Doctor Who_ Storm Harvest - Mike Tucker [24]
Brenda smiled grimly ‘Our mysterious monster took a dislike to me.’
The Doctor frowned. ‘Monster?’
The man rose, peering at the Doctor suspiciously. ‘Who the blazes are you?’
Brenda rose unsteadily to her feet. ‘This is Dr Smith, Phillip. Doctor, Phillip Garrett, senior engineer.’
The Doctor doffed his hat cheerily. Garrett eyed him curiously.
‘What brings you to Coralee, Doctor?’
‘Oh, this and that.’
Garrett was about to question him further when Brenda suddenly swayed unsteadily.
The Doctor grasped her by the shoulders. ‘I think we’d better get you somewhere more comfortable, don’t you?’
Brenda nodded. ‘My office.’
With Garrett following, the Doctor steered her out of the room and towards the lift.
People were beginning to drift in to work, coffee cups clutched in their hands, weary hellos being called through the corridors. They stared curiously as the Doctor led Brenda Mulholland by the arm into the lift. With a swift whir it sped them to the top floor, to the control centre. Brenda pushed open the door to her office. The Doctor could hear raised voices inside it.
‘Blasted impudence of the man! He sees me every day. I’ve a good mind to talk to his superiors!’ The man from the square.
‘He is only doing his job, Professor.’
‘Damn it, so am I, and I’ve got more than enough problems with the dig without your security people compounding them!’
‘Oh come now, Professor MacKenzie...’
‘What the devil is going on?’ The secretary looked up with relief as Brenda pushed open the door.
‘Professor MacKenzie has had a little trouble with security, ma’am.
He lost his ID card...’
‘Damn it, I did not lose it, I...’
‘Professor!’ Brenda’s voice was like a whiperack. ‘I’ve more important problems than you to worry about at the moment, if you don’t mind.’ She pushed past him to her desk, and called Garrett over.
‘Phillip, I want a security detail out here now.’ As the two of them crowded over the communicator, MacKenzie rounded on the Doctor.
The Doctor scurried forward and shook him warmly by the hand.
44
‘Delighted to meet you, Professor. I’m the Doctor.’
‘Doctor...?’
‘Just Doctor. The work you are doing out at the ruins looks most interesting.’
MacKenzie beamed, his face softening. ‘Ah, so you know of our work. Well... Doctor... our latest findings are really quite fascinating...’
‘Yes, I’ve been studying your notes.’ The Doctor pulled his printout on the dig from his pocket. ‘These inscriptions that you’ve found, some primitive history do you think?’
‘Undoubtedly but if you study the culture as a whole...’
There was a cough behind them. The Doctor turned. Brenda was staring at them over the top of her spectacles. ‘If you two have quite finished with the science seminar. Doctor, why wasn’t I informed of your arrival?’
The Doctor looked apologetic. ‘I’m sorry you weren’t told Miss Mulholland, but when we received the video data from the wreck...’
‘You’ve seen that?’ Garrett looked concerned.
‘Yes, Mr Garrett.’ The Doctor tried to sound officious. ‘Passed on from Earth Central. They are most concerned. I’d like to get a look at the wreck as soon as possible.’
‘You’ve some idea what caused those marks?’ Garrett looked at him suspiciously.
The Doctor held his gaze. ‘I’ve a few ideas, but I would really like to say no more until I’ve had a chance to confirm my suspicions’ He turned to MacKenzie. ‘I’d like to look at your site as well, if I may, Professor.’
The Professor nodded enthusiastically. ‘Yes. Yes, of course.’
‘Good.’ Brenda pushed open the door to the control centre. ‘That solves the problem of transport for you, Doctor. The Professor has a skimmer heading out in the next half-hour. You can make a detour to the Hyperion Dawn, can’t you, Alex?’
‘Yes, yes. Come along, Doctor. I’ll introduce you to my crew.’
Grasping the Doctor by the arm, the Professor began to bustle towards the lift.
‘Doctor...’ Brenda was framed in the doorway of the control centre.
‘A friend of mine is still missing from that wreck. If you find anything, anything at all, you will