Doctor Who_ St. Anthony's Fire - Mark Gatiss [91]
He grabbed Ace’s hand, which she found strangely reassuring, and pelted inside.
The ship was already rocking like a vessel at sea, its great stone interior groaning violently. Statues of Saint Anthony toppled to the tiled floor, shattering into pieces. The Doctor seemed to know just where to go and they zigzagged through endless corridors towards the bridge.
Finally they stopped in front of the metal iris and the Doctor put out his hand to press the panel at the side. Ace touched his shoulder lightly and he looked round.
It occurred to Ace that, beneath the mud which covered him, beneath even his strange grey eyes, the Doctor had never looked so grave.
‘Doctor,’ she said at last. ‘Our priority is still to get off this planet before it explodes, right?’
The Doctor looked into her face and sighed, ‘Oh no, Ace. There’s far more at stake than that.’
* * *
18
Revenge of the Chaptermen
Ran placed the box carefully between two banks of instrumentation. Heat seeped from the massive artificial sun, imbuing the whole room with radiant warmth.
He smiled, his eyes twitching behind their protective goggles, and pushed the cloth‐covered box out of sight. Warmth was good. Warmth was exactly what the box needed.
Satisfied that his precious cargo was safe, Ran straightened up and began to think about what he should do next.
Whatever had taken place in his absence, his priority was to ensure that the ship left the doomed Betrushia behind as soon as possible. He looked around the power room with interest.
* * *
‘Doctor!’ cried Bernice with relief. ‘Do you know, I’m actually pleased to see you.’
The two dishevelled travellers passed through the metal iris onto the bridge. The Doctor squeezed Bernice’s arm and smiled. ‘Mutual,’ he said, stepping past her towards Grek.
Ace came through and Bernice gasped. ‘Christ, what happened to you?’
Ace smiled ruefully and gave her friend a hug. ‘“Just gimme that ol’ time religion”,’ she said.
Bernice frowned. ‘What?’
Ace shook her head. ‘Nothing. Just glad to be back.’
The Doctor was looking around the bridge with agitated eyes. Yong was back in his chair. De Hooch and the remaining Chaptermen had been disarmed and pushed into the corner. Grek, Lisa and Imalgahite flanked Yong, not quite sure what to do next.
‘Welcome, Doctor,’ breathed Grek with relief. ‘I’m glad to see you again.’
Yong sneered. ‘Really, Doctor, how you can give the time of day to these primitives…’
‘Shut up!’ snarled the Doctor. ‘I don’t have time for your pathetic games.’
He glanced down at the humming consoles. ‘Grek, what’s the situation? As regards Betrushia?’
Grek shrugged helplessly.
Yong rested his head on one hand, enjoying his enemy’s discomfort. ‘I believe your miserable world has about twenty‐four hours. What a shame.’ He smiled and examined his fingernails.
The Doctor ignored him and seated himself at the navigational console, his fingers racing over the rows of buttons and monitor panels.
Grek peered over his shoulder. ‘Are you going to get us away from here?’
‘Not yet,’ said the Doctor through gritted teeth. ‘There’s some business that needs to be sorted.’
Ace crossed towards him, holding the blaster awkwardly in her hand. ‘You did promise me an explanation.’
The Doctor didn’t look up as data filled the screens before him.
‘It’s growing,’ he whispered.
‘What is?’ said Bernice.
The Doctor spun round in his chair. ‘All right. Everyone listen to me.’ He rubbed his chin, collecting his thoughts, and then stood up.
Pointing to Grek and his men he said, ‘You Betrushians have been labouring under the assumption that your… mythical nemesis, the Keth, have returned. It was only natural that we should all mistake these interlopers –’ he cast a venomous look at Yong who smiled back sweetly – ‘for them.’
‘You also know,’ continued the Doctor, ‘that your planet is dying. In fact, as Magna Yong tells us, it has about one day of life left to it. Perhaps less.’
The Betrushian soldiers began to murmur anxiously. Bernice