Doctor Who_ Atom Bomb Blues - Andrew Cartmel [50]
‘What kind of a working break?’ said Butcher. He noticed that the sound of crying from the living room had ceased. Somehow the silence was worse than the woman weeping.
‘I told Ray Morita to go with him.’ Oppenheimer shook his head affectionately. ‘He and the Doctor share a very unusual way of looking at things. Their approach to physics is subtly different from everyone else’s here. I thought it might be a fruitful combination if I threw them together.’
‘And the girl is going along too? In case they feel the need to do some calculations while they’re looking for fossils?’
‘More or less, Major. That’s right. Have you ever seen her in action? The girl is exceptional. A genuine prodigy. As you may know, we have some very sophisticated electronic computing machines here on the Hill. But this girl has them all beat. If we had twenty like her it would put this project on a whole new footing.’
‘Yeah, it probably would,’ said Butcher. His sarcasm was lost on Oppenheimer because Kitty chose that moment to emerge from the living room and come swaying down the short hallway into the kitchen. She gazed at Butcher for an uncomfortable moment without saying anything. Then she said, enunciating with great care, ‘Murderer.’
Butcher turned away. He heard her go to the table and start fumbling with the gin bottle and the limes as he walked out the door. Oppy followed him into the yard and they stood in the dappled shade of the trees together, staring up into the hot blue sky. ‘Kitty doesn’t know what she’s saying,’ said Oppy.
Butcher cut off the apology. ‘When are the Doctor and the others setting off on their little jaunt into the desert?’
Oppy consulted his watch. ‘They left half an hour ago.’
Butcher cursed silently, suppressing his anger. He came to a sudden decision. ‘I think I need some time off myself,’ he said. ‘After what happened yesterday.’
‘Naturally,’ said Oppy. ‘The only reason I didn’t suggest it was that I thought you’d refuse.’
‘Just the rest of the day,’ said Butcher.
‘Of course.’ When Butcher left, walking along the crazy-paving footpath, Kitty saw him from the living room window and swept the curtain shut. He hurried off down Bathtub Row, striding towards his quarters where he was 90
going to change into some more suitable clothing. And then he would requisition a vehicle from the motor pool.
Something suitable for driving in the desert.
Ace bounced along in the front seat of a jeep borrowed from the motor pool.
‘Are you sure you know how to drive this thing, Doctor?’
The Doctor grinned at her. He was sitting in the driving seat, his hat off and the wind blowing through his hair. He was wearing a heavy tweed jacket like a country gentleman on an outing. ‘It’s no Bessie, but nonetheless quite an enjoyable vehicle to drive.’ He peered out over the downfolded windscreen, at the desert landscape that came rushing towards them. ‘I’m sorry if it’s a trifle uncomfortable, Ace, but there’s no roads hereabouts so the going is rough. And even if there was a road, these vehicles are not exactly designed with comfort in mind. The suspension in particular leaves something to be desired.’ The Doctor kept on grinning happily as he shifted gears, steering the growling jeep across the forbiddingly rugged terrain.
Ace bounced up and down in her worn leather seat, her motion echoing the contours of the ground they were driving over. ‘That’s all very well, but my bum’s going to be black and blue tomorrow.’
‘What you need is more padding, man,’ said Ray from the back of the jeep.
‘You should be more like me. Have plenty of padding to sit on. That’s always been my philosophy. A fat cat is a happy cat.’
‘So long as you’ve got your music,’ said Ace.
‘That’s right, man – a comfortable seat to sit on and music to listen to.’
‘I’m surprised you didn’t bring a portable gramophone with you,’ said the Doctor, steering quickly and nimbly around a long shallow ditch that suddenly appeared in the ground ahead. The jeep lurched, regained