Broken Tooth paused for a moment to check the sign on the ground before him. He rose. "This way!"
The hunters sped on.
Haring along a corridor the Doctor ran smack into Balazar and Merdeen.
"Whoops!" he shouted and spun round to flee.
"Wait, Doctor," called Merdeen. "We mean you no harm."
The Doctor turned to face them. "You did last time we met."
"Things have changed," said Balazar earnestly.
"Then let me pa.s.s," said the Doctor. "I have to get out of here."
"Then take Balazar with you, pleaded Merdeen.
"Yes all right," said the Doctor, in too much of a hurry to ask for explanations.
"What will you do, Merdeen?" asked Balazar.
"I"d be careful if I were you," said the Doctor. "There"s a robot following me who isn"t in a very friendly mood."
"Will you return to help us, Doctor?" asked Merdeen.
"Help us to crush the Immortal"s power?"
"Perhaps, if I can," said the Doctor hurriedly. "But there"s something very important I must do first. Come along, Balazar!"
The Doctor and Balazar ran, heading for the route to the surface. Merdeen looked after them for a moment, then turned and went the other way.
The Valeyard halted the proceedings to address the Court once more.
"This, as you see, is another example of the Doctor"s interference. You note that he was in a position to free himself from the situation, yet chose not to do so."
The Doctor was on his feet. "I was trying to help! Surely even a blockhead like you can see that."
"The Inquisitor intervened. "I think we should reserve judgment till the end of the sentence."
The Doctor glared at the Valeyard. "I agree," he snapped.
Then he gave the Inquisitor his most charming smile "My Lady."
The Doctor sat down... and saw himself emerging from the underground tunnels, Balazar close behind him.
Balazar looked at the forest in sheer amazement. "It"s beautiful..."
The Doctor however was looking around for Peri, irrationally annoyed to find she wasn"t there. "Oh, I knew she wouldn"t still be here - that girl just can"t obey an order."
Suddenly a familiar figure came pelting through the trees towards them. A voice called, "Doctor!"
It was Peri, Glitz puffing behind her.
The Doctor waved. "Peri!"
A third figure appeared.
It was Dibber arriving from the village.
The hunting party spotted him, and increased their pace. Broken Tooth paused to take aim with the laser-rifle.
Unfortunately no-one had shown him how to use it. He gave up and resumed the chase.
Peri dashed up to the Doctor, and he waved her inside.
"In you go, back inside. You too, Balazar."
Peri and Glitz hurried back inside, and Balazar followed. Dibber dashed up, and shot inside after the others, and the Doctor followed last.
With a howl of rage, the hunting party converged on the tunnel entrance.
Glitz collapsed gasping just inside the entrance. "I always knew exercise was bad for you."
The Doctor bustled past him. "I shouldn"t lie there if I were you, not unless you want a spear in your back!"
"What!" Hurriedly Glitz scrambled to his feet. He caught Dibber"s arm. "Did you do the job, my boy?"
"Course," said Dibber, and Glitz noded contented.
"Come on," called the Doctor. "We"ve got to get out of here!"
He led them down the long steep flight of steps and into the lower tunnel - only to find himself facing the Service Robot. He turned to retreat - and saw Broken Tooth and his warriors blocking the head of the stairs.
"Now what?" shrieked Peri.
The Doctor looked ahead to the Service Robot and behind to the hunters. Broken Tooth at their head was raising the laser rifle.
For once even the Doctor didn"t have an answer. "I don"t know," he said. "I really think this could be the end!"
8.
Captives of Queen Katryca Broken Tooth fiddled wildly with the mechanism of the laser-rifle, and a wild blast smashed rubble from the tunnel ceiling.
Suddenly Balazar shouted. "I know him - it"s Broken Tooth!"
"Then why doesn"t he fire at you?" yelled Glitz.
"Broken Tooth, it"s me! shouted Balazar.
Confused, Broken Tooth stared wildly at him.
"Fire at the Robot!" shouted the Doctor.
"Shoot the Immortal One," called Balazar.
Slowly Broken Tooth raised the rifle. "Down everyone!"
yelled the Doctor.
"Squeeze the trigger gently, don"t pull it," called Dibber.
The Service Robot glided forwards - and Broken Tooth fired. This time he got it right.
The blast caught the Service Robot full on its casing and it ground to a halt, deactivated. As everyone clambered to their feet the Service Robot stayed silent and still.
In the control room, Drathro stared at a blank monitor screen.
"What is happening? Reactivate!"
Humker and Tandrell worked frantically at the Robot"s controls.
"We"re trying, Immortal," called Humker.
"It doesn"t respond," said Tandrell.
"You must make it work," ordered Drathro. "I must have the Doctor back here. My black-light system is failing!"
The native hunters gathered curiously around the deactivated robot, while the Doctor and Peri conferred with Broken Tooth and Balazar.
"I can"t believe you"re alive, Broken Tooth," Balazar was saying. "They said you"d been culled."
"I owe my life to Merdeen," said Broken Tooth simply.
"I too," said Balazar excitedly.
"I hate to break up this happy reunion," said the Doctor.
"But I have to find the aerial to Drathro"s black-light convertor."
Dibber stepped forward. "No need to hurry - it"s gone."
"Gone where?"
"I blew it up," said Dibber proudly.
The Doctor was horrified. "What?"
"It"ll put the L3 robot out of action," Glitz pointed out.
"It"ll start an explosive chain reaction more likely," said the Doctor. "Drathro"s black light system is highly unstable. Blowing it up is about the worst thing you could have done!" he turned to go. "I must go and shut the system down right away."
Suddenly Broken Tooth raised the laser-rifle, and taking their cue from him, his warriors raised their spears.
"You will all return to our village," announced Broken Tooth. He pointed at Glitz. "Our Queen has unfinished business with this person."
"No!" protested the Doctor.
Broken Tooth swung the rifle to cover him. "You will all come with us - and you will all come quietly."
Glitz jabbed Dibber in the ribs. "And you had to show him how to use the gun!"
This time it was the Inquisitor herself who halted the proceedings.
"Valeyard, are these unpleasant scenes of primitive violence necessary to your case? I find them distressing."
"I too find primitive violence distressing," agreed the Doctor. "Especially when I"m on the receiving end!"
The Valeyard rose. "I too find it repugnant, My lady.
But the Doctor has a well-known predeliction for violence."
The Doctor leaped to his feet. "That is a foul slur!"
"Do not interrupt, Doctor," commanded the Inquisitor.