The Doctor looked expectant, standing aside and waiting for Jasmine to plunge into the water-filled chamber. She backed away.
"I'm not going in there."
His brow furrowed.
"What do you mean you're not going in there? I thought you wanted to save your guardian."
"But..." Her eyes darted nervously between him and the opening in the saucer's hull.
"I can't do it," he said patiently. "You saw the size of the hatch in there. It'll be a tight squeeze even for you, let alone for my broad and manly shoulders."
She edged forward, peering over the side into the dazzlingly lit water. The tiny square hatch was three feet below the surface and could have led anywhere. She shrank back.
"I can't."
She looked up at the Doctor appealing to him with wide, frightened eyes, but his face was darkening by the second.
"Can't?" he repeated harshly. "Why did you think I brought you along? To hold my coat? The old man had some regard for you, Jasmine. He thought you had potential. Are you going to prove him wrong? Would you prefer to be the simpering ballroom ornament your guardian always wanted?"
She felt a hard lump rising in her throat and the tears prickling in her eyes.
"I ca..."
The stinging pain in her cheek was so unexpected, and such a new experience for her, that it took an instant to realise that he had struck her.
"Don't you dare start snivelling now."
She placed a hand to her reddening cheek, swallowed, and whispered:
"My Doctor would never have done that."
"Quite possibly. But he's gone now. So's your guardian and all your servants. You've got nothing left except you and... ow!"
The Doctor rubbed his own smarting cheek, looking reproachful.
"That was astonishingly painful."
"Don't ever touch me again!"
The sudden overflow of anger coursed exhilaratingly through her, running hot through her veins. An instant later it was draining away to be replaced by a guilty sense of disbelief at what she had just done. She tensed for the Doctor's reaction, but he held up his hands.
"Understood."
He let his hands fall, and glanced over at the lights of the centre of the saucer. They were very bright now, and a low hum was audible, vibrating the metal beneath their feet.
"Look, they're almost ready to take off. There's no more time. If you're not going to do it, then let's go. With luck we can stay out of the Klavites' way in the dark."
Her eyes returned to the opening in the ship's hull. It was no less frightening than before, but somehow the idea of doing something frightening no longer seemed so outlandish.
"Fine," she muttered, and scowling hurled herself with a mighty splash into the water. She resurfaced clutching the edge, her elegantly curled hairdo flattened and ruined, heavy skirts floating about her, to find the Doctor kneeling down to speak.
"Take deep breaths," he said. "You need to oxygenate your bloodstream. Now, if it helps, try to imagine yourself on a boat that's been invaded by some kind of huge, terrifying sea monster squeezing its way along the corridors. Because that's very much how that little Klavite is going to see you."
"But..." Jasmine drew air deep into her lungs as instructed. "Won't it have guns and things?"
"Well, the point of this scheme is that it's going to take off in a moment to try and get rid of us, and it'll be far too busy at the controls to take any other action. Once it realises you're inside, it'll know that as long as it keeps flying at speed you have to stay away from the exit hatch, and it'll expect you to drown long before you stumble on the control room. What it doesn't know is, you know exactly where the control room is and you'll be there a lot sooner than it thinks."
"Right." Shivering in the cold water, Jasmine frowned worriedly. "But what happens when I get to the control room?"
"Very simple. Catch the Klavite or just keep it away from the controls. Either way, then you can just let nature take its course."
She considered this.
"But... doesn't that mean the ship will..."
"Crash, yes. That's the idea." The hull vibration was steadying and intensifying and the Doctor jumped briskly to his feet. "Don't worry." He clanked his heel against the metal a couple of times. "These ships are built to survive the hazards of deep space. Once it's in flight, the molecular cohesion of the hull is reinforced by raw energy from the reactor core. Smashing it into a cliff may crumple it slightly, but you'll survive."
Jasmine leaned her forehead against her hands where they gripped the side of the entrance chamber, already ruing the mad impulse which had led to agree to this scheme. But it was too late now. As the body of the ship began to stir in the water, the Doctor ran down the slope of the saucer's side and jumped ashore. He turned to wave.
"Good luck! No time to waste, now. If you're not well inside by the time they've built up some speed you'll be sucked out."
The ship rose clear of the waves, and began to glide steadily forward towards the mouth of the bay. Jasmine took a last look round at the cliffs and stars, then took a deep breath and plunged beneath the water.
"I'm not going in there."
His brow furrowed.
"What do you mean you're not going in there? I thought you wanted to save your guardian."
"But..." Her eyes darted nervously between him and the opening in the saucer's hull.
"I can't do it," he said patiently. "You saw the size of the hatch in there. It'll be a tight squeeze even for you, let alone for my broad and manly shoulders."
She edged forward, peering over the side into the dazzlingly lit water. The tiny square hatch was three feet below the surface and could have led anywhere. She shrank back.
"I can't."
She looked up at the Doctor appealing to him with wide, frightened eyes, but his face was darkening by the second.
"Can't?" he repeated harshly. "Why did you think I brought you along? To hold my coat? The old man had some regard for you, Jasmine. He thought you had potential. Are you going to prove him wrong? Would you prefer to be the simpering ballroom ornament your guardian always wanted?"
She felt a hard lump rising in her throat and the tears prickling in her eyes.
"I ca..."
The stinging pain in her cheek was so unexpected, and such a new experience for her, that it took an instant to realise that he had struck her.
"Don't you dare start snivelling now."
She placed a hand to her reddening cheek, swallowed, and whispered:
"My Doctor would never have done that."
"Quite possibly. But he's gone now. So's your guardian and all your servants. You've got nothing left except you and... ow!"
The Doctor rubbed his own smarting cheek, looking reproachful.
"That was astonishingly painful."
"Don't ever touch me again!"
The sudden overflow of anger coursed exhilaratingly through her, running hot through her veins. An instant later it was draining away to be replaced by a guilty sense of disbelief at what she had just done. She tensed for the Doctor's reaction, but he held up his hands.
"Understood."
He let his hands fall, and glanced over at the lights of the centre of the saucer. They were very bright now, and a low hum was audible, vibrating the metal beneath their feet.
"Look, they're almost ready to take off. There's no more time. If you're not going to do it, then let's go. With luck we can stay out of the Klavites' way in the dark."
Her eyes returned to the opening in the ship's hull. It was no less frightening than before, but somehow the idea of doing something frightening no longer seemed so outlandish.
"Fine," she muttered, and scowling hurled herself with a mighty splash into the water. She resurfaced clutching the edge, her elegantly curled hairdo flattened and ruined, heavy skirts floating about her, to find the Doctor kneeling down to speak.
"Take deep breaths," he said. "You need to oxygenate your bloodstream. Now, if it helps, try to imagine yourself on a boat that's been invaded by some kind of huge, terrifying sea monster squeezing its way along the corridors. Because that's very much how that little Klavite is going to see you."
"But..." Jasmine drew air deep into her lungs as instructed. "Won't it have guns and things?"
"Well, the point of this scheme is that it's going to take off in a moment to try and get rid of us, and it'll be far too busy at the controls to take any other action. Once it realises you're inside, it'll know that as long as it keeps flying at speed you have to stay away from the exit hatch, and it'll expect you to drown long before you stumble on the control room. What it doesn't know is, you know exactly where the control room is and you'll be there a lot sooner than it thinks."
"Right." Shivering in the cold water, Jasmine frowned worriedly. "But what happens when I get to the control room?"
"Very simple. Catch the Klavite or just keep it away from the controls. Either way, then you can just let nature take its course."
She considered this.
"But... doesn't that mean the ship will..."
"Crash, yes. That's the idea." The hull vibration was steadying and intensifying and the Doctor jumped briskly to his feet. "Don't worry." He clanked his heel against the metal a couple of times. "These ships are built to survive the hazards of deep space. Once it's in flight, the molecular cohesion of the hull is reinforced by raw energy from the reactor core. Smashing it into a cliff may crumple it slightly, but you'll survive."
Jasmine leaned her forehead against her hands where they gripped the side of the entrance chamber, already ruing the mad impulse which had led to agree to this scheme. But it was too late now. As the body of the ship began to stir in the water, the Doctor ran down the slope of the saucer's side and jumped ashore. He turned to wave.
"Good luck! No time to waste, now. If you're not well inside by the time they've built up some speed you'll be sucked out."
The ship rose clear of the waves, and began to glide steadily forward towards the mouth of the bay. Jasmine took a last look round at the cliffs and stars, then took a deep breath and plunged beneath the water.