Doctor Who_ All-Consuming Fire - Andy Lane [62]
'We asked friend Sherringford for aid. We asked him to find out who was planning to destroy the peace of Ry'leh.'
'I knew that Father had seen evidence of the joining of worlds,' Sherringford continued. 'It was by reading his journals that I had started experimenting, and it was those experiments that attracted the attention of the Ry'lehans.
So I started with the Library, only to find that Father's journals had been stolen. And that's where you came in, Sherlock.'
I wondered, but did not dare ask, why K'tcar'ch had been following me.
'So where does this get us?' said Mycroft with characteristic directness, leaning back against the panelling. It creaked beneath its weight. 'If we accept the evidence of Mr . . . er . . . Mr K'tcar'ch, was it . . .?'
The alien clicked in what seemed to be approval.
' . . And add it to what we already know, then Baron Maupertuis is attempting to raise an army and invade the peaceful world of Ry'leh. Now, I must point out that Her Majesty's Government has no treaty or alliance with Ry'leh to my certain knowledge, and therefore, whilst we would treat any request for assistance with great sympathy, we can take no action that might result in an inconvenient diplomatic situation.'
'You have summed the situation up correctly,' Sherringford agreed.
The Doctor strode across to confront Mycroft. He was almost half the man's size and half his width, but in some strange way he seemed to tower over the diplomat.
'And so while you debate, a world is invaded? Is this British justice? Has the Mother of Parliaments been replaced by a talking shop for indecisive milksops?'
Mycroft glanced across to where Sherlock Holmes stood.
'All I can do is to advise on the official Government position,' he boomed.
'We have no control over independent agents, of course. Just as we cannot dictate the actions of Baron Maupertuis on an alien planet, neither can we legislate against the actions of a band of doughty adventurers who might wish to prevent his actions.' He waved a flipper-like hand. 'If, by any chance, you need assistance, I believe a big-game hunting expedition funded by the Diogenes is making its way across India even as we speak.'
A slow smile spread across the Doctor's face.
'So,' he said, 'once again it comes down to this: a handful of us against the forces of darkness.' He turned to Mycroft. 'Can you arrange for our passports to India?'
'Of course, but why?'
'Because Baron Maupertuis is headed there.'
'Forgive me,' I interrupted, 'but I am puzzled.' Everybody turned to look at me as if they had forgotten that I was there, even K'tcar'ch, although I had seen no evidence of eyes. 'If these gateways can be opened from anywhere, as Sherringford Holmes seemed to indicate, then why is Baron Maupertuis heading for India?'
'A good question,' Holmes said, turning to his brother, 'and one which had been puzzling me.'
'The location is important,' K'tcar'ch replied, 'because of the relative positions of the two planets in the spacetime continuum. It can only be done between India and a portion of Ry'leh that we call the Plain of Leng.'
Holmes frowned slightly, but nodded.
'A fair answer,' he said.
'We will need the books, of course,' said the Doctor, skipping across the room and retrieving them from the desk. Sherringford made to grab at them with his gloved hands, but the Doctor shoved them into a pocket of his coat and moved away.
'Surely they would be safer here...' Sherringford began, but Mycroft interrupted him.
'No,' he said heavily. 'If they contain information about where or how this amazing feat is to be engineered, then our brave and unofficial troops will be needing them.'
'We of Ry'leh thank you, gentlemen,' said K'tcar'ch. 'You will live in our thoughts forever.'
'I hope to live a great deal more substantially than that,' the Doctor muttered.
From there the discussion