Doctor Who_ Enlightenment - Barbara Clegg [24]
‘They must know how to avoid a collision!’ said Tegan, appalled at the thought of what would happen if a really massive asteroid hit. ‘They must – with all their technology!’
‘They may choose not to use it,’ the Doctor replied. ‘It might be against the rules of the race.’
Tegan looked at him in blank horror. ‘We could be splintered to matchwood!’
‘I don’t think that worries them,’ the Doctor answered.
He was looking at Marriner, and as her eyes followed his, she saw that the First Mate was thoroughly enjoying himself. On Striker’s face there was a look of ecstasy as he gazed into the teeth of the storm.
At the wheel of the Buccaneer, Wrack was alight with the same excitement and pleasure. Turlough, standing at her side, found her enjoyment of the danger quite incomprehensible.
‘Captain –’ Mansell’s urgent voice sounded from the doorway, ‘Davey’s ship is gaining on us.’
‘Good!’ Wrack exclaimed, to Turlough’s surprise. ‘Take the wheel.’ And as the officer jumped to obey she went on,
‘We’ll wait till she’s alongside. Be ready to move away from her fast when I activate.’ Then she was striding from the room. ‘Come with me,’ she shouted over her shoulder to Turlough.
‘Where are we going?’ he asked nervously, trotting at her heels down the corridor.
‘You wanted to learn the secret of my power,’ she said.
‘Now is your chance.’ And as they reached a companion-ladder, she swung lightly down, deeper still into the bowels of the ship.
It was distinctly uncomfortable in Striker’s wheel-house, and Tegan clutched the Doctor’s arm as the ship was jolted about more and more violently.
‘What speed are we doing?’ she whispered in his ear.
‘I don’t know,’ the Doctor replied, grimly, ‘But it’s increasing.’
And then Marriner’s excited voice broke in, ‘Davey’s moving up on the Buccaneer.’
All eyes swung to the scanner screen, as a massive nineteenth-century clipper sailed into view, clearly gaining on Wrack’s much smaller ship ahead.
Turlough half-scrambled, half-fell down yet another ladder. This must be about as far down they could get, he imagined, and looking round, he saw that Wrack had at last stopped. She was standing in front of a heavy door with a ‘Danger’ sign over it, operating the opening mechanism. Beside the door was a control panel, marked
‘Vacuum Shield’, and he just had time to notice that she had set the Force Field gauge to ‘full’, when the door swung open. She paused for a second on the threshold, and Turlough joined her, panting slightly. ‘What is this place?’
he asked. She turned to him, her face alive and spiteful.
‘Would you like to know?’ she asked, and in one swift movement, stepped through and slammed the door in his face. He could hear her laughing on the other side, and then silence.
Everyone in the wheel-house was crowded round the scanner screen, except for Striker himself.
‘Davey’s taking the wind out of her sails,’ Marriner shouted back to him.
The asteroid storm had almost died, and they could see clearly. Out in deep space, the clipper was edging ahead of Wrack’s ship.
‘What’s going to happen?’ Tegan said quietly to the Doctor.
His face looked grim. ‘I fear – disaster,’ he replied.
Turlough’s ear was pressed to the ‘Danger’ door, but he had difficulty making out what was going on beyond. He thought he could hear Wrack’s voice, in snatches, and then someone else spoke. It was a man. The deep reverberating tones were unmistakable. For a moment of horror, Turlough thought that he recognised them, and then he was flung back against the wall as a distant