Doctor Who_ Hope - Mark Clapham [58]
The Doctor thought he did quite well, all in all. He managed to take down the first five of his assailants, dodging the darts as they shot past him, bouncing off the walls. But the sixth managed a lucky shot, and the dart jammed in the Doctors thigh. He reached inside himself, preparing to metabolise the drug and dispose of it harmlessly within his system.
He only realised he couldnt do that anymore when he fell over, dead to the world.
The room had cleared, and Silvers staff were busy running around, powering down all nonessential equipment as he had insisted. Silver himself sat at a table, steel fingers drumming impatiently against wood.
My grandparents told me about the last time SatNet was activated, Miraso said quietly. The power drain left Hope without any resources for a month. One of the reactors on the north side went into meltdown. Hundreds of people died.
I know, replied Silver. His tone made it clear that he was not open to arguments.
Whats SatNet? asked Anji.
Its a series of orbital satellites, replied Miraso. It takes a huge amount of power to operate them, even briefly. I cant see any reason why anyone would want to use it. The risks are colossal.
Anji, said Silver thinly, holding out his oversized hand. Please take my hand.
Reluctantly, Anji reached out and held on to Silvers hand. It felt cold, slightly scratchy.
You felt a slight tickle, didnt you? asked Silver, taking his hand away.
Anji nodded.
That scratching sensation disguised a minute injection into your hand, explained Silver. You now have a nanobot in your bloodstream transmitting your position. I put a similar device into the Doctor when he shook on our deal a couple of days back.
And SatNet is the only system that can pinpoint the signal, finished Miraso. Its a lot of effort to find one man.
Silver turned to Miraso. That one man and his current location is the key to a mystery that is undermining our entire way of life. I wish to banish uncertainty from Hope and from Endpoint as a whole. The Endpointers will have the certainty that I can protect them from anything. And I will do whatever it takes to reestablish that certainty.
No matter what the cost? asked Anji.
Precisely, said Silver. Some things are worth any price asked, arent they?
A voice echoed in the darkness.
How is the patient?
Im not the patient, he thought. Im the Doctor. But he couldnt speak, couldnt move. He couldnt even see.
He slid back into an anaesthetised haze.
Some time later, he found he could see. He opened his eyes, then closed them again. It was bright out there, huge lights hanging from the ceiling. He rolled over on to his front, bringing himself up on his hands and knees, using his own body to create a shaded area to look at. This was harder than it should have been he rolled to his right and bumped back, having hit some kind of barrier. He shuffled to the left and tried again, this time successfully. The concrete beneath his palms felt pitted and damp. He could hear dripping water, the clicking of machines. He opened his eyes, looked down. The backs of his hands seemed blurred. Contrary to the saying, he didnt know them at all. It was as if something was moving under his skin.
The sense of disorientation you are feeling is understandable, said a cold, clipped voice. Your presence represents a threat to our environment here. As such, you have been subjected to a full nanoscan. Your entire body is being picked over, cell by cell, for any material potentially harmful to us. Dont worry, providing you survive, it will be over soon.
Oh, good, thought the Doctor, collapsing to the floor. If this was a temporary state, he was willing to sleep it off.
More time passed, and the Doctor was woken by the