'But that wasn't their only function, was it?' said the Doctor.

'No,' admitted Kambril. 'They also served as possible hostages if the Averon system was ever penetrated, or when the Ultra project was finally terminated after Landor's position was secure. And then the workers would confirm Averon's presence and be witnesses to a "last battle" on Averon that would obliterate the evidence of its prior destruction.'

'But Landor couldn't remain hidden for ever,' Harry said.

'How would you explain it when it turned up intact?'

'It would be revealed that Landor had been isolated but had been rebuilding its forces, which would bring about the final destruction of Averon. Its own people had not been told the truth about conditions in the rest of the cl.u.s.ter because of the trauma they had already suffered, but there had been a secret diversion of industrial might to war work...and so on.'

'And what lies had you prepared for us?' Cara demanded.

'How could you ever have justified what you did?' She paused. 'There would be no place for us afterwards, would there? We know too much and might cause trouble.'

'Under threat of attack from a Union strikeforce, you would have been removed to Ocea.n.u.s and marooned there,' Kambril admitted. 'It would have been very humane.'

'It would have been monstrous!'

'Meanwhile,' said the Doctor, 'you set yourselves up as heroes to the rest of the Alliance, fighting faked s.p.a.ce battles with remote controlled ships as targets. Of course your navy consisted of standard Landoran commercial craft you had secretly converted. I suspect they were also useful in keeping the tension high between Alliance and Union worlds with selective attacks on merchant ships and raids on key installations, using appropriately disguised robots to aid the deception. Malf's travelling pentatholene hate sessions did their bit as well, of course. Best to keep all those dirty untrustworthy aliens loyal to you, but divided and weak and resentful of each other. You haven't been refusing to supply weapons of ma.s.s destruction out of principle as the people of Deepcity believe, but to prolong the war and keep both sides reliant on you for more.'

Kambril appeared unabashed. 'The personnel of Deepcity were still serving their homeworld as they swore they would when they enlisted, even if they didn't realize exactly how. In any case war is such a universal phenomenon. Who really knows or cares what is happening in the next star system, or who sold them the weapons? At least the profits are going to a worthy cause keeping Landor pure and free.'

'And what percentage of the profits do you take?' the Doctor asked.

Kambril turned aside suddenly and nodded to somebody off screen. When he looked back there was a triumphal gleam in his eyes. 'I get paid my due, Doctor: in this instance for keeping my head in a crisis and diverting your attention.

While we've been talking, Mr La.s.siter has overridden the cutouts and sealed off all tubes and tunnels to the s.p.a.ceport, while Colonel Andez has activated the remaining batch of MICA units. They're just leaving the factory now. Before you can break out they will have eliminated everyone in the City except for those of us in this room, of course.'

27.

A Device of Death arah stared at Kambril's face, as it smiled coolly out of the Sscreen at them, in growing understanding.

Underneath the neat collected exterior was a frighteningly obsessive character. Ch.e.l.l was speaking urgently to Tramour through his communicator, while Max stood silent, conferring with his fellow troopers via their internal radio links.

Kambril continued briskly: 'The Jand force in the s.p.a.ceport will be dealt with in due course, naturally, but the complex must be secured first. It is a waste of valuable resources, but the personnel of Deepcity are useless now they know the truth.

However, the facility itself can still function as a production centre.'

Cara found her voice. 'No! You can't mean the families as well! The children! What sort of monster are you?'

'At least I am no traitor to my kind,' Kambril retorted.

'But they're innocents!'

'Thousands of innocents die every day in wars across this cl.u.s.ter, many from the actions of the weapons you designed.

Collateral losses isn't that the phrase you use in a.s.sessing their effectiveness? If you want to blame somebody then why not the Doctor for his meddling interference? It's his fault that we've been forced to take such drastic measures. There was no time to programme MICA more precisely and the units are now irrevocably committed to eliminating everybody in the complex except the control room staff. I had to weigh the continued prosperity of an entire world against a handful of lives. The decision was regrettable but necessary. I have done my duty and my conscience is clear,' he concluded simply.

They moved down the corridor from the wall screen, taking a horror-struck Cara with them.

'Tramour confirms what he said,' Ch.e.l.l reported. 'The port is sealed off by multiple barriers across the tubes and tunnels.

They'll try to blast their way through but it'll take time.'

'Five MICA prime a.s.semblies have been observed crossing the Valley,' Max said. 'They will reach the main complex in approximately twelve minutes. I have directed skimmers to intercept them.'

'How fast can they travel?' Harry asked.

'In their prime a.s.sembly configuration up to a hundred kph on level ground,' said Cara faintly.

'There must be some way of stopping them,' Sarah said.

'Not if they are on internal control,' said Cara. 'They won't accept any other commands until they've completed their programmed mission.'

'Can't we turn those tanks that chased us the other day against them?' Harry wondered.

'The tank force together with all other test zone weaponry has been shut down,' Max reminded them. 'New command codes will have to be installed manually. Activation and programming of new units from the factory will take a minimum of thirty minutes.'

The Doctor looked at Max and Chen. 'You'd better get us into that control room. If there's any way of stopping MICA it will be in there.' Jand and synthoid nodded and turned away to plan the a.s.sault. The Doctor faced Cara. 'You're the only one the people here will trust at the moment. Find another console and open the public address channel. Tell them what's happening, have them seal all the entrances and prepare to defend themselves. Some of the City guards might decide to help if they know their lives are at risk as well.'

'But, Doctor, we can't bar every window. MICA units can climb a vertical wall and get through any s.p.a.ce a man can.

MICA can get inside almost anywhere that's what we designed it for.' She sank her face into her hands. Her brother put an arm about her shoulders again. 'Can you ever forgive me for having helped make such a thing?' she said faintly.

'Save your guilt for later,' said the Doctor firmly. 'We're not dead yet.'

The five MICA a.s.semblies rolled rapidly but silently across the Valley floor, powered by the synchronized rotation of their component units against internal fluid gyros. A flight of skimmers dropped down out of the sky and energy bolts began to burst against the glittering spheres. The MICAs disintegrated into their component units, which spread across the stretch of moorland test zone like tumbling beetles. And as they scattered they disappeared, changing colour and infra-red emission pattern and vanishing amid the tussock gra.s.ses.

The skimmers circled, searching for any sign of movement.

Twenty beams lashed out in perfect unison from twenty different spots on the moor, burning out the motor unit of the lowest skimmer. The craft dropped from the sky, its synthoid crew tumbling clear. One trooper shattered on impact, the other landed in a patch of soft ground with such force that it drove in knee-deep, but remained functional. As it struggled to pull its legs free there was a ripple in the gra.s.s behind it. A MICA unit leapt on to its back and locked its claws around the trooper's torso. There was a harsh whine as though a drill were cutting metal and the trooper's arms flailed about trying to reach its attacker. Electricity crackled. The trooper jerked wildly for a second, then the light in its eyes faded and it slowly toppled to the ground. Even as the MICA unit disengaged itself and scuttled away, more synchronized beams stabbed upwards from amid the gra.s.sy hillocks and another skimmer was burned from the sky.

The long corridor leading up to the central control room doors was criss-crossed with bolts of fire. Blackened craters pitted the walls, showering attackers and defenders with hot fragments of rock. Smoke and superheated air boiled away down side corridors, to be replaced by a cooler wind drawn in at ground level by the updraught. One of the defending synthoid guards disintegrated, chest blasted away by a Jand grenade, even as one of the Doctor's troopers had its head severed from its shoulders by a plasma bolt. A Jand soldier collapsed with a smoking hole in his stomach. Harry and the Doctor crawled forward on their hands and knees from the cross tunnel at the end of the corridor and dragged the man back out of the line of fire. Harry examined him briefly, then shook his head. They returned to crouch down beside Sarah who was covering her ears against the noise of the gunfire and explosions, staying out of the way of the professional soldiers and watching the precious minutes tick away.

From the corridor wall screen, Kambril mocked them, though they'd turned off the camera at their end. 'Even if you can defeat the guards, it will take you too long to cut through the doors. We're quite secure in here, even the air ducts are closed off from the rest of the system. We've got a recycling and replenishment unit, of course. I'm watching the MICA units on our monitors. Your machines are only delaying them briefly. I can also see your Jand friends at the port. They're working their way down the main tube tunnel, but they're making very slow progress.'

Brin and Cara reappeared and crouched down beside them.

'Everybody's making what preparations they can,' she reported, 'but if any number of MICA units get in ' she shook her head, 'they can work singly or in various combinations. If one is destroyed another can take its place.

Unless you have overwhelming firepower there's no way to stop them.'

'Nonsense,' said the Doctor dismissively.

'You have an idea?'

'Not yet,' admitted the Doctor, 'but I know the more complicated the system is, the more likely it is to have a flaw in it. Given time I'm sure we'll find '

There was a distant crashing sound followed by confused shouting. For a moment Sarah thought it was from the corridor, then she realized it came from the wall screen. They ran along to it.

Kambril was sitting askew in his chair facing off-screen and looking utterly dumbstruck. A technician standing behind him had his hands in the air. Even as they watched there came the crack of a gunshot from within the room which made Kambril and the technician flinch. Then Ch.e.l.l called them urgently. They ran to the battle-scarred corridor and peered cautiously over the barricade at their end. Through the haze of smoke they could just make out the heavy door of the control room, and saw it had swung half open. They saw Scout turn to look at the opening door, then back up the corridor, as though undecided whether to investigate or stay put.

Max had no such hesitation. He picked up one of the battered tables from the barricade and, holding it like a shield, charged down the corridor followed by the three remaining troopers. The defenders managed to fire four times before he crashed through their barricade and straight into Scout. Ch.e.l.l shouted and dashed after them, followed by his men, with the Doctor and the rest at their heels. The guards and troopers were locked in hand to hand combat, too close to use their weapons. Ma.s.sive forms were thrown against walls, shattering chips from the rock, then rebounding apparently unscathed. A cacophony of ringing metallic impacts filled the air, together with the whine of internal servo systems under maximum load.

It was impossible to help their own troopers with the synthoids locked so closely together, and to stay in their midst would mean being crushed between the battling giants. They could only leap the shattered barricade, dodge past the struggling machines, dive through the control room door and push it shut behind them.

The first thing Sarah saw was Andez sprawled on the ground beside a wall under the mesh grille of a duct vent, which was dangling loose. Kambril, Oban, La.s.siter, a thin severe-looking woman in a white medical coat, a scowling young man in civilian dress, plus a handful of technicians, were all standing with their hands up. They were facing a small middle-aged man holding a gun who had been standing beside the door as they entered. He had thinning red hair, a bandage round his neck and was dressed in a crumpled white coat. There was something vaguely familiar about his face.

'I see the reports of your death were somewhat exaggerated, Mr Malf,' said the Doctor.

'Admiral Dorling?' exclaimed Harry.

Malf/Dorling dropped his gun as the Jand soldiers covered the prisoners, and Sarah realized he had been trembling.

'Bravest thing I ever did,' he croaked with a wry smile and evident discomfort, then staggered over to a chair and sat down heavily.

The Doctor and Tarron crossed quickly to the array of control panels, monitors and displays and began examining them.

'It still won't save you,' Kambril said, evidently shocked by the turn of events but still defiant. 'You can threaten us all you like but even I can't stop MICA now.'

Ch.e.l.l pushed the muzzle of his gun into Kambril's chest. 'If I am to die, at least I will not die alone. I swear by the spirit of the first Jand, there shall be no more profits for you from your crimes.'

Kambril blanched. 'You wouldn't.'

'We shall see.'

Harry checked Andez. 'Just unconscious a bit of a b.u.mp on the head.' He turned to Malf and carefully began unwrapping his bandage. 'Everybody thought you were dead, Admiral, or rather, Mr Malf.'

'Ah, so the Doctor told you about me,' the actor said, the words tumbling out as though he was grateful to talk, although his voice was still husky. 'Well, it seemed the sensible thing to do in the circ.u.mstances probably the finest performance of my career. I once played Mr Levermann in A Device of Death A Device of Death for a season. Had to lie absolutely still in sight of the whole audience stage front and centre for half an hour. Studied breathing control and relaxation techniques to achieve the effect. So when the Director's synth was in the process of strangling me the knack came back in a rush, as it were. Then I realized I was better off playing dead until I found out who I could trust. They carried me off to the hospital, but simply took the Doctor's scarf away without examining me. Realized Emberley was in on it too.' He nodded at the woman in medical garb. for a season. Had to lie absolutely still in sight of the whole audience stage front and centre for half an hour. Studied breathing control and relaxation techniques to achieve the effect. So when the Director's synth was in the process of strangling me the knack came back in a rush, as it were. Then I realized I was better off playing dead until I found out who I could trust. They carried me off to the hospital, but simply took the Doctor's scarf away without examining me. Realized Emberley was in on it too.' He nodded at the woman in medical garb.

'I heard they intended a quick funeral, so as soon as I was left alone I found a medical attendant's coat, returned to my room and collected the Admiral's dress uniform and one of my character heads. It looked most convincing with the wig I used for Dorling on it and a touch of make-up. Found a bit of padding and laid out my own corpse, as it were. n.o.body bothered to ask who'd done it as by that time there was panic on chasing after the Doctor and yourselves I suppose. Then they started searching the City and I took to the air ducts, stealing some food when I could. Didn't know who I could trust and could hardly speak anyway. Saw some of the things they were up to, but couldn't do anything about it. Well, too scared, to be honest. Then I was caught on this side of the ducts when this latest business started. Heard what they were planning in here, and thought: this is it, Mali. Time to make an entrance and live the part. So I dropped out on top of old Andez over there, picked up his gun and well, you know the rest.'

'Let's hope it has all been worth it,' said Sarah. How much time had they got left? She looked over to the control boards where the Doctor and Tarron were still deliberating. 'Any luck, Doctor?'

The Doctor turned his back on the controls and thrust his hands deep into his pockets. 'No,' he said with a scowl of frustration. He strode over to Kambril and looked him in the eye. 'How will MICA know to leave you and your friends alone, eh? Something quick and simple you could tell it from here?' He moved along the line of prisoners. 'Or what about you, Prander? You look miserable, but not scared for your life even though MICA can get at you now. Why not?' Prander said nothing.

'Knowing won't do you any good,' said Kambril calmly.

Suddenly the Doctor frowned and turned his head sideways to look at Mali: 'Were you talking about makeup earlier?'

'Yes.'

The Doctor's mouth dropped open as though he had just surprised himself with his own perspicacity. 'Could it be as simple as that?' He spun around on his heel. 'Cara. Contact all the administration staff at once anybody who works in offices. Don't argue we've only got a few minutes. This is what they've got to do...'

As he spoke Sarah realized the crashes and thuds from beyond the doors had been diminishing. Now it had stopped altogether. Anxiously she went over to the door and pulled it open a crack. 'Max?' she called. Outside all was still. She opened the door wide. The battered remains of synthoids littered the corridor, some torn limb from limb. She saw Scout's head detached from its body, and lying beside it a familiar form with darkness where there should have been glowing eyes 'Sarah!' the Doctor called, 'we need everyone's help right now.'

She turned back, her eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears.

The MICA units swarmed over the long wall that separated the recreational grounds from the Valley floor and test zones.

Scattered behind them were the smoking remains of synthoids and crashed skimmers. But now there was no more opposition.

The units rea.s.sembled into secondary configurations, linked trains of five and ten units apiece, like silver caterpillars.

These flowed through the trees and up to the cliff wall itself.

Still no resistance. Their scanners detected open doorways.

The units spread out along the length of the complex until every major entrance was covered. Then with perfect synchronization they burst in. At first they only detected inactive organic or synthonic forms. Then a living being appeared

PATTERN MATCHED EXCLUDED TARGET

Their discrimination systems disengaged the firing reflex.

More figures appeared. Each one registered as an excluded pattern. The figures did not attempt to interfere with MICA's progress so they ignored them. The units spread throughout the complex, systematically examining every room and corridor on the plan which had been loaded into them along with their mission parameters. There were no targets to be found within the specified combat zone, only recognized and excluded patterns. MICA ended the program, switched to standby mode and awaited further orders.

Walking carefully round the MICA unit that squatted patiently in the middle of the control room floor, Cara sent the general shutdown code. The light in the unit's eyes faded.

'I think its pattern discrimination and logic systems still need a bit of work,' the Doctor commented, removing the sheet of paper taped over his face which bore a lifelike colour image of Kambril's features. 'Fortunately for us,' he added, with a huge grin.

Everybody in the room began shedding their improvised masks, all likenesses of one or other of the control room personnel.

'I am most grateful for the loan of your face, Colonel,'

Malf said graciously to a still groggy Andez, handing him his mask.