Doctor Who_ Hope - Mark Clapham [104]
Richard gained them entry to the submarine. The rest was just a matter of brute force. The captain had protested initially, but once Miraso had kicked him in the throat, causing him to collapse to the ground with a red, bloated face, he became more agreeable to them taking command.
They locked themselves in, keeping one eye on the airlock for the Doctor, Dave and Anji. When they spotted Anji in the corridor outside the airlock, Miraso had gone outside to bring her in.
The human crew seemed amiable enough, and Fitz chatted to them while Miraso kept an eye on the command crew. Anji, for her part, paced up and down.
We need to stay put, insisted Fitz, noticing her unrest. The Doctor and this new Dave need to deal with Silver alone. We need to provide the escape route if anything goes wrong.
But that place is full of Silverati! Anji said impatiently.
Yes, said Fitz. Silverati who will tear us apart on sight. You said yourself that this Dave looks just like one. And as for the Doctor... yknow, hes the Doctor, he can look after himself. Theyll be safer without us, trust me on this.
Anji nodded, as if taking it all in. She seemed resigned to staying where she was.
Miraso, said Anji innocently. Are there any guns here?
Fitz put his head in his hands.
The Hypertunnel was opening up. The air rippled, a taste of ozone tainting the atmosphere. The wall with the Hypertunnel rippled, warping as the fabric of space was torn asunder. The straight lines and three dimensions of the physical world folded in on themselves, unseen colours and impossible shapes flexing into existence, pushing themselves out of the void. Contained with an aurora of violetflecked light, the chaos writhed as the Hypertunnel calibrated itself. An image was beginning to form in the distance, a solid point within unthinkable distances. A small circle of landscape, far away but getting closer.
It is time for us to leave, said Silver, addressing his Silverati. Are you going to come out from your hiding place to see us off, Doctor, or are you going to cower behind that crate all day?
The Doctor stood up, stepping forward to face Silver. The Silverati stood aside to let him pass, their black eyes impassive to his existence.
I see more than others do, Doctor, said Silver, tapping a finger against the rim of his red, artificial eye. Did you really think I wouldnt see you there? I can see so much, I know more about you from one glance than you could imagine. He pointed to the Doctors chest. I could see the cavity there the first time we met. Was it a heart that you lost, Doctor? Your vital signs certainly seem erratic. Whatever you may have been, Doctor, youre less than that now. No longer some magical alien presence, walking among men like a God. You are just one of them now, a fallen angel with your wings clipped. Give up before I break you entirely. Silver extended his robot fist, clenching it. The colours of the Hypertunnel reflected in the polished metal, flickering along the curve of each finger. The fingertips ground against his palm, metal screeching against metal. You know you cannot stop me. I am too strong.
To Silvers obvious surprise, the Doctor laughed, walking between the Silverati as if they were harmless statues. How vulgar of you, Silver, to think that we are defined by our physical presence. How painfully literal, how pathetic. All the cybernetic attachments in the world wont elevate you beyond the level of a pitiful backworlds dictator. And if you think that it was my second heart that made me who I am, then youre an even bigger fool. I can lose a heart, or an arm or a leg, and I would still be capable of dealing with the likes of you. Its not biology that makes us who