Doctor Who_ Halflife - Mark Michalowski [74]
‘What the devil have you got one of those for? And is that Looloo on its chest?’
‘Looloo?’ Sensimi did a double-take.
‘Looloo?’ echoed a voice from a doorway in the other wall, making them both jump. ‘I think you’ll find he’s called Nessus.’
‘Doctor!’ shrieked Fitz as his friend disentangled himself from the shadows.
‘Who?’ said Sensimi.
Another figure stepped out from behind the Doctor and squeezed herself past – a rather peeved-looking girl, younger than Sensimi, Fitz would have said, but certainly with a bit more spunk. Her short-cropped hair had been tinted bronze and complemented her dark skin beautifully. ‘Is this the Fitz you lost earlier?’
‘I wouldn’t quite say lost – more mislaid.’ And with that, the Doctor bounded over and gave Fitz a huge, rib-cracking hug, lifting him clear off the ground.
For a moment, Fitz wondered if the Doctor was going to kiss him – and remembered the dream.
Eventually, the Doctor let him go, and, gasping, Fitz said: ‘I thought you were –’
‘Dead?’
‘No, not dead actually. Just missing. Someone in the city said they’d seen you, but we couldn’t find you. And now Trix has gone AWOL as well.’
The Doctor threw him a look. ‘Probably on the hunt for the Imperial Crown Jewels or something. You know what she’s like.’ He gave a rather dismissive shrug and turned to Sensimi, who, simmering quietly throughout the reunion, seemed to be reaching the boil. ‘And you must be. . . ?’
‘This is her Royal Ladyness Princess Sensimi,’ Fitz introduced her. The Doctor held out his hand, but Sensimi frostily ignored it.
‘And this is Calamee,’ said the Doctor, introducing his own new friend. ‘She’s been helping me.’ He paused and scratched his nose. ‘I don’t know about you, 134
Fitz, but I seem to have had more than the usual problems with my memory recently.’
‘Tell me about it! Trix found me lying on the grass near the TARDIS. I think I’ve remembered most of it, but there’s still a hole or two.’
‘Snap,’ said the Doctor grimly, and reached out to touch the bare patch on Fitz’s head.
‘Looks like we’ve both been through the wars. The same ones, I suspect?
‘Nice as all these introductions are,’ cut in Calamee, ‘is someone going to explain what that is doing in here – and why Nessus is cuddling it?’ She gestured to where the night beast watched them silently, still reclining on its bed of straw. ‘What if it wakes up and kilts him?’
‘Calm down,’ said the Doctor. ‘Look at them – does it look like Nessus is in any danger? And I think you’ll find that it’s perfectly awake already.’
The beast lay on its side in the straw, its eyes following the movements of the humans as they approached. It seemed unconcerned – but whether it knew that the humans were probably not going to harm it or that the humans couldn’t harm it, Fitz wasn’t sure. Although when its eyes alighted on Sensimi, he felt sure he heard a low growl rumble from its chest. Nessus gave a little bleat from where he was curled up in the crook of the creature’s arm, closed his eyes again and buried his head in the night beast’s fur.
‘Nessus,’ whispered a dismayed Calamee, as if, with that simple movement, Nessus had betrayed her and gone over to the side of the enemy. She turned, and Fitz saw a shadow of embarrassment and anger colour her eyes, the Doctor wearing an understanding little smile.
‘I don’t get it,’ she said. ‘Why’s Nessus in there with that?’
‘That’s Nessus, is it?’ said Fitz. ‘I thought it looked a bit butcher than Looloo.
Maybe Nessus is related to the night beast.’ He heard Sensimi make a tutting noise.
‘How can they be?’ she said. ‘Look at the sizes of them.’
‘Oh yes,’ Calamee said scornfully. ‘I keep forgetting that things have to be the same size to be related. Remind me to tell you about how babies are made some day.’
‘Sorry!’ Sensimi said archly – although it was clear she was anything but. ‘I was just saying –’
‘Well don’t,’ snapped Calamee. ‘And what’s this thing doing in here anyway?
Don’t you know how dangerous they are?’ She glared at Fitz, as if it were suddenly all his fault. ‘Haven’t you heard the stories