Free Doctor Who: Ultimate Treasure by Christopher Bulis Page A

-'
    'Sit down and be quiet,' Jaharnus snapped. Falstaff sat. 'Now, Doctor, you will pilot this... this craft back to Astroville.'
    'Oh, why? For that matter, why the gun? We're really not dangerous you know.'
    'I'm not sure what you are, Doctor, but I do know you're all under arrest. He's guilty of leaving the scene of a crime and you two are guilty of withholding evidence, namely the figures Hok revealed, which you claimed earlier you could not recall.'
    'Evidently you believed otherwise.'
    'As I said then, a suspicious nature goes with the job. It also caused me to check up on your researches in the archives.
    Rovan's treasure would be motivation for anything, and that's reason enough to take you into custody until we find out the truth.'
    'I think you may be out of your jurisdiction, here,' the Doctor pointed out.
    'Perhaps, Doctor. But I do have the gun, which like possession, is said to be nine points of the law. Now turn this thing around.'
    'But we're almost at the place given in Hok's coordinates,' Peri exclaimed. 'Those men you're after will be coming here as well.'
    'One thing at a time. With a new witness and further evidence a proper squad can be sent out here, but for the moment we return to Headquarters.'
    The Doctor shrugged, turned back to the controls and reached out a hand to reset the coordinates. Peri saw a strange look come over his face as his hand froze over the row of buttons. His jaw tightened but his hand did not move. He took a step back, flexing his fingers.
    'Peri,' he said in a slightly strained tone. 'I seem to have a slight problem. Could you press the black, green, and blue buttons on that row in order?'
    Frowning, Peri reached forward. The muscles of her hand and arm locked. She knew what she wanted to do, but she simply could not make it happen. She pulled back with a little gasp of alarm.
     
    'What's happening?'
    'I think some extremely powerful mental force is at work here.'
    'Don't try any tricks with me,' Jaharnus warned him.
    'I'm not, Inspector,' the Doctor said with a compelling intensity in his words. 'If you disbelieve me, try for yourself.' Jaharnus reached forward, only to find her own hand refused to obey her.
    'It would seem somebody is determined that we finish our journey,' said the Doctor matter-of-factly. 'Whether we want to or not.'
     

CHAPTER 7
THE SPEAKER OF GELSANDOR
    The materialisation pulse faded away into a solid thump of reality.
    Cautiously the occupants of the TARDIS unbent their knees and stood upright once more.
    'Well, we've arrived,' the Doctor announced. He tried to reset the coordinates, but his hand refused to obey him once again.
    'Sorry, Inspector. We'll have to postpone our return to headquarters. Somebody would seem to have other plans for us.'
    'Can't you send a distress call? Hasn't this thing got a hyperwave transmitter?'
    The Doctor looked pained at the slur on his TARDIS and moved to a different section of the controls. 'I'm afraid I can't operate this either. Whoever is responsible obviously doesn't want anybody else to know where we are.'
    Jaharnus looked at him intently for a moment, then apparently decided he was telling the truth. 'Remember, you're all still under arrest,' she said, holstering her gun. 'Now, can we at least find out where we are?'
    Nothing prevented the Doctor activating the scanner, and they all peered intently at the image.
    It showed a grassy glade, ringed by tall trees bearing large heart-shaped leaves. Fingers of golden sunlight slotted between the interlaced branches and made dappled patterns on the close-cropped grass, which was itself speckled with clumps of small purple and white flowers. The Doctor panned the camera and more of the same type of scenery rolled across the screen. Peri, prepared for something more alarming, began to relax. Then the Doctor stopped the camera. A man in a long yellow robe was standing on the grass watching them, his hands folded before him inside his voluminous sleeves. His costume and