Doctor Who_ Full Circle - Andrew Smith [41]
'Reverse transcriptase?' said Adric.
'Full circle,' said the Doctor. 'Ah.' He picked up a centrifuge from off the top of a nearby cabinet, removing a number of phials from it and placing them in a test-tube rack. 'Dexeter,' said the Doctor, 'has been doing DNA analysis, Adric.'
'Good for him.'
The Doctor gave Adric a despairing look and switched on the microscope. Immediately the small hatch near the base burst open with a shower of sparks. The Doctor switched the device off, and investigated the hatch, withdrawing the broken TARDIS image translator and recognising it at once. 'Adric...'
Adric already had the working image translator out of his pocket. The Doctor snatched it from him with ill grace. 'But it's what you wanted, isn't it?' said Adric. 'For the TARDIS?'
'Look, Adric,' the Doctor began, inserting the component into the microscope, 'other people's property...' He tailed off, considering the small box of micro-technology. 'Yes, it would be useful. If this works in the TARDIS, it would definitely prove we're in E-Space.'
'E-Space?'
'The Exo-Space/Time continuum. Outside our own universe. I suspect what the TARDIS came through - look, do you mind if we do one thing at a time?' He snapped the image translator into place and switched on the microscope. 'Good. Now for a short course in cytogenetics. Gather round, everybody.'
In the lower deck area of the starliner, Nefred lay in the shadows, wheezing erratically, feeling his life slipping away from him. He could hear through dull ears the sounds of the escape hatchways being closed over, Login's voice loud and authoritative as he directed the citizens in their tasks.
Login is a very good man, Nefred thought to himself. One day, he will be a great man. He could hear Garif too, whimpering, complaining, panic-stricken. Garif should never have been made a Decider, Nefred considered. As an instructor of citizens he had excelled. As a Decider, he had proved useless.
As you yourself, Ragen Nefred, have proved useless, he told himself. You call yourself First Decider. Yet when faced with a real crisis all you can do is hesitate, wait for others to lead your decisions.
Nefred was well aware that he was dying, and he was sorry that he would have no opportunity to redeem himself. He saw the blurred images of Login and Garif coming towards him, standing over him. He let out a long, wheezing, rattling cough and meekly gestured his fellow-Deciders closer.
In the background, the citizens watched on.
'Login... Garif,' Nefred began. 'We have procrastinated too long. If you survive this...' His words were lost in another coughing fit which chilled them all.
Login went down on one knee beside the dying man. 'Yes?'
'Seek out the Doctor,' Nefred ordered. 'He can teach you to fly the starliner. It is my wish that... that you all... leave Alzarius.'
'Return to Terradon?' Login asked.
'No,' Nefred retorted firmly. 'We cannot return to Terradon.'
Garif began, 'But if the Doctor shows us how - '
'We cannot return to Terradon.'
'Why not?' Login asked.
Nelfred turned his head to Login, and concentrated all his efforts to bring the man's face into focus. 'Because... because we have never been there.'
His head lolled to one side, his eyes closed. Nefred was dead.
Garif gripped the corpse by the shoulders and shook it vigorously. 'What do we do?' he demanded. 'Tell us what to do!'
Login pulled Garif away from the body, saddened and appalled by the man's hysterical behaviour. 'Pull yourself together, Garif! He's told us what to do!'
Login started for the stairs, dragging Garif with him, and gestured for the citizens to follow them.
'We must find the Doctor!'
There was quiet activity in the Science Unit. In one corner, Varsh was preparing microscope slides for the Doctor. In another, Keara was watching over the whirring centrifuge. It contained a single test-tube filled with a few cc's of stark greenish liquid prepared by the Doctor.