Doctor Who_ Attack of the Cybermen - Eric Saward [16]
Deciding he must take the risk, the Doctor grabbed the cabinet handle, but the door wouldn’t open. Delighted that nothing unpleasant had so far occurred, he found a piece of wire in his pocket and began to probe the lock. As he worked, his concentration was interrupted by a small voice calling from far in the distance. At first he didn’t take any notice, but the voice was insistent, and called again. This time the Doctor recognised it as Peri’s. When she called yet again, he heard the fear and tension.
Concerned, yet not displeased at having to postpone his current task, he ran back into the workshop and found a scared Peri with hands held high above her head. Standing in the inspection pit, with only the top part of his body showing, was one of the policemen. In his hand was a gun.
It was the sight of this somewhat surreal tableau rather than the awareness of any danger which caused the Doctor to skid to a halt. ‘Ah,’ he said, his tone somewhat bemused,
‘how do you do, Constable.’
The policeman didn’t reply, and instead waved his gun, indicating that he should move to where Peri was standing.
Reluctantly the Doctor complied and started to shuffle towards her. As he neared the pit, he suddenly extended his hand in an offer of help. ‘You look so uncomfortable in that hole,’ he said, in an exuberant manner. ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to help.you out?’
Such was the speed of his movement, it momentarily confused the policeman, giving the Doctor enough time to trap the barrel of the gun against the floor beneath the sole of his shoe. As he struggled to free it, the Time Lord stamped repeatedly on the policeman’s hands with his free foot, causing him to release his grip and to fall into the murky depths of the pit. Before jumping after him, the Doctor kicked the liberated revolver along the floor to Peri, who blocked its slithering motion with her foot.
Although she had been taught to use a gun by her father, she still didn’t like handling them. It was the idea such weapons were exclusively designed to kill people that she hated most.
With great reluctance she bent to pick up the gun. As her fingers stretched towards it, she became aware of a movement near the door. Looking up, she saw the second policeman enter the workshop, carrying a large calibre automatic.
Leaving her own gun where it lay, Peri slowly stood up and gave the policeman one of her deliberate, helpless female looks. ‘I must sit down,’ she said weakly. ‘I feel faint.’
Lowering herself onto a pile of soil near the inspection pit, Peri waited for the policeman to reach her. As he neared, she quickly grabbed a handful of soil and threw it into his face. Although he managed to parry most of it with a protective arm across his eyes, the action gave her enough time to scramble across the floor and retrieve her own gun.
As Peri levelled it to his chest, she said, as aggressively as her fear would allow, ‘Throw down your gun.’
Instead of obeying, the policeman smiled: in the inspection pit behind her he could see the top of his colleague’s helmet.
‘I said, throw down your gun!’
Reluctantly the policeman obeyed.
Aware that the pit was behind her, and also who had recently disappeared into it, Peri glanced over her shoulder. Seeing the helmet, she quickly backed towards it, while keeping the gun trained on her prisoner. But instead of the expected second policeman, she found an amused Doctor.
‘I see you have everything under control,’ he said, clambering out.
‘I wished you’d coughed or something.’ Peri was furious. ‘The sight of that helmet scared me half to death!’
‘Sorry about that,’ he said, removing it and tossing it to one side. ‘Thought it might amuse.’
Peri couldn’t agree. Neither could the policeman, as the Time Lord’s arrival