Read Online Doctor Who: The Rescue by Ian Marter - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ian Marter
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Who’s he?’
‘But what is it for, Doctor?’
‘No idea,’ the Doctor snapped, removing the torch from under his chin and shining it onto the rings.
There was a long, low rumble from the creature and they heard it dragging itself laboriously away beyond the buttress.
‘The executioner sounds disappointed,’ Ian murmured wryly.
The Doctor grunted, studying the rings through narrowed eyes, his head thrown back and his cheeks sucked in with characteristic concentration. ‘Come along, come along. Give me a hand!’ he ordered abruptly.
‘Barbara could be in grave danger. We have wasted quite enough time as it is.’
‘What shall I do?’ Ian asked, trying to balance on the thin ledge without putting any strain on the ring.
‘Nothing, until I tell you to. Unless I am very much mistaken these rings work in conjunction with one another. It is just a question of working them in the correct sequence,’ the Doctor explained mysteriously. He twisted and turned the first ring like a burglar trying to open a combination lock, pressing his ear against the rock and listening for something. ‘Half a turn clockwise now!’ he cried.
Ian obeyed as best he could without losing his footing.
Nothing seemed to happen.
The Doctor frowned and turned his ring again. ‘Two turns anticlockwise now!’ he commanded.
Ian accomplished the difficult manoeuvre without slipping.
‘And push!’
Ian pushed. The ring eased a little way into its socket.
‘Half a turn anticlockwise again!’
Ian obeyed.
‘And push!’
Ian pushed again. There was a hollow clang inside the rock followed by a grating whirr.
The Doctor grinned in the torchlight. ‘Just a matter of diagonal thinking, Chesterton...’ His grin faded when nothing else happened. ‘Let go of the ring!’ he suddenly shouted.
Ian gaped at him in disbelief. ‘But I’ll fall if I let go.’
The Doctor shook his head tetchily. ‘Not if you just let go for a second,’ he snapped. ‘That’s all I need.’
Steeling himself, Ian released his hands for as long as he dared and then grabbed hold of the ring again. At the same time the Doctor made some delicate adjustments to the first ring as if he were working a complicated key into a lock. The second ring suddenly snapped back into its socket with a bang, almost jerking Ian off the ledge. With a muffled whirring noise the blades and the slab of rock between them slowly retracted against the cavern wall.
‘My coat!’ yelled the Doctor as the nearer row of blades vanished into its niche.
Ian flung out his and and just caught the frock coat as it was pushed off the end of the top blade by the edges of the thin slot housing it.
‘Don’t jerk the ring!’ warned the Doctor as Ian pulled himself back against the wall.
Ian passed the Doctor his coat and pressed himself thankfully against the rock. ‘Well done, Doctor! Let’s hope there aren’t any more nasty little surprises like this in store for us.’
‘The sleeve is torn,’ complained the Doctor, handing Ian the torch and struggling into his trusty garment. ‘What a shame. I’ve hardly worn it.’
Ian smiled to himself and shone the torch ahead. ‘If we use the slots for the blades as hand-holds we should be able to pull ourselves onto the buttress without jerking this confounded ring,’ he suggested. ‘So, come on, Doctor. And don’t touch anything!’
Below them the huge beast dragged itself along the cavern floor frequently stopping to rear up and sniff at the narrow ledge running along the rock wall. Beyond the buttress the ledge angled slightly downwards so that each time the creature stopped, its gnashing jaws chopped at the dank air closer and closer to the hazardous shelf along which Ian and the Doctor were gingerly making their way in search of the cavern entrance.
Soon the prey would be within easy reach!
6
Barbara knelt beside Bennett’s motionless body which lay where it had fallen, half-way between the hatchway and the bunk.
‘But what is it for, Doctor?’
‘No idea,’ the Doctor snapped, removing the torch from under his chin and shining it onto the rings.
There was a long, low rumble from the creature and they heard it dragging itself laboriously away beyond the buttress.
‘The executioner sounds disappointed,’ Ian murmured wryly.
The Doctor grunted, studying the rings through narrowed eyes, his head thrown back and his cheeks sucked in with characteristic concentration. ‘Come along, come along. Give me a hand!’ he ordered abruptly.
‘Barbara could be in grave danger. We have wasted quite enough time as it is.’
‘What shall I do?’ Ian asked, trying to balance on the thin ledge without putting any strain on the ring.
‘Nothing, until I tell you to. Unless I am very much mistaken these rings work in conjunction with one another. It is just a question of working them in the correct sequence,’ the Doctor explained mysteriously. He twisted and turned the first ring like a burglar trying to open a combination lock, pressing his ear against the rock and listening for something. ‘Half a turn clockwise now!’ he cried.
Ian obeyed as best he could without losing his footing.
Nothing seemed to happen.
The Doctor frowned and turned his ring again. ‘Two turns anticlockwise now!’ he commanded.
Ian accomplished the difficult manoeuvre without slipping.
‘And push!’
Ian pushed. The ring eased a little way into its socket.
‘Half a turn anticlockwise again!’
Ian obeyed.
‘And push!’
Ian pushed again. There was a hollow clang inside the rock followed by a grating whirr.
The Doctor grinned in the torchlight. ‘Just a matter of diagonal thinking, Chesterton...’ His grin faded when nothing else happened. ‘Let go of the ring!’ he suddenly shouted.
Ian gaped at him in disbelief. ‘But I’ll fall if I let go.’
The Doctor shook his head tetchily. ‘Not if you just let go for a second,’ he snapped. ‘That’s all I need.’
Steeling himself, Ian released his hands for as long as he dared and then grabbed hold of the ring again. At the same time the Doctor made some delicate adjustments to the first ring as if he were working a complicated key into a lock. The second ring suddenly snapped back into its socket with a bang, almost jerking Ian off the ledge. With a muffled whirring noise the blades and the slab of rock between them slowly retracted against the cavern wall.
‘My coat!’ yelled the Doctor as the nearer row of blades vanished into its niche.
Ian flung out his and and just caught the frock coat as it was pushed off the end of the top blade by the edges of the thin slot housing it.
‘Don’t jerk the ring!’ warned the Doctor as Ian pulled himself back against the wall.
Ian passed the Doctor his coat and pressed himself thankfully against the rock. ‘Well done, Doctor! Let’s hope there aren’t any more nasty little surprises like this in store for us.’
‘The sleeve is torn,’ complained the Doctor, handing Ian the torch and struggling into his trusty garment. ‘What a shame. I’ve hardly worn it.’
Ian smiled to himself and shone the torch ahead. ‘If we use the slots for the blades as hand-holds we should be able to pull ourselves onto the buttress without jerking this confounded ring,’ he suggested. ‘So, come on, Doctor. And don’t touch anything!’
Below them the huge beast dragged itself along the cavern floor frequently stopping to rear up and sniff at the narrow ledge running along the rock wall. Beyond the buttress the ledge angled slightly downwards so that each time the creature stopped, its gnashing jaws chopped at the dank air closer and closer to the hazardous shelf along which Ian and the Doctor were gingerly making their way in search of the cavern entrance.
Soon the prey would be within easy reach!
6
Barbara knelt beside Bennett’s motionless body which lay where it had fallen, half-way between the hatchway and the bunk.
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