Doctor Who_ Corpse Marker - Chris Boucher [100]
As the robot squeezed harder the Doctor struggled to reach the pockets of his coat. Finally he managed to get a hand on the explosive pack he had taken from the Tarenists’ cache. He ripped the backing off it and reached up and slapped it across the robot’s eyes. To his relief the adhesive took. He flicked the timer to manual and then waited for the robot to drop him so that it could free a hand to pull the pack away. When it did he keyed two seconds, ducked and ran for cover.
SASV1 ripped the pack away from its eyes and looked at it.
The explosion blew its arm and half its head away.
When the blast of fragments had spattered into silence the Doctor gingerly emerged from the side room where he had been sheltering. The two Supervocs were standing beside the crippled SASV1. They turned to look at him.
‘Where is Taren Capel?’ one of the Supervocs said.
‘And where is Taren Capel?’ the second Supervoc said.
The Doctor sighed. ‘I have no idea,’ he said. ‘Why do you ask? Twice.’
SASV1 lifted its remaining arm and moved towards the sound of the Doctor’s voice.
‘There must be only one,’ the first Supervoc said.
‘There must not be two,’ the second Supervoc said.
‘Anyone with half a brain can see that,’ the Doctor said, avoiding SASV1’s clumsy approach. ‘I tell you what,’ he went on.
‘Why don’t you all wait here? I expect he’ll show up sooner or later. It’s just a question of patience.’
In bay 6 sub 1 Miscellaneous/Restricted, Carnell looked at the strange blue box which had apparently defied the best technical brains around - not that Kaldor boasted much in the way of brains - and wondered whether Uvanov had cheated him after all. This could be anything. Anything probably but a mode of transport which was what Uvanov had half-suggested it might be. But the mad, power-hungry little man had no reason to cheat him. Kill him, yes, but not cheat him. Then he heard the noise and stepped back into the hiding place he had chosen.
The man he watched come out of the shadows at the far end of the equipment bays was just as he had been described. He was tall, dressed outlandishly and he had curly hair. He hadn’t got the primitive warrior female with him but she was running around loose in the central service facility if the platoon leader from security was to be believed. When the man stopped at the box and patted it Carnell could see he had a vivid, wolfish smile.
‘Hullo, old girl,’ he said. ‘Fancy you being here. I do love a good coincidence.’
‘Damn,’ Carnell said. ‘You are real. What a stupid mistake to have made.’
Poul was twitching again. Uvanov sent the robot out of the room and gave orders that the building was to be cleared of them.
‘Thank you,’ Poul said. ‘I appreciate it, Captain. Sorry,’ he corrected himself, ‘I mean Firstmaster.’
‘Firstmaster Chairholder, presumably,’ Toos said, ‘when all this unravels.’ She smiled at Uvanov. ‘There’s only one thing better than being extremely rich. That’s being extremely rich and having powerful friends.’
‘I thought the two were synonymous,’ Tani said.
‘So did I,’ Toos said. ‘But here you are anyway.’
‘Why are we here?’ Poul asked.
‘We’re witnesses,’ Toos said. ‘Isn’t that right, Firstmaster Uvanov? You need witnesses. People you can trust.’
Uvanov said, ‘We three,’ he smiled at Toos and Poul, ‘have a history which does set us apart from the general run. A history that makes us dangerous. We remember what happened on the Four. We know robots kill.’
‘Forgive me, Firstmaster,’ Tani said, ‘but that’s hardly a secret any more.’
‘No?’ Uvanov said. ‘How many people do you think really believe it? Even the ones who know don’t really believe it. No, it’s too frightening. Just the thought of it drives people out of their minds.’
‘Look at us,’ Poul murmured.
Uvanov ignored the comment. ‘Once we destroy any evidence that the Cyborg class ever existed,’ he went on, ‘this will all be put down to the ARF, the Tarenists, freak weather conditions, whatever seems conveniently plausible.’
Poul laughed. ‘Conveniently plausible? I wish I still knew what was remotely plausible.’
‘You will,