Doctor Who_ The Rescue Part 14

Weinberger was too preoccupied to hear.

Oliphant turned to him. 'The Chinese have been experimenting with image projection,' he said excitedly.

Weinberger glanced up. 'Image projection? At this distance?' he laughed. 'Don't press my b.u.t.ton!'

Oliphant winced at the American catchphrase. 'I am not,' he retorted indignantly. 'You forget the Chinese have a mission investigating Geldof Eight. That's less than a light year away.'

Weinberger leaned forward, suddenly interested. 'Yeah, I guess that thing did look a little oriental...' he recalled.

'Maybe you're not such a fool after all.'

'It resembles a late twenty-first century Chinese revival style storage unit,' Oliphant explained.

Weinberger watched him narrowly. 'Did it really?' he said, chewing violently on his gum. 'Looked more like a ticket booth from one of those old Mississippi steam wheeler company offices to me. I recall seeing one in the Kyno Museum in St Louis.'

'Why would the Chinese project an image like that?'

Oliphant demanded scornfully.

Weinberger chewed, lost for a reply. Then he grinned malevolently. 'Perhaps they're trying to get at us,' he said.

'Drive us crazy.'

Oliphant stared at the display which was showing them the course which would take them into orbit around Dido.

'Or perhaps they don't want us snooping around here,' he murmured. 'But that still doesn't explain the monopole fields...'

Weinberger's face was suffused with an eerie greenish glow from the navigation displays.

'Just let 'em try and stop us,' he growled. 'Thirty hours to orbit.'

'Just a bit of monopole turbulence in the s.p.a.ce-time continuum, my dear,' the Doctor said, patting Vicki's arm rea.s.suringly. 'Nothing to worry about. We've stabilised again quite safely.'

Barbara and Ian exchanged rueful glances as the TARDIS stopped gyrating and they were able to stand up again without clinging to the edge of the control console.

Their departure from Dido had been more than usually b.u.mpy and erratic and they had spent a harrowing few minutes watching the Doctor as he struggled with the controls to prevent his machine from materialising prematurely into some s.p.a.ce-time no man's land.

'Very odd, very odd,' the Doctor muttered to himself, fussing around the console. 'Almost got caught up in a powerful artificial magnetic field... Probably the field generated by the plasma drive from a s.p.a.cecraft's propulsion unit... Confounded galactic traffic should look where it's going...'

'What was that about galactic traffic looking where it's going, Doctor?' asked Barbara, p.r.i.c.king up her ears and moving round next to him.

The Doctor looked startled as if he had not wanted to be overheard. 'Oh, nothing, my dear young lady... nothing at all,' he replied evasively.

Now that things seemed to have settled down again Ian was anxious to get some information out of the Doctor about events after he and Bennett had disappeared from the wreck. 'So there were survivors among the inhabitants after all,' he murmured, now seeing the mysterious silver figures in a completely new light. 'Bennett hadn't destroyed them all.'

'Quite,' the Doctor grunted, still preoccupied with the hoa.r.s.ely humming control column. 'Now they have their planet to themselves again and somehow I don't think they'll permit the rescue craft to land... They'll want to be left alone in peace to rebuild their civilisation.'

'So that was why you were so keen to bring Vicki with us!'

The Doctor smiled mysteriously. 'Not really, Chesterton,' he said quietly, glancing sideways at their nervous young guest. 'I had all sorts of reasons.'

He wandered amiably around the console, making a few brief adjustments and then clapped his hands and rubbed them briskly together. 'We'll be materialising in a little while,' he announced, strolling over and sitting in the armchair. 'Perhaps this time we'll be able to relax and have a nice little rest!' Closing his eyes he lay back luxuriously in the chair and within a few minutes he had dozed off.

The others stared at him. 'I do wish he wouldn't do that!' Ian muttered nervously. 'It's getting to be a habit!'

'Are we still travelling?' Vicki asked hesitantly. 'We don't seem to be moving at all now.'

Barbara gave an ironic little laugh. 'Oh yes, we're travelling all right, Vicki. We're travelling further and faster than you've ever travelled in your life!'

Vicki stared round at the humming control room, still keeping one hand on the edge of the console- just in case.

She looked rather disappointed, as if time-travel was turning out to be much less exciting than she had imagined. 'Well, it just seems a bit... a bit dull...' she said with an apologetic giggle.

Ian and Barbara exchanged amused looks. They shook their heads and grinned wryly.

'Just you wait,' Ian warned her. 'Travelling with the Doctor may get very confusing, but believe me, it's never ever dull!'

Next moment there was a faint jarring motion and a sort of rumbling noise from under the floor. Vicki's eyes popped wide open with apprehension and she gave the others a queasy smile. Barbara feigned indifference. 'Oh, what an odd sensation...' she said nervously.

Next moment there was a sickening lurch and they almost lost their balance as the TARDIS gyrated wildly while emitting a harsh warbling shriek.

'There we are at last!' exclaimed the Doctor suddenly wide awake. He sprang out of his chair, bright-eyed and smiling as if he had just enjoyed a good night's sleep. He hurried over to the console and watched the central column slowly sink to rest. He gave a contented yawn.

'And all in one piece!'

'But Doctor, what's that swaying movement?' Ian demanded anxiously. 'Surely you can feel it?'

All at once the whole floor tilted up at an alarming angle. The Doctor's chair slid across against the wall and the hat-stand fell over with a crash.

The Doctor held on to the edge of the console and frowned at his instruments. 'Oh, a little terrestrial instability, Chesterton,' he muttered.

Barbara and Vicki clung to each other with one hand while their other hand grasped the edge of the console.

'Doctor, what's happening?' Barbara screamed.

As the TARDIS tilted abruptly back the other way, Ian grabbed the edge of the console to save himself from sliding down the slope. 'Doctor, do something... Take off again!' he yelled.

The Doctor frowned tetchily. 'I think you mean dematerialise dematerialise again,' he snapped, prodding a couple of b.u.t.tons tentatively, as though he was unsure what the result would be. again,' he snapped, prodding a couple of b.u.t.tons tentatively, as though he was unsure what the result would be.

Suddenly the TARDIS keeled right over. The helpless occupants were hurled head over heels so that they found themselves hanging upside down from the edge of the console unit with their feet pointing towards the ceiling.

'I don't understand it at all,' the Doctor cried. 'We appear to be in free angular motion under the influence of a strong gravitational field...'

'We're falling!' Vicki screamed. 'We're falling! falling! ' '

'Yes indeed, that's what I said,' the Doctor cried, his reddening face buried between his upstretched arms. 'So hold on tight... Anything could happen now... And I'm afraid it probably will!'

Epilogue.

SEEKER MISSION: PRELIMINARY REPORT.

DIDO RENDEZVOUS.

Established Dido orbit Terrestrial Year 01/12/20/23.25 following delay and misrouting after two encounters with unidentified continuum turbulence at 01/12/17/22.10 and at unidentified continuum turbulence at 01/12/17/22.10 and at 01/12/19/01.40. 01/12/19/01.40.

No beacon transmission received from Astra Nine Astra Nine . Wreckage . Wreckage eventually located in Polar 3 Quadrant at Equatorial 91. eventually located in Polar 3 Quadrant at Equatorial 91.

Landed two medix, two tex, two surveyors and six support group personnel. group personnel.

Faint residual power traces found in wreck energy cells.

Radiation breach in propulsion priming reactor. Severe damage to tachyon polarisers. Electrophase condensers missing: to tachyon polarisers. Electrophase condensers missing: apparently removed by crew, reason unknown. apparently removed by crew, reason unknown.

Evidence of gross interference with navigation program.

Possibly a result of Astra Nine Astra Nine encounter with continuum encounter with continuum turbulence. More likely due to crew intervention, reason turbulence. More likely due to crew intervention, reason unknown. unknown.

No trace whatsoever of Astra Nine Astra Nine personnel or survivors. personnel or survivors.

Corpse of large saurian creature found in vicinity of wreck.

Global infrared survey revealed scattered subterranean-dwelling fauna over Upper Hemisphere.

Several highly developed settlements located in vicinity of wreck and elsewhere. All abandoned and in advanced stages of wreck and elsewhere. All abandoned and in advanced stages of decay. decay.

Two sentient anthropoid beings located in vicinity of wreck.

Believed to be male and female. Both killed during encounter with support group personnel before any contact established. No with support group personnel before any contact established. No evidence of any other intelligent life. evidence of any other intelligent life.

Return visit believed unproductive.

Quit Dido orbit Terrestrial Year 01/12/25/00.55.

Happy Christmas.

Peace on Earth.