Doctor Who_ Island of Death - Barry Letts [15]
„Don‟t look so scared,‟ said Mother Hilda, with a little laugh.
„We‟re not going to eat you. Come and have a drink. You must be thirsty in this heat.‟
He went up the steps and sat down where Mother Hilda
indicated. She clapped her hands, and an Indian bearer appeared.
„Bring the young sahib a glass of fresh lime and soda - the special soda - with ice.‟
„At once, memsahib.‟
Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief and settled back into the cushions. This was a lot better. Five-star stuff. She‟d obviously spotted that he was a bit different.
Sarah discovered that one of the advantages of travelling with Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, the Commanding Officer of UNIT UK - and, indeed, being a temporary member of his staff - was that you found yourself in First Class.
Not that it made all that much difference. As it happened, they were the only passengers in the curtained-off area at the front of the plane. The seats were marginally more com-
fortable, and they were offered a free drink as soon as the
seat-belts sign went off, but that was about all.
„Better bring a bottle,‟ said the Brigadier, after the smart air-hostess had brought him his second dram of Scotch in a miniature.
„Sorry, sir,‟ she replied, „it‟s regulations. We have to monitor your drinking.‟ And she disappeared.
For a moment the Brigadier was speechless; and the Doctor looked as if he was struggling not to burst into laughter. Not a good start, thought Sarah.
The flight was going to be a difficult one. The Brig was not in any sort of mood to chat, especially after a couple more
drams. And the Doctor, almost as soon as they were on their
way, had pulled something out of his pocket that looked like
one of those old-fashioned silver cigarette cases you saw in
black-and-white thirties films. This was fatter, though, and
had some push buttons and other knobs and dials on the outside.
When he opened it, she saw that it was filled with parts so
minute that it was impossible to make out whether they were electronic components or mechanical cogs. And as he worked at it with what seemed to be a long metal tooth-pick, the parts moved and sparkled, and it emitted a tiny noise like a fairy music box.
He noticed that she was watching him. „Fair wear and tear,‟
he said. But if I don‟t get it working, the TARDIS will be about as much use as a car without a gear-box.‟
The Brigadier gave a snort. It wasn‟t a snort of laughter.
The Doctor looked across the aisle at him. „I didn‟t quite catch that, Lethbridge-Stewart,‟ he said icily. „Would you mind repeating it?‟
Oh God! If they were going to behave like a couple of kids from the infants‟ class, it was going to be a swinging journey.
„Doctor,‟ she said hastily, before the Brig could react,
„forgive me, but you‟ve been awfully cagey so far. Won‟t you tell us what you think is going on?‟
Her diversion worked.
„Quite right,‟ said the Brigadier. „Here we are setting off to go halfway across the world, and you haven‟t yet deigned to explain exactly what particular breed of wild goose we‟re chasing.‟
„Oh, very poetical,‟ said the Doctor. „I should have thought it was obvious, even to the meanest intelligence.‟
Oh dear! You could hear the irritation in both their voices.
„Evidently not,‟ snapped the Brigadier.
The Doctor grunted and turned to Sarah. „Did you do Biology at that school of yours?‟
The Doctor never seemed to have much opinion of human education.
„Some. Not a lot. It was part of General Science.‟
„Entomology?‟
„Bugs and things? Well, I suppose we touched on it. Yes, the bees and... and fertilisation and all that,‟ said Sarah, pushing down the memory of a hilarious session on sex given reluctantly - and incomprehensibly - by the elderly Miss Prosser, popularly known as Old Prodnose.
„Then I expect you‟re