Doctor Who_ Enlightenment - Barbara Clegg [1]
‘... Move... move... move...’
It did not sound like Turlough’s voice any more. It was someone he knew, he was sure, but very faint and far away.
‘... Move... move... move...’
The echo died as suddenly as it had started. Tegan and Turlough did not seem to have heard anything, and the Doctor decided that it must have been his imagination. He pulled himself together and concentrated on his repairs, muttering to himself as he worked.
‘Block the outlet... there... and then any minute... we should have full power...’
‘... Power... power... power...’
There it was again! The Doctor shook his head and pressed his hands to his ears, so abruptly that Tegan looked up from the game.
‘What’s the matter?’ she asked in startled concern.
‘Ssh!’ The Doctor silenced her with a gesture. ‘I’m trying to listen.’
‘What to?’ they wanted to know. The Doctor had to confess that he was not sure. Turlough grinned and shook his head in mock resignation. He was always pleased with any chance of getting one up on the Time Lord, and for once Tegan sided with him. The Doctor was behaving in a rather peculiar manner. Then, instead of continuing to fade, the lights in the control room suddenly glowed much brighter. Then dimmed again. And brightened. Dimmed...
brightened... As though someone – somewhere – wanted to attract their attention.
‘Of course!’ As usual it was the Doctor who clicked into action first. ‘It’s a message!’
Before they had time to pull themselves together, he leapt towards the console, throwing switches and shouting,
‘Turn up the power!’
‘Turn it up?’ Tegan and Turlough exclaimed together.
‘We’re... We’re supposed to be conserving it... Now look here...’
‘... Here... here... here...’ echoed in the Doctor’s head.
And then the echo was moving towards one of the doors,
‘... here... here... here...’ The Doctor followed it, shouting commands over his shoulder.
‘The photon lever... increase energy output... keep it at full... whatever happens...’
And before they could stop him or ask another question, he had flung open the door and disappeared into the corridor beyond. They looked at each other, completely bewildered.
‘He must know what he’s doing.’ Tegan tried not to sound too worried.
Turlough peered into the dimness. The Doctor’s voice came back to them faintly from the end of the passage.
‘Think so?’ Turlough queried dryly. ‘At the moment he’s out there talking to himself.’
The Doctor did indeed appear to be having a conversation with thin air.
‘It is you, isn’t it?’ he asked the empty gloom ahead.
‘We’re giving you everything we’ve got.’
For a minute nothing happened. And then, just in front of him. silvery robes began to glimmer into view, and finally a face: a kind, but rather stern face. It was the White Guardian, his lips moving silently.
‘I can’t hear you!’ The Doctor had never felt more frustrated.
All at once, as though someone had turned a volume knob, the words became audible.
‘... Power... balance of power... at risk...’
The voice continued to come and go as the White Guardian glimmered in and out. ‘Danger... extreme danger...’ And then he was simply an echo in the Doctor’s head again calling ‘Danger... danger... danger...’
By now a thin stream of smoke was rising from the console and Tegan and Turlough watched it, mesmerised.
‘What does he think he’s doing?’ Turlough muttered.
‘Another minute and we’re going to blow!’
Tegan took an involuntary step towards the door. She could not see the Doctor in the gloom of the corridor, but she called to him. Out of the blackness came a terse ‘Keep back!’
The Doctor stared ahead, willing the image to reappear and prompting urgently.
‘Go on! Go-ordinates galactic north six degrees.. What’s next?’
‘Nine... zero...’ came faintly back, as the White Guardian glimmered into view.again, flickering and fitful.
‘... Seven... seven... go at once... must not allow...’
‘What? Not allow what?’ asked the Doctor frantically.
The White Guardian’s lips moved soundlessly for a second, and then, very faintly, the Doctor heard, ‘Prevent...