Doctor Who_ Remembrance of the Daleks - Ben Aaronovitch [37]
‘You mean they’re too clever by half?’
The Doctor ignored her. ‘Their solution is to get a humanoid, preferably young and imaginative, plug him into the system and his intuition and creativity are slaved to the battle computer.’
‘It’s well boggling.’
‘It’s obscene,’ said the Doctor. ‘Now for their time controller.’ He reached behind the desk and pulled open a drawer.
‘What it is?’
It was a globe with lightning at its centre. ‘It’s the device they use to travel through time.’ He looked into its heart. ‘They’ve come a long way.’ The Doctor placed his hands on the globe. Lightning clung to his fingertips. Ace saw his shoulders tense as he seemed to push with his arms.
The globe went dark.
‘Have you broken it?’
The Doctor looked at her with surprise. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I don’t want to lumber Earth with a Dalek battle squad. I merely put it out of phase. They can fix it but it will slow there clown.’
The Doctor flexed his fingers. A white rectangle appeared like a playing card in the hand of a conjurer. It, however, was smaller than a playing card – more like a gentleman’s calling card. The Doctor placed it by the time controller. There was strange angular writing on the card.
Ace heard a noise. It was time to leave.
Something was wrong.
Outside of the battle computer, data transrnission was imperfect. The interface between the girl and the Dalek Supreme blurred further.
Something was wrong.
The Dalek Supreme re-entered the operations centre.
The girl moved with biped agility to the time controller.
Time controller deactivated, sent the girl, along with a set of repair parameters. She discovered a small rectangular card. Through her eyes the image of the card was scanned and shunted into analysis. One nanosecond. Broken down into hexidecimal code, it flashed through perfect crystal memory storage as a beam of coherent light. There, deep in the core memory, listed under Gallifrey – cultural dynamics (symbols of). Two nanoseconds. The symbol was the seal of the Prydonion Chapter: Prydonion Chapter –
politico-economic faction. Three nanoseconds. Renegade Time Lord, Ka Faraq Gatri, enemy of the Daleks, bringer of darkness.
The Doctor.
Four nanoseconds.
The Dalek Supreme felt a sudden thrill of fear.
The girl was back in the chair; the battle computer gestalt was running. The Dalek Supreme was getting tactical updates on the positions of its warriors, which were spread out in prepared defensive positions around the warehouse. The battle computer urged pursuit, capture and recorded disintegration of the Doctor. Five nanoseconds.
Such an act would gain prestige with other renegade factions. Perhaps drawing them into the conflict with the Imperium. Six nanoseconds.
The Dalek Supreme gave the order to all renegade Daleks: Seek, locate and exterminate the Doctor.
Ace was following the Doctor, and the Doctor wasn’t going to stop. A hundred metres behind them bits of brick were still falling on to the pavement. Two grey Daleks had opened fire from hiding, as Ace and the Doctor crossed the road. Ace hadn’t seen the Doctor move when suddenly he swung her out of the line of fire. Brick-dust and flame erupted from the wall beside them. The after image of the energy bolt was still flashing on her retinas. ‘They’re eager,’ was all the Doctor said.
Now the two Daleks chased them up the road.
They’re not fast, thought Ace, but they keep on coming.
Ace pounded after the Doctor who ran light-footecily round a corner. They saw the Dalek before it saw there.
Without looking the Doctor gripped Ace’s arm and pivoted her around. Something blocked out the sky; she felt rough cloth against her cheek – a workman’s tent. It went very quiet.
‘Why didn’t you just run off with the Hand of Omega and give it to the other Daleks.’
‘With some luck,’ said the Doctor, ‘the imperial Daleks will eliminate the renegades for us. Besides, if I just roll up and give it to them, they’ll get suspicious.’
‘Suspicious of