Doctor Who_ The Doomsday Weapon - Malcolm Hulke [3]
A week later she was seated before the handsome Brigadier in his office at UNIT Headquarters. From the start of the interview, she realised he didn't really want her on his staff. He was very polite, but it was clear he was only taking her on because her uncle had asked him. 'We have a chap here,' he said, 'called “the Doctor”. He needs an assistant. That could be you.' She said, 'I don't know anything about medicine.' The Brigadier looked puzzled, then laughingly exclaimed, 'Oh, not that kind of Doctor. He's a scientist. You can start on Monday if you like.' With that the interview ended.
On the following Monday Jo reported for work and met the Doctor. He didn't seem at all impressed with her, and after a few minutes' talk about the weather he said he had important business elsewhere and hurried away. She didn't see him again for two days, during which period she wandered around the Headquarters to get to know it and the people who worked there.
On the Wednesday she found the Doctor again in what seemed to be a laboratory; for some reason an old-fashioned London police box stood in one corner. The Doctor was tinkering with some electrical gadget at a work bench. 'What are you doing?' said Jo. The Doctor looked up, and for the first time she saw that he had a very nice smile. 'I'd better explain,' he said; 'that's a Time and Space machine' - he indicated the old police box - 'but it doesn't work at the moment. I'm trying to repair it.' Jo suddenly realised she had been given a job with a madman. 'Time and Space machine?' she laughed, not believing. The Doctor's smile faded quickly , 'I'll let you know if I need your assistance at any time. Good morning.' With that he turned back to the work bench. Jo still had nothing to do.
That was a week ago now. During the week she had mooned around the Headquarters, bored out of her mind. Now, today, she intended to have a showdown. Even being a filing clerk in the Embassy in Bangkok could be more interesting than reading magazines at UNIT Headquarters to kill time. As she entered the main building she passed Sergeant Benton, who gave her a friendly 'Good morning', but she was too angry to reply. She went straight down to the Doctor's laboratory. He was there, as always, tinkering with bits of wire on the work bench.
'I must speak to you,' she said. 'I'm supposed to work for you, but you don't give we anything to do!'
'Just a moment, my dear.' The Doctor seemed to apply himself to some task requiring great concentration. Jo looked and saw he was soldering two bits of wire together - nothing more complicated.
'Look,' she said, 'what is that thing you're working on?'
'It's a new dematerialisation circuit,' he said. He had by now successfully joined together the two bits of wire. 'There! That bit's done.' He straightened up and looked pleased with himself.
'Dematerialisation?' queried Jo. 'Of what?'
'The TARDIS,' said the Doctor, as if Jo ought to understand.
Jo was completely puzzled. 'What sort of Doctor are you?' she asked.
'What sort would you like me to be?' the Doctor
Before Jo could make a retort, the Brigadier had entered 'Oh, 'morning, Miss Grant,' he said, acknowledging her existence for the first time in a week; then he turned to the Doctor. 'I've just got the latest field reports about the Master. There's no trace of him.'
'As I expected,' said the Doctor. 'His TARDIS is working now, remember. He could be anywhere in Space and Time.'
'That's as may be,' said the Brigadier. 'But I'm going to keep on looking.'
'You're wasting your time,' said the Doctor.
Jo looked from one of the men to the other as