Read Online Doctor Who: The Dominators by Ian Marter - Free Book Online
Authors: Ian Marter
Ads: Link
examine the new specimen. ‘As I anticipated, this one is different,’ Rago reported with a grunt of satisfaction. ‘Greater brain capacity... Two hearts... No superfluous internal organs...
Limited potential for physical activity...’ After a few minutes he straightened up and took off the visor.
‘Affirmative. There are two species, Neither presents any threat to us.’
Toba was staring at Kando’s cowering figure beside the other Quark. ‘Then we shall be able to assemble a labour force?’
‘Affirmative. Of limited performance, but adequate,’
Rago decided. ‘We shall require the oscillation and the central bore target to be cleared of debris. Search the Island. Round up all specimens.’
‘Command accepted,’ Toba acknowledged eagerly.
When Toba had left, Rago resumed his investigation of the semi-conscious Teel.
‘I do not understand...’ Balan wailed, still helplessly stuck to the rail of the dais by molecular adhesion. ‘Why should they wish to harm us?’
Dazed with shock, Kando shook her head. Then she began to whimper with terror as Rago turned his attention to her, his huge green eye swollen like that of some monstrous Cyclops by the lenses of the visor.
‘Muscular development relatively retarded,’ the creaking giant rasped, stooping over her. ‘However, endurance can be tested. It should prove a most informative experiment...’
5
Slavery
After the capsule had screamed to a shuddering halt inside the terminal tube in the survey module, Kully gallantly offered to help Zoe disembark, but the independent young human jumped lightly out, none the worse for her second turbulent trip. They looked around the deserted module with a mounting sense of foreboding.
‘Where is everybody?’ murmured Zoe. ‘What do you think can have happened?’
Kully glanced over the quietly humming systems monitors and shrugged. ‘We’d better take a look outside.’
Just then Zoe glimpsed something through the small porthole nearest her. ‘What on earth is that?’ she exclaimed, leaning forward. Then she caught sight of a similar object through the neighbouring porthole. She ran from porthole to porthole and then turned slowly to face Kully as hot and cold pins and needles prickled the back of her neck. ‘We seem... we seem to be completely surrounded...’ she gasped.
As Kully scrambled to see for himself, a chorus of unearthly noises briefly penetrated the hull of the module.
An nstant later, the whole structure shuddered and several equipment panels burst into showers of sparks.
Momentarily frozen with terror, Kully stared at the encircling Quarks inexorably closing in on them with throbbing probes and threshing antennae. Then he dived towards the airlock, yelling at Zoe to follow. Frantically he pressed and twisted and thumped the switches, but the door remained shut. Dense clouds of black smoke began to billow out of the shattered panels.
Again the module shuddered, this time tipping over at an alarming angle before settling back in a series of violent rocking movements.
‘We’re trapped... we’re trapped...’ Kully shrieked, before being racked by a fit of retching and coughing.
A third time the module shook and then it rolled over and over several times like a barel, flinging Zoe and Kully around like rag dolls. The din was appalling as they alternately screamed and choked in the deadly fumes, while the structure rapidly started to collapse around them.
When the module finally came to rest, the two prisoners felt blindly about in the poisonous darkness, their ears numbed by the prodigious reverberations of the battered hull.
Eventually they found each other. ‘Maybe you’ll believe in my robots now...’ Kully gasped, clasping Zoe round the waist with one arm and feeling with his free hand for the airlock controls.
‘What about the capsule thing?’ Zoe panted through her handkerchief.
‘Can’t navigate... even if it still works... we’d end up back in the
Limited potential for physical activity...’ After a few minutes he straightened up and took off the visor.
‘Affirmative. There are two species, Neither presents any threat to us.’
Toba was staring at Kando’s cowering figure beside the other Quark. ‘Then we shall be able to assemble a labour force?’
‘Affirmative. Of limited performance, but adequate,’
Rago decided. ‘We shall require the oscillation and the central bore target to be cleared of debris. Search the Island. Round up all specimens.’
‘Command accepted,’ Toba acknowledged eagerly.
When Toba had left, Rago resumed his investigation of the semi-conscious Teel.
‘I do not understand...’ Balan wailed, still helplessly stuck to the rail of the dais by molecular adhesion. ‘Why should they wish to harm us?’
Dazed with shock, Kando shook her head. Then she began to whimper with terror as Rago turned his attention to her, his huge green eye swollen like that of some monstrous Cyclops by the lenses of the visor.
‘Muscular development relatively retarded,’ the creaking giant rasped, stooping over her. ‘However, endurance can be tested. It should prove a most informative experiment...’
5
Slavery
After the capsule had screamed to a shuddering halt inside the terminal tube in the survey module, Kully gallantly offered to help Zoe disembark, but the independent young human jumped lightly out, none the worse for her second turbulent trip. They looked around the deserted module with a mounting sense of foreboding.
‘Where is everybody?’ murmured Zoe. ‘What do you think can have happened?’
Kully glanced over the quietly humming systems monitors and shrugged. ‘We’d better take a look outside.’
Just then Zoe glimpsed something through the small porthole nearest her. ‘What on earth is that?’ she exclaimed, leaning forward. Then she caught sight of a similar object through the neighbouring porthole. She ran from porthole to porthole and then turned slowly to face Kully as hot and cold pins and needles prickled the back of her neck. ‘We seem... we seem to be completely surrounded...’ she gasped.
As Kully scrambled to see for himself, a chorus of unearthly noises briefly penetrated the hull of the module.
An nstant later, the whole structure shuddered and several equipment panels burst into showers of sparks.
Momentarily frozen with terror, Kully stared at the encircling Quarks inexorably closing in on them with throbbing probes and threshing antennae. Then he dived towards the airlock, yelling at Zoe to follow. Frantically he pressed and twisted and thumped the switches, but the door remained shut. Dense clouds of black smoke began to billow out of the shattered panels.
Again the module shuddered, this time tipping over at an alarming angle before settling back in a series of violent rocking movements.
‘We’re trapped... we’re trapped...’ Kully shrieked, before being racked by a fit of retching and coughing.
A third time the module shook and then it rolled over and over several times like a barel, flinging Zoe and Kully around like rag dolls. The din was appalling as they alternately screamed and choked in the deadly fumes, while the structure rapidly started to collapse around them.
When the module finally came to rest, the two prisoners felt blindly about in the poisonous darkness, their ears numbed by the prodigious reverberations of the battered hull.
Eventually they found each other. ‘Maybe you’ll believe in my robots now...’ Kully gasped, clasping Zoe round the waist with one arm and feeling with his free hand for the airlock controls.
‘What about the capsule thing?’ Zoe panted through her handkerchief.
‘Can’t navigate... even if it still works... we’d end up back in the
Similar Books
