Mission to Magnus by Philip Martin

Author:Philip Martin [Martin, Philip]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

When the Doctor and his companions realized that there

was no pursuit they slowed and halted, panting for breath.

Their mood was one of despair. The Doctor tried to think of something to raise their spirits. ‘Let us return to the detonator we discovered. We will disarm that.’ It was not much to offer but any action was preferable to being

slumped against a wall of ice contemplating imminent

annihilation.

Wearily the group begin to move away from the

chamber where the Ice Warriors were about to bring their plan to its final solution.

12

Sil waved his short arms at the women who surrounded

him accusingly. ‘I simply...’

‘Yes, yes, you keep gurgling on about it,’ Jarmaya said

acidly, cutting short Sil’s protestations.

‘What exactly did you do, Sil? Try to remember.’

Zandusia spoke calmly.

‘I went...’ Sil hesitated, staring at the knobs, switches, levers and buttons on the TARDIS control panel before

him. ‘Yes, I...’ he paused again in confusion. ‘No, I...’ With some bravado he pressed a lever, turned a handle,

depressed a switch. Nothing happened. ‘No, perhaps...’ As he reached to try again Jarmaya lost patience and went to remove him bodily from his position at the control panel.

Panicking, Sil grabbed a pair of levers and clung on

terrified at Jarmaya’s anger. As Jarmaya pulled Sil away the driving column lifted and fell.

‘Stop!’ the Rana yelled.

‘There, there, I’ve done it!’ Sil squealed. ‘These

two levers, these. Now we can return!’ Released from

Jarmaya’s grip he was about to pull the levers again when Zandusia restrained him.

‘No. No. We will not return. I feel the danger is so great that we must remain in time ahead of the disaster.’

‘But Rana,’ Jarmaya said.

‘It is too late to avert the destruction. At least this way we will save our lives.’

‘Are they worth saving?’ Jarmaya gestured at the grim

scene of destruction shown on the screen.

‘That is my decision,’ said the Rana. ‘We stay here for a further hour.’

The sounds of the ice became more and more ominous,

groaning and cracking above the Doctor and his party. It was as if the planet of Magnus itself was apprehensive at the forces about to be unleashed upon it.

‘Wait.’ Ishka pointed to a widening split in the roof and a powdering of ice descending ahead of them. ‘Let’s try to get through,’ he urged.

They began to move with alacrity towards the

dangerous section. Before they could reach it the dome of the passage ahead disintegrated, bringing down an

avalanche of ice that completely sealed the corridor ahead.

Angrily Vion began to dig at the ice.

‘No, Vion.’ The Doctor pulled the boy away from the

hopeless attempt.

‘What can we do?’ Peri asked hopelessly. ‘Their bombs

must be due to explode any minute. We’re going to die,

and without even knowing why.’

‘The Ice Warriors have their own mad logic...’ the

Doctor started, then staggered and slapped his forehead.

‘At last! Yes, at last I understand!’

The others looked at each other in puzzlement while the

Doctor grabbed the force stick from Ishka’s belt and with grim determination gave his orders. ‘All of you, find a

space, dig in, hide there. I must try to

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