Doctor Who_ Relative Dementias - Mark Michalowski [99]
‘I sent her to attend to a threat to your safety,’ Sooal replied.
‘She hasn’t returned yet.’
‘So the threat is not yet neutralised?’ That was Harry.
Hamaeia, Sooal corrected himself. Always a cautious one, and no less so now that his memory had been returned.
Sooal hesitated. ‘I have seen to it myself,’ he lied. Now would not be a good time to put doubts and uncertainties in their heads. He needed them strong, confident and full of their own superiority.
‘So...’ Matrin – a far cry from the hesitant, uncertain Eddie that had disappeared from Graystairs a couple of days ago – let out a long sigh and gazed round the gathering, a satisfied smile on his face. ‘We are complete.’
Sooal bowed his head again.
‘You have done well, Sooal,’ Hamaeia said. ‘You have brought us out of the darkness.’ There was a murmur of agreement from most of the others – although Sooal noticed a pointed silence from one or two of them.
Khamrain gave a low growling laugh, quite at odds with her frail, white-haired appearance. ‘And now we will lead the galaxy into an even greater darkness,’ she said slowly, her eyes glittering bloodily in the orange glow of the fluorescent lights. There was an appreciative chuckle from the assembled aliens. ‘The Tulkan Empire will rise again.’
‘And it shall be greater and mightier than before,’ Sooal said.
‘Now, first things first...’ From his pocket, he pulled his datapad and handed it to Hamaeia. ‘The codes,; he said simply. ‘If you would be so kind, we can begin our subjugation of this world.’
The datapad passed from Tulk to Tulk, each of them keying in the segment of the code that, for so long, Sooal had coveted, worked towards. Only twice did they pause, obviously mistrustful of Sooal, despite the fact that he had rescued them, brought them to Earth and restored their memories.
When the datapad reached Jophan he paused and looked round the others. ‘Are we sure that this... this pig-rat is to be trusted?’
Khamrain took Jophan’s hand. ‘How can we doubt it? Sooal has spent years of his life planning for this moment, putting himself in danger. If the Annarene were to find out about his support for us, his mind would be wiped as ours were. And without the weapons in the stasis chamber, we are powerless here: we cannot capture this world with a handful of pulse rifles.’
Jophan looked at Sooal, hovering obsequiously. ‘We will attend the opening of the stasis chamber, naturally,’ he said haughtily.
‘Of course,’ Sooal said. ‘It will be necessary to remove it from the water first, but that will not be difficult.’
Jophan nodded and, still with a clear air of reluctance, tapped in his fragment of the code – the code that would unlock the stasis chamber. And once it was opened, he would have access to the weapons that the Tulks never had a chance to use against the Annarene. As well as one other, very special device.
He passed the datapad on, and one by one the Tuiks added their individual segments of code. Soon they had finished.
Sooal thanked them. ‘Now, I think, we should drink to our success.’ There were nods and murmurs all round, as Sooal gestured that they should all go upstairs. One by one, they trooped out of the laboratory, through into the kitchen.
‘Oh, one more thing,’ Sooal said suddenly as Khamrain reached the door to the stairs. ‘I forgot to give you this.’
Puzzled, they all turned – to see the slim, sleek shape of the energy rifle he held, trained on them.
‘Long live the Tulkan Empire!’ he whispered, his face cracking into a grin.
And then he fired.
Chapter Seventeen
‘Stasis chamber. .’ whispered the Doctor, apparently to himself.
‘Stasis chamber! And I’ve been looking for a woman called Stacy Chambers!’
At the foot of the main staircase, sheltering in the darkness, the Doctor turned to Ace, his face painted with horror. In the distance, they heard the sizzle of the energy rifle and the screams of the Tulks as Sooal gunned them down. Ace turned to the Annarene, just behind them: their expressions were unreadable, but she felt sure she could see the faintest