Doctor Who_ Longest Day - Michael Collier [79]
"The old magic still working then?'Yast snorted.
'No magic, Yast,' began Felbaac, po-faced. 'Just simple hope and inspiration.'
'And my lies.'Yast smiled, tightly, looking at the ground. 'Go to hell, Felbaac.'
Felbaac hauled Tanhith to his feet.'Come there with me, Yast.' He paused, meaningfully.'Or be left behind.'
Yast took Tanhith's other arm and the three of them staggered towards the west plain.
***
Sam had crawled to her feet, her consciousness returned in full. She saw men milling about in the square, heard angry conversations. Some of the inmates were pulling at the few brukweeds still half green, arguing with others who wanted them to leave the plants where they were. A fistfight broke out between two more over provisions. She winced as she saw one man bang a box of medicine against the injured foot of a fellow to make him give up the tools he had just taken from a pile built up outside the dwelling that had been her prison. Some of the men were obviously clearing out. Some had decided to stay, and were locked in pathetic disputes over distribution of supplies.
It's the end for this place, she thought. She saw the men shouting and protesting under the horrible heat burning down on them. The dead plants, the half-empty water tanks in the scraps of shade afforded by the bruk shelters. It was the end of this world.
Something made her look past the milling men and across the square.
Dwynaar, bandages swathed round his groin and his foot, was slumped heavily against the door frame of the sleeping area. Sost stood behind him in the gloom of the building, a pale spectre in the shadow. Both were looking through the confusion, through the panic, straight at her.
She shivered. This isn't my fault, it can't be my fault.
But she could feel two shattered pairs of eyes on her back as she turned and made her way west out of the settlement.
***
The Doctor popped up from behind the probe like a jack-in-the-box, but if the Kusks were surprised at the speed of his moments, they didn't show it.
'I need to speak with you!' he cried.'Don't shoot. There isn't time to ask questions later. We need answers now.'
The creatures stared at him. He could see the sun refracting through the menisci of their huge bubble eyes.
'They'll kill you, Doctor!' hissed Anstaar behind him. He turned to face her and took in the physical damage of the time slip more subtly this time. Her skin had aged visibly - in Earth terms, perhaps twenty years. He had no idea of the life span of Anstaar's species but theorised she was in no immediate danger. What was important was to get her - and Nashaad, who seemed unaffected by the sudden time acceleration, perhaps thanks to his extended proximity to the time barrier - away from here to somewhere comparatively safe. Wherever that might be.
The Kusk's voice blasted across his musings. 'Move away from the Prize.'
'What, this?' called the Doctor airily, waving at the probe. 'Did you win this?
Splendid. What a competition that must've been.'
'Move away.' The voice, distorted and even more sinister crackling through the loudspeaker, seemed to roll round and round the arena.
The Doctor ignored the interruption. 'Only they're terribly useful things, space-time probes.' He saw the two huge heads swing to look at each other. 'All sorts of things you can do with them. Study and record extinct flora and fauna throughout the cosmos. Understand ancient cataclysms and their effect on the biospheres of this galaxy's many planets, in order to guard against similar catastrophes in the future -'
'Move away.' The voice was angrier now, more impatient. The Doctor saw the smaller of the two giants wrestle the loudspeaker off its fellow.
'You cannot understand the complexity of our technology,' came the higher-pitched voice.
'Oh, can't I?' challenged the Doctor. 'Why have you sent this machine back through