Doctor Who_ Halflife - Mark Michalowski [112]
201
Right in front of her, their eyes wide with astonishment – and, in Sensimi’s case, fear – were Trove and his prisoner, less than an arm’s length away.
Time seemed to stand still again.
I HAVE INCREASED MY PERCEPTUAL ACUITY MOMENTARILY said Reo, and Trix was sure there was a hint of smugness in his voice. It was like having an annoying friend giving a running commentary on a film that you’re trying to concentrate on. YOU ARE CURRENTLY PERCEIVING THE EXTERNAL WORLD AT
APPROXIMATELY ONE HUNDRED TIMES ITS NORMAL RATE. ONE SECOND IN REAL
TIME –
Yes! snapped Trix. I’m not stupid.
Reo didn’t seem affronted at her annoyance.
OF COURSE, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR MY BODY TO MOVE AT SUCH SPEEDS, BUT IT IS INTERESTING TO PERCEIVE THE WORLD IN THIS MANNER, IS IT NOT?
It’s not your body protested Trix angrily. It’s my body.
But Trix’s thought lacked conviction. She felt cold and detached. She could see the statues in front of her that were Trove and Sensimi, frozen by Reo’s perceptual trick. She could see the sheen of perspiration on the girl’s dark skin, even see the delicate flush of her cheeks, how her nostrils had dilated with fear. She could actually smell her panic – acrid and musky. But Reo had control. And all Trix could do was to observe the poor girl, dispassionately.
Trove, behind her, had his eyes open wide: Trix wondered quite what he was seeing? Had Reo moved her so fast that she’d been just a blur? Was that even possible? Surely her body wasn’t designed to move so fast, so sharply.
Shouldn’t her legs have snapped, or her hips broken or something? Or had this
‘reconstruction’ process already begun? Even now, without her being aware of it – like termites, chewing through the foundations of your house while you quietly watch telly – was Reo rebuilding her body? Making her into some sort of Superwoman? And there was still the bitter tang of irony to all of this, that came through to Trix quite clearly: she’d wanted so desperately to have Joshua’s chameleon device to let her be whatever she wanted to be; to be able to change her face and shape and hair, the ultimate disguise kit. You stupid, stupid cow, she thought. And the sad thing was, she realised bitterly, it’s exactly what you really want, Trix. Isn’t it?
And then, abruptly, it was as if the film of the world had revved up to superfast speed. A hand shot out of nowhere – her own hand, she realised a moment after it had happened – and slammed into Trove’s startled face.
Somewhere, a long, long way away, she felt bone crunch and splinter wetly as the palm of her hand struck his nose, and Trove went tumbling backwards.
Sensimi was pitched forwards against her and she caught her effortlessly, like a toy.
∗ ∗ ∗
202
Only afterwards did Fitz try to make sense of what happened, and even then he reckoned that he’d failed dismally.
Trix had been standing alongside Tannalis in the levicar, as Trove had tightened his arm around Sensimi’s throat. Fitz’d been thrown violently from the opening of Tain’s peristaltic duct (although it might well be the Trojan’s peristaltic duct by now – and the Doctor was still down there) and had staggered forwards a few feet as he’d regained his balance.
Coming to an abrupt halt, he took in the scene before him: Trove holding Sensimi; Calamee a few yards away; Nessus cantering across the grass on all fours, heading for the bounty hunter. And two levicars: one with four of the Palace Guard, their faces revealing their confusion, the other carrying Trix and an old man.
Nessus looked like a cat in pursuit of an injured bird, and headed straight towards Trove, on to his leg and then up his arm. Blindingly fast, Trove’s arm jerked back and Nessus was snapped back on to the grass like a little doll, where he lay unmoving.
Calamee just stared, clearly unable to take in what had happened. Out of the corner of his eye, something else moved. He tracked the movement back to Trix’s levicar, but Trix had gone and there was this flashing, blurry shape that must have