Read Online Doctor Who: The Space Museum by Glyn Jones - Free Book Online
Authors: Glyn Jones
Ads: Link
heard as well as seen and lowered his voice almost to a whisper. ‘What do we do now?’
‘Well...’ The Doctor pulled at his lips and cleared his throat. ‘Sooner or later the TARDIS is going to be discovered, that is, if it already hasn’t, and they’re going to come looking for us. I suggest we find somewhere to secrete ourselves while we formulate a plan.’ It was obvious from the Doctor’s diction that he was desperately awaiting the arrival of a moment of inspiration and that moment was reluctant to show itself. ‘If we stay here we’ll be caught out in the open, as it were. Yes, I’ll wake the girls,’ he finished lamely.
‘Right.’ Ian nodded and, as the Doctor knelt beside the sleeping Barbara and Vicki, he crossed over to a cabinet to examine its contents. He stood in front of the cabinet and immediately a voice seemed to explode in the room.
‘You are now looking at weapons from the planet Verticulus. They are all based on the laser principle and though somewhat primitive in concept are extremely effective at close range. If you look...’
Ian stepped back, his heel coming down heavily on Barbara’s toe. She let out a gasp and hopped on the other foot, grimacing in pain. ‘Sorry,’ Ian apologised. He hadn’t realised the others had moved up behind him.
‘So that’s how we find out what it is we’re looking at,’ Vicki observed.
‘Yes,’ agreed the Doctor. ‘There is obviously a sensor that reacts to the body’s presence and gives out a commentary.’
‘But it’s in English!’ Vicki cried.
‘There will be an explanation for that,’ the Doctor said.
Ian positioned himself on one side of the cabinet and indicated the opposite side to Barbara. ‘Help me off with the top,’ he ordered.
‘What for?’ Barbara asked, moving into position nevertheless and laying her hands on the lid.
‘You might set off an alarm,’ Vicki warned.
But Ian ignored her advice and he and Barbara removed the top. ‘If they still work,’ Ian explained, ‘At least we’ll be armed. And, if they don’t, we might be able to bluff our way out.’ They laid the lid on the floor and Ian selected a weapon.
‘Nonsense!’ The Doctor said, ‘We’ve got a serious problem on our hands. This is no time to be playing cowboys and Indians.’
‘And we don’t want to get out anyway,’ Barbara added. ‘Do we? At least, not yet.’
‘Well, we can’t stay here, Barbara!’ Vicki almost howled.
‘We’ve got to, Vicki,’ Barbara persisted. ‘We’ve got to break the chain of events, do whatever we have to, to keep ourselves out of those cases.’
‘I can’t see that staying here would stop it!’
‘Leaving here may be just what we’re not supposed to do,’ Barbara explained.
‘I’m afraid, my dear, Barbara’s quite right,’ the Doctor said. But Vicki was not to be convinced.
‘But what if staying here is what we’re not supposed to do?’ she argued. ‘Why don’t we just try and get back to the TARDIS and leave altogether? Then we won’t have to worry at all about being turned into dummies.’
‘It’s a valid argument, Doctor,’ Ian said. ‘It really is a case of six of one, half a dozen of t’other.’
‘Not really,’ Barbara chipped in again, ‘Even if we do escape the planet we would never be quite sure we were really free, or whether we would still be bound by time, and events in time, which would lead us back here and into those glass cases. If we stay we might, at least, be able to reshape the future, turn events to our advantage, make sure we don’t end up like that. Then we could safely leave.’
‘Hmm... It’s quite a problem, quite a problem,’ the Doctor muttered.
‘All right then,’ Vicki said with finality. ‘You decide.’
‘Decide?’ The Doctor looked quite startled. ‘My dear child, it’s as Ian said, six of one and half a dozen of the other. Spinning a coin would be as appropriate as making a decision. Hmm, now let me see...’ The Doctor
‘Well...’ The Doctor pulled at his lips and cleared his throat. ‘Sooner or later the TARDIS is going to be discovered, that is, if it already hasn’t, and they’re going to come looking for us. I suggest we find somewhere to secrete ourselves while we formulate a plan.’ It was obvious from the Doctor’s diction that he was desperately awaiting the arrival of a moment of inspiration and that moment was reluctant to show itself. ‘If we stay here we’ll be caught out in the open, as it were. Yes, I’ll wake the girls,’ he finished lamely.
‘Right.’ Ian nodded and, as the Doctor knelt beside the sleeping Barbara and Vicki, he crossed over to a cabinet to examine its contents. He stood in front of the cabinet and immediately a voice seemed to explode in the room.
‘You are now looking at weapons from the planet Verticulus. They are all based on the laser principle and though somewhat primitive in concept are extremely effective at close range. If you look...’
Ian stepped back, his heel coming down heavily on Barbara’s toe. She let out a gasp and hopped on the other foot, grimacing in pain. ‘Sorry,’ Ian apologised. He hadn’t realised the others had moved up behind him.
‘So that’s how we find out what it is we’re looking at,’ Vicki observed.
‘Yes,’ agreed the Doctor. ‘There is obviously a sensor that reacts to the body’s presence and gives out a commentary.’
‘But it’s in English!’ Vicki cried.
‘There will be an explanation for that,’ the Doctor said.
Ian positioned himself on one side of the cabinet and indicated the opposite side to Barbara. ‘Help me off with the top,’ he ordered.
‘What for?’ Barbara asked, moving into position nevertheless and laying her hands on the lid.
‘You might set off an alarm,’ Vicki warned.
But Ian ignored her advice and he and Barbara removed the top. ‘If they still work,’ Ian explained, ‘At least we’ll be armed. And, if they don’t, we might be able to bluff our way out.’ They laid the lid on the floor and Ian selected a weapon.
‘Nonsense!’ The Doctor said, ‘We’ve got a serious problem on our hands. This is no time to be playing cowboys and Indians.’
‘And we don’t want to get out anyway,’ Barbara added. ‘Do we? At least, not yet.’
‘Well, we can’t stay here, Barbara!’ Vicki almost howled.
‘We’ve got to, Vicki,’ Barbara persisted. ‘We’ve got to break the chain of events, do whatever we have to, to keep ourselves out of those cases.’
‘I can’t see that staying here would stop it!’
‘Leaving here may be just what we’re not supposed to do,’ Barbara explained.
‘I’m afraid, my dear, Barbara’s quite right,’ the Doctor said. But Vicki was not to be convinced.
‘But what if staying here is what we’re not supposed to do?’ she argued. ‘Why don’t we just try and get back to the TARDIS and leave altogether? Then we won’t have to worry at all about being turned into dummies.’
‘It’s a valid argument, Doctor,’ Ian said. ‘It really is a case of six of one, half a dozen of t’other.’
‘Not really,’ Barbara chipped in again, ‘Even if we do escape the planet we would never be quite sure we were really free, or whether we would still be bound by time, and events in time, which would lead us back here and into those glass cases. If we stay we might, at least, be able to reshape the future, turn events to our advantage, make sure we don’t end up like that. Then we could safely leave.’
‘Hmm... It’s quite a problem, quite a problem,’ the Doctor muttered.
‘All right then,’ Vicki said with finality. ‘You decide.’
‘Decide?’ The Doctor looked quite startled. ‘My dear child, it’s as Ian said, six of one and half a dozen of the other. Spinning a coin would be as appropriate as making a decision. Hmm, now let me see...’ The Doctor
Similar Books
