The window of the cell yielded swiftly to the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. It would have been quicker if his hands had not been fumbling in his haste.
"What's going on?" protested Jasmine, holding onto his hands as he helped her out into the open. "What's the matter?"
"No time," he said curtly, looking quickly around. They were in a narrow alley between two of the plain metallic single-storey buildings that made up the colony. Twenty yards away at either end pedestrians and vehicles were visible making their way along the streets. "We have to go. Right now."
She followed as he began striding at full speed along the alley, then after two paces stumbled to a halt, barely avoiding running into his back as he stopped dead.
"No," he said. "We can't."
Jasmine watched in concern as the Doctor wavered indecisively on the spot. He muttered to himself inaudibly, glanced agitatedly this way and that as if expecting to find an escape route in the bare walls, made as if to step in one direction or another, then changed his mind. His lips twisted in frustration and his fist slammed hard against the wall.
"Blast it!"
He placed his hands tensely over his mouth, his brow creased in worry, and steepled the fingers together as if in prayer.
"Right," he said at last. "Right, here we go. This is what we're going to do."
She perked up, waiting. He was silent for a moment longer, holding up one hand and rubbing the fingers agitatedly together in thought.
"Jasmine." Finally he looked at her and she straightened, almost standing to attention. "Go back to the Tardis."
Dismayed, she drew breath to protest, but he silenced her by grasping her right hand and slapping the Tardis key into her palm.
"No. This is serious, Jasmine. Do as you're told."
With that, he was away in a swirl of his coat, vanishing around the corner and leaving Jasmine alone.
She stood for a moment, confused and upset. There was something sinister happening, something that scared even the Doctor, and no one would tell her what it was. But there was nothing to do now except follow instructions and hope he knew what he was doing.
Mindful that she was supposed to be still locked up in her cell, Jasmine made a painstakingly cautious progress across the base, awaiting opportunities to dart from one alley into the next across the narrow streets, standing motionless in darkened corners while people flowed past, trotting in the shadow of slow moving vehicles. It was fully ten minutes before, arriving at last on the outskirts, beyond which the dusty wilderness sloped gradually up to where the Tardis stood, with a pang in her chest she saw him.
Kerrigan. Bereft of his subordinate guards, he seemed to be wandering aimlessly about the desert just twenty metres past the boundary of the settlement. He moved in circles, kicking at little stones.
She should wait, she knew. Let him finish whatever he was doing and then make best speed back to the Tardis. Instead she was breaking cover and walking out across the sands towards him.
"Jasmine!" He smiled, briefly delighted to see her before he remembered the situation and his face fell. "What are you doing here?"
"The Doctor got me out."
He hesitated, evidently uncertain whether this meant the Doctor had negotiated her release or simply broken her out of prison. But he had other concerns.
"Look, Jasmine. What you saw back at the cave..."
"Oh, tell me!" she burst out. "Tell me what your excuse is for torturing that poor creature. I thought you were a decent man. How could you?"
"Mr Strole is in command here," he muttered, looking away. "I have to obey his orders."
"No you don't. Of course you don't. You can say 'No, I won't do it'. It's easy!"
"You don't understand." His eyes implored her to do so. "Did you know I'm one of the youngest captains ever in the Service? I've worked so hard, I've given up so much. I go against Strole, he'll just have me dismissed and get someone else to do it instead. My career. My life. It's too much to ask."
"Listen to yourself! Your career? Your career as a torturer's lackey? What's that worth?"
The transformation at her words was instantaneous, like a hard mask closing down over his face. It was the same look he had worn when commanding his men or torturing Ceros.
"It's so easy for you, isn't it? Interplanetary vagrants. No worries, no responsibilities. Always moving on to the next place. It's easy to have ideals when you've got no stake in anything. Those of us who are stuck with the lives we've got sometimes have to make a few choices we're not happy with."
"And when Strole got me on the other end of that wire," she said softly. "What would your choice have been then?"
The mask cracked, and she felt an unwanted shadow of sympathy at the painful grimace brought by her words. Then a piercing beeping noise started up and with a despairing sigh he bowed his head to start muttering into a device built into the cuff of his uniform. The tinny little voice it emitted was inaudible but it was quickly obvious that something was terribly wrong. Kerrigan was at first irritable and distracted, but as he listened further the dawning terror in his face was plain to see. He let his wrist fall to his side and turned to stare at Jasmine, his eyes wide and haunted in sheer disbelief.
"Your friend, the Doctor," he whispered. "He's sabotaged the main power plant. Rigged it to overload and detonate. He's killed us all."
"What's going on?" protested Jasmine, holding onto his hands as he helped her out into the open. "What's the matter?"
"No time," he said curtly, looking quickly around. They were in a narrow alley between two of the plain metallic single-storey buildings that made up the colony. Twenty yards away at either end pedestrians and vehicles were visible making their way along the streets. "We have to go. Right now."
She followed as he began striding at full speed along the alley, then after two paces stumbled to a halt, barely avoiding running into his back as he stopped dead.
"No," he said. "We can't."
Jasmine watched in concern as the Doctor wavered indecisively on the spot. He muttered to himself inaudibly, glanced agitatedly this way and that as if expecting to find an escape route in the bare walls, made as if to step in one direction or another, then changed his mind. His lips twisted in frustration and his fist slammed hard against the wall.
"Blast it!"
He placed his hands tensely over his mouth, his brow creased in worry, and steepled the fingers together as if in prayer.
"Right," he said at last. "Right, here we go. This is what we're going to do."
She perked up, waiting. He was silent for a moment longer, holding up one hand and rubbing the fingers agitatedly together in thought.
"Jasmine." Finally he looked at her and she straightened, almost standing to attention. "Go back to the Tardis."
Dismayed, she drew breath to protest, but he silenced her by grasping her right hand and slapping the Tardis key into her palm.
"No. This is serious, Jasmine. Do as you're told."
With that, he was away in a swirl of his coat, vanishing around the corner and leaving Jasmine alone.
She stood for a moment, confused and upset. There was something sinister happening, something that scared even the Doctor, and no one would tell her what it was. But there was nothing to do now except follow instructions and hope he knew what he was doing.
Mindful that she was supposed to be still locked up in her cell, Jasmine made a painstakingly cautious progress across the base, awaiting opportunities to dart from one alley into the next across the narrow streets, standing motionless in darkened corners while people flowed past, trotting in the shadow of slow moving vehicles. It was fully ten minutes before, arriving at last on the outskirts, beyond which the dusty wilderness sloped gradually up to where the Tardis stood, with a pang in her chest she saw him.
Kerrigan. Bereft of his subordinate guards, he seemed to be wandering aimlessly about the desert just twenty metres past the boundary of the settlement. He moved in circles, kicking at little stones.
She should wait, she knew. Let him finish whatever he was doing and then make best speed back to the Tardis. Instead she was breaking cover and walking out across the sands towards him.
"Jasmine!" He smiled, briefly delighted to see her before he remembered the situation and his face fell. "What are you doing here?"
"The Doctor got me out."
He hesitated, evidently uncertain whether this meant the Doctor had negotiated her release or simply broken her out of prison. But he had other concerns.
"Look, Jasmine. What you saw back at the cave..."
"Oh, tell me!" she burst out. "Tell me what your excuse is for torturing that poor creature. I thought you were a decent man. How could you?"
"Mr Strole is in command here," he muttered, looking away. "I have to obey his orders."
"No you don't. Of course you don't. You can say 'No, I won't do it'. It's easy!"
"You don't understand." His eyes implored her to do so. "Did you know I'm one of the youngest captains ever in the Service? I've worked so hard, I've given up so much. I go against Strole, he'll just have me dismissed and get someone else to do it instead. My career. My life. It's too much to ask."
"Listen to yourself! Your career? Your career as a torturer's lackey? What's that worth?"
The transformation at her words was instantaneous, like a hard mask closing down over his face. It was the same look he had worn when commanding his men or torturing Ceros.
"It's so easy for you, isn't it? Interplanetary vagrants. No worries, no responsibilities. Always moving on to the next place. It's easy to have ideals when you've got no stake in anything. Those of us who are stuck with the lives we've got sometimes have to make a few choices we're not happy with."
"And when Strole got me on the other end of that wire," she said softly. "What would your choice have been then?"
The mask cracked, and she felt an unwanted shadow of sympathy at the painful grimace brought by her words. Then a piercing beeping noise started up and with a despairing sigh he bowed his head to start muttering into a device built into the cuff of his uniform. The tinny little voice it emitted was inaudible but it was quickly obvious that something was terribly wrong. Kerrigan was at first irritable and distracted, but as he listened further the dawning terror in his face was plain to see. He let his wrist fall to his side and turned to stare at Jasmine, his eyes wide and haunted in sheer disbelief.
"Your friend, the Doctor," he whispered. "He's sabotaged the main power plant. Rigged it to overload and detonate. He's killed us all."