All else forgotten, Jasmine and Kerrigan sprinted back through the settlement towards the conical shape of the power plant rising at its centre. The news was visible rippling through the streets: the incredulity and rising horror of those listening to communicators, the shrill clamour of shocked, angry voices as the word was passed along. As they ran, they were aware of a gathering crowd running with them, building to a virtual stampede as they rushed in at the foot of the power plant and the tight knot of armed guards in front of the entrance.
Those at the front of the crowd dug their heels into the dust to skid to a halt, thrusting their shoulders back against those behind who kept trying to force their way onward. Jasmine found herself hemmed in and half suffocated by the seething press of humanity until Kerrigan, placing his arm around her shoulders and dragging people roughly aside with the other hand, got them through to the front and out into the open.
The Doctor was just barely visible, surrounded by guards and restrained by four separate pairs of hands, looking sullen with his hands thrust deep into his pockets. He looked back at her and showed no evidence of surprise that she had failed to obey his instruction to return to the Tardis. His eyes briefly rolled skyward in resignation, then flicked away as Strole shoved his way through the crowd.
"You!" he boomed. "What have you done?"
The ring of guards loosened slightly to allow the Doctor to respond.
"Should be obvious," he said, calmly and seriously. "I've sabotaged your main reactor. You have a few hours before it goes up, and since it has enough stored energy to power this place for years that means it'll take the whole colony with it and everything else within twenty miles."
"Fanatic! You'd destroy everything we've built here just to stop me?"
The Doctor's look of contempt was withering.
"You pathetic buffoon. You think I'd have to resort to something this drastic just to foil your feeble schemes? You're nothing. You're a footnote to this whole affair."
Strole advanced on him, the fury in his face warring with an almost pleading look of distress.
"Then why? Why would you do this?"
The Doctor looked him in the eye.
"That's my secret."
"But my people! They'll all die!"
"Nonsense. You have that cargo carrier don't you? Fuelled and ready for the return trip if I'm not mistaken. There's plenty of time to evacuate."
"Are you mad? That ship won't take a thousand people!"
"Of course it will. Not in the passenger section, but there'll be room in the storage bays for everyone. It may be a little uncomfortable but they'll survive."
Strole was silent for a moment, teeth jammed together in frustration.
"Fix it!" he shouted suddenly. "You did the damage, you can repair it."
The Doctor stood immovable at the centre of his ring of guards.
"It's irreversible. This colony is finished and there's nothing you can do about it."
Strole's gaze shifted to a figure in a white tunic who appeared at the power plant entrance, and he asked the question with a jerk of his head. The grim-faced scientist shook his head, no.
"See what I mean?" said the Doctor, as if he'd read all that from watching Strole's face. "So tell the people, Mr Strole. Are you going to be responsible for the deaths of everyone here? Or not?"
The two men stood just a few feet apart, Strole's looming, bulky form locked at every muscle in impotent rage, the Doctor standing waiting, not gloating, not celebrating, betraying no emotion at all. At last Strole spoke:
"Captain Kerrigan!"
"Sir!" Kerrigan spoke up.
"All personnel are to board the carrier. Maximum of one small case of belongings per individual. All antimatter specialists are to remain behind and work on repairing the reactor."
The Doctor blinked at the exception, but looked satisfied, while the surrounding crowd murmured and shuffled as the order brought home the reality of their situation. Strole inspected him closely and then added:
"The military are to stay behind too."
At this the Doctor flared up.
"Soldiers? What do you expect them to do, shoot the explosion? What's the matter, can't you face the idea of not having any guns around you?"
"That's right, Doctor," said Strole sharply. "When someone has taken such extreme steps to clear the people out of this base, and won't give a reason why, I think it's a sensible precaution to keep some guns around to deal with whatever it is you're up to. We have a shuttlecraft here. If we rip out the seats then there'll be standing room for everyone we leave behind, so if it comes to it they'll all be able to get away. Then they can dock with the carrier once they're in orbit." He turned his back on the Doctor. "Now if you'll excuse me I have work to do."
He stalked away through the crowd, which parted for him and began to splinter as people disbelievingly realised the need to hurry back to their dwellings and collect their possession.
"Oh, by the way," Strole turned suddenly and fired his parting shot from a distance. "In case you were in any doubt you and your little friend are staying too."
He left, and Kerrigan gently propelled Jasmine forward to join the Doctor in amongst his guards. The Doctor looked down at her and shook his head in exasperation.
"Why does no one ever do as I say? You nearly drowned in a Klavite spaceship for me, Jasmine. Why was going back to the Tardis so much to ask?"
It was impossible to tell how angry he really was. Jasmine could only shrug guiltily.
"I had to know what was going on."
"Yes, Doctor." Kerrigan stepped forward. "I don't believe you're insane, or stupid enough not to realise that the blast will wipe out the aliens in the cave along with everything else, so I assume there's something happening here that I don't know about. Since Strole's decided my men and I are going to be right in the middle of it surely you could tell us something about what to expect?"
The Doctor looked at him, coldly at first, then thoughtfully.
"Yes, all right. Why not?"
----------
In the cave chamber where the sacklike, immobile green aliens sat on their tables, Ceros' beautiful, angelic voice rang out:
"It will soon be night. The time has come."
The featureless, marble-like tables split apart, sinking down into the floor to leave each creature squatting atop a narrow, skirt-shaped base of dark grey metal studded with black hemispheres. From above, blotting out the gentle beams of light, silver clamps lowered a second component towards them: a dully gleaming dome with a complex optical attachment, on top of a cylindrical metal grill around an impenetrable wire mesh, and an armoured belt sporting a computer plug-in system and an ugly, stubby energy weapon. With flawless simultaneity, the upper sections clicked and locked into place on the bases, entirely cutting the creatures off from view.
Ceros' base was slightly different to the others; with silver studs instead of black. He spoke again, but his voice was now amplified to a high-pitched, nerve-jangling electronic noise:
"Proceed to the settlement. All humans are to subjugated. Any who resist will be EXTERMINATED!"