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you? I know you’ve got the stuff.’
Romana made her voice sound calm and reasonable.
‘Look, Captain, just let me set the controls and I’ll help
you. You want us to free your ship, don’t you?’
‘I don’t care about the stupid ship, woman. I want
something to stop me feeling like this, something to give
me that wonderful feeling of happiness again... You can
help, can’t you?’ Rigg fished a handful of plastic cards out
of his pocket. ‘I’ve got plenty of credits, you can have
whatever you want.’
Romana thrust him away. ‘Just let us get the ships in
operation again and we can get you medical help. They can
cure you.’
Rigg glared at her with murder in his eyes. ‘Why?’ he
sobbed. ‘Why won’t you help me. You’ve got the stuff.
Now, let me have some, or I’ll kill you!’
He sprang forward, with his hands reaching for her
throat.
‘I haven’t got any,’ gasped Romana. She backed away
again. Rigg came after her and forced her into a corner.
Romana screamed...
Suddenly there came the crackle of a blaster from the
doorway. Rigg stiffened and fell.
Romana looked up and saw Officer Fisk in the doorway,
blaster in his hand. There were two armed security guards
beside him.
‘Thank you,’ gasped Romana. ‘I think he would have
killed me.’
Fisk nodded to the guards. ‘Take him away.’ The guards
dragged Rigg’s body out and Fisk turned his blaster on
Romana. ‘I shot him down because he was an escaped
prisoner. As for his killing you, it wouldn’t have mattered
much. You’re going to die anyway. Now, of course, if you
were to make a full confession, things might go easier with
you...’
The Doctor was improvising a complicated electronic lash-
up, working against time at incredible speed. Sweat poured
down his forehead and splashed onto his hands.
The Doctor mopped his brow with his sleeve and went
on working. He glanced at the watch dial. It read 20.23.
Less than two minutes to go.
‘Look,
there’s
nothing
to
confess,’
said
Romana
desperately. ‘We’re not smugglers – the Doctor’s trying to
put an end to the smuggling.’
‘You’re smugglers all right, both of you. I heard Rigg
asking you for Vraxoin. Drug smuggling is punishable by
death on Azure.’
‘Whereas
bureaucratic
murder
is
rewarded
by
promotion? I heard you two plotting in the lounge.’
Fisk shrugged. ‘I didn’t invent the rules – I just enforce
them.’
Abandoning argument, Romana headed for the power
console.
Fisk raised his blaster. ‘Don’t touch those controls.’
‘You don’t understand. The Doctor’s in the power unit
now. We’re going to try to separate the two ships. I’ve got to
put the power controls to maximum now or it just won’t
work.’
‘I don’t know what you’re up to, but I intend to prevent
you anyway,’ said Fisk with a fine lack of logic. ‘I advise
you not to move. Touch those controls and I’ll shoot!’
Romana reached for the power switch. ‘You’re going to
kill me anyway. What have I got to lose?’
In the power unit the Doctor finished work on his timer.
Because of the delay, it was now set to go off in just over
one minute. The Doctor crossed his fingers, uttered a
quick mental prayer, switched on the mechanism, and
sprinted for the door.
One eye on the bridge clock, Romana stood with her hand
over the power switch.
Fitch levelled his blaster at her head. ‘Touch that switch
and I’ll kill you.’
The bridge clock changed from 20.24 to 20.25. Romana
threw the switch.
In the power unit, the antiquated atomic motors came to
life with a roar...
The Doctor, still running, put the silent whistle to his lips
and blew.
Waiting outside the TARDIS, K9 sent out the impulse that
switched on the demat booster. It began throbbing with
life.
Locked together in space, the two ships began shimmering
in and out of dematerialisation... Slowly, very slowly, they
began drawing apart.
All over the ship, reality blurred, twisted and shimmered.
Fisk staggered back, his shot going wild...
As the Doctor ran along the corridor a blurred zone
appeared around him.
He tried desperately to break through, but he seemed
trapped – the zone seemed to be stretching, becoming
wider and wider. With sudden horror the Doctor realised
that he’d been caught in a matter interface between the
separating ships. Unless he could reach the other side, the
very molecules of his body would be torn apart.
11
The Secret of the Hecate
Separated at last, the space cruiser Empress and the sleek
survey ship Hecate floated serenely side by side, in orbit
around the beautiful ocean-planet of Azure.
Groaning, Fisk managed to sit up, raising his blaster.
Before he could get up, Romana kicked the weapon neatly
from his hands and ran from the bridge.
Cursing and rubbing his hand, Fisk located the gun,
picked it up and got dazedly to his feet.
He heard an exultant voice from the monitor screen and
saw Dymond’s excited face looking out at him. ‘He’s done
it. Empress, this is Hecate! Full separation has been
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