Doctor Who_ St. Anthony's Fire - Mark Gatiss [102]
He gazed at the throbbing ball of energy and cackled manically. ‘I have seen the light!’
‘Doctor? What’s going on?’ It was Bernice, cutting in from the second orbiting ship.
Yong laughed again but stopped suddenly as he noticed the cloth‐covered bundle. He frowned and reached out to touch it, but was distracted by Bernice’s voice.
‘Doctor, shall I start the countdown?’
‘Yes!’
Yong raised the blaster and trained it on the mechanism. ‘Too late! You’re too late, Doctor!’
* * *
20
St Anthony’s Fire
Yong started as the door to the power room burst open and Ace and Jones, both wearing goggles, toppled inside. The remaining Chaptermen stayed outside, unable to tolerate the growing intensity of the sun.
Ace smiled. ‘Good choice, Jones.’ She levelled her blaster at Yong. ‘Put the gun down, Magna,’ she ordered.
Yong turned, his cruel features flaring bone white in the glare. ‘You again, my dear? You were so promisingly brutal when we picked you up on Massatoris. What a shame you didn’t live up to my expectations.’
He raised the blaster and pointed it at the humming machinery.
‘Stop right there or I swear I’ll shoot,’ bellowed Ace.
Yong’s face was impassive. ‘Do as you please. I really don’t mind. I shall destroy this machine and release the endless, undying wrath of Saint Anthony on you all. It doesn’t matter that I shall perish.’ He glanced down. ‘You might satisfy my curiosity, however, and buy yourselves a little time.’
Ace frowned over her goggles. ‘How?’
Yong kicked at the cloth‐covered box jammed between the machines. ‘Pull that out and show me what’s inside. I can’t bear the suspense.’
Warily, Ace edged past Jones towards the machinery. She began to move the box out with her toe.
‘No tricks now,’ purred Yong.
‘Would I?’
‘Of course. That’s why I like you.’
Ace bent down, keeping her gun carefully trained on Yong, and whipped the cloth off Ran’s box.
Yong cocked an eyebrow. ‘How fascinating. Now, open the –’
Ran appeared out of nowhere, shielded by the glow of the sun, and blew off one of Yong’s shoulders with his stolen blaster.
The Magna was hurled backwards, his gun clattering to the floor.
Ace dived for it, rolled, and brought both weapons to bear on her nemesis.
Howling with pain, Yong clutched at the hole where his collar‐bone had been and stumbled towards the door. Jones slammed his foot down on the edge of Yong’s cloak and he fell heavily against the machinery, his bloodied arm connecting against the metal with a wet slap.
As he crumpled to the floor, his goggles cracked and fell off. For a long, long moment he stared, unprotected, into the naked, furious light of the artificial sun.
Yong grabbed at his eyes and screamed and screamed, clawing at his face to try and shut out the preternaturally intense light. Thrusting his arm over his eyes, he staggered blindly from the room.
‘Leave him,’ said Ace. ‘We’ve got work to do.’
She pulled out a communicator. ‘Doctor, we’re back in charge. Power seems to be building nicely.’
‘Well done, Ace. Now get back to the bridge. There’s a lot still to do.’
Ran walked calmly towards the machinery and picked up his precious box.
‘Ace,’ said Ace holding up a hand in greeting. ‘What is in there?’
Ran smiled and strode past her into the reassuring darkness of the spiral stairwell.
* * *
The Doctor turned from the console to De Hooch and breathed out with a sigh. ‘We’re on course again, er… Magna.’
‘Excellent, Doctor.’ The dwarf leant back in his chair. ‘How long before optimum power is achieved?’
The Doctor pressed a button. ‘Bernice?’
‘I should say about twenty minutes, Doctor.’
The Doctor looked over. ‘There you are, twenty minutes and we can boost the power of the rings.’
De Hooch wriggled with excitement. ‘And Betrushia destroys itself and this nasty organism with it, Saint Anthony’s in his Heaven and all’s right with the world.’
‘Then what?’ said the Doctor.
‘What do you mean?’
‘What happens