Doctor Who_ The Ice Warriors - Brian Hayles [4]
‘It isn’t the seismograph programme that’s at fault,’ Jan replied sharply. ‘It’s the Ioniser. We are still on Phase One alert, remember!’
‘My dear Miss Garrett, that is being taken care of by the computer.’
Clent’s words were lost beneath the jagged urgency of the computer public address system. Without waiting for the message to end, Clent and Jan made straight for the Ioniser Room.
‘ Emergency, emergency—Phase Two, Amber Alert! Amber Alert! Emergency, emergency! ’
Cleat reached the Ioniser controls first—Jan read the disaster signs from a distance. Every monitor was flickering on the verge of red—the next step, bar a miracle, would be total breakdown. Clent switched the controls over to manual, and began fighting to raise the power levels even fractionally from danger. Jan stared in despair at the elegant machine.
‘We’ve failed,’ she whispered.
‘We will not fail!’ clipped out Leader Clent. ‘The glaciers haven’t beaten us yet!’
‘What more can we do? Inside two hours, the Ioniser will be useless! The whole European programme of glacier containment will be in ruins!’
‘Not while I’m in command!’ Clent, eyes fixed on the flickering needles, was adjusting the controls like a madman.
‘The glaciers will start to move again,’ she murmured sadly, glancing towards the electronic map. ‘Five thousand years of history gushed beneath a moving mountain of ice...’
‘Not yet, Miss Garrett. We’re not finished yet!’ Clent exclaimed triumphantly.
She glanced at the improved readings, and breathed a sigh of relief. But how long would it last? Clent indicated that she should take over the controls. In the near distance, the computer warning chimed on.
‘ Phase Two, amber alerts All unauthorised personnel prepare to evacuate! ’
Clent punched a communication switch and spoke firmly:
‘Personnel Control—advance that evacuation order. I want all unnecessary people cleared from Base. Only the emergency skeleton staff to remain. All senior grade scientists to report to me in control. Effect immediately!’
His determination had infected Jan, and she didn’t hesitate to speak her mind.
‘Penley could handle this. We need experts like him—’
‘Don’t talk to me about experts and their crazy ideas!’
He paused, frowning. ‘Where’s Arden?’
‘He’s still at the ice face—completing the instrumentation project...’
‘Hasn’t he been warned?’ demanded Clent in alarm. ‘I gave you explicit instructions—’
‘I couldn’t get through. Conditions on the ice face made video contact impossible.’
‘Miss Garrett,’ snapped Clent, ‘you have an unhappy habit of giving up, haven’t you? I need Arden—here! Trained men are vital to our survival!’
The computer warning system had changed pitch, and carried a new urgency. ‘ Emergency, Phase Two evacuation. Key personnel Only to remain. Red alert to follow! ’
Clent switched the communicator to UHF frequency.
‘Leader Clent to Scientist Arden. Come in, Arden! For heaven’s sakes, man—answer l’
The videoscreen that should have carried Arden’s image was blank. Clent repeated his call—but quickly realised it was hopeless. He moved quickly back to Miss Garrett’s side.
‘Hold it it hatever you do,’ Clent insisted harshly.
‘It’s slipping again. I can just about hold it by keeping it on manual... but the time interval between pulse loss is decreasing.’ She looked at Clent calmly, almost resigned. ‘It’s not far from total disintegration...’
‘Hold on, Miss Garrett,’ commanded Clent quietly, ‘hold on. And try everything you know!’
It was the closest thing to a prayer that Clent could manage.
The battered blue box lay toppled on its side, half-buried in a snowdrift. Seconds previously, the snow had been disturbed only by the keen sifting of the wind; then, to the accompaniment of a strange groaning rattle, the blue box had slowly materialised from a vaguely transparent shadow into solid blue reality. What would normally have been its door was now its lid. The lid opened, and from the box popped the head of what looked like a dazed jack-in-the-box. With its puckish features, tousled hair