CHAPTER 7
A LITTLE LOOK AROUND
After fleeing his father's presence, Jason continued his search for the Doctor. Now it was his turn to retrace the Time Lord's steps. He came upon a room being renovated and watched the mechanical movements of the crew a moment before moving on. He eventually found a door that was a twin to the one the Doctor had opened. To Jason's delight, this one was unlocked and he entered the opposite side of the massive storage area only minutes after the Doctor had left it.
Unlike the Doctor, Jason was not jolted by the surge of psychic energy, although he did experience a sensation he could not describe as he came through the door. He looked around in bewilderment, wondering if he had passed through an energy field. He moved along the walkway, scrutinizing the containers. He placed a hand on one and scanned it. He caught his breath, his eyes growing wide in horror. He scanned a second and then a third. Turning back to look around the room, he saw hundreds of similar containers, the contents of which he now knew. Was this the only storeroom? he wondered. Or were there more?
"Oh Doctor," he said in a horrified whisper, "I owe you a great deal more than an apology." Jason turned, his eyes now burning in anger. He went back into the main building returning to the work crew. He walked up to the first person he saw and took hold of the dolphin collar. "This isn't here by choice, is it?" he demanded.
Even if the man could have answered, Jason would not have heard the reply. He was struck by a stun blast that dropped him like a stone.
A very self-satisfied Talbot came out of the room across the hall and stood over him. "You see, ExO?" he said smugly. "This problem is easily handled."
"Not quite, sir," the Executive Officer replied coolly. "That's not the man I saw earlier."
The man the Executive Officer had seen earlier had just found the power room and was looking around in awe. The room was identical in shape to the lobby and the Doctor looked up at the ceiling, and then at the main console. It appeared the design for the information desk was an exact duplicate. Were they connected to one another in some way?
"Don't move!" a stern, authoritative voice snapped suddenly.
Hearing the unmistakable whine of an energy weapon powering up, the Doctor froze, not darning to turn around.
"Who are you?" the voice asked.
"I'm the Doctor," the Time Lord replied mildly. "I'm not armed." He very carefully held his hands away from his body where the man could see them.
"Turn around. Slowly."
The Doctor did as instructed, looking his captor up and down as he did so. The man was tall, slender and dressed in what at one time might have been a uniform. He was badly scarred, as though he had been burned at one time; and it appeared that he only had the use of the hand that held the gun.
The soldier called to his commanding officer on the intercom, informing him of the intruder he had just captured.
"Bring him to the discharge hatch," the Captain ordered.
"That way," the soldier ordered, waving the Doctor toward the door with the gun.
Seeing no alternative, the captive Time Lord did as instructed, inwardly wishing he had not lost his patience with his companion and stormed off without him.
In the administration section, George was panicking again, only this time, Bryce was actually listening. The power fluctuations had escalated in frequency to the point where they now affecting the guest areas. The renovations had stopped all together, although he did not know why, and some of the staff had taken…well, ill, if that was the correct term.
It was this last point that worried the CEO most. "How many are ill?" he demanded. "And who's taking care of them?"
"Ten so far. They just suddenly collapsed. They were taken to those maintenance people, as far as I know."
Before George knew what was happening, Bryce was on the phone. "Talbot!" he practically screamed into the phone. "No, I want to talk to him now! There's an emergency up here. Those units he gave me are starting to drop like flies and—" The line suddenly went dead and the CEO cursed, slamming the phone down. He stormed from the office, leaving a bewildered George Hargrove staring after him.
The Doctor was marched down a long corridor, another guard joining his escort as they went. This man also appeared to have been injured at one time, but his mobility was not as impaired. He was armed with a high-energy rifle, which he took great joy in jabbing into the Time Lord's ribs.
When the Doctor finally met Captain Talbot, he wondered what had happened that he and his crew should share such terrible scars. Obviously they had been injured in a fire—or a crash.
"So, you're the man who's been making such a nuisance of himself," Talbot stated blandly.
The Doctor smiled broadly. "Just having a look around," he replied happily. "No harm in that, surely?"
Talbot gave him a cold look. "It depends what you're looking for and where you're looking for it. Who are you?"
"I'm the Doctor."
"What were you doing in the power room? No—" Holding up a hand, Talbot rephrased the question. "First, tell me how you got in to the power room."
"Through the door. Naturally."
Talbot's face darkened. At the same time the officer behind the Doctor struck him savagely with the butt of his rifle, sending him to his hands and knees on the deck.
"Don't play the fool with me, Doctor," the Captain snarled. "Now, how did you get into the Dome's power room?"
"Don't you mean ship's power room?" the Doctor corrected sharply. He looked up, seeing a stunned look on the Captain's face. "It must've been quite a crash," he observed quietly, "going through two miles of sea water and still managing to lodge into the ocean floor on impact."
Talbot's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
"I've already told you. I'm the Doctor."
"Who sent you?"
The Doctor groaned inwardly. Why did people always assume he'd been sent when he told them his observations? "Not that you'll believe me, but no one sent me. I'm here with a friend to attend some lectures."
The Doctor was puzzled by Talbot's reaction. He stiffened and threw a startled look at his Executive Officer before pulling open the access hatch beside him and ordering the Time Lord in. The Doctor was dragged to his feet and then forced down a ladder into what looked like a tank. To his astonishment, he saw his companion was already there. The boy's hands were handcuffed behind him and he was chained to a drum of some sort. He was either drugged or stunned, as far as the Doctor could tell. For both their sakes he hoped it was the latter.
The Time Lord was shoved over to the drum, where he too was chained into place. "This isn't very good guest relations, you know," he said aridly.
"You wanted to have a look around," Talbot said evilly. "Here's your chance. This is part of the new filtration system. Water comes into the system from one side and is discharged back into the sea through here. In about…ninety seconds, you'll be seeing it firsthand."
"This won't end your problems, Talbot," the Doctor said darkly. "It will only delay the inevitable."
"From where I'm standing, Doctor, I'm not the man with the problems." So saying, he and his men exited, closing and sealing the hatch.
The Doctor turned to his companion, who was lying on the floor beside him. He tried to get down to him but was prevented by the chain. "Jason!" he hissed, prodding the boy with his feet. "Jason, wake up!"
There was a click of machinery and cold ocean water suddenly started spraying in through a line of holes in the bulkhead. The Doctor looked up, feeling the pressure in the room increase. It would be only a matter of seconds before the hatches opened and they were sent helplessly into the inky depths of the ocean.
The Time Lord returned his attention to the floor, where to his horror he saw Jason vanish beneath the rising tide. A split second later the Alterran burst from the water, gasping and sputtering, his eyes wide open. He struggled to his feet falling back against the bulkhead, dazed.
"Jason!" the Doctor called. "Are you alright?"
His companion looked around wildly, discovering at the same time that he was bound. Freeing himself with conspicuous ease, he turned his attention to his friend. "Doctor!" he gasped, looking around again. "Where the hell are we?" he demanded, having to shout over the roar of the water.
"A discharge tube," the Doctor shouted back. "Never mind the details. We've about ten seconds to get out of here before the hatches open."
"Then what happens?"
"We're both dead!"
"Works for me."
Jason dove at the cuffs at the Doctor's wrists. "I suppose now is not the time to apologize for scoffing at your theories," he said breathlessly.
"Just get us out of here," the Doctor replied, "and you can scoff at anything I say!"
The hatch releases hissed and then popped and Jason looked up sharply. Abandoning his efforts to free the Doctor, he grabbed him around the chest. "You wanted to know what some of my powers were, Doctor," he said quickly. "Well, it looks like you're about to find out."
