Doctor Who_ Father Time - Lance Parkin [120]
But none of them had explained why she had enjoyed it.
The sense of power as she’d taken a life.
And during the years she’d been travelling, that was what had worried her the most. That Ferran was right, that locked inside her blood and her genes was a monster.
She’d started a riot. Perhaps she’d even started a revolution. She wasn’t thinking that far ahead. For now, she wanted the slaves freed and Ferran captured.
Or killed.
Lives would be lost.
She’d not seen anyone killed here, let alone killed anyone herself, but it was inevitable. There was so much pent-up anger among the slaves. And among the guards and scientists – Cate had been right: over one in three of them had switched sides the moment the possibility existed.
Graltor was at her side, keen eyes and ears listening out. Somehow, without either of them saying anything, he’d become her bodyguard. He was carrying a neutron rifle, and made the bulky weapon look small. No doubt he could hear the disturbance. Glass shattering, battering rains against doors. There was the smell of smoke in the air.
But the riot hadn’t reached Miranda’s room yet.
She stepped out of the travel tube. The door to her chamber was broken, and the lock looked like it had been blasted off.
Graltor went into her room first, made sure it was clear.
As Miranda followed, she saw Debbie Castle’s body was just inside the door. Miranda checked it, but she was long gone, just as Cate had said. She closed the woman’s eyes.
‘I’ll keep watch,’ Graltor assured her. He brandished his neutron rifle, to emphasise his point, and leaned against the door frame, looking out into the corridor.
Miranda was already heading for the bed. Her father lay there, immobile,
She ran her hand over his cheek. His lip was split and there was swelling round his left eye.
His eyes fluttered open. ‘Miranda? I’m... it’s... I think I might be dead.’
The Doctor’s head flopped back.
‘That’s the Emperor?’ Graltor asked. ‘It doesn’t look like the Emperor. When I was a gladiator, I was given a medal by the Emperor. He was –’
‘Shush,’ Miranda said, laying her head on her father’s chest. ‘He’s alive.’
The Doctor’s eyes snapped open. ‘Good,’ he said.
He tried to sit upright, but the effort was too much.
‘I can’t believe you got here. How did you get here?’
‘Atlantis. Space shuttle. Hijacked it.’
Miranda laughed.
‘Ferran...’ the Doctor said.
She smiled. ‘It’s OK. Cate, the Deputy, she’s on my side. She told Ferran you’d died, then radioed me and told me where to find you. These should help.’ She attached a couple of white pads to the back of the Doctor’s neck. ‘It’s medicine,’ she explained. ‘Special space medicine. I’ve no idea how it works, but it does.’
She saw her Batman T-shirt on the floor, leaned down and picked it up. ‘I’ve been looking for that. Graltor, look the other way a moment, would you?’
He returned to his post at the door.
She slipped her jacket off, tugged off her shirt and pulled the T-shirt back on.
Her father was blushing.
‘Dad...’ she admonished.
‘He killed Debbie. You remember Debbie Castle?’
‘Of course. I’m sorry.’ She finished tucking in the T-shirt and reached for her jacket.
‘We could have been a family.’
Miranda kissed him on the forehead. The swelling around his eye was already going down. ‘You’re going to be OK.’
‘My side.’
Miranda shifted a little. ‘I’m sorry. Am I putting too much weight on it?’
The Doctor managed a small chuckle. ‘No. You said, “my side”. Since when have you had a side?’
Miranda smiled.
* * *
The Deputy had taken her place behind Ferran’s chair, looked over his shoulder as he tried to piece together the scale of the rebellion.
Computer was displaying an image of Supremacy, with rebel-held areas in red, areas secured by men loyal to Ferran in black.
Cate allowed herself a small smile.
In terms of floorspace, most of the known parts of the ship were under the control of the rebels. They had blocked the travel tubes, virtually all of the