10.Take-Off

In Stuart's room Sergeant Benton was trying frantically to raise someone - anyone - on the RT. 'Brigadier, come in please. Greyhound Three, come in . . .Captain Yates, can you you hear me, sir?' hear me, sir?'

Silence.

Benton gave the others a stunned look. 'It's no good, I can't raise them. They must have copped it.'

Inside the little wood there was a scene of devastation. The truck containing the Doctor's TARDIS been blown clear off the road, and the TARDIS lay on its side in a little hollow. The other vehicles were slewed at an angle amongst the trees. Several of the trees had caught fire and there was smoke and flame everywhere.

A solitary farm labourer rumbled up on his tractor and stared at the chaotic scene in amazement. 'What happened then?'

A dazed UNIT sergeant was staggering to his feet. 'Dunno. Some sort of explosion.'

'I know, I heard it,' said the labourer simply. He pushed his cap to the back of his head. 'Funny that! It were just about here one of them doodlebugs come down. Back in 1944 that was . . . '

The Master flicked off his mini-screen. 'You know, I thoroughly enjoyed that.'

'You have destroyed this TARDIS?' asked Krasis in awe.

'Unfortunately it cannot be destroyed. But people can. We'll have no more trouble from them for a while.'

By the time the Doctor, Jo and the Brigadier arrived, UNIT discipline was a.s.serting itself and things were sorting themselves out. The UNIT sergeant had taken command, and those who had escaped unhurt were caring for the wounded and checking the damage to the vehicles.

They found Mike Yates leaning against a scorched land rover. His face was blackened, his clothes were charred and he was bleeding from an ugly scalp wound.

'Now you keep still, Mike, and take it easy,' said the Brigadier. 'You've finished work for the day.'

Mike managed a feeble grin. 'Sorry about the TARDIS, Doctor.'

'Don't worry, Mike. We'll soon have her on her feet again.'

Already a team of UNIT soldiers with ropes was busily hauling the TARDIS into an upright position.

The Doctor drew Jo aside, took the time sensor from Bessie and handed it to her.

'Now, J, I want you to keep a close eye on this. As soon as you see the slightest reaction, you let me know.'

'Right, Doctor.'

The UNIT soldiers had fixed their ropes to the labourer's tractor. At a signal from the sergeant, he began driving forwards. With the unwieldy dignity a drunken dowager, the TARDIS was straightened into an upright position.

Much to his relief, Sergeant Benton had finally managed to raise the Brigadier on his RT. 'Very good sir, I'll stand by. Glad you're all okay, sir. We really thought you'd copped it! Benton out.'

He put down the RT and turned to Ruth and Stuart, who appeared to be in the middle of a blazing row.

"It's a daft idea anyway,' Stuart was saying. 'I've had one basinful, I don't feel much like another. You heard what the Doctor said.'

'For a member of the so-called dominant s.e.x, Stu, you're being remarkably feeble.'

Benton looked amusedly at their angry faces. 'Is this a private fight, or can anyone join in?'

Stuart turned to him as an ally. 'Boadicea here only wants to creep over to the lab and n.o.bble the Master.'

'And supposing the time field is still working?'

'We shan't know that till we try, shall we?' said Ruth crisply.

To Stuart's horror, Benton headed for the door. 'Right then, what are we waiting for?'

'You're worse than she is!' moaned Stuart.

The Master's escape was still very fresh in Benton's mind. 'So you're suggesting we just sit here and let the Master treat us like a load of twits?'

'Look mate, you're paid to play James Bond games. I'm a scientist.'

'Oh, Stu!' said Ruth reproachfully.

He swung round on her. 'And don't you you start! You'd be the first-to clobber me if I mucked it up.' start! You'd be the first-to clobber me if I mucked it up.'

'Well, you could at least have a go,' she said indignantly. 'Oh, why are men so spineless?'

'Look lovey, I'm not men men. I'm Stuart Hyde, registered card-carrying fully paid-up coward!'

Benton and Ruth didn't answer. They just looked at him.

'Don't look at me like that! For Pete's sake!', Still no-one spoke. 'Oh, all right,' said Stuart wearily. 'I'll come.'

'Thanks, Stu,' said Benton solemnly. 'I knew wouldn't let us down.'

Stuart grunted. 'Just give me time, that's all.' He grabbed a giant spanner from a shelf by and waved it martially. 'Well, come on then, what are we waiting for?'

The Master opened the front of the tall green computer cabinet like a door, heaved up the section of TOMt.i.t equipment in which the crystal was set and led the way inside. 'Come, Krasis, we have work to do.'

Nervously Krasis followed.

He was astonished to find himself in a large well-lit chamber - in the centre stood a complex many-sided shape. An altar perhaps, thought Krasis. He looked about him in awe. 'Master, what is this place? Is it a temple?'

The Master put down the equipment and the crystal on a specially prepared table next to the control console. 'Do not let it concern you, Krasis.'

'So vast a s.p.a.ce inside so small a box,' said Krasis wonderingly.

The Master seized his opportunity to keep Krasis thoroughly overawed. 'My power is greater than your imagination can encompa.s.s. You just remember that. Your only interest at the moment is to realise that Atlantis awaits us.' His hands moved over the controls. 'First I must test the power levels.' The console of the Master's TARDIS began throbbing with power. He studied the instruments and in satisfaction. 'Good. A few more minutes and we shall be ready to leave!'

By now the Doctor's TARDIS was standing upright again.

Jo came running up to the Doctor who was standing at the roadside supervising preparations to get his TARDIS back on the road, and then onto the now-repaired truck.

'Doctor, quickly! I'm getting a reading!'

He took the time sensor from her and studied it. 'It's very low,' muttered the Doctor.

'And it's fading again. He must be testing before take-off, the power drain would have been enormous. . .' He raised his voice. 'Brigadier, the Master's on the move again.'

The Brigadier came hurrying up. 'Right, Sergeant, get the Doctor's machine loaded up!'

There's no time for that! I'll have to take-off from down there.'

'I thought your TARDIS still wasn't working?' said Jo.

It isn't, not properly. I intend to use the time sensor as a homing device, and put my TARDIS inside his. Then wherever he goes I'll go with him.'

The Doctor made his way down to the TARDIS with Jo and the Brigadier close behind him. He paused by the TARDIS door. 'Well, goodbye, Lethbridge-Stewart. I'll make contact as soon as possible.'

' We'll We'll make contact as soon as possible,' corrected Jo. make contact as soon as possible,' corrected Jo.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. 'We, Jo?'

'We!'

'Nothing I can say will dissuade you?'

'No.'

'Oh! Well, you'd better come along then!'

The Doctor went inside the TARDIS and Jo followed.

Even when you knew the TARDIS was bigger on the inside than on the outside, thought Jo, the actual experience still continued to be something of a shock.

She looked around her. Something had altered, something about the circular configuration of the walls. 'Doctor, the TARDIS looks different.'

'Oh, just a spot of re-decoration, that's all.' From time to time, the Doctor altered some detail of the TARDIS interior. More often than not he decided he didn't like what he'd done and reverted to the original. Dismissing the subject, the Doctor said seriously, 'Jo, you do realise that what I'm about to do is appallingly dangerous?'

'I've been in the TARDIS with you before.'

'Very well. You've been warned.'

Jo watched while the Doctor studied the still faintly registering time sensor, and made a number of minute adjustments to the controls.

The TARDIS console began humming gently, and the Doctor straightened up. 'The two TARDISes are now operating on the same frequency. Now for the tricky part . . .

This is the time setting. It's critical to the billionth part of a nanosecond, Do you see?'

'No.'

The Doctor sighed. 'If it's infinitesimally low, we'll miss entirely and go whistling off to Heaven-knows-where. If it's too high, by even the tiniest fraction of a moment . . .'

The Doctor slapped his hands together. 'Whoomph! Time Ram! The atoms making up this TARDIS would occupy precisely the same s.p.a.ce and time of those of the Master's TARDIS.'

'But that's impossible!'

'Of course it is. So, what do you think would happen?'

'Whoomph?'

'Exactly. Extinction. Utter annihilation. Still want to come?'

'It's my job, remember?'

'Glad to have you aboard, Miss Grant,' said the Doctor solemnly.

Jo gave him a mock salute. 'Glad to be aboard, Doctor!'

The Doctor grinned and operated the controls, and the TARDIS vanished with its usual wheezing, groaning sound. At the wheel of his tractor, the farm worker watched it dispa.s.sionately. 'Londoners!' he muttered disapprovingly.

Taking a circuitous route through the shrubbery, Benton, Stuart and Ruth worked their way round the building, and then dashed through the arch that led to the Master's lab . . .

In the TARDIS, the centre column of the control console was rising and falling steadily. 'Mmm, yes . . . ' said the Doctor thoughtfully. 'Well, so far, so good!'

'How long will it take us to get there?' asked Jo.

The Doctor rubbed his chin. 'Well, that's the thing. No time at all, really. We're outside time. But, of course, it always seems to take a certain amount of time.

Depends on the mood, I suppose.'

'What, your mood?'

'No, the TARDIS's.'

'You talk as if she was alive, Doctor!'

'Depends what you mean by alive, doesn't it? Take old Bessie, for instance . . . '

The centre column began slowing perceptibly, and the Doctor broke off. 'We're coming in to land already Jo.'

Suddenly a curiously familiar wheezing, groaning sound filled the air - and a large compute cabinet appeared on the other side of the control The Doctor stared at it in dismay. 'Oh dear, oh dear! Well, it was always on the cards, I suppose.'

Suddenly Jo realised what had happened. 'The Master's TARDIS is inside ours, instead of way round!'

'Quite! Very curious effect, that. I don't understand how it happened.'

The Doctor switched on the scanner and found himself gazing into the swirling patterns of the time vortex. 'That's strange . . . Oh no, of course. We're seeing through the TOMt.i.t gap into the time vortex. Wait there, Jo.'

The Doctor strode determinedly through the TARDIS door.

After a moment Jo heard him exclaim, Good grief!' Then he called, 'Jo, come out here a moment will you?'