Doctor Who_ Prime Time - Mike Tucker [46]
Lukos darted forward, the big coat flapping around him.
He ran his hands over the outside of the police box and turned, laughing to Saarl.
‘She’s a genius that girl, a genius. I really should use her far more often.’
He circled the TARDIS. ‘Two days those imbeciles of mine have been looking for this. Two days. Rennie Trasker gets the girl to tell her where the Doctor left it within minutes of meeting her.’ He started laughing again.
Saarl crossed the roof, squinting in the early morning light.
‘It doesn’t look like much, Lukos. Are you sure this is the right thing?’
Lukos gave a sigh of irritation. ‘You really are becoming a painful sceptic, Roderik, my dear. Of course I’m sure that this is the right thing.’ He stepped back, lips pursed, scrutinising the police box. ‘Of course, it’s not exactly looking at its best at the moment, but think of the adventures that it’s been through!’ He waved a hand dismissively. ‘I’ll get the scenic boys to give it a lick of paint before we take it into the studio.’
He waved at the men waiting behind him. ‘Take it away, carefully.’
He caught Saarl by the arm and steered him back into the studio complex.
‘I want you to present the tour of the machine, my dear.
You always have a way of making inanimate objects appear so alive.’
The surgeon general circled the holograph, watching as Lukos’s men dragged the TARDIS from the roof top. The picture flickered and swam. He hissed in irritation.
An aide struggled forward.
‘The neural pathways of the human are not fully healed.
To wipe the areas of the brain so selectively was not straightforward. Removal of personal feelings whilst retaining all useful information has not been tried this extensively.
There are still... difficulties. Strong emotions could cause interference.’
‘Your excuses are not welcome. Send our creature to search for the Doctor’s companion. Lukos has plans for her and I would like to know what those plans are.’
‘At once, Surgeon General.’
The Fleshsmith turned to his crew. ‘We can do no more here. Our devices on the moon are functioning perfectly. We will return to Scrantek and prepare.’
Out on the roadway below the roof tops of the Channel 400
building a single figure stood, its head tipped back, its body twitching. As if listening to a voice, it cocked its-head on one side, then shambled away into the shadows of the woodland.
Barrock snarled in anger. Around him the rest of his pack scampered uneasily in the long corridor.
‘What has happened?’ There was fear in Kreeth’s eyes.
That made Barrock smile.
He peered around him. ‘The Time Lords have gained some control over their machine. They have adapted the environment to one better suited to hiding than to hunting.’
He sniffed at the air. ‘Their scent is distant and masked, but not impossible to follow.’
Kreeth snarled. ‘We should have attacked sooner, Barrock, not given them time to do this. You gave them too much time to talk, to plan. These tunnels will slow us down.’
‘Then we will change our hunting pattern.’
Barrock gestured to three of his pack. ‘Circle ahead of the Time Lords, find a way to get in front of them. We will try and drive them towards you.’
The Zzinbriizi loped off, sniffing at the air.
‘The Time Lords are on home ground now, Barrock,’
muttered Kreeth. ‘It will be harder.’
‘Then the victory will be all the greater.’ Barrock started along the softly glowing corridor. ‘The terrain is unimportant.
As long as they run, they can still be hunted.’
The Master watched as the Doctor replaced the roundel cover on the control node.
‘Pleasant as it is to have my ship looking familiar again, Doctor, I still don’t see how it has helped. The Zzinbriizi are still in here with us.’
The Doctor stood up, wiping his hands on his jacket.
‘I reset the pedestrian infrastructure with a two-degree offset.’ He tapped at the wall. ‘For all I know the Zzinbriizi are just on the other side of that wall, but it could take them several hours to reach us here.’
He beamed. ‘You know how convoluted TARDIS
corridors can be.’
The Master nodded slowly. A frown