Doctor Who_ Prime Time - Mike Tucker [89]
He closed the door gently and set off along the twilight corridor. He walked for a long time, winding gently deeper and deeper into the bowels of his ship. Eventually he came to a heavy wooden door, incongruous amongst the gleaming roundels. The Doctor pulled a huge old-fashioned key from his pocket, looking back over his shoulder to check that the corridor was empty. He placed the key in the lock and turned it. The door creaked open and the Doctor slipped inside.
He closed the door, leaning the shovel against the wall. In the centre of the room was the coffin. The Doctor stood for a moment, his back against the door, staring. The room was lit by flickering candlelight. He crossed to the coffin. On the floor beside it was the headstone. He let his hands run over the cold stone. To the memory of Dorothy Gale. A seasoned travel who has embarked upon the greatest adventure.
The Doctor pulled over a chair and sat down.
There was no doubting it. This was no sick joke by the journalists of Vogol Lukas. He had already checked the body inside the coffin. Ace. Dead. Not old, young, as she was now.
Young and dead. He hadn’t foreseen this. He, the great manipulator, the one who always prided himself on being one step ahead, hadn’t had the faintest notion that this was coming.
He took a deep breath, resting his chin in his hands. He had gone looking for the grave as soon as Ace had fallen asleep, determined to find out the truth for himself. Now that he had, he didn’t have the faintest idea what to do. He had lost too many people, been responsible for too many deaths.
Katarina, Sara, Adric.
He clenched his fists. ‘Not again.’
He stood up and made a circuit of the room, blowing out the candles, then crossed to the door and stepped out into the corridor.
He looked back at the dark shape of the coffin, wreathed in candle smoke, then pulled the door shut and locked it.
‘Not this one.’
This was one battle he had to win, but this time his enemy was Time itself. Tucking the key deep into his pocket, the Doctor started the long walk back to the console room.
About the Author
Mike Tucker is an effects designer with the BBC Visual Effects department. He has worked on a wide variety of television programmes including Red Dwarf, 999, Casualty and, of course, Doctor Who. His writing career began with the behind-the-scenes book Ace!, which he co-wrote with Sophie Aldred, and he has subsequently written three Doctor Who novels with long-time writing partner Robert Perry. Prime Time is his first solo writing project.
Document Outline
Front cover
Rear cover
Title page
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Trailer
Pre-title Sequence
Part One Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Part Two Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Part Three Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Tag Scene
About the Author
Table of Contents
Part One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Part Two
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Part Three
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three