Doctor Who_ Earthworld - Jacqueline Rayner [17]
‘But what’s that? We’ve travelled through time and space to get here, we don’t know what your standard is.’
Anji saw their expressions and pre-empted what she assumed was coming next. ‘He’s telling the truth,’ she said. ‘Just take it as read, it’ll make things much easier in the long run.’
The Doctor carried on anyway. ‘When we landed in the theme park, we saw a caveman and a pterosaur, and there were some dinosaurs about too. Were they mechanical?’
‘’Spect so,’ Xernic said, nodding.
‘And were they indicative of the general level of historical understanding?’
Anji asked, but the Doctor frowned at her. He went on.
‘And you say that in general these androids can interact with people. So, assuming we’d landed in some non-prehistoric area, would we be able to tell if we were talking to a human being or an android?’
‘No, not really.’
‘I spy potential trouble,’ said Anji. ‘I’ve seen Blade Runner. Well, most of it.’
‘So that’s pretty advanced technology. And the more advanced it is, the more likelihood of something going hideously wrong.’
Anji frowned. ‘How d’you mean, Doctor?’
‘You’ve seen Blade Runner. Well, most of it. You tell me.’
She thought for a second. ‘Rogue androids? Wanting their own identity?
And killing humans?’
‘Well, one and three at least, I’d say. It could just be a mistake in programming rather than a development of consciousness. But yes, I would think that there’s an android revolution going on,’ the Doctor said, jumping to his feet again.
‘And it’s up to us to stop it!’
The three boys cheered. Anji just sighed.
‘Well, for a start, the whole of the twentieth century didn’t happen at once, you know. If you’re gonna have gas lamps and stuff like that, you don’t have astronauts. Oh, and those flapper types and the guys with the twirly moustaches?
They can talk, you know. They don’t have to just mouth “help” or do sinister silent laughs. And all those vampires wandering about? ’Fraid not. Well, not during the day, anyway. And I can’t even begin to think what those trundly 34
EarthWorld
upright-tanks with the radar things on top are, but they were certainly never in the London I knew.’
The woman – Venna Durwell, she’d said, though Fitz still kept thinking of her as Mrs Taylor, Maths – had kept silent throughout Fitz’s rant. Now she finally spoke. ‘All of these things came from genuine twentieth-century records.
Written matter, filmic matter. Those “upright tanks”, for example, are called War Machines. They worked for the General Post Office in the twentieth century, which was an ancient order for the delivery of communications. We have actual filmed records of them on the streets of London, presumably delivering letters.’
‘Oh right,’ said Fitz. ‘And I suppose they had those great thumping arm things to protect their nonexistent ankles from small fierce dogs?’
Durwell was silent again for several moments. She looked almost distraught.
If she hadn’t been such a sarky cow, Fitz might even have felt sorry for her.
‘These things – painstakingly researched – faithfully reproduced on thousands of EarthWorlds all over the galaxy. . . you’re saying that all of it – all of it – is wrong?’
‘Yes! Take anyone from twentieth-century London and plop them down here and they’ll just laugh at you! As I’ve just proved, actually.’ Fitz laughed, to show her he meant it. ‘You’re lucky I’m here, really. Genuine twentieth-century consultant – thousands of theme parks at fifty quid a time – no, hang on, don’t want to price myself out of the market –’
Durwell looked at him pityingly. ‘You’ve just convinced me you’re telling the truth. Come with me.’
She turned on her heel and went in the opposite direction, Fitz having to jog a few steps to catch up with her. As it seemed to have done the trick so far, he kept up the running commentary. ‘No talking horses. No dancing bears. And that girl’s far too young to be dressed like – Hey!’ For he recognised her. Early teens, blonde, bobbed hair and big blue eyes (a bit like the Doctor’s, said the bit of Fitz that was forever consumed with the Time Lord – and then he mentally