Free Doctor Who: MacRa Terror by Ian Stuart Black

disaster!’
    ‘Get it all off,’ insisted the Pilot.
    ‘Oh, very well.’ The Doctor took a brush and began scrubbing the figures from the wall.

8 Escape
    No sooner had one job been completed and the cable been secured, than the other members of the Danger Gang began drilling into the sides of the wall, moving forward as they did so.
    ‘What are they doing?’ Polly wanted to know.
    ‘We call that probing,’ Medok told her. ‘They are testing for further supplies of gas.’
    ‘More gas!’
    ‘Oh yes. The process never stops.’ Medok was bitter. ‘We find one source, create a pressure point, fix cables to syphon it off, and then go on and do the same thing again. It’s never ending.’
    The passageway where they were had several short corridors leading off it. Some ended by being blocked off by a wall; others ended in the rock itself.
    ‘Take a look at this one,’ said Jamie. Polly joined him. The short passage ended in a metal door.
    ‘Where does that go, I wonder?’
    Medok peered over his shoulder. ‘There are a lot of doors like that.’
    ‘It could lead to some old shaft,’ suggested Jamie. ‘A bit of the mine that has been worked out.’
    He thumped the metal. It sounded thick and heavy. ‘Why would they want such a strong door?’ wondered Polly. ‘And it’s quite new,’ she said.
    They heard Officia returning and moved on to pretend they were probing the sides of the wall.
    ‘You’ve completed the connections?’ he asked.
    ‘You know we have.’ Medok was contemptuous. ‘Otherwise you wouldn’t be back.’
    ‘Watch your mouth, Medok. There are worse places than the Danger Gang you could go to.’
    He examined the connection they had made. ‘This is a high pressure strike,’ he said. ‘You’re going to need a stronger coupling.’
    He shook it to test its strength.
    ‘No sense doing that,’ warned Medok.
    ‘You trying to teach me my business?’ Officia gave the screw a further twist. He staggered back as the gas hissed in his face.
    ‘I told you.’ Medok pushed past and hammered the screw back into place. Jamie and Polly hurried to help. Officia lay in a heap at their feet.
    ‘He’s passed out,’ said Polly.
    Jamie knelt down beside the unconscious man. ‘He’s breathing... He must have...’
    He broke off as he saw a bunch of keys attached to his belt. He quickly unclipped them.
    ‘What are you doing?’ Polly was alarmed.
    ‘They could be useful,’ said Jamie.
    They spun round as they heard Ben’s voice. ‘What’s the matter?’ called Ben.
    Jamie indicated the man on the ground. ‘He’s had a wee whiff of that gas.’
    ‘I’ll look after him,’ said Ben.
    They helped the unconscious Officia to his feet. With an arm round him, Ben managed to drag him along the passage.
    ‘Did he see you take the keys?’ asked Polly.
    ‘If he did we’re in trouble,’ said Jamie.
    ‘What do we do?’
    ‘We’ll try the wee door,’ said Jamie. They slipped along the little passageway. ‘Keep watch, Polly. Sing out if someone comes.’
    They waited until a group of the workers had passed.
    ‘Here we go,’ said Jamie. He tried a couple of keys in the lock, but they didn’t fit. The third key slowly turned.
    ‘Polly... This is it... We’re away!’
    Medok saw her at the end of the passage. ‘You there,’ he said. ‘Lend a hand.’
    She had to go. ‘You’re on your own,’ she whispered to Jamie as she joined the others.
    ‘It fits... it fits!’ He could hardly contain his excitement. The heavy door swung open.
    He hadn’t heard Polly and was surprised to look back and find she had gone. But it was no time to hesitate. He edged the door just wide enough to slip in.
    Medok knew he’d be held responsible if the work got behind. He urged the others on. ‘All of you. Lend a hand.’
    Jamie heard him as he softly closed the door.
    He realised at once he was in an old shaft of the pit as he had supposed. If there was a way in, he reasoned there must be also be a way