Doctor Who_ The Doomsday Weapon - Malcolm Hulke [25]
After his dramatic entrance, when he said that he was the sole survivor from another colony, the colonists washed him, fed him, and gave him clean clothes to wear. And now he was being given a tour of inspection by this young fellow called Winton. There were many rooms and corridors in the main dome, and he was being shown a small room one side of which was packed with the colony's main electrical junction and fuses. Compared with gleaming equipment inside the IMC spaceship, this tangle of wires and switches looked like a mess that would shame a junkyard. A man was working on one of the switches, removing it from a rough make-do control panel; he was being 'helped' by a Primitive.
'This is our power supply junction-box,' said Winton. 'This is Holden, our electrician.' He turned to Holden. 'This is Wilf Norton.'
Holden shook hands with Norton. 'Yes, I remember you coming in. You must have had a rough time.' Holden turned back to his work, but asked Norton about how he had survived so long alone on the planet, and Norton gave in answer the story that he had rehearsed so well. As they talked Holden removed the switch, obviously broken, and was about to drop it on the floor, when the Primitive reached out for it.
'Sorry,' said Holden with a smile, 'that's for you.'
The Primitive took the discarded switch and quickly attached it to his belt which already carried various bits of broken machinery.
'What's he doing?' said Norton, indicating the Primitive.
'He's my assistant,' said Holden. As he spoke he. reached out for a particular screwdriver on his little work bench; but the Primitive had already picked it up and was offering it to Holden. 'You see? He gets the right tool every time. Seems to know what's in my mind.' Holden started to use the screwdriver to install a newer switch.
'Our Primitives weren't that friendly,' said Norton. 'Where do you get your power from?'
Winton answered, 'We tap the old spaceship's nuclear generator and beam power through to the domes as they need it.' He turned to Holden. 'What's the trouble this time?'
'Same as before,' said Holden. 'All this stuff's had its time. Still, we soldier on.'
Norton followed Winton further down the corridor to the dome's dining area. The two girls, Mary and Jo, were cooking some stew. An idea was forming in Norton's mind, a plan that he wanted to carry out as quickly as possible. But first, while Winton still stayed with him, he had to talk to these two girls.
'That smells nice,' he said. 'What is it?'
'Only stew, I'm afraid,' said the girl called Mary. 'Whatever it is,' Norton said, 'I'm looking forward to it. For months I've lived on the roots of scrub.' He tamed to Winton. 'I do appreciate the way you people are looking after me, and your showing me around the place. But if you want to get on with your work now, I'll be all right.' He gave Winton a big wink which the girls didn't see, and nodded his head towards Mary. Winton got the point. Norton hadn't spoken to a girl for months, and maybe he had taken a fancy to Mary. 'Well,' said Winton loudly, 'perhaps I should get on with some work. So, I'll we you later, Wilf.' With that Winton left the dining-hall.
'That really does smell good,' Norton said. 'About how long before you serve up?'
'Fifteen or twenty minutes,' Mary said.
'Then I'll go and wash my hands,' Norton said. He went to the door in to the corridor, then paused for effect. 'I'll never forget you people. Never in my whole life.' He looked at Mary and smiled, and she smiled back sympathetically and warmly. Then he turned and quickly went back towards the room containing the colony's make-do electrical power supply junction. The door was partly open, and he could see Holden inside just finishing his work connecting the new switch.
'There we are,' Holden was