‘NOT ONLY IS this not a book,’ said the Doctor’s voice from the holo-screen, ‘but time is running backwards over it.’ The screen showed the book in the Doctor’s hand from the Doctor’s point of view, with Clare looking anxiously at him beside the wrecked spectrograph.
In front of the screen, Skagra held the actual book in one hand, the sphere in the other. He turned to Romana. Any hint of his earlier emotional display had been wiped away, and he was as smooth and casual as he had ever been.
‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘You have helped to give me the answer. It is, of course, about time.’ He indicated the TARDIS. ‘You will enter.’
The Kraags jostled Romana towards the police box. She had never felt so desperate and so alone.
The control room, usually a place of humming warmth and security, now seemed cold and alien, despite the heat emanating from the two Kraags that guarded her.
Skagra followed and stood before the console. He held the book out towards the time column and turned the pages.
Nothing happened.
Romana gave a sigh of relief. ‘Looks like you were wrong again. Time for Plan B? Or is it Plan F by now?’
Skagra paused for a moment. Then he closed the book, and opened it again at the first page.
He turned the page.
The central column wheezed into life, jerking upwards. A cool green light came from deep beneath the column, something Romana had never seen there before.
Skagra turned another page. The exterior doors slammed shut. The lights dimmed, turning the same pale sickly green colour.
Skagra turned another page. The navigation input panel burbled into life, and a lever slammed over by itself.
Skagra smiled. ‘Exactly. The Doctor knew the answer, and so did you, buried deep in your subconsciouses. Time runs backwards over the book. So I turn the pages within the time field of this machine and the machine operates. And turning the last page will take us to Shada!’