Read Online Doctor Who: The Ark by Paul Erickson - Free Book Online

that I am aboard.’
    ‘What’s that?’
    ‘Well, from the outside it’s the size of a box, only large enough to contain one, perhaps two, people. But once inside there seems to be room for six – maybe ten – or even more!’
    ‘Ah!’ Dodo exclaimed. ‘Lots of people have been fooled by that. But the explanation is simple...’
    ‘It is?’
    ‘Optical illusion!’ she explained. ‘That’s what the Doctor calls it. And since he owns it he must know what he’s talking about.’
    ‘I... I suppose so,’ Manyak replied, weakly. ‘And these instruments, these machines... ?’
    ‘Oh, don’t ask me about them. He controls them... and in a way that only he knows about! It’s just double-Dutch to me.’ She checked her list again. ‘Well, that’s it. The lot.
    So let’s take it to the Doctor.’
    Manyak nodded and gave her a hand in carrying the items. But before he left he turned back to take one final look round the TARDIS, slowly shaking his head in despair.
    A Guardian was stalking a deer. It had been grazing in the open, but as the Guardian closed in on it, it moved under the cover of some trees. The Guardian followed it, stooping low so as not to startle it. Hearing a slight movement overhead, he glanced up. As he did so a fully grown boa constrictor dropped from the overhanging branches and, in a quick movement, wrapped itself around the Guardian, its muscles tightening as he cried out and attempted to shake himself free.
    To no avail. The grip was vice-like and the Guardian’s flailing arms and legs could find no escape. In mounting terror he cried out again and, after a moment, the Monoid who had accompanied him shuffled up and stood transfixed, staring as the Guardian struggled futilely in the grip of the reptile.
    ‘Help me! For pity’s sake, help me!’
    The reptilian Monoid seemed fascinated by the action of the boa constrictor. By its scaly skin that was so much like its own, by its obvious strength, and by its aggressiveness.
    Then, as the Guardian writhed and was brought to the ground, the Monoid stepped forward, reached out and touched the snake’s head. It started to stroke it, gently, moving its own soled hands along the body, back and forth, caressing it. After a few moments the boa constrictor eased its fierce grip on the Guardian as though having picked up a message from one of its own kind.
    The Guardian felt the grip on his body relaxing and, as soon as he could do so, he pulled himself free and swiftly crawled away out of reach of the snake. He lay on the ground, breathing in great gulps of air. Then, as his senses returned and with them a feeling of safety, he watched, fascinated, as the Monoid continued to stroke and soothe the boa constrictor. After a moment the snake started to weave away, finally returning to the tree and climbing it, its tongue flicking in and out as it disappeared from view.
    The Monoid walked over to where the Guardian lay on the ground. He reached out his hand to help the man to his feet, but for a moment the Guardian resisted the offer, staring guardedly at the Monoid. Again the Monoid thrust his hand forward. This time the man accepted the offer.
    ‘Thank you,’ he said.
     
    The Monoid bowed, then pointed to the deer, which was now grazing a short distance away. The man nodded and they both closed in to capture it.
    The Doctor was in his element, organising his research clinic. Machines to weigh and evaluate, to grind and mix, had been lined up in a factory-like assembly within a long room. On the Doctor’s instructions the whole area, already impeccably clean, had now been sterilised by the use of sharply directed steam jets.
    ‘Primitive,’ he observed. ‘Going back into medical history... but it will have to do for our immediate purposes.’ He picked up some phials that had already been prepared. ‘Oh, I know I’m something of an old quack, but the combination of these samples, together with some plant extracts, a little at a time, should do