CONSUMPTION
Quick as a flash the Doctor pulled off his cape and threw it over the glass case and yet again the fabric expanded to accommodate the big square mass, wrapping itself tightly around it to contain the fungus. That was too close thought Jo but how could they rely on the Doctor's magic cape?
"Are we safe now," she asked tentatively. He gave a slight nod but in his eyes she could see a deep concern.
"We must get rid of that stuff Jo; it's growing at an alarming rate."
Then the TARDIS gave a sudden, violent jolt that threw them both backwards on the heels luckily they had the central console to grab hold of and Jo seized the small railing that ran around its outer edge. Before she could ask the obvious question the voice of Luran declared,
"We have you now," and looking up from a screen the Doctor gave an anxious nod some kind of tractor beam no doubt thought Jo. Nimbly the Doctor's fingers worked keys and there came a second, less violent jolt.
"Done it", he said and on the main viewer Luran's face disappeared to be replaced by an image of the black triangular ship falling away. Jo's heart surged with hope they were going to escape after all. She cast an anxious look at the Doctor's cape, one side of it was bulging alarmingly, pulsating as the thing inside tried desperately to escape and if it did…no best not to think about that.
She let her eyes return to the main viewer, the Sekma ship was getting larger again knifing towards them like some great cosmic arrow. Having also seen it the time lord worked frantically, "I'm going to attempt a time jump into the vortex that should…" But he didn't get to complete his sentence for the TARDIS had jolted violently once more and Jo saw the time rotor rise, half descend then stall with a strangulated whine of defeat on the panel a rash of red lights winked and several needles dropped down to zero.
They've got us again she realised, "Can you break free?" The question was more vain optimism than anything because the look on his face gave its own answer. "What now," she asked?
"Well Jo," the Doctor announced. "If you can't break free you have to go with the flow."
Just what that meant she had no idea but when he twisted a black dial the hum of the ship altered, became subdued and the red lights were replaced by more neutral amber ones. The time rotor sank down slowly as if relaxing, fluttered and lay still – the TARDIS gave a slight bump then there was silence.
"Where are we," she demanded? The main viewer was a mass of snow for a moment and when it cleared it showed a metal wall with a door set into it above the door were some lights and a logo, a planet with two moons. "We're aboard the Sekma ship aren't we," she cried?
His nod confirmed it, "Luran wanted us; well now she's got us." Said the Doctor nodding at his cape, which by now was under severe strain. "She's also got Clegg's nasty little fungus."
"But it isn't harmful to Sekma," said Jo remembering what Clegg had told her. "It only harms human beings."
Going over to his cape the time lord squatted down worrying his chin with one hand whilst with the other he took out his sonic screwdriver, thumbing the base of it to alter frequencies he played it lightly over his cape in a series of sweeping passes. Jo had no idea what he was doing but after a few moments the bulge in the side disappeared. "There that should do it," he announced straightening up and going over to a locker, from this he removed a flat, four-wheeled trolley; wheeling this over to his cape he hoisted cape and glass case onto it saying,
"No need to strain our backs a second time," and he operated the door opening control.
"The Sekma are bound to be waiting for us," said Jo with alarm. "They must have detected us aboard their ship."
Very probably said his grin, "You can always stay here," he offered and Jo thought yes I could but if I do I might miss the fun, she let him exit the ship first then followed.
Luran was indeed waiting this time with five of his compatriots, four males and another female and all of them wore beige uniforms with the curious planet and two moons logo, are they organic or some kind of machine Jo wondered then realised she really didn't want to know the truth?
"We meet again," the Doctor said affably like he and these aliens were old friends. "I've got your fungal weapon here if you want it," he remarked. But Luran offered no thanks nor did she seem impressed by the gift.
"I think you've brought us something far more interesting than that," she replied eyeing the police box.
"Possibly but the weapon is all you're going to get," came the genial reply.
"You seem to forget your ship is held by our energy field it isn't going anywhere and neither are you," Luran snapped briskly and Jo revised her earlier opinion; this wasn't going to be much fun at all.
The Doctor though didn't look even slightly put out, "I can go wherever I like," he thought about that, "Well I can now anyway." He said in reference to his recently rescinded exile and Jo couldn't resist a slight smile.
Not smiling Luran pointed at him, "You aren't going anywhere and neither is Miss Grant you are both prisoners aboard this craft and will remain so."
The long face of the time traveller tightened into deep disapproval, "Is that your last word?"
"It is," said the alien woman.
"Well in that case you leave me little choice," and to Jo's horror the Doctor whipped his cloak away from the fungus allowing it to spill out of its glass home fully, swell up like a cobra's neck and release a swarm of white particles into the air. Jo glared at the Doctor in disbelief had he lost his mind, he had killed her as surely as if he'd exposed her to the vacuum of space.
But Jo didn't die, she didn't choke or go into a convulsion nor did she feel any pain in fact she felt fine. The same however could not be said of the Sekma who gripped their heads, uttered a series of low moans and began to stagger back with bulging eyes. Only Luran wasn't affected because she had fled to the inner door, opened it, gone through and sealed it effectively abandoning her colleagues to their fate and a grim one it was to.
Within seconds they were all on the ground twitching, frothing and beginning to lose form. Raising his sonic screwdriver the time lord adjusted it and a piercing note filled the air. "There that should do it," he said, "I've scrambled their weaponry systems, come on Jo."
Back in the TARDIS the Doctor hit the Demat control and this time the entire craft pulsed with life, Jo felt a lurch of movement up through its floor and knew they were free but what of Luran she had survived and wasn't the sort to just give up?
"Back to earth I think," said the Doctor. "A cup of tea in the officer's mess, I haven't seen Lethbridge-Stewart in ages."
"What about the Sekma and Luran," Jo panicked?
"The Sekma ship is contaminated Jo those spores will spread throughout their entire air conditioning system, Luran and the others might survive if they use their escape pods but it's a long hike home."
Looking supremely pleased with himself the Doctor thumbed the collar of his smoking jacket then he realised something, he'd left his cape behind on the Sekma ship, a look of annoyance darkened his features for a moment at the loss then going over to the locker of before he reached inside and whipped out another, identical cape. Typical thought Jo does he never run out of anything?