littering the console and on preparations for departure. Scott and the Professor tried hard to persuade him to remain on Earth just a little longer.
'But you have done so much, Doctor. We want to express our gratitude,'
pleaded Professor Kyle.
'Thank you, but we must leave,' the Doctor insisted. 'There is still a great deal to do.'
'Haven't you done quite enough for one day, Doctor?' Tegan teased him, though she was feeling fairly shaken underneath.
Adric threatened to grow argumentative. 'We could surely spare a few hours, Doctor?' he objected.
But the Doctor shook his head firmly and busied himself with adjusting the navigational instruments. 'There just isn't time,' he told them.
'So. Where are we hurrying off to now?' Nyssa demanded with a challenging air, as if to catch the Doctor out.
'Sector Sixteen.'
'Oh beaut! Sounds great fun!' Tegan scoffed.
'The Doctor is anxious to meet the creators of the androids,' Adric announced.
'So you know who they are!' Scott exclaimed in surprise.
The Doctor looked up sharply. 'No. I only know where their transmissions originated.'
The Lieutenant gestured to Professor Kyle and the handful of surviving troopers. 'Then you must take us with you, Doctor.'
The Doctor shook his head emphatically and fussed over the console.
'Well, we can't fight androids all by ourselves, Doctor,' Nyssa pointed out acidly.
'I hope that will not be necessary, Nyssa,' the Doctor retorted. He straightened up and turned to the Lieutenant. 'I'm afraid I shall have to ask you and your friends to leave now,' he said politely.
26
Scott planted himself firmly in front of the Doctor and folded his arms. 'Look here, if our planet's being threatened we insist on doing everything we can to defend it,' he snapped.
The Doctor opened his mouth as if to deliver an ultimatum and promptly shut it again. He glanced round at the determined faces assembled before him. 'All right,'
he said leaning across and flicking the exterior door lever, 'but you'd better hold on tight. We'll be away in no time at all...'
The newcomers stared at each other with a mixture of amusement and amazement as the TARDIS shuddered violently and started to make a noise like a cross between trumpeting elephants and tearing metal. The floor bucked and reared like an unbroken steer, before steadying into a gentle swinging motion.
'Please make yourselves at home,' the Doctor urged reassuringly. 'Nyssa and Tegan will show you where everything is.'
As the strangers were being ushered out, the Doctor buttonholed Adric. 'Do you have a moment?' he asked with a smile.
'Well, I am rather hungry,' Adric mumbled, reluctantly closing the internal door.
The Doctor cleared his throat awkwardly, thrust his hands deep into his pockets and paced up and down uncomfortably. 'Adric, I'm . . . I'm very grateful for all your help . . . with the bomb and with that android...' he muttered almost inaudibly.
'That's quite all right. All in a day's work,' Adric shrugged.
The Doctor stopped in front of him. 'Look . . . I've been thinking about your wish to return home...' he began.
'And?'
'And . . . well if we could work out a satisfactory course I just might . . . I just might . . . well, give it a try.'
'Oh I've already done that,' Adric said off-handedly. 'It's there on the pad.'
The Doctor looked very disconcerted. 'Really?' he laughed, picking up the pad from the console and flicking through it, his eyebrows rising higher and higher as he did so.
'As you'll see I've managed to compute the position of the CVE...'
'Oh you've done remarkably well,' the Doctor said admiringly.
'Thank you,' Adric replied politely, opening the door.
The Doctor fluttered the pages of the notepad again. 'Look Adric, I'm really sorry about our little disagreement earlier on,' he managed to mumble, blushing with embarrassment.
'I over-reacted,' Adric said graciously.
'Do you really want to go home?'
Adric grinned broadly. 'No, of course not, Doctor. There's
'But you have done so much, Doctor. We want to express our gratitude,'
pleaded Professor Kyle.
'Thank you, but we must leave,' the Doctor insisted. 'There is still a great deal to do.'
'Haven't you done quite enough for one day, Doctor?' Tegan teased him, though she was feeling fairly shaken underneath.
Adric threatened to grow argumentative. 'We could surely spare a few hours, Doctor?' he objected.
But the Doctor shook his head firmly and busied himself with adjusting the navigational instruments. 'There just isn't time,' he told them.
'So. Where are we hurrying off to now?' Nyssa demanded with a challenging air, as if to catch the Doctor out.
'Sector Sixteen.'
'Oh beaut! Sounds great fun!' Tegan scoffed.
'The Doctor is anxious to meet the creators of the androids,' Adric announced.
'So you know who they are!' Scott exclaimed in surprise.
The Doctor looked up sharply. 'No. I only know where their transmissions originated.'
The Lieutenant gestured to Professor Kyle and the handful of surviving troopers. 'Then you must take us with you, Doctor.'
The Doctor shook his head emphatically and fussed over the console.
'Well, we can't fight androids all by ourselves, Doctor,' Nyssa pointed out acidly.
'I hope that will not be necessary, Nyssa,' the Doctor retorted. He straightened up and turned to the Lieutenant. 'I'm afraid I shall have to ask you and your friends to leave now,' he said politely.
26
Scott planted himself firmly in front of the Doctor and folded his arms. 'Look here, if our planet's being threatened we insist on doing everything we can to defend it,' he snapped.
The Doctor opened his mouth as if to deliver an ultimatum and promptly shut it again. He glanced round at the determined faces assembled before him. 'All right,'
he said leaning across and flicking the exterior door lever, 'but you'd better hold on tight. We'll be away in no time at all...'
The newcomers stared at each other with a mixture of amusement and amazement as the TARDIS shuddered violently and started to make a noise like a cross between trumpeting elephants and tearing metal. The floor bucked and reared like an unbroken steer, before steadying into a gentle swinging motion.
'Please make yourselves at home,' the Doctor urged reassuringly. 'Nyssa and Tegan will show you where everything is.'
As the strangers were being ushered out, the Doctor buttonholed Adric. 'Do you have a moment?' he asked with a smile.
'Well, I am rather hungry,' Adric mumbled, reluctantly closing the internal door.
The Doctor cleared his throat awkwardly, thrust his hands deep into his pockets and paced up and down uncomfortably. 'Adric, I'm . . . I'm very grateful for all your help . . . with the bomb and with that android...' he muttered almost inaudibly.
'That's quite all right. All in a day's work,' Adric shrugged.
The Doctor stopped in front of him. 'Look . . . I've been thinking about your wish to return home...' he began.
'And?'
'And . . . well if we could work out a satisfactory course I just might . . . I just might . . . well, give it a try.'
'Oh I've already done that,' Adric said off-handedly. 'It's there on the pad.'
The Doctor looked very disconcerted. 'Really?' he laughed, picking up the pad from the console and flicking through it, his eyebrows rising higher and higher as he did so.
'As you'll see I've managed to compute the position of the CVE...'
'Oh you've done remarkably well,' the Doctor said admiringly.
'Thank you,' Adric replied politely, opening the door.
The Doctor fluttered the pages of the notepad again. 'Look Adric, I'm really sorry about our little disagreement earlier on,' he managed to mumble, blushing with embarrassment.
'I over-reacted,' Adric said graciously.
'Do you really want to go home?'
Adric grinned broadly. 'No, of course not, Doctor. There's
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