Chapter 8
In the Refrigeration room, the communicator beeps. The guard answers.
"Duty guard."
"We have an incident in the lower sectors, quadrant six," comes Kane's voice, speaking from the Restricted zone. "An aggressive non-terrestrial. It is marked with a radio tracking device. I want the creature eliminated. Bring me back its head."
The Doctor and his friends are still at the Singing Trees.
"I'm beginning to feel a rather cosy warm sensation in my money pouch," says Glitz.
"Lay one finger on the dragon, bilge bag, and I'll rivet your kneecaps together," Ace warns him.
"We've got to stop Kane from finding the creature," says Mel.
"Look!" cries Ace, pointing at the dragon.
The dragon puts the crystal away and closes up its 'skull'.
"There's something not right. Can't put my finger… Proamon. Proamon," the Doctor frowns, trying to
remember where he'd heard that name before.
"Well, the hologram said that Proamon was Kane's home planet," says Nita.
"Yes, but where have I heard of it before? I mean, where was it? Was it in the past or is it in the future?"
"Is any of this important, Doctor?" asks Glitz.
"Is a grain of sand important, Glitz? I must go back and consult my star charts on the TARDIS."
"Your spacecraft? Brill!" cries Ace.
"But there isn't time, Doctor," Mel points out.
"Doughnuts!" exclaims Ace.
"No need to perambulate back to Iceworld, Doctor. These passages have their own star charts. The Ice
Garden. I found it, remember?" Glitz reminds him.
"A primitive star chart. Missing constellations, orbital calculations, I imagine. Ah yes, I would like to see
this."
"Ice garden?" asks Ace.
"Er, you stay here. I shan't be long."
"The Doctor's right. You three stay here until the Doctor and I get back."
"Bilge bag," sneers Age.
"Now, now, now, now, now," the Doctor intervenes. "You stay here with them," he tells Glitz. "They can
look after you so you don't get into any trouble, Glitz."
"Do what?" Glitz couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Behave, Doctor!"
"Don't argue!" the Doctor insists. "The four of you are safer together."
The Doctor and the dragon leave.
In the Refrigeration room, two guards are having a conversation.
"How many ant hunts you been on?" asks McLuhan.
"Ant hunts?" asks Bazin, puzzled.
"A N T. Aggressive non-terrestrial. Have you ever seen one?"
"Not as such."
"Ah, thought not."
"But it's standard procedure."
"And what do you think a standard non-terrestrial looks like?"
"Well…"
"Try thinking of a scorpion, two metres tall, coming at you out of the shadows. Right, now do me a favour
and leave your water pistol at home. If I'm relying on you to cover my back I want to know that you are
carrying enough artillery to blow this ant clean across the space lanes."
McLuhan exchanges Bazin's hand weapon for a massive bazooka sized object.
At the Singing Trees, Glitz and the girls are sitting around, bored.
"We could always pass the time by playing a game, I suppose. I spy, or something," suggests Mel.
Ace and Nita give Mel withering Looks.
"As if I want to sit around here!" Nita complains. "I ran away with the Doctor to have some fun, not sit
around while he has all the fun!" She turns to Mel. "Is he always like this?"
"No, he usually includes me in everything," replies Mel. "It's Glitz's fault we're stuck here."
In the Refrigeration room, McLuhan and Bazin lock and load.
"Ready?" asks McLuhan.
"Two metres tall?"
"Minimum. Let's go."
An at Ice junction, the Doctor consults the map. "They always mark north and south on these things,
never backwards and forwards."
The dragon gestures.
"Tell you what, you seem to know where you're going. Why don't I just trust to your sense of direction?"
The Doctor gives the dragon the map.
In the Refrigeration room, the mercenaries have been defrosted.
"The time is at hand," Kane tells them. "In a few hours, when the Dragonfire is mine, we shall be able to
leave this wretched planet. I want you to spread terror throughout the upper levels and drive everyone
towards the Nosferatu. I want no one left in Iceworld."
On the lower levels, McLuhan and Bazin enter through the bulkhead door.
"Here, take this. It's a radio tracking device," says McLuhan. "Fix it on the front of your gun where you can
see it. If this ant so much as twitches, I want to know."
The Doctor and the dragon have reached the Ice Garden. There are no visible stalactites, more floral
formations. The middle of the wall has a twinkling star chart on it.
"Silver bells and cockle shells, and ice gardens all in a row. Extraordinary. This must be a solar system.
There's a large red star with small orbiting planets. Constellations, yes, but that one's too high up. They're
all slightly out of position. This star chart's no use any more. How long have you been on this planet? Two
thousand years? Longer?"
"This is naff," Ace complains. "This is mega-naff."
"This could be so awesome if the Doctor would let us help him," Nita agrees.
"And what's more, I'm out of Nitro," Ace continues. "But I've got tons more back in my quarters."
"Well, let's go back and get some," Mel suggests.
"No, thank you," objects Glitz. "We'll steer clear of the home made stuff, I think. There's six hundred kilos
of commercial back on board the Nosferatu. I'll go and fetch some of that."
"Nosferatu?" asks Ace.
"You three stay here."
"Oh!" Ace cries indignantly.
"Just for once, bog, do as I say, and stay here. Don't go wandering off."
"What did you call her?" Nita asked Glitz, horrified. "Bog?"
"Why do we always get left out?" Mel complains.
"I'll be back as soon as I can." Glitz leaves.
"He is such a Barney," says Nita.
Ace sighs. "I spy with my little eye something beginning with I."
"Ice," Mel guesses.
"Your go," says Ace.
"This is so bogus," Nita complains.
Left alone in the restaurant, the little girl goes underneath a table to play with her teddy bear. The zombie mercenaries burst in and begin herding the customers out. They don't spot the little girl.
The dragon leaves the Ice Garden.
"Oh, you want to be leaving," says the Doctor.