Doctor Who_ Hope - Mark Clapham [47]
A sergeant burst through the door.
Sir, they need you now, said the breathless young man.
I must go now, said Silver, taking her frail hands in his metal fist.
I know, said Maria, squeezing his hand impotently.
She watched as he turned and walked out of the room, certain that she would never see him again.
Anji had spent the whole morning researching Silver, and had got precisely nowhere. She sat beneath the apple tree, chewing on a pen and wondering about the various possibilities. The more she thought, the more lost she became, unable to come to any conclusions, questions simply leading to further questions. The information unit lay open on her lap, paused on a still shot of Silver, snatched from the public information channels. Anji closed her eyes, the lids red in the midday sun.
A shadow loomed across her. She opened her eyes, blinking at the bulky figure standing over her, a dark form gleaming at the edges.
Silver looked down at her, his eyebrow raised quizzically. Anji looked down, and realised he had seen the image of him on the screen. She snapped the infounit shut, her cheeks reddened. She hadnt felt like this since school, when Miss Kemp had caught her with a picture of Bros taped to the inside lid of her desk.
Ive been doing some research, said Anji quickly. It was the truth, but she kicked herself his next question was inevitable, he was going to demand to know why she was investigating him.
So, Miss Kapoor, said Silver, demolishing her expectations. She hadnt even expected him to remember her name. What would you like to know?
Chapter Eight
Turning on a Dime
She should be here, said Fitz, protesting.
Well, I cant find her, said Miraso, wandering into the main hall. An area had been cleared with a white board at the front, on which the Doctor had attached a number of images and maps. Miraso took a seat next to Fitz. Anjis place was empty.
Anji doesnt know were having this meeting, said the Doctor. She can hardly be expected to turn up now.
Still, grumbled Fitz. I think she should be here. We could use her right now. Because if you were talking rubbish, Doctor, shed know and I wouldnt. Fitz kept that last thought to himself.
Can we start? asked Powlin, attempting gruff impatience. But Fitz could see the childish eagerness, thinly disguised behind that harsh exterior. Like a dog waiting for its master to throw a stick.
Very well, said the Doctor, snapping on a projector. The screen behind him lit up with a series of medical diagrams. The Doctor sipped from a mug of caffy, and Fitz noticed how tired he looked.
Lets begin, said the Doctor, putting down his cup. He fumbled it slightly, and brown liquid sloshed over the table.
The Doctor didnt seem to notice his own clumsiness.
Quid pro quo, Agent Kapoor, thought Anji as she sat beneath the tree looking up at Silver, who was haloed by the midday sun. If she were to ask him a question, what would he require in return? She decided it was safer to begin with a statement, a compliment.
Its wonderful what youve done here, she said, indicating the indoor orchard. All this from one little apple core.
Silver looked around himself, then up, as if basking in the sunlight for the first time. I suppose it is remarkable what can be done, he said, and Anji was surprised his voice wasnt louder. Instead it resonated, each word drilling through her. The technology at my disposal here, even in this planets recent dark ages, is so far in advance of what we had in my day.
And what was your day? asked Anji. She bit her lip, feeling a twinge of embarrassment, as if she had wasted one of a genies three wishes on a clean toothbrush. She just hoped the first answer came for free.
Silver lowered himself on to the ground, sitting next to Anji beneath the tree, the human side of his face in her line of sight. She could see the traces of slight cuts on his skin, which made him seem slightly more normal. Powerful as