Apollo 23 Read online

  'Not now,' Ashton shouted back. 'We've got problems.'

  Garrett was holding a heavy metal spanner. He swung it at the Doctor, who managed to roll backwards out of the way. The movement spun Garrett too, disorientating him as he turned lazily in the zero gravity.

  'I'll get him out of your way,' the Doctor shouted to Ashton. 'It's me he's after.'

  'There's nowhere to go!' Ashton pointed out. But his voice was lost as another alarm went off. Ashton punched the button to reset it. 'We're venting fuel. That's not good.'

  He glanced round as he worked, wondering what he could do to help the Doctor -wondering what had happened to Garrett.

  But the capsule behind him was empty.

  The docking linkway between the Command Module and the LEM was only a few metres long. The Doctor launched himself through the hatch from the main capsule, glancing back to check that Garrett was following him. With luck, Ashton would be able to sort out the problems caus ed by Garrett's foot... If not, then it didn't really matter if the Doctor could escape Garrett or not - they'd all be dead.

  If he'd had time and thought about it, the Doctor would have brought his helmet. Without that, it didn't matter that he was wearing his spacesuit. The Apollo craft was so fragile - designed to be as light as possible, not to endure an attack from a possessed man. What had Amy said they were called? Blanks.

  That made sense. The radio signal, the transmission 165

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  was a download of some sort - instructions beamed into Garrett's mind. The man's eyes were pale grey as he floated down the linkway after the Doctor. As if the humanity had been drained out of him as well as the colour.

  'When did they get you?' the Doctor asked.

  Garrett didn't answer. No chance in engaging him in conversation while the Doctor thought of a plan, then.

  'Not in your instructions to answer, I suppose.' The Doctor pushed off gently from a control console in the LEM, floating across the small craft. Garrett had to change course to follow him, flailing for a while in the weightless environment before he could adjust.

  'Is it a switch, in the true sens e of the word?' the Doctor wondered out loud. ' Your mind primed and ready to be switched off, changed for a new set of instructions?

  Presumably instructions to ensure that I don't make it back to the moon.'

  Garrett was braced against the opposite side of the LEM, ready to launch himself at the Doctor.

  'Maybe you had to gauge if I was a threat first. Hence the questions about my experience with alien invaders.'

  In a blur of motion that defied the graceful, weightlessness the Doctor was experiencing, Garrett flew across the LEM. His hand snatched at the Doctor.

  But the Doctor was already pushing himself away, out of reach. 'Maybe that's why you ended up on Earth. Someone realised you'd been got at and sent you for a burger...' He remembered Amy recounting

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  her story over the radio. 'Aha! Liz Didbrook, at a guess. The original saboteur, trying to attract attention when she realised something was terribly wrong on the moonbase. Then I guess Jackson realised that breaking the quantum link wasn't such a bad idea after all, so he could work in peace.'

  Again, Garrett's sudden movement was a fraction of a second too slow. He crashed into a bulkhead. The whole craft shuddered. The Doctor could see the metal skin of the LEM shimmer close by as it stretched under the impact.

  'I guess - that is, I hope - you're more used to the shuttle’

  the Doctor said. 'If you remember anything of your own experience.' He'd managed to manoeuvre himself closer to the linkway back to the Command Module. He'd need to get out of here fast and close the door.

  Garrett's blank face twitched in what might have been the hint of a smile.

  'You think that if I shut the hatch, you can just open it again from this side,' the Doctor said. And you're right.

  There's no way to lock it. Except, to open it again you'd have to be still inside the LEM.'

  The Doctor moved as he was speaking, pushing against the solid bulk of a storage locker. Immediately, Garrett hurled himself after the Doctor. He kicked out strongly against the wall behind him with both feet at once.

  'They had to keep the weight right down, you know. And the walls in here are so light, so fragile, they're like tin foil,'

  the Doctor said.

  But his words were lost in the sudden explosion of 167

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  noise as Garrett's feet kicked through the thin metal membrane of the LEM. The fragile skin was all that protected the occupants of the craft from the freezing vacuum of space.

  Explosive decompression. The spaceship slammed sideways as the air was sucked out. Garrett's face was suddenly a mask of surprise, pain, and fear. For a fraction of a moment, his eyes were pale blue, staring back at the Doctor.

  Then he was gone - tumbling away into the vast blackness of space.

  The Doctor braced himself against the wall of the linkway. Once he moved the hatch slightly, the air rushing past him slammed it shut. The Doctor spun the locking wheel.

  'Turn the oxygen pumps off in the LEM,' the Doctor gasped. 'Otherwise it'll tear itself apart as the air escapes.'

  Ashton battled to stabilise the capsule as it bucked and twisted, rolled and shook. Finally, the craft settled down and Ashton turned in his seat.

  'Where's Garrett?'

  The Doctor was looking through one of the thick triangular windows, sadly watching a tiny figure spinning away into the inky distance.

  'He went outside’ the Doctor said. 'He might be quite some time.'

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  A cloud of fine grey dust kicked up from the main motor of the Lunar Module's descent stage. The wide pads settled into the lunar landscape. The dust floated gently down to the ground and everything was still again.

  The hatchway opened. A figure in a red spacesuit clambered down the ladder. It bounced experimentally on its feet in the dusty surface. It mimed licking its finger through the spherical helmet and holding it up to check the non-existent wind.

  'This way, I think’ the Doctor said, though he knew no one could hear him.

  He blew upwards from the side of his mouth in an effort to detach a loose clump of hair that had flopped into his eyes.

  Maybe he needed one of those balaclava-like things that Garrett and Reeve and the others had worn under their helmets. Or maybe he could just stand on his head. He bounced again in the

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  low gravity. Maybe not.

  The Doctor glanced back at the LEM as he walked away from it. There was a dark gash down one side of it. The Doctor had done his best to patch the hole, for neatness as much as anything. In their full spacesuits, he and Ashton had pumped the air out of the Command Module before the Doctor had entered the LEM for the des cent. The Doctor looked up, wondering if he'd catch a glimpse of Ashton going overhead. But the orbit would take a while yet. As soon as he was back on the right side of the moon, Ashton would report to Houston and Hibiscus. Now the Doctor was on his own.

  Reaching the top of a shallow rise, the Doctor saw Base Diana lying in its shallow crater, almost exactly where he had expected to find it. He made no attempt to stay hidden - they knew he was coming. He strode down the incline towards the base, stuffing his hands absent-mindedly into pockets his spacesuit didn't have.

  Whether they were waiting for him or not, the main airlock was a bit obvious. There must be another way in.

  The Doctor walked slowly round the base, expecting any moment to see white-spacesuited figures coming after him.

  But he saw no one. Not until he spotted Amy.

  He caught sight of her hair first - a splash of colour against the white and grey. She was watching from a round porthole. The Doctor waved, and she waved back, then pointed to one side - the way she wanted him to go. The Doctor gave a clumsy thumbs-up hampered by his bulky glov
e, and followed her

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  directions. Sure enough, a short way along was a s mall airlock. He pressed the access panel, and the door swung slowly open. The Doctor kept his helmet on, even though he could hear the air rushing in. Best to be careful. He might need to step outside again in a hurry.

  But when the inner door opened, there was only Amy.

  She hugged him, struggling to get her arms round the large spacesuit. The Doctor removed his helmet and finally brushed the hair from his eyes.

  'Been itching to do that for ages,' he told her. ' So what have you been up to, Pond - having fun?'

  'We have to get away from here’ Amy said. 'They'll have seen you, or detected the airlock opening or something. We can't trust anyone, not any more. Jackson's accelerated the process. You know about the process?'

  'Whoa, slow down.' The Doctor stripped off his spacesuit, adjusted his bow tie and straightened his crumpled jacket. 'Yes, I know about Jackson's process. And I'm fine thanks, pleased to see you too. Met some people, mended their rocket, fought off an alien assassin and here I am.'

  'Good for you.' She didn't sound impressed. 'Come on, they've been after me for hours.'

  Amy led the way through the base. Before long they reached the canteen. Amy glanced inside, then stepped back to let the Doctor see. The place was a mess - broken crockery strewn across the floor. Star-shaped patterns of dust and fragments where plates and bowls had broken apart.

  'You'd think they'd have cleared it up,' Amy said.

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  'What happened?'

  'Riot. I let the prisoners out. Got away from the bad guys in the confusion while the prisoners went on the rampage.'

  The Doctor crouched down to examine the remains of a plate.

  'They were throwing stuff’ Amy explained. 'But the soldiers rounded them up. Plates and cups against guns - no contest really.'

  The Doctor straightened up, dusting his hands down his lapels. 'And you? What - you ran and hid?'

  'Of course. I' ve been hiding for days. What else could I do?'

  The Doctor nodded. He looked into her eyes and smiled sadly. 'What else could you do?' he agreed.

  'So, what's the plan? How do we stop the Talerians now you're back?'

  'Talerians?'

  "That's what they call themselves. I overheard.'

  'Interesting.' The Doctor drummed his fingers together.

  'Yes, that makes sense. Um, plan - yes, right. Well we need to get to a transmitter. The radio we spoke on when I was stuck on Earth, that'll do.'

  "Then what?'

  The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver. 'Then I can adjust the frequency, boost the signal, and send a jamming wave so no more Talerians can come through. Dealing with the ones already here will be easy enough. They'll be trapped so we can blow up the base and kill the lot of them.'

  He paused, waiting to see if Amy reacted. But she said nothing.

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  'So they'll all die horribly, and s erve them right’ he added.

  'OK?'

  'Fine. Sounds good to me.' Amy turned to go.

  'I was afraid it might’ the Doctor murmured as he followed her down the corridor.

  He soon recognised the section they were in, and was pleased if slightly surprised that they were close to the Communications Room.

  'I sort of assumed the main computer systems would be somewhere near here’ the Doctor said. 'Makes sense to keep them together.'

  'The processors, maybe’ Amy said. 'But not the data storage. That's all oxygenated hydrogen molecules. The spin of the electrons equates to the binary ones and zeroes.

  It's very cheap and highly efficient. Or so they tell me.'

  'But a bit fragile and rather bulky’ the Doctor said. 'I suppose water hasn't been an issue till now though, so it makes sense. Cutting-edge stuff for this day and age. I didn't realise you were an expert.'

  Amy paused in mid-step. 'Captain Reeve was telling me about it.'

  'I see, I see’ the Doctor said casually, like it wasn't really important. In the same tone he went on: 'You're not really taking me to the Communications Room, are you?'

  'No’ Amy said at once. She stopped. 'Ah. No...' She frowned. 'I had a better idea.'

  Thought so. I could tell. Written all over your face. I could see it in your eyes.' The Doctor had his sonic screwdriver out again. 'Your expressionless face. Your cold, grey eyes that are usually so bright

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  and intelligent. So caring, but you didn't even blink when I said I'd kill the aliens and not even try to save the people they've mind-wiped. And then there's the crockery in the canteen.'

  'What?' Amy was still, face blank as the Doctor shone his screwdriver in her eyes.

  'It hadn't been thrown at anyone. You can tell by the pattern it made when it broke. Those plates were dropped.

  Your Talerian masters like to put on a bit of a show, do they?'

  Her voice was completely level. 'I don't know what you mean.'

  'If that's true, it's only because you've not been programmed with the information. But you're up to date on the local data storage, so that must be important. A race that can download itself into people's brains must be conscientious enough to keep back-ups after all.' The Doctor stepped closer, adjusting the settings on the sonic screwdriver. 'Now then, where are you, Amy? Are you still in there somewhere? They must be using some sort of alpha-wave inhibitor to suppress the host personality...'

  From behind him, the Doctor heard the sound of someone clapping. Amy's eyes closed and her head tilted forwards, as if she was falling asleep. The Doctor turned slowly round.

  Professor Jackson and Captain Reeve were standing behind him. Reeve was holding a gun. Hurrying to join them was Major Carlisle, her face as blank and expressionless as Amy's had been.

  'Shame.' The Doctor pocketed his screwdriver. 'Thought I'd have more time than that.'

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  'Time to carry out your ridiculous plan to jam our signals?'

  Jackson sneered.

  'Oh, that wasn't my plan’ the Doctor told him. 'Made that up for Amy when I saw she was under the influence.' He grinned widely. 'I've got a different ridiculous plan to defeat you.'

  'Well, whatever it is, it's over’ Reeve snapped.

  'And what about Amy - is she over?'

  'Her program came to an end when we arrived’ Jackson said. 'The Blank can follow a simple set of instructions, then afterwards it is again simply... Blank.'

  The Doctor took a step forwards, but Reeve jabbed his gun in warning. 'If you've hurt her...'

  Jackson laughed. ' Empty threats, Doctor. You know, the hardest part was programming in enough information so that she could cope with any questions you might have - about us, Base Diana, anything. But when it comes down to it, you're not so impressive after all. We needn't have bothered.'

  'But then I wouldn't know that you're really Talerians.'

  'Which probably means nothing to you’ Reeve said.

  The Doctor shrugged. 'So where is Amy? What have you done with her mind, her essence, her personality?'

  'We've wiped it’ Jackson said simply. 'It's gone. For ever.

  And soon, your mind will follow. The next transmission is due in an hour. You will be blanked, and then imprinted with a new personality - with one of us.'

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  The Doctor nodded. 'What a surprise. But that still gives me an hour. An hour for you to tell me all about who you are, what you're up to, why you've decided to invade Earth. An hour for a chat and cup of tea -what do you say?'

  'I say, an hour for you to ponder your fate and see what your meddling has done to your friend. An hour in a cell in the prison hub while I prepare the Process Chamber.' Jackson smiled, but the expression did not reach his cold, grey eyes.

  'This time, Doctor, there really
is no escape.'

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  The gun jabbed painfully in the Doctor's ribs.

  'I'm going to enjoy locking you up to await your fate’

  Captain Reeve said. 'Just as I enjoyed locking up your friend.'

  'I'm sure’ the Doctor said.

  Jackson was already striding off down the corridor. 'I'll need some help’ he called back.

  'You go’ Major Carlisle told Reeve, unholstering her own pistol. Her mouth twisted into a vicious smile. 'I'll deal with these two. My turn to have fun.'

  Reeve stared back at her for a moment. Then he nodded.

  'I'll see you again soon, Doctor. And I shall watch every moment of the process with interest.'

  'Bye then’ the Doctor said. 'See you later.'

  Reeve's face showed a flicker of amusement at the Doctor's apparent indifference. Then he turned on his heel and marched off down the corridor after Jackson.

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  Carlisle turned back to the Doctor and Amy. Her gun was aimed unerringly at the Doctor.

  'Funny how some life forms can be so clever and yet miss the obvious’ the Doctor said. 'Mind you, humans are the same.'

  'What do you mean?' Carlisle demanded.

  The Doctor leaned towards her. He tapped the side of his nose conspiratorially. 'I mean’ he said, 'that your eyes are the wrong colour. They're chocolate brown, and if you're really a Talerian, they should be grey like Jackson's and Reeve's. And Amy's.'

  Major Carlisle's smile was more genuine now. She glanced over her shoulder, checking that Jackson and Reeve had gone. 'Perhaps they're colour blind. They did actually process me, so they have an excuse.'

  'What went wrong?'

  Carlisle shrugged. 'Power failure at a critical point, I think.

  It's all a bit muzzy, to be honest. I can sort of hear one of them, like it's trapped in my head. So I've got some clues as to how to play along. But I'm hoping you can fill in the blanks.'

  "That's what I'm here for.' The Doctor took Amy's lifeless hand, feeling for her faint pulse. 'Literally to fill in the Blanks. With their own personalities again.'