never received the antidote,' said the First Elder,
disturbed.
'We got some in the
end though - that's all that really matters,' said Susan, and turned
back to Ian. 'Now, there'll be no running about for you for a while,'
she teased.
'Yes, Matron,' said
Ian, joining in the joke. 'I'm quite happy to stay here.'
The Senior
Scientist was announced and when he entered the room the First Elder
addressed him sternly. 'I asked for regular reports on the production
of the antidote,' he reminded him. 'Why have my orders not been
complied with?'
'Forgive me, sir.
The Doctor asked me to escort him down to the aqueduct. He said that
was where the root of all our trouble lay.'
The First Elder was
horrified. 'Did you not warn him?' he asked.
Susan left Ian's
bedside and joined the others. 'Warn him of what?' she asked.
'There are monsters
in the aqueduct. . .'
'And you let him go
down there alone!' Ian was outraged.
'I couldn't stop
him,' claimed the Senior Scientist weakly.
'Haven't you got
someone you can send down and help him?' Ian asked.
The First Elder
came to the defence of his fellow Sensorite. 'The caverns are dark.
We are helpless there. Other expeditions have tried to penetrate the
blackness and all have failed. Those that return speak of the most
terrible things. . .'
'Then I'll have to
go myself,' determined Ian, swinging his legs down off the bed and
beckoning Susan to help him to his feet.
'You're too ill,
Ian,' she protested in vain.
'I'm not that ill,'
was the angry retort. 'Anyway we can't stay here.'
Susan gave way to
his determination and helped him to stand. As she did so the First
Elder pleaded with them: 'If you are resolved to go down to the
aqueduct I shall not stop you; the Senior Scientist will arrange
transportation and show you the way . . . But I beg you, please
change your mind; you cannot save your friend.'
Ian looked
incredulously at the First Elder. 'We'll never know till we try, will
we!' he shouted, deliberately raising his voice. 'You people amaze
me: the Doctor's just saved your people and now you're perfectly
happy to let him die! Well, I'm not!' Disgusted, he turned to the
Senior Scientist. 'Now, lead the way!'
Susan and the
Scientist helped Ian out of the room, leaving the First Elder alone,
Ian's voice still pounding painfully in his ears.
The schoolteacher's
words had struck home and for the first time the Sensorite leader
recognised the true worth of the Earth-creatures. Determining to tell
his Second Elder how they had misjudged the humans, he raised his
mind transmitter to his forehead . . .
... In the
Disintegrator Room the Second Elder's hands were tightly bound with
plastic wire. Standing gloatingly by the Disintegrator control panel
was the City Administrator, still wearing the Second Elder's sash of
office.
Suddenly the Second
Elder stiffened in his chair as the First Elder's thought waves
reached his mind. The Administrator came instantly to his side.
'Some mind is
contacting
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