3

THE HUNT

The large yellow fronds were lovely as where the huge pink and orange petalled roses, if they were roses. It was another clearing, this time without a pool and everyone had just materialised inside it. Looking at his fellow captives the Doctor told them sharply, "We must stay together," he was so assertive that they turned and fled each in a different direction, fleeing into the undergrowth as fast as they could go.

Horrified the Doctor yelled for them to come back but he was wasting his breath, panic had set in overriding all logic.

"Running and hiding are pointless," muttered the time lord, "The jungle is full of sensors," he wasn't alone though Delva hadn't run off, she was stood beside him keeping remarkably calm, "Why didn't you run," he asked?

She smiled, "You seem to be a man with some answers, anyway like you said there's nowhere to run to."

He was impressed, intelligence as well as beauty then he noticed his feet were damp and cold, looking down he saw his toes; the teleportation process had removed his boots and socks but why, why did the hunters need their prey to be bare foot?

Squatting down he ran his fingers over the turf and soil, puzzled he took out his sonic screwdriver glad they hadn't appropriated that. He buzzed the turf first, "Curious," then some branches, "Extraordinary," then the flowers and fronds, "Remarkable."

Having watched this performance Delva stood with hands on hips waiting for an explanation, "What is that thing?"

Rubbing an appreciative thumb along the stem of the sonic the tall man proffered a smile, "Just a handy little tool," he said, "Did you know that there are no organic readings anywhere around us?"

Delva was puzzled, "We're surrounded by living things plants, weeds and trees."

"Are we," he responded?

"Well you can see for yourself and touch them," she stroked some of the fronds.

"My sonic is telling me that those fronds that indeed everything we can see are made of synthetic polymers."

Delva was astounded, "Plastic?"

The Doctor nodded, "A jungle that isn't a jungle, a facsimile, a simulacrum; but why go to so much trouble?"

"You mean the jungle is fake a construction, just a set?"

The thin face now creased into a frown, "Possibly just an extension of that dome we were in and controlled by the same mysterious force."

Not sure she believed him the girl went over to a tree stump and sat on it, "So what do we do now Doctor?"

He was clear, "If we can't escape or hide we only have one option left, to fight."

"Sounds good but how, fight with what we've no weapons?"

"I only need one weapon my intelligence."

She remembered something from earlier, "I saw you slip something onto that glass screen, what was it?"

Grin returning he worked the frequency settings of the sonic, "A magnet, something for me to fix on with this, a bug they call them on earth."

"What's the point?"

"To get back to the dome, the answers I need are all there as is this elusive sigma."

Delva was appalled, going back to the dome didn't seem like a smart move to her, it was where the hunters would be and they had orders to kill.

"We can't go back there it'd be suicide."

"You think we're safe out here," said the Doctor swinging his sonic in an arc until it faced south west whereupon it gave off a sharp staccato pulse, he'd found the magnet, "Never play your enemy's game Delva, always make him play yours," he said sharply, "Shall we go?"

Reluctantly she got off the stump and followed him, picking up a fallen branch as she did so it seemed sturdy enough to use as a weapon although she'd need to get pretty close to use it and avoid being blasted.

"Are you enjoying this," she asked the rear of the smoking jacket, "Only you don't seem scared at all?"

Not turning around the Doctor permitted himself an indulgent little smile, enjoyment was taking it a bit far but he did feel energized when faced with a challenge.

"I like solving mysteries," he conceded, "And there's a pretty bit one here. I mean why not just kill us in the dome, why go through this charade of a hunt and why do they need a quota?"

Delva shrugged, "Sigma is a law unto itself, always has been."

This piqued his interest, "How long have they been here on Sanctuary?"

"I don't know as long as I can remember."

"Have they always abducted and hunted people like this?"

"Yes I suppose so."

"Has nobody tried to find out why or stop them, why do you people just accept it?"

That was an easy one to answer, fear, "sigma has superior technology

How do you fight that?"

"By discovering how it works then making it work for you," declared the white haired man who seemed elderly yet also full of energy.

"Is that what you're going to do turn their knowledge against them, I'd like to see you do that."

But waving her quiet he took cover behind a large gnarled tree with many sided two tone leaves and pointed, a skimmer had crested the horizon and was heading in their direction the hunt had begun and the hunters were on their way.

Delva shrank back, "They'll find us with their scanners there's nothing we can do."

This didn't seem to both the Doctor, "I want them to find us," he said as the craft began to lose height, "My plan depends upon it," raising the sonic to arms length he took aim, "Time to hail a taxi I think," he flicked it to a new setting a sharp oscillation filled her ears.

At once the skimmer began to wobble, it juddered and shook violently, smoke billowing from its rear section. Spinning around it dropped sharply, froze in mid air, canted to one side, uttered a piercing mechanical cry and made a soft landing on some thick couch grass.

"Perfect," the Doctor jumped up, "Come on," he bounded over to the stricken craft just as two helmeted men emerged clearly dazed and staggered, both were armed but this didn't stop him. With a sharp kick the Doctor felled one easily, then grabbing the other he tossed him judo style to the ground. Delva was very impressed, for an old guy he certainly knew how to handle himself.

"Our carriage awaits," he waved, "My lady."

"Oh no after you," she said just as a third hunter appeared in the skimmer air lock, gun raised and he wasn't stunned or weak or within range of any self-defence moves. It was game over they were going to be shot where they stood.

NEXT EPISODE 'Fear of Flying'