Doctor Who_ Island of Death - Barry Letts [49]
- she wouldn‟t want the Doctor to know she was an addict of such rubbish! - she turned back. „Yes?‟
„Are you busy?‟
Busy! For the first time in her life since she‟d left kinder-garten, there was nothing, nothing at all, that she really ought to be doing. She‟d still be lying on the deserted upper bridge if it hadn‟t turned so hot as the sun climbed up towards noon.
„Nothing that can‟t wait.‟
Like getting a tan, or finding out whether Lady Amelia would really fell for the manipulative charms of Sir Percival.
„Good. If you can spare a moment or two...‟
She entered the Doctor‟s cabin and he gestured towards an empty chair with the object in his hand. It looked a bit like a long version of one of those things you use to test the pressure in a car tyre. Of course! The sonic screwdriver!
He aimed it at an open silver box on the table. Now she recognised that as well; she‟d seen it before, the Doctor was always fiddling with it. As she heard the strange sound of the screwdriver, the box‟s contents gave a sort of wobble, rather like a mirage she‟d seen in the Moroccan desert three holidays ago.
„That‟s better,‟ said the Doctor, closing it.
„That‟s the bit from the TARDIS, isn‟t it?‟ she said, sitting opposite him.
„The relativity circuit of the temporal balancing governor.
That‟s right,‟ he replied, minutely adjusting one of the many small knobs on the side of the box. Then he pressed the largest button. The box responded by making its tinkly music-box noise. „I thought I‟d improve the shining hour by having another go at it,‟ he went on. „Improve the shining hour! Ridiculous expression. Like polishing a diamond. Like polishing a diamond. Like polishing a diamond.‟
What was he on about!
„Did you notice anything?‟ he asked.
„Like what?‟
„Anything at all. Anything odd.‟
„Well... Not really. Only you saying “like polishing a diamond” over and over again.‟
„Ah! How many times?‟
„Three.‟
„Mm.‟
It was like when he had started howling in the sea. Just Doctorish. It was no good trying to keep up with him.
„That should do it,‟ he said, as he gave a couple of the knobs another tiny tweak. „Mark you,‟ he continued as he pressed the main button again, „an unpolished diamond looks like something you‟d pick up on the beach and toss into the sea. So perhaps it‟s not so ridiculous. Well?‟
„Well what?‟
„Notice anything this time?‟
What on earth was he talking about? „What am I supposed to notice?‟ she asked.
„Nothing. Nothing at all.‟
She laughed. „Well, good on you, Doctor. You‟re in luck!
That‟s exactly what I did notice. Nothing! Come on, what‟s this all about?‟
The Doctor was laughing too. „Well you see...‟
Footsteps. The Brigadier appeared in the doorway.
The Doctor lifted his little silver case and pressed the button again.
„Ah, there you are, Doctor...‟ said the Brigadier.
And vanished.
„Blimey!‟ said Sarah.
Footsteps. The Brigadier appeared in the doorway.
„Ah, there you are, Doctor...‟ he said, and vanished once more.
„I‟ve got it!‟ said Sarah. „It‟s a time loop!‟
The Brigadier appeared again. This time the Doctor didn‟t press the button.
„Ah, there you are, Doctor,‟ he said.
„Why, so I am,‟ said the Doctor, putting away the sonic screwdriver. „Except that I would have called it a temporal recursion,‟ he went onto Sarah, „but you‟re quite right. A time loop. And you never noticed a thing when I aimed it at you?‟
„Not a sausage.‟
„The temporal recursion algorithm is the basic default setting for the relativity circuit. If you get that right, everything else falls into place.‟
The Brigadier was waiting patiently. „It‟s just been pointed out to me that the sun is over the yard arm,‟ he said. „Our hosts have invited us for a snifter before lunch. You too, Sarah.‟
„Great! I‟ll be right along.‟
Sarah returned to her cabin. Having dumped the blanket and book on her bunk, she pulled a pair of - less provocative
- shorts over her bikini, and found a clean shirt (beautifully ironed by Wong Chang, who happily moonlighted as dhobi-man).
Funny that, she thought, the Brigadier calling her Sarah.