Doctor Who_ Hope - Mark Clapham [70]
Or, replied the Doctor, you could find out what he wants.
I know what it wants, Doctor, replied Stephens. What else could it want but to destroy us? Humanitys enemies have found us at last.
I think isolation has driven you mad, Stephens, snapped the Doctor. Youre not as important as you think. Just another dead species. If anyone out there remembers humanity, they believe the species is extinct. No one is going to be interested enough to try to hunt you down.
Shut up, Stephens told the Doctor. He turned to Richard. Are you still here?
On my way, replied Richard, running to the door.
Stephens turned his attention back to the monitor. Now, where are
His sentence was cut off when the door exploded, sending Richard flying into the corner of the room. A bulky figure emerged through the smoke.
I think now might be a good time to reconsider your tactics, Stephens, the Doctor suggested.
No one came to the orchard all day, so Anji was left undisturbed. Power supplies were still intermittent, and Miraso was still marshalling all available staff to deal with that problem. No one had any reason to visit Silvers indoor orchard, where the first apple trees in millennia were growing. This was fine by Anji. It left her with her thoughts, although whether this was a blessing or a curse was something she was entirely undecided about. Fitz was the only person who knew where she was, and he was under strict instructions to leave her alone unless there was news about the Doctor or Silver.
Since when did those two have equal ranking in her mind? Her thoughts had entwined them together, the twin heads of the decision that stole her sleep and left her an incoherent wreck.
Anji lay in the shadow of an apple tree, coarse grass beneath her. Her tired mind was a muddle of past and present, new experiences leading back to long neglected memories. As her head tilted to one side, the feeling of grass against her cheek reminded Anji of that summers day with Dave in the park, watching the tourists. Nothing really had happened that day; they had lazed around in the park, eaten ice cream, seen an unremarkable film. But the normality of it all, the fact that it had been a day made special by each others company rather than any remarkable occurrence, flagged it as a special day in her memory.
The irony was not lost on her, that while she was denied the normal life she wished for, Daves death meant that he could not be with her visiting the future, going to alien worlds, doing all the things hed read about in all those sciencefiction stories. She would never even get to tell him about it. No chance for him to be jealous, or impressed, or have any other reaction. If she ever returned home he would not be there to welcome her. There were so many things she could tell him about that he would love to know, so much knowledge she had picked up that Dave would have listened to raptly, but she would never get to tell him.
The sheer, brutal unfairness of it all suddenly hit her. Lying on her back, Anji choked slightly on her tears. But she didnt have the will to sit up.
Silver raised his robotic fist, gun barrels on the back whirring as they pointed at Richards head. A red dot targeted the centre of the human scientists forehead.
How many humans in this base? Silver asked.
Ninety seven active, replied the young scientist, wideeyed with fear. Dormant... Im not sure.
I think youll find the active figure is down to fifty five, said Silver, lowering his hand. His head twitched, and with one fluid motion he drew his gun with his human hand, spun around and fired three shots into the wall next to the Doctors shoulder. A low groan issued from the corridor outside, followed by a hollow thud.
Make that fifty four, said Silver, holstering his weapon. Trying to sneak up. Stupid. Any more wish to try?
The gathered humans stayed perfectly still, perfectly silent. Richard was among them, too scared to try to complete his errand for Stephens.
I didnt think so, said