Chapter 3

Intruders!

Inside the Containment Area the wheezing and groaning sound of the TARDIS materializing overcame the hum of machinery as the Police Box appeared between two storage chambers, a final thump announcing its arriving into the realm of real time. Not that there was anyone around to hear it.

The Doctor activated the scanner, revealing a view of row upon row of storage chambers, the only activity coming from the red lights pulsing rhythmically above the access door on each one.

"There must be hundreds of them," Tegan gasped.

"Exactly on thousand. On this level, anyway," the Doctor informed absently.

"How many levels are there?"

"Twelve. But, we seem to be in luck, we're on the right level," the Time Lord chirped brightly. "And this will help to pinpoint the one with the fault." He pulled the box he had fitted into the console from its slot.

Tegan was still apprehensive. "Are you sure it's safe to go out there?"

Turlough was wondering if he would even have to go out and checked the read-out of the atmosphere. "Nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen… Typical Earth-type atmosphere. Nothing out of the ordinary." Throwing Tegan a mischievous look, he added, "In fact, it's cleaner than Earth."

"There, you see?" the Doctor beamed. "We're not too late." He was thinking that perhaps he had been overreacting. There was still danger, of course, but it was easily rectified now.

Turlough looked at the scene on the viewer. Bleak. Even with the morning sunlight coming through the windows it looked to him like someone had set hundreds of coffins on end in neat little rows just like the Doctor and his dominoes. "The place looks deserted," he observed.

"All the better," the Doctor replied happily, waving a hand in the air. "I'll be out and back before anyone knows we've been here." Before either of his companions could protest, he was issuing instructions on what readings would indicate his success. Then with a quick pull on the door lever he was gone.

Once outside the TARDIS the Doctor checked the reading on the device he had pulled from the console. Then he set off down the corridor, watching the meter closely. Tegan and Turlough, in turn, watched his progress on the viewer. When the light on the console blinked, the Time Lord stopped. After a moment, he continued until he was quite some distance away. Finally, he stopped in front of one of the chambers and smiled. This was the one he was looking for.

"He's found it," Turlough announced. "Now let's hope he can repair it."

The Doctor disappeared from sight, scrutinizing the chamber from all sides. He reappeared after completing his circuit only to glance back toward the TARDIS and disappear again.

"Where's he gone now?" Tegan wanted to know, a little miffed that the Doctor should vanish from sight so soon. It had been a nice change to be able to keep an eye on him after being relegated to the confines of the TARDIS control room.

"The control panel's probably on the other side," Turlough replied, returning his attention to the control console. "Nothing to do now but wait."

The Doctor's companions were not the only ones to observe his progress in the Containment Area. He had been picked up by one of the security cameras.

"I just saw something! Over there, on level six," cried a security guard. He was on his feet pointing at a monitor. He was also young and had a strange, wild look about him.

"Jumping at shadows again, Benson?" came the unenthusiastic response from Guard Leader Saunders.

"It wasn't a shadow," Benson said defensively. "It was a person…I think. I just caught a glimpse as he…eh, it went around there."

Saunders leaned forward, staring intently at the screen as though committing it to memory. Leaning back again, he grinned. "Well, he-it seems to be gone now." He chuckled at his own little joke.

Benson was not amused. "I know I saw something out there," he protested.

"If you're so sure you saw something, then why don't you go investigate it?" Saunders challenged.

Benson gave him a disgusted look, wondering how he had ever made the rank of Guard Leader. Selecting a laser pistol from the weapons store, Benson left security control in a huff.

Saunders continued to chuckle and put his feet up.

The Doctor was oblivious to the fact that anyone had seen him, being totally engrossed in his study of the faulty chamber. The first thing he noticed was it was empty. Strange they should empty its contents and still leave it on. Perhaps they don't know how to turn it off properly, afraid it might disrupt the time fields on the other chambers. That might explain it. Best to ponder these things later.

Running a hand under an input pad, the Doctor located the access hatch and pulled it open. Inside was a tangle of wires and printed circuits. He reached in and removed an irregular shaped circuit board no larger than his hand. After a cursory examination, he sat on the floor using the chamber as a backrest. "This won't take long at all," he said happily to the circuit, being considerably more relaxed upon discovering the chamber was empty.

In five minutes time the Doctor had repaired and replaced the faulty circuit board. After a quick test, he gave a satisfied grunt. It was working perfectly. Pushing the reset button, the chamber clicked and above the door a green light came on.

"Green for go," the Doctor said absently, adding more urgently, "Yes, go is what I need to do." Giving the chamber a little pat, he stepped back into the passageway leading back to the TARDIS.

The instruments in the TARDIS registered the Time Lord's success and Tegan breathed a sigh of relief. The danger had past and the Doctor would be back within a few minutes. She turned her full attention to the viewer.

Still unaware of the fact that his presence had been detected, the Doctor was strolling casually up the corridor. Halfway back to the TARDIS, a figure stepped in front of him holding a laser pistol. The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks and sighed. He had been hoping to avoid any confrontations.

"Oh, no!" Tegan shouted in dismay. She wasn't sure if she should be angry or frightened. "That man attracts trouble like a magnet!" Unfortunately, there was nothing either of them could do but hope the Time Lord's silver tongue could get him out of this one.

It did not take long for the Doctor to realize Benson would not be persuaded he was not some kind of terrorist bent on the destruction of civilization. After having his tool kit confiscated, the unresisting Time Lord was roughly pushed around a corner—out of the Containment Area and away from the TARDIS.

Tegan was beside herself by this time, having chosen anger over fear. She was also preparing herself to do battle with Turlough, certain he would try to dissuade her from following.

Turlough knew better. It wasn't worth the energy arguing with Tegan when she was in this state. She would do as she pleased anyway. "Tegan," he said softly, "you need to calm down. You can't just go charging after armed guards."

"Turlough!"

"I'm only saying that we'll have to be cautious."

Tegan opened her mouth only to close it again. She hadn't expected such immediate cooperation from the usually reluctant Turlough.

The Doctor, in the meantime, was going over his options. After taking the questionable mental state of his captor into consideration, he chose to do as he was told in the least threatening way possible. Nervous guards with guns tended to shoot people without the slightest provocation. If this young man's superior was a paranoid as he was, the Doctor resigned himself to the fact that it would be a very long afternoon indeed.

He could not have been more accurate.

In a passageway ahead of the Doctor and his uneasy guard, a shadowy figure withdrew into an alcove and spoke in to a small communicator. "He has arrived," he announced.

A deep, cold voice responded, "You have your instructions."

"Yes, sir."

Switching off the communicator and pulling a laser pistol, the man took up a position of concealment and waited for his prey to come to him.