He probably still didn't realize how much she was capable of but he'd find out if he gave her half a chance. 'Come on,'

she encouraged him. 'I'm not going anywhere, am I? Almost as easy as kidnapping helpless children, isn't it?'

He cast his eyes around the laboratory, clutching his hand. 'I've got to get this seen to,' he muttered, refusing to be baited.

'Stick it in your healing jelly,' she suggested. 'That should do the trick.' She grinned. 'As long as there's nothing else in there, of course. You didn't swat a fly, did you? Maybe you'll grow compound eyes if there's a fly in your ointment.'

That taunt hit home. Ross stared uncertainly at the container of the salve. He was obviously a basically weak and insecure man, prey to nightmares and ma.s.sive feelings of inferiority. Sarah was certain that she could get him worked up enough to become reckless, if she had the time alone with him.

She didn't.

The door to the laboratory opened and the Doctor walked in.

'Doctor!' she exclaimed happily. 'Am I glad to see you! It's a bit tiring, all this hanging around.'

The Doctor shook his head and pointed to Breckinridge, who had followed him in. One by one, Doyle, Colonel Ross, Abercrombie, Brogan and Raintree filed into the room.

'This isn't a rescue, I'm afraid, Miss Smith,' Breckinridge said pleasantly.

'It's not even a party,' agreed the Doctor. 'I forgot to bring the cake.' He peered at Ross. 'Ah, you must be the mad scientist, I a.s.sume.' He held out a hand. Ross whimpered.

'Sorry,' Sarah apologized. 'He's not going to be shaking hands for a while. I'm afraid I broke it. Careless of me, I know.'

'Very,' agreed the Doctor.

Colonel Ross stepped forward and glared at his younger brother in disgust. 'Percival,' he growled, 'you've certainly dis-graced the family name.'

' Percival?' Percival?' echoed the Doctor in mock horror. 'This whole insane scheme was dreamed up by a man named Percival? echoed the Doctor in mock horror. 'This whole insane scheme was dreamed up by a man named Percival?

Oh, that's too dreadful for words.' His eyes darted about the laboratory, intrigued, and came to rest on the vat of gelatin.

'Ah! So that is what is behind all this.' He wandered across to it.

Brogan raised his revolver, lining up on the Doctors back, but Breckinridge shook his head. 'There's no need for that yet,' he said. 'So, Doctor, what do you think that is?'

His face almost in the goo, the Doctor replied, 'It's obvious: Rutan healing salve. The store brand, too, by the stench of it.' He dipped his finger in and examined the glob. Then he sucked it off his finger. 'Cherry my favourite flavour.'

Breckinridge stared at him in shock. 'Don't you know what that can do to you?' he gasped, appalled at what he'd just witnessed.

'I know what it can do to you you,' the Doctor countered. 'It won't affect me.'

'It affects any human being,' croaked Ross, ashen at the thought of what the Doctor had done.

'Precisely,' agreed the Doctor. He wandered over to the closest aquarium tank and stared down at the baby seal inside.

'h.e.l.lo, little fellow. Lost your mummy?'

'Doctor,' Doyle asked, 'what the blazes is going on here? Do you really know what that stuff is?'

'Yes,' the Doctor replied, spinning about on the b.a.l.l.s of his feet. 'It's Rutan healing salve. The Rutans are a species of amorphous nature that live ' he gestured vaguely in the air ' in a galaxy far, far away. They have the ability to alter their appearance because their cellular structure is unstable. As a result, when one of them is injured, they need a medication that's pretty unstable too. Like this goo. The problem is that the salve works on the basis of reforming the amorphous cells.

When it comes in contact with some non-Rutan tissue, it causes genetic fusion.'

'Which we witnessed in the hound-boy and the mermaids,' finished Sarah.

'Precisely.'

Colonel Ross raised an eyebrow. 'And these "Rutans" of which you speak; they are of otherworldly origin?'

'Very.' The Doctor grinned at the agent. 'Do you find that rather incredible?'

'No,' Ross replied. 'I've seen too many strange things during the course of my life to balk at the thought of a non-Earthly lifeform.' A thought seemed to dawn on him. 'Ah! Doctor, am I to take it that you you are another?' are another?'

The Doctors smile grew even wider. 'I knew it would dawn on someone sooner or later.'

Doyle shook his head. 'This is all getting far too preposterous for me,' he opined.

'Me too,' agreed Abercrombie. 'Non-humans. I hate non-humans. I've had enough bleeding non-humans to last me several lifetimes.'

Sarah realized that the Doctor had obviously learned something about Colonel Ross's past that was still hidden from her, but it was obvious that Ross was on their side at least for now. Which definitely made matters interesting. Counting Ross's brother, there were four of the villains here; not counting her, since she was manacled and hardly free to move, there were four on the other side. Even forces, if Brogan and Raintree had not been armed. She decided that the best thing she could do was to keep attention focused on her and trust the Doctor to improvise something as usual. 'Junior Ross here,' she said, nodding at the scientist, 'mentioned finding the stuff on a flying saucer that had crashed in Limehouse.'

'Part of their almost eternal war with the Sontarans, Sarah,' the Doctor answered. 'They've been fighting in this sector for a while. The Rutan must have been a casualty and come down in flames.' He glared at the tub. 'Which is where that stuff belongs.'

'No, Doctor,' Breckinridge broke in. 'That stuff belongs with me. Ross and I have a great deal more use for it yet.'

'I don't get it,' Sarah said, puzzled. 'I can see what Frankenstein-hopeful here gets out of all this. He's just wild about breeding his own lifeforms, like the poor kid in the bottle over there. But what's in it for you? Just the pleasure of hurting little kids, robbing graves and killing people?'

Breckinridge was stung by this. 'Miss Smith!' he protested. 'You do me a grave injustice. I am not some mindlessly sad-istic monster. Surely that is obvious?'

'What is obvious,' Colonel Ross said coldly, 'is that you are a depraved human being who has no thought for the consequences of his actions.'

Oh, well done! thought Sarah. Ross's accusation had really wounded Breckinridge's pride. The factory owner went almost purple with rage, and then managed to gather his wits together. thought Sarah. Ross's accusation had really wounded Breckinridge's pride. The factory owner went almost purple with rage, and then managed to gather his wits together.

'Very well,' he said, frost dripping from his voice. 'No thought for the consequences of my action, indeed? Well, I'll show you just how wrong you are.'

'Breckinridge,' the scientist said, the pain still twisting his voice, 'he's taunting you. He does this all the time. Kill him now. Better yet, let me kill him.'

'Brotherly love,' murmured the Doctor dreamily.

'How much of a fool do you think I am?' growled Breckinridge. 'I know what he's trying to do. And if you want to murder him, you can be my guest. But not until after he's seen what I am creating here.' He glared at the colonel. 'I am not having him die thinking I'm a savage.'

'Oi,' put in Sarah. 'What about me?'

Breckinridge studied her for a moment, then he nodded at Ross. 'Get her down from there. I want her to see this as well.'

Ross shook his head. 'I don't trust her,' he protested. 'She's already broken my hand and '

'And I'll break the other one for you if you don't do as you're told!' screamed Breckinridge. He raised his hand, on the verge of slapping Ross. It was clear to Sarah that Breckinridge didn't like his orders questioned even when they were quite idiotic.

Ross, terrified of further pain, ducked and scuttled across to where Sarah was hanging from the pipes. It took him a minute to fish the key to the handcuffs from his pocket, and even longer to manage to unlock them one-handed. Sarah sighed happily as she could finally lower her arms. They'd felt like the joints were about to break at any moment. Rubbing her wrists, she joined the other captives.

Breckinridge smiled at her. 'And, lest you think that my decision to allow you to join us shows evidence of any favour in your direction, or weakness on my part . . .' His hand whipped around in a savage blow to her cheek that threw her backwards across the floor. 'Think again, please.'

Sarah cried out in pain and stumbled backwards into the tanks, smacking down hard on the floor. Her backside stung, and there was the taste of blood in her mouth.

'There was no need for that,' the Doctor growled at Breckinridge.

'On the contrary,' the businessman purred. 'Or would you prefer me to have Brogan shoot someone so that you understand the situation here? Brogan would happily do that; he likes to kill people.' Breckinridge sighed theatrically. 'He does have such simple tastes, but he's a dedicated worker.'

'It's okay,' Sarah said. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her right hand. Blood smeared across it, which she wiped off rather obviously on to her skirt. 'I'm not badly damaged.' She groaned as she started to rise, but for effect and not from pain.

The scalpel she'd knocked out of Ross's hand earlier now lay inside her left sleeve. Her ostentatious mannerisms with the blood had been to distract attention while she'd palmed the fallen weapon. Simply having it gave her more courage.

Breckinridge and his minions might aim to kill them all, but she would go down fighting, if she went down at all.

'Very well,' Breckinridge announced. 'Let's be moving out of here. Ross Doctor Doctor Ross,' he added with stress, 'lead the way to the viewing room.' He turned to the Doctor. 'I'm sure Miss Smith informed you that the ocean is something of a pa.s.sion with me?' Ross,' he added with stress, 'lead the way to the viewing room.' He turned to the Doctor. 'I'm sure Miss Smith informed you that the ocean is something of a pa.s.sion with me?'

'It's nice to see that you have a few innocent pa.s.sions,' the Doctor answered as he fell in beside his adversary.

'Oh, I have lots of them,' the man laughed. 'Though you may not believe it.'

'You're right,' agreed the Doctor, just as cheerfully, 'I don't.' He glanced around as Sarah joined him. Doyle, Colonel Ross and Abercrombie muttering gloomily under his breath followed them, and the two thugs brought up the rear as they paraded out of the laboratory.

Sarah realized that the rest of the subterranean pa.s.sageways and rooms that had been added to the factory were all in roughly the same shape as the laboratory. The pa.s.sageway bent at odd angles several times, showing that it had been cut to follow the pathway of an old cave system. The rooms that they pa.s.sed were closed, and presumably had been cut from larger openings. The walls were rough and unfinished, with electric lights at set intervals, linked by thick cables that snaked along the pa.s.sageway. The sound of dripping water increased, and the floor shone in spots where puddles gathered in the uneven surface. She had the distinct impression that they had now travelled under the sea bed.

At one of the doors they pa.s.sed, the Doctor halted, frowning. 'What's in there?' he demanded. There was the sound of movement within the room.

'Precautions, Doctor,' answered Doctor Ross. 'The seals aren't the only guards I've bred for this place. Thus far, though, the guardians in there haven't been needed.'

'More abominations,' muttered Doyle.

'My brother has a fertile mind when it comes to such matters,' Colonel Ross said, quietly but audibly. 'What he lacks in intelligence he makes up for in depravity.'

His brother whirled to glare furiously at him. 'I've been in your shadow all my life,' he snarled. 'It was always "you're not half the man your brother is, Percival" and "look how well Edmund is doing at Oxford, Percival". Well I've had enough! Today I shall prove to everyone that I'm the more intelligent Ross, because I'll be alive and creating a new world, and you'll be dead.'

'So there,' added the Doctor. 'Talk about an inferiority complex.'

'I've never seen a more complex complex,' Sarah offered.

Breckinridge shook his head sadly. 'Please can we dispense with the silly jokes? I'd hate to have to dispense with either of you before you see our triumph. Through the next door, if you please, Doctor.' He stood aside to allow the Doctor and Sarah to precede him.

Sarah dutifully followed the Doctor into the indicated room, and then stood just inside, staring in wonder at what she could see.

The far wall was almost entirely gla.s.s. It was about twenty feet long and half that in height. She couldn't guess its depth, but it had to be pretty thick to hold out the pressure of the water beyond. As a result, the gla.s.s wasn't crystal clear. Patches had a smoky appearance and some parts were not quite level. But it was enough to show what lay outside.

Outside lay the ocean. Rows of lights led away from the gigantic window, set into the sea bed and glowing faintly. The illumination was low-level, but sufficient to show them what lay out there. Sarah took several steps forward as the others crowded into the room behind her. She heard Doyle gasp in amazement at the view.

'Quite staggering, isn't it?' asked Breckinridge proudly.

Sarah didn't want to admit that it was, so she continued moving. There was only one piece of furniture in the room, a table of sorts. Strapped to it, unconscious, was Kipling. She spared him a quick glance to be certain he was still breathing, then moved until she was touching the huge window.

The sea bed looked marvellous. Rocks, pebbles and sand were illuminated gently. In the distance probably only a few hundred yards away in the dark waters was a large wheel, set in a spool. Attached to the wheel were more lights. This was clearly the source of the mysterious lighting that they had witnessed from their boat the previous night.

Closer to the window was a garden of sorts. There were seaweeds there, and other plants, all in neat, short rows. They were obviously being cultivated, and Sarah gasped as she saw the workers in these strange fields. There were almost two dozen of them merfolk, all children. Each of them was naked, their upper torsos human, their lower sections dolphinine.

They moved slowly along the rows, weeding and checking the growing plants. Sarah stared at them, and recognized one of them as the girl who had saved her life. She looked as if she were the oldest one among them, and seemed to be in some kind of charge over them.

Beyond the workers, though, were three dark shapes that moved continually: the seal guards.

'Dear Lord!' said Doyle fervently, from behind her.

'They're bleeding real,' muttered Abercrombie. He glanced uncertainly at his boss. 'I guess your warped brother ain't entirely mad.'

'On the contrary,' the Doctor said, in a soft, dangerous voice that Sarah knew too well, 'he's criminally insane.' The Doctor whirled around to glower at Breckinridge and Ross. 'Those are children out there that you've mutilated.'

'Mutilated?' Breckinridge sounded incredulous. 'Doctor, they're not mutilated at all! They're magnificent! They can stay out there indefinitely, harvesting the sea, and they are viable, the nucleus of a brand new race. I a.s.sure you, they are not ill-treated.'

'They're slaves,' the Doctor thundered. 'That's why you need those guards: to prevent your slave army from escaping!'

'They're useful, for the first time in their miserable little lives,' protested Breckinridge. 'Doctor, every one of those children out there was doomed to die if they stayed here on the land. They're all from the docks and wharves and gutters. Parasites, scavengers and worse. Now, thanks to Ross and myself, they have useful, productive lives.'

'Useful to you,' the Doctor countered. 'Production for you. None of them was given the chance to decide whether they wanted that life or not. You made that choice for them.'

'They were hardly in a position to make rational judgements, Doctor,' Breckinridge argued. 'Dirty, ill-educated, disgusting little urchins from the dregs of the street. Now look at them they're magnificent!'

'Not all of them,' Sarah said quietly. 'One of them is a boy named Anders, from the same school as Kipling. He's got parents that care for him, and he wouldn't have been a parasite.'

'True,' agreed Breckinridge. 'But he stumbled across us one night when certain supplies were being delivered. It was either change him or kill him.' He nodded at the gla.s.s. 'I a.s.sume you approve of the choice I made?'

'I approve of nothing you do,' she answered. 'It's inhuman, disgusting and perverted.'

Breckinridge flushed. 'I should have known you wouldn't understand,' he snapped. 'Can't you see that those children are better out there than they would be if this asinine Government of ours had their way? All this talk of educating the street brats. What a waste! They don't have the minds or the imaginations to take advantage of an education. And who would pay for their waste of time? Businessmen like myself, that's who! Well, out there ' he gestured savagely out of the window again ' is my response to the unwanted children. We can transform them, put them to useful work, to extend Man's domin-ion.'

'To enslave them,' the Doctor added coldly. 'To make them work for you. That's the real reason, isn't it?' He pointed to the garden. 'That's pathetic, a sham. What you really have in mind is to make the children work for you, isn't that it? That wheel of light of yours has no real point, does it?'

'It has its reasons, Doctor,' Breckinridge responded. 'I'm training those children because, as you rightly observe, they will have to work to repay me for all I've done for them. I foresee a future, Doctor, where the world is linked by communication. The telegraph is outmoded, and the telephone is just beginning. I see a day when pictures as well as words can be transmitted through such cables. And he who has the network in place will be the master of this new world.'

'So that's it,' said Colonel Ross. 'Those children are being trained to work so they can lay your cables.'

'Precisely,' agreed Breckinridge. 'Do you have any idea how expensive it is to lay cables from s.h.i.+ps? And if one breaks, there's no way to repair it. You have to start over again, laying a new sea-bed cable. But with my race of merfolk out there, those problems cease. They can lay the cables and even repair them, if needed, at any depths. They're the perfect workers, and they will help me to become the leader in a new world order.'

'I pity you,' the Doctor said, in that icy, dangerous tone of his. 'Ross, at least, is doing his filthy work as a perversion of science. But you are doing it simply to make more money.'

'And what's wrong with making money?' cried Breckinridge. 'Without men like me, this world would grind to a sorry halt in days. It is my money that gives the people here in town work. It's my money that funds research, and brings on the future!'