do?’
Doctor Who shrugged, faintly pleased with himself. ‘I asked them to turn off their power. Told them there was interference...’
‘Is there?’ Ian asked.
‘Some... some,’ the Doctor admitted. He smiled again.
‘But not as much as I made them think. Ah, here we go again!’
The Dome was coming down. Doctor Who strode through the now-bustling Zarbi and stood, waiting. The Voice began as soon as the Dome covered the doctor’s ears.
‘I will close down certain machinery in the vicinity of your instruments! If you try to take advantage of this —
you will all die!’
Before Doctor Who could reply the Dome vanished again skyward, towards the ceiling. He looked around.
Abruptly, the web indicator lights on the control panel blanked out.
Then the large-scale segment of web, its wedge-shaped outline ablaze with tiny light buttons, faded and went dead.
The dials on the control room wall ebbed slowly down to zero. As they did so Ian stared in surprise at the effect of all this on their Zarbi guards. One of the Zarbi at the control panel slumped lazily forward and leaned its upper quarters tiredly against the controls. The luminous glare of its eyes faded and blanked out, too.
Doctor Who was too busy to pay attention to these strange happenings.
At the turn of a switch his astral map came alive. Planets and satellites winked clearly into sight on its glowing grid around the large central shape of the planet on which they had landed. Doctor Who stared intently, measuring off distances on the grid and muttering excitedly to himself.
‘It is... yes, it is — the planet Vortis! And the satellites
— they must be new ! They must be...!
He continued to manipulate switches and to measure, calculate. Ian turned to look at the Zarbi nearest them.
Two of these had slumped to the floor. Their glaring eyes had dimmed and their legs waved feebly, idly tracing patterns on the floor. They appeared to have lost all interest in the proceedings. Another Zarbi lurched tiredly across the floor to join his companions, slumped and dazed at the control table.
‘Doctor — look... over there...!’
But Doctor Who was too intent on his astral map. He worked feverishly, turning new switches and orientating the astral map to light up new quarters in the skies around this planet, Vortis.
Suddenly he exclaimed, ‘Ah!’
‘But doctor, the Zarbi...!’
Doctor Who ignored him. Staring at the astral map, he said triumphantly, ‘They’ve good reason to believe their planet is being invaded! It is , my boy! It is ! Look!’
Ian joined him. Doctor Who was pointing at the large circular blob in the centre of the astral map.
‘Vortis,’ he said. Then his finger moved to where a cluster of faint pinpoints blinked faintly. ‘Watch there!’ he muttered.
The pinpoints were moving, very slowly — towards Vortis.
‘What is it — an advance wave?’
Doctor Who nodded. ‘Almost certainly!’
Ian stared for a moment, until a movement from Vicki made him turn, alarmed. Vicki had crossed cautiously to where one of the Zarbi lay almost motionless. She was reaching out her hand to take up one of the gold wishbone necklets. He leaped towards her.
‘Vicki — don’t touch them!’
It was too late. Vicki was holding up the gold slave necklet and showing it to him. She smiled delightedly.
‘It’s all right! They don’t work any more! See!
Doctor...!’
Doctor Who looked briefly, nodded. ‘Quite so, child.
This whole section is immoblized, you see. Look at their controls. All lights out. All indicators at zero.’
‘No power!’ Ian said. ‘Nothing to interfere with the ship! We could take off, couldn’t we?’
Doctor Who inclined his head. ‘I daresay we could – if we wished. But... do we?’
Ian considered that. His face fell. ‘I forgot,’ he mumbled. ‘No. We can’t. Not without... Barbara.’
‘Quite.’
Ian looked at the immobile Zarbi. ‘But look – if I was to get out of here, while all
Doctor Who shrugged, faintly pleased with himself. ‘I asked them to turn off their power. Told them there was interference...’
‘Is there?’ Ian asked.
‘Some... some,’ the Doctor admitted. He smiled again.
‘But not as much as I made them think. Ah, here we go again!’
The Dome was coming down. Doctor Who strode through the now-bustling Zarbi and stood, waiting. The Voice began as soon as the Dome covered the doctor’s ears.
‘I will close down certain machinery in the vicinity of your instruments! If you try to take advantage of this —
you will all die!’
Before Doctor Who could reply the Dome vanished again skyward, towards the ceiling. He looked around.
Abruptly, the web indicator lights on the control panel blanked out.
Then the large-scale segment of web, its wedge-shaped outline ablaze with tiny light buttons, faded and went dead.
The dials on the control room wall ebbed slowly down to zero. As they did so Ian stared in surprise at the effect of all this on their Zarbi guards. One of the Zarbi at the control panel slumped lazily forward and leaned its upper quarters tiredly against the controls. The luminous glare of its eyes faded and blanked out, too.
Doctor Who was too busy to pay attention to these strange happenings.
At the turn of a switch his astral map came alive. Planets and satellites winked clearly into sight on its glowing grid around the large central shape of the planet on which they had landed. Doctor Who stared intently, measuring off distances on the grid and muttering excitedly to himself.
‘It is... yes, it is — the planet Vortis! And the satellites
— they must be new ! They must be...!
He continued to manipulate switches and to measure, calculate. Ian turned to look at the Zarbi nearest them.
Two of these had slumped to the floor. Their glaring eyes had dimmed and their legs waved feebly, idly tracing patterns on the floor. They appeared to have lost all interest in the proceedings. Another Zarbi lurched tiredly across the floor to join his companions, slumped and dazed at the control table.
‘Doctor — look... over there...!’
But Doctor Who was too intent on his astral map. He worked feverishly, turning new switches and orientating the astral map to light up new quarters in the skies around this planet, Vortis.
Suddenly he exclaimed, ‘Ah!’
‘But doctor, the Zarbi...!’
Doctor Who ignored him. Staring at the astral map, he said triumphantly, ‘They’ve good reason to believe their planet is being invaded! It is , my boy! It is ! Look!’
Ian joined him. Doctor Who was pointing at the large circular blob in the centre of the astral map.
‘Vortis,’ he said. Then his finger moved to where a cluster of faint pinpoints blinked faintly. ‘Watch there!’ he muttered.
The pinpoints were moving, very slowly — towards Vortis.
‘What is it — an advance wave?’
Doctor Who nodded. ‘Almost certainly!’
Ian stared for a moment, until a movement from Vicki made him turn, alarmed. Vicki had crossed cautiously to where one of the Zarbi lay almost motionless. She was reaching out her hand to take up one of the gold wishbone necklets. He leaped towards her.
‘Vicki — don’t touch them!’
It was too late. Vicki was holding up the gold slave necklet and showing it to him. She smiled delightedly.
‘It’s all right! They don’t work any more! See!
Doctor...!’
Doctor Who looked briefly, nodded. ‘Quite so, child.
This whole section is immoblized, you see. Look at their controls. All lights out. All indicators at zero.’
‘No power!’ Ian said. ‘Nothing to interfere with the ship! We could take off, couldn’t we?’
Doctor Who inclined his head. ‘I daresay we could – if we wished. But... do we?’
Ian considered that. His face fell. ‘I forgot,’ he mumbled. ‘No. We can’t. Not without... Barbara.’
‘Quite.’
Ian looked at the immobile Zarbi. ‘But look – if I was to get out of here, while all
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