Cold Fusion - Lance Parkin [53]
Forrester paced around it, ran her fingers over it, but there was still no one inside. it. The blue slime was cryogenic fluid, she realized. Things were not going according to plan.
She needed time to think, and so needed to know whether anyone was looking for her. There was a computer terminal hanging from one wall. Roz booted it up and dialled the security grid. The main news was a military action to the north. It sounded bad, but she couldn’t worry about it just yet. There was also a priority call to level three-zero-eight, something about intruders. It was a busy night. Beneath that, easy to ignore, was an APB with identiphots. She recognized one of the perps.
Forrester read the whole message before unclipping her communicator.
Nyssa slapped Chris on the face.
‘I am not that sort of girl,’ she told him.
‘I didn’t say you were. I’m not that sort of... All I said was–’
‘When I agreed that you could come up to my room, it was to talk, nothing more. Now you try and... you hardly know me. Out!’ She pointed at the door. Chris slunk out, closing the door behind him. Out in the corridor, he stared back at the door for a moment. He ought to go back and apologize.
‘ Forrester to Cwej. Forrester to Cwej,’
He reached into his tuxedo and pulled out his communicator. ‘Where have you been?’
‘ Busy. There’s no time for small talk, they’re coming for you. ’
‘Who?’
‘ Who do you think? They’ve got your room number. ’
Chris’s eyes widened.
‘ Congratulations on your wedding. The bad news is they’ve just arrested your blushing bride and now they’re coming back for you and a girl called “Nyssa”. ’
There were two bulky shadows at the end of the corridor. Chris spun around. Two Adjudicators moving into position. He flicked off the communicator, drew his pistol and kicked down the door.
Nyssa had removed her jacket, and was halfway to unlacing her blouse. She whirled to face him. ‘How dare you?’ Chris grabbed her, and flung her over his shoulder.
‘Put me down!’
He blew off the lock to the balcony door with a well-aimed shot.
‘I said put me –’
He sprang over the railing and off the balcony just as the first energy bolt sizzled past.
‘–down.’
It was only then that Chris remembered that they were on the fifth floor.
There hadn’t been a guard on the door, although how the Doctor had known exactly which room they would find the Patient in was a mystery. She was lying on a diagnostic couch, still unconscious. She was wearing a flowing gown, presumably hospital issue. It was white, and reached her ankles. The Doctor hurried over to the bed, bending over her.
‘Ανδ Ι τυρνεδ αρουνδ ανδ τηεψ ωερε αλλ ωεαρινγ
εψεπατχηεσ,’ he burbled. The syllables were almost musical. It sounded like a nursery rhyme to Adric.
The Patient’s eyes flickered open. She seemed more at ease than before. The Doctor touched her face tenderly.
She smiled. Whatever pain she had been in just before her regeneration had clearly worn off
‘What did you just say?’ Adric asked.
‘It’s Gallifreyan,’ the Doctor explained. ‘And she recognized it.’
The Patient began to stir. With a little assistance from the Doctor, she was able to swing her long legs over the edge of the bed. Finally she stood, unsteady on her feet, like a new-born calf Adric hadn’t realized how tall she was, almost exactly the Doctor’s height. As they stood together for the first time, it struck Adric that they looked like brother and sister: they both appeared to be in their early thirties, they had fair hair and a slim build.
Already the Patient was more sure of herself. She stood straight, her head lifted. She made her first tentative step.
The Doctor smiled encouragement.
‘Hello,’ said Adric slowly. ‘What is your name?’
She smiled at him, but clearly didn’t understand what he was saying.
The door pulsed, and suddenly it was glowing red.
‘The Adjudicators have found us.’ The Doctor stood back. Adric could already feel the heat coming from the door.
‘Is the door strong enough to hold?’
‘I doubt that they’d be trying to cut through it if it were.’ The Patient