Doctor Who: Sontaran Experiment (9 page)

‘Sarah... you mustn’t... you’re obviously not well after...

after your...’ Harry gasped, pressing himself against the rock as he tried to shake the dizziness out of his head.

With a sudden shriek, Sarah pounced. Harry reeled aside just in time and staggered into the middle of the chamber.

Sarah was clinging to the twisted wires sprouting from the wall, her hair wildly tangled like a nest of snakes.

Unable to move, Harry stared up at the grotesquely hissing spider-like creature poised above him.

‘No...’ he screamed. ‘... No...’ and flung his arms up in protection as the creature sprang at him again. This time he did not escape. The loathsome thing clung to his shoulders, slashing at his face with its flint claws and driving them deep into his skull...

The Doctor crouched among the weirdly sculpted rocks topping the ridge and studied the Sontaran spacecraft glinting in the centre of the hollow.

‘I wonder how many there are... ?’ he murmured, straightening out the crooked sections of his brass telescope and focusing the ancient instrument on the dark opening in the side of the huge, golf-ball structure. Then he scanned the surrounding area carefully. Styr was nowhere in sight.

Shutting the telescope with a resolute snap, he slowly emerged from his hiding place and advanced cautiously towards the spacecraft, darting from boulder to boulder once he had left cover. He was just about to step on to the lower end of the inclined ramp which lead up to the hatchway, when he heard a familiar humming sound coming from the direction of some flattish, rectangular stones behind him. Stealthily, the Doctor reached into his pocket and drew out the Terullian fragment. Keeping as still as he could, he slowly raised his hand with the scrap of metal shielded in his palm.

A hazy image of the hovering robot was reflected in its semi-polished surface. The Doctor watched the Scavenger approach and stop five or six metres behind him.

‘Beware of the dog,’ the Doctor thought wryly. He began to rub his thumb gently round and round on the piece of Terullian so that it started to resonate with a steady, bell-like sound. The quiet clicking of the robot’s circuits ceased abruptly, and it continued to hover in the air behind the Doctor, as if hypnotised by the penetrating vibrations.

Suddenly it began to chatter violently to itself. It wobbled and shuddered and spun first one way, then the other. It lurched a metre or two closer to the Doctor’s back, its greenish aura intensifying into a menacing glow.

Gritting his teeth against the overwhelming resonance, the Doctor pressed harder and harder on the metal with his rotating thumb. He began to feel very faint, and his head rang as if it were trapped inside a gigantic tolling bell.

With his free hand, he managed to extract the sonic-screwdriver from among the clutter filling his pocket, and to prime the settings. Then, carefully angling his two hands, the Doctor directed the sonic beam so that it reflected off the scrap of Terullian, straight towards the threatening robot behind him. The sonic beam took over from the Doctor’s burning thumb, causing the metal fragment to emit a highly focused stream of energy which no longer affected the Doctor, but which had a devastating effect on the Scavenger’s systems.

With a faint whine of confusion it sank lifeless to the ground, its half-extended tentacles clattering limply on to the rocks. Cautiously, the Doctor turned round and pointed the sonic beam directly into the robot’s domed casing for a few seconds.

‘That should put you off the scent for the time being,’

the Doctor murmured. Then taking out the ear-trumpet he applied it like a stethoscope to various points on the Scavenger’s metal body. He listened with a smile of satisfaction to the silence within.

‘That’s right, you just get some rest,’ he whispered, giving the robot a gentle pat. ‘You’ve had a very busy day.’

The Doctor blew on the piece of Terullian and waved it in the air to cool it. Just as he finished stowing everything away in his jacket, and prepared to climb the ramp into the Sontaran spacecraft, a heavy but rapid tramping came from the open hatchway. The Doctor dived into cover behind the inert, mechanical octopus and waited. Seconds later, Styr stomped into view and paused at the top of the ramp, staring suspiciously at the de-activated Scavenger.

He jabbed sharply at the controls on his belt. The robot did not react. With a roaring hiss, the Sontaran thundered down the ramp, moving far less sluggishly than before, the Doctor noted. It approached with strong, rapid movements.

‘You’ve obviously had a good breakfast,’ he thought,

‘which is more than I have.’

Styr examined the lifeless tentacles, panting with anger and suspicion. He stamped over to the domed capsule and began opening various panels, searching for a fault in the mechanism. The Doctor shrank behind the Scavenger, straining his senses desperately to anticipate the Sontaran’s movements so he could keep out of sight. The pungent chemical vapour of Styr’s breath hung in the air, making the Doctor’s eyes water. To his horror, he felt himself about to sneeze and frantically searched for his red and white spotted handkerchief. Then he realised that Styr had stopped moving; his breathing was suddenly quieter—as if he were listening for something.

Just as the Doctor sneezed, a furious shouting and screaming broke out in the direction of the flat rocks. The Doctor waited, his eyes shut and his face buried in his hat.

To his relief, Styr’s huge bulk juddered past his crouched figure and hurried away towards the commotion, gasping eagerly. Keeping well hidden, the Doctor scrambled up the craggy ridge overlooking the flat rocks, and followed Styr with his spyglass.

Vural lay flat on his back with limbs splayed out, manacled to an enormous horizontal slab. Krans and Erak stood flanking their Commander, each man tethered to the slab by his ankles. A thick bar of Terullian about two metres long lay across Vural’s bared chest and Krans and Erak were each shackled by the wrists to opposite ends of the bar.

‘Lucky for you we’re tied like this,’ Erak yelled down at his helpless superior.

‘Yeah... if we ever get out of this alive, I’m going to tear you apart with my bare hands,’ Krans screamed with almost hysterical anger. Vural lay silently shaking his head from side to side as if in a trance, his eyes staring crazily around him.

The crewmen fell silent as Styr strode into the arena of flat stones, dictating rapidly into the micro-recorder unit.

‘Assessment Period Gamma... Solar Interval Eleven...

Experiment One Zero Nine...’ he gasped, approaching them with a gleam of anticipation in his flaring eyes.

‘Human Physical Resistance and Moral Strength...’

‘What are you up to, you over-bloated frog?’ growled Krans as Styr began to adjust the controls on his belt.

The Sontaran’s mouth parted in a grotesque grin. ‘Your abuse is a manifestation of fear,’ he gloated. ‘The release of adrenalin will assist you to perform this test with optimum efficiency.’

‘What test?’ Erak demanded.

Styr came closer, drooling and snorting. ‘The destruction of your Commander...’ he sneered.

Krans and Erak glanced down at the trembling Vural and then at each other.

‘No chance,’ Krans shouted, his big body taut with defiance, while Erak shook his head and stared back at the Sontaran.

Styr activated a switch with a jab of his thick talon. ‘You have no choice...’ he retorted triumphantly.

The Terullian bar hummed and vibrated, and began to sink into Vural’s flesh. Instinctively, Krans and Erak lifted it clear, gaping at Styr in amazement.

The Doctor peered down from the ridge focusing his telescope on the vibrating rod suspended threateningly above Vural’s breastbone. ‘The Sontaran version of Saw-The-Lady-In-Half,’ he murmured grimly.

Styr uttered a guttural, croaking laugh, his features swelling and throbbing with pleasure. ‘One hundred kilograms...’ he gasped, adjusting the switches again. The bar sank immediately into Vural’s chest, visibly compressing the ribcage. The two Galsec crewmen struggled to raise it once more, their eyes fixed upon the humming metallic rod in disbelief.

‘Excellent,’ Styr hissed, jabbing at his controls. ‘One hundred and seventy-five kilograms...’

Vural uttered a piercing shriek as the bar crashed into his stomach. Styr shook with excitement.

Krans lifted his end of the bar just clear of Vural’s abdomen, the powerful muscles swelling through his tattered spacesuit. Erak, the weaker of the two, struggled desperately to equalise at his end, but he could barely raise the bar more than a few centimetres. Vural flung his head from side to side in agony, straining to tear himself free from his metal bonds.

‘Fascinating,’ Styr murmured. ‘Your victim has ruthlessly betrayed you—and yet you attempt to save his life.’

‘Murderer...’ spat Krans, his eyes blazing at the furrowed, reptilian features of the torturer.

Once again, Styr increased the mass of the bar. ‘Two hundred and fifty kilograms...’ he bellowed. Erak crumpled to his knees, dropping his end of the vibrating bar on to the edge of the slab. With a prodigious heave, Krans managed to shoulder the other end, relieving some of the pressure which threatened to crush Vural’s chest as if it were an eggshell.

‘Do not be too confident, human,’ Styr warned as Krans continued to stare defiantly at him. ‘The experiment has hardly begun...’

At that moment the communicator bleeped shrilly at Styr’s side. For a moment he hesitated. Then, with a rasp of fury, he de-activated the gravity bar and snatched up the receiver.

‘Earth Survey...’ he snarled.

The Doctor scrambled swiftly down the ridge and tucked himself into a niche a few metres away from the exasperated Sontaran, who was speaking in hushed, confidential tones into the communicator. Stealthily, the Doctor poked his ear-trumpet through a small gap between the rocks and eavesdropped.

‘... the Strategic Council is not satisfied with your explanations, Styr,’ hissed the Controller’s voice. ‘No further delay will be tolerated.’

The Doctor saw Styr glance guiltily across at the tethered crewmen. ‘Controller, there have been unexplained occurrences...’ Styr blustered in a subdued tone. ‘The Scout Unit has been sabotaged... I have yet to locate and investigate the two associates of the female human discovered in the vicinity of the Transmat Terminal...’

The image of the Controller glowed with displeasure.

‘You have tried our patience to the utmost, Styr. The Council requires your data—correctly encoded—for immediate input. You must know that rendezvous with the Allied Squadrons from Hyperion Sigma is overdue by several Solar Intervals...’

The Doctor’s eyes widened as he listened to the Sontaran’s secretive communication.

‘... the entire galaxy must be in our control within the projected period...’ the Controller concluded.

‘So
that’s
what it’s all about!’ the Doctor breathed, slipping silently away and making towards the ravine where he had left Harry earlier. As he loped along, a daring and heroic scheme began to take shape in his mind.

Styr thrust the communicator into its holder and stamped back to his exhausted victims, his features puffed and twisted with cruelty and revenge.

Painfully, Harry groped his way back to consciousness. His eyes gradually focused on a blurred form looking down at him. With a sudden gasp of panic he flung out his hands and tried to roll away from the apparition.

‘Easy now, easy...’ murmured a soothing voice.

‘Everything’s all right... you’re quite safe now...’

Harry rested his throbbing head against something soft and comforting. Sarah’s anxious face was bending over him. Warily Harry stared at the smiling, familiar, freckled features.

‘Is... is it really you, Sarah?’ he muttered at last.

Sarah nodded happily. ‘Yes, of course it is,’ she replied.

Then everything came pulsing back into Harry’s aching head. He tried to sit up, and fell back with a groan on to Sarah’s folded anorak.

‘Easy does it,’ Sarah murmured. ‘You’ve had quite a shock.’

‘But why... why did you attack me, old thing?’ Harry said, wincing.

‘Harry, I’ve told you before,’ Sarah scolded gently, ‘I am not a
thing
.’

‘I don’t know what you are... I mean were...’ Harry mumbled with a grieved expression. ‘But you certainly scared the wits out of me.’

‘But I didn’t attack you, Harry,’ Sarah frowned. ‘I think I must have fainted for a while, and then when I came to I heard someone coming. I thought it might be that Linx creature—or whatever he calls himself now—so I hid. But it turned out to be you, Harry,’ Sarah concluded, ‘so I came out of hiding—and then you went bananas.’

Harry stared at Sarah open-mouthed. ‘
I
went bananas...

?’ he protested. ‘I like that: you came at me like some demented...’ Harry broke off as he caught sight of the twisted circuitry hanging out of the surrounding rock.

‘What on earth is all this?’ he cried, hauling himself to his feet and going over to examine

Sarah shrugged. ‘I haven’t a clue,’ she said. ‘But whatever it is, it gave me some awful nightmares. I hope I’ll be able to recall them when I’m writing my next feature article,’ she added with a shudder.

‘Well, I’m not likely to forget what just happened to
me
,’

Harry muttered.

‘You can tell a great deal from people’s dreams,’ cried the Doctor, sweeping into the alcove with scarf-ends flying.

‘All kinds of things that they are not even aware of themselves... Ah, Sarah Jane Smith...’ He smiled, gallantly doffing his hat. ‘How lovely to see you up and about again—I do hope that Lieutenant Sullivan has been looking after you...’

Harry looked exceedingly uncomfortable. Sarah ran over and gave the Doctor a delighted hug.

The Doctor looked at them with sudden seriousness.

‘We cannot afford any more mishaps,’ he said sternly.

‘We’ve got an invasion on our hands.’

‘An invasion?’ Sarah cried, glancing round at the bleak, towering rocks. ‘There doesn’t seem to be very much worth invading here...’