Doctor Who_ Earthworld - Jacqueline Rayner [93]
‘Then I’ll take you home.’
Fitz noted that it was Xernic who looked upset at that news. Then there was a sound from outside.
‘I think they’re back,’ Fitz said, and they wandered out to meet them.
The President had returned alone, save for the inanimate form of what was presumably his wife, a blonde-haired woman lying across the back seat.
Not long afterwards, their little procession set off for the TARDIS. Anji had asked Hoover how the girls were, and he hadn’t answered. She asked the Doctor whether they’d be all right if someone got an android of Asia back on line. The Doctor had said no, they wouldn’t be all right. Because they really did think of themselves as three parts of the same person, and now the links were gone for good. No android could replace that. And as Asia had been the controlling triplet – the brain, if you like – then they weren’t going to be able to function properly ever again. If there was someone to love them and look after them, perhaps they might cope. And once again Fitz felt a touch of grief, and wondered why.
They had made It uneventfully to the Prehistoric Zone, and now the Doctor’s party was tramping across the plain towards the TARDIS. Every now and again they passed a stationary robot – a dinosaur, a horse, a medieval peasant. Fitz caught a glance of what might be a frozen triplet behind a rock, and shivered.
He didn’t look closely, and didn’t point her out to anyone else. Hoover was doing this weird manic sleepwalking thing. He didn’t seem to know quite where he was or what was going on, he just kept calling out that they were going to find Elizabethan, and he was going to ask her forgiveness. Which was made even more strange because Xernic and Anji were carrying the limp body of the President’s wife between them. Fitz was absolutely certain by now that the kid fancied Anji. She didn’t seem to have twigged, though. And then there was Fitz, coming in last, trying to keep one eye on the Doctor striding ahead of them all, while not losing control of the Memory Machine that he was wheeling in front of him.
They reached the TARDIS at last – well, Fitz finally stumbled up with his trolley about thirty seconds after the Doctor had already opened the door and breezed in. This meant Fitz missed all the usual reactions of strangers entering the TARDIS for the first time – or perhaps there hadn’t been any: Hoover was too spaced out and Xernic had probably heard all about it from Anji.
170
EarthWorld
The Doctor had opened up a panel on the TARDIS console, and wires were spilling out. He grabbed the trolley from Fitz and began attaching the wires to bits sticking out of the Memory Machine. Fitz was convinced that he didn’t have a clue what he was doing.
Anji and Xernic were laying Elizabethan down on the scarlet plush sofa that sat on the left-hand side of the console room, between the entrances to what the Doctor had named the filing alcove and the reference room, though Fitz didn’t like to ask what it might be referring to. He still had a lot to get used to in this new-look TARDIS. . .
Anji said, ‘Doctor. . . ?’
He looked up from his spaghetti wiring. ‘Yes?’
‘If you get the machine working again, we could continue what the girls were doing, couldn’t we? Give you your memory back.’
He seemed to be considering it. ‘Possibly, possibly. It depends. Did they do the initial work? Is there a copy of my memories in your head?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Anji.
‘I don’t think so,’ Fitz put in. ‘I’m pretty sure there wasn’t time. In fact, I’m certain.’ This was not going to happen.
But the kid, Xernic, had to butt in. ‘The princess said she was copying the memories across. And then they were talking for a bit before – you know. I think it could have happened.’
‘I don’t think so!’ shouted Fitz, possibly a bit too forcefully.
The Doctor shot him a concerned look. ‘Well, let’s not worry about it now.
Plenty of time to sort it out once I’ve done this. Even if they haven’t copied my memories into Anji’s mind, I’m sure I can work something