his arm Zaroff knocked the Scotsman away as easily as he might an irritating fly. Jamie landed on the rocky ground with a sickening thud!
For a moment Jamie was unconscious and Zaroff once more advanced upon a screaming Polly who stood paralysed with fear.
Suddenly the cave was bathed in a dazzling light.
Holding aloft two blazing torches Sean and Jacko entered the cave.
‘Get back!’ cried Zaroff and grabbed hold of Polly again, using her this time as a shield between him and the two advancing men.
As he dragged her back into the tunnel whence they had come his arm was around her neck. Polly dug her teeth into his forearm. Zaroff yelped with pain and with an angry snarl flung Polly at Sean, Jacko and Jamie, who had now regained consciousness.
With a maniacal laugh of triumph Zaroff ran off back down the tunnel. Within seconds he had disappeared into the darkness.
‘He’s got away!’ cried Jamie. ‘We’ll never find him in those tunnels – it’s like a maze.’
‘Aye,’ said Sean. ‘He could lose us for days – and according to the Doctor all we’ve got is a few hours!’
‘Quickly, we’ve got to warn the Doctor,’ said Polly.
Jamie did not agree. ‘The Doctor’s going to find a heap of trouble if Zaroff gets back to the laboratory first. I say we try and get there first.’
Polly saw the logic of this. If Zaroff could get back to his laboratory and start the countdown in advance there seemed little point in wasting valuable time in trying to track down the Doctor.
‘How do we get to the laboratory?’
‘Ara,’ said Polly. ‘She’s the only one who knows the way.
Sean and Jacko, you go and find the Doctor and we’ll get Ara.’
In the Council Chamber Damon was a worried man. As a member of the Atlantean ruling council and the city’s chief surgeon he was responsible for the Fish People and, by extension, the provision of food for all the city.
And now the unthinkable had happened: somehow the seeds of rebellion had been sown in the Fish People’s specially conditioned minds; news of their rebellion had even reached some of the slave units at the mines - and the drill head. The society which Zaroff had carefully structured and presided over for the past twenty years was beginning to fall down about them.
‘The slaves are in revolt,’ he told King Thous. ‘They’ve cut off all food supplies. Even some of the mine workers are laying down their tools.’ He added a rather feeble, ‘I just can’t understand it.’
Neither could Thous. He shook his head in dismay.
‘Why do they act like this when the hour of triumph is at hand?’ he asked.
‘They’re just slaves – what can you expect?’ was Damon’s dismissive response.
Defenceless in his confusion the King of Atlantis looked, as he had done for twenty years, to his saviour.
‘Where is Zaroff?’ he asked. ‘He should be here to attend to this.’
‘He’s disappeared.’
‘Disappeared? He can’t have.’ The prospect was too much for the old king to consider. Have the guards go and look for him.’
‘There is no time, Excellency. The people are on the point of panic. You must take control now.’
Thous was silent. From the moment Zaroff had saved his life Thous had looked to the scientist for support and advice, never taking a major decision without first consulting him. For the first time in nearly two decades circumstances were forcing him into making a decision for himself. He was a weak king, this old and weary man whose time of dying long past, but knew where his duty lay.
‘So be it,’ he said. ‘I cannot let my people starve. Bring them before me that I may hear their demands.’
Damon bowed and left the King alone to his thoughts.
Thous prayed silently to Amdo, begging her for a solution to his problem. His thoughts were interrrupted when the doors to the Council Chamber opened. His two personal guards raised their tridents and then looked askance, unsure what to do when they saw that the
For a moment Jamie was unconscious and Zaroff once more advanced upon a screaming Polly who stood paralysed with fear.
Suddenly the cave was bathed in a dazzling light.
Holding aloft two blazing torches Sean and Jacko entered the cave.
‘Get back!’ cried Zaroff and grabbed hold of Polly again, using her this time as a shield between him and the two advancing men.
As he dragged her back into the tunnel whence they had come his arm was around her neck. Polly dug her teeth into his forearm. Zaroff yelped with pain and with an angry snarl flung Polly at Sean, Jacko and Jamie, who had now regained consciousness.
With a maniacal laugh of triumph Zaroff ran off back down the tunnel. Within seconds he had disappeared into the darkness.
‘He’s got away!’ cried Jamie. ‘We’ll never find him in those tunnels – it’s like a maze.’
‘Aye,’ said Sean. ‘He could lose us for days – and according to the Doctor all we’ve got is a few hours!’
‘Quickly, we’ve got to warn the Doctor,’ said Polly.
Jamie did not agree. ‘The Doctor’s going to find a heap of trouble if Zaroff gets back to the laboratory first. I say we try and get there first.’
Polly saw the logic of this. If Zaroff could get back to his laboratory and start the countdown in advance there seemed little point in wasting valuable time in trying to track down the Doctor.
‘How do we get to the laboratory?’
‘Ara,’ said Polly. ‘She’s the only one who knows the way.
Sean and Jacko, you go and find the Doctor and we’ll get Ara.’
In the Council Chamber Damon was a worried man. As a member of the Atlantean ruling council and the city’s chief surgeon he was responsible for the Fish People and, by extension, the provision of food for all the city.
And now the unthinkable had happened: somehow the seeds of rebellion had been sown in the Fish People’s specially conditioned minds; news of their rebellion had even reached some of the slave units at the mines - and the drill head. The society which Zaroff had carefully structured and presided over for the past twenty years was beginning to fall down about them.
‘The slaves are in revolt,’ he told King Thous. ‘They’ve cut off all food supplies. Even some of the mine workers are laying down their tools.’ He added a rather feeble, ‘I just can’t understand it.’
Neither could Thous. He shook his head in dismay.
‘Why do they act like this when the hour of triumph is at hand?’ he asked.
‘They’re just slaves – what can you expect?’ was Damon’s dismissive response.
Defenceless in his confusion the King of Atlantis looked, as he had done for twenty years, to his saviour.
‘Where is Zaroff?’ he asked. ‘He should be here to attend to this.’
‘He’s disappeared.’
‘Disappeared? He can’t have.’ The prospect was too much for the old king to consider. Have the guards go and look for him.’
‘There is no time, Excellency. The people are on the point of panic. You must take control now.’
Thous was silent. From the moment Zaroff had saved his life Thous had looked to the scientist for support and advice, never taking a major decision without first consulting him. For the first time in nearly two decades circumstances were forcing him into making a decision for himself. He was a weak king, this old and weary man whose time of dying long past, but knew where his duty lay.
‘So be it,’ he said. ‘I cannot let my people starve. Bring them before me that I may hear their demands.’
Damon bowed and left the King alone to his thoughts.
Thous prayed silently to Amdo, begging her for a solution to his problem. His thoughts were interrrupted when the doors to the Council Chamber opened. His two personal guards raised their tridents and then looked askance, unsure what to do when they saw that the
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