Doctor Who: Target - Novelisations [154] - The Power of the Daleks by John Peel

Author:John Peel
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780426203537
Publisher: Target Books
Published: 1991-05-14T22:00:00+00:00

17

When I Say Run. Run Like a Rabbit

Ben glanced about the empty medical room blankly. ‘I don’t understand it, Doctor,’ he said. ‘Polly was definitely going off to look for you.’

The Doctor looked about with little interest. ‘Well, I was with Lesterson all the time till you came and got me for this silly medical. Polly never came for me.’

Ben nodded. ‘So I was sure she must have come back here. But there’s no sign of her, is there?’

‘Nor of Thane, either.’ the Doctor said. ‘I do so hate being kept waiting by doctors. Still, maybe we can make the best of a bad situation. Why don’t we run the tests on me ourselves and leave Thane a note of the results?’

Trying to ignore his worry about Polly, Ben led the Doctor over to the diagnostic machine. ‘It’s quite simple,’ he explained, demonstrating it. ‘You just stand on the platform and hold the handles. The instruments monitor your heartbeat, breathing and the rest.’ He nodded at the small panel in the centre of the machine. ‘It all shows up there.’

The Doctor peered at the rend-outs with interest. ‘Oh, this looks like fun.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Judging by these figures, you’re in excellent condition. Almost as fit as I am!’

‘I should think so,’ Ben laughed.

‘Come on, get down.’ the Doctor said, waving his hand.

‘Let me have a go.’

‘Anyone’d think it was a toy,’ said Ben, relinquishing his place.

The Doctor hopped up on it and gripped the handles firmly. ‘Does it have a kick-start’?’ he asked.

There was a howl from the central panel, and Ben bent to examine it. ‘No, but according to these figures, you should have! It looks like you’re dead!’

‘Don’t be silly. I haven’t felt this fit in five centuries.’

The Doctor peered rather myopically at the read-outs. ‘Oh, of course! It’s calibrated for humans, isn’t it? I must be giving it something of a mechanical nervous breakdown.’

‘I’ll say.’ Ben shook his head. ‘Well, we can’t leave those readings for Thane. She might want to have you buried. We’d better make some up.’

The Doctor glared at the machine as he clambered off it.

‘I assure you, Ben, I’m as fit as a man of a tenth of my age.’

‘Yeah, but if you’re over seven hundred and fifty years old, that’s not saying much, is it?’ Ben finished making his notes, and then his mind went back to his primary worry.

‘I wonder what’s happened to her?’

The Doctor’s mind also returned to the subject that was causing him the most concern. ‘Ben, if you were a Dalek, what would your next move be?’

‘What about Polly?’ Ben insisted.

‘Polly?’ The Doctor shook his head. ‘No, she’s a bright girl, but I don’t think she could predict –’

‘She’s missing,’ Ben said, sighing.

‘Oh, I hardly think so,’ the Doctor replied. ‘She’s probably looking for more information to get Quinn out of jail. You know how single-minded she can get.’

‘Then she should be simple to find,’ Ben answered.

‘Come on.’ He grabbed the Doctor’s arm, dragging him towards the door.

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