Doctor Who_ Alien Bodies - Lawrence Miles [17]
‘Who does?’
‘The General.’ He finally looked up at her, an expression of dopey-eyed concern on his face. Sam realised he was checking out her clothes. ‘Are you sure that’s suitable?’
Sam looked down at herself. She was wearing what she liked to think of as The Basics, a pair of M&S jeans, army boots she’d found in an Oxfam shop in Shoreditch, and a t-shirt from the TARDIS wardrobe that had apparently been very fashionable in 1976. ‘No Idea. I mean, seeing as you haven’t told me where it is we’re going or anything.’
The Doctor glanced down at the controls again. Sam wondered if he’d already forgotten their destination. ‘Borneo. East Indies ReVit Zone. Late twenty-first century.’
‘Borneo? That’s hot, yeah?’
‘Well, quite.’
‘No problem, then. Short sleeves and army boots. Good for a sunny day.’
‘I said it was hot. I never said it was sunny. Expect erratic weather and severe atmospheric pollution.’ The TARDIS ground to a halt as he spoke, the column at the heart of the console coming to rest with an all-conquering thunk. As if the ship had run smack bang into the physical universe and bruised its nose.
Sam reached for the lever which, experience had taught her, activated the scanner. The Doctor slapped the back of her hand, and reached for an entirely different lever that did exactly the same job.
The ceiling shimmered, the dome filling up with an image of the environment outside the ship. Sam assumed this was some kind of holographic technique, although the last time she’d said that to the Doctor’s face he’d grumbled something about primitive life-forms always trying to bring technology down to their own level. Which was rich, Sam had thought, coming from a man who used maser-modulated artron energy to make toast. A forest canopy painted itself across the ceiling, the branches stretching across a featureless grey sky.
‘Late twenty-first century,’ noted Sam. ‘Some of the rainforests made it, then.’
‘No they didn’t. That’s why this is a ReVit Zone.’ The Doctor pressed another switch on the console, apparently at random. As luck would have it, the switch was the one that opened the doors.
Two and a half minutes later, Sam found out why the Doctor had asked about her clothes being suitable.
The heat wasn’t the problem. A rainforest, she told herself, isn’t just an English forest with the temperature turned up. The background noise, the smell, the prickling feeling you get when the sweat starts pooling up under your arms and your breasts; it’s a whole new range of experiences. Heat or no heat, she felt like she needed more clothes, like she had to put on an overcoat and/or a big floppy hat. It was a psychological thing, she realised. Clothes were a defence, a barrier between her body and the environment. She could practically feel the bacteria crawling into her system. The insect bites didn’t help, either.
‘Also, we’re being watched,’ said the Doctor, with his usual flair for pseudo-telepathy.
He was inspecting the undergrowth near the TARDIS, striding around the trees with his hands behind his back, politely avoiding the more intelligent-looking plants. Sam scanned the greenery, but the only animal life she could see was a single toucan, eyeing her up from the branches of a tree. Presumably, that was what the Doctor had meant.
‘That’s not what I meant,’ the Doctor said.
Sam considered folding her arms again, but decided it wasn’t worth the bother. ‘So,what exactly are we doing in this place? Not that I desperately want to get out of here or anything.’
She emphasised the words I desperately want to get out of here, but the Doctor didn’t take the hint. He started shaking his head. ‘Something the General said. The East Indies ReVit Zone. Something to do with me. At least, that’s what he implied.’
‘What General?’
‘The General. I get the nasty feeling there’s a loose end somewhere around here, and I’m missing it.’
The Doctor turned to the toucan, and shrugged apologetically. Sam didn’t look up at the bird again. Mainly because she was worried she might see it shrugging back. ‘Right. Loose ends. What do we look