Doctor Who_ Return Of The Living Dad Part 35

The draught became a sudden, violent rus.h.i.+ng, almost pus.h.i.+ng him off his feet. He sat down, awkwardly.

'I suppose it's our turn! , yelled Isaac, over the sound of the wind.

Benny gripped the edge of the table, as though expecting to be carried off in the temporal hurricane.

'I can see her,' said Isaac. He was staring up at the ceiling, as though something was hovering there.

'What does she look like?' shouted Benny.

'She looks like an Egyptian tomb painting,' he said. 'She looks like winged Isis.' He tried to stand up, reaching out as though he wanted to touch the vision.

Benny found she was blinded by the screaming wind.

She was ready to have her past played back in front of her'

with no corrections or additions to the diary this time. She was even ready to see her future. She wished she could reach out for Jason's hand.

Her husband yelled something. 'What?' she shouted back.

'I'm holding something,' he said.

Isaac's voice: 'What do you mean?'

'There's something in my arms. It's like I'm reaching through a window and something's being given to me.'

Benny felt a sudden, violent pain in her belly. She fell forward onto the table, tears starting from her eyes at the sharpness of it. But it was gone in a moment.

'Don't take it!' she cried. 'Whatever it is! Don't reach for her!'

'What do you want from us?' Isaac was shouting. 'Can you tell us what you want?'

Benny's blindness was becoming a searing light. The light brought the end of the tunnel. They were going to die.

She'd brought down some howling Fury on them. The screaming of the wind rose until it blocked out the others'

shouts, blotted out her mind.

Abruptly, the sound ceased.

She blinked her eyes rapidly. All she could see was a white blur, speckled with darker colours.

'Benny,' said Jason softly.

She pulled her face up off the Formica tabletop and looked at him.

He was holding a small child.

'Benny,' he said softly. 'I think this is Keith.'

Albinex

Tony gave him directions for the last few miles of the trip.

At last they ran out of road, at the edge of a great, dark lake. The Doctor switched off the engine and got out. Tony scrambled out of the pa.s.senger seat, blinking at him.

They were nowhere near where the sky yacht had been reported.

The car lights stabbed out across the lake. A sharp wind was moving the long gra.s.s and rippling the surface of the water. The Doctor stood in the light, looking out into the darkness, his hair and jacket blowing in the wind.

'I'm here,' he said.

The sky yacht burst into existence above them, lights blazing. It lowered itself slowly, the gra.s.s and water blowing in wild circles around it, until they could see Albinex standing in one of the airlocks.

The Navarino activated a metal ladder, which uncoiled itself gracefully, its silver lines catching the headlight beams.

The Doctor glanced back at Tony, and grabbed hold of the end of it. He climbed nimbly up into the airlock. After a moment, the Tzun shut off his hologram to improve his vision, and followed. He scrambled into the airlock and pulled the ladder up after him.

Albinex was holding his Russian pistol. He slapped a control panel with his free hand, and the airlock door slid shut.

There was a sudden, ear-ringing silence.

'He came of his own accord,' said Tony. 'Even though he'd worked it out.'

'I knew he would,' said Albinex. 'Wherever the Doctor goes, people around him get hurt. He couldn't let that keep on happening.' He looked at the Time Lord. 'I'm right, aren't I?'

'No,' said the Doctor. 'I came because I'm the one who's going to stop you.' He took a step forward, making the Navarino take a step back. 'Shall we dance?'

27 Fury

'This isn't right. I'm not right for you.'

Roz opened her eyes and glared at Chris. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'I'm not the right person for you.'

'Is that why you never said anything?'

'What do you mean?' he said softly.

'I've known for a long time, Chris.'

'Oh my G.o.ddess,' he gulped. 'Have you?'

'Yeah. I've seen it in your eyes. A few times.'

'Oh...'

'I just never really thought about it before. Pushed it to the back of my mind.'

Silence for a bit.

'I'm too young for you,' he said. 'I mean, I don't mean you're that old - it's me, I'm too young. You deserve some one more experienced.'

'You seem to have had quite a bit of experience, Squire Cwej.'

'You see? I'm just a Squire, I'm just your apprentice. I -'

'd.a.m.n it, Chris, that was supposed to sound s.e.xy.'

'Oh! Well, it did. It did!'

'Look,' said Roz. 'Don't you think I'm the best judge of who's good for me?'

He looked at her with his big, blue' little boy's eyes. 'I'm not worthy,' he breathed.

'Then get your d.a.m.ned hand out of my s.h.i.+rt,' she said.

I'm going for a walk.'

Albinex led the Doctor and M'Kabel through his s.p.a.ce-travelling yacht to the ballroom. He'd tucked the gun away inside his jacket. He knew he wouldn't be needing it.

'So, what's it going to be?' said the Doctor conversationally' his voice echoing in the high-ceilinged room. It was the largest aboard the s.h.i.+p, with a wooden dancefloor and a well-stocked bar at one end.

'Thumbscrews? Forced telepathy? Suspending my companions over a vat of boiling chocolate sauce?'

'I'm not going to torture you,' said Albinex. He went to the bar, put his gun down, and poured himself a creme de menthe. 'Do you want anything?'

'I want to be a juggler,' said the Doctor absently. He was looking around the ballroom, as though trying to spot the iron maiden hidden in the shadows. 'When I grow up I'm going to run away to the circus.'

'I had hoped you'd just tell me the codes,' said Albinex, 'having come all this way.' He took a mouthful of the drink.

'But I'm not going to torture them out of you.'

'I'm so terribly disappointed,' said the Doctor.

M'Kabel looked up at him.

'No matter what you do to me,' said the Doctor, 'I'm not going to give you those codes.' He closed his eyes. 'There's nothing you can do to me. There's no pain you can inflict on me which I haven't suffered before. There's no horror you can shroud me in which I haven't endured.'

He opened his eyes again, and M'Kabel took a step back. 'I'm old, Albinex,' he said. 'I'm weary to my bones.

There's nothing an embryonic upstart like you can show me which I haven't seen before.'

The Navarino gulped down the rest of his drink. 'Well then,' he said.

The hurricane snapped on as though he'd thrown a switch.

The Doctor leant into the wind' holding onto his hat with one hand. M'Kabel took a few more steps back out of the way, just in case.

The ghost blossomed.

She was a point of intense colour and light, unfolding like a new rose. She floated in the raging wind, serene. A million wings uncurled around her.

The wind began to die down. The Doctor folded his arms, looking up at the gorgeous, feathered creature. Her eyes were blank, surreal. Her face was no longer human, heart-stoppingly beautiful. She spiralled inwards and out, back through time and beyond, in dimensions M'Kabel and Albinex could barely imagine, let alone see.

'What have you done to her?' said the Doctor.

'We have a bargain,' said Albinex.

'You promised her you'd restore her to normality,' said the Time Lord. 'You lied to her.'

Albinex shook his head, glancing nervously up at his pet monster. 'I'll be able to s.h.i.+ft her back in time the one picosecond that's making the difference,' he said.