THE INVISIBLE HAND
CHAPTER EIGHT The man in the gold lame suit, stood before the Doctor and gave an impatient shake of his head. He rolled his eyes, and threw up his hands in disgust. “What the…? Doctor, for someone of your great age and wisdom, I hardly expected you to be so….thick!” he said The Doctor merely shrugged. “Sorry.” “I surprised you good, didn’t I? The Mondo Leader asked the Doctor. “Erm—yeah,” the doctor said, tugging on his ear thoughtfully, “yeah, I suppose you did.” He flashed the man a happy grin. “I love surprises. Thanks for that!” “You are completely within my power. Nothing but a plaything” The Mondo gloated. “You were once a Lord of Time, now you are my slave. I think you will not be smiling for long, Doctor. What do you think?” “Erm—” the Doctor placed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “Nice suit?” “Wrong answer!” the man shouted. Suddenly his whole attitude changed, as he started jumping up and down, like a spoiled child having a tantrum. “Why aren’t you taking me seriously, Doctor? Don’t you understand? I’m the Mondo Leader, I’m in charge here! You’re being very disrespectful!” The Doctor shook his head. He was sorry to see a man he’d come to think of as a friend, come to this. “Navalatamay, just think!” the Doctor urged, “I spent the whole day with you. Somewhere inside there you’re a good man, you must know this is wrong!” “Don’t call me that!” the diminutive man exclaimed. He jumped up and down harder, even more enraged. “I don’t know who that is. I’m the Mondo Leader! Do you hear me? It’s Mondo, Mondo, Mondo!” Suddenly, a realization hit the Doctor. Knowing what was wrong with the red-skinned, spiky little man, the Doctor’s face softened with sympathy. “Listen to me, er–Mondo, you’re not well.” the Doctor said quietly. “You have something called ‘split personality disorder.’ This isn’t the real you, this is someone else, someone you’ve invented in your mind. Please, you’ve got to let me help you!” The Doctor begged. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I don’t want to hear. I’m not someone else, I am the doyen of my people, the Mondo Leader. No one can take that away from me!” the man who was Navalatamay shouted. Mondo Leader stepped back, now not only angry, but inexplicably afraid. He gestured to one of the guards. The Doctor cried out with pain, as a guard jabbed him in the back with a short black tube. The end of the tube glowed white, as electrical impulses shot through the Doctor’s spinal cord. His body convulsing, his face suddenly pale, the Doctor fell to his knees. His breath came as a hoarse wheezing, as he came face to face with the Mondo Leader. “Let me speak to Navalatamay, I demand to speak to him. He’s my friend. He’s a good man, a kind man. He’d never allow you to hurt anyone.” The Doctor gasped. And, for just a moment, the Mondo Leader’s face changed. In his eyes was a weary sadness. “Doctor?” the policeman said weakly, his face etched with confusion and fear. “Navalatamay scared. Where is this? What happening to me?” “Navalatamay, it’ll be alright, I promise you. But, you have to stay strong, do you hear me? Please, you can’t let Mondo Leader take over, you must fight this.” The Doctor implored. But, it was too little, too late. For, as quickly as he had started to regain his true self, Navalatamay cried out, as if in pain. Then, the personality known as Mondo Leader quickly reasserted itself. “Navalatamay is dead, Doctor.” the Mondo Leader said triumphantly. “I just killed him. And you are going to die, you and your friend, Donna. In the Wastelands. Hunted down by some of your deadliest enemies.” “No!” The Doctor shouted, as he raised himself upright. “ Mondo, Listen! Do with me what you will, but leave Donna out of it. She’s got nothing to do with this, leave her alone!” “And spoil my fun, Doctor?” Mondo chuckled. It wasn’t a nice sound. “I think not. I will enjoy seeing how you and your friend handle being trapped, unarmed, in a place of utter desolation, all alone….facing a Cyberman and a Dalek at the same time.” The Doctor could only look on in silent horror, as the Mondo Leader began to laugh. Sipar and the guards jointed him, as their mirth echoed through the metallic halls of Mondo’s spaceship. Donna coughed as she was surrounded by a cloud of dust. She looked around, but couldn’t see Nab anywhere. “Nab! Nab, are you alright? Where are you?” she frantically called. The huge boulder had only just missed her, as Nab had pushed her out of the way. Now Donna hoped that her worst fears wouldn’t be realized. But, that hope fell away, as she spied Nab’s arm through the dissipating dust, as it settled. Dashing to Nab’s side, Donna tried to stop and think what to do. After a few seconds, she grabbed his wrist and felt for a pulse. Only, the hand the wrist was attached to, suddenly grabbed her. Nab opened his eyes, and winked at her. Slowly, with Donna’s help, he sat up. After a moment of trying to catch his breath, the homeless man gave a great sneeze. “Oh that figures,” he moaned good-naturedly, “Did I mention that I’m little bit allergic to dust?” Nab grinned at Donna as she helped him to his feet. “Don’t imagine you might have some’a them little pills I used to get from Boots, on you somewhere’s, ey?” “No, sorry. But look on the bright side.” Donna told him, as they cautiously limped away. “What’s that, then?” Nab asked her, as he brushed the dust off his bottom. “If one of those monster people get you, you won’t have to worry about sneezing, anymore.” she replied cheekily. “Yeah?” Nab agreed with a chuckle, “Do ya’ reckon? Well, I suppose my sneezing isn’t half as bad as my being flattened like a pancake under a great big rock.” As they started walking again, Donna noticed that Nab was limping slightly. She stopped him. “Hold on! You’re hurt!” Donna exclaimed. But Nab only shrugged and told her it wasn’t serious. “Twisted my ankle in the fall, but it doesn’t hurt much. Believe me, I”ve had worse in my day. Let’s carry on, shall we?” He gestured to the track ahead with his hand, “Ladies first, I always say.” The two of them continued on down the track, moving ever closer towards the city. Or were they? Donna wondered silently. It seemed they’d been walking a long time, yet they’d not even come to the reasonably flat moorland beyond the stony wastes. “You know,” Nab said from behind her, “this all sort’a reminds me of one of them Hammer horror flicks from the fifties…or was that the sixties? Anyway, all this…it’s real, isn’t it?’ He shrugged, “Funny, you watch them things on tele on a rainy Saturday afternoon, thinking it’s a nice way to pass the time, and next you know, you’re on some alien planet, being chased by real monsters. Not sure I’ll ever be able to watch one’a them films, ever agai–” He was cut off, because he ran right into Donna’s back. “Oi!” Donna said to him, as she stared up at a track which led up to a near by cliff top. “Sorry.” Nab apologized. “But you outta’ give out some sort of warning hoot, or something, if your gonna’ stop so quick. I’m not as young and sharp-eyed as I used to be, ya’ know.” He stopped when he saw Donna wasn’t paying attention. She was staring intently upwards. “What is it?” he asked anxiously. “Do see another one’a them creatures?” “Nab,” Donna said to him. “Hmmm–? What is it, Donna?” he asked. “I think it’s time I do a little sight-seeing.” Donna was perspiring and even more dirty, as she got to the top of the cliff. The climb tired her more than she cared to admit, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her. Standing, she looked in the direction of the city…and boggled. It seemed just as far away as ever! Donna let out a long groan. “Oh, you’ve so got to be kidding me!” she whinged. Were they only walking around in circles, then?
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