Gaust nodded. 'Only issued to soldiers...and spies.
Peri stood watching in disbelief. Was this really happening to her?
The Doctor was led in, looking severely battered. His legs had been untied, the blindfold removed - but the ropes on the arms remained, the bruises on his face remained. Kayj moved to him.
'So...your friend carries standard Haft Control communication equipment...'
The Doctor was in no mood to be treated like this. 'We found it...'
Kayj interrupted. 'You found it - hear that, Gaust...they found it.' Gaust smiled politely at his commander's harsh brutality - prisoners were a rarity - he was going to make the most of them.
'Now listen to me, mister. We don't know who you are, or where you come from. You deny all charges of spying, yet carry Haft gear. Are you ready to tell us everything?'
The Doctor stood, silent, Peri watched nervously, furtively glancing at Kayj, Gaust and the guards.
'Do something, Doctor!' Peri's thoughts yelled to him, 'Do something and quick!'
The Doctor, after what seemed like an eternity of silence to Peri, finally spoke, 'We are not spies for the Haft or any other agency. We have a craft on the battle zone, a tall blue box. Go and check it if you don't believe us. We'll even take you for a ride if you're a good boy...'
Kayj's raised, threatening hand silenced the Doctor far more effectively than a shout. 'A trap..you lead us out there, and your troops appear with opo-guns and blow us all away with a rainfall of lead - no way. We can read your minds!'
The Doctor glared at the man. 'If you could read our thoughts, you would know we were telling the truth!'
Silence.
'Sir?' said Gaust in an attempt to break the uneven wall of silence.
Kayj pointed at the Doctor and then Peri. 'Take them outside and MP them!' he roared and marched from the room. As he reached the door an alarm sounded. Gaust ran to the nearest computer terminal and turned to Kayj.
'Security sensors have found Tecain and his patrol!'
Kayj turned back to the room and smiled. 'The last patrol on the list...give the order soldier...melt them...everyone of them!' He turned and marched out, followed by his guard and Gaust.
Peri turned to the Doctor. 'Now what?' she asked. The Doctor smiled at her.
'It appears we have been forgotten for the moment. Everyone seems concerned in the melting of this "Tecain" group...' He walked over to the door and checked the corridor outside through the small piece of Plexiglas set in the door. 'Silent as a grave.' he thought, and using his nose, punching in the security clearance on the door panel. It hummed gently open and the Doctor turned to Peri. 'Coming?' he asked and marched into the still corridor. Peri followed him untying the ropes on his hands for him. They were free, almost - now they had to get out...out and away from the Ivory Tower...
~~~
4. Tecain
'Is everything ready, Gaust?' Kayj queried. He wanted Tecain nailed even more than he did of Mok. This was Haft's last platoon on this sector and he wanted them out of the way - once and for all.
'MP's ready, sir!'
Kayj sat in silence, a ghost of a smile haunting his lips.
~~~
The Doctor led Peri on through twisting corridor after twisting corridor, through sliding door after sliding door. They finally came to what could only be a lift.
'Well, we're nearly out, Peri, old girl!' he said with a chuckle and walked into the lift, followed by the young American. The doors hummed opened and slammed shut, enclosing the two travellers in a cocoon of metal and plastic. One problem - the controls.
Alien symbols and security clearance figures sat staring at the Doctor as he prepared to take them to the basement. 'Well, here goes!' he said in a jovial tone and stabbed at a green button marked with a horizontal line going from left to right. The lift jerked into life and shot skywards at tremendous speed, threatening to smash through the top of the Ivory Tower. Memories of "Willy Wonka's" glass lift came flooding back to Peri, when with the suddenness of its ascent, it stopped dead.
The doors hummed open.
'Well, well, well,' said the Doctor. 'The roof.' The lift sat in the middle of the vast roof of the Tower, a vast sea-like area of whiteness. Peri followed the Doctor onto the plateau of metal.
'What are they?' she asked, pointing to the huge tubular projections on the far side of the roof.
'Aha!' the Doctor shouted, 'The ejection tubes for those melt pod things!' He sprinted across the roof, followed by the stumbling high heeled figure of Peri. The Doctor examined the tubes and pulled himself up onto one.
'What are you doing?' Peri shouted, as the Doctor vanished into one of the tunes like a human cannon ball act.
The muffled reply was: 'Trying to cross the odd wire...'
~~~
Kayj's fingers drummed on the arm of his chair, his mouth clamped shut betraying no syllable or command. He swung the chair around to face Gaust. 'Now...' he said and turned to the viewing screen, awaiting a grand melting.
The Doctor was still inside the tube when Peri suddenly detected the hum of power emitting from the machine. 'Doctor! Get out of there! They're gonna fire!'
The muffled reply of : 'Eh?' echoed up the shaft and Peri repeated her warning. 'Okay...I'm just coming out...' was all she could hear, followed by 'Damn, my coat's caught on a rivet...'
The hum of power grew higher, Peri's cries grew louder too: 'Hurry!' she screamed at the Doctor, 'Hurry!'
In the control room, Kayj stared at the screen expectantly. 'Power level now at required strength - pods launching...Now!!' Kayj's laugh echoed around the control room.
Peri was in the middle of shouting out her warning again when the first barrage of spheres were spewed from the tubes. Silence covered the vast expanse of the roof. The tubes were lowered...and the empty coat that had been the Doctor's fell to the whiteness of the roof...
Peri stooped and picked up the Doctor's empty coat. No liquified flesh gushed from it. No fluid flesh made the coat sodden and heavy. She peered causiously into the tube and called, 'Doctor?' A noise, a scrapping echoed over the roof top and she ducked behind one of the tubes.
A white panel, situated behind the tubes was being raised. Peri sat, anxiously waiting the new arrival. The panel was thrown back with an ear smashing clang and the face of the Doctor appeared in the man-hole. He jumped out and glanced around, looking for the young girl.
'Peri?' he called. The girl ran over to him.
'What happened? I thought you got zapped!' The Doctor took his coat from her.
'When my coat got caught I merely slipped out of it and slid down the tube into the workings, waiting for the attack to finish. Oh by the way, I think we better leave, and quickly.' and headed for the lift.