Free Doctor Who: Marco Polo by John Lucarotti

and keep guard in case
he comes out. If he does, hold him there,' he replied. Tegana smiled
and left the room as Marco threw on his clothes, drew his sword and burst into
Ian's room. Ian was reclining fully dressed on the bed.
    'Get up,' Marco ordered, 'fetch Miss
Wright and the girl. Bring them to the courtyard immediately.' Ian
did his best to appear nonchalant, shrugging as if he didn't know
what was happening but inwardly realising that something had gone
very wrong. He did as he was told, collected Barbara and Susan and
the three of them went onto the courtyard where Tegana and Marco
stood in front of the wagon.
    'What's all this about?' Ian bluffed.
Marco pointed his sword at the ship.
    'The Doctor, as you call him, is in
there.' His voice was glacial.
    'Have you checked his room,' Ian asked
innocently.
    'Do you take me for an idiot?' Marco
replied. 'We'll wait here until he comes out, even if we stay all
night.'
    Inside the TARDIS the Doctor spent a
busy hour putting the microswitches back in place and checking the
circuits one by one with the exception of two: the blue lamp on top
which might draw attention, and the dematerialisation circuit in case
he couldn't get back. But everything would work, he knew it, as he
rubbed his hands together and went outside.
    'Lock the door,' Ian shouted. The
Doctor fumbled for the key in his pocket, found it, did as he was
instructed and turned defiantly to face Marco and Tegana. Marco held
out his hand.
    'I'll take the key,' he said.
    'No.' The Doctor was adamant. Tegana
leapt onto the wagon and raised his sword.
    'You're an old man, Doctor,' Marco
said, 'and I do not wish to use force.' The Doctor glared at him.
    'It's what you'll need to use, Polo.'
    'Shall I cut it off?' Tegana asked, his
sword poised above the Doctor's hand.
    'Grandfather, give it to him, give it,'
Susan screamed. The Doctor opened his hand and held out the key.
    'Did I not say he had another?' Tegana
proclaimed as the Doctor clambered down from the wagon and waved the
key in front of Marco's face.
    'Put that key in the lock and you'll
destroy the caravan, Polo,' he warned, 'and then where will you and
your precious Kublai Khan be?' Marco snatched the key from the
Doctor's hand. 'You need more than a key, Polo, you need knowledge,'
- the Doctor tapped the side of his head with his forefinger -
'knowledge you'll never possess.'
    'Give me that knowledge.'
    'It's beyond your comprehension, Polo.'
    'The Doctor's right, Marco,' Ian
interjected.
    'We're here, the four of us,' Barbara
added, 'and the ship is repaired, so why not let us leave you?'
    'In peace,' the Doctor snapped. Susan
thought about Ping-Cho and bit her lower lip.
    'No,' Marco retorted and turned to
Tegana. 'Bear me witness. I wear the gold seal of mighty Kublai Khan
and by the authority it invests in me, I do hereby seize and hold
your flying caravan.' He pointed his sword at each of them in turn.
'Be warned, any resistance to this decree is instantly punishable by
death. Now, return to your rooms.' The Doctor looked at Marco and
shook his head sadly.
    'Oh, you poor, misguided, stupid,
pathetic savage,' he said and walked back into the way-station.

10 Bamboozled
    The journey became a nightmare. In the
morning they discovered that Marco had segregated them, taken away
their horses, thereby making them travel together in a wagon, and eat
and sleep in a guarded separate tent. Ping-Cho was not allowed to
associate with any of them which made her resent Marco who, as they
travelled on, struggled to fight off his pangs of conscience. But the
arrangements suited Tegana perfectly. The caravan was divided which
would make his and Acomat's task much easier when they reached the
bamboo forests where he would despatch Marco whilst Acomat and the
Tartars slaughtered the others and Ping-Cho.
    On the third day of the journey as they
sat in the wagon Ian gave vent to the sentiment the four of them
felt.
    'It's pointless continuing like this,'
he said, 'we must make