Doctor Who_ Hope - Mark Clapham [100]
Youll heal, said the Doctor firmly, stepping away. Youll be back to normal within the hour. When youre back on your feet, start running. I dont want to see you again.
Are you certain theyll be OK? asked Anji as she followed in the Doctors wake. She was flicking glances back at the two Silverati, sprawled among the wreckage. To her untrained eye they seemed severely injured.
Absolutely certain, said the Doctor. They have machine colonies in their blood which will rebuild their bodies. And we have more pressing concerns to worry about. He stopped in his tracks, spinning around to face Fitz and Anji. It will take all of our wits to avert total disaster. If any one of us fails, we all fail. I need you to follow my instructions carefully, and stay alert.
Fitz and Anji nodded, and the Doctor continued to lead the way. They soon found Miraso. She had been pinned to the wall by a metal bolt through the shoulder. The Doctor didnt hesitate he pulled the bar clean out of the wall, catching Miraso before she could hit the ground. He indicated for Fitz to help him with the woman. Miraso mumbled to herself.
Pass me that medical pack, the Doctor instructed Fitz, pointing to a metal box attached to the wall.
Fitz took the box off its hook and passed it to the Doctor, who clicked it open. Inside were slightly more sophisticated versions of what Anji would expect from a first aid kit.
Perfect, said the Doctor, spraying foam over Mirasos wounds. The fluffy substance seemed to sink into the flesh, virtually disappearing. The Doctor lifted Miraso up, sliding his hand under her back to place a round pad over the exit wound, then pressed another of the pads on the wound on her chest. That should seal it up and prevent any infection. Now, if I just give her a little shot to bring her round.
The Doctor removed a black cylinder from the medical pack, and tapped it against his sleeve a couple of times. He then pressed it to Mirasos neck, and there was a slight pneumatic hiss as it injected something into her vein.
Stimulant injection, explained the Doctor, diligently returning the medical pack to its place on the wall, while Fitz took hold of Miraso, supporting her head. She stirred in Fitzs arms, eyes flickering open.
In a few minutes she should be ready to walk, said the Doctor. As soon as shes up and about, I want the two of you to secure one of the submarines. We may need a very quick exit if the Hypertunnel collapses.
Fitz nodded.
And what are you and I going to do? asked Anji.
We are going to wake the dead! said the Doctor, already halfway down the corridor. Anji had to break into a run to keep up.
This time we bolt the door, said the Doctor as Anji followed him into a room full of laboratory equipment, with a large cluster of casks and pipes in the centre. Looks like no one got around to telling the scientists to come back, he added, picking up a spare length of pipe from a stack in the corner and jamming it through the door handles.
What are we doing here? asked Anji. And whats all this crap? She nodded to the mass of pipes and barrels in the centre of the room. A thick pipe full of silvery liquid came out of the mass of the equipment, and disappeared through a hole in the wall.
This is where Silver produces his synthesised version of Kallisti, said the Doctor, sitting down at a computer console on the far side of the room. Hes recreated this remarkable substance by merging it with a selfreplicating liquid intelligence. The result is those what did you call them? those Silverati who captured us earlier.
Shouldnt we cut off the pipeline? said Anji.
Well, I tried to do that earlier, said the Doctor. And this time I intend to succeed. But first I need a sample, with a few little amendments. He was frantically typing, and incomprehensible strings of digits sped across the screens in front of him. Im going to reprogram this liquid intelligence so that it degrades within a day, and just to be on the safe side Im going to alter the command subroutines. Silver has knocked this set up