Doctor Who_ Longest Day - Michael Collier [48]
The Kusk assessed the instrumentation on the vehicle's control panel, huge rolling eyes eventually settling on a key with a dangling rectangle of blue plastic attached to it. Its delicate bony fingers settling on the key, twisted it experimentally and the engine stopped.
The sudden silence seemed to surprise the Kusk. After a short pause, it brought both fists down on the vehicle's roof with shattering force, leaving a massive dent behind in the metal. Then it sent a signal to the Leader that the way was clear.
The obstruction removed, the Kusk stomped into the control chamber as aggressively as it could, determined to humble and terrify the humanoid as much as possible before its apprehension and eventual destruction.
But the chamber was empty.
***
'Doctor, the clouds aren't moving.' Anstaar had started off enthusiastically enough but she was starting to get bored with trudging through the mushy sludge that covered this patch of Hirath. The Doctor, in contrast, was marching ahead as if he did this sort of thing every day. Which, by the manic look in his eye, he probably did.
'Yes, yes,' he enthused. 'It's interesting, isn't it? I would say that, like your computer talking rubbish up on the moon, it's this planet's way of winding down.'
'Winding down?' Anstaar stopped, but the Doctor carried on.
'Yes. It's dying, and it wants to draw out its final moments.'
She couldn't believe the cheery edge to his voice, the satisfaction in his tone as if he'd just solved a particularly tricky crossword puzzle. There was something comforting about his relentless good humour, though. It was distracting, diverting. She wondered if he was trying to distract himself as much as her from his own demons.
'Tell me, are there many planets for your Homeworld to absorb into its empire?'
Anstaar nodded. 'There are fifty-three. The Thannos system is named from the old tongue: Thenossus , meaning "bead tapestry". The ancients of the Inner Worlds thought those planets were giant beads in the sky blowing in the space winds.'
'Do you suppose the ancients of the Outer Worlds had a name for them?'
asked the Doctor quietly.
Anstaar sighed. "They just didn't develop as we did.'
'Tut tut,' remarked the Doctor. 'They didn't conform to the Inner ideal.'
It was Anstaar's turn to speak quietly. 'That's just the way it is, Doctor.
They're more barbaric than us in many ways. It's because they're further from the sun.'
The Doctor snorted. 'Ridiculous propaganda. Do you believe everything you're told?'
Anstaar looked at him challengingry. 'I'm not sure I believe you.'
'So it depends who's telling you.'
'You're clearly an outsider.'
'True.'
'You don't know the government, Doctor, or the K'Arme. You have to believe what they say.'
'So with the tacit support of the people they remake the Outer Worlds in their image,' said the Doctor, scowling, 'and pack off whatever's left behind to here.'
'A lot of the dangerous pollutants are actually demonstrated to decay faster in the chronally less stable parts of the planet, and as they do so they become incredibly valuable to industry again.' Anstaar was aware she was sounding like TCC's publicity team.
'Their recycling effort does them credit, I'm sure,' said the Doctor, drily.'Sam would be so proud of them.'
The mention of the girl's name again clouded his features into a sad frown.
Anstaar reached out and tugged his sleeve.
'We're a long way out from Thannos here, you know. A lot of us don't sanction the measures the government's employing, but...' She paused.'It's all I've known all my life. Don't blame me for living with it.'
The Doctor didn't look at her. 'I'm afraid none of us will be living on Hirath with anything much for long.'
'So this whole planet is going to die,