Doctor Who - Nuclear Time by Doctor Who Page A
Authors: Doctor Who
Tags: Doctor Who, NSA41
Ads: Link
gave a harsh laugh. 'Cancer's too long-term for the government to take the blame. They'll no doubt tell us it's our diet when we're all on life support in ten years.'
Albert yanked a half-eaten sandwich from his pocket and took a large bite. 'What's the deal then?' he asked between chews. 'Is the mood lighting making you feel all urgent again?'
'Yeah, you won't be joking after you hear this.' 'Ruin my day.'
'There's a Russian spy plane just passed over the west coast, heading our way. They've obviously heard something's going on.'
'I thought that was the point.' Albert took another mouthful.
'Yeah, well let's not even start on the political mess we've been stuck in the middle of. They were meant to arrive after the nuke went off. Now 137
DOCTOR WHO
they're early, so Command wants us to get a move on.'
Albert didn't look as agitated as Geoff had hoped. 'Did you tell them it's not like we've been sitting around here doing nothing all morning?'
Geoff didn't reply, instead flicking his gaze to the scientist's sandwich and back. He raised an eyebrow.
'What? I'm not meant to be doing everything myself! Things don't stop just because I have something to eat.'
'I didn't say anything.'
'You didn't need to.' He went to toss the crust into a bin. 'I'm not hungry now, anyway.'
'Whatever.' Geoff reached for the radio again. 'I'm telling the men to start putting the androids on the trucks.'
Albert's face fell for a second, and he quickly disguised his look of dismay with a cough and a fumble in his pockets. He brought out a pen and clicked it a few times before realising that there was nothing for him to do with it and put it away again. 'Er, really? Now?' He choked for a second.
Geoff looked at him suspiciously. 'Yes. That's not going to be a problem is it?'
'I just... I just had some things I wanted to do.' Albert thought of something suddenly. 'Besides the EM field hasn't been set up in the courtyard.'
138
NUCLEAR TIME
'They've been in the transport fields long enough; it'll take them at least half an hour to come out of reset - plenty of time to load the trucks. Just make sure the soldiers don't say anything stupid.' He paused, reluctant to talk budgets with Albert. 'You do know that the EM generators cost about three times as much as the village? At least this way we'll be able to scrape a few nickels back on the parts if we don't set them up. To be completely frank with you, we need the brownie points with command. Our futures aren't looking good.'
Albert opened his mouth as if to protest, but decided against it. He nodded sullenly.
Geoff turned back to the radio. 'Action stations. Action stations. All personnel to the courtyard. We're going to load the trucks. Watch your mouths out there -
there's no EM field, so the less the androids hear, the more likely it'll be that we all live through this.'
A scattering of 'Yes, sir' responses came crackling back, and the colonel returned his attention to the scientist who stood hunched in his lab coat by the door.
'You will tell me if there's something wrong,' Geoff said, his voice hinting at a softer undertone. 'This operation is too delicate to have you going rogue on me.'
Albert smiled. 'Oh I'm not going anywhere.'
139
DOCTOR WHO
Suddenly the walkie-talkie screeched once more, and Geoff rolled his eyes. 'Is there a problem, Post Five?'
he snapped. 'Need a diagram?'
'Uh, no, sir,' the timid sergeant responded. 'Just thought I'd inform you that we have a houseguest.'
Geoff looked puzzled. 'A houseguest?'
'Yes sir. Seems to have come from Apple- er, I mean the village.'
There was a pause.
'On a bicycle,' the sergeant finished sheepishly.
The relief Geoff felt for discovering that he wasn't hallucinating was overshadowed by the surprise Geoff felt for discovering that he wasn't hallucinating.
'A bicycle?' he echoed.
'Yes, sir. And that's not the only strange thing about him, sir.'
'Surprise me.'
'I think he's foreign. He can't speak properly and he
Albert yanked a half-eaten sandwich from his pocket and took a large bite. 'What's the deal then?' he asked between chews. 'Is the mood lighting making you feel all urgent again?'
'Yeah, you won't be joking after you hear this.' 'Ruin my day.'
'There's a Russian spy plane just passed over the west coast, heading our way. They've obviously heard something's going on.'
'I thought that was the point.' Albert took another mouthful.
'Yeah, well let's not even start on the political mess we've been stuck in the middle of. They were meant to arrive after the nuke went off. Now 137
DOCTOR WHO
they're early, so Command wants us to get a move on.'
Albert didn't look as agitated as Geoff had hoped. 'Did you tell them it's not like we've been sitting around here doing nothing all morning?'
Geoff didn't reply, instead flicking his gaze to the scientist's sandwich and back. He raised an eyebrow.
'What? I'm not meant to be doing everything myself! Things don't stop just because I have something to eat.'
'I didn't say anything.'
'You didn't need to.' He went to toss the crust into a bin. 'I'm not hungry now, anyway.'
'Whatever.' Geoff reached for the radio again. 'I'm telling the men to start putting the androids on the trucks.'
Albert's face fell for a second, and he quickly disguised his look of dismay with a cough and a fumble in his pockets. He brought out a pen and clicked it a few times before realising that there was nothing for him to do with it and put it away again. 'Er, really? Now?' He choked for a second.
Geoff looked at him suspiciously. 'Yes. That's not going to be a problem is it?'
'I just... I just had some things I wanted to do.' Albert thought of something suddenly. 'Besides the EM field hasn't been set up in the courtyard.'
138
NUCLEAR TIME
'They've been in the transport fields long enough; it'll take them at least half an hour to come out of reset - plenty of time to load the trucks. Just make sure the soldiers don't say anything stupid.' He paused, reluctant to talk budgets with Albert. 'You do know that the EM generators cost about three times as much as the village? At least this way we'll be able to scrape a few nickels back on the parts if we don't set them up. To be completely frank with you, we need the brownie points with command. Our futures aren't looking good.'
Albert opened his mouth as if to protest, but decided against it. He nodded sullenly.
Geoff turned back to the radio. 'Action stations. Action stations. All personnel to the courtyard. We're going to load the trucks. Watch your mouths out there -
there's no EM field, so the less the androids hear, the more likely it'll be that we all live through this.'
A scattering of 'Yes, sir' responses came crackling back, and the colonel returned his attention to the scientist who stood hunched in his lab coat by the door.
'You will tell me if there's something wrong,' Geoff said, his voice hinting at a softer undertone. 'This operation is too delicate to have you going rogue on me.'
Albert smiled. 'Oh I'm not going anywhere.'
139
DOCTOR WHO
Suddenly the walkie-talkie screeched once more, and Geoff rolled his eyes. 'Is there a problem, Post Five?'
he snapped. 'Need a diagram?'
'Uh, no, sir,' the timid sergeant responded. 'Just thought I'd inform you that we have a houseguest.'
Geoff looked puzzled. 'A houseguest?'
'Yes sir. Seems to have come from Apple- er, I mean the village.'
There was a pause.
'On a bicycle,' the sergeant finished sheepishly.
The relief Geoff felt for discovering that he wasn't hallucinating was overshadowed by the surprise Geoff felt for discovering that he wasn't hallucinating.
'A bicycle?' he echoed.
'Yes, sir. And that's not the only strange thing about him, sir.'
'Surprise me.'
'I think he's foreign. He can't speak properly and he
Similar Books
