Doctor Who: Target - Novelisations [114] - The Ark by Paul Erickson

Author:Paul Erickson
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780426202530
Publisher: Target Books
Published: 1987-03-14T23:00:00+00:00

5

The Return

In the TARDIS, as it journeyed through the cosmos, Dodo was asleep and the Doctor muffled a yawn.

‘Must get some rest myself,’ he mumbled to Steven. ‘So that will leave you in charge. Now, I’ve shown you all the main controls. Keep an eye on them, dear boy; and if anything unusual happens, call me immediately.’

‘Yes, Doctor,’ Steven agreed.

The Doctor settled himself down in a seat, allowing his head to drop back as he dozed off. Steven marvelled at the seemingly non-stop energy of the Doctor; he knew that the so-called ‘rest’ would amount to no more than a cat-nap. It was in this way that the Doctor kept going, whereas he and Dodo required several hours’ sleep in every twenty-four.

Thinking about this, he yawned as he glanced at the main control instruments.

Their readings were steady. For a moment he wondered where they might be heading now… and in which time span. Then the instruments blurred out of focus as he once again muffled a yawn.

It would be his turn to sleep properly when the Doctor and Dodo returned to duty, but Steven was having trouble in staving off the feeling of fatigue that was engulfing him.

Maybe the after-effects of that fever he had experienced on the Ark, he thought; but no, that must be a long way back now, and the TARDIS and the Ark were travelling apart, putting time and distance between them.

It was no good. Steven just had to sit down. He could just as easily watch the instruments from a sitting position and there was no sense in inviting a chance relapse.

As he seated himself, he failed to notice that his sleeve had caught the lever of one of the main instruments and altered its position.

‘Wake up!’ the Doctor snapped.

Steven jerked to full consciousness to find the irate Doctor and Dodo standing over him.

‘Oh… sorry, but I must have dozed off,’ Steven said.

‘Dozed?’ the Doctor demanded. He glanced impatiently at the instruments. ‘According to these we’ve wandered off any kind of target. Heaven knows where we are now!’ He studied the Main Indicator. ‘And according to this we’re about to make a landing!’

Dodo peered over his shoulder. ‘Any idea where, Doctor?’

‘No! Thanks to Steven here we’ve completely lost track.’

‘Sorry, Doctor,’ Steven mumbled.

The Doctor relented, ‘Don’t worry about it, my dear boy. Perhaps it’s my fault, asking you to do too much, too soon.’

There was a shivering motion throughout the TARDIS.

‘Hang on!’ the Doctor cried out. ‘It is a landing!’

Dodo grabbed a console, ‘I’ve never liked this part! We always assume that we’re going to come down on land, but what happens if we end up in the middle of some flipping ocean?’

The Doctor glared at her impatiently. ‘Then we get wet, my dear. Very wet indeed!’

Then the grinding and winding and whirl of machinery ceased as the TARDIS settled down. The Doctor looked again uncertainly at his instruments… then reached forward and operated the exit door lever.

It swung open and Dodo moved toward it. The Doctor caught her sleeve and held her back.

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