Doctor Who_ The Tomorrow Windows Part 9

The Doctor stepped forward. 'Jadrack, wait '

Jadrack worked his way along the front of the box, twisting each k.n.o.b in turn with his clawlike hands. 'No. Let the final countdown commence '

'Let's be reasonable about this '

'No more listening!' spat Jadrack. 'Guards, if the Doctor moves, kill him.

And him,' he pointed at Fitz, 'and him,' he pointed at Charlton. Jadrack flicked a final switch, and some digital numerals appeared on the box's screen. Their red glow lent the room a sinister, womblike appearance.

The clock read 59.59 59.59.

'The end is nigh!' Jadrack announced, his eyes glistening with insanity. 'G.o.d has been summoned summoned!'

50.At the door, I listen as the Doctor, Fitz and Charlton Mackerel are marched out of Jadrack's room. A door slams after them, and all I can hear is a faint clicking and Jadrack's demented giggling.

Martin has overheard the conversation too. He ruffles a hand through his hair and adjusts his spectacles. 'Well, that's that then. Nothing more to be done here.'

I can't believe what I'm hearing. 'Nothing to be done? He's blowing up the planet!'

'Trixie Trix, don't you see, that's his choice to make? We must respect these people's beliefs, however strange they may seem to us.'

'I said, Martin Martin, "he's blowing up the planet!"'

'We can't impose our western spiral arm values on to these people. This is a Grade 1 listed planet.'

'Well, it won't be for much longer.'

'There's nothing we can do. This is not a "right and wrong" situation.'

I put my hands over my face. I can't forget the image of the nursery. 'How can you say say that?' that?'

'How they treat their children is their own business. We can't gel involved.'

Of all the condescending, apologist c.r.a.p! 'Won't Galactic Heritage mind this planet being reduced to a cinder?'

'If it's by the actions of its own inhabitants, there's nothing they can do.'

Martin reaches out a hand. He thinks he's comforting me. 'I'm sorry.'

'Get lost.'

Martin looks at me with his wide, doleful eyes, then reaches into his pocket.

He holds the tele-door handle in front of him and slides it open, creating a rectangle in mid air.

'You don't want to come with me?' he says.

'I'm going to find the Doctor.'

Martin steps through the door. 'I'll see you again.'

'No you won't.'

'I'm not the villain here, you know.' Martin slides the door shut. It vanishes.

'"Don't take that, it's valuable"?' muttered Fitz. 'They wouldn't have taken it if you hadn't said that!'

Before being placed in the cell, the guards had ordered the Doctor, Fitz and Charlton to empty their pockets. One by one, the Doctor's eccentric belong-ings had acc.u.mulated on the table, the guards examining them. Only when Charlton refused to give up the handle to his tele-door had they become suspicious.

Charlton sat on the bench, pretending the floor was of great interest. 'I'm new at this. Not my fault.'

51.The Doctor paced about the dank room. 'We have to find some way of stopping the countdown.'

'So you're with me?' Charlton's head lifted. 'You agree, we should prevent these planets being destroyed?'

'I think it's obvious that you need our help.'

'I'll say,' muttered Fitz. 'Did you really think your mini-Window thing would convince him? Unbelievable.'

'Fitz, I'm sure Charlton is aware of the shortcomings of his approach. Some people are, I'm afraid, not open to argument. No matter how persuasive. Like ostriches, they stick their heads in the sand.'

'Ostriches don't actually do that,' said Charlton.

'Venusian ones do.' The Doctor grinned. 'What a peculiar thing to remember. . . The metal seas of Venus. . . '

' Meanwhile Meanwhile,' said Fitz, 'this planet is about to explode and we're locked up.

How are we gonna get out?'

'Yes.' The Doctor sat down beside Charlton. 'There is the rather insoluble problem of the locked door.'

They remained in silence for a few moments before Charlton spoke.

'Couldn't we escape, I don't know, through a ventilation shaft?'

The Doctor sighed and said to Charlton, 'There isn't a ventilation shaft.' He pointed to the ceiling, where there wasn't a ventilation shaft.

'Oh,' said Charlton. 'Good point. Right. Righty-ho Righty-ho. Er. . . maybe if we sc.r.a.ped away at the wall, we could tunnel out?'

'An excellent suggestion. Though one that fails to take into account the fact that we only have half an hour.'

'Well, you think of something! You're the experts!'

Keys rattled and the cell door swung open to reveal a robed figure, its face hidden beneath its hood.

'Maybe we could overpower him. . . ' whispered Charlton.

'I don't think that will be necessary.' The Doctor lifted the guard's cowl.

'h.e.l.lo, Trix. You can't imagine how pleased I am to see you.'

Trix gave the Doctor a mock-smug pout. 'I thought I'd rescue you, for a change.'

Fitz hugged her. 'I thought you might be dead '

'Good for you that I'm not,' she said.

'Trix,' said the Doctor, 'are there any guards out there?'

'No, they've all gone off to some big service. Apart from the one I knocked unconscious. He's not going anywhere.'

'Excellent.' The Doctor patted her arms and strode to the door. 'Now, we need to somehow stop the countdown.'

52.'Didn't he say once it had been started it couldn't be halted?' said Fitz as he followed the Doctor into the corridor. At the end of the corridor was the guard room, where a robed figure lay slumped across his desk.

'Well, yes, but we have to try.' The Doctor spotted the basket, upturned it over the desk, and tossed Charlton his tele-door handle. 'Look after it, Charlton. It's valuable.' He returned his sonic screwdriver and radiation detector to his pockets. 'Now. . . I think we should get something to eat!'

Jadrack was whacking himself on the bottom when the Doctor strode into his chamber, followed by Trix, Fitz and Charlton. He halted indignantly, dropping his plank of wood. 'What are you '

'h.e.l.lo,' said the Doctor. 'I've come to save the world.'

Jadrack scuttled over to his detonator and draped himself over it. 'No! I won't let you!'

'Get away from the box, Jadrack.'

'Never!'

The Doctor sighed, and nodded to his companions. At his signal, they each held up the bowls they had brought from the kitchens. Each one contained a steamy, milky liquid.

'What ' sputtered Jadrack.

'Grunt soup,' said the Doctor. 'Unless you do exactly as I say, my friends are going to start drinking it.'

'But it is forbidden!'

'Fitz,' cued the Doctor. Fitz filled a spoon and raised it to his lips.

'No!' Jadrack released the box and straightened up.

'Move into the corner,' the Doctor ordered him. 'Any sudden movements and it's hors d'oeuvres hors d'oeuvres. My friends here are very hungry and once they've started they won't stop until they've licked the bowls clean.'

'None may sup the sacred soup!' Jadrack protested as he backed away, his body quivering with anger.

'Stay there.' The Doctor crouched down beside the detonator, tugging back his cuffs. 'If you try anything, we've brought you some too. You look like you could do with a good square meal. . . '

Fitz handed Trix his bowl, and rushed to the Doctor's side. The clock now read 02.23 02.23. They didn't have much time left.

The Doctor sonic-unscrewed the last of the screws holding the detonator's lid, and Fitz jammed his fingers into the gap. The lid slid off with a clatter.

The box contained dusty, cobweb-coated wires. The digital clock wasn't even connected to anything.

'I'm afraid I wasn't entirely honest with you earlier,' boasted Jadrack from the corner of the room, 'when I said that it sent an electric pulse down the 53 wire at the end end of the hour. I mean, if that were the case, it would be possible for us to save ourselves by unplugging the timer, wouldn't it?' of the hour. I mean, if that were the case, it would be possible for us to save ourselves by unplugging the timer, wouldn't it?'

'What?' The Doctor gasped.

'We wouldn't need a miracle. G.o.d would see through our deceit, and wouldn't have to return.'

The Doctor was staring at Jadrack, appalled.

'So instead,' Jadrack bragged, 'the electric pulse was sent down the wire when the countdown started started. The timer delay mechanism is at the other end, where the bombs are! And, as there are several thousand of them spread out over the planet's surface, it is impossible to deactivate them all! Unless,' he added hopefully, 'you are G.o.d?'

Fitz glanced at the clock. It was now 01.10 01.10. 'Doctor '

The Doctor straightened up, rubbing his lips. 'It seems there is nothing we can do. This world is. . . doomed.'

'No, it isn't,' muttered Jadrack petulantly 01.00.'Can't you, I don't know, reverse the polarity?' said Trix.

'I'm afraid that wouldn't do any good.' The Doctor gave her a hug, then released her. 'We must leave. Charlton?'

Charlton nodded and slid open a tele-door. Through it appeared the research station corridor.

Fitz took Trix's hand as they stepped through the tele-door.

'That's right, go!' spat Jadrack. 'Good riddance.'

The Doctor hesitated in the tele-doorway. 'You stupid, stupid fools,' he said, and the door slid shut, vanis.h.i.+ng into thin air.

00.30.

Grigbsy sprinted into the chamber and bowed before Jadrack, clasping his knees as he recovered his breath.

'What is it? Has G.o.d returned?' asked Jadrack. 'Has he come back?' Grigbsy shook his head. 'No sign yet.' He looked up at Jadrack. 'He's cutting it a bit fine, isn't he?'

00.20.

'G.o.d is testing our faith,' said Jadrack. 'We must not doubt him.'

'I realise that.' Grigbsy noticed the discarded bowls of soup on the floor.

'But there's only a few seconds left. . . '

00.10.

'G.o.d will come.' Jadrack closed his eyes.

'I'm just saying, it would be nice if he didn't have to leave it to the last possible moment.