afford enough electromagnetic emitters to move the androids any quicker without risking a trigger. There are too many dead zones they have to pass through as it is, and we have no idea if the village will actually work.'
He scratched one last time then tore the cap off in frustration, hurling it at the thick glass of the observation window. There was a soft bang and it ricocheted onto the large foldout table that was pushed up against the wall. Pinned roughly to the unvarnished tabletop was a large map, the majority of which was almost completely blank - there was just a large red felt-tipped 'X' scrawled in the middle of it, surrounded by a village plan printed in faint blue rectangles. Even the grey contour lines of the tediously
flat
landscape
seemed half-hearted,
taking a back seat to the compass lines and trajectory maps that had been imposed precisely and brutally over the top.
Geoff slapped his folder roughly onto the map and, with a swift movement of his knuckles, brought the biro into his thumb and forefinger to write a humourless You are here in the lower corner of the diagram.
'No, no,' he continued into the phone. 'There were the funds. You just didn't want to allocate 134
NUCLEAR TIME
them to a project that was terminating.' Another pause.
'I am fully aware of how much a nuke costs, but that wasn't my decision, so you can either have this done quickly or you can have it done safely. I don't need to remind you of the security risks involved if it goes wrong.'
The voice on the other end of the phone increased in volume, and Geoff winced, hurriedly reaching up and pulling the handset away from his ear.
'These are my men, sir! I'm not going to put their lives in any more danger than I have to!'
A lower, more threatening tone accompanied the response.
'Yes, well, a lot of things will probably happen after this is over, but they are my men for now, and until I am relieved of the responsibility I will do it my way. Yes, sir. Goodbye.'
There was a dull thud as the mobile was slammed down onto the table, closely followed by Geoff's elbows as he slumped into his chair and sunk his head in his hands. The folder was jammed underneath his left arm and he elbowed the wad of papers onto the floor to clear himself some space. He hadn't eaten all day, but his stomach was now too painful for him to even consider filling it.
He rocked backwards, pushing his palms up and over his face into his hair and playing with 135
DOCTOR WHO
the wispy strands over his bald spot once more. His ashen face was bathed a warm orange by the daylight from outside, tinted through the safety glass. The sun might have been hidden by the slanted corrugated roof that overhung the view, but he could still feel its warmth in the claustrophobic atmosphere of the room.
The observation tower stood three storeys high, tall enough to look out over the huge, barbed-wire-topped walls that marked the boundaries of the compound.
The desert glow beyond resembled a sickly orange fog and Geoff screwed up his face in disgust.
Without looking, he reached down to his belt and unclipped his walkie-talkie, turning his head slightly to speak into the grated microphone. 'Albert, I don't care what you're doing, I want you up here now!'
There was a crackle, then a response. 'What's the problem?'
'Don't ask what the problem is, just get up here and I'll tell—'
Geoff's attention was diverted once again by the view through the glass. Was that a man on a bicycle riding into the desert? He shook his head and looked again.
'Hello? You broke off?'
Geoff blinked and it was gone. 'Too twitchy,' he 136
NUCLEAR TIME
growled. 'Gotta stop doing this.' He thumbed the button again. 'Just get up here.'
'Lord. This is a bit dramatic, isn't it?'
Geoff spun around at the sound of Albert's voice as the scientist gestured to the orange observation glass.
'It's to stop us going blind,' he responded. Albert nodded slowly. 'Does it stop us getting cancer, too?'
Geoff
He scratched one last time then tore the cap off in frustration, hurling it at the thick glass of the observation window. There was a soft bang and it ricocheted onto the large foldout table that was pushed up against the wall. Pinned roughly to the unvarnished tabletop was a large map, the majority of which was almost completely blank - there was just a large red felt-tipped 'X' scrawled in the middle of it, surrounded by a village plan printed in faint blue rectangles. Even the grey contour lines of the tediously
flat
landscape
seemed half-hearted,
taking a back seat to the compass lines and trajectory maps that had been imposed precisely and brutally over the top.
Geoff slapped his folder roughly onto the map and, with a swift movement of his knuckles, brought the biro into his thumb and forefinger to write a humourless You are here in the lower corner of the diagram.
'No, no,' he continued into the phone. 'There were the funds. You just didn't want to allocate 134
NUCLEAR TIME
them to a project that was terminating.' Another pause.
'I am fully aware of how much a nuke costs, but that wasn't my decision, so you can either have this done quickly or you can have it done safely. I don't need to remind you of the security risks involved if it goes wrong.'
The voice on the other end of the phone increased in volume, and Geoff winced, hurriedly reaching up and pulling the handset away from his ear.
'These are my men, sir! I'm not going to put their lives in any more danger than I have to!'
A lower, more threatening tone accompanied the response.
'Yes, well, a lot of things will probably happen after this is over, but they are my men for now, and until I am relieved of the responsibility I will do it my way. Yes, sir. Goodbye.'
There was a dull thud as the mobile was slammed down onto the table, closely followed by Geoff's elbows as he slumped into his chair and sunk his head in his hands. The folder was jammed underneath his left arm and he elbowed the wad of papers onto the floor to clear himself some space. He hadn't eaten all day, but his stomach was now too painful for him to even consider filling it.
He rocked backwards, pushing his palms up and over his face into his hair and playing with 135
DOCTOR WHO
the wispy strands over his bald spot once more. His ashen face was bathed a warm orange by the daylight from outside, tinted through the safety glass. The sun might have been hidden by the slanted corrugated roof that overhung the view, but he could still feel its warmth in the claustrophobic atmosphere of the room.
The observation tower stood three storeys high, tall enough to look out over the huge, barbed-wire-topped walls that marked the boundaries of the compound.
The desert glow beyond resembled a sickly orange fog and Geoff screwed up his face in disgust.
Without looking, he reached down to his belt and unclipped his walkie-talkie, turning his head slightly to speak into the grated microphone. 'Albert, I don't care what you're doing, I want you up here now!'
There was a crackle, then a response. 'What's the problem?'
'Don't ask what the problem is, just get up here and I'll tell—'
Geoff's attention was diverted once again by the view through the glass. Was that a man on a bicycle riding into the desert? He shook his head and looked again.
'Hello? You broke off?'
Geoff blinked and it was gone. 'Too twitchy,' he 136
NUCLEAR TIME
growled. 'Gotta stop doing this.' He thumbed the button again. 'Just get up here.'
'Lord. This is a bit dramatic, isn't it?'
Geoff spun around at the sound of Albert's voice as the scientist gestured to the orange observation glass.
'It's to stop us going blind,' he responded. Albert nodded slowly. 'Does it stop us getting cancer, too?'
Geoff
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