Part 3 (1/2)

'Sounded like an all-clear.'

The noise cut out.

'What is is this place, Doctor? Some kind of research station?' this place, Doctor? Some kind of research station?'

'I don't think so, Turlough. I think it's a rather special kind of undersea military colony.'

The end of the corridor was blocked by a sliding door.

The Doctor heaved at it, but it wouldn't budge. 'Help me get this door open, Turlough, would you? Yes, an undersea colony. Armed with the sort of missiles that destroy life but leave everything else intact.'

Turlough joined him in heaving at the door. 'Photon missiles, you mean.'

'Very probably...'

The door wouldn't budge. The Doctor and Turlough looked helplessly at one another...

Tegan slipped in between them, pushed in the other direction left to right, rather than right to left and the door slid smoothly open. Tegan stepped through, and the Doctor and Turlough followed.

With the endless patience of his reptilian race, Icthar stood waiting by the ice chamber. Through the transparent door he could see clouds of mist rising about the shrouded forms. As yet there was no movement, no sign of life.

Scibus appeared. 'The Sea Base has completed a missile run. It appears that it was merely a practice.'

Icthar inclined his head. 'Then our presence remains undetected. Continue to monitor the activity of the Base.

The reactivation process should now be near completion.'

He turned to Tarpok. 'Have we any indications of conditions within the chamber?'

'No. The temperature level within is still below the range of our sensors.'

Patiently, Icthar continued his long vigil.

On the bridge, Vorshak like a good commander, was listening to the worries of his subordinates. Finally, he raised a hand, cutting short the discussion. 'We'll remain on full alert... and we'll launch another probe. For the moment, that's all we can do.'

Bulic nodded, accepting the decision. 'Very good, sir.'

He went off to supervise the launch.

The console beeped. Vorshak leaned forward. 'Bridge.'

Nilson's voice came from the intercom. 'Nilson here, Commander, in the psycho-surgery section. We have a problem with Maddox. I think you should come down.'

'Very well.' Vorshak rose and stretched, cramped after long hours in the command chair. 'Bulic, you're in command, I'll be down in the Psycho-Surgical unit.'

The Doctor and his companions had reached a storage area, filled with an a.s.sortment of drums and pressurised cylinders. Racks on the walls held pumps and nozzles and plastic hose, presumably for dispensing the various chemicals.

Tegan looked round. A store room was a store room, she thought. So far her trip into Earth's future wasn't proving very exciting. 'Doctor, what year are we in?'

'Oh, about 2084...'

'Things don't seem to have improved much since my time.'

The Doctor was wandering around, examining the drums. 'I'm afraid they haven't, Tegan. There are now just two power blocs, fingers poised to annihilate each other.'

He peered at the markings on one of the drums. 'Good grief! Hexachromite.'

Turlough frowned. 'What do they use that for?'

'It's one of the ingredients of a sealing compound for undersea structures. Harmless to humans, but in its pure state it's lethal to marine life. I thought they'd have banned it by now.'

'Progress doesn't seem to have improved things much,'

said Tegan. She led the way out of the store room.

Vorshak, Nilson and Doctor Solow stood looking down at Maddox. He was stretched unconscious on the operating couch.

Vorshak said irritably, 'Well, what's the matter with him?'

Doctor Solow's voice was grave. 'He's suffering from severe stress. I'm sorry, Commander, but it's my considered opinion that he's unfit for duty.'

Vorshak glared angrily at her. 'Unfit? He's got to be fit.

I need him. Without a synch operator this Base ceases to have any military function. We're unarmed and defenceless completely helpless!'

Nilson too looked grave, but inside he was thinking exultantly, 'Precisely, Commander. Helpless. Just as I planned!'

3.

Hunted There was a moment of silence. Both Nilson. and Doctor Solow knew that what Vorshak said was literally true. It was on this fact that their scheme depended.

Without a synch op, the Base's missile system could not function. The inclusion of a human brain in the computer-command link-up gave the Western Bloc a vital advantage in the speed of decision-making. It was also the system's weakest link.

Synch op technicians were in short supply. The training was difficult, sometimes dangerous, and only certain specially selected minds could cope. Sometimes, as in the case of Maddox, mistakes were made.

Nilson said, 'I realise Maddox's importance, Commander. You still have one option remaining though I almost hesitate to mention it.'

'And that is?'

'You could release the duplicate programme disc. Then Doctor Solow could probe deeper into Maddox's mind, break through the barriers and rea.s.sure him.'

Vorshak frowned. Synch-op programming was a closely guarded military secret. As far as was known, the Eastern Bloc had not yet achieved it, though they were certainly working on the problem. 'I can't do that. Not without authority from HQ and I can't ask for authority because we're forbidden to break radio silence while the emergency lasts.'