Chapter Three

The First Paradox

Lucy reeled, clutching at Harry's arm. Impossible!

"Where are..."

"Hush!" Saxon put a finger to his lips. "Listen!"

They were very quiet, and for a long time they heard nothing. But then Lucy heard a horrible sound, almost like wild animals but with a human quality to it. Harold Saxon looked around and said,

"Of course. Of course!" He ground his teeth together and clenched his hand around Lucy's fingers until she gave a little gasp of pain. "Well, then, we haven't much time. We'll play Doctor for a bit. Run!"

And Lucy found herself stumbling along, still hand in hand with him, while the noise came behind. They ran until the headlights of a truck appeared as it came over a ridge. Harry looked back once and then began to yell and wave his arms.

"Over here! Hey, over here!"

The truck rumbled to a stop beside them and the window was rolled down a bit.

"Show me your teeth!" the driver commanded, aiming a pistol at them.

Harry and Lucy both grinned widely as the man in the passenger seat shone his flashlight on them.

"All right, hop in. Hurry up!"

"Wait," said Harry. "My... transport is back there just a little ways. I want you to pick it up. It's not working properly; I need to get it to some place where I can fix it."

Lucy's heart, which had just begun to calm down a bit, began to pound furiously. "You mean we're stuck here? What kind of a date is this?"

Harold Saxon did not even deign to acknowledge her words. He leaned forward in his seat, looking ahead into the darkness. In that moment Lucy despised him and wished heartily that she was with Nate at the banquet, listening to dull speeches and consuming large amounts of food and wine.

After loading the Tardis onto the truck as quickly as possible, which was a rather difficult job, they turned around and headed in the opposite direction for about fifteen minutes. Then, up ahead, Lucy saw what looked like a prison. It was enclosed by a high fence which was topped with barbed wire. A few dim lights showed the guards inside, both with machine guns. Lucy swallowed nervously as the gates were opened just enough to let the truck through.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"Basically a refugee camp," replied Harry, breaking the silence at last. "Professor Yana is in charge; he's going to launch a rocket which will send everyone here to a better world: Utopia."

As he stepped out of the truck, with Lucy following, a man walked towards them.

"The new arrivals," he said. "Your names, please?"

"I'm Harold Saxon. This is Lucy Redward."

"And what've you got in the truck?"

"Oh, that's my ship. It needs repairs."

"Professor Yana can help you with that," said the man.

"Oh, I'm sure he could," Harry replied with a strange laugh. "But I'm perfectly capable of taking care of it myself."

"Won't you come into the compound, then?" The man gave orders to the truck drivers and then walked ahead of them into the building.

Lucy looked around in astonishment. There were hundreds of people crammed into the compound, most of them going about some business or other. Even the children seemed to be doing as much as anyone. A boy about ten years old came up to them.

"This way, please," he said. "It's just mealtime, you'll want to take your place in the queue."

They followed him into a large room filled with four lines of people. Steam and the smell of soup filled the air.

"I'm not waiting at the back," said Harry. "Come along."

He grasped her wrist and pushed his way forward despite the protests of those in line. He finally stopped when just one person separated them from the front. "That's how you do it," he said, smiling at her. "It's only silly people who wait their turn. And the Master never waits. See?" They were now at the serving table. A man handed them each a bowl, into which he ladled the soup, then he gave them each a hunk of crusty bread and a glass of water. Harry began to walk away. Lucy leaned forward and whispered, "Thanks!" before quickly following him. They sat down on a bench and ate in silence. The food was of very low quality; Lucy, who had grown up in an affluent family, thought it was horrible but said nothing. Harry simply wolfed it down in one minute flat.

"Now to see this Professor Yana," he said. "Let's go."

They found a guard, who spoke into an intercom, "Professor, the newcomers want to see you."

"Send them up," came the reply.

The guard led them through the compound to a room which looked to Lucy like some sort of control room. An elderly man, perhaps close to seventy, was leaning over a panel covered in switches and dials.

"Ah, hello," he said. "I was wondering when you would come up. I don't suppose either of you knows anything about science?"

"No, not really," said Lucy. She held out her hand and the Professor shook it warmly. "I'm Lucy."

"And I'm Professor Yana," he replied. "Wonderful to meet you! And you..." he looked Harry up and down for a moment.

"I'm Harold Saxon."

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Saxon. Do you think you would be able to help me?"

Lucy expected him to say that he could, but Harry said very quickly, almost too quickly, "No, I'm afraid not. Never seen anything like this setup in my life."

"Ah, very well," sighed the Professor. "I was afraid of that. Well, then, if you'll excuse me I must get back to my work."