Doctor Who_ Deep Blue - Mark Morris [38]
Never one for unnecessary preamble, the Brigadier said,
„Any new theories on the situation, Doctor?‟
„Yes. I believe the answer lies in whatever Mr Elkins saw land in the sea.‟
„In what way, Doctor?‟ Mike asked.
„Well, my theory is that the object is causing some kind of water-borne contamination.‟
„Chemical warfare?‟ suggested Benton.
„Perhaps. Or maybe the object is simply a piece of space debris whose impact with the earth cracked it open, releasing an alien pollutant.‟
„Charming thought,‟ said the Brigadier. „As if we haven‟t got the effects of our own pollution to worry about.‟
„Quite so,‟ said the Doctor.
„So you reckon the only people affected will be those who‟ve been in contact with the water?‟ Benton asked.
„Not necessarily. Anyone who has eaten fish or seafood since the object came down could be at risk too.‟
„Then we may have a problem,‟ said the Brigadier. „The Royal Navy kindly laid on a rather splendid fish supper for us all when we arrived last night.‟
The Doctor raised his eyes heavenwards. „Marvellous. And how about you, Mike? Have you eaten fish too?‟
„As a matter of fact, no I haven‟t.‟ Mike gave a tight smile.
„Pity. I was looking forward to a nice bit of haddock tonight.‟
Sunning herself on the beach, Tegan wondered what would happen if she stayed here with Andy. She‟d carry on getting older, whilst in several years‟ time a younger version of herself would blunder into a police box on the Barnet bypass.
Eventually the Doctor would bring her here, where she would meet Andy and the whole cycle would begin again. It made Tegan‟s head spin thinking about how tangled up in time you could become if you really put your mind to it.
She would never be able to travel to London to meet herself, of course, because as the Doctor was always telling her, there were rules against that sort of thing. So if she did stay here, she wouldn‟t be able to save Aunt Vanessa from being murdered by the Master in a few years‟ time. That alone - aside from the practical limitations -was reason enough why she couldn’t stay.
„You OK?‟ asked Andy, lying on the towel beside her.
Tegan opened her eyes. Everything looked bleached, not quite real. „Fine,‟ she said. „Why?‟
„You looked fed up all of a sudden. I just wondered if something was wrong.‟
She turned and smiled at him. „I was just wishing I could stay here for ever - but I can‟t.‟
„Why not?‟ he asked casually.
She sat up, drawing her knees towards her and wrapping her arms around them. „I just can‟t. In a few days or a few weeks I‟ll have to move on. You wouldn‟t understand.‟
„Thanks,‟ said Andy.
„No, I didn‟t mean it like that. It‟s complicated.‟
„Wanderlust,‟ said Andy.
„Pardon?‟
„You‟ve got wanderlust. I understand that all right. You‟re a free spirit. You don‟t like to be tied down.‟
She laughed. „If only it were that simple.‟
„Well, if it isn‟t wanderlust, what is it?‟ He paused, „You‟re not on the run, are you?‟
She laughed even harder. „You‟ve got it! I‟m a desperate fugitive. That‟s why I‟m spending my day with a policeman.‟
He smiled. „Maybe you like to live dangerously.‟
Tegan looked out over the ocean and said, almost to herself, „I do that all right.‟
Andy looked perplexed. „You know, I‟ve never met anyone quite like you.‟
„Isn‟t that a bit of a cliché?‟
He shrugged. „Maybe. It‟s true, though.‟
They lapsed into silence, both of them watching the sea charging at the shore, kids playing, dogs barking as they frolicked at the water‟s edge. If she was going to enjoy her day with Andy, Tegan knew she would have to stop dropping subtle clues that there was more to her than met the eye.
She didn‟t mean to do it, but she couldn‟t help it somehow. It was as if a part of her wanted him to find out who she was, where she came from. Maybe,