Doctor Who_ Full Circle - Andrew Smith [47]
No mind could answer the question.
As one, the creatures entered the marshlands, sinking beneath its surface, disappearing under the murky slime - until it was as if no one had ever been there.
Adric hesitated by the doors of the TARDIS, looking anxiously around the boarding area, caught on the horns of a dilemma. He heard voices approaching and, not wanting to be discovered, nipped quickly inside the TARDIS, closing the doors behind him.
The Doctor, Romana, Login and Garif were approaching.
'So,' Login was saying, 'these first Marshmen came to resemble the original crew of the starliner?'
The Doctor nodded. 'The environment evolved the creatures most fitted to survive in it.'
'Terradonians,' said Garif. 'But we're not Terradonians.'
'No,' said the Doctor as they came to a halt in front of the TARDIS. 'And you're not Marshmen either. Which is what they seem to resent.'
Romana frowned. A voice inside her seemed to be telling her that there was more to the Marshmen's cause than this, that she should explain this to her friends, but the voice was weak, a memory, no more. She decided to let it pass.
'I'm sure they'll return,' said Garif. 'If they re-enter the ship...'
'We must do as Nefred said,' Login put forward determinedly. 'Doctor, you must fly us out of here.'
'Fly you? To Terradon?'
Login considered it for a moment, then shook his head. 'No. Not Terradon. But somewhere. Some other suitable planet.'
'Certainly,' said Garif. 'This is a colony-class ship. We could programme it to find a place.'
'Please, Doctor,' said Login.
Romana put in, 'Doctor, if they stay here, generations of evolution may be wiped out.'
'Please, Doctor,' Login repeated. 'It's our whole future.'
The Doctor grinned. 'All right. But just this once.'
Inside the TARDIS, Adric heaved a sigh of relief as he heard the small party heading off.
Moving away from the doors, he crossed to the console, looking over it carefully, at the central column, at all the alien instrumentation, at the innumerable lights which winked at him from their places on the console's various facets.
Adric reached into his pocket and pulled out the image translator from the Science Unit microscope. An image translator could always be replaced, he reflected, and in any case, the Doctor's need was greater. He placed the component down on the console and rested his hands on Varsh's marshreed belt.
He stared at the belt, recalling his brother. He allowed himself a smile of fond remembrance. In that moment, Adric made his decision. There was nothing left for him here - not any more. He wasn't leaving with the starliner.
Citizens milled about the Great Book Room, restoring manuals to their places and repairing and replacing storage cabinets.
The Doctor, Romana and Login were standing in front of the flight panel below the Deciders' galleries.
Garif came hurrying through the doors, which were in the process of being repaired by a maintenance crew, carrying a thick manual. He seemed quite dizzy with excitement. 'Doctor, this is the flight manual - part of the supply held in bio-data storage under System File classification. I had it released to me.' Garif was now First Decider - the last. A new system of leadership was to be decided upon when they reached their new home - an elected leadership.
'The flight manual,' said Login. 'I've heard of it, but never seen it.'
The Doctor took the manual from Garif. The Decider explained, 'The pages referring to take-off were damaged in the crash.'
'Mangled by the first Marshmen, more likely,' the Doctor suggested as he flicked through its pages. 'Now, we can dispose of this in very short order. Watching?' He activated a sequence of buttons. 'Stabilisers... power... fuel... thrusters one, two, three, four and five.'
'And the ground hold disengage,' said Romana, pointing to the appropriate switch.
The Doctor harrumphed and activated the switch. 'Yes, of course. Never forget the ground hold disengage. Goes without saying, really. And then, of course, it's simply ignition, which is that large green button there,