Doctor Who_ Island of Death - Barry Letts [82]
Did the Skang need such comfort, or was it pandering to whatever was left of the human she had once been? It seemed impossible that he‟d seen the white-haired old lady sitting a few feet away turn into a grotesque alien.
„Sit down. Have you hurt your leg? You must be tired after that exhausting climb.‟
Could she read his mind?
She laughed as she saw his face. „No, not telepathy –
more‟s the pity - just simple logic. There is no other way you could have got into the temple without meeting a guard.‟
After the cremation of Will Cabot‟s Skang body, and a repe-tition of the unearthly chanting that had heralded the first bodily transmutation, the gathering of Skang had resumed their human shape; and as they did so, the rest of his empathy for the warmth of their oneness fell away. They were now no more than a bunch of disparate human beings going about their business as casually as a bunch of aldermen at the end of a local council meeting.
Most, the Doctor gathered, were going to prepare their flocks for the coming ceremony - so it was not so imminent after all. Watched somewhat quizzically by Hilda, Brother Alex, practically unrecognisable in his recovered human form, had gone through the slowly dispersing crowd like royalty on a walkabout, receiving congratulations and giving thanks to his supporters, exiting through the front to a light scattering of applause. Dafydd, after a moment‟s hesitation, scuttled after him.
The Doctor, having marked where Dame Hilda had gone, had realised that the only way for him to get down to the gallery where the living-caves were was to jump.
Thirty feet.
If he had been regenerated into a younger body, there would have been no concern. Or if he‟d kept in training. But this incarnation seemed to prefer riding on various forms of mechanical transport to exercising. Indeed, it seemed dis-inclined to do more than break into an occasional gentle jog.
Perhaps he should take up some form of sport. He‟d always fancied cricket.
Still, once the amphitheatre was clear, there was nothing for it but to have a go.
Which is why he was limping slightly as he arrived in Hilda‟s cave.
„Will you have a drink?‟
„Thank you, no.‟
She smiled again. „Do you know, I had a strong suspicion that might be your answer. I think we need to talk.‟
„I quite agree,‟ replied the Doctor, sitting down opposite her.
Hilda leant back with her elbows on the arms of the chair and put her fingers together, her forefingers lightly touching her lips, in the age-old gesture of a university don in a tutorial waiting to listen to the lame excuses of a benighted undergraduate for a missing essay.
„I saw everything,‟ said the Doctor. Straight to the point.
Get her off guard.
„Of course you did.‟
A perfect parry.
There was a moment of silence.
„The question is, why have you come? You‟re not a foolish man, and yet it seems a foolish thing to do.‟
She was as ready as he was to speak plainly. Very well, he‟d match her directness.
„I hope to persuade you to abandon your enterprise, Dame Hilda,‟ he said.
Again she laughed. „You‟ll have a job!‟
„We‟ll see. But first, I need to ask you some questions.‟
She settled back into her armchair. She was enjoying herself. „Fire away,‟ she said. „I‟m willing to tell you anything you want to know.
„You don‟t believe me,‟ she went on, seeing his slight frown.
„You think you‟ll get the edited version, the one for public consumption.‟
The Doctor nodded. „As in our last conversation,‟ he said.
Dame Hilda shrugged. The circumstances are somewhat different, I‟m sure you‟ll agree. There‟s no reason any more for me not to be frank. You see, you‟ll never leave the temple alive.‟
As he‟d expected. But was she aware of the corollary of that statement? „Then you‟d better be careful, Dame Hilda. If that‟s the case, I‟ve nothing to lose.‟
„I can see that. Nevertheless, it‟s the truth.‟ She hesitated.
„Unless, of course...‟
Again the