Part 16 (1/2)

'That wasn't planned!' protested Clent. 'He wasn't going to harm you-it was the computer that he wanted to smas.h.!.+'

'I do not need your explanations,' responded Varga.

'Our truce is at an end!' As the Martian strode into the control complex and began studying its equipment and layout, Jan had the distinct feeling that the truce was never intended to be kept. This alien was ruthless; unless they were careful, Walters would not be the last to die. She motioned to the few remaining technical operators to do nothing to antagonise the Martians. One glance showed her that they were not likely to make even a token resistance.

'What is it you want?' Jan boldy asked.

Varga looked at her arrogantly. 'I have one major need; mercury isotopes for my s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p's reactor. You will give them to me.'

Clent frowned, and intervened cautiously. 'But... we don't use mercury isotopes.'

'The Doctor stated that you had what we need-here!

Do not try to trick me!'

'He was wrong-we have one,' answered Clent simply.

'What good would lying do?'

The warlord glowered at Clent, then moved towards Jan. He spoke gently, but the menace in his voice was unmistakable.

'Tell me,' he whispered smoothly, 'what will hap-pen if we shut off your reactor in order to extract the fuel elements that we need?'

'You can't do that!' Jan answered in alarm. 'It powers everything: heat, light-'

'And the Ioniser...' hissed the Martian. 'Without the reactor, you would be completely at the mercy of the glacier.'

'You don't realise the dangers!' Clent exclaimed, his face pale with stress. 'The power source is locked in directly with the Ioniser. If you cut out the energy pulse before it reduces to safety level, the feed-back effect will blast you and this building into a state of ion-flux!'

The warlord studied him briefly, then moved across to examine the Ioniser control panel. 'What is its temperature range?' he hissed, his great fists poised above the controls.

'Don't touch it!' cried Clent. It's fully primed!' Varga's hand fell back, but his arrogant head turned towards Clent, waiting for the answer. 'It can melt rock; muttered Clent reluctantly.

'It can volatise rock!' the Martian was obviously impressed. 'What a weapon!'

'It isn't a weapon!' insisted Clent nervously. 'It's a scientific instrument!'

'But highly dangerous,' interjected Jan. 'unless it's handled correctly. You do so at your own risk,' she added.

'You are its operator?' hissed Varga, then taking her nod of a.s.sent as answer, continued, 'You will take it down to safety level. Now!'

Jan looked towards Clem. His shoulders slumped; he nodded wearily in agreement. But Jan hadn't given in completely yet. 'It'll take some time,' she said.

'Do not attempt to trick me,' rasped the Martian. 'I know that you are afraid its heat will explode my s.h.i.+p. If you make one false move...' he placed his sonic destructor at Jan's head '... you will be the first to die!'

Clent stepped forward to defend Jan. Varga's gun swung in his direction. He strove to hide his fear. 'Miss Garrett is the only person who is qualified to disconnect the Ioniser safely! If you kill her-'

Varga moved closer to the Leader. 'And what exactly do you do here?' he asked softly. A little of Clent's old dignity returned. 'I am in charge of this establishment, with the official rank of Leader.'

The Martian coughed out his menacing laugh, and placed the sonic weapon at Clent's ear. 'Then you have less value to me than your colleague, who has more valuable skills.' The warlord looked at Jan, her eyes showed her fear.

'To kill this man, your Leader,' he hissed, 'would be no loss to me. Do you wish to see him die?'

'No!' cried Jan. 'Please!'

'Then do as I say! Close down the machine as quickly as is safely possible!' Varga brutally thrust the sonic weapon against Clent's cheek, making him howl with pain. 'Or your Leader will be destroyed!'

Zondal had been so effected by the toxic gas that he was likely, to remain in a deep coma for hours. Victoria kept glancing at the sprawled, ma.s.sive body nervously-but the Doctor was wholly concentrating on adapting the intricate mechanism of the sonic cannon's control panel to a purpose all his own.

'But what is it you're trying to do?' asked Victoria.

'It's a bit difficult to explain, Victoria,' replied the Doctor, without pausing. 'You see, this weapon works on the basis that sound waves cause the objects in their path to reverberate.'

'The objects vibrate in sympathy,' nodded Victoria. 'I know. Father told me about it once.'

The Doctor frowned at a particularly involved piece of circuitry, then carried on. 'Well, if you can produce an un un sympathetic vibration, severe damage results...' sympathetic vibration, severe damage results...'

'Damage?' asked Victoria, then added brightly, 'Like when a singer hits a note that breaks gla.s.s?'

'That's it-only the Ice Warriors make it happen to the neural and cell systems of the human body. My plan is to change the frequency of this gun's pulse rate so that it affects the Martians, and not us-to frequency seven, I think.'

'Frequency seven? What will that do?'

'Primarily, it affects liquids. And I've got a theory that the Martians' cells contain a much larger fluid content than ours.' He stood back, apparently satisfied, then rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

'But you're not sure.' Her eyes widened in alarm.

The Doctor nodded soberly. 'There are bound to be side-effects,' he agreed, 'but the warriors should get the worst of it. You see, their helmets will trap and intensify the sound waves-in fact I'm banking on that!'

'You mean it'll knock the Martians out,' asked Victoria tentatively, 'but just leave the scientists a bit dizzy?'