Doctor Who_ Father Time - Lance Parkin [115]
‘She was helping me to escape,’ Miranda said.
‘Escape where?’
Miranda was reaching a decision. ‘Cate can fly one of the saucers, escape the ship and get us to Earth. And you can come with us.’
* * *
Mordak was struggling with the shoulder straps of Ferran’s armour. He could sense that the Prefect was growing impatient. Finally, everything was in place. Ferran looked at his hologram, flexed his fingers, then began heading for the door.
One of the scientists intercepted him and pressed a control box into his hand.
‘What is this?’ the Prefect demanded.
‘It allows you to access some of the deactivated systems. In theory, any device within about five paces should operate for you.’
Ferran was impressed. ‘You’ve come up with this since the systems went down?’
The scientist nodded.
Ferran slapped him on the shoulder. ‘We shall discuss your reward for this when I return.’
Ferran stepped through the doorway and the door swished closed behind him.
The scientist looked insufferably smug.
‘You should have discussed it now,’ Mordak noted. ‘He’s going up against the Doctor.’
That wiped the scientist’s grin off him.
* * *
Mather had known there was something wrong – he’d said it, right when they were back in the hangar.
‘The guards are keeping away from us,’ he repeated.
The Doctor shook his head. ‘Why would they do that?’
The corridors were lit with emergency lighting only. They’d come across some of the aliens on their journey. Mather noted that they looked just like people – women in long grey skirts, small men in functional tunics. Every so often there would be a robot of some kind: things that looked like automated street cleaners’ carts, smaller ones, too, that looked like tarantulas with tools and implements on the end of each leg.
But no guards.
This was a warship. That was clear just from looking at the exterior of it. And everything the Doctor and Debbie had told Mather about these people led him to expect the inside of the Death Star, or at least the starship Enterprise. Where were the guards?
He hesitated for a moment, watched the Doctor and Debbie hurry along.
And a transparent screen slid down, cutting him off.
‘Hey!’ he called, banging his fists on it.
The Doctor and Debbie turned, then hurried back. So the door wasn’t soundproof.
‘I’ll try to get it open,’ the Doctor promised.
Debbie was running her hands around the edges. ‘It’s very thin material.’
It was: barely a millimetre thick – but pushing against it had no effect: it hadn’t budged.
The Doctor was down on one knee, opening up his briefcase. ‘I’ll use the sonic suitcase,’ he told them, playing around with some instrument wedged into one side of it.
There was a high-pitched squeal. The Doctor smiled, looked up at the door, then frowned when it remained obstinately closed.
Then the squeal became higher still.
‘Get back!’ Debbie warned, pulling him away.
The thing in the suitcase exploded, showering the corridor with sparks.
The Doctor blinked. ‘A deliberate feedback loop,’ he said. ‘Ferran must have anticipated that I’d use it.’
Mather pressed himself against the screen. ‘I thought the power was off.’
‘They might have found an override.’ The Doctor looked around. ‘Get back to the shuttle, Mather, I don’t think we can open this.’
‘Then how will you get back?’
The Doctor shrugged. ‘I’ll find a way round.’
Mather thought about it for a moment. ‘Agreed,’ he said.
* * *
The hangars could be only about a ten-or fifteen-minute walk away – Cate and Miranda agreed on that. Graltor and Tarvin were flagging a bit – they’d been on the run for several hours, and were worn out.
Cate took the opportunity to whisper a few words to Miranda. ‘We can’t take them with us, they’re slaves.’
‘You’re all slaves,’ Miranda said sharply.
Cate was shocked, and then surprised just how shocked she was. ‘I’m the Deputy of a galactic –’
‘You’re a slave. I’m freeing you, I’ll free them. I only wish I could free everyone else.’ There was little warmth in Miranda’s voice now.