Polly the Glot (comic story)

Polly the Glot was a Sixth Doctor comic strip published in Doctor Who Magazine and the second consecutive story about Astrolabus. It was notable for the reappearance of Ivan Asimoff and the Zyglots.

Summary
Meeting his old friend Ivan Asimoff again, the Sixth Doctor is roped into helping free Polly, a captive Zyglot. Who is behind her imprisonment?

Part 1
At Terminal L.X. 116/R.M, a space terminal for passengers to transfer between space ships, Dr Ivan Asimoff tries to get to his flight when he sees the TARDIS. Happy to see it, he runs towards it but bumps into Frobisher, who walks out of it. After meeting him, he explains to Frobisher that he thought it was the Doctor's TARDIS, when the Doctor comes out. Dr Asimoff is taken aback since this is another Doctor than the one he met first. After realising it is the Doctor, Dr Asimoff asks for his help. Before he can explain what the problem is, he realises that he has to catch his flight. He gives the Doctor a card with the co-ordinates of the organisation he works for: the Save the Zyglot trust.

At that time, in space, the Akkers are busy capturing a Zyglot for the Ringway Carnival. On his flight, Asimoff dreams of the Carnival, where he saw Polly and fell in love with her. He decides to rescue her. When his flight docks into another space ship, he worries what he will tell at the meeting of the trust, since Zyglots are still being captured and the trust is lacking the necessary funds. Arriving, he sees the TARDIS and is directly taken by Frobisher in disguise who points a gun at him. Asimoff asks what the meaning of this is, which the Doctor responds by saying that he is being kidnapped.

Part 2
At a news-stand in a space-station, Frobisher in disguise takes a paper that reports the kidnapping and brings it to the Doctor. The Doctor goes to Dr Asimoff, explaining what the meaning of the kidnapping is. Because the trust is broke and can pay the ransom to free Asimoff, the public will donate to the trust. Realising that it is a publicity stunt, Asimoff tells the Doctor that the president of the trust, Professor Astro Labus, will be furious. Upon hearing the name, the Doctor faints and gets a nightmare of a giant head of Astrolabus eating him. At the meeting of the trust, the news that Asimoff has been kidnapped came through and Astrolabus starts to suspect that the Doctor has had something to do with it.

In the TARDIS, the Doctor wakes up, suggesting that he is under the influence of post-hypnotic suggestion. He then decides to take matters into his hands by going to the space ship of the Akkers. Upon arriving, Asimoff, armed with a stun gun, and the Doctor try to infiltrate the ship, while Frobisher splits from the group. He encounters some Akkers, who see him and start sounding the alarm. The captain of the ship employs the Defender, the ship's robot. The Doctor and Asimoff encounter the big robot, who hits the Doctor with a mop. Asimoff then threatens the robot to shoot him.

Part 3
The robot, afraid Asimoff will shoot him, says he is not the Defender, but the janitor of the ship. He tells then where he can find the commander of the ship. On the bridge, the captain and an Akker are studying Frobisher and decide to sell him to the carnival. The Doctor and Asimoff enter and demand to release the Zyglots. The captain says they have only one, but then threatens to press a button which will tighten the gravity net that will crush the Zyglot. At that moment, the real Defender bursts in. In the confusion, Asimoff shoots the button which frees the Zyglot. The captain, held under gunpoint, reveals his boss to be the great swami Astral Arbus.

Meanwhile, Astrolabus, as the swami on the carnival, looking into his crystal ball where he sees the captain saying it, hears the TARDIS. He packs his stuff and tries to flee, but he is stopped by Frobisher and Asimoff. Upon realising he can't go away, he kidnaps Frobisher and jumps into his cabinet. Asimoff tries to chase them and opens the cabinet but he sees no trace of them, only a star field. He runs to the Doctor to tell him the news, but he suggests that he and Asimoff take cover. The Doctor has meddled with Polly's cage, adjusted the gravity nullifiers so that Polly can be released into outer space. After the cage explodes, Polly is released and out of happiness blossoms into outer space. On the Carnival, Asimoff is depressed that Polly is gone and his love is unanswered. Meanwhile, the Doctor leaves him to go after Frobisher, but not without leaving him a case with money, which he stole from Dogbolter. On the case is a note, addressed to Asimoff, saying that the money is intended for the trust and that he always must look to the Future.

Characters

 * Sixth Doctor
 * Frobisher
 * Ivan Asimoff
 * Polly
 * Astrolabus
 * The Defender

Worldbuilding

 * The Daily Nebulous reported on Asimoff's disappearance.
 * Asimoff travels on a PG Trips spacecraft.

Continuity

 * Astrolabus reappears, having made his debut in COMIC: . He escapes the Sixth Doctor once again at the end of this story, leading into their final confrontation in COMIC:.
 * Having previously visited the edge of the Galaxy in COMIC:, the Doctor here elects to journey into its centre.
 * The Doctor leaves Ivan the mazumas he and Frobisher stole from from Intra-Venus, Inc. in COMIC:.