PART TWO OF THE MIN TERR TRILOGY
Sticks and
stones. The sling shot. The bow and arrow. The spear. The caber. The
catapult. The cannon ball. The flying bomb. The V2. The spud-gun. The
scud-missile. The cruise-missile. The hair-dryer, and the cuddly toy...
Yes - you've
seen them all! But now - it's the one you've all been waitin' for! The
ultimate projectile! So, stick yer fingers in yer ears, coz it's comin'
your way...
 he
Doctor was homesick, and this worried him deeply. It was his youthful
urge to roam the Universe and see for himself the multitude of
manifestations of the life-force which had led him fleeing from his home
planet, thus breaking many of the fundamental laws of Time Lord
society, and for this he had very nearly paid with his life. Why, then
should he desire to return? The question was all the more perplexing
considering the particularly adventurous spirit with which he had been
endowed in this, his third incarnation.
It made him very
bitter to reflect on just how cruelly the Time Lords had punished him:
his induced regeneration and brought out in him such a restless,
fearless soul - and one which had been trapped on twentieth-century
Earth! Strange...now that he had, at last, regained his freedom to
travel along the highways of time and space, he was haunted by memories
of home...home. Indeed, during his imprisonment, all he had had, in many
ways, were memories...memories of the life he once led. Since his
recent pardon, he had endeavoured to educate his young Earthling
assistant, Josephine Grant, in an appreciation of the citizens and
cultures of the cosmos. But now, for whatever reason, he wished to
return to Gallifrey. The Time Lord society was one of immense secrecy.
This was one voyage he must make alone.
The Doctor was
singing as Jo came into the U.N.I.T. laboratory. She found him gathering
various pieces of scientific equipment together.
'Going somewhere?'
'Y-e-s...' he answered abstractedly, and resumed his singing.
'Where?'
|
'Seriously, Jo, I'm afraid you can't come with me this time.'
The little ditty was taken up again, embellished from his wonderful store of vocal effects.
'What's that song you're singing?' she asked
'Really, Jo,' he
laughed, 'how can I expect to educate you in the cultural wealth of the
Universe when your musical appreciation extends no further than the
current hit-parade? As it happens, I was reciting an Earth song about a
chap who happens to be feeling rather homesick..'
He continued the
lecture with his back to the girl. She gave the lab doors a god push,
and then sneaked into the TARDIS. Having concluded his reminiscences
about his old friend Percy French, he turned around only to see the lab
doors swinging to and fro. He must have hurt her feelings. Poor Jo...
 ell,
it certainly didn't look like Gallifrey. The TARDIS scanner showed a
barren, white sandy world domed with a yellow sky. He was disappointed.
He had so much wanted to return home. Home is where the heart is. The
problem was that the Doctor had two hearts, and one of them wanted
nothing at all to do with this morbid fascination with nostalgia. It
won. Here was a new world to explore. He opened the TARDIS doors and
stepped outside. |
