Doctor Who_ Bad Therapy - Matthew Jones [106]
Jack tried to work out what the woman meant. ‘You travelled with the Doctor? Did he take you into outer space in his spaceship?’
Gilliam seemed to find something amusing. She nodded. ‘Yeah, you could put it like that. I was only a couple of years older than you at the time.’
‘Wow! Really? Do you think –’
‘I wouldn’t if I were you. “A quick trip around the Galaxy,” he said. I was eighteen when we left; I just got back.’
The Doctor was gently putting the last globe back into place, when he looked up and saw Chief Inspector Harris hurrying down the last few steps into the cavern.
‘Doctor,’ the policeman called, a little out of breath. ‘They’re trying to break through upstairs. I don’t know how long the barricade will hold them.’
The Doctor surveyed his work: it was a bit of a lash-up, but then wasn’t it always?
‘Ah, Chief Inspector,’ the Doctor began. ‘Time for us to leave, I take it. I’m counting on you to make sure that the Scratons don’t give Tilda and her people any trouble.’
Harris nodded. ‘You don’t have to worry about that. What are you going to do about this Moriah fellow?’
The Doctor shrugged. ‘I really have no idea. Perhaps Moriah will leave the Toys alone now. My first priority is to get everyone away from here.’ The Doctor glanced over to where Peri was talking to Jack. ‘Perhaps if we can find out more about Moriah, then we could find a way to resolve the conflict.’
Harris followed the Doctor’s gaze and then said, ‘Women trouble?’
‘The trouble is all mine,’ the Doctor said, quietly. ‘I made a mistake and I hurt her. This was all a long time ago. I don’t know if I can make it up to her now.’
‘I see,’ the policeman said awkwardly and changed the subject. ‘So is this. . .
this device going to be able to get us all home?’
The Doctor smiled. ‘If I’ve got my sums right then everyone will arrive in Central London about three seconds after you leave here.’
‘After we leave here? Aren’t you coming with us?’
184
‘I need to stay behind to make sure that the path through the Vortex remains stable for the whole trip. Artificial time corridors have a habit of collapsing or shifting their exit points a few light years without a moment’s notice.’
Harris blinked. ‘It is safe, isn’t it?’
‘Give me a definition of safe.’
‘Never mind. How will you get back?’
The Doctor pointed to the shadows at the far end of the cavern. ‘The Major told me that there are tunnels which eventually lead out into the grounds. It’s the route used by the Toys to escape from the Institute. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.’
‘I want to stay with you.’
‘Yes, yes of course you do,’ the Doctor spluttered, shooing Jack into the circle to take his place with the others. ‘But you can’t. And I don’t have time to argue, Jack Bartlett. I’m putting my foot down. Right, is everyone ready?
Good.’
The Doctor traced the edge of several of the symbols etched into one of the glass spheres with his fingertips and looked up at the group standing, expectantly, in the circle of spheres. He felt like a photographer at a wedding.
Nothing happened. Tilda tapped her foot impatiently. ‘Technical difficulties?’
Gilliam sighed and stepped out of the circle and joined him by the sphere, deliberately avoiding eye contact with him. ‘It’s important to touch the last two symbols together, Doctor. The bird/globe was designed to be operated by two people.’
‘Was it really? Gosh, how did you ever discover that?’
For a moment the Doctor thought that her hard expression might melt under the warmth of his interest.
‘Well I had plenty of time on my hands,’ she muttered angrily.
The Doctor winced at the barbed comment. He was about to reply when there came a crash from somewhere above them.
‘They’re coming through,’ Jack cried and jumped out of the circle.
‘Jack! No!’ the Doctor bellowed.
Gilliam had already activated the device, her fingers dancing over the surface of the globe. It was too late to stop.