Part 7 (1/2)

'Are you ready?' asked Williams.

They both braced themselves in their seats, their faces tense and set.

'Fire! '

Again, the capsule began to vibrate violently beneath their feet; the thunderous noise was almost deafening, their faces contorted with the pressure. This time it lasted for 4.2 seconds. Once again the two men relaxed back, shook themselves, and waited for the blood to return to their heads. Every movement now caused them acute pain; both felt weak and exhausted.

'What's it now?'

Schultz was peering at the instrument panel.

'Hurry up ! ' shouted Williams impatiently. Then he saw that the older man looked stricken, almost paralysed, with fright.

'It's fifteen one! We're not slowing... we're speeding up... uncontrollably!'

Williams leant back incredulously, rubbing the sweat from his brow. 'O.K. Fire the retros again!'

Exerting almost superhuman effort, Schultz managed to stretch his trembling fingers to make contact with the operating switch.

Once more, the hissing roar of the rocket motors shook the s.p.a.ce capsule. This time it cut off abruptly after only two seconds.

Schultz looked at the fuel gauge, his face white with fear. 'The fuel's completely out-gone ! '

Williams leant forward, shouting into the mike: 'Emergency! Emergency! Calling Snowcap Snowcap. Emergency!'

In spite of the heating, every limb in Polly's body was trembling-she might just as well have been outside in the snow! Half the personnel of the base were cl.u.s.tered around the monitor, their eyes anxiously riveted to the drama of the stranded astronauts.

Behind them, impa.s.sive as statues, stood the Cybermen.

'Look at that d.a.m.n radar now,' exclaimed Dyson. 'They're accelerating!'

Polly shuddered and wrung her hands. 'Can't you do anything to help them?'

'Their retro fuel's gone,' Barclay answered.

'I don't understand!' Polly was looking desperately from one man to the other.

Before Barclay could answer, Dyson cut in. 'Their course is changing-yes. They're veering out now-accelerating at an enormous speed.'

The television picture of the two men inside the capsule, although streaked with 'snow', was still clearly visible on the fixed screen. The two men had donned their s.p.a.ce helmets. As the time travellers watched horrified, they saw the cabin start to fill with smoke.

The two beams of light from the windows were gyrating wildly, the capsule was speeding faster and faster away from the Earth!

The astronauts were making grasping movements towards the joystick controls but, with the great energy loss and the G-forces produced by the intense acceleration, seemed completely unable to reach them.

'They're beyond escape velocity now,' said Dyson. 'They can't...'

There was a sudden rise in the intensity of the light from the telescope screen-as though an invisible hand had turned up the brilliance control. The interior of the capsule cabin whitened; Polly, and the others had to s.h.i.+eld their eyes from the bright glare of the screen. Then it slowly faded away until the television monitor went blank.

Polly took her hands from her eyes, and looked around uncomprehendingly.

Dyson's head was bowed at the console; Barclay was holding on to the side of the desk, as though near to collapse.

One of the radar technicians leant over and flicked a switch, cutting off the almost unbearable screech of static from the loudspeakers.

In the sudden silence, Polly found her voice. 'What happened?'

'I'm afraid the capsule exploded, my dear,' replied the Doctor.

'You mean,' Polly stared helplessly at the screen, 'they're dead... just like that?'

The Doctor put his arm round her shoulders and, at the same time, looked over at the Cybermen. As if in answer to the Doctor's glance, Cyberleader Krail stepped forward.

'Now perhaps you can see that your planet is in great and imminent danger. In order to save you, we shall require information to be transmitted to Mondas.'

'Save us?' queried the Doctor.

'What about those poor men?' cried Polly.

'Now you will realise that you must co-operate with us. Mondas drew the s.h.i.+p away with its gravity. It was unavoidable.'

Dyson stood up. 'How? What's happening?'

The Cyberleader turned to him. 'The energy of Mondas is nearly exhausted. It now returns to its twin planet for energy.'

'It will take the energy away from Earth?' queried the Doctor.

'For how long?' Barclay broke in.

'Until it is completely exhausted,' replied the icy, monotonous voice of Krail.

'But that means that nothing will work-light, power, engines, planes, s.h.i.+ps!'

exclaimed Dyson. 'The Earth will die!'

'Yes, everything on Earth will stop.'

Barclay strode forward. 'This is monstrous! You calmly tell us we're all going to die?'

' You You are not.' are not.'