第 25 页

'Looks like it, sir.' Tracy was hurriedly examining the papers and equipment scattered across the benches. 'I'm no Sherlock, Sarge, but I don't think these were the only two working here.'

'Why?'

'Well, I'm trying to picture the Doctor's laboratory at UNIT. I mean, he has loads of things on the go at once, right?'

'Usually,' Benton agreed.

'So he's a bit cleverer than your ordinary bloke. But there are four or five different bits of equipment set up here, like the Doctor has, but spread about more. Like individual work stations.'

They were interrupted by a shout from Shipman, who had returned to the small office. Leaving Tracy to examine the worktops, Benton and the others went to investigate.

'Hey Sarge, what's that policewoman's name?' Shipman was leafing through a box file. Benton paused. 'Red-something, I think.'

'Not Wildeman, then?'

'No. Why?'

Shipman held up a piece of paper. It looked like a personnel file, with a photo clipped to the top. 'Cathryn Wildeman, sir. Worked here, presumably. She seemed to be some sort of animal boffin. Zoology, and genetics. Seems she came from Cambridge. And she's not dead out there, is she?' He waved the paper in the direction of the main laboratory.

Benton looked over Shipman's shoulder. 'That's one of the men out there, though. James Griffin. Perhaps the other one is this bloke, Atkinson.'

Shipman dug to the bottom of the file. 'Or, sir, he could be this bloke. I saw this report first. Peter Morley. He seems to have been in charge, and it's him that the other three had to report to, according to their files.'

Benton paused for thought and then stuffed all the papers back into the box. 'We'll take this lot back to HQ for the Brigadier.' He turned to the others. 'Right, I want all the other staff questioned and everything on this level sectioned and, if it can be carried, taken back to HQ as well.' As the other soldiers began following his orders, Benton followed them out of the office, and stared ahead. Boyle was covering the unrecognizable body with black plastic sheeting. Above it, he could make out the pictures on the wall. 'Blimey, where's the Doctor when you really need him?'

The Doctor was surrounded by Reptile People, all staring at him. They had stripped him of his cloak and smoking jacket in case they concealed any weapons. A shaft of light and power that beamed down from the ceiling held him helplessly in place.

He was in a massive chamber, even larger than the one Chukk had shown him earlier. This one was filled with stone benches, arranged in a semi-circle. Some kind of debating chamber, he guessed. Behind the benches, directly facing him, a huge screen had been carved into the rock. To either side of it were two entrance tunnels. The Doctor guessed that when decisions were made the Ayes went one way and the Nays went the other.

His nose itched, but he could not move. He wanted to speak, to say something, but that was impossible. All he could do was stare straight ahead. Straight into the jubilant eyes of Auggi.

Twenty minutes earlier, she had come to the lab and demanded of her son that he release the Doctor into her care. This he had agreed to do on the understanding that the Doctor wasn't harmed and would be returned later. Auggi had said that would not be a problem and Krugga had carried him away.

Now he was standing in what he took to be some sort of council chamber. Chukk was there, and one of Baal's sisters, Tahni probably. She seemed to be more politically inclined than Sula, who appeared content in her role as her brother's assistant. 'The Ape is an abomination generally, but this one is particularly vile,' Auggi was saying. 'It was involved in the destruction of Okdel L'Da's Shelter.'

'Entombment,' Chukk said.

'I'm sorry?' said another Reptile Person. 'Explain?'

'The Doctor is adamant that a majority of Shelter 873's population are still hibernating, alive but entombed. The Apes sealed them inside their Shelter rather than kill them. This Ape that Auggi is so keen to blame for everything is actually responsible for keeping our people alive rather than letting the other Apes destroy them.'

Thank you, Chukk, thought the Doctor, but I doubt that will help.

'So, even if this Ape is in some way benign,' another said, 'the majority are still murderers. Typical Ape behaviour.'

Auggi nodded. 'Indeed. And anyway, this Ape is what passes for a scientist among the Apes. He probably wanted our people to experiment on.'

Chukk sighed. 'Auggi, you know that is not true.'

Auggi turned to him. 'I do not know whether it is true or not. Neither do you. This Ape has fooled you and you are blinded by its apparent sincerity.' She walked to him and took his hands in hers. 'Dear Chukk, understand this. You are a good person, with a deep belief in right and wrong. You became our leader after Daurrix died and have seen us through the last few years with great wisdom and sense. But I believe these Apes present a terrible threat to us all. To our hatchlings. We need an Ape-free world for them to grow up in.'

'Why?' The Doctor forced his jaw to open, his vocal chords to vibrate. The word emerged as a hoarse whisper, but it was enough to make everyone stop and stare at him.

'Turn the beam up!' yelled Auggi.

As Krugga moved to obey, Chukk shouted: 'No! No, I believe we should hear this Ape. If we consider ourselves the leaders, the decision-makers of this Shelter, then we need all available information, no matter how unpalatable.' He walked to stand beside the Doctor, and held his arms outstretched. 'We need to know everything we can.'

Slowly, one by one, the Reptiles sat on their benches. The Doctor hoped this was an indication of agreement, and realized it must be as only Auggi and Krugga were left standing. Then Krugga sat, despite a sharp look from Auggi. She remained standing even after Chukk switched off the beam.

'Thank - thank you.' The Doctor massaged his throat. 'Thank you for giving me the honour to address you all today. Everything you have heard about me in this chamber today is true. I was present at Shelter 8...?'

'873,' prompted Chukk.

'Yes, Okdel's Shelter. Many of his people died because they attacked mankind. The Apes, as you call them. Mankind was stronger because they were afraid. And fear is a huge asset in a war, because it makes people fight harder. Dirtier. Believe me, mankind has weapons far dirtier than you. Mankind has split the atom, created nuclear weaponry capable of destroying millions of you in a second.'

One of the elder Reptiles stood. 'We discovered the power of nuclear fission and saw its potential for destruction, but we chose not to develop it further. Why have the Apes done something so foolish?'

Other Reptiles nodded at this question, daring the Doctor to answer. 'Yes, well, you're right. Mankind is foolish. It could wipe itself out in half a day if it so chose.'

'Good,' Auggi said. 'We could live with high radiation levels. Perhaps we should rediscover nuclear power.'

A shocked exclamation rippled through the chamber.

'I am, of course, joking,' she said quickly. The Doctor eyed her carefully. She was clearly a consummate politician, capable of judging opinion and changing tack instantly. Very shrewd. Very dangerous, too.

'But know this as well, noble Reptiles,' said the Doctor. 'Mankind has a thousand other skills as well as making war. For every weapon of destruction, it has ten cures for diseases, sicknesses and accidents. For every war that breaks out, another two or three groups demanding peace spring up. Mankind is resilient.'

Another Reptile stood. 'Could the Apes cure the genetic disorder in our hatchlings?' A murmur went through the crowd. The Doctor guessed that many of them had wondered this, but in the face of Auggi's determined verbal assault on mankind, were unwilling to risk her wrath. Now that he had been freed to speak, Auggi's control had slipped a little.

'Possibly. Mankind faces similar problems and finds ways to overcome them.' He wondered if he should disclose Baal's secret experiments. Angry as he was about Baal's torture of Marc Marshall, he knew it was a weapon to be used against Auggi only at the right time. This was probably not it. Instead, he glanced in Tahni's direction.

'Possibly. It is an avenue that ought to be explored and -,'

A Reptile came crashing into the chamber, almost knocking a couple of the older members to the floor.

'Chukk! Auggi! There are two Apes upon the surface of the island.'

No! This was precisely what he did not need.

Unsurprisingly, Auggi leapt at the opportunity to discredit him. 'See! See how the Ape lies. He knew we were to be attacked.'

The Doctor decided that he would achieve little by pointing out that two peoples probably local fishermen, hardly amounted to an invasion force.

Krugga used his third eye to activate the huge screen at one end of the cavern. On it, two figures could be seen tying a boat to a rock. Or rather, one was tying it up, the other was sitting on another rock, face in hands.

There was something familiar about that posture, the Doctor thought. 'Zoom in on them,' Auggi said to the screen.

Agitated voices travelled around the chamber like fire through dry bush. 'Are they hostile?' 'Should we destroy them?' As the picture closed in on the two humans, the Doctor saw Auggi staring at him. He was becoming very good at reading Reptile facial expressions but even a rank amateur could have seen what she was thinking. She had won her people over. The Apes were invading.

Chukk tried to reason with the crowd but no one was listening.

'Fellow Reptile People.' Auggi spoke quietly but forcibly enough to silence everyone. 'We are under attack. Bring those two in for questioning.' She addressed the last remark to Krugga and he walked off down the right-hand tunnel. Auggi then pointed at the Doctor. 'This Ape has tried to fool you. He has lied and betrayed you all. Chukk, tell me you don't still believe him. He has distracted us all in the hope that we would remain unaware of these others.'

'I'm not sure, Auggi.'

The Doctor stared at Chukk. If he was faltering, then the Doctor had lost his only ally here.

Then a human face filled the screen. It was the face of the person whose posture the Doctor had thought familiar a moment earlier.

'Oh no,' he said quietly. 'Liz!'

Auggi switched off the screen.

---

'Damn cold, isn't it, Liz?'

Jana had finished tying up the boat and was rubbing her hands together.

Liz nodded. 'Yes, but we're here to find out what was important enough for our mysterious friend to die for. Let's take a look around.' She stuffed her hands into her green duffle-coat pocket. 'Experience tells me that the longer you stay near the unknown, the more dangerous it gets.'

Jana laughed. 'I'll tell you one thing. I'm dying for the toilet. I bet there isn't a handy ladies here anywhere.'

Liz laughed. 'I think it'll have to be those bushes.'

'I'll be quick,' said Jana and scurried off.

Liz pulled her hat further down onto her head to try and keep the wind from whipping her long hair into her eyes. Thankfully she'd exchanged her usual miniskirt for a pair of slacks, and had worn them over tall boots. As a result, her legs were probably the warmest part of her.

What was taking Jana so long? Where exactly had she run off to anyway and Liz stopped worrying about Jana in an instant. Emerging from a hole by some rocks was a Silurian, a massive one. For a second she thought she had not been seen, but then the Silurian turned to her. And stared.

Must get to the top of the tree. Have to hurry. The Devilbacks cannot reach us up here, they do not have the head for heights. The only way they can reach us is to use a Long Neck, but they rarely use them. Too stupid to be trainable, even when the Devilbacks use their third eye to hurt them. They don't even know they're being hurt! The Devilback is coming, but it has not seen us. Wait. No! No, it saw someone's foot and is pointing us out to another Devilback. The eyes! Not the eyes. No!

Liz shook her bead. No, she was stronger than that. She had faced them before and would not let the race-memories overwhelm her. What would the Doctor do in this situation?

She knew the answer. Pushing down her feelings of fear, of nausea, she stood up and held her hands outstretched, palms up.

'I know you can understand me. I am not armed and I come in peace.'

The Silurian turned its head slightly, as if considering her words. 'There were two Apes,' he said slowly.

Liz shivered at his voice. She had forgotten how cold, how completely alien they sounded.

'My friend will be back any second now,' said Liz. 'She too comes in peace.'

'Like hell I do!' shouted Jana from a rocky plateau slightly above and behind the Silurian.

'No!' screamed Liz, but it was too late - Jana was firing her pistol. One, two, three shots slammed into the Silurian's body. It staggered slightly and then swung round, its third eye glowing. Jana dived at it, catching it behind the knees.

The Silurian was on the floor in a second, bleeding from two injuries to its shoulder and a third in the back of the neck.

Liz glared up at Jana. 'What did you do that for?'

The answer she got was an action, not a word. Jana aimed the pistol straight at her.

'It's a Silurian, right?'

'Yes, but how -?'

'That hole, there. Did it come from that?'

Liz nodded. 'I still don't understand.'

'No, you don't. Just as well.' Jana jumped down beside the fallen Reptile, still keeping her gun trained on Liz. 'I only needed you for your knowledge of these things. Now, down the hole.'

Liz took a deep breath, and did as she was told.

Moments later, they were climbing down a ladder carved from the rocks, into a dark and damp tunnel.

'Where now?' Liz stopped, folding her arms. 'I mean, I presume you have a plan of some sort. You obviously knew what to expect.'