Doctor Who_ The Ice Warriors - Brian Hayles [15]
‘But that’s... incredible!’ he blurted out.
‘What is, Doctor?’ asked Jamie in amazement. wasn’t often something set the Doctor back on his heels!
‘Jamie...’ murmured the Doctor wonderingly, ‘that’s an electronic earpiece—there, on the helmet! Almost identical to the ones used on modern space helmets!’
Both the youngsters looked at him uncomprehendingly.
‘But Doctor... it can’t be,’ said Victoria finally.
The Doctor raised his head abruptly. His voice was keen with excitement, and possibly something more... ‘Don’t you realise what this means?’
He looked into their young faces, and saw that they did not understand. Reaching a quick decision, he hurried towards the door.
‘Wait here,’ he shouted back over his shoulder, ‘and don’t touch anything!’
Jamie and Victoria were getting used to his sudden exits, and exchanged a gentle chuckle.
‘I wonder what sent him off like that?’ asked Jamie.
‘Scientists are all the same,’ replied Victoria. ‘They’re forever shouting Eureka, or something. Hey! What are you doing? Don’t be a spoilsport!’
Half playfully, she struggled to prise Jamie out of the vibrochair—not because the Doctor had told them not to touch it, but because she dearly wanted to have a go in it herself. ‘Me first!’ she shouted, then gasped as she felt the machine tingle into life, switched on by Jamie’s eager hand, as he relaxed in the chair.
Neither of them noticed that more ice had fallen away from the warrior’s helmet. The power pack’s electrodes were now touching bare metal. Their excited laughter hid the hum which was coming from the prostrate form, and which seemed to be ever increasing in volume.
They didn’t see the eye-pieces of the cruel helmet flicker, nor the reflex twitch of the great, gauntleted hand.
Slowly but surely, the Ice Warrior was coming to life...
3
Creature from the Red Planet
The Doctor had been summoned to Clent’s meeting—
but he hadn’t been told how to get there. Flustered and irritated, his brain almost bursting with the news of the terrible discovery, the Doctor turned a corner and found himself in the main reception hall. He paused, and took a deep breath. This sort of building must be like others of its period. If he could just mentally picture the architectural plans: music room ahead... next to that the ballroom or great hall... to the rear of the house, leading from the great hall...
the library or study. The Doctor opened his eyes, his mind alert. The library—that was it!
The memory of the Ioniser control room, lined with elegant bookcases and splendid antique paintings. echoed in his mind—as did the half-remembered glimpse he had had into the vast room beyond. filled with its banks of computers and monitoring equipment. That’d be the place! Quickly, he orientated himself in line with the room plan he had formed in his head and then set off once again, grimly determined.
His latest discovery about the Ice Warrior was vitally important Clent and the others must be told —and quickly!
In the laboratory, Jamie had at last given Victoria a turn in the sibro-chair. As the almost imperceptible tingling began she closed her eyes and smiled with childish delight. Jamie stood over her, his back to the great block of ice. Neither of them was aware that it had all but completely disintegrated, leaving the body once trapped inside it free and alive.
Suddenly, Victoria opened her eyes, looked past Jamie and screamed. At the same moment, Jamie heard the power pack crash to the floor, and spun round to see what had caused the noise. The massive form of the Ice Warrior was not merely free of the ice block, but was looming over him, hideously threatening! His immediate reaction, keyed by Victoria’s choked scream, was to protect her. Without hesitation, he threw himself against the motionless giant, in a vain attempt to grapple with that immense strength—but he might as well have been a wolf-hound tackling a dinosaur.
With one sweeping blow from its mighty arm, the Ice Warrior knocked him unconscious to the ground.