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.The small, glowing device seemed so innocent– and yet how many people had already died to keep it from the Daleks?‘Anyway, it’s not important any longer,’ Steven said.‘It doesn’t matter whether you believe us or not.Bret is on the Earth, and he’ll tell the story to the right person.’ He didn’t see the expression on Sara’s face.‘I shouldn’t be surprised if he’s got a fleet together to blast Kembel right out of the sky.’‘That’s not very likely,’ Sara said, softly.‘Then you don’t know Bret Vyon,’ Steven smiled.‘He’s pretty efficient and convincing once he gets started.He won’t take no for an answer.’Before Steven could elaborate on Bret’s virtues, Sara cut him short.‘Bret won’t tell anything to anyone,’ she said, flatly.‘He’s dead.’ Seeing Steven’s stunned expression, she added: ‘I killed him.’Even the Doctor had not been prepared for this news.He and Steven looked at one another so despairingly that Sara discovered that she believed their wild story utterly.There was no way that they could have faked that look of terrible loss.Then their accusing eyes turned on her, and she knew she’d been a dreadful fool.‘I didn’t know!’ she yelled at them.‘I was only obeying my orders! I didn’t know! ’ She buried her face in her hands, sobbing, trying to escape those burning eyes, but she couldn’t.The eyes that accused her the most were her own.Steven and the Doctor were at a loss for words, and could offer her no comfort.Finally, Steven said, bleakly: ‘This changes things, doesn’t it?’‘I’m afraid it does,’ the Doctor agreed.‘Now we are the only ones left who can warn the Earth.’‘Warn the Earth!’ Steven slammed his fist onto the wall of the cave in frustration.‘Tell me how! We don’t even know where we are!’‘We don’t need to.’Puzzled, Steven said: ‘I don’t understand you.’With a smile, the Doctor held up the core.‘The Daleks can’t go through with their plans without this.’Elatedly, Steven nodded.‘Of course! It’ll take them forever to get enough Taranium to build a replacement core.’The Doctor shook his head.‘No, my boy, you don’t understand the Daleks.They won’t give up that simply.They’ll track us down and come after us.They’d follow us to the ends of space and time if they had to.’‘Then what do we do?’‘Wait,’ said the Doctor.‘Wait until they find us.And then –out-think them.Beat them at their own game.They’ll be coming for us, never doubt it.When they do, we must be ready.’ He gripped his lapels, and stared off into the jungle below.Steven knew that the Doctor’s optimism masked his worries.‘The odds are poor,’ he observed.‘The two of us and her – ’ he indicated the still-sobbing Sara ‘ – against the might of the Daleks and their allies.’‘The odds are great,’ the Doctor agreed.‘But, then, so are the stakes – the life of every man, woman and child on Earth.’After a moment’s pause, he added, more practically: ‘The sun is going down.I suspect that it will get quite cold when night falls.I’ll go and look for some wood to start a fire.’ He glanced over at Sara.‘In the meantime, do try to comfort her.Crying women make me most uncomfortable.’As the Doctor disappeared into the trees, Steven walked carefully over to Sara.He put a gentle arm about her.‘Sara,’ he began, but she wrenched away from him – this time not loathing him, but herself.‘Let me alone,’ she gasped between sobs.‘Please.’ Steven could see that she was fighting an inner battle, but knew that she simply had to be wrenched out of it, or she’d be useless to them.‘Look,’ he said, awkwardly, ‘it wasn’t your fault.Like you said, you were just acting on orders.How could you know that Bret wasn’t a traitor when your superiors told you he was?’She looked up, drawn and haggard.‘I killed him,’ she said.‘I just obeyed what they told me without question.I should have known Bret better than to believe he was a traitor.I should have asked questions! I should have doubted!’‘Did.did you know Bret?’‘Know him?’ She looked as though her life were emptied of meaning.‘He was my brother.’Mavic Chen looked around his office with considerable regret.He had spent years building up this collection of artwork, and all the power and wealth that it represented.In a short while, the Daleks would annihilate it all.He would miss these paintings, and the statues, but one had to make sacrifices.He looked up as Karlton entered.‘I have a ship ready for you,’ the security man reported.‘Good.’ Chen stepped to the window, looking over New Washington.The vast metropolis teamed with life – at least, for now.‘I believe that the Daleks must have reached Mira by now.’‘Yes.It looks as though the Daleks accepted my story.’‘And why shouldn’t they?’ Chen turned his back on the mass of humanity outside.‘I must be there when the Taranium core is brought back to Kembel.’‘If it is,’ Karlton cautioned.‘We don’t know that it – and the traitors – survived the transportation to Mira.’Chen waved the possibility away.‘Those scientists may have been narrow-minded, but they were quite certain that their foolish experiment went satisfactorily.Now, wait until you hear from me.Assemble the force in orbit about Venus.We know the date of the Dalek attack on Earth.When this occurs, the Daleks will be too busy to pay heed to your fleet.Whatever happens, we shall outwit the Daleks.’Karlton nodded.‘We should be able to destroy Kembel at that time with ease.But that will give us mastery of only this Galaxy.’Chen put an arm about his assistant’s shoulder.‘Karlton, you lack vision.Why do you think I want to be on hand when the Daleks recover the core? I shall be on Kembel, with the Time Destructor.While the Daleks are expending their forces on obliterating the Earth, we shall take possession of the Time Destructor, and turn it on them.With the power of the Time Destructor in our hands, we shall be able to conquer more than this Galaxy – we shall become the masters of the entire Universe!’The Doctor bustled about in the trees, collecting the wood for kindling a fire.He was by no means certain they would need one, but he had been unable to bear that wretched woman’s crying any longer.Overt displays of sentimentality always pained him.He rummaged about for sticks that were dry enough to catch alight – no simple task in this damp place.There was a slight noise in the bushes ahead, and the Doctor carefully continued his work of collecting wood.His eyes, however, never left the bushes.He found a stick that was about four feet long, and fairly hefty.Dropping his pile of kindling, he used the stick to swipe hard at the bush.He hit nothing but the leaves, which rustled and gave way.There was a sound of laboured breathing to his right, and he spun about, brandishing his stick.There was more of the rasping breathing from the left, and then from all about him.He was being surrounded by these invisible foes.He lashed out with the stick, only to have something unseen grab it and tear it from his hands.Something jumped at him from behind, and he felt long, thin talons clutching for his throat.The weight of the creature dragged the Doctor to the muddy ground.Groping about, the Doctor’s hands closed about a small rock.Wrenching it free of the mud’s sticky embrace, he swung the rock backwards.He was rewarded by the sound and feel of it striking something.A reedy cry burst from the air, and the claws were gone.Staggering to his feet, the Doctor was breathing heavily.In this humidity, any exertions were very tiring.He glared about, waiting for any sounds that might betray one of his attackers.The Visians had paused as the Doctor had fought.They were not brave by nature, preferring to use their invisibility as a cloak to ambush their food [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]