The
Olympian Experiment
by
Robin
Gordon
Episode
6: The Sacred Flame
SCENE
76 (continued)
ZEUS:
I will answer your question, but you must be brave. In
entering
the Trojan zone the Doctor committed a very serious offence.
He
broke the first law of the Time Lords and short-circuited our own
time-scale. For this offence he was tried by Council
itself. He was found guilty and condemned to death.
The
execution was carried out at once.
Athene
folds back the cloth covering what appeared to be a table in the centre
of the room. It is a bier upon which is lying the body of the
Doctor. Sarah bursts into uncontrollable weeping.
ZEUS:
Don’t cry, my child. He didn’t
suffer. Council
took into to account all he did on Circe and assigned him the sweetest
possible death – the death that very old Time Lords choose
when
their bodies have been regenerated many times and they feel they have
lived long enough. All they did was to send him to sleep and
to
neutralise his body’s cell-renewal mechanism.
He’ll
enjoy pleasant dreams for a few short hours, and then …
well,
then he’ll just slide peacefully into death.
SARAH:
You
mean … he’s still alive?
ZEUS:
Don’t raise your hopes, my child. There can be no
appeal
against decisions of Council. There is no way of arresting
his
death.
Sarah
weeps again.
ZEUS:
I am deeply sorry, but the law must remain inviolate. Your
tears
cannot bring him back. Please try to compose
yourself. I
shall try to be as brief as possible – I think we can
dispense
with further evidence – but we must now decide what is to be
done
with you.
SARAH:
I
don’t care!!
ZEUS:
On the Doctor’s own evidence, he, and he alone was
responsible
for the incursion of the Tardis into the Trojan Zone. You,
Sarah
Jane Smith, were an innocent passenger. Since you are a Human
and
unfamiliar both with the principles of Time travel and the laws of the
Time Lords, you cannot be held responsible. As for you Odysseus,
King of Ithaca, you and your companions have been the victims of an
illicit experiment carried out by … a former member of
Council. The Doctor has pointed out that both of you have
undergone considerable suffering and the court agrees that you should
be compensated as far as is possible.
You will be glad to know that your suffering has not been in
vain. As a direct result of the Doctor’s
intervention
Council has banned forever all experimentation with less developed
intelligent life-forms.
The force-field delimiting the Trojan Zone will be
strengthened
to prevent further accidental entrance by an unwary Time
Lord.
For technical reasons no Time Lord can erect the final aerial to
complete the circuit, and therefore, Odysseus, we must call on your
service one last time. You will be told later where to place
the
aerial, which is no larger than an oar or a winnowing fan.
But do not fear that we shall cheat you. You shall
have
your reward first. Athene has been given permission by
Council to
assist you to win back your wife and your home; and, to compensate you
for the loss of the gold you won at Troy, we’ll make you
richer
than ever by giving you the treasure hidden by other warriors who
perished before they could reclaim their hoards.
But as for Sarah Jane Smith, I fear that nothing can console
her for the loss of her friend.
SARAH
[defiantly]:
Nothing!
ZEUS:
All
we can do is to send you home to your own time. You may keep
the blue crystal.
SARAH:
I don’t want it! All I want is the
Doctor’s
life! He saved you
as much as anybody. If it hadn’t
been for him you would have become as bad as the Circeans.
ZEUS:
His
memory will be honoured forever in the records of Council, but the Law
must take its course.
SARAH
[to
Athene]:
What about you?
You’re his mother.
Don’t you care
if he dies?
ATHENE:
He
has been judged according to the Law. We must obey.
Sarah
collapses into tears.
ATHENE:
Zeus, as next of kin, I have charge of my son’s
body. I ask
that it be committed to the care of Sarah Jane Smith, so that she may
return with it to her own time, stay with him to the end and lay him to
rest in this world, which he loved.
ZEUS:
We grant that request. It is a kind thought. Sarah
may
arrange her friend’s funeral. You, Athene, may
observe
until all is done, but you must not communicate with Sarah after she
leaves the Olympos. When it is all over, you most return
home, as
we all must, for selective amnesia therapy. Court will
adjourn.
They
begin to go out. Athene and Odysseus guide Sarah.
* *
*
SCENE
77
The
Tardis. Sarah, Odysseus and Athene have laid the Doctor on
the bunk.
ATHENE:
The Tardis is still linked to the controls of the Aegis.
I’ll guide you back to your own time and then relinquish
control. Farewell Sarah Jane Smith.
Sarah
does not reply. Odysseus and Athene go out. Athene
pauses at the door.
ATHENE
[solemnly]:
I know you will keep the Sacred Flame, of his memory alive.
Athene
goes out. A moment later the doors close and the Tardis takes
off.
* *
*
SCENE
78
The
Doctor’s laboratory at UNIT HQ. The Tardis
lands. Sarah staggers out. Harry enters the
laboratory.
HARRY:
Doctor? Ah, I thought I heard you arrive
…
What’s up, old girl? Not feeling too grand?
SARAH:
Oh,
Harry, he’s... he’s dead!
Harry
looks towards the Tardis, understands who she means and tries to
comfort her.
HARRY:
There, there, old girl. It happens to us all in the
end. You just have a good cry.
Sarah
cries.
HARRY:
Is
he … in there?
SARAH:
Mmmmmh.
HARRY:
Perhaps I ought to take a look at him.
Sarah
cries and clings to him.
HARRY:
Well I am
a doct … er … a medic.
The
telephone rings.
HARRY:
Excuse me, old girl.
He
disengages himself from her to answer the phone.
HARRY:
Hallo. The Doctor’s laboratory … No,
it’s Sullivan,
Sir … Yes, it was the Tardis … Well, no
…
well, it seems he’s dead, Sir … Yes, Sir.
He
puts the phone down.
HARRY:
Chin up, old girl. The Brig’s coming
down. In the meantime I’d better take a look at him.
Harry
enters the Tardis. Sarah follows.
* *
*
SCENE
79
Inside
the Tardis. The Doctor is lying on the bunk. Harry
examines him. Sarah watches.
HARRY:
Not
much doubt about that. He’s a goner.
BRIGADIER
[from
outside]:
Sullivan! Where the devil are you?
HARRY:
Coming, Sir.
Harry
and Sarah go out.
* *
*
SCENE
80
The
Doctor’s laboratory. The Brigadier. Harry
and Sarah come out of the Tardis.
BRIGADIER:
Well?
HARRY
[shrugging
hopelessly]:
I’m afraid it’s hopeless, Sir.
The
Brigadier strides into the Tardis. Sarah and Harry follow.
* *
*
SCENE
81
Inside the
Tardis. The
Brigadier looks at the Doctor. Sarah and Harry come in behind
him.
BRIGADIER:
Cause of death?
HARRY:
Don’t know, Sir. Not a mark on him.
SARAH:
It
was the Time Lords. They just stopped him living.
They just took away his power to go on living.
HARRY:
Like voodoo?
BRIGADIER:
Don’t be ridiculous, Sullivan.
HARRY:
But it’s a known fact, Sir. Voodoo priests just
tell a man
he’s got a curse on him and he’s going to die, and
he does
die.
BRIGADIER:
We’re dealing with Time Lords, Sullivan, not primitive
savages. Now, Miss Smith, explain slowly and clearly exactly
what
happened.
SARAH:
Well … well … we were in the Trojan Zone and the
gods
found out only they were Time Lords and Odysseus was sent to Circe and
we followed because of Athene, she’s his mother, the
Doctor’s I mean not Odysseus’s, only the Circeans
were
trying to build spaceships to conquer the Seven Galaxies, and they used
us
only we
got free because of the crystal the Doctor gave me, not this
Doctor, I mean the other one, except he’s
him
too, and we smashed
the Eye and escaped with Daleks and destroyed the ship, but the
Forkiads caught us and the crystal freed the Polyfemos and we went back
to Greece and Odysseus went home with gold but … but they
executed the Doctor for short-circuiting the time-scale.
BRIGADIER:
Do you know what she’s talking about, Sullivan?
HARRY:
No, Sir. It seems to be something about Odysseus.
Wasn’t he the man that built the wooden horse and put out the
eye
of the Cyclops?
SARAH:
That’s right. We smashed the Cyclopic Eye
… Don’t you believe me?
BRIGADIER:
Don’t worry, Miss Smith. You've had a very trying
time. You’ll feel better when you’ve had
a rest.
Sarah
rushes out in exasperation.
BRIGADIER:
Look after her, will you, Sullivan? Try to keep her out of
the way until the official autopsy is done.
HARRY:
Is
that really necessary, Sir? I mean … [He gestures
towards
the Doctor] … two
hearts and all that
…
BRIGADIER:
Can’t be helped. UNIT can’t afford to
have an
unexplained death on its hands – and certainly not our chief
scientific advisor. Good God, man, you don’t seem
to
realise how the Doctor got around. He was a personal friend
of
Mao Tse Tung to name only one. Just think what stink the
Chinks
might kick up. It was only the Doctor’s reputation
that got
them to the conference table in the first place. If we
don’t handle this properly it could be the end of
UNIT. The
next alien invasion could find us totally unprepared. Well
don’t just stand there, man. I want, Miss Smith put
under
sedation … Oh, and, Sullivan … I don’t
want a word
of this to get out before the official statement.
HARRY:
Understood, Sir.
Harry
goes out. The Brigadier looks down at the Doctor.
BRIGADIER:
Well, Doctor, you’ve been close to death before, but this
time
it’s final. You’ve saved our bacon time
after
time. I don’t know how we can get on without
you.
Well, goodbye, Doctor, wherever you are.
The
Brigadier salutes. Then marches stiffly out.
Close-up on
the Doctor. Outside the Tardis the Brigadier picks up the
phone.
BRIGADIER
[off]:
This is the Brigadier. Get me a call to the Prime Minister,
then
after that Geneva. Priority One.
Scrambled.
I’ll be in my office.
* *
*
SCENE
82
The
corridor outside the Doctor’s laboratory. Sarah
stumbles
groggily along it. Music expressive of her grief and
desperation
throughout. She comes to the laboratory door. An
armed
soldier bars her way and indicates a notice on the door, which says:
NO
ADMITTANCE
by
order of
Brigadier
Lethbridge-Stewart.
Sarah
pleads. The soldier shakes his head. She stumbles
away.
* *
*
SCENE
83
Another
corridor. Sarah stumbles along it. Harry finds her.
HARRY:
Sarah!
He
catches her as she is about to fall.
HARRY:
You
look all in, old girl. Let’s get you back to bed,
shall we?
SARAH:
The
Doctor … they wouldn’t let me in.
HARRY:
Brigadier’s orders. They’ve got some
bigwig coming up from London to take a look at him.
SARAH:
What for?
HARRY
[evasively]:
No need to get alarmed, old girl. They just need a top man to
certify that there are no bullet holes or anything. Actually
it’s Sir Martin Pendennis, the President of the
European
College of … er … medical
practitioners. But
let’s worry about you
first. Come on now: back to bed.
He
leads her away. She seems to be protesting feebly.
* *
*
SCENE
84
UNIT
canteen. Sarah and Harry seated at a table drinking coffee.
HARRY:
You
ought to be in bed, Sarah.
She
shakes her head.
HARRY:
I’m a doctor. I know. You’re
dead on your
feet. Coffee isn’t going to keep you
awake.
You’ll only make yourself ill.
SARAH:
There must be something I can do!
HARRY:
There’s nothing any of us can do now, old girl. We
both saw that he was dead.
SARAH:
I don’t know! I don’t know!
I’m
responsible for him, but they won’t let me see him.
Athene
said I was to arrange his funeral.
HARRY:
Well I suppose we can get on with the arrangements.
It’ll
do you good to have something to do. What sort of funerals do
Time Lords have?
SARAH:
I
don’t know.
HARRY:
What religion are they?
SARAH:
I
don’t know. Athene just said: “Keep the
sacred flame of his memory alive”.
HARRY:
Perhaps we need candles like the RCs have … or perhaps she
meant
one of those everlasting flame things like they have at the Olympic
Games. I don’t suppose we’d get planning
permission,
though, do you?
SARAH:
Of
course!!
HARRY:
Do
you really?
SARAH:
The
Sacred Flame! Come on!
Sarah
grabs Harry’s arm and sets off for the exit. Harry
falls over a chair.
SARAH:
Oh,
come on,
Harry. There’s no time to lose!
HARRY:
What do you mean?
SARAH:
We
may be able to save him.
HARRY:
But
he’s dead.
SARAH:
Not
yet. They said he’d linger on in that coma for
several hours. Hurry!
HARRY:
Coma … oh … You wait here, old girl.
I’ll see to it.
He
tries to reseat her.
SARAH:
Stop it, Harry. This is no time for games!
HARRY
[glancing
at his watch]:
They must have started.
SARAH:
What?
HARRY:
Now
look, old girl, don’t fly off the handle …
SARAH:
WHAT?!!!
HARRY:
Well … Sir Martin Pendennis is President of the European
College
of Surgeons. He’s come to do a post-mortem.
SARAH:
Whaaat?!!!
She
hurtles out of the canteen. Harry follows.
* *
*
SCENE
85
The
Doctor’s laboratory. The Brigadier, Sir Martin
Pendennis, a
cluster of surgeons in attendance on Sir Martin, two medical orderlies
wheeling the Doctor’s body on a trolley to a suitable
position
and arranging lights.
BRIGADIER:
I do assure you, Sir Martin, that it’s not just a routine
autopsy. The Prime Minister realises how busy you are, but
she
absolutely insisted that the body should not be prepared in any way
before your arrival.
Pendennis
takes his watch from his waistcoat pocket and looks at it impatiently.
BRIGADIER
[to
orderlies]:
Hurry up and prepare the
patient. Sir Martin hasn’t got all day.
One
orderly removes the Doctor’s scarf, the other his
boots.
One of Sir Martin’s attendant surgeons begins to take
gleaming
surgical instruments from a case and lay them out on a tray.
Another holds Sir Martin’s gown ready. Sir Martin,
with an
expression of supreme dissatisfaction, looks at his watch
again.
The Brigadier taps his stick against his leg.
Suddenly
the door is flung open. Sarah and Harry rush into the room, followed by
the armed guard who has failed to stop them and who skids to a halt
just inside the door.
SARAH:
Oh
no you don’t.
She
hurls herself at the nearest orderly, who cannons into Sir Martin
Pendennis. The surgeons fall like ninepins. The
Brigadier
sidesteps swiftly and stays on his feet but cannot get around the
sprawling surgeons to intervene. Harry dispatches the second
orderly with a quick right to the jaw, then he and Sarah shoot the
trolley into the Tardis and the doors close. The Brigadier
hurls
himself at the door and beats on it furiously.
* *
*
SCENE
86
Inside
the Tardis.
HARRY:
What now, old girl?
SARAH:
The
Sacred Flame! On Karn. The Sisterhood.
HARRY:
You
mean you’re going to try to fly this contraption to some
unknown planet millions of miles away?
SARAH
[defiantly
as she looks
uncomprehendingly at the controls]:
Yes. Why not?
HARRY:
You’re crazy.
SARAH:
No
I’m not.
HARRY:
Do
you know how to work it?
SARAH:
No. But I’ve watched the Doctor. Stand by
for take-off.
She
pulls a lever. Nothing happens.
SARAH:
Can’t have been the right one. I’ll try
… this one.
* *
*
SCENE 87
The
Doctor’s laboratory. Sir Martin Pendennis has been
assisted
to his feet and brushed down by solicitous surgeons and
orderlies. He pulls at his jacket, brushes at his sleeves,
squares his shoulders and advances thunderously towards the Brigadier,
who stops hammering on the Tardis and turns to face him. Pendennis
draws a deep breath and opens his mouth. The sound of the
Tardis
taking off interrupts him. He looks in its direction and sees
it
disappear. His jaw drops and his eyes pop. He
shakes his
head as if in a nightmare, then fumbles for a tube of pills and
swallows several while his attendants fuss around him.
* *
*
SCENE
88
Inside
the Tardis.
SARAH:
There! I told you I could do it.
The
Tardis lands.
HARRY:
Where are we?
Sarah
flicks on the viewing screen. It shows a strange planet.
SARAH:
I
don’t know.
She
fiddles a few dials and pulls the take-off levers.
The Tardis takes off and lands. The screen shows a different
planet. Sarah repeats take-off and landing several times with
increasing desperation.
HARRY:
It’s no good, old thing, there must be millions of planets in
the
Universe. You’ll never hit Karn just by aiming at
random.
SARAH:
I
thought Athene might help somehow, but I suppose she can’t.
HARRY:
Poor old Sarah. I suppose
you’re still
in a state of shock. There’s no such person as
Athene. She’s only a myth.
SARAH:
Well if you believe that, why did you come with us to find the Sacred
Flame?
HARRY:
I wish I knew. I don’t know what the Brig will say,
but
we’ve got to go back and face the music. Can you
get us
back to Earth, old girl?
Sarah
shakes her head and goes to look at the Doctor. Harry
examines the control panel and scratches his head.
HARRY:
What does this red thing do?
Sarah
shakes her head.
HARRY:
It must be some sort of emergency control. Could be anything
from
a distress signal to an auto-destruct lever. Still this is an
emergency, so here goes!
He
pulls the lever.
SARAH:
No,
Harry. Don’t!
The
Tardis
shudders then begins its take-off routine. The screen goes
blank,
but the Tardis does not land: its take-off noise continues with
shudders and other mysterious sounds, then a slow, rhythmic, sighing
“Whirr … whirr … whirr
…” which grows
sadder, slower and quieter. The lights dim.
SARAH:
What have you done?
HARRY:
I
don’t know. Do you suppose the Doctor’s
got a Tardis-owner’s handbook anywhere?
The
Tardis emits a long drawn-out sighing
“Strrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhrhrhrhhh”
HARRY:
If
it were alive I’d say it was dying.
SARAH:
But
she is
alive. The Doctor said so. Well at least
we’ll all go together.
She
leans over and kisses the Doctor. The Tardis’s long
drawn-out “hrrrrrrrrrhhhh”, which was almost
silent,
suddenly becomes louder.
SARAH
[to
the Doctor]:
I’m sorry. I know it would have been all right if I
could have got you to Karn.
The
whirring becomes rhythmic. Sarah suddenly cries out and puts
her hands to her head.
HARRY:
What’s up, old girl?
SARAH:
I
… don’t know … I feel … like
on Circe … Harry … I think I’m dying.
Harry
hurries to her side. Sarah is unaware of him. She
stands
stiffly, gazing straight ahead, then turns to stare at the viewing
screen. On the control panel lights flash and dials alter
themselves. Then the take-off and landing routine
begins.
The Tardis lands. A landscape appears on the screen.
SARAH
[dully]:
No.
The
lights and dials on the control panel alter again. The Tardis
takes off and lands. A different planet appears on the screen.
SARAH
[dully]:
No.
Take-off
and landing.
SARAH:
It’s Karn! Look, there’s
Solon’s castle. We’ve got to get him to
the cave.
She
tries to lift the Doctor.
HARRY:
But
how...?
SARAH:
The
Tardis. She must have linked to my mind. Help me
with him.
The
Tardis takes off.
SARAH:
No! No! No!
Sarah
flings herself on to the bunk, weeping. The Tardis lands.
HARRY:
I
say, old girl, we seem to be in some sort of cave. There are
a lot of weird-looking women out there.
SARAH:
The
Sisterhood!! Quick! They’ll give us the
elixir.
Sarah
gets up, staggers and falls back exhausted. Harry starts
towards her.
SARAH:
Never mind me. There isn’t much time. Get
the elixir for the Doctor!
Harry
opens the doors and goes out.
* *
*
SCENE
89
The
cave of The Sisterhood of Karn. The sisters stand silently
around
their leader, Ohica, watching the Tardis. The door opens and
Harry comes out.
HARRY:
Er
… hallo.
OHICA:
Who
are you who dare invade the holy cavern of the Sacred Flame?
HARRY:
Ah,
good, this is the right place. I’ve come for the
elixir.
OHICA:
Seize him!
The
Sisters seize Harry and drag him to a stake with brushwood piled around
it.
OHICA:
We have kept this stake to remind us of a wrong we almost
committed. We almost burned here one who came to deliver us
from
tribulation. Now it shall fulfil its rightful
purpose. Your
death will be a warning to others who may hope to steal the Elixir of
Life.
Ohica
throws up her hands. The Sister, blazing torches in their
hands, begin, their dance around the pyre.
SISTERS:
Sacred Flame!
Sacred
Fire!
Sacred
Flame!
Sacred
Fire!
Sarah
emerges from the Tardis, shakily.
SARAH:
No!
Sarah
stumbles and pushes her way through the dancers towards Ohica.
SARAH:
Ohica! Ohica! No!
Ohica
does not hear. Slowly she lowers her torch towards the
brushwood. Harry shuts his eyes. Sarah flings
herself in
front of Ohica and grabs her.
SARAH:
Ohica! Don’t you know me?
OHICA:
Sarah!
Ohica
signals the dance to end.
SARAH:
We
must have the Elixir for the Doctor.
OHICA:
The
Doctor? Is he …?
SARAH:
Hurry! It may be too late!
OHICA:
Sisters! The Doctor has need of the Elixir!
The
Sisters take their places before the shrine of the Sacred
Flame. Ohica opens the door.
SISTERS:
Sacred Flame!
Sacred
Fire!
Sacred
Flame!
Sacred
Fire!
Ohica
takes the phial and goes to the Tardis with Sarah.
* *
*
SCENE
90
Inside
the Tardis. Ohica and Sarah enter. Ohica starts on
seeing
the size of the Tardis, then recovers and follows Sarah to the
Doctor. She tips the Elixir between his lips.
Nothing
happens.
OHICA:
We
are too late.
Sarah
begins to weep.
OHICA:
Weep for him, my child, as the Sisterhood wept for Maren. We
shall weep for him too, for he saved us from death by reviving the
Sacred Flame. We could not save his life, but at least the
Sisterhood of Karn may guard his ashes. They shall rest
beside
those of Maren in the grotto of the Sacred Flame.
DOCTOR:
That’s very kind of you Ohica, but I don’t think it
will be necessary.
SARAH:
Doctor!
The
Doctor opens his eyes and grins.
DOCTOR:
Hallo, Sarah.
SARAH:
Oh,
Doctor!
* *
*
SCENE
91
The
cave of the Sisterhood of Karn. The sisters are watching the
Tardis in anxious silence. The Doctor, Sarah and Ohica come
out. The Sisters rejoice.
DOCTOR:
Goodbye, Ohica. Thank you again.
The
Doctor and Sarah go back inside the Tardis and close the doors.
HARRY:
I
say!
Harry
has been left unnoticed, still tied to the stake.
HARRY:
Don’t go without me!
The
Sisters become agitated. Some cut Harry free while others
bang on
the door of the Tardis. The sound of take-off begins, then
cuts
out. The door opens and Sarah emerges to greet Harry.
HARRY:
Thought you’d forgotten me, old girl.
Sarah
and Harry enter the Tardis. The doors close.
Take-off.
* *
*
SCENE
92
The
Doctor’s laboratory at UNIT HQ. The Tardis
lands. The Doctor, Sarah and Harry come out.
SARAH:
Home at last. I’m going to soak in a nice hot bath
for
hours and hours and hours … Doctor, I’ve a feeling
I’ve done all this before … coming home from
Circe.
And there’s you, and Harry, all it needs is …
Enter
the Brigadier.
BRIGADIER:
So there you are, Doctor. Well, I’m glad to see
you’re alive, but you and Miss Smith have got some explaining
to
do. And as for you, Sullivan, you’ll be
court-martialled
and very probably shot.
HARRY
[at
attention]:
Yes, Sir.
DOCTOR:
Oh
come now, Brigadier, we haven’t been away all that long
– and we did
save Earth again.
SARAH:
Yes, from the Circeans and from the Time Lords!
HARRY:
Gosh! You mean all that stuff about Odysseus and Circe was
true?
SARAH:
Of course it was. We landed in ancient Greece and met the
gods,
only they were Time Lords experimenting with Earth, and we went to
Circe to rescue Odysseus and … Doctor, if Odysseus was an
ancient Greek, why was he talking in English?
DOCTOR:
He
wasn’t, Sarah. We were speaking Greek.
SARAH:
But
I don’t know any Greek.
DOCTOR:
You don’t know any Kaled either, or any Circean, but you
didn’t have any trouble understanding the Daleks or
Calupso. You don’t imagine everybody in the
Universe speaks
English, do you?
SARAH:
But
…
DOCTOR:
The Tardis contains an analytico-synthetic semiological
programmer. It was developed by the Time Lords using Osirian
universal semiology, but, whereas Thoth wanted to create a universally
comprehensible writing system we developed a direct linguistic
converter, so, to put it simply, wherever we go in the Universe the
Tardis programmes our brains to understand and use the local
language. It’s so useful that Council decided to
make it
possible for every race that develops interstellar travel to reproduce
the micro-chips containing the programme. They’re
being
turned out in millions all over the Universe. Of course, the
standard, mass-produced model doesn’t contain Time-Lordic, or
Osirian. We’ve got to keep some secrets.
The
Brigadier has been tapping his stick impatiently.
BRIGADIER:
I suppose you know what you’re talking about, Doctor, but
I’m blest if I do.
DOCTOR:
Well, it’s quite simple, Alastair. You see,
language at its deepest level consists of …
BRIGADIER:
I don’t want to know! I haven’t got time
to listen to
a lot of scientific gobbledygook. I’ve got to think
up a
practical, down-to-earth explanation for why Sullivan and Miss Smith
hurled Sir Martin Pendennis to the ground and vanished with your body.
SARAH:
Poor Brigadier. You need a holiday. What about
Greece? You’d like Sandy Pylos.
DOCTOR:
Yes, he used to play the bagpipes on the top of the Acropolis.
BRIGADIER:
Doctor, if you think I’ll fall for that …
The
door is flung open. Sir Martin Pendennis storms in, followed
by
his obsequious entourage. He advances on the Brigadier,
working
himself up to a suitable pitch of fury before he speaks. His
mouth opens, then comes a sound similar to that of a Tardis.
The
Aegis appears. Sir Martin’s jaw drops twice as far
as
before. He gurgles and gasps for breath. No-one
takes any
notice of him. His entourage are staring horror-stricken at
the
Aegis.
BRIGADIER:
Good grief! What in Heaven’s name is that?
DOCTOR:
Don’t worry, Brigadier. It’s only Mummy.
VOICE OF ATHENE:
Both the law and justice are satisfied.
The
Aegis vanishes.
DOCTOR:
Pity she couldn’t stay for tea.
Sir
Martin Pendennis topples in a faint.
DOCTOR:
I
suppose she does have that effect on some people.
BRIGADIER:
How am I going to explain this? You’ve got to think
of something, Doctor.
DOCTOR:
Me? You know I never get involved in politics or
bureaucracy. That’s your job, Alastair, and I think
we may
as well leave you to it. Sarah? Harry?
The
Doctor, Sarah and Harry enter the Tardis, which takes off.
The
Brigadier slaps his stick against his leg in exasperation.
* *
* * *
Doctor
Who: The Olympian Experiment:
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