Doctor Who_ Sleepy - Kate Orman [0]
KATE ORMAN
First published in Great Britain in 1996 by Doctor Who Books
an imprint of Virgin Publishing Ltd
332 Ladbroke Grove
London W10 5AH
Copyright © Kate Orman 1996
The right of Kate Orman to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
‘Doctor Who’ series copyright © British Broadcasting Corporation 1996
Cover illustration by Mark Wilkinson
Internal illustrations by Jason Towers
ISBN 0 426 20465 4
Typeset by Galleon Typesetting, Ipswich
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Mackays of Chatham PLC
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any Resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
For Paul Cornell, who made it all seem possible Thanks to everyone for their help and encouragement, especially Nancy Catherine Bernadski and Jason Towers (and a belated thanks to Ben Aaronovitch for his help with the last one.)
A round of applause, ladies and gentlemen, for the read-through team! Put your hands together for Todd Beilby, Nathan Bottomly, Steven Caldwell (discover of the Milton Principle), David Carroll, Mel and Sarah Fitzsimmons-Groenewegen, Stephen Groenewegen, Neil Hogam. Andrew Orman, Fiona Simms and Kayla Ward.
The quote from the Good News Bible on page 83 is used with the kind permission of the Bible Society in Australia.
Beware the fury of a patient man. (John Dryden, Absalom and Achitophel)
Part One
The Voice of the Turtle
Parmi les morts, it y en a toujours quelques-uns qui désolent les vivants.
(Among the dead there are those who still trouble the living.) (Denis Diderot, Le Neveu de Rameau)
1 Home by the Sea
The Doctor was having a nightmare.
He collided with a metal surface, the breath whooshing out of his lungs. Someone pushed him against the curved wall, leaning on him with their weight, while someone else pulled his arms behind his back.
He twisted his head around, awkwardly, trying to catch his breath, and looked right into Roz Forrester's eyes. Her mouth was drawn into a tight line. There was no mercy in her face.
She pulled him away from the wall. ‘What are you doing?’ he gasped, realizing that his wrists had been cuffed behind him.
Chris Cwej was a huge silhouette in front of the sun. The Doctor squinted into the hot alien light. Everything was intense and blurry at once. ‘We’re not going to hurt you,’
rumbled the big man.
‘You are hurting me,’ protested the Doctor, as Forrester dragged him awkwardly backwards. ‘Where are we going?’
Forrester didn’t answer. Cwej followed, chewing on his lip, as she pulled her captive along.
There was a door in the wall. The noonday sun was glinting fiercely from solar cells on the roof of the habitat dome. Cwej did something to a control by the door.
‘No,’ said the Doctor.
A great wave of panic caught him, and he yelled. He tried to pull out of Forrester’s grasp, kicking against the metal wall.
If he went inside the dome he was going to die — he would die, his friends were going to kill him...
‘For Goddess’ sake!’ shouted Forrester. The Doctor snapped his head backwards and upwards, but only managed to bounce his skull off her chin. They both yelped.
Cwej reached down and took the Doctor’s face in his hand, firmly. The Time Lord felt the points of Cwej’s nails pressing into his skin. ‘Stop it,’ he said. ‘We’re not going to hurt you.’
It took both of them to drag him through the door.
Inside someone was waiting with a trolley — no, a gurney: there were straps on it. He tried to fight, but they were both holding his arms now, pulling him across the floor.
If only he could stop panicking, if only he