Jasmine's new Doctor led the way down the cliff, bounding agilely from rock to rock, the water in the bucket containing their alien prisoner slopping from side to side and leaving an unheeded trail of droplets behind him. The ancient felt hat by which she had been able to recognise her own Doctor in the far distance had been discarded to reveal a thick shock of jet black hair swept back from his forehead. The coat was the same, but where once it had hung shapelessly on his stooped, withered frame it now curled about his lean waist and shoulders as the original tailor must have intended. He halted, drawing in a deep breath of the cold night air gusting in from the sea and flexed his hands restlesly, balling them into fists and then spreading out the fingers to full stretch. He turned to Jasmine, struggling along behind him, a look of impatience on his angular, sharply cut features.
"Come on, girl! The old man said we had to get down to the beach. I imagine he knew what he was talking about."
He set the bucket down and she permitted him to grasp her about the waist and lift her down from the latest boulder. She was hopelessly impeded by her heavy, expensive skirts and impractical shoes, all long since ruined by mud and sharp stones.
"He?" she repeated. "I thought you said you were him."
This had been the extent of his explanation as to how he had transformed from the ancient grandfather figure she had known all her life to this brusque, energetic man in his thirties. Announcing that they had no time for further discussion, he had simply ordered her to follow him and she had found herself doing so. Too much had already happened tonight to be stunned by this new impossibility.
"Well, yes," he responded airily, already turning away to retrieve the bucket and set off again down a path which looked like it had been made by sheep. "But changing bodies isn't like buying a new hat, you know..." He clapped his hand on top of his head. "Where's my hat?"
"You threw it away. You said it smelt funny."
"Ah. Anyway, it's too bad the old fool didn't tell you the plan before he checked out. Hopefully it will come back to me."
Jasmine trailed after him, bunching up her skirt to avoid tripping over it.
"Then where is he?" she protested. "What's happened to him?"
"Fascinating existential question," he called back, not turning round. "Which I'd be happy to discuss at a later date. At the moment, in case you've forgotten, your planet is being attacked by aliens."
Five minutes of slipping in the mud, scrambling over boulders and pushing through brambles later, they were down to twenty feet above sea level, amongst the steep and jagged rocks at the mouth of the little cove where Jasmine had first found the silver-green disc that started all this. In an abrupt movement, the Doctor held up a hand to signify a halt.
"Just in time," he whispered, beckoning her forward. "See?"
Immediately beneath where they were concealed, a circle of glowing lights could be seen below the dark and foaming waters. While Jasmine watched, they rose from the depths and around them, sixty feet across, a gleaming bronze circle became visible as with a roar of gushing sea water it broke the surface to form a great dome floating on the ocean, rising to ten feet high at its centre. The last of the water streamed down its armoured sides as, rolling in the waves, it moved at a majestic pace deeper into the cove, beaching itself with a crunch on the pebbles of the beach.
"Right," said the Doctor. "Now let's see what our prisoner can tell us."
He plunged his hand into the bucket and dragged out the Klavite, grasping its body firmly under the flailing, sticklike arms.
"Feeling talkative, little fellow?"
The creature gulped and wriggled in his grip, then in a hoarse whisper gasped back at him:
"Release me!"
Jasmine started back, astonished.
"It can talk?"
One raised eyebrow was visible as the Doctor gave her a sideways look.
"That's more or less a prerequisite for building flying saucers, Jasmine."
"But it speaks English!"
The Doctor waved his free hand dismissively.
"Never mind about that now." He focussed on the struggling alien. "Now then my tiny slimy friend, you're going to give us a few helpful details about the interior layout of your ship."
"Animal!" it spat back. "You think you can bargain? My friends will hunt you down and kill you."
The Doctor's eyes tightened, his narrow face hardening, and he leaned forward.
"Try to understand, you nasty little thing. Humans are social animals. As you've already discovered, they are capable of extreme and unpredictable responses when a member of their family group is threatened. Now my young friend here is closely attached to the man your companion abducted, so either you answer my simple questions, or I hand you over to her, let her snap your arms off, and then we'll both sit and lay bets on whether the asphyxiation or the haemorrhaging will do for you first."
Jasmine saw the Klavite's beady eyes slide over towards her, and was well aware that she just looked confused and frightened, not menacing. But when it spoke again, its bluster was gone.
"If I tell you, you must release me. Put me into the ocean."
"No," said the Doctor patiently. "After you've told us, I'll put you back in your bucket."
The creature shifted in his grip, clenching its tiny fists.
"Very well," it wheezed sullenly. "The knowledge will be useless to you. You'll never gain access to our ship."
"We'll see. Now then. Bearing in mind that one of us is going to stay up here with you just in case your information is less than accurate. All I want to know is, the route from the main access hatch to the control room."
"It's simple. The hatch opens onto the equipment hangar. The middle exit opens onto a corridor to the central hub. From there, the third door to the left leads to the control room."
"Excellent."
The Doctor opened his hand and the Klavite plummeted down to splash into the bucket.
"Doctor!"
Peeking around the rocks that concealed them Jasmine shrank back further into hiding at the sight of a dazzling white rectangle which seemed to flow into existence on the gleaming hull of the saucer. A familiar glowing circle of light set her heart thudding against her ribcage as, one by one, four of the towering metal giants emerged into the night air and made their way with great ringing strides down onto the beach not twenty feet from where they stood.
"Come on, girl! The old man said we had to get down to the beach. I imagine he knew what he was talking about."
He set the bucket down and she permitted him to grasp her about the waist and lift her down from the latest boulder. She was hopelessly impeded by her heavy, expensive skirts and impractical shoes, all long since ruined by mud and sharp stones.
"He?" she repeated. "I thought you said you were him."
This had been the extent of his explanation as to how he had transformed from the ancient grandfather figure she had known all her life to this brusque, energetic man in his thirties. Announcing that they had no time for further discussion, he had simply ordered her to follow him and she had found herself doing so. Too much had already happened tonight to be stunned by this new impossibility.
"Well, yes," he responded airily, already turning away to retrieve the bucket and set off again down a path which looked like it had been made by sheep. "But changing bodies isn't like buying a new hat, you know..." He clapped his hand on top of his head. "Where's my hat?"
"You threw it away. You said it smelt funny."
"Ah. Anyway, it's too bad the old fool didn't tell you the plan before he checked out. Hopefully it will come back to me."
Jasmine trailed after him, bunching up her skirt to avoid tripping over it.
"Then where is he?" she protested. "What's happened to him?"
"Fascinating existential question," he called back, not turning round. "Which I'd be happy to discuss at a later date. At the moment, in case you've forgotten, your planet is being attacked by aliens."
Five minutes of slipping in the mud, scrambling over boulders and pushing through brambles later, they were down to twenty feet above sea level, amongst the steep and jagged rocks at the mouth of the little cove where Jasmine had first found the silver-green disc that started all this. In an abrupt movement, the Doctor held up a hand to signify a halt.
"Just in time," he whispered, beckoning her forward. "See?"
Immediately beneath where they were concealed, a circle of glowing lights could be seen below the dark and foaming waters. While Jasmine watched, they rose from the depths and around them, sixty feet across, a gleaming bronze circle became visible as with a roar of gushing sea water it broke the surface to form a great dome floating on the ocean, rising to ten feet high at its centre. The last of the water streamed down its armoured sides as, rolling in the waves, it moved at a majestic pace deeper into the cove, beaching itself with a crunch on the pebbles of the beach.
"Right," said the Doctor. "Now let's see what our prisoner can tell us."
He plunged his hand into the bucket and dragged out the Klavite, grasping its body firmly under the flailing, sticklike arms.
"Feeling talkative, little fellow?"
The creature gulped and wriggled in his grip, then in a hoarse whisper gasped back at him:
"Release me!"
Jasmine started back, astonished.
"It can talk?"
One raised eyebrow was visible as the Doctor gave her a sideways look.
"That's more or less a prerequisite for building flying saucers, Jasmine."
"But it speaks English!"
The Doctor waved his free hand dismissively.
"Never mind about that now." He focussed on the struggling alien. "Now then my tiny slimy friend, you're going to give us a few helpful details about the interior layout of your ship."
"Animal!" it spat back. "You think you can bargain? My friends will hunt you down and kill you."
The Doctor's eyes tightened, his narrow face hardening, and he leaned forward.
"Try to understand, you nasty little thing. Humans are social animals. As you've already discovered, they are capable of extreme and unpredictable responses when a member of their family group is threatened. Now my young friend here is closely attached to the man your companion abducted, so either you answer my simple questions, or I hand you over to her, let her snap your arms off, and then we'll both sit and lay bets on whether the asphyxiation or the haemorrhaging will do for you first."
Jasmine saw the Klavite's beady eyes slide over towards her, and was well aware that she just looked confused and frightened, not menacing. But when it spoke again, its bluster was gone.
"If I tell you, you must release me. Put me into the ocean."
"No," said the Doctor patiently. "After you've told us, I'll put you back in your bucket."
The creature shifted in his grip, clenching its tiny fists.
"Very well," it wheezed sullenly. "The knowledge will be useless to you. You'll never gain access to our ship."
"We'll see. Now then. Bearing in mind that one of us is going to stay up here with you just in case your information is less than accurate. All I want to know is, the route from the main access hatch to the control room."
"It's simple. The hatch opens onto the equipment hangar. The middle exit opens onto a corridor to the central hub. From there, the third door to the left leads to the control room."
"Excellent."
The Doctor opened his hand and the Klavite plummeted down to splash into the bucket.
"Doctor!"
Peeking around the rocks that concealed them Jasmine shrank back further into hiding at the sight of a dazzling white rectangle which seemed to flow into existence on the gleaming hull of the saucer. A familiar glowing circle of light set her heart thudding against her ribcage as, one by one, four of the towering metal giants emerged into the night air and made their way with great ringing strides down onto the beach not twenty feet from where they stood.