Doctor Who_ Alien Bodies - Lawrence Miles [138]
Well, when he said that, the Celestis came to life again. They started shouting, ‘no, no, no,’ and they didn’t stop until the Speaker banged the staff against the floor.
‘We are the Celestis,’ the Speaker said. ‘We are the Last Parliament. We acknowledge no other title.’
‘You’re a bunch of no-good interferes who should know better. Trying to decide which side to back in a war that doesn’t even concern you. You should be ashamed of yourselves.’
‘No, no, no,’ the Celestis chanted. But the Doctor held up a finger, and they all went quiet. (Yes, I’m serious.)
‘Time can’t be toyed with by those who exist outside her limits,’ the Doctor said. ‘And I can’t allow this to go on. I won’t let you involve yourselves in the affairs of Dronid. You don’t have the right.’
There was muttering. There was laughing, too, I think. ‘Allow?’ said the Speaker, but his voice sounded like nothing next to the Doctor’s. ‘Your opinions are unimportant. You have no power over us here. You have no authority in Mictlan.’
‘No? Then how did I get here in the first place? How did I force the aperture open? I know the codes that control this grubby little afterlife of yours, don’t forget that. I can come and go as I please. And I can destroy you all, if I feel it’s necessary.’
There was a gasp of horror. At least, I think there was. I might have imagined it.
‘You lie,’ said the Speaker.
‘Do I? Do you really want to take that chance?’
Even from the floor, you could hear the arguments in the galleries. The Celestis, squabbling among themselves, as usual. Some of them said they wanted the Doctor destroyed, but you could tell they were scared. Personally, I think the Doctor was bluffing. He carried it off well, though.
After a while, the Speaker called for silence again.
‘I can’t let you interfere on Dronid,’ the Doctor repeated, before the Speaker could say anything. ‘The situation’s too unstable. You must know that.’
The Speaker gazed up at the galleries. ‘Then... we could come to an agreement,’ he said. I got the feeling he was looking to the others for support.
And, as one, all the Celestis went; ‘Yes, yes, yes.’
‘What did you have in mind?’ said the Doctor. He sounded suspicious, and who could have blamed him?
‘We can agree not to involve ourselves in the affairs of Dronid. We can agree not to further influence the conflict. In return, we would require something from you. Compensation.’
‘I see. Presumably, you’re going to ask for more than just a pound of flesh.’
I remember looking around the Hall, then. I remember seeing the shadows leaning forward, waiting for the Speaker to make his offer. Can shadows hold their breath? If they can, they must have done it then.
‘We want the only thing you possess that we can utilise,’ the Speaker said. ‘We want your body.’
I don’t remember the look on the Doctor’s face, but he must have been shocked by that. He probably shook his head. ‘Ridiculous. Make me another offer.’
‘No. We consider the exchange reasonable. You believe in the responsibility of the individual. You believe in the nobility of self-sacrifice. This is an opportunity to prove your dedication to these basic ideals. We want your body. Only if you surrender it to us can we consider doing as you ask. The deal is a fair one.’
And I knew the Speaker meant it, too. It’s like I said, the Celestis never go back on a deal. Really, I suppose they could have opened up the aperture and stolen the Doctor’s body from anywhere in space and time, but they don’t work like that, it’s against their rules. I knew what they’d do. They’d watch the body from the Grand Hall, and they’d try to mark anyone who was unlucky enough to go near it, just to make sure it stayed in their sights. But there’d be a time when