Doctor Who: The Dominators Read Online Free PDF Page A

you!’ Kully yelled in exasperation.
    ‘And robots... horrible things.’
    The Doctor looked anxious. ‘This spacecraft, it wasn’t sort of square like a tall wooden box...?’
    Kully wrinkled his snub n impatiently. ‘No, no, no...
    that’s not the spacecraft. It’s circular and flattish and silvery.’
    Balan snorted scornfully.
    ‘The blue box is somewhere else. By the black star,’
    Kully chattered excitedly. ‘The aliens were there. They were talking about destroying it,’ he shuddered.
    ‘The TARDIS!’ Zoe and Jamie chorused.
    The Doctor turned urgently to his young friends. ‘We’d better go at once,’ he cried.
    Balan raised a restraining hand. ‘My dear sir, you will be wasting your time,’ he warned.
    ‘My dear sir, time cannot be...’ the Doctor stopped himself, turned and ran to the airlock. ‘Come on, you two,’
    he shouted.
    Jamie hurried over, but Zoe held back. ‘I think I’d rather stay here, Doctor,’ she murmured.
    The Doctor nodded. ‘We won’t be long,’ he waved, opening the hatch. Before Zoe could object, they were gone. Filled with foreboding, Zoe wandered aimlessly round the module trying to ignore the fierce argument which had flared up between Kelly and Balan, while Teel and Kando occupied themselves with an elaborate communications unit along the far wall.
    ‘I am sorry, Kully, but I can take no action until I have contacted the Director,’ Balan concluded adamantly.
    Kully grimaced. ‘We all know what the old man will say. ‘Do nothing.’
    Balan struggled to remain calm. ‘Better to do nothing than to cause unnecessary panic in the community.’
    ‘Vegetables. Just vegetables the lot of you!’ Kully snapped.
    ‘Show’ some respect!’ Balan thundered. ‘If not for me then at least for your father.’ He swept over to the communications unit.
    Teel indicated the useless strobing and flashing on the screen. ‘There is powerful interference, Balan,’ he reported apologetically. ‘It is most unusual.’
    ‘That’ll be the robots..’ Kelly muttered exhaustedly.
    Zoe went over to the disconsolate little figure. ‘You don’t seem to be having much success convincing them,’
    she said sympathetically.
    Kully pulled a grotesque face. ‘Fossils. They don’t really live, they just exist; he despaired. ‘At least your Doctor friend showed some interest.’
    ‘He has a very enquiring mind, luckily,’ Zoe said with a smile.
    Kully grinned bleakly. ‘Then he’ll be as unpopular as I am.’
    ‘Whatever do you mean?’
    ‘Oh, I use don’t fit the Dulcian mould,’ Kully explained wryly. ‘Their shapely civilised society. Everybody thinking and living alike.’
    Bolan suddenly clapped his hands. ‘Quiet. We have made contact with Director Senex,’ he announced.
    They looked at the screen. A clear image was just beginning to form.
    ‘Here we go,’ Kully groaned. ‘Words of wisdom from on high...’
    ‘Well, they’ve no harmed the TARDIS anyway,’ reported Jamie after he had briefly inspected the dilapidated structure.
    The Doctor was on his hands and knees near by, his nose almost touching the sand as he examined the tacky black markings scorched in the ground. ‘Look at this, Jamie,’ he muttered, ‘most interesting.’
    Jamie glanced at the five-pointed star. Then he noticed the sets of tracks. ‘Hey, Doctor, what are these?’ he cried excitedly.
    Scrambling to his feet, the Doctor hurried over. Two pairs of rectangular prints led away among the dunes along the foot of the cliffs. The Doctor pondered a moment.
    ‘Now who or what leaves footprints like these?’ he murmured.
    ‘Footprints.. ‘ Jamie whispered, grinning uneasily as he looked warily around at the desolate landscape.
    The Doctor sniffed the air expectantly. ‘Come along, Jamie, let’s follow them... or it... shall we?’ He darted off nimbly over the brittle, ochre-coloured sandhills.
    Reluctantly Jamie caught up and they followed the strange oblong tracks for about two