Their huge figures lit by a lurid multicoloured glow, the Dominators were studying a large seismological map of the Island displayed in fluorescent graphics on a panel in their control centre. Five red stars forming a regular pattern pulsated rhythmically, and complex clusters of symbols and figures flashed up in ever-changing sequences over the map. Beside the display, two Quarks were operating a large computer terminal.
‘Depth of fourth bore revised in accordance with latest seismological data,’ Toba reported in a voice hushed with concentration.
Rago nodded, his leathery face a livid red in the glare from the screen and his green eyes piercingly intent. ‘Link with trajectory angles and collate detonation limits,’ he ordered quietly.
‘Command accepted. Computing now.’
The figures and symbols danced and flickered madly.
‘There must be no error,’ Rago warned in a menacing whisper. ‘There will be no second chance’
At that moment, one of the Quarks sparked and chattered into action. ‘Alien specimens approaching!’ it bleated.
‘Not now!’ Rago breathed venomously. ‘I warned them...
Visual!’ he ordered, turning to the Quark.
The display blacked out and a view of the area around the saucer flashed up in its place. Three white-suited but helmetless figures could be seen descending the slope of the dunes and approaching the Dominators’ craft.
‘Shall we destroy?’ Toba suggested eagerly, trembling with excitement.
‘Negative,’ Rago retorted. ‘These are new specimens.’
He leaned forward in anticipation. ‘They may be from the superior species. Investigate.’
Balan, Kando and Teel stood underneath the saucer, gazing in wonder at the sleek monster towering over them.
‘So Kully was telling the truth,’ Teel murmured, awestruck.
‘Was he?’ Balan said sharply. ‘Then where are the robots?’
Kando glanced down at the maze of parallel tracks leading from the open hatchway at the bottom of the central shaft. ‘Perhaps... perhaps they are inside,’ she suggested nervously.
Balan shook his head dismissively. ‘Why seek unlikely answers to simple problems? This is probably some form of experimental craft being tested by the Technological Committee.’
‘But why is it here on the Island?’ Teel persisted stubbornly.
‘No doubt it is highly secret,’ Bolan warned, turning to leave. ‘Come, we have work to do.’
Kando and Teel stood their ground. ‘Perhaps there has been an accident... a forced landing!’ Kando burst out.
‘Yes, it is our duty to investigate,’ Teel agreed, starting towards the hatchway.
‘There has been no reference to any accident in the Bulletins,’ Balan objected, ‘and I forbid you to interfere.’
‘If it is secret the Bulletins will not refer to it,’ Teel answered triumphantly.
Kando joined him, her beautiful eyes alive with excitement ‘We must investigate,’ she urged.
Warily the two students stepped into the cylindrical chamber. Speechless with rage Balan came hurrying after them. No sooner had he entered than the hatch slid shut with a slick whirr and the floor immediately heaved under their feet as the elevator bore them rapidly up into the saucer.
The three Dulcians stared around them open-mouthed as they stepped our into the deserted control centre, echoing and dark.
‘This is not the technology of Dulkis...’ Teel murmured almost reverently, gesturing at the crystal mosaic sphere glittering on the central control column.
Still struck dumb with amazement, Balan walked slowly over to the dais and grasped the slim rail surrounding it or support. From the shadows came a shrill giggling.
Something glowed red and a nauseating throbbing burst our. Balan went chalk white and tried to let go of the rail.
‘I... I cannot move...’ he stuttered, gaping in utter terror at his shocked pupils.
The throbbing was repeated and Teel was flung across the chamber and pinned helplessly to the wall. Kando screamed in panic as two whirring, chattering machines with flashing antennae marched out of the gloom towards her. Slowly she backed away.
‘Stand still!’ croaked a hollow alien voice and Toba strode into the chamber hunched in his carapace of armoured plates.
Then Rago entered, his suit creaking menacingly as he loomed over Balan. The terrified Educator’s mouth moved but no words emerged, only strange incoherent sounds.
His eyes were bloodshot and popping out of his head.
‘You... you are not Dulcians,’ Teel gasped, his slim body crumpled against the panel.
‘Quark!’ Toba harked.
The wall panel swung Teel like a dummy and suspended him horizontally while the globular apparatus descended over him. Then the Quark connected its probes into the bottom edge of the pallet.
Activate!’ Toba ordered.
Teel was bathed in the bluish aura as Rago fitted the visor over his head and strode over to examine the new specimen. ‘As I anticipated, this one is different,’ Rago reported with a grunt of satisfaction. ‘Greater brain capacity... Two hearts... No superfluous internal organs...
Limited potential for physical activity...’ After a few minutes he straightened up and took off the visor.
‘Affirmative. There are two species, Neither presents any threat to us.’
Toba was staring at Kando’s cowering figure beside the other Quark. ‘Then we shall be able to assemble a labour force?’
‘Affirmative. Of limited performance, but adequate,’
Rago decided. ‘We shall require the oscillation and the central bore target to be cleared of debris. Search the Island. Round up all specimens.’
‘Command accepted,’ Toba acknowledged eagerly.
When Toba had left, Rago resumed his investigation of the semi-conscious Teel.
‘I do not understand...’ Balan wailed, still helplessly stuck to the rail of the dais by molecular adhesion. ‘Why should they wish to harm us?’
Dazed with shock, Kando shook her head. Then she began to whimper with terror as Rago turned his attention to her, his huge green eye swollen like that of some monstrous Cyclops by the lenses of the visor.
‘Muscular development relatively retarded,’ the creaking giant rasped, stooping over her. ‘However, endurance can be tested. It should prove a most informative experiment...’
5
After the capsule had screamed to a shuddering halt inside the terminal tube in the survey module, Kully gallantly offered to help Zoe disembark, but the independent young human jumped lightly out, none the worse for her second turbulent trip. They looked around the deserted module with a mounting sense of foreboding.
‘Where is everybody?’ murmured Zoe. ‘What do you think can have happened?’
Kully glanced over the quietly humming systems monitors and shrugged. ‘We’d better take a look outside.’
Just then Zoe glimpsed something through the small porthole nearest her. ‘What on earth is that?’ she exclaimed, leaning forward. Then she caught sight of a similar object through the neighbouring porthole. She ran from porthole to porthole and then turned slowly to face Kully as hot and cold pins and needles prickled the back of her neck. ‘We seem... we seem to be completely surrounded...’ she gasped.
As Kully scrambled to see for himself, a chorus of unearthly noises briefly penetrated the hull of the module.
An nstant later, the whole structure shuddered and several equipment panels burst into showers of sparks.
Momentarily frozen with terror, Kully stared at the encircling Quarks inexorably closing in on them with throbbing probes and threshing antennae. Then he dived towards the airlock, yelling at Zoe to follow. Frantically he pressed and twisted and thumped the switches, but the door remained shut. Dense clouds of black smoke began to billow out of the shattered panels.
Again the module shuddered, this time tipping over at an alarming angle before settling back in a series of violent rocking movements.
‘We’re trapped... we’re trapped...’ Kully shrieked, before being racked by a fit of retching and coughing.
A third time the module shook and then it rolled over and over several times like a barel, flinging Zoe and Kully around like rag dolls. The din was appalling as they alternately screamed and choked in the deadly fumes, while the structure rapidly started to collapse around them.
When the module finally came to rest, the two prisoners felt blindly about in the poisonous darkness, their ears numbed by the prodigious reverberations of the battered hull.
Eventually they found each other. ‘Maybe you’ll believe in my robots now...’ Kully gasped, clasping Zoe round the waist with one arm and feeling with his free hand for the airlock controls.
‘What about the capsule thing?’ Zoe panted through her handkerchief.
‘Can’t navigate... even if it still works... we’d end up back in the Capitol,’ spluttered Kully, jiggling the switches in vain.
‘Better than being cooked in here.’
Desperately Kully levered with his fingernails around the tightly sealed edge of the airlock, but it was impossible to budge it.
Zoe sank to her knees, her lungs burning. ‘I...I just can’t breathe...’ she croaked piteously, doubled in agony.
A few seconds later, Kully collapsed against the airlock panel.
Outside, standing hunched on the dunes like a huge rearing turtle, Toba ordered the circle of Quarks to recharge their probes. A tremor of pleasure ran through his massive frame as the robots bleated and sparked in unison around the scorched hulk of the module.
‘And now omplete destruction!’ he commanded, in a frenzy of hatred and power.
‘Negative. Command negated!’ Rago thundered, striding up behind his unwitting Probationer.
The Quarks clattered and buzzed in confusion and then fell silent.
Toba swung violently round. ‘Intention was to prevent escape of any specimens,’ he blustered feebly.
‘Your obsession with destruction has seriously depleted Quark power reserves,’ hissed Rag.. ‘Did you examine the craft?’
‘All data has been recorded,’ Toba claimed. ‘The craft was empty.’
Rago stared briefly at the blistered wreck. ‘Bring any further specimens to me intact at once,’ he ordered. ‘And Toba – I do not expect to have to correct you again.’
The Probationer glared at his superior from beneath lowered eyelids. ‘Command accepted,’ he whispered hoarsely.
Rago nodded curtly and strode away.
Toba had just started organising the squad of robots to continue the search of the Island when he suddenly noticed that the outer airlock door had opened in the hull of the module, releasing a huge pall of acrid black smoke.
Then, to his astonishment, two dazed figures crawled slowly out and lay panting feverishly in the sand.
When at last they managed to raise their heads, Zoe and Kully found themselves staring at a semicircle of Quarks with Toba’s towering frame in the centre relentlessly bearing down on them. With a gigantic effort Kully turned to Zoe. ‘
Now
perhaps you will believe me...’ he whispered.
Bovem met the Doctor and Jamie at the capsule terminal in the Capitol. As he hurried them along endless gleaming corridors to the Council Chamber, they tried to find out what had happened to Zoe but without success.
Bovem seemed very evasive.
‘Director Senex will explain, should he consider it fitting,’ Bovem told them soothingly as he ushered them into the Antechamber. ‘I shall announce your arrival.’
As they waited for what seemed like ages to be admitted, Jamie paced restlessly up and down. ‘Where d’ye think the wee lassie can be, Doctor?’ he asked anxiously. ‘D’ye think they’re holding her hostage or something?’
The Doctor roused himself from his reverie. ‘Oh I’m sure the Dulcians wouldn’t harm her, Jamie.’
The tough young Scot gritted his teeth. ‘They’d better not!’ he muttered grimly.
Eventually they were summoned. They found themselves standing in the Council Chamber surrounded by a dozen elderly dignitaries. The Doctor looked impatient and uncomfortable under the steady gaze of Director Senex and made a feeble attempt to smooth his dusty, rumpled clothes and hair. Jamie simply stared around him with barely disguised contempt.
At last Senex spoke. ‘As far as the Council is aware, your friend has left the Capitol in the company of my son Kelly,’ he blandly informed them. ‘Presumably they returned to the Island.’
‘Why did ye no tell us before?’ Jamie shouted indignantly. ‘Come on, Doctor...’ Jamie looked for a doorway in vain.
‘That would not be advisable,’ Senex warned quietly.
Jamie’s blue eyes blazed defiantly. ‘Ye mean we’re prisoners?’
A murmur of protest ran round the noble assembly.
‘There are no prisoners here,’ Senex replied calmly.
The Doctor quickly intervened. ‘There’s no need, Jamie,’ he explained tactfully. ‘Dulcian society is totally pacifist.’
Jamie grimaced. ‘Then how are they going to fight those Dominators and their Quarks?’ he demanded.
The Director sat upright in his luxurious chair. ‘It would seem to be true that you come from another planet,’
he announced.
‘So do the Dominators,’ said the Doctor earnestly. ‘We have seen them. We were taken inside their craft. They are utterly callous and they are here on Dulkis for some sinister purpose.’
The Councillors began stirring uneasily in their reclining seats. Senex called for order and was instantly obeyed. He turned and courteously addressed the Doctor.
‘We should be grateful if you would inform us what has occured on the Island,’ he declared.
‘Och not again,’ Jamie exploded. ‘We’re hanging aboot blethering and Zoe’s in danger...’
With phenomenal patience the Doctor briefly recounted events since the TARDIS had materialised on the Island.
‘... and once the physiological tests were completed...
well, they let us go,’ he concluded at last Senex appeared to be convinced. ‘Did you discover the purpose of these tests, Doctor?’ he asked.
‘To see if we were clever enough to be useful,’ Jamie spelt out with painstaking rudeness.
‘Evidently you were!’ Deputy Bosem retorted.
Before the quick-tempered Highlander could bite the bait, the Doctor again intervened. ‘With respect, Director Senex, I know that it is the Dulcian custom to deliberate and discuss at leisure, but the situation is urgent. Send someone to the Island to confirm our story,’ he pleaded.