Dialogue Disasters, scene 5 (conclusion)

Ian was furious. He quickly gathered up their things, not looking at the object of his anger; then hurried after Barbara. When he caught up, Barbara was holding Vicki by the shoulders and listening to her as she let off steam.

"You don't understand - I've got to go back! Something's controlling the Doctor - he would never behave like that otherwise!"

Barbara was being calm and reasonable, back to her usual self. "Vicki, you don't know him like Ian and I do. Did I ever explain how we first came to be travelling with him? He kidnapped us, took us out of our own time because he was afraid of what would happen if he let us go once we'd seen the inside of the TARDIS. Since then he's said some appalling things, deliberately put us in danger to satisfy his curiosity -"

"But that's not the Doctor I know! He's kind, and wise, not..." She trailed off.

Ian decided to step in. "Vicki, Barbara's right. He used to be different, a much harder person to like. We thought he'd changed, mellowed; but then we'd thought that before. Just before he threatened to throw us off the ship." He shook his head. "I don't know. I believed it was going to stick this time, but you never can tell with the Doctor."

"Stop it! Now you're making fun of him! Didn't you listen? It was his voice but those weren't his words. Well, they were, but he wouldn't say them in that way. Oh, I don't know. I'm so confused." She sat down, elbows on knees and chin in hands.

Barbara squatted beside her. "I know it's hard to believe, when someone you care about does something like this. But it's not always aliens at fault; sometimes it's just that people are flawed, that they don't always think clearly. If we give him time to consider, I'm sure he'll see what he's done. Come with us for now, and if the Doctor hasn't turned up by mid-afternoon we'll come back for him. How about that?"

Vicki looked into Barbara's kind, gentle face and smiled, sadly. Then she nodded.

They set off for the ship. Barbara hung back a little, so that she could have a quiet word with Ian. "I'm going to kill that man," she said.

"You'll have to stand in line," Ian replied.

Soon they were down in the valley again, and as they started making their way through the longer grass Vicki stopped. "Ouch!" she said. "These blades are sharp."

Ian gestured to his bag. "I've brought our clothes - do you want to get your leggings and boots back on?"

Vicki paused, uncertain. "My swimming costume's still wet. I don't want to get everything else wet too."

"Tell you what," said Barbara, taking charge. "Ian, you stay here; Vicki, let's go behind that stone and change. OK?"

They divided up the clothes and the pair left Ian looking tactfully in the opposite direction. He decided his trunks were dry enough, and pulled his trousers on over them. As he put his socks on he decided Vicki was right: his feet were scratched from less than a minute walking in the long grass. Then, just on the edge of hearing, some of the girls' conversation reached him.

"-can be pretty dull at times." That was Barbara.

"But he means well."

"Oh, yes. And he's very reliable."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"I suppose so. And yet, I keep thinking-"

The wind changed. Ian could make out no more, until he heard Vicki giggle; and soon after the others appeared, dressed for walking again.

Barbara must have seen the expression on his face, for she stopped suddenly, before striding up to him and taking his arm. "Don't worry," she said, "whatever happens we'll see it through. Together."

Will we? he thought. But he nodded, and they set off again.

Ian let Barbara and Vicki do most of the talking. He was good at hiding his feelings, much of the time even from himself; but right now everything was too raw, and he didn't trust himself to say much. His vision had narrowed; he could see the grass-covered ground in front of him, and little else. "Careful, Ian," said Barbara, sounding concerned as she steered him around one of the stones.

How he hated those stones! Everywhere you looked, there they were, pinning the landscape to the planet. How many had they passed already? How many more before they got back to the ship? He took it out on the next one as they passed, giving it a swift kick - stupidly, because it hurt his toes and did nothing to the stone. Ruefully he lifted his foot, and noticed that something was pressing into his other sole, making it sore to stand on. Barbara and Vicki were a little way ahead, now, so he called to them. "Hang on, you two - something's got into my shoe." They turned and started back.

Ian leaned against the stone and levered off his shoe, shaking it out. As usual the stones were tiny, far too small to be as uncomfortable as they undoubtedly were. He was a bit tired, so sat down to put the shoe back on again. "That's got it," he said, a little more cheerfully. "Quite a bit of soil had got in there."

Barbara, who had walked back beside Vicki, took an extra step forward. She had an odd look on her face, as if she were worried about something. "Let me take a look," she said.

"See here, Barbara, it's just earth - it's not worth bothering with. Unless you're going to analyse the soil type! And it'll be spread far and wide now, I can tell you!"

"No! There must be something we can do?" She looked horrified; behind her, Vicki wore a similar expression.

Ian was starting to feel irritated. "Sorry, Barbara, I'm not the greatest target for your jiving and your high jinks right now." He started to get up - and found he couldn't. "Hey - what's happening? I can't move my legs!"

Barbara nodded. "Right, I'm going. Do you want Vicki to stay with you?"

"I don't understand. Just give me a hand, Barbara, for Heaven's sake! Get me up!"

"Alright then. We'll be back as soon as we can. Hang on, Ian! You're not going to die on me. Do you hear? You are not. Going. To die! I...I forbid it!" He could see the determination on her face, the battle not to cry. What was going on?

They turned and ran, towards the distant TARDIS. Ian struggled, but couldn't lift himself. He called after them. "Barbara! Vicki! Come back! Barbara! BARBARAAA!"

His words were lost on the breeze.

Next Time:
As the music cuts in we see the title of the second episode, The Talking Stones of Tyron; but there should be a gap between episodes, surely? So I'll insert something out of sequence. What shall it be, what shall it be...

I know! What about Urrozdinee? Yes, let's go there.