Doctor Who_ Last Man Running - Chris Boucher [21]
It was improbable, and it was in the wrong place – at least, it was not in the right place, which was almost the same thing –
but it was certainly a jungle of some sort. The humidity was high. The foliage was lush. When they crossed the boundary, densely packed trees thickly overgrown with vines and creepers, the temperature change had been remarkable.
There was something odd, too, about the way the boundary was not quite visible until you got close to it. Or until you knew what it was you were looking for. He would need to examine that again and try to be objective, though that would be difficult now he knew what it was he was looking for. ‘You were right,’ the Doctor said. ‘It is a jungle. It shouldn’t be here. Things don’t work like this.’
Leela knew this was an unusual place but, young as she was, she had seen much more startling things that should not be where they were, or work the way they did. She felt the Doctor was being overdramatic. ‘How does it stay warmer?’
she asked. ‘Would it be hot springs under the ground, do you think? Something like that?’
‘Something like that. Where’s all the life, I wonder?’ It was like the pine forest. There were none of the smaller animals, insects and birds you would usually expect to see. And again, there was not much smell.
‘Do you want to see the squad snake?’
‘Not really. I think we should get back to the TARDIS.’
‘Are we leaving?’
‘I may have misinterpreted a problem with the sampling image locator.’ The Doctor strode off towards the boundary.
‘You do not think we should check on those people?’
Leela knew from experience that he was no longer listening and that she might as well follow him because that was what he assumed she was doing.
‘I assumed that the mismatch with the star chart was a malfunction but supposing it wasn’t. Do you see what that means?’
‘No.’
‘It means this planet shouldn’t be here,’ he said triumphantly. ‘Which puts a whole new slant on things, doesn’t it? What were you saying about checking on those people?’
Pertanor was still annoyed with her. It was difficult to be truly angry with someone as attractive as she was, especially while she was leaning on him and he could feel the tantalising weight of her hip against his and the occasional brush of her breast against the side of his chest. He was still annoyed with her, though. He couldn’t believe that anyone as bright as Rinandor could have behaved so stupidly. ‘What were you thinking of?’ he said yet again.
She stopped walking and turned to face him. ‘Now look, Pe, I’ve said I’m sorry. I know it was stupid.’
‘Stupid. That’s the word I was groping for.’
‘I think she and her minder are up to no good, she continued, deadpan, ‘and I doubt whether they would have helped us voluntarily but... pulling a gun was possibly not the best way to make friends.’
Pertanor smiled and offered his shoulder for her to lean on again. ‘I won’t mention it any more.’
‘Good,’ she said. ‘Because if you keep nagging about it I shall limp along without your help and you will lose the only compensation to have come from this whole sorry mess.’
‘Which is what exactly?’ he asked, his face an innocent blank.
Rinandor turned to lean against him and they walked on.
‘The chance to get your body close to my body,’ she said and let her hip move against his.
Pertanor giggled his slightly irritating giggle. ‘I thought that was your compensation,’ he said.
‘Did I say it wasn’t?’
He glanced around the darkening forest. In the steadily falling light the tall pine trees were fading to gloomy shadows.
There was no sound, no movement except for wisps of thin fog which formed and sank slowly into the otherwise imperceptible hollows and slight depressions in the ground.
‘We’ve got to find somewhere to spend the night.’
‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The question I have to consider is, will you still respect me in the morning?’
‘I meant the sun’s going down, and who knows what horrors