Dark Intruders (short story)

Dark Intruders was a short story published in Doctor Who Annual 1973. It featured the Third Doctor, Jo Grant and the Brigadier.

Summary
The Doctor, Jo and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart are on board the American aircraft carrier Pohantos to observe the splashdown of the capsule from the mission to Mars. Unseen by anyone the two astronauts, Curley (the American) and Dermann (an Englishman) are lying inert and only speaking in a mechanical way until a brief piercing hum in the capsule subsides and they return to 'life'. As the ship sails to Hawaii the Doctor and Brigadier impatiently wait for their turn to speak to the astronauts. They decide to speak to the biologist, Hilstrom, to see what he has found out from the men and Jo goes with them. Outside his cabin they discover a guard slumped against the wall. Hilstrom's door is open and Jo finds the scientist is also unconscious. As the man revives the Doctor speculates on what happened to him and asks the Brigadier to arrange a visit to the capsule.

Inside the capsule the Doctor mutters about a vibro bank. He emerges from the capsule with an envelope of dust particles and heads back to his quarters. As they arrive they disturb a shadowy figure who flees, dropping the Doctor's vibro bank. He uses it to analyse the dust and tells them it comes from the planet Minos. He suspects a scout ship from there was waiting on Mars for the Earthmen. Minoans, he explains, are cold, ruthless and ambitious. The Minoans have infiltrated the astronauts. After hearing the Doctor's name mentioned they would have tried to steal his equipment to keep their secret safe.

Dermann and Curley are using a brain scanner to broadcast the thoughts of scientists like Hilstrom to the Minoan ship. The Doctor pretends to be the mineralogist De Bassio that night and lies in his bed at night. There is a hissing - the Minoans attempt to mesmerise him, which he fights off - then the astronauts enter and attach terminals to his temples. Instead of allowing the thoughts to be drained from his head he attacks, mentally. Dermann and Curley are returned to themselves and the Minoan ship retreats.

Characters

 * Third Doctor
 * Jo Grant
 * Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart

Continuity
to be added