"There"s no sign of him in his cabin," said Lawrence.
They were standing in one of the Adamantium"s Adamantium"s pa.s.sageways wondering where to look next. Stoker had suggested tracking Cadwell down on foot, worried that he might intercept any attempt to use the ship"s computer to locate him. pa.s.sageways wondering where to look next. Stoker had suggested tracking Cadwell down on foot, worried that he might intercept any attempt to use the ship"s computer to locate him.
"Well if he"s not on the bridge and not in his cabin," said Tegan "where could he be?"
The Doctor was looking worried. "What about the medical bay?"
"The medical -?" Lawrence frowned. "Why?"
The Doctor turned and marched off, calling back over his shoulder, "We now know Cadwell has more than a pa.s.sing interest in the secure history of Akoshemon and the Dark. We also know that he heard me telling Tegan all about my trip to the underground crypt where the Dark thing is supposed to be buried. At the time he didn"t seem the slightest bit interested. In fact he was almost dismissive."
"But that doesn"t make sense, given what he know about him now!" complained Tegan.
"Exactly," the Doctor said. The thing is: who accompanied me on that trip?"
"Oh, rabbits!" Tegan said. "Nyssa!"
"Come on!" shouted the Doctor.
As soon as Nyssa"s feet touched the dusty surface of the moon at the foot of the ship"s embarkation ramp, she knew she had to fight. Up until now she had let Cadwell push her through the ship to this airlock without struggling. But now she moved suddenly, catching Cadwell off guard.
She twisted her hips towards the gun, knocking it to one side and spoiling his aim. But his grip on her hair was too strong. With a grunt of annoyance Cadwell yanked his hand down and Nyssa felt her head jerked with it.
"Don"t try any stupid tricks," he snarled, dragging her round by her hair.
She lashed out with her foot, connecting hard, but his boots protected his shins. He kicked back and swept her legs from under her.
She hit the ground and he kicked again, burying the toe of his boot into the small of her back.
"I"m not in the mood for any heroics," he hissed.
She lay there gasping in the dust, and then yelped as he kicked her once more. "On your feet!"
She struggled to stand up, and he hauled her to her feet by her hair.
Tears ran down her face and she bit her lip against the pain. Then she felt the gun being pressed hard into the nape of her neck, and Cadwell used it to propel her towards the cave entrance.
"I quite enjoy a little walk, don"t you?" he said.
When they reached the medical bay it was empty, except for Ravus Oldeman.
Stoker pointed at the b.l.o.o.d.y gash on his skull. "Looks like he"s been knocked unconscious?
"But where"s Nyssa?" Tegan demanded.
The Doctor crossed over to Oldeman and said, "Professor! Wake up!"
"He"s out cold, Doctor," Stoker told him.
"We"ll see about that." The Doctor quickly tapped in a series of instructions to the medical computer. "These things are really very handy. You just dial up the drug you want and it does the rest for you.
Right now we need a little something to help our friend here to come to his senses. All it takes is the right kind of stimulus."
The computer clicked and bleeped and administered a chemical stimulant. Instantly Oldeman"s eyes fluttered open and he looked blearily at the Doctor. "Not you again!"
"What happened, Oldeman? Where"s Nyssa?"
"Cadwell," said Oldeman faintly. "Came in... He had a gun... hit me... don"t remember anything else..."
"Cadwell must have taken Nyssa," the Doctor said, thumping the medical computer angrily. "He wants her to lead him to the Dark."
"But why?" Lawrence asked.
"Isn"t it obvious? This is why Cadwell"s come to Akoshemon: he knows the Dark"s buried here on the moon.
That"s why he was so interested in the Bloodhunter. That"s why he didn"t want me with him when he went to examine it: he"s come to finish its job. He"s come to help resurrect the He"s come to help resurrect the Dark." Dark."
Chapter Sixteen.
Nyssa spun around and jabbed her fingers straight into Cadwell"s eyes. He couldn"t help but flinch, and as he twisted around, the gun went off. There was a deafening report that echoed and reverberated through the caves but Nyssa was beyond caring. She followed up her attack with a kick aimed straight for the man"s groin: if it had connected it would have finished him.
If it had connected. it had connected.
Cadwell was simply too fast. He lashed out with the gun, catching Nyssa across the face.
She fell back, pain opening up all over her head. Her skull hummed with the impact, and Nyssa dropped to her knees.
Cadwell took two strides towards Nyssa and brought the gun down again, from right over his head this time; a hard, calculated blow to the side of her neck. She groaned and sagged as all feeling disappeared from her left arm. She lay on the rocky floor and sobbed, unable to move, suddenly frightened that he had done her some permanent harm: damaged the nerves in her neck, perhaps. Maybe she was even paralysed.
"I ought to kill you now," she heard him say. His voice sounded ragged. "You nearly blinded me."
"That was the idea." Nyssa could taste blood: the gun must have split her cheek.
Cadwell pulled her roughly to her feet. Her shoulders and arms were buzzing with pins-and-needles. "I didn"t think you had it in you, to be honest," he told her.
"Neither did I."
"All I want is for you to take me to the Dark," Cadwell said. "I don"t care if you have to crawl on your hands and knees. I don"t care if you"re no longer pretty when we get there, or if your teeth are all smashed in, or if you"ve lost an eye. Am I making myself clear?"
She nodded. "I hate you, Cadwell."
"I"m heartbroken. Get going."
"The man"s a traitor," said Lawrence.
"To the Consortium, maybe," said Stoker. "To everyone else he"s just a lunatic."
"And to think I trusted him," Lawrence went on miserably.
"At first."
"Well, he was efficient, ruthless and without a trace of anything like common decency," Stoker said. "The perfect Consortium employee."
"I wish you"d stop joking about this."
"Who"s joking? I haven"t forgotten how he talked to Bunny Cheung."
Lawrence stood up angrily. "All right! I don"t suppose there"s any point in going on about it. I just hope the Doctor can find him and stop him in time."
"The Doctor knows where this Dark thing is hidden. He"ll find Cadwell if that"s where he"s gone."
"Which leaves us here alone."
"If you"re thinking what I think you"re thinking then forget it," Stoker said. "I"m sober."
Lawrence managed a weak smile. "No, I was actually referring to our business here."
It took Stoker a moment to understand what he had actually said.
"Wait a sec: our our business?" business?"
"The mineral rights to this moon," Lawrence explained.
"Your claim versus my claim."
Stoker watched him carefully, but Lawrence"s blue eyes were giving nothing away. She took out a cigar and lit it slowly. "You know I can"t beat the Consortium."
"Yes, I know. Which is why I"m willing to let you in on the claim."
Stoker took out the cigar from between her teeth. "Let me in?"
"There"s more than enough lexium on this moon for all of us."
"Meaning what, exactly?"
"I"m on a percentage, Jyl. The bonus I receive from putting through a a claim on behalf of the Consortium will be substantial. claim on behalf of the Consortium will be substantial. Very Very substantial. I"d like to share it with you." substantial. I"d like to share it with you."
"I don"t believe it."
Lawrence said, "I mean every word. I would never have come here if it weren"t for your mayday."
"It wasn"t my my mayday." mayday."
"You know what I meant."
Stoker"s eyes flashed gold. "It was Bunny Cheung"s b.l.o.o.d.y mayday and he"s dead." dead."
"I know, and I"m I"m deeply sorry about that. But when all is said and done, when Cadwell"s brought to book, the lexium will still be here. deeply sorry about that. But when all is said and done, when Cadwell"s brought to book, the lexium will still be here.
Waiting for someone to claim it."
Stoker stood up. "I"m not interested any more. It"s gone beyond all that for me. The lexium can stay here until the crack of doom for all I care."
"I never thought I"d hear you say that."
"I never thought I"d hear myself say that."
"Jyl, you may think like this now, but when the dust has settled..."
She shook her head. "I don"t think so. Bunny was a good friend. An old friend. We argued and we fell out but we never let each other down."
"Except when he sent that mayday."
"Everyone"s ent.i.tled to one b.l.o.o.d.y stupid mistake."
Lawrence took a step towards her. "So Bunny makes a b.l.o.o.d.y stupid mistake. But I I let you down." let you down."
She stared him out. "I meant everyone"s ent.i.tled to one b.l.o.o.d.y stupid mistake, except you."