Chapter Seven

The Death of Iron Klaus

The Doctor and Jason were surprised to find the artefact had been partially chipped free of the ice, and doubly surprised to find it unattended.

"Somebody's certainly been here," the Doctor observed.

Jason was looking at the piles of ice heaped to one side. "Did that report say anything about those volcanologists trying to dig this out?"

"Not that I recall." The Doctor ran his hands along the exposed section of what he and his companion recognized as a space ship or possibly an escape capsule. "There's an edge here," he said, running his fingertips along the smooth surface.

"Here, let me have a go." Jason put a hand on the ship and stood motionless a few seconds. He had the ability to scan anything he touched in the same manner as electronic sensing equipment. "That's a hatch alright." He stepped back, looking thoughtfully at the ship. "It's in amazingly good shape, too. Even after crashing and being frozen for who knows how many millennia."

"Several hundred thousand, I should imagine," the Doctor replied as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and set to work on the hatch. "I think I'll probably have to warm this up a bit before it'll open."

"No doubt."

After a few minutes, the Doctor stopped and looked up. "Did you hear something?"

Jason was standing with his head cocked to one side and was obviously tuning his incredible hearing in on the sound. He nodded. "Sounds like…voices," he said quietly. He looked at the Doctor, adding in a serious tone, "It doesn't sound like Dorian, either."

"Our friends from Moscow, no doubt."

"Great." Jason gave his friend a steady look. "Will you be alright on your own?"

"Perfectly."

"Okay. I'll go see who our visitors are."

"Just be careful!" the Doctor said seriously. "All jokes aside, Jason, I do not want to be pulling any more bullets out of you."

Jason blinked. The Doctor very rarely showed an emotional side, and to have him voicing his concerns in so blunt a manner was a bit of a shock. "I'll be careful," he promised, receiving a disapproving snort in reply

Jason had to fight not to smile and turned, following the sound of raised voices. As he drew nearer, he could tell one thing. They were definitely not friendly. There were at least three separate voices, possibly four, and the language they were speaking was not English. It was much too guttural. Whoever they were, they weren't exchanging social pleasantries, either.

The floor of the ice fissure moved steadily upward and Jason came to an opening at the end, seeing it connected to another fissure that ran in the opposite direction. This glacier is cracking up in more ways than one.

Suddenly a man appeared at the top of the ice more than ten metres above him. He seemed to be running and, to Jason's surprise, had a gun in his hand. He was shooting at someone who was obviously shooting back. As the Alterran watched in silence, he saw the man jerk back and then plummet to the ice shelf below. He landed heavily on his back, and Jason heard the distinctive sound of bones breaking at the same time, causing him to wince. Ouch.

The two who had obviously been shooting at this individual suddenly appeared and looked over the edge. They were very large, with heavy, chiseled features. KGB thugs by the look of them. God, I really hate these guys! One of them had his hood pulled off of his bald head and Jason could not help wondering why he wasn't freezing. Not the kind I'd invite to meet the family, he observed as the men holstered their weapons. The bald man nodded in satisfaction as he took in the inert form on the ice below. He picked up the gun dropped by the unfortunate man and started to laugh. Then he turned, patting his comrade on the back as he moved away from the edge.

Barbarians.

Jason had withdrawn into the shadows while the assassins were taking in their handiwork As soon as they were gone he went to the motionless form on the ice. One of the man's arms was twisted at a bad angle and was obviously broken. His head was turned away, his long dark hair and part of his hood covering his face. The Alterran brushed the hair aside and froze, staring at the face of the man lying on the ice.

No. Please, no. This can't be happening. Tell me I'm having a nightmare. Not on my second trip to Earth. It's just too cruel. Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach!

Jason had to remind himself that he was a Healer, first and foremost, and pulled himself together. He carefully examined the unconscious Major's injuries. Notwithstanding the bullet he currently had lodged in his shoulder, he also had several broken bones, a concussion from the fall and a possible injury to his spine. It was this last injury that most worried Jason. That and the fact that the last thing the Major needed was to be lying on a slab of ice. He would freeze to death long before his other injuries killed him. He needed to be kept warm and dry so shock wouldn't set in. There was only one way Jason could accomplish all of this and carry the gravely injured man without hurting him further.

Jason returned to his true form, which he was fond of saying was not even remotely human. His cream-colored main body was large and bulbous having sapphire blue crystals evenly spaced around the circumference. Below this, numerous tendrils snaked their way to the ground, yet only brushed the surface as he hovered in the air.

The Alterran very carefully entwined the unconscious officer in his tendrils before gently lifting him from the ground. He paused long enough to adjust his energy field, increasing the oxygen levels and the body temperature in the tendrils holding his passenger in order to keep him warm. He then turned and slowly started back to where he had left the Doctor tinkering on the alien artefact.

"You are in bad shape, Major," he said quietly. "You'll be safe enough with me, though. And if I'm very, very lucky, you'll stay unconscious until I can get back to the Doctor."

This was not to be. Jason had scarcely started moving when the Major regained consciousness. He gave a low moan of pain before opening his eyes. He struggled to focus, finally taking in the extraordinary being that held him, his eyes growing wide. To his added astonishment, the creature spoke. "Don't panic, Major, you're in no danger."

After his encounter with the Doctor, the Major had made inquires about UNIT's scientific advisor and the agency's activities. He soon learned that the alien invaders he had scoffed at actually did exist and had on several occasions been repelled by UNIT forces with the aid of the Doctor.

Because of this foreknowledge, the Major had not been surprised when he learned of the alien artefact in the ice. When he finally saw it in person, he had concerns as to what it actually contained. It seemed too much of a coincidence that this alien creature should suddenly appear at the same time the object was being removed from the ice. So, logically, it must have come from the artefact.

The Major's logic was completely sound. It was also totally erroneous, as he would soon learn.

"What do you want of me, creature?" he demanded, trying very hard not to show the terror he was feeling. He was unaccustomed to feeling fear and was annoyed with himself for actually having the capacity to experience it. He was also in a great deal of pain, which only added to his current feeling of helplessness, and he found himself wishing he knew where his gun was.

For once, Jason could not fault the man for being defensive. "Major, it's me, Jason. Jason Krystovan," he said calmly. "We met in London at UNIT HQ about three years ago."

The Major looked at the extraordinary aberration holding him immobile, unable to take in what he was being told. "UNIT…?" How does this creature know of UNIT?

"Klaus, it's me!" Jason said forcefully. "The stupid boy who saved your life!" He was hoping his having called the Major by name, which he hated, would snap him out of his stupor. He was partially successful. He saw the man's dark green eyes cloud over with anger.

"What are you?" the Major asked, his voice having recaptured some of its usual fire.

Jason heaved a sigh of relief. Finally! "I'm an Alterran. You already know that. I'm the Doctor's traveling companion."

"The Doctor…?" The Major's mind finally snapped into focus. UNIT, the Doctor, the wretched boy that the pervert was so infatuated with, the TARDIS…

"With the Police Box?" he asked at last.

"Yes."

The Major tried to move, but Jason held him fast. "No, Major, stay still. You're badly hurt."

"Let me go—"

"Dammit, Major, hold still!" Jason snapped impatiently. "For once in your life would you listen to someone other than yourself! You have a bullet in your shoulder, several broken bones, a concussion, and you may well have a serious spinal injury. If you start moving around before I can treat you properly, the only way you're going to chase bad guys is from a wheelchair!"

The Major immediately stopped moving, although it was obvious he was not in the least happy about it. "If…you are who you claim, how is it you look like this?" he asked logically.

"I can change form, remember? This is how Dorian and I got away from the KGB in the Mediterranean." Jason saw recognition flash across the Major's face and felt his body relax in his grasp. Finally, he's got it! "Are you warm enough?"

"Warm? It's freezing—!" The Major broke off when he realized he actually was warm. In fact, it was the warmest he had been since he'd set foot in the bloody country. His hand was near one of the tendrils and he could feel the heat radiating from it. How did he do that?

"How…? Why are you here?" he asked at last.

Jason gave an amused grunt. "I was going to ask you the same question."