Doctor Who_ The Algebra of Ice - Lloyd Rose [66]
He worked out a rough sense of the area in his head. Three acres, more or less, for the flattest expanse. The rest was either too uneven or too steep.
He stepped onto the ice and, with a graceful, half-skating gait, headed out across the glacier. About fifty metres in, he stopped and turned in place, using something that looked like a penlight to laser a shallow circle in the ice. He moved on and made a second circle. Then a third. This was going to take some time, but he couldn’t be sure exactly where the landing attempt would be made. And if anyone showed up who objected to the circles, several dozen of them would be harder to erase than one.
‘I’ve got it set up,’ said Unwin. ‘We can communicate through the computer again. Don’t need to go to that bloody glacier.’
136
The Algebra of Ice
He was drunk again. Brett watched, tight-lipped, as Unwin wove to the sofa and collapsed. Useless, completely useless. He wished he could get rid of the lush now. But he couldn’t until he had another, hopefully more competent, mathematician to replace him. And how that was going to happen, now that Amberglass had slipped through their fingers, he couldn’t imagine. Perhaps Amberglass would have been stymied in the end too, but that wouldn’t matter: if he had Amberglass, sooner or later he’d have the Doctor. Only he didn’t have Amberglass.
Brett dismissed the matter as useless speculation and went to the computer.
WE WILL TRY TONIGHT BUT WE STILL MAY NOT HAVE THE POWER THE
BRIDGE IS UNFINISHED
BUT SOME ADDITIONALWORK HAS BEEN DONE YOU MUST TRY
FIND THE DOCTOR
Like a broken record, Brett thought.
I’M TRYING
FIND HIM
WHY Brett typed in exasperation WHAT CAN HE DO STOP YOU
HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW WHERE WE ARE
HE WILL YOU MUST FIND HIM FIRST
Brett reread the message uneasily.
HOW WILL HE FIND US
HE WILL
Brett regarded these last words soberly, then shrugged. When he would he would. In a few hours, it might not even matter.
Ace and Molecross both leaped back. ‘What are you doing here?’ she yelled.
‘Oh thank God.’ He was almost in tears. ‘I thought I was lost in here forever.’
‘How in hell did you get in?’
‘I was so frightened.’
‘Where’ve you been hiding?’
‘I don’t know. I’ve been trying to find my way out. You know,’ he added conspiratorially, ‘there are all these little constructions in the halls. Devices.
Very mysterious.’
‘Tell me how you got in,’ she snapped.
‘I really need something to eat,’ he said pathetically. ‘And a toilet.’
‘Tell me.’
Chapter Sixteen
137
‘You rushed in and left the door ajar. I slipped in after you. I’d followed the Brigadier to the house.’ Molecross cringed as if he expected her to hit him. Not far wrong either, Ace thought angrily.
‘You can’t stay here.’
‘I don’t want to,’ he assured her.
She directed him to a toilet and the food machines and waited in the console room. This was a right cock-up. What was she going to do with the prat? At a movement, she looked up sharply. But it was Ethan, his hair smoothed down inadequately, polishing his glasses on the edge of his shirt. He put them on and peered at her.
‘What’s wrong?’
Molecross came in, stuffing a cream pastry into his mouth.
‘Oh dear God!’ Ethan didn’t actually leap towards the ceiling, but it was a near thing. ‘What are you doing here?’ He turned to Ace wildly. ‘He’s not really here, is he? Tell me he’s not.’
‘Afraid so,’ she said glumly.
Ethan went over to a wall and banged his head against it.
‘Stop that!’
‘It feels good,’ he assured her. ‘Really, it does.’
‘Well, stop it anyway. It gets on my wick.’
Ethan stopped but didn’t turn around. ‘Why is he here?’ he said mournfully.
‘What horrible configuration of the planets caused this?’
‘He stowed away.’
‘On the TARDIS? He stowed away on the TARDIS?’
‘Why are you talking as if I wasn’t here?’ Molecross asked.
Ethan eyed him sourly. ‘Just wishful thinking.’
‘I saved your life, you know!’
‘Yeah,’ said