Contents

Straight into Trouble 9

Beneath the Ice 19

Guided Tour 31

Flood Warning 41

Ice Strike 53

The Dreadbringers 63

Out of the Frying Pan... 73

...Into the Fire 83

The Hatching 93

Taken at the Flood 105

The Story So Far...

T h e Doctor has taken the powerful Eternity

Crystal from the terrible Darksmith Collective

on the planet Karagula. The Crystal can create

life, and the Doctor knows it mustn't be allowed to

fall into the wrong hands.

Varlos, the Darskmith who created the Crystal,

realized this too. He stole the Crystal and fled from

Karagula. The Darksmiths need the Crystal to fulfil

their contract to create a device for a mysterious

client. They also need Varlos as he is the only one

who really understands how to make the device.

The Doctor wants to find Varlos so he can discover

how to destroy the powerful Crystal.

The Doctor knows that Varlos went to the planet

Flydon Maxima — also known as Despair. But he

doesn't know that the Darksmiths are tracking

the TARDIS...

Straight into Trouble

A Darksmith wearing a cloak of emerald green,

stepped forward — Brother Krazon, Minister

for Justice.

'In the eyes of intergalactic law, the Doctor's

removal of the Crystal, in the full knowledge of its

rightful ownership by our Collective, constitutes

common theft. And under Clause 374 of the

Shadow Proclamation, 'theft of an artefact of great

cultural value legitimises the use of lethal force to

ensure the artefact's recovery'.'

'High Minister Drakon's thin, colourless lips

spread in a cruel sneer. Are you saying...'

'Yes, High Minister. We can lawfully set our

Dreadbringers in pursuit of the Doctor.'

Drakon's eyes flared with malevolent passion. 'Do

it, Krazon! I want the Dreadnought Adamantine

space-worthy within the hour, carrying a full

battalion of your finest soldiers.'

Brother Krazon nodded smartly, and hurried away.

Drakon looked back at the glowing blip on the

scanner screen, slowly moving away from its centre,

and gave another dry cackle. 'That's right, Doctor

— run! Run as fast as you can. For, by stone and sun-

fire, you have incurred the wrath of the Darksmiths

of Karagula — and now your very nightmares are

coming after you!'

The rasping, scraping sound of the TARDIS engines

mixed with the constant howl of the cold wind.

Misty air swirled above the thick ice. A few flakes of

snow spun and twisted across the frozen landscape.

The weak yellow sun made little impact on the vast

cold wastes of the planet's northern pole.

The ice creaked. A crack appeared — sudden,

like a gunshot. It spread quickly across the ice, as

if a heavy weight had been dropped abruptly on to

the surface. And the heavy weight of the TARDIS

faded into existence. The ice cracked again, and the

TARDIS leaned slightly. But the ice held.

The Doctor opened the door and stepped out

of the TARDIS, standing at a slight angle like the

TARDIS itself.

'Odd,' he murmured to himself. 'Everything's a

bit skew-whiff He straightened up. 'Oh yes. That's

better.' Then he turned back to close the TARDIS

door. 'Well, better for me anyway. You'll just have

to live with it. Should be OK Looks safe enough.

I think.'

The Doctor jumped up and down on the ice. He

started lightly, carefully at first — little more than

bouncing on his feet. Then he risked a bit of a hop.

Then a proper jump.

'Rock solid,' he decided. Just to be sure he

hop-scotched across a section of the frozen ground.

'That's the problem with global warming,' he

decided. 'Too much ice. It's weird that for an ice

age to get started, the temperature has to rise. Just

enough to get the glaciers moving. Still, on this

planet they'll drown before they freeze.' He drew

in a deep breath of cold air and blew out a mist of

warmer air. 'Maybe not much of a comfort. And

not a problem I have right now But it's true, you

know,' he announced to the empty wastes. 'I know,

I read it somewhere.'

Then he stuffed his hands into his trouser

pockets, and set off across the ice.

After a few minutes, the Doctor stopped walking.

He buttoned up his coat and did a little jogging

on the spot. Then he blew into his hands and blew

out another long misty breath. Finally, he took his

sonic screwdriver from his inside pocket.

'Oh,' the Doctor said as he checked the readings

he was getting. 'Oh,' he said again w h e n he

realized they were right. 'So I need to be heading,

er, straight... down.' He looked at his feet. He

stamped them a bit. 'TARDIS,' he decided. Not

going to be able to walk there. Wherever there is.'

There was an energy source and heat. It was where

the people were, he hoped. The Doctor had set the

TARDIS to land about half a mile away from the

exact co-ordinates he had managed to derive from

a lengthy examination of Varlos' data, so as not

to draw unwanted attention. He hadn't expected

that to mean he'd arrive half a mile above where he

wanted to be. He turned and headed back towards

the TARDIS, kicking at tufts of snow and sending

up swirling clouds.

It was a bright, clear day and the Doctor had a

good view of the TARDIS as he approached it. The

blue was dark against the brilliant white of the ice

around it. The TARDIS was still leaning slightly

to one side. As the Doctor watched, it slipped

slightly more.

'Whoops!' the Doctor broke into a run. 'No

you don't!' he shouted as the TARDIS slipped

further sideways. What was making that happen,

he wondered. It wasn't that heavy — the ice must be

metres thick beneath it.

Then, in a sudden explosion of ice and water,

the Doctor had his answer.

The whole surface of the ice between the Doctor

and the TARDIS erupted. Water sprayed up like

a geyser. And in the middle of it a writhing mass

of tentacles clawed up through the hole they had

made and spread rapidly across the ice — probing,

feeling, searching.

One of the tentacles slapped down near the

Doctor. The ice cracked beneath its massive weight.

The tentacle was as thick as the Doctor's body. One

side of it was mottled brown, the other was studded

with suckers that shimmered and throbbed as they

convulsed, latching on to the ice as the enormous

creature heaved itself up and out of the depths.

The Doctor stood and stared. 'Oh what are you?'

he wondered out loud. He could see a large, bulbous

body at the heart of the mass of tentacles now 'Giant

octopus?' he wondered. 'No, too many tentacles.

Far too many. Multi-pus maybe. Dodecapus would

have twelve limbs, I think you're way beyond that.

Tell you what,' he went on, jumping back to avoid

the tentacle that was thrashing around close by, 'I'll

just wait here till you're done with whatever you're

doing. Then I'll get back to my TARDIS and be

out of your way. How's that?'

As if in answer, the tentacle withdrew. The Doctor

grinned happily. But his grin rapidly became a

frown as he saw that the massive creature was now

reaching out for the TARDIS. A tentacle stroked it

down the front, feeling the light, the windows, the

door handles. Another was slowly curling round the

back of the TARDIS as if the monstrous creature

was about to hug it tight.

Then he realized the situation was even worse

than that. Slowly but surely, the creature was

withdrawing, sinking back down through the ice

into the water far below. And it was dragging the

TARDIS with it.

Beneath the Ice

The Doctor had just moments to act. Otherwise

he'd lose the TARDIS, perhaps forever.

The only way to get to the door was to go

over the monster. The Doctor would have to take a

run at it, and use the thrashing tentacles as stepping

stones to get to the door before the TARDIS was

dragged down through the ice. But which was the

quickest path?

The first step was the worst. The Doctor sprinted

across the cracking ice and jumped on to the

tentacle. It compressed and squelched under his

foot, and he almost stumbled. But he managed

to keep going. It wasn't so very different from his

earlier game of hopscotch, he thought. Except

the creature had felt his feet on its flesh, and the

tentacle he was running along was moving.

He launched himself forwards, and managed

to reach the edge of the TARDIS. Perched on the

door sill, he fumbled for the key. The door swung

open and the Doctor tumbled inside.

'Third tentacle from the left,' he said breathlessly

as he closed the door on the mass of tentacles

trying to get in. He stood with his back leaning on

the door for a moment. 'I should have known. It's

always the third tentacle from the left.'

The TARDIS lurched, and the Doctor was

thrown sideways. It was time to be going.

The floor was shaking under his feet as he

staggered to the TARDIS console. He pushed the

sonic screwdriver into a recess in the console. This

time he'd go straight to Varlos' co-ordinates, and

worry about being conspicuous later.

The central column rose and fell, and the Doctor

let out a sigh of relief and anticipation.

In the icy polar wastes of the planet known as

Despair, an enormous creature found that its

tentacles were suddenly empty. The strange blue

object it had found on the ice was inexplicably gone.

One moment it was there, the next it was not.

Confused, the creature slipped back into the

ocean depths. As soon as it was gone, the surface

water began to freeze again. Soon the hole it had

made would be gone too...

The TARDIS' next landing place was very different

from the icy wastes. It materialised in a gloomy

maintenance area. Pipes ran round the walls —

dripping and corroded. The floor was a rusty metal

mesh that the water seeped through. The walls were

sweating with condensation. Or just possibly, the

Doctor thought, leaking in water from the ocean

outside. It was, after all, half a mile under water.

Whistling a hornpipe, the Doctor locked the

TARDIS and set off in search of anyone or anything

interesting. He didn't have to go far.

The door from the maintenance area was heavy,

round and watertight, like an airlock or the doors

of a submarine. The Doctor swung the locking

wheel and stepped through into a passageway. He

closed and sealed the door behind him. Maybe

the place did leak after all — but whether it did or

not it was good practice to keep the doors closed

and sealed.

He had a choice of directions. The Doctor licked

his finger and held it up. Then he nodded, as if

that told him something useful — which it didn't

— and set off to the left. He was still whistling as he

reached another very similar locked door at the end

of the passage.

But before the Doctor could open the door, the

locking wheel began to turn of its own accord. Or

rather, the Doctor realized, because someone was

trying to open it from the other side. He positioned

himself so it wouldn't bump into him when it

opened and leaned nonchalantly against the wall

of the passageway as the door swung open.

The figure that stepped through was a little old

man in grimy overalls. He was wearing a peaked cap,

and carrying a battered metal toolbox. He stared at

the Doctor through pale, surprised eyes and wiped

a wrinkled hand over his badly-shaven face.

'Who the blooming Nora are you?' the man

demanded in a cracked voice.

'Nope,' the Doctor said, pushing himself away

from the wall. 'Not Nora. Doctor. Doctor Smith.

Here from the um — you know.' He flashed his

psychic paper at the man and let that do the talking

for him. It would show the man something he was

expecting to see, somethingthat would explain

why the Doctor was here.

' N o t another ruddy inspection,' the m a n

complained.

'Oh yes,' the Doctor told him happily. 'Another

ruddy inspection. Now, who the blooming Nora

are you and where do we ruddy get started?'

The man was called Hank and he was responsible

for the maintenance of the scientific base the

Doctor was now in.

Hank led the Doctor to the main crew lounge where

he said everyone else would be as it was a break.

'Break for everyone else, anyhow,' he said

gloomily. 'Doesn't look like I get a break. Always

something that needs sorting or mending or fixing

or putting back together.'

'But you do it so well,' the Doctor told him. 'I

was looking back through the last set of inspection

results and they gave you a commendation.'

'They what?'

'Richly deserved,' the Doctor went on quickly.

'It's obvious only because of you that this place

keeps going at all.'

'That's true enough,' Hank admitted. 'But try

telling Captain Strova.'

They had arrived at another of the sealed metal

doors, and Hank put down his tool box to work

the locking wheel.

'Difficult to work with, is he?' the Doctor asked

as the door swung open.

On the other side of the door was a tall woman

wearing a green military uniform. Her hair was cut

short and her features were thin and pinched as she

stared in surprise at the Doctor. A nametag sewn

over her breast pocket said: STROVA.

'She,' the Doctor corrected himself. 'Difficult

to work with is she?' His voice tailed off as he

realized what he was saying. 'Your auntie,' he

added quickly. 'We were just talking about Hank's

Auntie Nora. Lovely woman. Have you met her?

Well, I say lovely, she can be a bit difficult at times,

but — hey — can't we all? I'm the Doctor. Here to

do a snap inspection. So, you'd be Captain Strova,

would you?'

The military woman's eyes narrowed slightly.

'I'm Strova,' she said. And I warn you, I can be

difficult to work with.'

The Doctor's eyes widened. 'Really? You don't

look the type.'

As he was speaking, the woman's mouth

twitched, and then she smiled. lust kidding.

Another inspection? Hank didn't tell me there was

someone on their way down in a capsule. But come

in and meet the crew. We're on a break.'

She led the Doctor into the room. Hank did

not follow. 'I'm off to check on Airlock 3,' he said

glumly. 'Like anyone's interested.'

The room was quite large, and furnished with

several battered armchairs and an old sofa. It looked

more like a school staff room than an underwater

base. There was a little kitchen area with a kettle

and toaster above what looked like a fridge. Off to

the side was a wall of metal lockers.

A dining table stood in an alcove. On it the

Doctor could see what looked like a lump of

coral — a pale, gnarled and twisted formation with

spikes and nodules. There were other bits of the

same material on various surfaces round the room,

presumably as decoration.

'He never stops, poor Hank,' Captain Strova

said. 'I don't think he likes to take a break.

But to be fair, if it wasn't for him this place

wouldn't work at all. He keeps it going pretty

much single-handedly. But don't tell him that,' she

added in a pretend whisper. The Doctor laughed.

'I think he enjoys being gloomy and having

something to complain about.'

'You're not wrong there,' said another voice. A

man was getting up from one of the armchairs.

There was another man in the room, getting

something out of the fridge. Both were wearing

similar uniforms to Strova.

'Private Lenk,' the m a n w h o had spoken

introduced himself. And that's Private Rodoff.'

The man at the fridge waved. 'Hi.'

The Doctor almost missed the other person

in the room. A young girl. She was sitting at the

dining table, examining a collection of papers

that was spread across it. The girl looked up at the

Doctor, tilting her head slightly to one side as she

examined him.

The girl seemed to be about eleven years old.

She had a very round, pale and delicate face with

big, dark eyes. Her coal black hair was cut in a

perfect bob.

' A n d this, of course, is Gisella,' Captain

Strova said.

'Of course,' the Doctor said. He walked over to

the girl, hoping he didn't intimidate her. 'Hi, I'm

the Doctor. So what are you doing here?' he asked in

is best and most friendly 'talking to children' voice.

He glanced at the papers on the table, expecting

them to be drawings or perhaps the first few pages

of a soon-to-be-abandoned story.

But the papers were covered with numbers and

equations. There were tables of water pressures,

temperature readings, sensor information...

'I never bothered with a doctorate,' the girl said

in a slightly disapproving tone. 'I never seemed

to have the time. If you're really here to do an

inspection, then you know who I am and what

I'm doing here. I'm Gisella, and I'm in charge of

this base.'

Guided Tour

The Doctor did his best to hide his surprise.

'Gisella — of course. I know all about you.

Well,' he admitted, 'not all about you. But

enough. Just the right amount, in fact. And I know

you're in charge.'

He turned to catch Captain Strova's eye. 'She's

in charge?' he mouthed, making sure that Gisella

couldn't see him.

Captain Strova smiled. 'You'll also know, Doctor,'

she said, 'that Gisella is older than she looks. She

has a rare condition — a unique condition — known

as Adulescentia Perpetuus.'

Perpetual youth,' the Doctor translated. 'She

never gets old.'

'Hey,' Private Lenk called across, 'I bet you wish

you suffered from that!'

The Doctor returned his grin, but there was a

sadness deep behind his eyes. 'Oh, I'm sure there

are disadvantages.' He turned back to Gisella.

'Like pompous doctors treating you as if you

really are a child.'

Gisella returned his stare. 'You get used to it,'

she said. 'I bet people treat you like an idiot.'

'Yeah they do, actually,' the Doctor admitted.

'How did you guess that?'

'But you're not an idiot at all,' the little girl who

wasn't a little girl went on. 'Though sometimes you

want people to think you are. Sometimes you play

to your image.'

T h e D o c t o r n o d d e d , any trace of idiocy

completely gone. 'Sometimes,' he said seriously. 'So

— you want an ice cream and a game of tiddlywinks,

or what?'

The sudden return of his grin helped to make the

moment funny, and they all laughed — including

the Doctor and Gisella.

'It's difficult for us too,' Private Rodoff said.

'Being ordered about by someone who looks like

a child.'

The Doctor nodded. 'Or inspected by someone

who acts like an idiot?'

'I didn't say that,' Rodoff said.

'You didn't have to,' Captain Strova told him.

The Doctor flopped down in one of the armchairs,

stretching his long legs out in front of him. 'Well,

how about we keep going with the idiot thing?'

he suggested. 'Just pretend I know nothing at all

about what's going on here. Give me the whole

story, right from the start.' He suddenly drew in his

legs and sat upright. 'Oh, and if there's any chance

of a cup of tea, that'd be great. I'm parched.'

Rodoff made the Doctor a mug of tea and set it

down on a low table beside the armchair. Beside the

mug was one of the strange-shaped pieces of coral.

The Doctor picked it up and examined it while

he listened to Captain Strova and Gisella explain

about the underwater base, and waited for his tea

to cool.

'This base was set up a hundred and fifty years

ago,' Strova explained. 'Back when Flydon Maxima

was still inhabited. Global warming had started,

and they realized they were in big trouble.'

'Only they didn't realize how big,' Private Lenk

put in. 'A hundred years later, and we'd all had to

evacuate to Flydon Minima.'

'So what's it for, why's it still here?' the Doctor

wondered. 'Why are you lot here?'

'To learn,' Gisella told him. 'The water is still

rising, the-effects of the atmospheric pollution and

the carbon emissions are still being felt. It's our job

to monitor it and track what's happening.

'Out of scientific curiosity?' the Doctor asked.

'Partly. And so we can learn more about what

we've done to this planet. So we can make sure we

don't do it again.'

'We are also surveying and cataloguing the

marine life,' Strova said. 'We monitor what's going

on in the water, and we are constantly measuring

the thickness of the ice crust above us, measuring

the pressure it exerts on the water, the exact

temperature, everything.'

The Doctor sipped his tea. It was a bit weak and

milky, but it was warm. 'So what's this stuff?' he

asked, holding up the lump of coral.

'We think it's volcanic sediment,' Gisella said.

Extruded rock. Molten lava bubbles up from a

fissure, then when it hits the water, it cools rapidly

and solidifies into these strange shapes.'

'I found a whole cave full of the stuff on the

seabed,' Rodoff said. 'The last time I was out

checking the probes.'

'The seabed shifts,' Strova said. 'Earthquakes,

volcanic activity. We're forever having to go out

and replace or repair probes, or plant new ones in

new survey sites.'

'Keeps you busy, I imagine,' the Doctor said. 'This

tea's very good, thank you.' He finished it and put

the mug down again next to the volcanic rock that

looked like coral. 'It's certainly distinctive. Talking

of which, and about monitoring sea life...'

'Yes?' Gisella said.

'I met an interesting example of sea life when I

arrived on the ice.' He pointed upwards. 'Big fellow,

he was. Lots of tentacles. Quite friendly. Well, I say

friendly — he tried to give me a hug. Love-you-to-

death sort of friendly.'

'That'd be a Blaska,' Lenk said. 'Sort of cross

between an octopus and a jellyfish.'

'First catalogued by Theodore Blaska,' Gisella

explained.

'They can get a bit angry if you get in their way,'

Captain Strova said.

'I noticed,' the Doctor told her.

'They've got worse recently,' Lenk went on. 'They

used to leave us alone, and keep well away. But now

there are several outside the base all the time. Like

they're just waiting for us to come out so they can

get us.

'I'm not going out there again unless I have to,'

Rodoff said. 'Hank reckons they're going to attack

the base.'

'We've been here a hundred and fifty years,'

Gisella said, 'and there's no record of them ever

attacking the base.'

'Well, I tell you one of them nearly got me in that

cave,' Rodoff said. He shivered at the memory. 'It

was completely mad. I was lucky to get out at all.'

'If you've finished your tea, Doctor,' Strova said,

'do you want to start your inspection?'

The Doctor jumped to his feet. 'Love to,' he said.

'Delighted. Can't wait. Allons-y!'

The equipment that monitored the water around the

base and the ice shelf high above it was automatic.

Hank was responsible for keeping it running, while

Gisella took readings and analysed them.

The Doctor was surprised and impressed at how

much of the analysis and calculation she did in her

head, but she also wrote computer programs that

were run on massive server systems that were kept

in a huge machine room deep under the base.

Strova and Gisella took him down to the machine

room. It was a vast, open area. Huge columns held

up the base above, but that still left a huge space

— a huge space filled with computers and data

storage and monitoring equipment. The Doctor

examined everything, and it didn't take him long

to be sure that much of the equipment was built

using technology developed by the Darksmiths.

'So, where did it all come from?' the Doctor

asked. 'When the base was set up a hundred and fifty

years ago, where did they get all this equipment?'

'Gisella's been here longer than anyone,' Strova

said. 'Do you know?' she asked Gisella. 'There must

be some record.'

'I just wondered,' the Doctor said.

Gisella was looking intently at the Doctor

through her big, dark eyes. He sensed she could tell

there was more to his question than there seemed.

'It was donated by someone,' she said.

'Very generous. Did this someone have a name?'

'He donated some of the m o r e advanced

equipment,' Gisella said. 'He helped set up the base

and set down some rules about the staffing. I think

his name was Varlos.'

The Doctor nodded. He adjusted a setting on

one of the computer consoles, tapped the readout

dial on another. 'And I'm guessing he wasn't local.'

Gisella's expression didn't alter. 'I wouldn't know,'

she said.

'Of course not,' the Doctor said, with just

enough sarcasm that the girl would know he could

tell she was lying.

But before she could answer, a loud tone echoed

round the room. It was followed by Rodoffs voice,

loud and distorted through intercom speakers close

to the ceiling.

'Captain Strova, Gisella — this is Rodoff. I'm in

the Observation Gallery with Hank. I think you'd

better get up here. We've got a problem.'

Rodoffs voice cut off, and was replaced by Hank's:

'Give me that. I'll say we've got a problem. I told

you those things were trouble. There are three Blaska

outside, and it looks like they're about to attack.'

'Look out!' Rodoffs voice shouted through

the speakers.

There was a sudden crash of sound, then the

speakers cut out. There was silence, broken only

by the hum of the machinery and the Doctor's

running footsteps.

Flood Warning

'Which way?' the Doctor shouted when he got

to the top of the steps out of the Machine

Room. It was frustrating, but he had to wait

for Captain Strova to catch up with him. Little

Gisella was struggling to keep up.

Together, they ran through the base. There

were heavy watertight doors at regular intervals,

and Strova insisted they close and seal each door

behind them as they went. The Doctor knew the

doors could be opened and closed automatically

from the Machine Room. But unless one of them

was going to stay behind and operate the doors,

that didn't really help.

After what seemed like an age, they arrived at

the Observation Gallery. It was situated right at the

top of the spherical underwater base. The curved

walls and domed ceiling were made of glass — or

something incredibly strong that was just as clear.

Finito-glass, probably, the Doctor thought as he

hurried into the enormous room.

'What's going on?' Strova demanded. 'Are

you OK?'

Hank and Rodoff were standing in the middle

of the room. By way of answer, Rodoff pointed

upwards. High above them, at the top of the dome,

there was a crack. It wasn't very big, little more than

a star-shaped blemish on the glass. But as they all

watched, it grew. With a sound like cracking ice,

the star shape expanded outwards. A spider's web

shot out, spreading across the glass.

'How did that happen?' Gisella asked.

'I think we're about to find out,' the Doctor said.

He could see a shape moving in the distance

behind the glass. A mass of writhing tentacles round

a bulbous body. It was growing rapidly larger as

it approached — rushing towards the glass. It was

aiming for the centre of the web of cracks, hurling

itself at the base. In the distance behind it, the

Doctor could see another of the Blaska creatures.

And behind that, a third.

'Oh, that's not good,' the Doctor murmured.

'Not good at all.'

The first Blaska hit the glass with a sound like

thunder. The creature's tentacles curled round the

dome, suckers flat against the glass like hundreds

of mouths. The tendrils inside each sucker were

like tiny teeth. The main body of the Blaska

hammered into the glass at exactly the point where

the cracks started.

Immediately the cracks spread. Something

dropped on to the Doctor's face. He wiped at it

with his hand. Water.

The Blaska was sliding off the glass dome,

gathering itself and swimming away — ready for

another go. The second Blaska was already hurtling

rapidly at the same point high above.

A trickle of water was drip-drip-dripping at the

Doctor's feet. When the next Blaska hit...

'Out!' the Doctor yelled. 'Everyone — out! The

roofs going to go.'

The Doctor gathered Gisella as he ran, scooping

her off her feet. She was heavier than she looked,

and he almost fell as he took her weight. As she

resisted him, for just a second before realizing he

was helping her, she was stronger than she looked.

Much, much stronger.

But there was no time to think about that. The

Doctor was through the door, Captain Strova close

behind him. Rodoff and Hank raced through after

them. The Doctor put Gisella down and slammed

the heavy door shut. As it closed, he caught the

briefest glimpse of the second Blaska impacting on

the domed roof. There was split-second view of the

entire glass dome shattering and raining down — a

lethal mixture of broken glass and tonnes of water.

Then the door slammed shut. The Doctor was

spinning the locking wheel. The whole structure

shuddered under the weight of the mass of water

crashing against the door.

'That was close,' Rodoff said.

'It's not over yet,' Hank told him gloomily.

As if in answer, the door shuddered again. A drip

of water escaped from the sealed edge and splashed

to the floor.

' I f they can break through three metres of

finito-glass,' Gisella said, 'they can easily get

through that door.'

'There must be something that can hold them,'

the Doctor said. 'Don't tell me these watertight

doors are the only protection the base has against

catastrophic failure?'

'We didn't expect the Blaska to attack,' Rodoff

pointed out. 'They never have before. The first

time any of them was really aggressive was when it

cornered me in the cave last week.'

'Doesn't help,' the Doctor told him. He had to

shout above the sound of hammering on the other

side of the door. 'Right now we either need to

escape from this base, or we need to take refuge in

an area with rather better protection.'

'Level 3,' Gisella said. 'Green Area. If we can

get there before they do.' She pointed at the door.

Water was spraying round the edges now, and the

middle was dented and buckled.

'Quickest way is down through the Machine

Room and up the service stairs,' Hank said. 'There's

a freight capsule that goes up to the surface from

the Green Area, we can seal ourselves inside Level

3 and if we have to we can escape and launch a

distress beacon into orbit.'

They were already running as Hank spoke.

Captain Strova was talking urgently into a

radio microphone attached to her lapel, telling

Private Lenk what was happening and where

they were headed.

'So why is this Green Area on Level 3 so secure?'

the Doctor wondered.

Before anyone could answer, there was a terrific

crash from behind them, followed by the roar of

the water rushing through the doorway.

The next door opened towards them, and Hank

was holding it back as water surged down the

corridor. A tentacle lashed out, almost catching

Gisella as she dived through after Strova and

Rodoff. The Doctor waved for Hank to go through,

then followed.

He didn't need to pull the door shut — it was a

struggle to keep it open while he ducked through.

Then the door slammed behind him. There was no

point it locking it. The Doctor ran after the others.

But he knew that next time, it might be closer —

the Blaska would have a better idea of how to break

through now

Through another two doors, the water close

behind them each time, and then they were

clattering down the steps to the Machine Room.

'What happens when this place floods?' the

Doctor wondered.

'I'd rather not think about it,' Hank replied.

'But the Green Area has backup systems. If we can

get there.'

'Let me buy us some time then,' the Doctor said,

hurrying to the nearest computer terminal. 'Maybe

more than that, if we're lucky.'

'What are you doing?' Strova demanded.

Gisella could see that the Doctor had opened a

schematic plan of the base. 'He's opening some of

the watertight doors,' she realized.

'Stop him — he'll flood the place,' Rodoff yelled,

rushing at the Doctor.

But Strova caught him and held him back. 'No,

leave him.'

'I'm only opening some of the doors,' the Doctor

said as he worked frantically. 'Let's hope those

Blaska creatures hunt or whatever they're doing by

instinct. They'll follow the water, the path of least

resistance. If I can get them to this point here, then

they might break through Airlock 2 and just leave.'

He pointed to one of the airlocks at the end of the

trail of doors he was opening. Blue shading showed

the path of the water as it flooded through.

'The problem is,' Gisella said, you need to clear

a path to the airlock without flooding either this

Machine Room, or the path we need to take from

the access stairs to the Green Area.'

Will it work?' Hank asked. 'Will those things just

follow the water?'

'Depends what they're really after and why they

decided to attack the base,' the Doctor said. 'Right,

that should do it.'

He watched with satisfaction as the last door

opened automatically, and the plan of the base

showed where the water was flowing — all the way

from the Observation Gallery to Airlock 2, but

without endangering the Machine Room or the

Green Area, or the route they would need to take

to get from one to the other.

'Right, let's get going,' Strova said. lenk should be

powering up the secondary systems in the Green

Area by now.'

'You never told me,' the Doctor said. 'What's

in this Green Area place? Why is it so much more

secure than anywhere else?'

'It's behind blast doors,' Rodoff said. 'The walls

are three metres thick and lined with lead.'

'It's the nuclear reactor that powers the base,'

Gisella told them. 'If those creatures get in there,

then we won't need to worry about drowning. The

whole place will explode.'

Ice Strike

Water was leaking in. The floors were damp,

and the walls and ceilings were dripping.

'I hope those doors hold,' Gisella said. 'We

can check when we get to the Green Area what the

pressure readings are.'

'We'll know if the Blaska have followed the path

the Doctor made and gone back into the ocean,'

Captain Strova added.

'If they haven't we're in trouble,' Hank said.

' A l w a y s looking on the bright side,' the

Doctor answered cheerily. 'Where's your sense

of optimism?'

'It was sent home by my sense of realism,'

Hank replied.

They reached Level 3 without incident, and

Captain Strova led the way to the Green Area. The

Doctor could tell that they had arrived because the

corridor they were in ended in massive lead-lined

doors. They were much thicker and heavier than

the standard watertight doors throughout the rest

of the base. A security keypad was set into the wall

beside the doors.

'What if the power fails, or we flood?' the Doctor

asked as Gisella typed in a code.

'The doors automatically close and lock if the

power goes off,' she said. 'There's a hydraulic pump

you can work by hand to open them again. The

same code opens the combination lock on it.'

The massive metals doors were swinging slowly

open. Private Lenk was standing on the other

side of them. He looked relieved that they had

finally arrived.

'Everything's powered up,' Lenk said.

Gisella hurried past him into the control room

beyond. 'Then let's see what's going on.'

The Green Area was dominated by a huge metal

cylinder that stood in the middle. The Doctor

knew it was the containment vessel for the nuclear

reactor housed inside. There were control consoles

and computer terminals all round the room. Most

of them were blank and silent. But Gisella was

already at one of the active terminals.

T h e D o c t o r hurried to j o i n her. ' H o w are

we doing?'

'Not good. Look — the Blaska are still inside

the base.'

Gisella had a schematic plan of the base open

on the screen — similar to the one the Doctor had

worked on in the Machine Room. She pointed to

where a door had been opened — a door that was

not on the Doctor's path to Airlock 2.

'Why have they gone that way?' the Doctor

wondered.

'Are they looking for us?' Strova asked, looking

over Gisella's shoulder at the screen.

As they watched, another door failed. The symbol

blinked and went out.

'They're heading for the living quarters,' Gisella said.

'But they can't know that,' the Doctor pointed

out. 'They don't have a plan of the base. Oh, they

might be able to sense its form, maybe using sonar

or echo-sounding or something. They might work

out the shape of the corridors and rooms. But they

don't know what you use them for.'

'Can they sense us?' Rodoff asked nervously.

'If they can, then we're toast,' Hank said glumly.

'Don't be daft,' the Doctor retorted. 'How can

we be toast? They'd need a toaster — a very big

toaster. A toaster the size of...' He looked round,

trying to decide how big a toaster it would actually

have to be. As he did so, he caught sight of the

huge containment vessel in front of them. Ah,' the

Doctor said. 'I see. Yes, you're right. They come to

get us, and this whole place is probably toast. Good

point,' he added. 'Not terribly uplifting, but good.

That'll beyour realism taking charge again.'

'So what's the plan?' Lenk asked. We just wait

here to get toasted or drowned? Is there anything

we can do? That's what I want to know.'

The Doctor tapped his sonic screwdriver against

his chin as he watched the readings on the screen.

'What I want to know is,' he said quietly, 'what's that?'

He pointed with the sonic screwdriver at a readout.

Gisella frowned, working at the controls. 'That's

the pressure of the water above us. It's changing.

Like there's something pressing down on it.'

Captain Strova was working at one of the other

consoles. 'I've got a collision alarm,' she called

urgently. 'There's something heading straight for us!'

'Another Blaska?' the Doctor asked, running

over to join her.

'No, wrong shape. It's not organic, not an animal.

Heavy, solid...' She checked another reading. And

going to hit the base in five seconds.'

' H o l d on tight!' the D o c t o r shouted. He

grabbed the control console in front of him and

braced himself.

E v e r y o n e else w a s h o l d i n g tight t o the

nearest fixed object — control consoles, safety

rails, bulkheads.

Then it hit.

The whole room shook. The floor seemed to

drop away for a second. The walls shuddered. The

ceiling creaked ominously.

'There's more coming,' Strova shouted. 'Smaller.

Like pieces of something.'

The Doctor was braced at the console, studying

the readings. 'Hydrogen-oxygen mixture,' he read

aloud. 'That can't be right. It's water.'

'That was never water,' Gisella told him.

'Oh yes it was. Frozen water. Ice!'

The room shook again, but less violently this time.

'Ice?' Hank said. 'But ice floats.'

'That's right,' the Doctor agreed. 'But a whole

section of the ice shelf above us just sheared off. It

fell into the water and its weight carried it down

this deep.' He pointed to a readout. 'Look, its rising

again now

'But what could make that happen?' Lenk

wanted to know. 'Is it just the warming, or what?'

The Doctor shook his head. 'Something hit the ice

from above. Something heavy knocked into it and

forced it down.'

They were all looking up at the ceiling of the

room as the Doctor spoke.

'There's something up there,' he said.

The Doctor was keen to go on his own, but Gisella

insisted. Strova wanted to come too, but Gisella

ordered her to stay with the others.

'We can't survive up there in the cold for more

than a few hours. And I want you down here, in

case the Blaska find us.'

It was odd, the Doctor thought, to see a little girl

giving orders to an experienced solder. But then,

the Doctor reminded himself, there was more to

Gisella than there seemed. A lot more. Something

to discuss on the journey up to the surface.

It would have been easier and quicker to take

the TARDIS. But it was on the other side of the

base, and he didn't fancy trying to sneak past

the angry Blaska that were still making their way

towards the living quarters. There was a method in

their progress — it was deliberate, planned. What

were they doing? One problem at a time, he told

himself. For now, whatever was happening on the

surface was more important.

'Maybe it's a rescue ship,' Hank suggested in a

rare moment of optimism.

'They'd have signalled,' Rodoff said.

'Maybe they did,' Lenk told him. 'We've been

kind of busy with other things.'

Hank led the Doctor and Gisella round the

cylindrical containment vessel until they arrived at

what looked like sliding lift doors.

'Elevator?' the Doctor asked.

'Pressure capsule,' Hank said. He frowned. 'But

you know that — you came down in one, surely.'

The Doctor grinned. 'Of course. Sealed box with

double doors on the front. Absolutely that's how

I got here.' He stepped inside. 'Coming, Gisella?

Heading for the top floor, I assume.'

The controls were like buttons in an elevator.

The top one was marked 'Surface' and the Doctor

pressed it. The doors closed, and he felt the floor

judder under his feet. A small screen showed the

capsule as a yellow blob, moving slowly up from an

image of the base towards a line that represented

the surface.

'Going up,' the Doctor said happily. 'How long

will it take?'

'A few minutes,' Gisella replied.

'Time for a chat, then. So — how long have you

been here on the base?'

'Long enough.'

The Doctor nodded. 'That long? I ask, because -

well, a couple of reasons really.'

'Such as?'

'Such as, I think you know more about Varlos

than you're letting on.'

Gisella didn't reply for a moment. Then she said:

'That's only one reason.'

'Another would be that I've never heard of

Adulescentia Perpetuus. I don't believe there's any

such condition.'

Gisella's expression didn't change. 'Like Strova

said, I'm unique. The only one of my kind.'

'Something else you and I have in common,'

the Doctor said. 'So tell me about Varlos. I came

here to find him. I need his help, and I think he

needs mine.'

'And you think I can help you find him?'

'Can you?'

Gisella opened her mouth to reply. But at that

moment, the capsule slowed and stopped. The

doors slid slowly open.

The capsule had emerged from the ice and

was standing on the surface rather like a small,

square, metal hut. Snow was blowing across the icy

landscape. But even through the snow, the Doctor

and Gisella could see at once what had made the

ice collapse and fall.

The Dreadbringers

Standing on the ice, braced and supported by

enormous metal struts that stuck out like legs

from its side, was what looked like a cathedral.

It was made of stone so pale it looked like bone. The

shape was almost lost against the snow and ice. A

central tower rose high into the cold air. Windows

of toughened glass, braced with metal were dark

against the stonework.

'What is it?' Gisella asked.

'Trouble,' the Doctor said quietly.

At the front of the structure was a huge door.

As the Doctor and Gisella watched it swing down,

crashing on to the ice. Moments later, a line of

figures emerged. They marched from the cathedral-

like spaceship in a well-disciplined line. They were

tall, broad-shouldered figures wearing dark cloaks

over their battle armour. The leading figure had the

hood of his cloak pushed back, to reveal the black,

angular helmet that covered his head. He held a

long staff, and the breastplate of his armour was

emblazoned with a crimson shield struck through

with a dark flame.

'What are they?' Gisella said. 'What are they

doing here?'

As she spoke, the leading figure turned slowly

towards them, looking out across the icy landscape

to where the Doctor and Gisella were standing just

inside the capsule.

'They're Dreadbringers,' the Doctor said. And

they're here for me.'

The leading Dreadbringer raised the staff he was

holding, and pointed it at the Doctor and Gisella.

Even at a distance, the Doctor could see the end of

the staff glow a livid red.

He pushed Gisella to one side. A moment later

the back of the capsule behind them exploded.

The smoke cleared, leaving a black stain across

the metal.

'Time we were going,' the Doctor said, stabbing

at the control buttons with his index finger.

The doors closed agonisingly slowly. Another bolt

of energy hammered into them before they were

fully shut, the sound echoing round the capsule.

The last thing the Doctor saw before the doors

came together was another line of Dreadbringers

marching from their stone ship.

'We'll be safe in the base,' Gisella said. Then she

saw the Doctor's expression. 'Won't we? I mean,

they can't get down through the water.'

'They got down through the atmosphere,' the

Doctor said. 'Not that I think they'll bring their

whole great big stone spaceship down through

the water.'

As he spoke he was working with the sonic

screwdriver, aiming it at the small screen that

showed the position of the capsule as it dropped

slowly back towards the base. The image flickered

and several more yellow blobs appeared. They were

above the capsule, but dropping more quickly.

'They've brought their own pressure capsules,'

Gisella realized.

The Doctor nodded. 'The question is, who's

going to get down to the base first — us or them?

We're in the lead, but they're going faster.'

He worked the sonic screwdriver again, and the

speed and distances appeared next to their own

capsule and the Dreadbringer capsule that was

closest to them.

'Well,' said Gisella, 'there's your answer. Who

are these Dreadbringers?'

'They're the military and law enforcement arm

of a people called the Darksmith Collective, from

the planet Karagula.' The Doctor was watching

Gisella carefully as he spoke. 'You've heard of the

Darksmiths, I'm sure.'

'Have I?'

The Doctor sighed. 'Oh, stop playing games.

We're neither of us children, despite appearances.

So stop being so childish. You know full well who

the Darkmsiths are, and I think you know why

they've sent the Dreadbringers.'

Gisella turned away. 'Yes,' she said quietly.

'They've sent them to get me.'

'Exactly,' the Doctor nodded. Then he paused.

'To...what? No, no, no — why do you think that?

Why would they want you? It's me they want.

They're after the ...' He stopped. 'Never mind,' he

said. 'You really think they're after you?'

Gisella turned back, and the Doctor could see

how scared she looked suddenly. 'Does it matter?

Whichever of us they want, they'll tear the Base

apart to find us. And we've got just one minute

from when we arrive back in the Green Area

before the first Dreadbringer capsule docks with

the same airlocks.'

The Doctor brandished his sonic screwdriver.

'Unless we can stop them docking somehow.'

'You really think you can stop them?' Gisella

asked.

'I think we have to try.'

Captain Strova. Privates Lenk and Rodoff and

Hank were all waiting outside the capsule as the

doors slid open.

'The Blaska are still heading for the living

area,' Strova explained, her voice filtered through

the mask, but still clear. And there's something

following you down.'

'We know,' Gisella said.

'Well, whoever they are, they might try to force

their way in.'

'They will,' the Doctor said grimly.

'Then you'd better get kitted up,' Strova told him,

pointing to two more sets of breathing apparatus.

Gisella started to put hers on, but the Doctor

ignored the masks and tanks and ran to the nearest

control console. 'I'm sealing the airlocks shut,' he

said. 'It won't keep them out, but it might slow

them down.'

As he spoke there was the sound of a muffled

explosion from somewhere outside.

'Or not,' Hank said.

'Back to your gloomy self, then?' the Doctor

said. 'That's good to see. Right then...' He turned

to face the others. 'There is a way out of here. The

way I came in.' He held up his hand to stop them

interrupting. 'Not a pressure capsule, well, not

really. The problem is it's here...'

The Doctor pointed to the storage area where

the TARDIS had landed.

'That's pretty close to where the Blaska are,' Lenk

pointed out.

The Doctor nodded. 'And we can be sure the

Dreadbringers will be close behind us, too.' He

looked meaningfully at Gisella. 'Whatever they are

actually after, we can assume they'll follow us. So

let's not waste time debating it, and get going.'

'There's a service stairway here,' Rodoff said,

showing the Doctor on the plan. 'We can get to it

through the access corridor outside.'

'So what are we waiting for?' Captain Strova

demanded. She had opened an upright locker close

to the door, and she took out a large gun shaped

like a futuristic rifle.

'I'm not taking a gun,' the Doctor told her. 'I

never carry weapons.'

'That's fine,' Strova said. 'Because I'm not offering

you one.'

There was another explosion, this time from

much closer. The wall close to the pressure

capsule was glowing a deep red. As they all

watched, a section of the metal peeled away and

slid to the floor.

'The Dreadbringers are breaking through,'

Gisella said.

With a tremendous crash, the exposed wall

behind the missing section exploded. Smoke and

flame erupted into the room, and the first of the

Dreadbringers leaped through.

Out of the

Frying Pan...

Before the smoke had cleared, the Doctor

was making a final adjustment at one of the

consoles. Then he was running with everyone

else for the huge lead-lined doors.

Strova hit the opening code, and the doors began

to swing open. An energy blast smashed into the

wall close by, blowing out chunks of metal. As soon

as there was room, Strova pushed Gisella through

the gap between the opening doors. Lenk, Hank

and Rodoff followed.

The Doctor waited for Strova, but she pushed

him ahead of her, then turned and fired a long

burst of energy from her gun. She didn't wait to see

what effect it had, but dived after the Doctor.

On the other side of the doors, the Doctor was

using his sonic screwdriver on the number pad.

It exploded in a shower of sparks, and the doors

swung rapidly shut again.

'What are you doing?' Hank asked.

'Sorry, making work for you I expect. I told the

systems that the reactor was about to explode. It's

closed off the area. Should keep the Dreadbringers

shut in for a bit.'

'And what do we do now?' Rodoff said. 'We've

got monsters rampaging through the base, and

alien soldiers behind us.'

The Doctor led the way at a brisk walk. 'Before we

left,' he explained, 'I opened a few of the watertight

doors between the Blaska and the living area.'

'You let them through?' Strova was appalled. 'Why?

'Because that way they didn't have to break

through the doors. And once they were through I

closed them again.'

'Good thinking,' Gisella said.

'Why?' Lenk asked. 'He's just let the monsters

through.'

'But he stopped the base from flooding,' Gisella

told him. 'The Doctor let the Blaska through, and

the area filled with water from the ocean outside.

But then he closed the watertight doors behind

them. So the only water that can get to the living

area is what was trapped between those doors.'

'Maybe the Blaska can only live in the water,'

Hank said.

'Careful, you're getting optimistic again.' The

Doctor thought of the enormous Blaska that had

tried to drag the TARDIS below the ice when he

first arrived. 'I think they'll be quite happy without

being submerged. Sorry about that.'

They paused to open a watertight door. Once

they were all through, the Doctor closed it again

behind them. He worked the sonic screwdriver,

locking the door so it couldn't be opened from the

other side.

'So where are we going?' Strova demanded as

they set off along the next section of corridor.

'Storage bay close to the living area. Where you

first found me, Hank. There's something there we

need if we're going to get out of here alive.'

F r o m b e h i n d t h e m c a m e the s o u n d of a

tremendous explosion. The whole base shook under

the force of the blast. The sound slowly died away.

'I think we should hurry,' the Doctor said.

'That'll be the Dreadbringers, and I doubt if

they're very happy with us for locking them in

the reactor area.'

Hank knew the base better than any of them, and

led the way up through the levels and across towards

the living area. Behind them, they could all hear the

rumble of explosions as the Dreadbringers blasted

their way through the doors the Doctor had locked

to slow them down.

'Nearly there,' Hank announced. 'If we can get

through the next section, we can cut through the

Art Gallery'

'You have an art gallery?' the Doctor asked.

'Sort of. You remember those pieces that Rodoff

found in the cave?' Gisella said.

'Ornaments. Extruded volcanic sediment or

whatever it was. You had it dotted about in the

living area,' the Doctor recalled.

'I thought we might be able to sell it on Minima.

Decorative objects, sculptures, whatever,' Rodoff

explained. All profits put back into the research

we're doing here, of course.'

'If we ever get out of here,' Lenk added.

'Anyway,' Strova said, 'there's a load of it stored

in what we call the Art Gallery.'

'A trip that's educational and cultural as well as

deadly dangerous,' the Doctor said. lust my sort of

thing. Can't wait. Allons-y!'

They hurried to open the next door, aware that

the sounds of explosions were getting steadily and

rapidly closer.

'What do these Dreadbringers want?' Strova

asked. 'Why are they here?'

The Doctor and Gisella exchanged glances. 'I'm

afraid they're after me,' the Doctor said.

'Oh great,' Hank told him.

'So why are we running?' Lenk wondered.

'Because to get to me, they'll kill anyone and

anything that gets in their way,' the Doctor said.

'You can't be a passive observer and just watch

where the Dreadbringers are concerned. They'll rip

this place apart to get me, and never mind who else

dies as a result.'

'But once they've got you,' Rodoff said slowly,

'would they just leave?'

The Doctor stared at him. 'They might,' he said

calmly. 'Or they might not. I for one don't want to

find out. Do you?'

Rodoff looked away.

'Let's get this door open,' Gisella said. She helped

Strova with the locking wheel.

The door opened suddenly and quickly. A tide

of murky water rushed through.

'Shut it!' Hank yelled.

But the Doctor was shaking his head. 'No, no,

no. It's OK. There's not much.'

He was right. The water sloshed across the floor,

but it was soon only a few millimetres deep, like a

shallow puddle.

'Looks like your plan with the doors worked,

Doctor,' Gisella said.

'Looks like it did,' he agreed happily.

They hurried along the corridor, pausing

only so the Doctor could close and seal the door

behind them.

'The Art Gallery is just along here,' Hank said as

they approached a junction with another corridor.

But before he had finished speaking, there was

an echoing squeal of sound. Something huge and

slimy slid round the end of the other corridor,

blocking the way. A tentacle shot out, knocking

Lenk off his feet. Strova yelled in surprise and

loosed off a rapid series of energy bolts.

The tentacle whipped back. But not for long.

Almost immediately, several more started to snake

along the corridor.

'Back the way we came?' Hank suggested.

'Slight problem,' the Doctor said. 'I just locked

and sealed the door, we're trapped.'

'Can't you unseal it?' Gisella said.

'If I had time.'

A Blaska was heaving itself down the corridor

towards them now Tentacles reached out, probing

the air. Strova fired again, but after just one long

energy burst, the gun stuttered to a halt.

'Out of charge,' she complained. In frustration

she threw the gun at the nearest tentacle.

The tentacle curled round the weapon, squeezing

and bending it, until the gun snapped in half with

a sound like a stick breaking.

'The only way is back,' Rodoff pointed out.

'You'll have to work fast, Doctor.'

They turned and ran back down the corridor.

But before they reached the door, smoke started

to curl round its edges.

'Down!' the Doctor yelled.

They all hurled themselves to the floor, just as

the door at the end of the corridor exploded in

flames. Dreadbringers leaped through, bringing up

their long, thin weapons.

Behind the Doctor and his friends, tentacles

lashed out, slamming into the walls and floor.

'What now?' Gisella shouted above the noise.

'Now we die,' Hank told her. 'There's nowhere

left to run.'

...Into the Fire

They were caught between the Dreadbringers

at one end of the corridor, and the Blaska

advancing from the other.

'There's always somewhere to run,' the Doctor

said. 'I'm an expert at running — trust me, I know.'

'Trust you?' Rodoff said incredulously. 'It's

because of you that we're in this mess.'

'Excuse me?' the Doctor shot back. 'It's because

of me that you're still alive.' He pointed at the

advancing Dreadbringers. 'They might be here

because of me.' He turned and pointed at the

tentacles writhing along the corridor from the

other direction. 'But they're not. Without me

you'd have drowned.'

'Doesn't matter how we die,' Hank said. 'Not

really. Because it's going to happen.'

'Not on my watch,' the Doctor insisted. 'I just

need to find a piece of wall where the metal has

been weakened.'

They had been lucky so far, hidden in the smoke

from the exploding door. But the smoke was

clearing. The Dreadbringers would see them any

moment, if the powerful tentacles of the Blaska

didn't grab and crush them first.

The first Dreadbringers were advancing

cautiously along the corridor. They could hear the

shrieks and squeals of the Blaska, and fired into the

smoke. The wall close to the Doctor blackened and

charred and dripped molten metal.

'That'll do it,' the Doctor announced. 'Everyone

get down.' He had his sonic screwdriver out and

aimed it at the blackened section of wall. Where

the metal had melted and peeled away, rivets and

fixing screws were visible — holding the section of

corridor in place. 'Can you keep the Dreadbringers

back for a bit?' the Doctor asked Strova.

She smiled down at him with grim satisfaction.

'No need. I think they've upset our Blaska friend.'

The energy blasts from the Dreadbringers'

weapons scythed down the corridor. Apart from

the shot that had hit the wall close to the Doctor,

the Dreadbringers were aiming down the middle

— hoping their blasts w o u l d catch anyone

trying to escape. What they actually hit was the

approaching Blaska.

The creature roared and screeched in pain

and anger. Tentacles lashed out, slamming down

the corridor at the source of its pain. The first

Dreadbringer ran straight into one of the larger

tentacles, and was knocked off his feet. Moments

later, another tentacle wrapped round his leg,

dragging him rapidly down the corridor.

The Dreadbringer gave a scream of surprise

and fear. He was firing his staff-like weapon at

the tentacle. The Blaska's flesh blackened and

scorched, but it held on. More tentacles wrapped

round the Dreadbringer, slowly crushing the life

from him. There was an ominous crack as his

battle armour gave way.

The other Dreadbringers were hanging back

now, uncertain what lay ahead. Through the

clearing smoke they had caught a confused view of

tentacles and the bulbous body of the Blaska. Now

they regrouped, preparing to fire a concentrated

volley of blasts at whatever was attacking them.

'This would be thrilling,' Gisella said, 'if we

weren't caught in the middle of it.'

'Not for much longer,' the Doctor told her as

he worked. One of the fixing screws fell from the

wall, then another. Rivets popped out and scattered

across the corridor.

'I think we can pull it away,' Strova said. She

gestured for Lenk and Rodoff to help her. Together

they heaved at the large metal plate. It pulled away

from the wall slightly, but not enough.

'There's still something holding it in place,'

Rodoff gasped as he strained with the effort.

'Magnetic clamps,' Hanks said. He pulled a

small device from the pocket of his overalls. 'Here,

let me.'

Hank ran the device along each side of the plate.

As he did so, the magnetics holding the plate in

place shut off and it peeled away from the wall.

Behind it was darkness.

But the Doctor didn't hesitate. 'Right — all of

you get inside.' He pushed Gisella through first.

The corridor was alive with energy bursts now

They seared into the Blaska's tentacles and body,

and the smoke thickened and darkened.

The Doctor was the last through the hole they'd

made in the wall. He dragged the metal plate back

into place, and Hank reset the magnetics to hold

the metal plate securely.

'With luck, they'll never realize what happened,'

the Doctor said.

'Maybe they won't even realize we were ever

there,' Lenk said.

'Not sure we'll get that lucky.' The Doctor

worked his sonic screwdriver again, the light

illuminating the room they were in. 'Where are

we?' he wondered.

'Welcome to the Art Gallery,' Gisella said.

The Doctor looked round. They were in a large

storage area, filled with free-standing shelves. Most

of the shelves held boxes and crates, folders and

files. But one whole section, close to where they

were standing, had been turned into a display.

The shelves in this display section held pieces

of the coral-like volcanic rock. There must have

been a hundred pieces, varying in shape and size.

They were also different colours — some dull, others

startlingly bright.

'This must have taken you a while to collect,'

the Doctor said. He put on his glasses and looked

carefully along one of the shelves, examining the

different pieces.

'We all brought back odd bits from survey

missions outside,' Lenk said.

'Then Rodoff found this cave that was full of the

stuff,' Strova added.

'I was fixing new probes,' Rodoff explained.

'When I was done, I just filled the buggy with the

stuff. Like I said, I think people will pay a lot for it.'

The Doctor was nodding thoughtfully. 'Then

the Blaska started to get nasty, that right?'

'I guess so.'

'What are you thinking, Doctor?' Gisella asked.

The Doctor shrugged. 'I'm not sure.' He stood

very still for a moment, listening. 'I'm thinking it's

got very quiet outside, though.'

They all stood listening. 'Have they gone?' Hank

wondered. 'The Blaska and those soldier things?'

The Doctor sniffed. 'Doubt it.' He took out the

stethoscope he kept in his jacket pocket and went

back to the section of wall where they had come in.

He pressed the end of the stethoscope against the

wall and listened through the earpieces.

'Anything?' Gisella asked.

'I think the Blaska has moved away,' the Doctor

said. 'But there's something happening out there.

Time we were going, I think.'

'The door's over here,' Hank called from the

other side of the Art Gallery display area. 'Your

storage area is just through the next section.'

'If we ever make it,' Lenk muttered.

'Doctor!' Strova called urgently. 'The wall — it's

getting hot!'

Behind her, a whole section of the wall was

glowing red. As the Doctor watched, it started to

blister and bubble. 'The Dreadbringers are burning

their way in,' he realized.

'They've worked out where we went,' Rodoff said.

'Or they're just trying to find a way to get round

the Blaska,' the Doctor pointed out.

'Let's get going, then,' Gisella told them.

The Doctor hurried after the others towards the

door. But as he passed the display of volcanic rocks,

he paused. A thought struck him, and he put the

stethoscope back in his ears, pressed the end to one

of the pieces of rock.

'Come on, Doctor!' Captain Strova shouted.

'No, no, hang on — this could be important.'

'It's just a rock,' Rodoff insisted. 'I carried it here

myself. They're all just rocks,' he said as the Doctor

moved on to press his stethoscope to another one.

'Really? Is that what you think?' The Doctor was

folding up his stethoscope thoughtfully. 'If it's just

a rock, why's it got a heartbeat?'

'What?!' Gisella said. Are you sure?'

T h e D o c t o r w a s staring at the r o c k he'd

just been listening to. 'I don't need to be sure.

Look.' he pointed, and they could 'all see that

the rock was moving. It was shuddering on the

shelf. One of the nodules on the side cracked

and fell away. Something was pushing its way

through from inside.

The back wall of the room was bright orange,

molten metal running down it and pooling on the

floor as the Dreadbringers burned their way in.

There was a sudden thud from the main door

close to where Strova and Hank were standing. The

metal bulged inwards. The tip of a tentacle forced

its way through, pushing the door open to reveal

the hideous Blaska on the other side.

But everyone's attention was now on the lump

of strangely-shaped rock. The outside was cracking

and falling away like an eggshell. And a mass of

tiny tentacles forced their way out.

The Hatching

'It's an egg,' Gisella realized. 'They're all eggs.

Blaska eggs.'

'Which is why the Blaska want them so badly,'

the Doctor said. 'They're just protecting their

children. Now these eggs can sense that mummy

and daddy are close by.'

The creature in the doorway was forcing its way

into the room with its tentacles stretched out. They

rippled and curled across the floor and through the

air, searching out the lumps of rock that were really

eggs, and gently stroking them.

'Checking the kids are all right,' the Doctor

murmured.

'Which is more than we are,' Captain Strova

said. 'Look!'

She pointed to the back wall of the room. The

whole of one section had been burned away, and

through the growing hole the dark shapes of the

Dreadbringers were clearly visible.

'You know what we need?' the Doctor said.

'Surprise us,' Lenk told him.

'A huge big gun?' Rodoff suggested.

'Divine intervention,' Hank muttered, jumping to

one side to avoid being swiped by a Blaska tentacle.

'We need a plan,' the Doctor told them. 'A really

good plan. A genius plan that's so clever it's got its

own TV chat show. And you know what?' he went

on, 'I just happen to have that plan.'

The first Dreadbringer was pushing his way

through the hole in the wall. He raised his staff.

The end glowed red.

'It had better be a quick plan,' Strova said.

'Quick as this,' the Doctor told her. He grabbed

the nearby Blaska egg that was already hatching.

The thin tentacles twisted and curled as the small

Blaska inside tried to push its way out. It was

making a high-pitched squealing sound that was

almost drowned out by the noise of the adult

creature searching for it. But the adult seemed to

hear or sense it, and a tentacle whipped across the

room towards the Doctor.

Before the tentacle reached him, the Doctor

turned and threw the baby Blaska and its egg at the

advancing Dreadbringer.

'Here, catch!'

Surprised, the Dreadbringer instinctively

caught it. His staff deflected as he m o v e d ,

the energy bolt burning into the ceiling. The

Dreadbringer stared down at the wriggling

creature in its gauntleted hand. D a r k eyes

glistened behind the visor of its helmet.

A moment later, a massive tentacle slammed

into the Dreadbringer, knocking him back

against the wall.

The Blaska was rolling forwards, squelching

across the room to save its child. The Doctor was

rolling more of the strange eggs across the floor

towards the Dreadbringers now advancing into the

room. Then he pressed himself back against the side

wall, shouting for everyone else to do the same.

As soon as the Blaska was past them, they ran for

the door. Behind them they could hear the shrieks

of the Blaska, the cries of the Dreadbringers, the

sound of energy bolts and the high-pitched wails

of the hatching Blaska babies.

'Where to now?' Hank demanded as soon as

they were out of the room.

'There will be more Blaska on their way,' the

Doctor said. 'They must be able to sense their

eggs.' He turned to Rodoff. 'You should never

have taken them!'

Rodoff looked pale. 'I didn't know,' he said.

'How could I have known?'

'Humans!' the Doctor snapped. 'You just have

to interfere, don't you. Can't leave well alone.

Taking things that aren't yours.' He hesitated. 'Or

am I thinking of someone else there. Never mind.

Right, we have to get rid of the Dreadbringers

before they harm the Blaska. Those creatures are

just trying to rescue and protect their young. They

don't deserve this.'

'Your storage area is just along there,' Hank said,

pointing along the corridor.

And the main living area is back this way,' Strova

told them.

'Good. Next part of the plan,' the Doctor said.

'You lot get to the living area. Seal yourselves in.

Make sure it's completely airtight, watertight and

everything else tight.'

'Where are you going?' Gisella wanted to know.

'I'm going to open the outer airlock doors.'

'Bt that'll flood the whole base,' Lenk said.

And flush out the Dreadbringers. The Blaska

and their young can swim away and go home.

The Dreadbringers will evacuate. And they won't

come back.'

'Why not? Strova asked.

'Because what they're after won't be here any

more, that's why.'

Hank was shaking his head. 'There's no way you

can open those outer doors. They're deadlock sealed

and you need remote authorisation.'

'What sort of authorisation?'

'Eye pattern, from one of the senior crew,'

Strova said.

'And the only remote systems are in the Machine

Room. You'll never get back there.'

'I could open the door myself, by hand,' the

Doctor said.

'You could,' Gisella told him. 'But you'd drown.'

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. 'Good point.

Probably best to find another way if possible then.

How are the main systems in the Machine Room

connected to the airlock doors, Hank?'

'Encoded wireless network protocol, why?'

The Doctor grinned. 'Because I have some

equipment of my own that can hack into that.'

'If you had an eye print,' Gisella pointed out.

'True.' The Doctor pointed at Strova. 'You,

get everyone to the living area and seal it of He

turned to Gisella. And as you're the most senior

person here, I'm guessing your eye print will do the

trick. So you'd better come with me.'

Gisella looked round the TARDIS control room in

surprise. 'It's so big!'

'Clever isn't it?' the Doctor said. He hurried to

the controls.

'What's that hammer for?' Gisella asked as she

joined him.

'Oh sometimes I have to make very delicate

adjustments, and sometimes I have to be rather

more heavy handed,' the Doctor grinned. 'The

hammer's for the delicate work.' He turned his

attention to the screen over the controls. 'Here we

are, I'm accessing the wireless systems.'

'You can just hack in?'

'Well, there are some security systems we have to

get through.' He turned the screen so she could see

too. Any idea what the solutions to these protocol

questions are?'

'The security system was devised by Varlos,'

Gisella said. 'It's a logical sequence. In each case

you have to set the switch to the next position in

the sequence.'

'I can see that,' the Doctor said. His hands

blurred as he worked rapidly at the TARDIS

controls. 'That look right to you?' he asked as he

completed the last sequence.

'It does.'

The Doctor pressed a button. The screen cleared,

and a new image appeared. It was a picture of an

eye, with the instruction:

Provide Valid Eye Print To Proceed

'Looks like it's your turn,' the Doctor told Gisella.

He showed her a small camera close to the screen.

'Just look into this. It'll take a little while to upload

the image of your eye.'

While they waited, Gisella staring unblinking

into the camera, the Doctor adjusted various

TARDIS controls.

'So Varlos set up the systems. You seem to know

a lot about him. Maybe there's a logical reason why

you'd know so much, just as it was logical to set the

first switch to point to the left, the second to point

straight up, and the third to point to the bottom

right corner.'

'What do you mean?' Gisella asked.

'I just mean, that I think you know a lot more

about Varlos than you are telling me.'

The TARDIS gave a ping, and the screen changed

again. This time, it said:

Access Granted

'It will only take a m i n u t e to give it the

instructions to open the airlocks,' the Doctor said.

Let's hope Captain Strova and the others are ready

and safe in the living area.'

As he finished speaking, the TARDIS shuddered.

The Doctor worked a control, and part of the

screen changed to show the storage area outside the

TARDIS. A group of Dreadbringers were firing

their weapons straight at the screen — straight at

the TARDIS.

'We may not have a minute,' Gisella said. 'The

Dreadbringers are trying to get in!'

Taken at the Flood

The Doctor calmly watched the Dreadbringers

firing at the TARDIS.

'Don't worry,' he said. 'They'll never get

through that door. That door will keep out an army

of Pyroviles, never mind a few Dreadbringers.'

'Maybe so, but we're trapped in here now,'

Gisella said.

'We'll be trapped by the water soon.' The

Doctor had already completed the final sequence

to open the outer airlocks. The TARDIS screen

was showing a countdown over the images of the

Dreadbringers outside:

10

'Let me open a communication link to the living

area,' the Doctor said.

9

'If Strova and the others aren't there yet, we can

hold the countdown till they're safe.'

8

The TARDIS beeped as he opened the link.

7

'Captain Strova? Are you there? Can you hear

me?' the Doctor asked.

6

There was silence from the other end.

5

'Maybe we should wait,' Gisella said. The

TARDIS lurched again.

4

Then a crackly voice said: 'This is Captain Strova.

We can hear you loud and clear.'

3

'Thank goodness,' Gisella said. Are you ready?

We're about to open the airlocks.'

2

'You'd better hurry up. There's a group of

Dreadbringers outside, trying to get in.'

1

'Just give me a second,' the Doctor said.

0 — Outer Airlocks Opening

'There you go.'

Even inside the TARDIS, they could hear the

distant rumble of the water flooding into the

base. The Doctor could imagine it forcing its way

through the airlocks — icy cold water crashing into

the base, rushing along the corridors and through

the rooms and storage areas.

A schematic plan of the base appeared on the

screen. It showed the progress of the water flooding

through. It showed the Blaska as small unidentified

life-blips. A mass of tiny dots surrounded the three

creatures — the eggs and hatching children.

'The Blaska are leaving,' Gisella said, pointing.

The life-blips were moving back towards the

incoming water, making for the open airlocks.

'They've got what they came for,' the Doctor

said. 'Which is more than the Dreadbringers

can say.'

He flipped the screen back to the view of the

storage area outside. A sudden cascade of water was

crashing through the doors. The TARDIS rocked

under the impact. The Dreadbringers were swept

aside. There was a confused image of their bodies

being swept away in the tide of foaming water.

'Will they drown?'

The Doctor shook his head. 'Their battle armour

has built in life-support. Works in space, so it'll

work under water. They have some way of detecting

this, even when it's held in stasis.'

He pointed to a small metal box at the side of

the console.

'What is it?'

'A Crystal.'

Gisella's eyes widened. 'The Eternity Crystal!'

The Doctor watched her carefully. 'You know

about it?'

'A little. Just what Varlos told me.'

'You actually met Varlos?'

'A long time ago. Like I told you, I'm older

than I look.'

'You must be,' the Doctor said. 'I need to find

Varlos, I need him to tell me how I can destroy this

Crystal rather than let the Darksmiths get it back.

Will you help me?'

Gisella frowned. 'You'd let me come with you?

To find Varlos?'

The Doctor nodded. 'If you tell me how you

know him. If you tell me the truth — about Varlos

and about the Eternity Crystal. Deal?'

'Hey Doctor!' Strova's voice came over the

TARDIS speakers. 'You OK?'

The Doctor didn't look away from Gisella.

'I'm fine,' he said. 'We're both fine. H o w are

you lot doing?'

'All OK,' Strova reported. 'Rodoff says he's

sorry about the Blaska, and Lenk says he's right to

be sorry.'

'Good. And how's Hank?'

'He's complaining about the mess and all the

repairs he'll have to do.'

'Sounds like he's all right, too. The Blaska have

gone, and so have the Dreadbringers. I'll close

the airlocks and pump the water out. Then Hank

can get started. Oh, and Gisella has something

to tell you.'

While the Doctor sorted out the airlocks and the

pumps, Gisella told Strova she was leaving with the

Doctor. She said a tearful goodbye, and promised

she'd come back and see how they were doing soon.

'You're in charge till I get back.'

'Yes, Ma'am,' Strova said. 'And Doctor —

thank you.'

'So where are we going, Gisella?' The Doctor was

circling the TARDIS console, a manic bundle

of energy and pinstripes j a b b i n g out at the

occasional switch and lever. 'Where can we find

Varlos, then?'

Gisella was looking round, still in awe and

amazement at the impossibly huge room. 'He

went to Earth,' she said at last. 'I can give you the

exact location.'

'And how would you know that?'

'He was going into retirement. He'd had enough

of the Darksmiths and their plotting, scheming

ways. He was scared of the Eternity Crystal,

terrified of what he had created, and he knew he

had to hide it away until he could work out how

to destroy it. We managed to escape, and Varlos

brought me here.'

The Doctor was surprised. 'You escaped too?

From the Darksmiths? All those years ago?'

Gisella nodded. 'Varlos brought me here, to hide

me like the Crystal. He wanted me far away, but

he wanted the Crystal close enough that he could

recover it when he knew how to destroy it.'

'But why would he hide you?' The Doctor

was confused. 'Who are you, Gisella? Who are

you really?'

Gislla sighed. 'I'm sorry Doctor, I really am.

But Varlos must have been dead for years. He left

me here so long ago, and he was very old even then.

I miss him so much. You see — I'm his daughter.'

To Be Continued...