Invasion Of The Cat-People Part 22

'And how do you do that?'

Dok-Ter jumped up. 'Easily, Ben. I give them Frowline Thor-Sun on a plate.'

Frowline Thor-Sun came cras.h.i.+ng towards them at that moment, chased by Lotuss and two night-demons.

' Et voila Et voila,' said Dok-Ter. He stood directly in front of her and pulled her down into their hideaway behind the bazaar stall. He put his fingers to his lips and although she gave him a murderous look, she nodded. The demons ran on by and when they sounded safely far away Thor-Sun relaxed.

'Loathsome as you are, Dok-Ter, I offer you my congratulations. A brilliant ploy. I don't know how . . She stopped, seeing Adoon for the first time. He felt her eyes bore into him, he could almost see the hatred in her as if it were a stick poking at him. 'Of course,' she continued. 'The clumsy boy - and you were on the roof as well. I should have recognized you. So now we all have Aysha and her stupid cats chasing us. Any suggestions, Dok-Ter?'

'Yes. Escape.'

'Oh, great. I mean, even Ben might have thought of that one. How?'

Adoon suddenly thought of something. 'Great Djinn DokTer.'

'Yes, Adoon?'

'Can you make a carpet fly?'

171.

Dok-Ter smiled. 'Alas, I can't.'

'But,' Ben-Jak said, 'I know someone who can.'

Dok-Ter frowned, and then nodded. Together they turned and looked at Thor-Sun. Dok-Ter shrugged. 'You are, after all, a demon, Frowline Thor-Sun.'

Thor-Sun quietly pulled at the back of the bazaar stall, revealing a lot of carpets. She picked a large one. 'This big enough? Are we taking your young friend?'

'Yes.' Adoon was determined to come along. A flying carpet . . . He tugged at Dok-Ter's sleeve and put on his best 'oh, pleeeeeese' face.

Dok-Ter shrugged. 'All right. Adoon can come too.'

Thor-Sun grimaced. 'I'm not taking any responsibility for the child. Or, for that matter, either of you. Where are we going?'

'Back to the shuttle. I trust you can pilot it without Aysha's cronies?'

'Of course.'

Dok-Ter,' began Ben-Jak, 'you can't consider leaving the Cat-People in this time? I mean, they could rewrite history.'

Dok-Ter was stroking the carpet, letting the ta.s.sels on one corner fall through his fingers. 'Oh, I think Adoon's people would swiftly make mincemeat of them.'

'Oh, the compa.s.sion. The concern for life overwhelms me,' said Thor-Sun. 'I thought you loved life in all its myriad forms. Or is that so much hogwash to disguise your true, selfish side?'

Dok-Ter slowly raised his head and stared at her, his eyes the same bright green as the night-demons Adoon had seen earlier (but his eyes were blue moments ago?). 'A few savages are a price worth paying to save the planet from their rapacious greed, don't you think?'

'Wouldn't know, mon cheri mon cheri. I'm more than happy to see Earth reduced to molten slag, just for the h.e.l.l of it.

Watching it grow and expand over the last forty thousand years has been about as interesting as counting Aysha's fleas. I don't care if it survives or not. So long as I don't have to stay here much longer.' She sat down on the carpet, 172 laid out on the cobbled ground. 'All aboard the Flying Carpet Express. First stop, the Cat-People shuttle. Hold tight. Fasten your seat belts and -'

'Get on with it,' growled Ben-Jak.

'Miserable human.' Thor-Sun leaned towards Dok-Ter.

'Still, if you only lived three score years and ten, you'd be grumpy too. Lucky, aren't we.'

Dok-Ter pointed upwards. 'Don't even try to suggest we are similar, Thor-Sun. The concept makes my stomach turn.'

Thor-Sun began to hum quietly to herself, a rhythmic pattern which Adoon found pleasant. It reminded him of the songs his mother would sing when scrubbing the family clothes. Suddenly he realized he was moving. The carpet was rising up.

'Blimey,' said Ben-Jak. 'It's working.'

'Of course it's working, Ben. Euterpians are very clever.

Let's hope Aysha doesn't spot us though.'

Adoon decided to take a look at Baghdad from the air - and literally found his breath taken away by the spectacle.

They were only a few man-heights from the ground but it was enough to give him a perspective he knew he would never forget. The wind was stronger but cooler and his ears felt slightly funny. He tried rubbing them, but it did not do anything much.

'Air pressure, mate. They'll get back to normal after a few minutes back on the ground.' Prince Ben-Jak knew everything. If he said it would be all right, Adoon knew it would.

Dok-Ter pointed down. 'OK, Thor-Sun. Take us down.'

Still humming quietly, she nodded and the carpet gently began to descend. Seconds later it was flat beside the silver tent.

'How do we get in?' asked Ben-Jak.

Without waiting for an answer, Thor-Sun whistled and a gap appeared in the side. Adoon stroked the tent - it was cold and metallic. He decided that he would not want to live in it. Dok-Ter smiled at him and Adoon was positive he could read his thoughts. Then again, he was a Great Djinn.

173.

'It's all right, Adoon. You don't need to come in.' He waved at Ben-Jak and pointed. Unseen by Thor-Sun, Ben-Jak nodded and slipped into the tent, coming back out with two silver clubs. Thor-Sun was looking for the night-demons but with little success. 'Now, Adoon, I have a job for you,' DokTer was saying. 'I want you to go back home and raise your family. Get them to tell everyone about the demons and to come and chase them away. And thank you for everything you've done. You are a very brave boy.'

Adoon wanted to tell Dok-Ter that he was staying, that he wanted to travel in the silver tent and fly on another magic carpet. But Dok-Ter's eyes stared at him (his eyes were blue - or green - but not grey) and Adoon knew he had to do as he was told. With a bow of thanks he headed for the parapet and climbed back on to the roof from which he had first set eyes on Dok-Ter, Prince Ben-Jak, Thor-Sun and the demons. There, he would go down the stairs and back home.

He gave a last look, preparing to wave goodbye. And stopped.

Dok-Ter and Prince Ben-Jak were aiming silver clubs at a protesting Thor-Sun. Dok-Ter called out, 'Queen Aysha, this is the Dok-Ter. I have Thorgarsuunela - she's yours if you take us back home.' What Dok-Ter had not seen were the night-demons, led by Lotuss coming up behind them. There was nothing he could do as the demons jumped them, and the leader stepped out of the shadows. 'Thank you, Dok-Ter.

Your usefulness has not ended. Unlike Thorgarsuunela's.'

Thor-Sun stood upright, angrily. 'Stuff and nonsense. You still need me to -'

'We need nothing from you. We now know what we are looking for. We also know that you are ignorant as to the whereabouts of the beacon. The Dok-Ter will help us or we will kill his companion.' She turned to Dok-Ter. 'Which, if I remember correctly, was your suggestion.'

Dok-Ter looked at Ben-Jak and shrugged. The two of them were herded into the tent. Thor-Sun went to follow, but Lotuss stopped her. A look - Adoon could not see 174 what exactly - obviously pa.s.sed between the leading night-demon and Lotuss and the leader entered the tent.

'I never liked you, sub-anthropoid. Killing you will be a pleasure.'

Thor-Sun drew herself up. 'So, litter-runt, how are you going to do it?'

If Adoon could have seen Lotuss's face clearly, he knew she would be grinning. 'Knowing how much you've enjoyed living on Earth, you're going to die here. It'll be about two thousand years early, but never mind.'

Adoon did not understand a word of what was meant but he was shocked when Thor-Sun suddenly fell to the floor.

Lotuss was bending slightly - and Adoon knew what was coming next - he'd seen Mashuk do it often enough. Thor-Sun was feinting and as Lotuss's silver club got close, she grabbed it, pulling Lotuss to the ground.

'Now, litter-runt, I think you're going to let me back aboard.'

'Wrong,' hissed Lotuss. 'I'd rather die.' They stared at each other.

Then Thor-Sun gasped. 'Your Majesty . . .'

Lotuss turned briefly and Thor-Sun smacked the back of her head with the club and jumped towards the tent. The gap vanished.

'No,' murmured Thor-Sun. 'No, you can't leave me here.

I've had one lifetime on this pathetic planet - I won't live it again. You can't do this to me!'

Lotuss was upon her and Adoon winced as her claws raked across Thor-Sun's back. The laughing demon shrieked and twisted, Lotuss falling back towards the tent. The gap opened briefly and Lotuss scrambled in.

The tent vanished. Silently and instantly.

'How did you do that?' called Thor-Sun to no one in particular. Dok-Ter! Aysha! Lotuss - don't leave me here!'

But it was too late. As Adoon decided that getting home was a better option than listening to Thor-Sun's ranting, he heard her screaming, 'I'll get you for this, Dok-Ter. You set me up. You'll pay - in two thousand years I'll be waiting 175 for you and I'll stop you.' Then slightly quieter she added, 'Or at least I'll stop myself getting involved.'

Adoon headed home.

Inside the shuttle, Aysha stared at Lotuss. 'Well?'

Lotuss preened herself with a damp paw. 'She put up a surprisingly good fight.' She popped her claws out, displaying red blood on them. 'Her blood was not that of a true warrior, though. She is dead.'

Ben asked, 'How will the Cat-People fly back to 1994 without Thorsuun's help?'

'We recorded everything Thorgarsuunela said, sung or hummed,' explained Chosan. 'Our battle computers translated the exact meanings of the notes while we wasted time in Arabia. We can now fly this shuttle under Euterpian power by ourselves.' Chosan nodded to Queen Aysha. She noted Lotuss standing stiffly by the hatchway. 'And I don't think our tactical officer has quite forgiven you for disarming her under such less-than-honourable circ.u.mstances.'

Lotuss stared at the Doctor. 'No. I'll have my revenge.'

The Doctor turned to Chosan and Queen Aysha. 'So, if you can now travel in time and s.p.a.ce using harmonics, why do you need us?'

'We know how to use Thorgarsuunela's methods, Doctor,'

said Aysha. 'We still don't know why. You're a time-traveller, and an alien. You've got a machine.'

'The TARDIS?' said Ben. The Doctor groaned. 'Sorry, Doc.'

'Exactly,' continued Aysha. 'This TARDIS will take us back forty thousand years as Thorgarsuunela promised us.

There, we will wipe out the Euterpians and take the power source ourselves.'

The Doctor frowned. 'But your main s.h.i.+p is still in 1994, in orbit. It still begs the question of how you are going to move that amount of magnetic force through time.'

'We're not,' said Chosan. 'You are. Using your TARDIS and the RTC equipment Thorgarsuunela provided us with.'

176.

Six rifle-blasters rose and focused on Ben. 'Any problems with our plans?' asked Aysha.

The Doctor said nothing.

'Oh, good. I knew we could rely on you.'

177.

Episode Five

Hot. So very hot. Far hotter than anything he had ever encountered before. He reached out to her, but she didn't encountered before. He reached out to her, but she didn't notice. She hadn't noticed anything for some days now - or notice. She hadn't noticed anything for some days now - or was it weeks? He'd tried to make contact, let her know he was it weeks? He'd tried to make contact, let her know he was still there, but it was pointless. All she did was walk. was still there, but it was pointless. All she did was walk.

Walking free.

In a straight line, following her instincts as the sound led them across the plains. She was the more accomplished of them across the plains. She was the more accomplished of the two - her tracking skills had been invaluable on so the two - her tracking skills had been invaluable on so many previous expeditions, while he was there more as a many previous expeditions, while he was there more as a craftsman, making physicality from the harmonics created. craftsman, making physicality from the harmonics created.

His own notes and resonances were good, but impure - they could form an image, a lumpy almost-there - and that made him particularly useless in a society where perfection made him particularly useless in a society where perfection was essential. But there was a certain symbiosis between was essential. But there was a certain symbiosis between him and her. She could bring matter into existence through him and her. She could bring matter into existence through her oscillations, he could add to that molecular soup, her oscillations, he could add to that molecular soup, carefully sculpturing a finished product, fully functional as carefully sculpturing a finished product, fully functional as if it had been in existence for years and with parts that if it had been in existence for years and with parts that never needed replacement. Organic and inorganic; silicon, never needed replacement. Organic and inorganic; silicon, vegetation or sentient - it was all the same. It existed, vegetation or sentient - it was all the same. It existed, perfectly or imperfectly, depending on his mood. But it was perfectly or imperfectly, depending on his mood. But it was always his choice. It was this ability that made them always his choice. It was this ability that made them immortal. If something went wrong with their own immortal. If something went wrong with their own physiology, they simply sang it right again. physiology, they simply sang it right again.

Freedom was something that couldn't be sung for. Ever.

They had been on the planet for a few hundred years now judging by the rotations around the sun. He had calculated judging by the rotations around the sun. He had calculated the planet's daily rotation to be eleven spans. An awkward the planet's daily rotation to be eleven spans. An awkward number: the s.h.i.+p had artificial days offifteen spans. It took number: the s.h.i.+p had artificial days offifteen spans. It took some time to realize that they were becoming accustomed to some time to realize that they were becoming accustomed to the planet's rotations and natural spans. For the first few the planet's rotations and natural spans. For the first few years they had insisted on keeping s.h.i.+p-time, sleeping every years they had insisted on keeping s.h.i.+p-time, sleeping every eight spans for seven. However, it had been she who first eight spans for seven. However, it had been she who first adapted to the planet's own alarm clock and slept during its adapted to the planet's own alarm clock and slept during its 178 178 night periods. And she who gained the wrath of their recon-leader. The recon-leader could not accept this adaptation and began to become more and more obtuse and irrational and began to become more and more obtuse and irrational in the demands and orders given. Eventually it had become in the demands and orders given. Eventually it had become too much and an argument ensued. Without any real too much and an argument ensued. Without any real surprise, the recon-leader won - and banished the two of surprise, the recon-leader won - and banished the two of them to walk the deserts. them to walk the deserts.

When they had first come, the basin had been full of lush green vegetation but now, during their walkabout, they had green vegetation but now, during their walkabout, they had realized the trees and flowers and bushes and plants had realized the trees and flowers and bushes and plants had died. No amount of singing could bring them back, which he died. No amount of singing could bring them back, which he couldn't understand. After a long time (days, weeks, years, couldn't understand. After a long time (days, weeks, years, who knew?) the Walkers had encountered an intelligent life. who knew?) the Walkers had encountered an intelligent life.

Dark-skinned and strong, they had been warriors. They had tried to kill the two of them, despite being sung beautiful tried to kill the two of them, despite being sung beautiful songs of creation. As a result, the Walkers tried to ignore songs of creation. As a result, the Walkers tried to ignore the people and their spears and brown bodies covered in the people and their spears and brown bodies covered in natural dyes and their faces painted to accentuate their natural dyes and their faces painted to accentuate their aggression. They wandered in many directions over the aggression. They wandered in many directions over the days/weeks/years trying to teach the New Men to sing the days/weeks/years trying to teach the New Men to sing the songs of life, to understand the beauty in creation from pure songs of life, to understand the beauty in creation from pure sonic harmonies, but the New Men simply weren't sonic harmonies, but the New Men simply weren't interested. interested.

Then one afternoon, the Walkers found themselves in a slightly greener part of the world/island /country and saw slightly greener part of the world/island /country and saw strange shapes on the water, coming in from the north-west. strange shapes on the water, coming in from the north-west.

As the shapes approached the beaches, they realized these were more men, similar in appearance to the vicious New were more men, similar in appearance to the vicious New Men but with a fire in their eyes, a depth and intelligence Men but with a fire in their eyes, a depth and intelligence denied their aggressive cousins. An inner peace and beauty. denied their aggressive cousins. An inner peace and beauty.

They carried spears, but at the rear, not as part of their forward party. They carried bizarre carved wooden objects, forward party. They carried bizarre carved wooden objects, curved at the centre. Perhaps sensing the Walkers' curved at the centre. Perhaps sensing the Walkers'

curiosity, one of the men hurled his wood away from him and it sailed through the air, peect aerodynamics causing it and it sailed through the air, peect aerodynamics causing it to twist and turn, until it retraced itself, coming back to twist and turn, until it retraced itself, coming back through the air to the Peace Man who threw it. The Walkers through the air to the Peace Man who threw it. The Walkers were immediately impressed and she began singing. were immediately impressed and she began singing.