Chapter Six

And TARDIS Makes Three

The TARDIS materialized on the ice field to the East of the artefact. The NATO camp was to the South, the KGB completing the triangle to the North, all parties having arrived within hours of one another and taking up positions approximately the same distance from the artefact.

The Doctor activated the scanner, seeing nothing but a sea of white. "Incredible, isn't it," he remarked. "Millions of years of history frozen in time in the middle of a volcanic crater."

"With earthquakes going on daily," Jason rejoined. He gave the thief a sideways glance as he came up beside him.

"And just what am I doing here, again?" Eroica asked pointedly as he draped an arm over Jason's shoulder and started playing with his curls.

"Aside from mauling me, you mean?" Jason replied astringently. The man beside him gave him an innocent look through his eyelashes and blew him a kiss. He could not help but laugh. "Dorian, you are incorrigible."

"That's why you love me, Jason, dear," Eroica replied, fluttering his eyelashes.

"If we could keep to the point," the Doctor broke in, returning everyone's attention to the task at hand. He turned a dial and a map of the area came up on the viewer. "The volcanologists had a base camp set up near the site," he explained, pointing at the map. "Now that it's empty, I wouldn't put it past the KGB to commandeer it for their own base of operations."

Eroica nodded. That seemed logical. "And?"

"I'd like you to see if they are indeed there and…er, help yourself to anything that they would find necessary in order to remain here."

"Anything?"

The Doctor smiled broadly. "Anything."

"Doctor, Mr. James will love you forever for this."

Jason could not help laughing at the expression this produced on the Time Lord's face. He cleared his throat before saying, "Doctor, I hate to throw a spanner in the works, but exactly how do you expect Dorian to carry anything across that?" He nodded toward the screen and the obvious distance the thief would have to cross.

The Doctor smiled knowingly and crossed to a cupboard, pulling it open. His companion, in the meantime, sighed heavily. "We could be here all day," he said quietly to Eroica, who was still happily arranging the curls in his hair.

"I'm not going anywhere," Eroica whispered seductively.

Jason gave him a sideways look. "You keep that up and I'll lock you outside."

"Oh, Jason, you're so cruel to me," Eroica said in a tone of mock petulance.

"Annoy him too much and he'll do it," the Doctor rejoined without turning. He gave a small cry of triumph as he produced a small tapestry sack from a truck. He got to his feet, kicking the door closed as he turned around. "Here you are, Dorian. A sack for your loot."

Eroica and Jason exchanged a dubious look at the sight of the small bag. It looked hardly large enough to hold a grapefruit, let alone a room full of equipment.

"You're joking?" the thief said sourly.

The smile on the Time Lord's face broadened. "Ah, but you don't know the best bit. This isn't just an ordinary sack. It's a pocket dimension."

Eroica was now completely baffled. He heard Jason catch his breath and looked down at him. It was obvious he knew what the Doctor was talking about.

"Doctor! How long have you had that?" Jason asked accusingly, disengaging himself from the thief and crossing the room.

The Doctor thought a minute and then waved a hand in the air. "I've no idea."

His companion gave him a dark look, taking the sack from him and looking inside. "We could've used this—" He broke off, looking up. "I could've used this a dozen times over!"

"You can't expect me to remember everything," the Doctor said defensively. "Not all of us have total recall, you know?"

Jason responded with a low growl before explaining to the increasingly fascinated Eroica that the sack had properties similar to the TARDIS, which meant it was bigger on the inside than on the outside. The thief could put anything he wanted inside and would still be able to hide it inside his coat.

Eroica took the sack, his bright blue eyes sparkling. "I can put anything in it?"

"You could put a tank in it, if you were so inclined," the Doctor replied. "The opening expands to accommodate what's being put inside."

"I don't suggest you try hiding in it, though," Jason injected. "You may not be able to get out again."

Eroica gave him a sideways look, putting the sack inside his coat. "I'll take everything that isn't nailed down." With a wry smile, he added, "And maybe even that."

Jason gave him an amused look before turning to the Doctor. "So, I take it while Dorian's stealing the KGB blind, we'll be trying to get to the artefact without getting shot at in the process?"

"Yes!" The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out the dog whistle, holding out to Eroica. "You'd better take this. When you need to get back into the TARDIS, just give it a blast and K-9 will open the doors for you."

Eroica looked down at the automation, seemingly forgotten beneath the console. "Like this?" He gave the whistle a blast and K-9's head came up. "Master?"

"Just testing, K-9," Eroica informed, patting the dog on the head.

"Test unnecessary, Dorian Red Gloria," K-9 replied.

Eroica winced. "K-9, just call me Dorian."

"Affirmative. Dorian." K-9's tail wagged.

The thief laughed and then looked up at the Doctor. "When do we get started?"