Chapter 2

In the refrigeration room, the remaining members of Glitz's crew go into freezer alcoves.

"We're going to have trouble with this lot when you defrost them, Mister Kane," says Kracauer.

"Trouble?"

"They didn't volunteer willingly."

"None of my mercenary force will be willing when I bring them out of cryosleep. The process causes complete loss of memory. With no memories they can have no past, no future, no will of their own, no purpose except to obey me. To them I shall be invincible. My power shall be absolute."

In the restaurant:

"You will do as you're told," says Anderson. "Less of your lip or you'll be out on your ear."

Ace delivers a drink to a customer then goes to Mel, Nita and the Doctor. Glitz is listening in from his table.

"Hope the dragon gets you in the night," grumbles Ace quietly.

"Dragon?" asks Nita. "What dragon?"

"It's just a legend," replies Ace. "There's supposed to be a terrifying dragon living in the ice passages underneath Iceworld."

"I knew there must be a reason why you brought us here," Mel accuses the Doctor. "You want to see the dragon, don't you?"

"Oh really, Mel, it's fascinating," the Doctor admits. "Travellers claim to have seen it throughout the centuries but there's never been any proof."

"Like the Lock Ness monster," Nita remarks.

"Loch," the Doctor corrects her in his Scottish brogue.

"Och!" cries Mel.

"You're going to go looking for the dragon?" asks Ace.

"Absolutely," replies the Doctor.

"Oh, cool. Can I come too?" asks Ace.

"Won't you get into trouble with your boss?" the Doctor asks.

"Oh, I'm fed up with being a waitress," Ace replies. "Oh, go on, Professor, let me come too."

"Well, I don't see why not," replies the Doctor.

"Ace! And can we search for the treasure, too?" asks Ace.

"Treasure?" the Doctor inquires.

"Yeah. The dragon's supposed to be guarding a fabulous treasure," Ace replies.

Glitz laughs. "Treasure? What treasure? You don't want to go believing in myths and legends, Doctor."

"Who asked you? We're not talking to you," says Mel.

"No, if you want my opinion, all this talk of treasure and dragons, it's all a load of old spacedust," says Glitz.

"Well, if you're so convinced it's all rubbish, why have you been burning holes in this treasure map for the last two days?" asks Ace, pointing to the map on the table.

In the control room:

"He says he lost the money in a game of cards," says Belazs.

"I know he lost the money in a game of cards," replies Kane. "The game was fixed. What about the map?"

"He's convinced it's genuine."

"Excellent. He'll soon realise if he wants to see his spacecraft again he has no alternative but to go after the treasure. And when he does, I shall be with him every step of the way."

"There's just one thing."

"Yes?"

"He appears to have three colleagues."

"Colleagues? I thought he sold his entire crew."

"They're not from his crew, sir. Space travellers. A man and two girls. Do you want them eliminated?"

"Not for the moment, I think. There's no reason for them to suspect that the seal on the treasure map contains a tracking device."

In the restaurant, the Doctor is studying the map.

"Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating."

"Looks like something from a jumble sale to me," says Mel.

"Oi, there's nothing snide about this document," objects Glitz.

"You don't want to believe nothing you get from him, Professor," says Ace. "He probably bought two hundred of them in a job lot."

"Do you mind? This is the real McCoy, this is. It comes from an unimpeachable source."

"What's that, then?" asks Ace.

"That means it is beyond reproach or question," says Glitz.

"I know what unimpeachable means, bird bath, but what makes you so certain this map's pedigree is twenty four carat?" asks Ace.

"Because I acquired it from a man of character and distinction."

"How?" asks Nita.

"I won it in err…, a chess match."

"You won it playing cards," realizes Mel. "Doctor, it's a waste of time. He won it in a card game."

"An honest transaction. The man was desperate not to lose this map, so I know it's something very, very tasty."

"It shows the lower levels of Iceworld," says the Doctor.

"No one goes down there any more," says Ace. "Too dangerous."

"The Ice Garden, the Singing Trees," the Doctor reads from the map.

"But like the girl says, Doctor, it's too dangerous," says Glitz.

"Where's your sense of adventure, Glitz?" objects the Doctor.

"What, do you want to go here, the Lake of Oblivion?" asks Glitz, pointing to a spot on the map.

"Where?" asks the Doctor.

"Depth of Eternal Darkness? Dragonfire?" Glitz continues. "I should stop at home, if I were you."

"Cor, this sounds brill!" cries Ace.

"My sentiments precisely," agrees the Doctor. "What's your name, incidentally?"

"Everyone calls me Ace."

"Oh, how do you do. I'm the Doctor and these are my friends Mel and Nita.

"And we're really going to go looking for dragons?" asks Ace.

"Too risky if you ask me," objects Glitz.

"Nonsense, Glitz. Time for a quick adventure then back for tea."

"Ace!"

"That's the spirit, Doctor," says Mel.

The Doctor folds up the map.

"Hang about!" cries Glitz. "You can't go without me, that's my map. And I don't want these girls coming along, either."

"What?" cries Ace.

"It's too dangerous," objects Glitz.

"Professor!"

"And since it's my map…"

"Right, you male chauvinist bilge bag, just you wait."

Ace leaves.

"Oh, nice," remarks Glitz.

"And I was so looking forward to meeting a dragon," says the Doctor.

"Oh, it's all right, Doctor, you go on ahead. We'll wait here. And if Glitz burns his fingers in the dragon's fire, then it serves him right," says Mel.

"It's just you and me, then, Doctor."

The men stand up and head for the door. The Doctor stops to tickle a hairy child under the chin. It barks and snarls at him.