Doctor Who_ Enlightenment - Barbara Clegg [40]
Both ships were deserted, mere floating hulks, when the Enlighteners came aboard. In the centre of Wrack’s empty stateroom, a figure slowly materialised, robed and cowled.
As it shimmered in the air, it seemed to be two figures –
identical. They separated, and one of them, with cupped hands, moved to the table. Something was placed there.
And when the hands were removed, a small glass dome remained on the wooden boards. It was filled with bright light – so bright, indeed, that both figures were forced to shade their eyes. Then, slowly, the brilliance died.
‘Let the victors receive their prize,’ said the voice of the White Guardian. One of the Enlighteners pushed back his cowl, and then the other. The two Guardians stood there –
of Light and of Darkness.
‘You will never destroy the light,’ the White Guardian said calmly.
The Black Guardian smiled. ‘Others shall do it for me.’
‘Destroy the light and you destroy yourself,’ the White Guardian went on, as though it was an age-old argument between them. ‘Dark cannot exist without knowledge of light.’
‘Nor light without dark,’ the Black Guardian replied sardonically. And then, as the White Guardian seemed to glimmer slightly, he went on in a jeering voice, ‘Your power is waning.’
‘Others shall recharge it for me,’ the White Guardian mimicked him.
The Black Guardian laughed. ‘These creatures know neither good nor evil,’ he said easily. ‘Enlightenment will give them power. They will invade Time itself. Chaos will come again. The Universe will dissolve.’ The prospect seemed to please him. And then he suddenly called out in a loud voice, ‘Where is the Captain of this ship? Where is the Captain to receive the prize?’
The voice that answered made his reverberating tones seem rather overdramatic. It was normal and reasonable.
‘I’m afraid the Captain can’t be with us,’ it said. And into the room walked the Doctor. ‘She met with a rather unfortunate accident,’ he said regretfully. ‘She fell overboard. So did the First Mate. Thanks to the assistance of my friend here.’ Turlough came to stand beside him.
‘Although I wasn’t sure for a minute which of us you were going to push,’ he said softly to the boy. ‘Neither was I’ was the enigmatic reply. The Doctor looked again at the two Guardians. ‘What I meant to say was – with assistance from my friend here – I brought the ship into harbour.’
‘You lie!’ The Black Guardian roared.
‘Oh no!’ The Doctor’s voice was still gentle and reasonable. ‘I leave lies and deception to you,’ and he stared back at the menacing figure.
The White Guardian glowed slightly more brightly. ‘It seems Enlightenment is yours, Doctor.’
The Time Lord gave him a searching look, then shook his head, almost sadly.
‘I’m not ready for it,’ came the modest reply. The White Guardian glowed more brightly still, and he looked triumphantly in the Black Guardian’s direction. ‘I don’t think anyone is,’ the Doctor went on, with regret.
‘Especially Eternals.’
The stateroom doors were flung open almost before he had finished speaking, and Striker and Marriner stood there, a small figure between them. It darted forward, to throw its arms round the Doctor in a surprising hug.
‘You’re alive!’ Tegan almost sobbed with delight. The Doctor appeared slightly embarassed by this excess of emotion. ‘Shouldn’t I be?’ he asked casually. But the White Guardian had raised his arms in a dismissing gesture. ‘The Ephemeral crews have been returned to their own times.
Let the Eternals now return from whence they came.’
There was such power in the voice, that nobody demurred.
Except. for Marriner. He stepped forward with desperation in his eyes. ‘No!’ he said. ‘I want to stay!’
‘Back!’ said the White Guardian. ‘Back to your echoing spaces, where your existence is endless and meaningless.
Back to the vastness of eternity.’
Marriner looked at Tegan with pleading in his eyes.
‘Help me!’ he begged.
Tegan was confused and terrified. She still did not quite understand