Doctor Who_ Hope - Mark Clapham [5]
What do we do? asked Fitz, staring at the controls. Anji doubted whether he knew what any of them meant, even though hed been travelling with the Doctor for longer than she had.
We need to shut down, gradually materialise, said the Doctor, hands racing across the console. Quickly enough to stop us breaking up, gradually enough to not rip ourselves apart in the force of our sudden halt. He gritted his teeth. Tricky, tricky, tricky. He gradually pulled one the levers that materialised the TARDIS at its destination. Anji could see the tension in his arm as he moved the lever steadily but firmly. Gently does it, no sudden halt. We just stop.
From deep within the TARDIS there came the mechanical, roaring sound that indicated the ship was about to appear somewhere new. Anji was sure the sound had a strained, slightly worn tone to it. Beneath her hand, the console began to shake. She gripped the edge, unsure whether she was trying to steady herself or the ship around her.
Kyrro was nearly at the watchtower, he knew it. He could hear the footsteps of his pursuer behind him, but he was sure he could also hear movement ahead. The militia would rescue him, surely? It was their job to protect the citizens of Hope, after all.
Kyrro only remembered what a cold night it was when he ran on to the patch of ice. Then one foot was sliding forward, and his other leg was dragging behind. He tried to break his fall, allow himself to stumble back on to his feet, but instead he just cracked his elbow as he hit the ground. Kyrro tried to push himself up but, as he tried to rise up on bloodied knees and elbows, something landed on his back, pressing Kyrros face down on to the icy ground. He felt the air being pushed out of his lungs by the pressure, the ice burning his cheek, a pain in his twisted arm.
Then he felt another kind of pain, as something hot and sharp pierced the back of his neck, cutting straight through the top of Kyrros spine.
Stupid, said the Doctor, eyes closed, fingers drumming the console. I was stupid, pushing too far. Luckily the old girl got us out of it. He opened his eyes, prowled around the console, examining the now dormant controls. The background noise had faded to a dull hum, and the lights had dimmed slightly. Anji thought the TARDIS seemed unusually subdued, but at least they had managed to arrive somewhere.
Are we safe? asked Anji.
Oh yes, said the Doctor, flicking the scanner control. The screen fizzed into life, displaying an image of a thick yellow mist, a shiny surface stretching out into the distance. Weve arrived intact, no thanks to me.
Looks cheery, said Fitz, looking at the hostile place on the screen and obviously ignoring the Doctors self pity Tell you what, why dont we leave?
The Doctor sighed. Unfortunately, the TARDIS will require a little time to recalibrate after her exertions. He tapped the console thoughtfully. I suggest we leave her to recover for a while. The atmosphere out there seems to have sufficient oxygen levels for your purposes... and quite a few other things, by the looks of it. Here, youll need these. He disappeared into the lab area, and returned holding a couple of small gold discs. Anji recognised them as being from the equipment of the humans they had met on the fairytale planet, presumably some obscure bits of space colonist equipment.
Ive been analysing these, and they seem to provide some measure of protection against adverse environmental conditions, said the Doctor. As long as you each keep one on your person, theyll extend a microscopic filtration layer that will reprocess any impurities in the atmosphere. But be careful; they wont make you immortal and they have their limits swallow a cup full of cyanide and youll still die. He passed Anji and Fitz a disc each, then went to get his coat. Oh, and it might be best to wrap up warm, he added. Its cold out.
Powlin overtook the militiamen who were on their way to investigate the disturbance. He heard them swear as they felt obliged to increase their speed to keep up with him.