Doctor Who_ Earthworld - Jacqueline Rayner [86]
‘Depends,’ said Asia. ‘We can take surface prints from anyone.’
‘Easy peasy,’ put in Antarctica.
‘What they’re thinking about at the time, what’s happened recently, anything that’s near the top. No problem. Deep stuff – well, you have to probe about a bit. And it’s much easier for people to resist that, so they’ve got to agree, really.
Like we did. All our androids were deep copies.’
‘What about things the person’s forgotten because of some kind of amnesia.
Could you still access those?’
Fitz had a horrid feeling he knew where she was going with this.
‘Oh, yes. The memories and knowledge should still be there. If they’re blocked, you can knock your way through and get them; if there’s been some sort of brain damage you might have to build a new pathway, that’s all. We tried it with some of Africa’s pets. It works.’
Anji turned to the Doctor, her eyes shining. ‘You could do it, Doctor!’ she cried. ‘Access your memories! Find out how to use the TARDIS!’
‘He doesn’t need to!’ Everyone jumped as Fitz yelled out. He looked a bit sheepish. ‘Ha-ha, I mean, he’s not forgotten much. He’s hundreds of years old, remember, bound to forget a few things. . . ’
156
EarthWorld
‘Really, Fitz, I thought you’d be pleased! The Doctor can’t remember how to work the TARDIS, didn’t have a clue what his sonic screwdriver did, and you told me earlier he couldn’t remember if his former best friend was a man or a woman!’
Fitz was struggling now. ‘He’ll remember! Anything he needs to remember, he will. He’s worked out the sonic screwdriver now! For goodness’ sake, do you really want to let these mad kids loose in the Doctor’s brain?’ He turned to the Doctor, silent through all this. ‘Tell her, Doctor. Tell her you don’t need it!’
But the Doctor was leaning forward, examining the machine. ‘You know,’ he said, ‘it might just work. I’d be able to get you home, then, Anji.’
She shrugged. ‘That’s not the reason I suggested it, you know.’
‘I know,’ he said. He was far too bloody understanding. Tell him that is why you suggested it and then I can say you’re selfish and make the Doctor ignore you, Fitz mentally beamed at her. It didn’t work.
‘Let’s do it!’ said the Doctor.
‘And then you’ll take us to Earth?’ said Asia, businesslike.
‘Yes yes yes,’ said the Doctor. Fitz knew he was lying, and was slightly surprised. Still, lying to homicidal children probably didn’t count in the big tally of bad things to do.
‘Can we do it straightaway?’ asked Antarctica. ‘Now?’
‘Why not?’ The Doctor grinned. ‘Just explain to me exactly what you’re going to do.’
‘If the memories are in there but you can’t get to them, we need to find the closed areas, download a copy, and then sort them out – unravel them, you know. Then we copy them back in over the blocked areas and they’re fully accessible. It’s a perfectly simple operation – if you’re geniuses, like us.’
‘Vee are geniufef,’ agreed Africa, slightly muffled by a sherbert lemon.
‘Download the memories – into this machine?’
‘Nope.’
‘So where, then?’ said the Doctor patiently.
‘The machine’s just the tool. We can record things with it, but to actually do things with what we get, we need a clean slate to work on. We usually use each other’s brains.’
Fitz thought of numerous comments, but decided he’d better not say any of them. He contented himself with a warning. ‘Do you really think it’d be a good idea to stick the secrets of time travel into these girls’ heads, Doctor?’
The Doctor frowned. ‘Good point, Fitz. We’d better use you instead. You don’t mind, do you?’
Nights at the Round Table
157
‘No! I mean, yes! Yes, I mind!’
‘Fitz. . . ’ The Doctor looked disappointed.
It was all Fitz could do not to shout out, ‘I’m doing this for you, you stupid git! I’d do anything to help you, but this isn’t going to help!’
‘I just don’t think it’s a good idea, Doctor,’ he said.
‘I’ll do it,’ said Anji.
Fitz wanted to hit her. ‘I don’t think that’s so good an idea, either,’ he said.
‘Why not?’
‘I just don’t think any of this is a good idea! Do you