Doctor Who_ Warmonger Part 10

'I checked. I couldn't go through all that again.'

' You You couldn't go through it!' Peri rubbed her right shoulder. couldn't go through it!' Peri rubbed her right shoulder.

'Do you really think they'll let us go when I'm better?'

'Hawken just said so. I think he's a man of his word.'

'I hope so. I can't wait to get away from this place. There's something about the way Solon looks at me. .'

'Solon's a hard man to like,' said the Doctor. 'But we owe him a great deal.'

'I suppose so. OK, I know so. Anyway, I hardly ever see Solon these days. It's that a.s.sistant of his who's the real pain in the b.u.t.t.'

'What a.s.sistant?'

'Creepy little guy with fair curly hair. Name's Drago. Thinks the sun s.h.i.+nes out of Solon's stethoscope.'

The Doctor nodded. 'I think I've seen him with Solon. He bothers you?'

'He keeps tagging around after me. And he's way too keen on physical checkups. And as for blanket baths I must be the cleanest patient in the hospital.'

The Doctor frowned. 'I'll have a word with Solon.'

'Don't bother, I can handle Drago. Anyway, we should be out of here pretty soon.' She raised and flexed her right arm.

'See?'

'Very impressive.'

'According to Drago, Solon's pretty sure the operation was a complete success. Unless there's a last-minute tissue rejection...'

'Is that likely?'

Peri shook her head. 'No but apparently it's always possible. Solon's going to run some final tests on me tomorrow.

If the results are OK, then I'm in the clear.'

The Doctor squeezed her good shoulder. 'You will be. Just concentrate on getting better so we can get out of here.'

Peri was looking over his shoulder. 'Uh-oh, here he comes!'

'Who?'

The Doctor turned and saw a thin, intense-looking young man in a surgeon's tunic hurrying towards them. He had curly fair hair and glittering blue eyes. They glittered even more brightly as they followed the way the wind on the terrace plastered the thin hospital gown to Peri's body.

'Now, now, young lady, it's back to bed for you. Mustn't overexert yourself, you know. Besides, it's time for another checkup.'

'I had one a few hours ago,' protested Peri.

'Your condition needs constant monitoring '

'Oh, I don't think another checkup is necessary,' said the Doctor.

'And who might you be?'

'Miss Brown's guardian. I brought her here.'

'Well, you may be her guardian, but I'm her physician and -'

'I always feel sorry for doctors. They have to be careful, don't they? I mean the Intergalactic Medical a.s.sociation's code of conduct is very strict.'

Drago stared at him. 'I don't know what you mean.'

'Oh, I think you do,' said the Doctor. He spoke quietly, but there was something in his voice that chilled Drago with fear. 'I knew a doctor once,' he went on. 'Young chap, much like yourself. He got into terrible trouble improper advances to a female patient, I believe. They disbarred him, of course. He was lucky to get a job was.h.i.+ng corpses in the hospital morgue.

Couldn't stand it in the end, committed suicide cut his throat with one of his own scalpels. Blood everywhere, messy business.'

Drago's voice shook with fear and anger. 'I will not tolerate this interference...'

'Just go away and stop bothering Miss Brown,' said the Doctor gently. 'Or must I make a formal complaint to Doctor Solon? With copies to Commander Hawken, Reverend Mother Maren and the Governor...'

Drago went white. He gave the Doctor a glance of hatred and turned and fled.

The Doctor watched him go. 'That seems to have cooled him down a bit. I don't think you'll have any more trouble, Peri.

Let me know if you do.'

'I'll be all right. Don't go stirring things up, Doctor!'

'Me?' said the Doctor. 'Come on, let's get you back to bed.'

Chapter Six.

Project Z Because of Solon's pressure of work, the final tests on Peri took place much later that same night. Brusquely awakened, a sleepy and disgruntled Peri was hooked up to various pieces of equipment and put through a variety of exercises. She stumbled out of bed and bent and stretched and swung and flexed both her mended right arm and the undamaged left. All the time she was aware of Drago's eyes on her body.

Peri endured it all with grim resolution, telling herself that, with any luck, this would be the very last time. Finally, blood and skin samples were taken and she was allowed to go back to bed.

Irritated and exhausted, she felt herself drifting back into sleep.

For a while she hovered between sleep and waking then she heard voices beside her bed. For a moment she thought she was dreaming. Then she realised Solon and Drago hadn't yet left they were having a heated discussion. Although they were talking in low tones, their words were perfectly audible in the silence of the room.

After a moment, Peri realised that they were talking about Drago's recent confrontation with the Doctor. Suddenly awake and alert, she listened closely.

'He threatened me with the IMA,' hissed Drago furiously.

'We must deal with him before it's too late.'

Solon seemed more amused than annoyed. 'You must be more discreet, Drago. I've warned you before. Smith's quite right we medical men can't be too careful.'

'You don't understand the urgency, Surgeon-General. You remember you said that Smith might not survive Hawken's interrogation, or that he might be handed over to us?'

'Well?'

'Nothing of the kind! He and Hawken are cronies Smith isn't even locked up!'

'What of it?'

'Now that the girl has recovered, they're both going to be allowed to leave. I asked Hawken about it, and he said the Governor had authorised it. Soon they'll both be out of our hands.'

'What of it?' said Solon again. 'Let them go, and good riddance.'

'But the girl you yourself said...'

'My dear Drago, there are plenty of other girls girls without attached political complications. This one, I agree, is a particularly splendid specimen but she's not worth embroiling ourselves in a tangle with Commander Hawken and the Governor. Nor is this mysterious Smith. Let them go.'

Solon's attraction to Peri had been a pa.s.sing fancy, and it had faded under the pressure of affairs. Only with Drago had she become an obsession.

'I still think they could be a danger to us,' said Drago sulkily.

'Why?' asked Solon and Drago had no answer. But he didn't give up.

'Smith should suffer an accident. And the girl could have a relapse when we've finished with her.'

'No!' said Solon. 'It's not worth the risk. Now, if you've finished maundering on, there are more urgent matters to attend to. Project Z still isn't going as well as I'd hoped.'

'Then abandon it,' said Drago urgently. 'It's too dangerous, I always said so.' He shuddered. 'If the IMA ever got hold of that, not even your reputation would survive the scandal. We'd both be finished.'

'I will not give up,' said Solon coldly. 'Give up a project that would make me me the supreme power in the galaxy when I'm so close to success? Come along, I'll show you my latest attempt, it's in the ante-room. It looks promising, but there are still some puzzling flaws...' the supreme power in the galaxy when I'm so close to success? Come along, I'll show you my latest attempt, it's in the ante-room. It looks promising, but there are still some puzzling flaws...'

Their voices faded as they left the room.

Wide awake, and no longer tired, Peri slipped out bed and followed them. She was well aware of the risk she was taking but, like the Doctor, she had an insatiable curiosity.

She peered out of her room and was just in time to see Solon and Drago turn the corner into the next corridor. Bare feet silent on the stone floor, she followed after them. A hospital never sleeps, but Peri knew she was in a private wing, with, at the moment, no other patients. So with any luck...

She reached the corner, peered round and saw the pair walking along the corridor. They turned off again and Peri ran to the next corner.

Using the same technique, she tracked them to a narrow corridor that ended in a dead-end. Peering around the corner, she saw Drago take a round metallic disc from his pocket and press it against the dead-end wall.

A door slid open and Solon and Drago went inside. The door closed behind them. Peri waited for a moment and then decided not to push her luck. She turned and hurried back to her room, taking care to memorise the route along the way. Minutes later she was back in bed. She lay awake for a while thinking over what she'd seen then she really did go to sleep.

When the Doctor visited her next morning, Peri poured out the whole story and found, to her disgust, that the Doctor was only mildly interested.

He sat back in his chair, eating the grapes he'd brought for her as usual, and when Peri had finished he said, 'Well, well, well!'

'Is that all you've got to say?' demanded Peri. 'What are we going to do?'

'Nothing,' said the Doctor simply. 'If Solon and Drago are carrying out some beastly secret experiment, I don't want to know about it.'

'But they're out to get us especially me!'

'Drago's out to get us, true. But you said yourself; Solon vetoed the idea. So he leaves us alone and we leave him alone.'

'But Solon said this Project Z would make him master of the galaxy.'

'It'll never happen,' said the Doctor. 'Believe me, I know!

This project, whatever it is, isn't working and it's not going to work. Forget it.'

'I still think we ought to do something something ' '

The Doctor leaned forward. 'Listen, Peri,' he said urgently.

'There are good reasons why I must intervene in Solon's life as little as possible. We're just waiting for the results of your tests, then, as your countrymen say, we're out of here!'

'But Doctor '

The Doctor sighed. 'Tell you what, I'll have a quiet word with Commander Hawken. If there's anything to investigate, he can investigate after we've gone.'

And he refused to discuss it any further.

Commander Hawken was his usual hospitable self when the Doctor called in on him later that day. He listened to the Doctor's tale, made several notes, and said, 'I'll look into it, Doctor when I've got time.'

'No hurry in fact I'd very much prefer it if you'd leave it until after we've left.'

'I'll probably have to snowed under with preparations for the peace conference.'

'What peace conference?' asked the Doctor.

Hawken told him. 'It's an odd business, really. Handful of planets on the rim of the galaxy want to form an alliance. Seems one of them's thrown up a charismatic leader, calls himself the General.'