‘Yeah! You know, Noah’s Ark. Everything in, two by two. A... a boat!’
The Commander shook his head. ‘I’m afraid I don’t know about that. But we do have the whole of the Earth’s population aboard... human, animal and Monoid.’
‘But where, sir?’ the Doctor asked. ‘I can see but a few...’
The Commander smiled.
‘That is simply explained,’ he said. ‘We are the Guardians!’ He motioned toward a special row of scanners.
‘The rest are reduced in size to microcell dimensions and stored in those frames you see there...’ They studied the screens and saw long caverns of floor to ceiling racks. ‘...
and will be restored to normal size and life when our descendants make their landing on the new planet. In the meantime it is our duty to look after this spaceship and everyone and everything that travels in it, and to pass that task on through succeeding generations.’
‘Quite a task!’ the Doctor murmured in admiration.
‘Each frame that you see on those screens contains a million people... other frames, more animals... and the Monoids have a special sector of their own.’
Dodo glanced at the reptilian creatures and sniffed.
‘Accusing us of being Refusians or something strange... but I can’t say that I care for the likes of them.’
‘Judge not by appearances,’ the Commander rejoined.
‘The Monoids are a docile form of life and they obey our every whim without question.’
‘I suppose I’ll take your word for it,’ Dodo replied. ‘But I still wouldn’t like to meet them alone on a dark night. I’d have an attack of the willies.’
‘What strange expressions you use!’
‘Something I’ve been trying to impress on the child, Commander,’ the Doctor agreed. ‘But I must say that I am very impressed by the way you have organised this ship.’
‘Once the decision was taken for us to leave Earth it took five hundred... er... years to design and complete, with many feeder ships supplying this main one with everything that you see and that I have told you about.’
He turned to address his daughter: ‘Mellium, why don’t you take the young people through to the Great Hall and show them that, while the Doctor and I have a further chat?’
‘Yes, Father, I’d love to,’ Mellium agreed readily. She addressed Steven and Dodo. ‘Please follow me.’
‘Rightio!’ Dodo assented and Steven nodded.
The three filed out of the Control Room while the Commander turned to the Doctor.
‘And as for you, my dear friend,’ he said, ‘I am sure you would be much more interested in the technicalities of our... what did they call it?... our Ark!’
The Doctor nodded agreeably.
In the Energy Chamber the Doctor stood on an observation platform while the Commander indicated the mass of machinery with some pride.
‘All energy aboard our spaceship – its propulsion force, its lighting, ventilation – comes from this chamber.’
‘Magnificent!’ the Doctor acceded. ‘A bit different from the gadgetry I have to cope with on the TARDIS!’
‘And this is only the main unit. There are two other similar chambers. Just in case of any malfunction, you understand.’
‘Of course!’ The Doctor pointed. ‘I take it that those are the fuel tanks.’
‘Yes. With enough reserves in them to cover five thousand years of travel.’
‘In the event that you don’t find what you expect on the planet which is your present destination? Very wise. One can always travel in hope, but cautious planning is most advisable.’
The Commander studied him shrewdly.
‘In that craft of yours have you ever travelled to the planet Refusis?’
‘No.’ The Doctor thought for a moment. ‘But once, on a journey when I and my companions of that time landed on Shaba, we passed close by it.’
‘Really? What impressions were you able to gain of it?’
‘It seemed... hospitable... friendly... even welcoming. I remember that at the time I wished we could have landed there instead of going on to Shaba.’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘That was not a friendly place! Even before we landed they attacked us with some kind of rocket devices.
Nasty things that locked into the heat emission of the TARDIS!’ He grinned. ‘But we managed to outwit them, ducking and weaving, then managing to turn one rocket against another.’
‘In what I have learned of history I have never been able to understand the aggression of one species against another,’ the Commander observed. ‘Even to the point where it was exercised within species themselves and elements attacked their own kind.’
‘But, Commander, you are a human being – and humans have always had aggression deeply embedded in their make-up.’
‘Oh, no – no longer! Not since the Twentieth Segment of Time has there been any evidence of it or need for it.’
‘But if that’s the case, docility... friendship... call it what you want... must have been bred into them?’
‘It was! A full programme of genetic engineering achieved that result over a period of approximately one thousand years.’
‘Amazing!’
‘Of course, we have to maintain it... and we do that by further control through our food sources.’
The Doctor was thoughtful. ‘I’m told the Monoids are friendly...’
‘Yes. I have little knowledge of their past history, but they certainly behave now as we do.’
‘... But what about the animal life in the jungle? The predators and their kind?’
‘Ah, now that proved a little more difficult. The programme was extended to them and some re-education was achieved...’
‘Then that would explain the behaviour of the tiger!’
‘... but a latent instinct of aggression has remained in them.’ The Commander sighed. ‘However, by the time we get to Refusis I am hoping that we... our descendants... will have achieved total success among them, as well.’ Then he gestured to the Doctor to follow. ‘Come – I will show you our water purifying system. I’m sure you will find that interesting, too.’
The two men moved away.
Zentos walked over to join Manyak, who was on duty at his section of screen monitors.
‘Where is the Commander now?’ he asked.
‘He was in the Energy Chamber with the one they call the Doctor. Now they are on their way to the Purification Plant.’
‘The Commander is a wise man,’ Zentos observed. ‘But I think too trusting.’ He glanced at the screens. ‘I think I was right to demand that the intruders’ spaceship be investigated. Are the Monoids anywhere near it?’
Manyak flipped a lever and made an adjustment on one of the screens. ‘Yes! They’re approaching the glade where it rests.’
On the screen a party of Monoids could be seen making their way through the jungle toward the parked TARDIS.
‘Good!’ said Zentos with satisfaction. ‘Then soon we might have some answers about the true origins of the intruders, and any plans that they might have!’ Then he glanced at other screens. ‘We know where the Commander is, but what about Mellium and the others?’
‘Here!’ Manyak answered. ‘They are just about to enter the Great Hall.’
Steven and Dodo marvelled at the immense size of the Great Hall the moment they entered it. Its convex roof was at least a hundred and fifty metres above the floor and galleries ran along its walls as far as the eye could see.
Guardians and Monoids could be seen strolling along the galleries, obviously relaxing in their moments off duty.
Fountains were positioned here and there in the Hall, along with rockeries that supported colourful plants and flowers. There was an air of tranquillity here, sharply contrasting with the atmosphere of the jungle and even the Control Room.
Save at its centre. Here a party of Guardians and Monoids were at work, concentrating on the task of creating a statue. So far only the feet of the statue were complete and the mixed team of workers were erecting scaffolding that would take them higher.
‘What’s that?’ enquired Steven.
‘Our statue,’ Mellium replied proudly. ‘Homo Sapiens.
Started on Earth and due to be completed, according to our planning edicts, just before the landing on Refusis.’
‘Seven hundred years to build one blooming statue.’
Dodo was amazed and moved closer to look at it. ‘Coo... we could have knocked one of these up in half the time.’
‘The time-span is purposely worked out so that down through the years there will be an occupation available other than the routine tasks.’
‘I can understand that,’ Steven conceded. Then he glanced away to see Dodo climbing the scaffolding to reach a brick. ‘Dodo!’
‘What’s it made of?’ Dodo asked. ‘You can’t scratch this... it’s too hard!’
‘It’s a substance called Gregorian Rock, especially imported from the planet of that name. It is very hard and will resist any conditions into which it is taken.’
‘You mean... like diamonds?’ Dodo scrambled back down.
‘Diamonds? Oh, the Earth exhausted its diamond reserves a long time ago,’ Mellium replied. ‘But from what I remember of their recorded chemical make-up, this stone is much harder than that.’
‘Harder?’ Dodo was impressed. ‘In that case it must be very valuable, so if you’ve got any chippings to spare we could load some into the old TARDIS!’
In the glade where the TARDIS stood the party of Monoids approached and surrounded it.
The leader among them reached for the door to open it... but then suddenly its hand went to its face as it reacted to the sudden violent onslaught of a virus.
It gasped, the first sound it had ever made, then tried to hang onto the door in order to stay upright. But the virus was fast-acting and the creature staggered and fell to the ground.
The other Monoids clustered round, puzzled. They attempted to haul the fallen one to its feet, but when this failed they picked it up and carried it away out of the glade.
The Commander was showing the Doctor a flight leveller in the Control Room when Zentos approached.
‘Commander, excuse me for a moment. A strange disease... a fever... is spreading among the Monoids!’
‘What? What kind of disease?’
‘Commander, your voice – it sounds strange.’
Zentos glanced at the Doctor, who nodded. ‘I noticed it a few moments ago,’ he said. ‘The Commander was kindly showing me everything when his voice suddenly became husky.’ He turned to the Commander. ‘Commander, listen to me...’
‘What... ? What’s that... ? I... I can hardly hear what you are saying.’ The Commander pulled at his clothes, attempting to loosen them. ‘It... it’s so hot...’
He was gasping and the Doctor reached forward to hold him and save him from falling. But Zentos pushed him aside and grasped the Commander instead, easing him to the floor. As he did so, Mellium re-entered the Control Room, followed by Steven and Dodo.
‘What’s happened?’ Mellium asked in alarm.
‘He has a strange fever... a fever brought by the strangers.’ As Mellium approached her father he held her back. ‘Stay away from him, Mellium.’
Dodo knelt down quickly and placed her hand on the Commander’s forehead. ‘It’s nothing to worry about,’ she announced firmly. ‘His temperature is a bit high, that’s all.
It’s only a cold.’
The door of the Control Room opened and a conveyor was driven in by a Monoid, with the stricken Monoid, who had collapsed near the TARDIS, lying on it.
The Doctor glanced round and his face took on a worried expression. Then he addressed Steven. ‘Do you realise what this means, my dear boy?’
‘It’s nothing to worry about,’ Steven assured him. ‘Like Dodo said; it’s only a cold, that’s all.’
‘All!... These people – this generation – have never experienced the common cold. For the simple reason that it was wiped out many generations ago before they were born. They have no resistance to it!’
‘What?’ In turn, Steven grew alarmed. ‘Then what can we do?’
‘I don’t know! All I know is that it could be fatal to them. And, if so... we might be blamed!’ Impatiently the Doctor banged his hands together. ‘Yes, it’s all our fault and I should have foreseen it!’
Zentos pointed at the Doctor and addressed the others.’Did you hear that? I tried to warn all of you and the Commander! I told you these beings were evil!’
‘But it wasn’t my fault!’ Dodo protested. ‘How was I supposed to know?’
Manyak had walked over to the conveyor to study the sick Monoid. Then he looked up, shaking his head. ‘This Monoid... he’s dead!’
There was a murmur of agitation as others, including Monoids, gathered round to confirm his finding. Then quickly backed away when they found it to be true.
Zentos pointed to the Doctor, Steven and Dodo and called out in a commanding voice: ‘Seize them!’ The others needed no second bidding; they rushed up and grasped the three firmly. ‘Listen, all of you! The mission we are engaged upon... the mission we and our children and our children’s children have to carry out... is in danger! Put in jeopardy by these intruders in our midst!
By special Galactic Law they must be taken into custody!’
‘What’s that!’ the Doctor demanded.
‘And later they will be made to suffer for the crime that they have committed!’ When the Doctor and the others attempted to protest he brushed their words aside. ‘Take them away!’
The Doctor, Steven and Dodo were hastily bundled out of the Control Room, still proclaiming their innocence, but only too aware now that they were surrounded by hostile beings, both human and Monoid.
Mellium, uncertain of her feelings, turned to Zentos.
‘But what about my father?’ she asked.
Zentos stared at the shivering Commander and then shook his head. ‘He may well die!... But, then, so might all of us.’ He pulled a lever on a main scanner and studied the image that appeared on it. ‘In which case it was pointless leaving!’
On the scanner the Earth could be seen. An Earth already marked with scorches where the solar flares of the Sun had started to lick it, burning off forests, and sending dense clouds of smoke into the atmosphere.
3
‘What do you think they’ll do to us, Doctor?’ Steven asked.
‘I’m not sure, my dear boy,’ the Doctor replied. ‘We’ll just have to wait and see.’