Chapter 9
Bazin and McLuhan approach an ice junction.
"Got it," says Bazin, looking at the tracking device.
"Direction?" asks McLuhan.
"Straight ahead. No, it's to the right."
"Distance?"
"Five metres."
They take cover.
"Four," says Bazin.
The dragon comes out.
"Three."
The dragon uses its lasers to cover the Doctor's escape.
"Where is it?" asks McLuhan.
"Heading away."
"Come on."
She leads him after the dragon.
In the restricted zone, Kane gets into his cabinet.
"Current ambient temperature minus ten Celsius. Target temperature minus a hundred and ninety three Celsius," says the computer.
At the Singing Trees, the girls are still playing I Spy.
"I spy with my little eye something beginning with M," says Ace.
The Doctor enters.
"Doctor!" cries Nita.
"That doesn't begin with M," objects Ace.
"Where's Glitz?" asks the Doctor.
"Professor!" cries Ace.
"He's gone back to his spacecraft," Mel replies.
"We've got to hurry," the Doctor urges. "We might be able to stop Kane and save the creature."
McLuhan and Bazin are on a catwalk on the lower levels.
"We're too close to the upper levels," says McLuhan.
"It's here," says Bazin.
"Where?"
"I don't know. It's everywhere. It's coming towards us."
"There's nothing there."
"It's still approaching. It's all around us!"
"Where?"
"It's down there!"
It's the little girl hiding under the steps.
"Stop! Hold your fire!" cries McLuhan. She calls down to the little girl: "All right, come out."
"It's a girl," says Bazin, stating the obvious. "How come the tracker's picking her up?"
The dragon approaches from behind and attacks. Bazin is wounded.
"Come on!" cries McLuhan.
McLuhan helps Bazin away while the little girl smiles at the dragon.
The Doctor and the girls are in the ice passage, where they join the catwalks.
"Back to the Tardis," says the Doctor.
"But what about the creature?" asks Nita. "We've got to save it."
"The creature will always be under threat from Kane, unless we can convince him that his star charts are hopelessly wrong," the Doctor replies. "Then we might be able to put an end to all this."
"This isn't another wind up, is it?" asks Ace. "I mean, I really am going to see your spacecraft, aren't I?"
The dragon carries the little girl into the shopping mall and puts her down.
"Bye!" Stellar waves to the creature as it walks away.
In the lower docking bay, panicking people run screaming into the Nosferatu while little Stellar finds the empty Refrigeration room and sits on a chair with her teddy. Glitz arrives as the bay doors close.
"Here!" cries Glitz in despair.
"Stand clear of the doors, please," says the computer.
"What's going on?"
"Undocking sequence in progress."
"Open up!" Glitz bangs on the doors with his fists.
"Locking arms disengaged."
"You can't go without me!"
"Spacecraft ready to clear Iceworld. Safe journey and good fortune, Nosferatu."
"You can't leave me, not after all these years. Come back!"
The Doctor and the girls reach the shopping mall.
"Where is everyone?" the Doctor asks. "Must be half day closing. I don't think we've got much time."
"What are we doing here?" asks Ace. "I thought we were going to see your spacecraft?"
"This is our spacecraft," says Nita, pointing to the TARDIS.
"I'm not stupid."
"Just come on," says Mel, dragging her over to the TARDIS.
The Doctor unlocks the door of the Tardis.
"Squeeze up, then," says Ace.
Mel, Nita and Ace enter the TARDIS.
"Hang about." Ace looks around, bewildered.
The Doctor gets the star chart up on the scanner.
"That's it, Proamon."
"Here, how'd you do that, then?" Ace is still confused.
"Well, it's bigger on the inside than the outside." Mel states the obvious.
"There is no planet Proamon." The Doctor is still absorbed in the star chart.
"It's transcendentally dimensional," Nita explains.
"Don't come all clever dick with me," says Ace. "What's going on?"
"It's difficult to explain," says Mel.
"Quiet!" the Doctor snaps. "There are things to be done."
The Doctor walks out then back in again for his hat and umbrella, bumping into Mel.
"Oh, Doctor!" Mel objects.
"Come on," the Ductor urges.
Bazin and McLuhan are still in the ice passage.
"Leave me," Bazin urges. "I'll hide. Come back for me."
"Come on," McLuhan ignores him. "Just down here, come on. You can do it."
Bazin limps down the passage, leaning on McLuhan's shoulder.
"That's it."
"Here, this is a shortcut to my quarters," says Ace.
"Later, Ace. We're in a hurry," objects the Doctor.
"No, it's all right. You go on ahead. It's just I don't feel properly dressed without a couple of cans of Nitro. I'll catch you up." She runs off down a side passage.
"Come on, girls. We're wasting valuable time," says the Doctor.
"If we miss you, we'll meet you in your quarters!" Nita calls after Ace.
Glitz enters the shopping mall. "Sprog? Doctor? Mel? Nita?"
"Ah, you there," says the rich woman. "Have you seen a small child called Stellar anywhere? I appear to have mislaid her." Glitz stares at her blankly. "Evidently not. Well, if you do find her, would you be so good as to let me know?"
In the ice passage, the dragon approaches McLuhan and Bazin.
"Fire!" cries McLuhan.
The dragon falls.
Ace is about to get some more cans of Nitro when she realises Kane is standing behind her.
"Right, just the head, and its finished," says McLuhan.
She starts using a laser cutter.
"Can't we just leave the head?" asks Bazin.
"Mister Kane wants the head, and I never leave a job half done," McLuhan replies.
They lift the head off the corpse and put it down. It opens and the crystal comes out.
The dragon's treasure!" Bazin gasps.
Energy bolts zap them both.
Glitz arrives at Ace's room. "Ace? Ace?" he calls, looking around.
In the ice passage, the Doctor, Nita and Mel arrive at the scene of carnage.
"The creature, it's dead! They've killed it," cries Nita.
"Yes, and it had a final surprise for anyone who wanted to try and interfere with it. A huge energy surge when its head was disconnected," says the Doctor.
"What shall we do with it now?" asks Mel.
"We'll finish its job for it, and put an end to all this death and destruction."
The Doctor pulls out the crystal and Mel takes it in her hands.