Doctor Who_ Beyond the Sun - Matthew Jones [101]
Bernice felt something inside of her break. Suddenly the overwhelming, protective feelings she had experienced towards her ex-husband were replaced by a bitter, jealous anger. ‘Actually, Jason, right now I don’t need to know about Iranda’s sleep patterns, all right?’
She bit her lip. Why was it easier to love him when he was only semiconscious?
For a second he looked shocked. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, and then his face cracked into a wry smile. ‘I’d forgotten how jealous you can get.’
‘And I’d forgotten what kind of git you really are. Jason Kane, you are a git. The king of all gits.’ She poked him in the chest. ‘Git. Git. Git.’
And then, much to her annoyance, he started to laugh. ‘You came all this way to abuse me?’
‘No, I came all this way to rescue you, actually. Although, now I’m here, suddenly I’m not at all sure why I bothered. I have been arrested, blown out of the skies, drowned. I have kidnapped people, performed terrible drag – in public – crashed cars, not to mention almost being throttled to death on the roof of a moving vehicle . . .’ Her anger suddenly abandoned her as she remembered the real cost of their adventure. ‘People have died to get me to you. People I liked.’
The smile disappeared from his face. ‘I’m sorry, but you – ’
‘If you’re about to tell me that I didn’t ask you whether you wanted to be rescued,’ she snapped, interrupting him, ‘then I shall thump you. So don’t, all right?’
‘I was going to say that you shouldn’t have put yourself in danger for me,’ he said, although Bernice suspected that he was lying. Self-sacrifice was not a quality that he had in abundance.
Self-pity, yes. Self-sacrifice, no.
‘I’m grateful though, Benny. Really, I am.’
Bernice put her head in her hands. ‘Oh I didn’t come all this way for your gratitude. I . . . I don’t know why I came.’
‘Well thank you for coming anyway, thank you for saving me.’
‘Don’t take that for granted. We’re not out of this yet.’
‘Where’s your ship?’
‘Ah, you’ve put your finger on the one small hole in my otherwise watertight plan.’
‘No ship?’
‘No ship.’
‘Bloody hell. How did you get here?’
‘We got a lift with your girlfriend.’
‘Oh.’
‘Yes, “Oh”.’
‘You’ve met Iranda?’ He actually sounded worried.
‘Oh, we’re old friends.’
‘Then you know that she had me kidnapped on Apollox 4.’
‘To get that figurine, which she thinks is the key to a weapon – I’m way ahead of you.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘You said you married me because I’m clever.’
‘I did. You are.’
‘Not clever enough. Your girlfriend set me up. Had me chase you halfway across the galaxy just to bring that crystal figurine to her.’
‘You didn’t, though, did you?’
Bernice shrugged. ‘Walked straight into it, I’m afraid.’
‘Oh Jesus Christ, Benny! We have to get that back.’ He began to push himself to his feet, but Bernice shoved him back down on to the bed.
‘We are not going anywhere near that woman. We need to steal a ship and get away from here. And that’s all.’
‘I’m not leaving without that thing.’
‘I can’t believe you’re thinking about yourself at a time like this!’
‘Myself? What do you mean?’
‘I presume you’re planning to sell it.’
‘What are you thinking of, Benny? Haven’t you been paying attention to anything that’s been going on? If Iranda gets both the visionaries then there’ll be nothing to stop her. Nothing in the galaxy.’
‘Oh behave, Jason. Don’t tell me you’ve swallowed this ancient-powers nonsense.’
‘Iranda has been scouring the sector for those pieces. She’s completely obsessed with it. The visionaries are the keys to the device. She found the male piece months ago. The female visionary was all that she needed to activate the weapon.’
He sounded evangelical. Bernice was furious that he could have been taken in by Iranda.
‘Listen, Jason, this is what I do, remember? There is no fortune and no glory in digging up the past, beyond the occasional press conference and book launch. You’re worse than bloody freshers who think they’re going to dig up a lost spaceship or a burial chamber filled with gold. Take it from me: ancient