crushed in an invisible vice.
But the hatch did not budge a millimetre...
Outside, so near and yet so far away, Balan, Kando and Teel were on the brink of total collapse. For the second time they had almost cleared the area immediately surrounding the drilling target. Two Quarks were now positioned face to face over the star-shaped marking and Dominator Toba had arrived with the drilling rig itself.
With a sadistic smile, Toba ordered Balan to carry the heavy awkward device over to the target The rig consisted of a bulky cylindrical head, with fluted vanes running vertically around the side and a tapering barrel projecting downwards. A tripod support, slightly longer than the barrel, splayed out from the lower rim of the cylinder.
Balan tottered over the undulating sand and dumped the rig between the waiting Quarks’ extended probes.
Choking with the effort, he managed to lever it upright.
‘Centre it!’ Toba rasped, cuffing him viciously.
Staggering feebly in the shifting sand, Balan threw all his weight against the drill and eventually managed to manoeuvre the mouth of the barrel exactly over the centre of the star. Then he stumbled back, out of the way.
Toba ordered the Quarks to engage power. With eager whinnyings, they inserted their probes into sockets in the cylindrical head of the rig, while their antennae glowed blood-red.
Teel and Kando had cautiously approached and now supported Balan’s sagging body between them, while staring in apprehensive fascination at the drilling operation.
‘Angular bore parameters locked,’ Toba rapped out.
‘Affirmative,’ chorused the Quarks.
‘Initial depth parameter locked.’
‘Affirmative.’
‘First stage: commence.’
At first nothing happened. Then the ground shook as a low whining noise rose from the rig, steadily increasing to a higher and higher pitch. All at once an intense beam of light shot from the tip of the barrel a few centimetres above the target. After a few seconds, a clean black hole about ten centimetres across appeared in the centre of the star as the sand parted, melted and then fused around the energy beam.
The three Dulcians reeled backwards, averting their faces from the searing glare and covering their ears against the unbearably rapid throbbing of the machine. However, Toba seemed totally unaffected – his green, red-rimmed eyes resembled two miniature lasers as they reflected the massively concentrated power of the drill.
After a while the incandescent beam vanished, the sickening noise subsided, and the red glow faded from the Quarks’ antennae. Toba peered into the crackling borehole and nodded approvingly, almost savouring the oily smoke which curled up into his fare.
Shivering in his pupils’ arms, Balan opened his eyes wide with terror and contusion. ‘What do they want here?’
he gasped faintly. ‘What are they doing to our planet?’
Toba stepped back. ‘Second stage,’ he rapped.
‘Commence.’
Under Rago’s intensive interrogation, the Doctor had been trying to discover more about the Dominators’ intentions while giving away as little as he could, but his persistent hesitations had finally exasperated the looming Navigator.
‘Senex, your leader.. he is in the Capitol?’ Rago repeated, at the end of his patience.
The Doctor scratched his head, coughed, shrugged, blew his nose and then frowned. ‘Well, that’s difficult to say... I’m not absolutely sure,’ he blustered.
Rago swung round on Zoe. ‘Quark. Molecular adhesion!’ he snapped.
Chattering eagerly, the robot swung out its probes and sent the terrified girl reeling against the wall where she hung limp and staring, like a severed puppet.
Rago turned back to the inanely grinning Time Lord. ‘I asked you a question,’ he hissed.
‘Indeed you did,’ the Doctor nodded, smiling despite Zoe’s anguished moans behind him. ‘Yes, Senex is most likely at the Capitol,’ he conceded at last.
‘How can I travel there?’
The Doctor
But the hatch did not budge a millimetre...
Outside, so near and yet so far away, Balan, Kando and Teel were on the brink of total collapse. For the second time they had almost cleared the area immediately surrounding the drilling target. Two Quarks were now positioned face to face over the star-shaped marking and Dominator Toba had arrived with the drilling rig itself.
With a sadistic smile, Toba ordered Balan to carry the heavy awkward device over to the target The rig consisted of a bulky cylindrical head, with fluted vanes running vertically around the side and a tapering barrel projecting downwards. A tripod support, slightly longer than the barrel, splayed out from the lower rim of the cylinder.
Balan tottered over the undulating sand and dumped the rig between the waiting Quarks’ extended probes.
Choking with the effort, he managed to lever it upright.
‘Centre it!’ Toba rasped, cuffing him viciously.
Staggering feebly in the shifting sand, Balan threw all his weight against the drill and eventually managed to manoeuvre the mouth of the barrel exactly over the centre of the star. Then he stumbled back, out of the way.
Toba ordered the Quarks to engage power. With eager whinnyings, they inserted their probes into sockets in the cylindrical head of the rig, while their antennae glowed blood-red.
Teel and Kando had cautiously approached and now supported Balan’s sagging body between them, while staring in apprehensive fascination at the drilling operation.
‘Angular bore parameters locked,’ Toba rapped out.
‘Affirmative,’ chorused the Quarks.
‘Initial depth parameter locked.’
‘Affirmative.’
‘First stage: commence.’
At first nothing happened. Then the ground shook as a low whining noise rose from the rig, steadily increasing to a higher and higher pitch. All at once an intense beam of light shot from the tip of the barrel a few centimetres above the target. After a few seconds, a clean black hole about ten centimetres across appeared in the centre of the star as the sand parted, melted and then fused around the energy beam.
The three Dulcians reeled backwards, averting their faces from the searing glare and covering their ears against the unbearably rapid throbbing of the machine. However, Toba seemed totally unaffected – his green, red-rimmed eyes resembled two miniature lasers as they reflected the massively concentrated power of the drill.
After a while the incandescent beam vanished, the sickening noise subsided, and the red glow faded from the Quarks’ antennae. Toba peered into the crackling borehole and nodded approvingly, almost savouring the oily smoke which curled up into his fare.
Shivering in his pupils’ arms, Balan opened his eyes wide with terror and contusion. ‘What do they want here?’
he gasped faintly. ‘What are they doing to our planet?’
Toba stepped back. ‘Second stage,’ he rapped.
‘Commence.’
Under Rago’s intensive interrogation, the Doctor had been trying to discover more about the Dominators’ intentions while giving away as little as he could, but his persistent hesitations had finally exasperated the looming Navigator.
‘Senex, your leader.. he is in the Capitol?’ Rago repeated, at the end of his patience.
The Doctor scratched his head, coughed, shrugged, blew his nose and then frowned. ‘Well, that’s difficult to say... I’m not absolutely sure,’ he blustered.
Rago swung round on Zoe. ‘Quark. Molecular adhesion!’ he snapped.
Chattering eagerly, the robot swung out its probes and sent the terrified girl reeling against the wall where she hung limp and staring, like a severed puppet.
Rago turned back to the inanely grinning Time Lord. ‘I asked you a question,’ he hissed.
‘Indeed you did,’ the Doctor nodded, smiling despite Zoe’s anguished moans behind him. ‘Yes, Senex is most likely at the Capitol,’ he conceded at last.
‘How can I travel there?’
The Doctor
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