CHAPTER 13
LOOMING DISASTER
Had K-9's sensors not been shielded they would have detected Jason only a few floors away. He had kept away from the forward section of the Dome, Azure having proven invaluable in leading him to her people along the back. Eventually he found himself in a section of the building being renovated. He went to the room in which he had previously seen all the workers, finding it empty.
"There's no one here," he said firmly. "Are you sure you sensed someone?"
Azure nodded vigorously, motioning him in.
"But there's no one here!" Jason objected. He took another step into the room, waving his hands to make his point. He learned too late that he was wrong. A gold chain suddenly flashed around his neck and snapped closed before he knew what was happening.
Jason staggered further into the room, struggling against the power clawing at his mind. He managed to get a hand up to the collar before sinking to his knees. "No…" he moaned. "I'm not …I'm not…"
"It's not working," a male voice hissed from behind him.
To Jason's horror, he heard Azure reply, "He's not Eldarian. It may take a minute for the con trol center to find the correct frequency. Don't worry. He can't escape. But you won't be able to control him telepathically. His mind is too weak. You'll have to use voice commands."
"Doesn't matter. It's the Doctor's mind I'm after. He's just the bait."
"Look, what is going on?" George Hargrove demanded.
"A great deal more than even I thought," the Doctor replied tersely. "Is there any way to evacuate the Dome?"
"Evacuate! Are you mad? Do you have any idea what you're asking?"
"As a matter of fact, yes!" the Doctor snapped impatiently. "But it may become necessary should things get out of hand."
George mopped his face again. "What things?"
"I've a friend out there currently taking the control collars off of the rest of your staff. I should think that will make running this place rather difficult, don't you?" the Doctor replied challengingly.
"But…an evacuation. It could cause a panic."
The Doctor nodded. "Contacting the local authorities, discreetly of course, might help avoid that."
"I supposed so. On whose authority?"
"On yours, man! You are, after all, an executive. It's about time you started acting like one." He turned back towards the door, "I need to find Jason."
The Eldarian beside him took him by the arm. "Tierron come," he said firmly.
The Doctor gave him a stunned look. "What did you say?"
"Tierron come."
"Tierron? Is that your name?"
The Eldarian nodded.
"I thought Eldarians didn't have names."
Tierron scowled. "We…all have…names."
The Doctor's face darkened. Just what else had Azure told him that was a lie? He looked up when George hung up the phone and said, "Doctor, I've just been informed that we've lost communications with the surface."
The Doctor cursed under his breath. His adversary was still one step ahead of him. "Looks like you'll have to start organizing that evacuation now," he said, although he doubted there would be time to get everyone out before whatever was going to happen happened. Turning to Tierron, he asked, "Will your people help?"
"I don't know. Some," the Eldarian replied.
"Well, it's better than nothing," the Doctor said darkly.
Tierron took the Doctor by the sleeve. "The guests…not in danger."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that," the Time Lord said darkly, turning towards the door.
The Doctor decided it was time to get everything out in the open and went directly to the main lobby. He marched up to the main desk, where he removed the control collars from the dozen or so Eldarian working there. He continued on, removing the collars from all the staff present, leaving the telepathic explanations to Tierron.
With this accomplished, he turned to his Eldarian companion. "We need to get this evacuation organized this end," he said firmly.
To his chagrin he learned the service elevator was also out of commission. He then wanted to kick himself for not having realized the obvious sooner. His adversary was controlling the Eldarian's through the computer with the help of the captive others. Since their mental energies were slaved to the computer, those still under computer control were also slaved to it. It would be simple enough, therefore, for the man behind everything to learn what was going on from the source. Or so the Doctor theorized.
Turning to the main desk, the Doctor demanded, "Are the guests in danger because of what I've done?"
The woman to whom he spoke gave him a blank look.
"The person controlling all this knows what I've done," the Doctor stated firmly. "Will he harm the guests because of it?"
The voice that replied came by way of the public address system. "No, Doctor, the guests are in no danger." The voice hardened as it went on to say, "So long as you do exactly as you are told."
"And just what would you have me do?" the Doctor wanted to know. He was suddenly aware of a force pulling at his mind, but had no trouble shutting it out, which only served to con firm what was becoming increasingly obvious. His opponent, while highly intelligent, was unskilled in the use of the technology at his command. An insight that might prove useful when the time came.
"Well?" the Doctor asked pointedly.
"Come to the storage area. I'm sure you remember the way."
"And if I refuse?"
Suddenly all the freed Eldarians started to weaken and then collapse, apparently the victims of a psychic attack. The Doctor caught the person nearest him, who turned out to be Tierron, as he fell, lowering him gently to the floor.
"There's no need for this!" the Doctor called out angrily.
"Merely a demonstration, Doctor. Now, if you don't want them to suffer further…" The state ment was left unfinished, but the threat was blindingly obvious.
"Alright, I get the point," the Doctor said as he got to his feet. He looked around at the same time, trying to make out if his adversary were using the Eldarians or the security cameras. Then an extraordinary thought struck him. Up until that moment he had thought it was Captain Talbot in control. But the Captain would not have expected to find him alive, and since his unseen opponent had not commented on this, he wondered if it were possible that Bryce Miller was the one behind it all.
The Time Lord surveyed the room, seeing several guests, who were also physicians, tending the fallen Eldarians. "Does anyone here know anything about psychic trauma?" he called out.
"I do," said a voice from behind him.
The Doctor turned and was surprised to see it was Aaron Krystovan who had spoken.
"Is that what we're dealing with here?" Aaron asked.
"Yes. On a massive level. I'm on my way to try and shut it down. Can you organize things here?"
"You can rely on me, sir."
The Doctor gave a knowing smile as he made his way across the room. "Yes. I knew I could."
The Doctor made his way down the corridor leading to the storage area. Once he was a good distance from the lobby he stopped, turning to K-9, who had apparently gone unnoticed by his adversary. "K-9, scan the area. Are there any transmitters or relay points close by?"
K-9's sensors buzzed a moment. "Affirmative, Master. Sensors detect relay points set at regular intervals."
"Can you locate the main transmitter?"
"Affirmative."
"Good dog," the Doctor said approvingly. "Go find it and knock it out. I'll be in the power room."
"Your instructions were to go to the storage area, Master," K-9 corrected.
"I know. But I've a feeling that's just a rendezvous. Off you go now."
K-9 set off in one direction and the Doctor turned, heading in the other. He had barely gone ten paces when the voice called out tauntingly, "Come along, Doctor. No dawdling. Your young friend is getting impatient."
The Doctor looked up sharply, cursing under his breath. As he strode purposefully toward the storage area, he wondered how Jason had managed to get himself captured despite his warnings. His train of thought was broken when he became aware of someone following him. Even though he did not see them, it was apparent they were there and he reasoned it was very likely one of the controlled Eldarians. Obviously his adversary wanted to make certain he arrived at his destination.
