Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 14 - Vanderdeken

by Christopher Bulis (pdf)

  Raskdresseduneasily,tryingnottokeepturninghisheadinresponsetothe

  persistent itch between his shoulder blades. He made himself take the time to checkthathisuniformwasallcorrectinthemirror,justtoprovetohimselfthat hewastoosophisticatedandintelligenttobefrightenedbystupiddreams.

  Moving with deliberate care, he opened the door, turned off the cabin light andsteppedoutside.

  'Rask,'camehisbrother'svoice,whisperingfromthedarknessbehindhim.

  Hebolteddownthecorridor.

  Chapter11

  APatriot'sTale

  SamJoneswasterrified.Shedidn'tknowwhereshewasorhowshe'dgotthere.

  It wasn't her room at home. It was filled with odd shapes and lights in the ceiling. She was dressed in clothes that seemed far too big, which bunched up around her. Strange people in spacesuits, just like she'd seen on the telly, were loomingoverherandallspeakingatonce.Whatwashappening?Shestartedto

  cry.

  Thenavoicecutthroughthebabble.

  'Sam.Sam,listentome.'

  Itwasawonderfulreassuringvoice.Theface,whatshecouldseeofitwithin

  thestrangehelmet,wasfullofconcern.Hehadalongproudnoseandeyesthat

  seemed to shine from within. As she looked into them her panicky breathing slowedandthetearssubsided.

  'Sam,' the man continued in the same gentle tone. 'I know you must be feelingveryconfusedandfrightened.Butyou'requitesafeandnobody'sgoing

  tohurtyou.There'sbeenanaccident.Itwasn'tyourfault.Iwantyoujusttolie stillforafewminuteswhileItrytoputthingsright.Canyoudothatforme?'

  Suchwasthepowerofthisman'swordsthatagreatcalmnessseemedtoflow

  over her. She nodded dumbly and laid her head back, staring up at the ceiling.

  Thepeoplewithdrewalittlewayfromherandsheheardastrangeconversation

  takingplace.'What'shappenedtoher?'

  'Shewasstruckbyanegativetemporalchargeandregressedalongherown

  timelinewhileretainingthesamelocationinphysicalspace,'thekindmansaid.

  "Through time?' 'Try to twist space and you affect time. It's inevitable - and dangerous.'

  'She doesn't seem to know us.' 'The reversal has effectively wiped her

  memories.Shecannotknowattenwhatshewouldn'tlearnuntilshewastwenty-

  one.'

  What were they talking about? Sam wondered. It sounded as though she'd

  beenill.Maybethatwaswhyshewasn'tinschool.Perhapsthiswasahospital.

  Butitdidn'tlooklikeone.Wherewerethenurses-wherewereMumandDad?

  Too busy to find the time for her again? Well, maybe this was outside visiting hours.ButDadwasadoctor-hecouldcomeanytime.

  And Mum was always finding time to help other people while she was

  social-working-singlemothers,poorpeopleandthieves-everybody!Butwhat

  abouther?Didn'ttheycare?Howcouldtheyleaveherlikethis?

  Samstartedtocry,littlechokingsobsthatshetrieddesperatelytostifle.

  Suddenlythekindmanwasbendingoverheragain.

  'Bepatient,Sam,'hesaidgently.'Everythingwillbeallrightagainsoon.It'll allmakesensetoyou.Ipromise.Doyoutrustme?'

  Andsherealisedshedidtrusthim.Hiswordsweretheonlythingshehadto

  believein.

  'Itrustyou,'shesaidquietly.

  HesmiledandSamlaybackagain.Hewithdrewfromherlineofsightand

  thestrangedistantconversationcontinued.

  'Butwhathappenedtothatslabbesideher?'

  'Itwasirradiatedwithapositivechargetomaintainthechroneticbalance,'

  the kind man said. 'It was organic material of some kind and aged in the oppositedirection.'

  'Buthersuithasn'tchanged.'

  "Thebeammusthavebeenattunedtoaffectorganicmatteronly.'

  'That'sincredible.'

  'It was an attempt to manipulate raw temporal flux as though it was

  electricity,andthatcan'tbedonewiththissortofequipment.'

  'You seem awfully sure of yourself, Doctor,' said a stern accusing

  voice.'Howcanyoupossiblyknowallthis?'

  'It doesn't matter how I know. I've got to reactivate the system and reverse theprocess.'

  'Youthinkyoucanoperatethesecontrols?'

  'Thereshouldbesomelogictotheirlayout.

  SamheardmorerapidfootfallsasthemanwhohadbeencalledtheDoctor

  begantomoveurgendyabouttheroom.

  ***

  Argen barely allowed time for the fine plume of dust and small fragments blastedupwardbytheringchargetodisperse,beforehetooktheResolvedown

  tolandbesidethehatchway.Aneatholehadbeencutoutofitscentre.Hardly

  hadthewashoftheunderjetsdiedawaybeforethemarineswerepilingoutand

  running in long strides across the derelict's marbled hull. They had conferred with Commander Vega as they had circled high over the derelict and knew exactlywhattheyhadtodo.

  As soon as they were clear, the engineering tech closed the hatch. Argen wanted to go with them, to find their lost shipmates and, if possible, teach whoeverhadtakenthemthatNimosiansneverabandonedtheircomrades.

  Buthewastheonlypilotandhadtostaywiththeshuttle.

  Hewatchedintentlythroughthecockpitcanopyastheyclusteredroundthe

  newly formed aperture and shone torches into the void beneath. It was

  apparentlyclear,fortheybeganrigginglines.Onebyonetheyquicklylowered

  themselvesintothedarkness,leavingtwomenonguardatthetopoftheshaft.

  There came a faint whir of motors from the upper hull as the turret gunner trackedhissightsacrossthemachinescapearoundthem.Nowalltheycoulddo

  waswait.

  ***

  Don Delray paced about the gallery outside the time laboratory, his eyes flickering about the levels and the dark mouths of the passageways leading off them. From within he could hear the Doctor and Manders debating some

  technical point. Lyset circled the central shaft, happily snapping away and building up a record of its glittering complexity as Rexton had requested.

  Rexton,DesselandBendixwereonthelevelsaboveandbelowthem,watching

  outforanysignoftheNimosians.

  He could tell Rexton wanted them to move on, but he couldn't very well insist that they abandon the Jones girl in the state she was in. He was still a politician and he had an image to maintain. That was something Delray

  understoodonlytoowell-exceptthatRextonseemedsoutterlysureofhimself.

  Delray,ontheotherhand,didn'tknowhowlonghecouldgoonactingthepart.

  ***

  On the bridge of the Cirrandaria Arcovian looked anxiously at Captain

  Lanchard.

  'Isn'tittimetheycheckedin?'heaskedforthetenthtime.

  'Sixminutesmore,'shereplied.

  'Andyou'lltellthemwhattheNimosianssaid?'

  He was not being rhetorical, Lanchard decided. 'You can be certain I'll do that,MrArcovian,'sheassuredhim.

  ***

  Vega hunched forward, staring intently at the screens, which reproduced the magnifiedimageofthederelict'shull.Alightbegantopulseonthebeetle-like

  formoftheResolve.

  'MrArgensignals,ALLISWELL,sir,'oneo
ftheobserversreported.

  He'dorderedArgentomakecontacteverytenminutes.Ofcourse,thattold

  them nothing about the status of the marine rescue party. Shielded by that massive hull and the interference anything could happen to them and they'd neverknowit.

  Heopenedachanneltotheengineeringbay.

  'Howlongbeforethesecondshuttleisready?'heasked.

  'Atleastanothertwohours,sir,'Reng'ssecondreplied.

  'Allright.Continueatyourbestspeed.'

  If only Reng himself had been there, Vega thought, the work -would have beendonebynow.ButlioRengwassomewheredownonthederelict,andVega

  didn'tknowwhetherhewasaliveordead.

  He made a note to stop thinking of it as a derelict. He'd convinced himself that it was abandoned, as he suspected the Emindians had, because it was simpler that way. But in fact it was an alien vessel of unknown origins and potential.

  Andsomethingwasaliveinsideit.

  ***

  Therisinghumofpowerreverberatingthroughthecentralshaftbroughtthemall

  racingbacktothetimelaboratory.

  DelraysawthatSamJones,almostenvelopedinhersuit,wasnowstanding

  white-facedandwide-eyedwithfearonthespotwhereshehadbeenstruckby

  the beam. A fresh organic panel had been set up beside her to replace the one thathaddisintegrated.TheDoctorwassteppingquicklyfromonecontrolbankto

  another,makingminuteadjustments.Mandersandherassistantswerestandinga

  littlewaybackfromhim,watchinghisactivitywithbaffledinterest.

  'Areyoureadynow,Doctor?'Rextonasked.'Wecan'triskstayingheremuch

  longer.'

  'Anymomentnow,'theDoctorcalledbackoverhisshoulder.'Ican'taffordto

  makeamistake...Keepstill,Sam.It'sgoingtobeallright.'

  'Isthisgoingtowork?'RextonaskedManders.

  'Maybe. I don't know how he puzzled out the controls.This set-up's beyond me. Even when he tried to explain I didn't understand a tenth of what he said.

  ButIthinkifanybodycandoit,hecan.'

  Withacracktheconduitfilledwiththegreenhazeofenergy.

  'Thisisit,'saidtheDoctor.'Everybodystayclear.

  The young Sam whimpered. The refracting grids began to rotate. The split

  beams flickered about the chamber and suddenly illuminated Sam and the test panel.Greenfireenvelopedthem.TheyheardSamgiveashrillscream,thenthe

  energyflickeredanddied.

  By the time Delray had bunked away the afterimages, the Doctor was

  supporting Sam Jones in his arms. Her suit fitted properly once again and her facehadregaineditsmaturity.Butitstillheldalookoffearfulconfusion.

  'Sam,' the Doctor asked anxiously.'Do you remember who I am and where

  youare?'

  Therewasalongpause.Thencomprehensionseemedtoreturn.Shenodded

  slowlyandmadeavisibleefforttopullherselftogether.

  'You'retheDoctor.I'vejustbeenzappedbythisexperimentalaliengizmo...

  andLysetWynterhasjusttakenmypicture.'Sheforcedalopsidedgrin.

  'CanIhaveacoupleofprints,please?'

  'You've got them,' Lyset assured her with a broad smile. 'Nice to have you back.'

  DelraysawalookofimmenserelieflighttheDoctor'sfaceashebeamedat

  Sam.They'reclose,Delraythought,reallyclose.

  'Lookatthat,'Manderssaidinawe.

  The organic test panel that had been set beside Sam was now a swollen, glisteningmassofmattedplantstemsandcrumpledhalfcompostedleaves.

  'Entropydemandsthatabalancemustbekept,'theDoctorsaid,helpingSam

  toherfeet.'Sam'syearshadtocomefromsomewhere.'

  "Then...thismachineactuallycanrestoreyouth,'Lysetsaid,thepossibilities obviouslyonlynowdawningonher.

  'Was I really ten years old again?' Sam asked. The Doctor nodded

  solemnly.'Wellit'snotworthit,'SamsaidtoLysetwithfeeling.'Believeme.'

  'Anygaininyouthwouldbeattheexpenseofallthememories,knowledge

  andexperiencethatwenttomakeyouwhatyouwere,'theDoctorwarnedLyset.

  "The person who emerged would not be the person who made the decision to regress.'

  'Nevermindallthat,'Rextoninterjectedimpatiently.'Areyoufittoproceed,

  MsJones?'

  'I'mOK.'

  "Thenwemustmoveon.'

  'Just a moment,' said the Doctor.'First you are going to explain how you knewsomuchaboutthiscraftbeforeyoueversetfootinsideit,andwhyit'sso

  importanttoyou.'

  'Youseemquitewellinformedyourself,Doctor,'Rextoncountered.

  "That was simply the application of general principles and a little

  improvisation,notforeknowledge.I'veneverbeeninacraftlikethisinmylife-

  but I think you have.And, volunteers or not, these people are running a considerable risk providing you with an exploration team.They're not soldiers blindly following orders and, as we've just discovered, this is a dangerous environment.Theydeservetoknowthetruth.'

  'IftheGeneralwantstokeephisreasonssecret-'Bendixbegan,butRexton

  silencedhim.'Thankyouforyoursupport,MrBendix.PerhapsIshouldexplain.

  But first we must get to the central control module. If the Nimosians are on boardwehaven'tmuchtime.'

  'After you,' the Doctor said,'and explain as we go. I'm sure you know the way.'

  ***

  AlenJeneztwistedthewheelbesidethekeypaneluntiltheroofhatchhadirised

  halfwayopen.Hepickedupthepowerfulemergencysignallampthathehadrun

  out on a long cable from the shuttle, and sighted its scope through the roof aperture to the distant spark that was the Cirrandaria . He sent, ALL WELL.

  EXPLORATIONCONTINUING.

  TheCirrandaria'slightspulsedback,RECEIVED.NIMOSIANSECOND

  LANDINGPARTYHASFORCEDACCESSONOPPOSITESIDEOF

  DERELICTAFTERREPORTINGFIRSTPARTYATTACKEDBY

  UNKNOWN FORCES. SUGGESTYOU ABANDON EXPLORATION

  AND

  RETURNIMMEDIATELY.

  Jenezsentback,RECEIVED.WILLPASSONRECOMMENDATION.

  Thenhehastilyshuttheexternalhatchagainandstowedthelampaway.

  Hewaspronetolettinghisyouthfulimaginationrunawaywithhim,andthe

  last hour alone had been ample time for his mind to populate the ship around himwithallmannerofbeings,mostlymalevolent.Butatleasthefeltsafeinthe shuttle. He was fairly certain a blast of the underjets or manoeuvring thrusters woulddeterallbutthemostdeterminedaggressor.

  But now he would have to make his way far enough into the craft to re-establishalinkviathesuitradiowiththeexplorers.Whyhadn'tRextondetailed

  somebody to remain with him to act as a messenger for just this eventuality?

  Probablybecausehedidn'twanttobebotheredbymessagesfromtheCaptain,

  hedecided.Buthe'dhavetotakenoticeofthispieceofnews.

  Jenez closed the shuttle's hatch, checked once again that his sidearm was looseinitsholster,andsteppeduptotheairlockthroughwhichtheothershad

  passedanhourearlier.Automaticallythedooririsedopen.

  ***

  Rextonledthemuptherampstothehigherlevelsofthetower,talkingrapidly.

  'I knew what to exp
ect when we boarded this ship because I've seen one almost identical to it. Years ago we found it drifting in towards the edge of Emindarhomespace.Exceptthatunlikethisshipitwasbadlydamaged-

  whether by deliberate intent or accident was impossible to determine for certain.Anyway,itwasrecoveredbymilitarytugsandtakentoahigh-security

  researchstationbasedsomewhereintheoutersystem-youunderstandIcannot

  be more specific as to its location. And there it has remained undergoing painstaking examination and reconstruction. Over the years, as I gained

  seniority,Ihavebeenabletooverseetheproject.'

  'TolearnhowtouseitasaweaponagainstNimos,'Samsaidautomatically.

  Samwasfeelingfullyrecoveredfromherdisconcertingexperience,andwas

  pleasedtofindherperceptionsandresponsesfunctioningnormally.

  Rextongloweredather,butshesimplysmiledbacksweetly.'Well,doyou

  denyit?'

  'I will not confirm or deny anything,' Rexton said stiffly. 'That craft was emptyandabandonedanddriftingintoourspace.Itwasobviousthatastudyof

  itmightrevealnewknowledge,perhapsofmilitaryvalue.

  Assuming it was, is it a crime to wish to see one's homeworld properly defended?'

  Heglancedroundatthem,asthoughdemandingtheirunderstanding.

  SuddenlySamsuddenlyfelthisorationshiftgears.

  'Emindar has cared well for me in the past,' he continued in smooth but fervent tones,'and now I am repaying that debt. I was a homeless orphan from backwoods Melconville.The state raised me and gave me an education and

  opportunitytomakesomethingofmyself,andIseizedit.

  NowIVerisenalmosttothehighestofficethestatehastobestow.'

  Sam felt she was listening to lines rehearsed in endless political rallies. It almostsoundedasthoughhewereproudofhislackofantecedence.Wasthatthe

  ultimatepolitician'sappealtothecommonman?shewondered.

  Theyturnedoffanuppermaingalleryandalongaradialcorridor.