Doctor Who: Mission to Magnus by Philip Martin

Author:Philip Martin
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, mobi
Tags: Science-Fiction:Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780426203476
Publisher: Carol Pub Group
Published: 1990-08-14T10:00:00+00:00

8

The Doctor, Peri and Vion had travelled northwards, finding the temperature becoming ever colder as they advanced. Now the walls had turned into the pale blue of solid ice. Silently they paused to examine the smooth walls and to survey the widening ice tunnel that loomed ahead of them. Vion was the first to speak.

‘This is a new excavation. I’m sure the tunnel ended about here. This ice section is new.’

‘Why is it so large?’ asked Peri, rubbing arms covered in goose bumps.

‘Yes.’ Vion added. ‘It’s much larger than the rock passage behind.’

‘Let’s find out,’ the Doctor said and strode down into the corridor of solid ice.

Hurrying along at speed, trying to keep warm, Peri became aware of a shifting in the structure of the ice around them. ‘Doctor, is this safe?’

‘Bit of pressure, that’s all.’

‘I’m freezing.’

‘That’ll be the ice, I expect.’

Before Peri could give a retort there was a loud crack from directly above them. ‘Let’s go back!’ Peri urged.

‘No, Peri. We must find out what this leads to.’

They followed the curve of the corridor into a hollow chamber carved from the ice. At the centre of this stood a large T-shaped device that, although crudely made, had a profusion of multi-coloured wires running away from input points. These disappeared into a large tunnel that had been bored to make an entrance into the ice wall on the opposite side of the chamber. The Doctor, curious as always, was the first to approach the waist-high device with its glowing innards of complex technology. He had time for only a brief examination of the device before a gasp from Peri brought his attention to a split in the roof of the cavern. Almost immediately there was a rumbling sound and a cascade of ice tumbled down into the chamber blocking the way ahead. The Doctor returned, unperturbed, to his examination of the strange device.

‘Doctor!’ Peri was scared of another ice fall.

‘Quiet. I’m trying to concentrate.’

‘Doctor!’ Peri stared at the ceiling of ice bulging above them.

‘Peri, recognise what this device is?’

‘No.’ Was that crack widening right above them?

‘This is like a nuclear detonator. Primitive but effective.’

‘You mean we are standing next to an atom bomb!’

‘No. Just the detonator.’

As the Doctor pored over the system of wiring around the central column he nodded with satisfaction. ‘Yes, an isotope of lithium set in what must be deuterium tritium.’

He straightened, an expression of consternation appearing on his face.

‘I can hardly... Oh, no...!’

‘What, Doctor?’

‘This detonator is large enough for a hydrogen bomb of massive proportions – a bomb big enough perhaps to destroy all of Magnus!’

‘And us?’

‘Of course!’

‘Who would want to do that?’ Vion asked bewilderedly.

Almost as if in reply there was the sound of crashing from the direction of the ice fall that had blocked the far corridor. Then the fallen ice burst apart, and a green shape began to emerge as the ice splayed and was then thrust aside with frightening force. Finally the figure broke through and came lumbering towards them, clumps of ice falling from his barrel chest.

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