12.

Atlantis

When Kronos unfolded his wings the Doctor was gone, vanished leaving no trace behind.

His appet.i.te unsated, Kronos bore down on the Master and Krasis, filling the air with the terrifying beating of his wings.

Krasis cowered away with a scream of terror, but the Master stood his ground, holding up the Great Seal of Atlantis. 'Kronos, be at peace - I command you! Be at Be at peace!' peace!'

For a moment nothing happened. Then, with astonishing suddenness, Kronos began to shrink, to dwindle and vanished into the heart of the glowing crystal.

The Master laughed exultantly. 'You see, Krasis? Kronos is my slave!'

Suddenly Jo's face appeared on the scanner. Her faint had lasted only a few moments, and she was desperate to discover the Doctor's fate.

The Master looked up. 'Miss Grant?'

'What's happened to the Doctor? You must help him!'

'Ah, he's beyond my help, my dear. He's beyond anybody's help!'

'That thing - that creature - really swallowed him up?'

'Now that's a nice point,' said the Master judicially. 'Yes - and no! Yes, it engulfed him, no it didn't actually eat him up. He's out there in the time vortex, and there he's going to stay.'

'Then he is alive?'

'Well, if you can call it that. Alive forever, in an eternity of nothingness.' The Master chuckled. 'To coin a phrase a living death!'

'That's the most cruel, the most wicked thing I ever heard.'

'Thank you, my dear,' said the Master, modestly accepting what he saw as a compliment. 'Now about you, Miss Grant? You're an embarra.s.sment to me... as indeed is that antiquated piece of junk of the Doctor's.'

Jo was close to tears. 'I don't really care any more. Do what you like - just get it over with!

'Your wish is my command,' said the Master courteously. His hands moved over the controls, and the picture of Jo on the scanner began to rock and spin as she, and the TARDIS, were hurled out into the time vortex, The Master touched another control and the picture on the screen showed the TARDIS spinning away into the infinite nothingness of the vortex. 'Goodbye, Miss Grant!'

The sudden, whirling acceleration caused Jo to lose consciousness yet again. She awoke stretched out on the control room floor, with a strange sense of peace. The TARDIS seemed to be poised, at rest. Dozens of voices were whispering gently in her ear. Jo . . . Jo . . . Jo. . . Jo . . . Jo . . . Jo. . .

Somehow one voice seemed to dominate the rest. 'Doctor?' she said feebly.

Thank heavens you're alive, Jo!

'Doctor! It is is you!' She sat up, looked round, and found she was still alone. 'Doctor - you!' She sat up, looked round, and found she was still alone. 'Doctor - where are you?'

I'm nowhere, Jo. Still in the time vortex. The TARDIS is relaying my thoughts to you.

'What are all those other voices I can hear?'

Those are my subconscious thoughts. I shouldn't listen too hard if I were you - I'm not all that proud of some of them. not all that proud of some of them.

Resisting the temptation to eavesdrop on the Doctor's subconscious, Jo said, 'I still don't understand, you must be somewhere somewhere. Tell me how I can get you back.'

You can't Jo - but luckily the TARDIS can. That's why she's put us in touch.

'What do you - I mean, what does she she want me to do?' ' want me to do?' '

Go to control panel number three.

Jo obeyed. 'Okay. Now what?'

Lift the little lid marked 'Extreme Emergency.'

'Right.'

There s a red handle inside. Got it?

Jo lifted the lid and saw the handle beneath. 'Yes.'

Then pull it!

Jo grabbed the handle and tugged hard.

Nothing happened - until a voice behind her said quietly, 'h.e.l.lo, Jo.'.

She spun round and saw the Doctor sitting cross-legged on the floor, a little dishevelled, but very much alive. 'Doctor!' she cried joyfully and ran to hug him.

In the outer hall of the Great Temple of Poseidon, a royal council was about to begin.

The chamber was enormous, dominated at one end by the huge statue of the G.o.d Poseidon. In front of the statue was a raised stone dais upon which were set two carved thrones.

The trumpeters at the great main doors raised their long curved horns and blew a fanfare. Immediately a richly-dressed procession of priests and n.o.bles, the High Council of Atlantis, filed into the temple, taking their places before the dais.

Crito, the Elder of the Council rapped on the marble floor with his staff of office.

'Open the doors!'

The doors to the inner temple opened and a smaller procession appeared. In the lead was King Dalios, his ornate robes contrasting with his impressive stature.

The woman who came behind him, borne in a litter by four giant Nubian slaves, more than made up for Dalios's unimpressive appearance. Tall and imposing, red-haired and voluptuously beautiful, gorgeously robed and with an elaborate jewelled head-dress, she looked every inch the queen that she was. This was Galleia, Queen of Atlantis, Consort of King Dalios.

Priests, slaves and temple guards flanked the royal couple as they took their places on the twin thrones. The a.s.sembled Councillors bowed their heads and once again Crito rapped on the marble floor with his staff. 'Peace my brothers! His Holiness, the Most Venerable Priest of Poseidon, King of the Ten Kings will hear his Council.'

Before anyone else could move, the hadsome figure of young Hippias stepped forward and bowed low. His voice rang clearly through the temple. 'Your Holiness, Most Venerable Priest of Poseidon. . .

Nearly five hundred years of public life had made King Dalios somewhat impatient of official ceremony. He leaned forward, cutting off the string of complimentary t.i.tles.

'Yes, yes, yes, I hear you, friend Hippias.'

Hippias bowed again. 'My Lord, may I speak plainly?'

'It would grieve me to think you would ever speak otherwise. Speak as a friend should speak.'

Hippias tossed back his long coiled ringlets in an orator's gesture. 'You are popular, Dalios, and the people love you. Will their love fill their bellies in winter when the granaries are empty?'

There was a shocked silence. This was close to treason. Then Dalios spoke. 'Your words are plain indeed, Hippias. What would you have me do? Would you have me order the rain to fall?'

'Yes, Dalios, I would!'

'Have a care, Hippias.'

But Hippias was not to be deterred. His eloquent words rang like a trumpet-call through the temple. 'Indeed, I shall shall have a care. A care for the peace of Atlantis. A care that foolish superst.i.tion, old wives' tales, and the fear of old men shall not prevent our caring for them as our rank demands.' have a care. A care for the peace of Atlantis. A care that foolish superst.i.tion, old wives' tales, and the fear of old men shall not prevent our caring for them as our rank demands.'

Myseus, another young Councillor, stepped forward. 'He speaks the truth, Lord King.

Many think as we do.'

'You know not what you ask,' said Dalios wearily.

'Must I be plainer still?' cried Hippias. 'I know quite well. I ask for the blessings our forefathers once enjoyed. I ask for the divine Power to be given back to the land from which it was so cruelly stolen!' Now Hippias was adding blasphemy to treason, and the temple exploded in uproar.

Krasis reappeared as the Master returned to the control room, looking sinisterly elegant in a black high-collared coat.

'Master, why are we not yet in Atlantis?'

The Master was busy at the console. 'My dear Krasis, I must work out the landing co-ordinates as accurately as possible. Your people must realise immediately that I am the Master, that I come from the G.o.ds, and that I am bringing Kronos back them.'

'Where in Atlantis will you arrive?'

The Master gave him a look of surprise. 'Why, smack in the middle of the temple of course!'

It took the intervention of King Dalios himself to quell the near-riot. He rose from the throne, stretching out his hands, his voice surprisingly deep and strong for such a frail old man, and called out, 'Brothers, peace, peace, I say. Be silent!'

And all at once there was silence.

Dalios spoke again. 'I shall speak plainly too. You ask for the blessings of the Golden Years. I tell you plainly, there came a time when Atlantis grew to hate them. What would you have, Hippias, if you were Master of Kronos, Ruler of Time?'

There was a shocked murmur. To speak the name of Kronos was near-blasphemy, even for the king..

'Would you have ten crops in one season?' Dalios went on. 'A surfeit of fishes, an ocean of wine? Then take the barren soil as well, the stinking piles of rotting meat, an idle, drunken, cruel people. I tell you plainly, the gifts of Kronos were a curse.

That is why we, of our own choice, banished him and renounced them.'

'But Dalios -' protested Hippias.

Shocked, Crito intervened. 'Be silent, Hippias! The King speaks!'

Sulkily Hippias subsided and Dalios went on. 'I seen a temple, twice the size of this in which we stand, fall through a crack into the fiery bedrock of the earth. I have seen a city drowned, a land laid waste by fire. So listen to an old man's fears. If Kronos should come again, I tell you plainly Atlantis would be doomed. You hear me, Hippias? Doomed, destroyed, never to rise again!'

Hippias seemed about to reply, thought better of it and turned angrily away.

Dalios sat brooding on his throne for a moment. He knew, because he had seen it, that interference with the true course of time produced short term benefits and eventual disasters. The physical catastrophes were bad enough, the fires, the earthquakes, the floods. Far worse was the moral and spiritual corruption brought by too much ease and wealth. The gifts of Kronos had been given up just in time. They had come very near to destroying Atlantis.

Now Hippias was clamouring for their return. And he was not alone. There had been as many Atlanteans shouting in support of Hippias as against him - perhaps more.

The voice of Queen Galleia broke in on his thoughts, 'Listen - I heard strange music.

There it is once more...'

An unearthly sound shattered the silence of the temple, and a strange shape appeared in the centre of the temple - a tall green box. It was, in fact, the computer cabinet from the TOMt.i.t laboratory; in his haste the Master had forgotten to reprogram his chameleon circuit.

The overawed Atlanteans drew back. Dalios raised his voice. 'Guards!'

Nervous but determined, the temple guards came forward, ringing the box with their three-p.r.o.nged spears. The door opened and a black-bearded, black-clad man stepped out.

Finding a razor-sharp trident inches from his face, the Master brushed it casually aside.

Dalios stepped forward to confront him. 'Who are you?'

'I am the Master. I am an emissary from the G.o.ds.'

The newcomer's voice was deep and compelling and there was a murmur of awe from the crowd. Dalios however was not so easily impressed. 'Indeed? Any G.o.d in particular?'

The Master studied Dalios for a moment, realising that here was no primitive to be impressed with tricks and mystic talk. 'Of course . . . Why should you trust me?'

He snapped his fingers and Krasis appeared from the doorway behind him. Since everyone knew that Krasis had been s.n.a.t.c.hed up by the G.o.ds on the night of the great storm, the crowd was more overawed than ever. Even Dalios was shaken.

'Krasis!'

The Master said, 'Now do you believe me?'

'What do you want?' whispered Dalios.

'To speak of the ancient mysteries. The secrets of the mighty Kronos.'

There was a terrified gasp from the crowd 'You are brave indeed, O Master,' said Dalios. 'An emissary of the G.o.ds.' He raised his voice. 'Brothers, should I listen to this man?'

Queen Galleia had been staring in fascination at the newcomer since his arrival. 'He has the very bearing of a G.o.d himself.'

'He appeared from the heavens, like Zeus,' muttered Myseus.

'I know of many such tricks,' said Dalios dismissively. 'Krasis?

The eyes of the High Priest glittered fanatically. .'Most Venerable, I have seen - him him.'

Dalios lowered his voice. 'You have seen Kronos?'