increased in intensity.
Dodo watched the Doctor expectantly. She knew what was about to happen. She could even hear the high-pitched sound herself.
‘Hello... Hello... ’ He could make no sense of what was happening. There must be something wrong with the phone.
He held one hand over his other ear... A pain shot through his head... It was like an electric shock... And yet, try as he might, he could hardly pull the receiver away from his other ear. It could have been a powerful magnet.
With all his strength, the Doctor managed to throw it aside. He staggered under the impact. The force sent him tumbling to the floor.
Dodo hid her triumph by running to the table and pouring a glass of water. ‘Are you all right, Doctor?’ He waved the glass aside as Sir Charles helped him to his feet.
‘I’m all right.’
‘I’ll get the girl to call a doctor,’ said Sir Charles anxiously.
‘No need.’ The Doctor appeared to have recovered. ‘Then take some brandy at least,’ insisted Sir Charles. He hurried away.
As soon as he had gone Dodo turned to the Doctor comfortingly. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ she said. ‘This is merely a method of establishing contact... Sometimes it has to be like this as time is so short.’
The Doctor at by the table, still dazed, unsure he heard her properly.
‘You must know construction has begun already,’ she whispered. ‘You are needed urgently.’
He was holding his head in his hands; now he looked up. ‘What happened?’
She wanted to reassure him. That way they would be able to get to work quickly. ‘It’s safe to tell you now, Doctor. You are one of us. One of the advance guard. We have an enormous honour. My function was to bring you into contact. Now I shall serve as an assistant until discarded.’
The Doctor pressed his hands against his head. The echo of that infernal noise still persisted. What on earth was Dodo saying? ‘Whatever are you talking about, Dodo?’
‘Listen carefully, Doctor. This construction is taking place at several strategic points in London..’
He interrupted, looking up at her. ‘I’m sorry, Dodo. I don’t think I’m hearing you properly... My head feels as though it had been struck a terrible blow, but that’s a little better... Now, what were you saying?’
He was making a great effort to concentrate. Dodo looked at him, overcome with doubts... Beginning to wonder if he really had... ?
‘But you made the call,’ she said. ‘You made contact, didn’t you?’
‘I certainly contacted something,’ said the Doctor ruefully. ‘Yes, I remember asking to speak to Professor Brett, then everything seemed to explode. I was knocked off my feet. It was as if... as if..
‘What, Doctor?’ She had to know how much he might have guessed.
‘I can’t explain. But as if something enormous and terribly powerful had nearly consumed me... nearly absorbed me.’
She looked at him, shocked. So he had not been consumed or absorbed... as she and all the others had been. He was still himself – still alien to their cause.
The Doctor was speaking, trying to clarify his feelings. ‘I know it sounds ridiculous... Perhaps the telephone line is at fault. Something as simple as that.. An ordinary, or rather an extraordinary, electric shock.’
She had to be sure. ‘You received no instructions?’ He peered at her. ‘My dear child! Instructions from whom?’
‘From... from... ’ Her mind seemed to come to a stop.
Sir Charles hurried in with a glass and decanter. ‘Have a tot of this.’
‘Thank you.’ The Doctor took a couple of sips. ‘Well, Sir Charles, either your phone is badly out of order or... ’ He frowned.
‘Or what?’ asked Sir Charles.
‘I hesitate to think.’ The Doctor looked round quickly to see Dodo about to slip out of the room. ‘Stay where you are, Dodo!’ he called.
The door to the office opened and Polly looked out. ‘Is something the matter?’
‘I believe there is,’ said the Doctor grimly. ‘A new and
Dodo watched the Doctor expectantly. She knew what was about to happen. She could even hear the high-pitched sound herself.
‘Hello... Hello... ’ He could make no sense of what was happening. There must be something wrong with the phone.
He held one hand over his other ear... A pain shot through his head... It was like an electric shock... And yet, try as he might, he could hardly pull the receiver away from his other ear. It could have been a powerful magnet.
With all his strength, the Doctor managed to throw it aside. He staggered under the impact. The force sent him tumbling to the floor.
Dodo hid her triumph by running to the table and pouring a glass of water. ‘Are you all right, Doctor?’ He waved the glass aside as Sir Charles helped him to his feet.
‘I’m all right.’
‘I’ll get the girl to call a doctor,’ said Sir Charles anxiously.
‘No need.’ The Doctor appeared to have recovered. ‘Then take some brandy at least,’ insisted Sir Charles. He hurried away.
As soon as he had gone Dodo turned to the Doctor comfortingly. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ she said. ‘This is merely a method of establishing contact... Sometimes it has to be like this as time is so short.’
The Doctor at by the table, still dazed, unsure he heard her properly.
‘You must know construction has begun already,’ she whispered. ‘You are needed urgently.’
He was holding his head in his hands; now he looked up. ‘What happened?’
She wanted to reassure him. That way they would be able to get to work quickly. ‘It’s safe to tell you now, Doctor. You are one of us. One of the advance guard. We have an enormous honour. My function was to bring you into contact. Now I shall serve as an assistant until discarded.’
The Doctor pressed his hands against his head. The echo of that infernal noise still persisted. What on earth was Dodo saying? ‘Whatever are you talking about, Dodo?’
‘Listen carefully, Doctor. This construction is taking place at several strategic points in London..’
He interrupted, looking up at her. ‘I’m sorry, Dodo. I don’t think I’m hearing you properly... My head feels as though it had been struck a terrible blow, but that’s a little better... Now, what were you saying?’
He was making a great effort to concentrate. Dodo looked at him, overcome with doubts... Beginning to wonder if he really had... ?
‘But you made the call,’ she said. ‘You made contact, didn’t you?’
‘I certainly contacted something,’ said the Doctor ruefully. ‘Yes, I remember asking to speak to Professor Brett, then everything seemed to explode. I was knocked off my feet. It was as if... as if..
‘What, Doctor?’ She had to know how much he might have guessed.
‘I can’t explain. But as if something enormous and terribly powerful had nearly consumed me... nearly absorbed me.’
She looked at him, shocked. So he had not been consumed or absorbed... as she and all the others had been. He was still himself – still alien to their cause.
The Doctor was speaking, trying to clarify his feelings. ‘I know it sounds ridiculous... Perhaps the telephone line is at fault. Something as simple as that.. An ordinary, or rather an extraordinary, electric shock.’
She had to be sure. ‘You received no instructions?’ He peered at her. ‘My dear child! Instructions from whom?’
‘From... from... ’ Her mind seemed to come to a stop.
Sir Charles hurried in with a glass and decanter. ‘Have a tot of this.’
‘Thank you.’ The Doctor took a couple of sips. ‘Well, Sir Charles, either your phone is badly out of order or... ’ He frowned.
‘Or what?’ asked Sir Charles.
‘I hesitate to think.’ The Doctor looked round quickly to see Dodo about to slip out of the room. ‘Stay where you are, Dodo!’ he called.
The door to the office opened and Polly looked out. ‘Is something the matter?’
‘I believe there is,’ said the Doctor grimly. ‘A new and
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