'From the aliens in that s.p.a.ceship,' Storr told her, then, seeing her fear, went on. 'We'll be all right-they'll listen to me. I'm against the scientists, like they are-so we've got something in common for a start!'

'You don't know what you're doing!' cried Victoria, trying to draw back, 'No-I wont go to them! They'll kill me!'

Storr was in no mood for argument. Grasping Victoria's arm, he bundled her brutally along the ice tunnel, and away from the imminent avalanche. 'They're against Clent and his sort and the Ioniser-that's good enough for me!' he growled.

'And if you stay here, you'll die anyway! Come on!'

Victoria followed Storr out to the safety of the main cavern. But there they stopped-abruptly. Facing them, guns at the ready, were Varga and his warriors-and they looked anything but friendly. Storr seeing them for the first time, at last understood why Penley and Victoria had been afraid.

Fearsome brutes, no doubt about that-but what allies they would make against the scientists! Varga stepped closer to Victoria and spoke, his voice harsh. 'Where is Turoc?' he demanded.

Aware how close she and Storr were to death, Victoria answered weakly, 'He was crushed to death... by the ice.' She sensed Varga's rising anger, and quailed before it. 'It wasn't my fault!' she cried.

'I gave you your life,' the warlord hissed venomously, 'but you ran away. Because of that, one of my men is dead!'

He gestured to Isbur, the warrior closest to the girl. 'Take her inside!'

Victoria didn't resist-there was no point. But as she entered the s.p.a.ceship's gleaming airlock, lsbur's fist upon her arm, she threw Storr one last anguished look.

With a broad smile, Storr extended his hand to the Ice Warrior. The gesture was ignored.

'Identify yourself!' rasped the alien leader.

'My name's Storr,' stated the hunter pleasantly. 'I'm a scavenger-a Loyalist!'

Varga was interested-Storr could see that. 'You are from the Base?' the Martian whispered keenly.

'No fear! I'm against the scientists! They're devils, the lot of them!'

'Then you know nothing of their machines?'

'I don't want to! They're out to destroy our world-and I want to help you destroy them them! I'm on your side!'

It was Zondal who spoke now, as Varga lost interest.

'What good are you to us?'

'I know the land here-lived here all my life. I can help you!' But he had seen Varga's chilling response, and knew the truth at last.

'You are not a scientist...' uttered the warlord, coldly, 'therefore you are useless and unnecessary.' He gave a nod- and Storr crumpled before him, scythed dawn by the sonic guns.

'Now to question the girl...' Varga whispered hoa.r.s.ely, and turned back towards the s.p.a.ceship.

Clent turned from studying the Ioniser monitors to find Miss Garrett standing at his shoulder. Her face was tense as she pa.s.sed him a seismic print-out. 'The glacier is moving again!'

Clent drew in a sharp breath. 'The fifth surge today,' he exclaimed, and moved across to the electronic wall chart that marked the glacier's grim progress. 'The Ioniser isn't holding it...'

'We're down to half power,' Jan pointed out nervously.

'We daren't go above that level...'

Clent's features tightened with anger. 'If only we knew what was inside that s.p.a.ceship. Until we do, we're helpless!'

Because of the one missing factor, they couldn't put their problem to ECCO, the all-knowing computer; Clent had not even notified World Control-for him, an unprecedented omission.

'We most decide soon,' insisted Jan.

'Not until we know the facts, Miss Garrett!'

'Supposing the Doctor fails?' she demanded. 'Suppose we never find out?'

'We'll face that when we have to.'

'But we must be prepared! There has to be a contingency plan if everything else goes wrong!'

Clent looked at Jan dispa.s.sionately. 'Nothing will go wrong. The Doctor will succeed. He has has to!' to!'

When the Doctor at last reached the ice cavern, he found Penley crouched over Storr's dead body. After a moment's pause, Penley covered the lifeless face for the last time.

Penley attempted to explain. 'Storr came up here to talk to the aliens. He thought they'd be able to do some good for the youngster I found here.'

'Jamie?' asked the Doctor eagerly. 'You know where he is? And what about the girl-Victoria?' Penley threw a brief glance at the s.p.a.ceship door. 'She must still be inside there with them. The lad's back at our hide-out. I think he'll be all right, but...' His voice trailed away sadly.

The Doctor looked at him soberly. 'Better let me know the worst. Is it bad?'

'He must've been shot by the alien ray guns. There may be some spinal damage-paralysis.

The Doctor looked grim. 'Then there's only one place for him, isn't there?'

Penley nodded. 'The medicare centre at Base...'

'Take my airsled,' the Doctor said firmly. 'Get Jamie on to it and take him back there-if it's as bad as you say.'

'It's his only hope.'

He lurched against the Doctor as the icy ground shuddered beneath them. 'The glacier's moving,' observed the Doctor.

'It's getting worse,' agreed Penley. 'Let's get out of here!'

'You carry on,' came the reply, 'I've got a job to do.'

Penley nodded towards the s.p.a.ceship door. 'In there?'

The Doctor nodded. 'There's Victoria, for one thing- and for another, Clent has to know whether the alien reactor unit will explode if the Ioniser is used properly.' As Penley stared at him in surprise, the Doctor smiled, 'I adapted your notes on the Omega Factor.'

'Did you now...' murmured Penley, with new respect.

'But you're the chap to handle it,' insisted the Doctor.

'Do you think you can cope with Clent?'

'I dare say I can manage to stay sane.' He looked down at Storr's body. 'I'll take Storr back to his hide-out with me.

He'd've preferred it there.'

With that, he dragged his friend to the Doctor's airsled.

When Penley was well clear of the glacier, the Doctor activated the tiny communicator. 'Doctor to Clent.' he called.

'I'm going in now, old chap. Wish me luck.' Then he tucked the device away.

With that, he moved boldly towards the sleek metallic door, and hammered on it with his list. 'Open this door at once!' he demanded brazenly. 'Open up, I say!' To his surprise, the door opened immediately, and he stepped inside the airlock. It closed behind him, and he waited for the inner door to open-but it did not. Instead, a harsh voice spoke from a loudspeaker set in the ceiling panel.

'Identify yourself!'

The Doctor spoke sternly. 'I am a diplomatic messenger.

I don't answer questions until I am properly received by a suitable person!'

'You will answer now!' snapped the voice. The Doctor folded his arms, tilted his chin up defiantly, and remained silent.

'Unless you answer inside ten seconds,' the voice continued, 'the atmospheric pressure will be reduced to zero-a perfect vacuum.'

The Doctor's face filled with alarm.

'In that condition, your Earthling body will explode.

Countdown commences now. Ten... nine... eight...'

The Doctor's eyes found the atmospheric level indicator by his side-the pressure was decreasing fast!

'If you insist,' he shouted acidly. 'But I don't think much of your hospitality!' The pressure gauge sank lower. 'I'm a scientist-from the Base-I want to help you!' The level stopped sinking, and. a second later, it rose to normal. The inner door slid open, and the Doctor found himself confronted by the Martian warlord inside the s.p.a.ceship.

Flanking him were several other Ice Warriors.

'You are a scientist?' queried Varga coldly. 'You do not look like one!' he gazed at the Doctor's eccentric dress.

'He looks more like the human we destroyed-the scavenger,' remarked Zondal sourly. 'He could be an imposter. We should destroy him also!'

'If you kill me, you'll ruin any chance you might have of escape! Or perhaps you intend to stay inside this glacier permanently.' Varga stepped forward arrogantly. 'I am Varga, the Martian warlord. Explain how you can help us!'

'There are certain conditions that have to be met first,'

insisted the Doctor.

'You are our prisoner!' hissed the warlord furiously. 'It is I who set conditions and ask questions!'

The Doctor held up his hand, and smiled. 'Listen!' The faintest of tremors ran through the s.p.a.ceship. Its sound sensors were picking up the creak and grind of the ice mountain outside. 'It is you who are the prisoners,' the Doctor pointed out gently, '... and I who can set you free!'

'On my my terms!' snarled the warlord. He gestured to Isbur. 'Bring the girl!' Turning back to the Doctor, he continued. 'Now we have two hostages, we make the bargains here!' terms!' snarled the warlord. He gestured to Isbur. 'Bring the girl!' Turning back to the Doctor, he continued. 'Now we have two hostages, we make the bargains here!'

'You haven't got time to bargain-before long, the glacier will crush and destroy you and your ship! But we have a device that can melt the ice and release you!'

'We know of this device,' hissed Varga. 'The girl has told us its name-the Ioniser.' His voice changed to bitter anger.

'Do not try to trick us! We know it is a weapon aimed to destroy us!'

Before the Doctor could answer this charge, Victoria was led in by Isbur. When she saw the Doctor, her face fell. 'Oh, Doctor, they've got you too!'

'Don't worry, Victoria, we're not beaten yet.' He smiled cheerfully. 'Jamie's safe and well, for a start!'

Victoria's face flooded with relief and hope, but Varga's harsh whisper brought the Doctor back to the nub of the matter.

'If what you say is true, why have you not freed us before?'

The Doctor's eye flicked beyond the Martian to what looked like a complex technical area. Could it be the engine room? Somehow he had to find out without giving his hand away! He hesitated. 'Er... there are certain difficulties.'

But the Doctor's probing glance had confirmed the Warlord's suspicions. 'You are afraid of us!' he exclaimed keenly. 'You are afraid our ship will explode!'

The Doctor tried to put the problem simply. 'If the Ioniser causes a nuclear holocaust, it'll defeat its original purpose-to hold hack the glaciers!'

'That is what I suspected...' breathed the warlord, and then gave that peculiar choking laugh that so often meant danger. 'You dare not act against us!'

'We don't want to harm you, or your ship,' repeated the Doctor irritably. 'I keep telling you, our action would release it-you'd be free!'

'But if the ice melted too quickly,' Zondal pointed out, 'there would he severe flooding.'

'And our engines would be useless!' hissed Varga. 'We would be at your mercy-and there would be no no escape!' escape!'