Doctor Who_ The Zarbi - Bill Strutton [45]
‘Let’s hope they leave us alone long enough for me to complete these tests,’ he said to Vicki.
He peered closely at the necklet, puzzled, thoughtful.
Then he appeared to make up his mind. He reached and brought over a small box with a dial on it, graduated, not with figures, but with segments of different colours. He held this near the necklet, watched the needle flicker, took a reading as the needle stopped in a segment of the dial coloured in blue. He jotted down a note on a pad, muttered.
‘Hmm... they are controlled by... that...’
And the Doctor turned his eye towards the Dome now hanging high up on the roof. He looked back at the necklet.
‘... and in turn... control others..’
‘How, Doctor?’ Vicki asked.
Doctor Who straightened, hopeful now, ‘When I know that, my dear, well... sauce for the goose may be... sauce for the gander... I wonder...’
And he beamed mysteriously at a puzzled Vicki, without deigning to explain more.
‘How do you mean?’
‘Shh, child — keep watch on those creatures while I work.’
Now, feverishly, the Doctor opened drawers in the table and selected odd pieces of equipment, transformers, condensers, valves. He began busily connecting these, snipping wires, joining, until he had fashioned a strange electronic contraption and concentrated on connecting it by wire with the wishbone necklet.
Then, with an eye on the Zarbi, the Doctor moved around the table, unhooked the leads connecting it to Tardis and its power system — and plugged these into the strange circuit he had built.
He paused, his hand hovering doubtfully over the contraption’s switch. He cast a look back towards the ship.
‘Now we know the Tardis is an opposing force to the power in this Headquarters... that’s why that gun kicked back. Question is — which force is the stronger...?’
Vicki eyed the necklet, the small circlet of gold which had already shown such power. She said uncertainly, ‘What would happen if... this force here, the Zarbi’s... is stronger...?’
Doctor Who shrugged a little uneasily. ‘Then I’m afraid the ship’s mechanism will be ruined — ruined. However, we have no choice. Stand back, Vicki...’
Abruptly he pressed down the switch.
There was a crackle, a small sharp flash from the necklet.
Doctor Who looked pleased. He paused, then snatched up the necklet in his bare hands. ‘Look — harmless! I’ve done it.’ He chuckled and slipped the necklet back on to the table.
But the sound had alerted the Zarbi. They chirruped, and one of their number over at the control panel came scurrying towards Doctor Who and Vicki.
At the sight of the creature bearing down on her Vicki lost her head a little. She snatched up the recorder and showed it.
‘It was... nothing... just... a, uh... fuse on one of our instruments...’
Doctor Who stared in dismay. He snatched the precious recorder as the Zarbi reached for it and slipped it into a pocket. The central Dome was descending from the roof and the Zarbi, in the act of seizing Doctor Who turned, sighted the Dome, and obediently thrust the Doctor reeling towards it.
The Voice was booming already before it closed over his silvery head. It was thundering menacingly, ‘... ample time to complete your findings-ings!... Report-ort...!!’
‘They are not yet complete,’ the Doctor lied calmly.
‘That is a reply you constantly use-se!’ The Voice raged.
‘No doubt your creatures reported the explosion — a defect on my instruments due to this continual force interference! Blame your own power for these delays, for having to wait, not me...!
Vicki could see Doctor Who inside the Dome but could not hear the words with which the old man tried to keep bluffing his questioner. What alarmed Vicki was the sight of the Zarbi who now turned and scurried for the control panel, where it chirruped messages into a speaker. The central light of the web glowed hugely in answer — and then went out.
Inside the Dome an ominous silence now fell. The Voice did not answer Doctor Who’s protestations. He fidgeted and snapped, ‘so if you want our help, I repeat —
turn off your