Doctor Who_ Storm Harvest - Mike Tucker [33]
The Doctor jumped from the Zodiac into the shallow water and ran up the beach, with an increasing sense of alarm. The sub had clearly crashed on to the beach at speed.
‘Doctor!’
Ace was pushing through the crowd towards him.
‘Ace,’ the Doctor called, ‘what happened?’
‘I’m not sure, Ace said. ‘These... things attacked the sub.’
The Doctor moved past her towards the stricken vessel. He ran his hands along the deep, ragged grooves that scarred and pierced its metal hull from one end to the other. The same pattern as the marks on the Hyperion Dawn.
‘What happened?’ he asked again.
‘They came through the water... started cutting through the hull.
Rajiid saved us.’
‘Rajiid?’
‘Pleased to meet you.
The Doctor looked at the handsome young Indian who was standing behind Ace. He smiled slightly at his companion. ‘Been making friends, Ace?’
Ace grinned sheepishly at him. ‘Rajiid’s the pilot of the sub.’
‘Was the pilot of the sub,’ Rajiid corrected her. He looked across at where Greg was inspecting the damage. ‘There’s not much to pilot anymore.’
‘Tell me, Rajiid,’ said the Doctor, ‘have you any idea what happened out there?’
Rajiid shrugged. ‘We were attacked. Nothing I’ve ever seen before.
You’d best talk to R’tk’tk.’
‘What? Who’s taking my name in vain?’ The voice was chirruping 62
and irritable. A dolphin was barging its way through the crowd on one of those spider-like transporters.
‘Rajiid,’ the dolphin grumbled, ‘tell me the sub was properly insured. Tell me we’re not as far up the creek as I think we are.’
The Doctor doffed his hat. ‘I’m very pleased to meet you, R’tk’tk,’
he said.
‘Mm,’ the dolphin grunted. ‘Rajiid...’
‘I would appreciate a quick word,’ the Doctor cut in.
‘Look, Mister,’ the dolphin chirruped, ‘I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but our livelihood has just gone down the pan. I don’t have time for chitchat.’
‘Neither do I,’ said the Doctor with sudden authority. ‘Something attacked you out there, and I want to know what. This has implications far beyond your livelihood. I believe the whole colony could be on the edge of extinction.’
R’tk’tk swallowed hard. ‘I don’t know what attacked us,’ he said.
‘All I know is they were humanoid in shape, and moved faster through the water than anything I’ve ever seen – far faster than I could ever swim. They were naked, and unarmed as far as I could see.’
‘How many of them?’
‘Three, maybe four. Not that much bigger than a man. And they did all this... I’ve never seen anything like it.’
‘I say, Doctor, what happened here?’
Professor MacKenzie was bustling towards them through the thinning crowd, Q’ilp close behind him. The two dolphins, Q’ilp and R’tk’tk, faced each other, the spider-legs of their walkers tapping in a manner that suggested agitation to the Doctor.
‘This your sub?’ Q’ilp asked curtly. R’tk’tk nodded.
‘And were you driving?’
R’tk’tk chittered angrily. ‘We were attacked,’ he said bluntly. ‘It was probably something out of that hole you’re digging under the sea.’
The Doctor could sense the other dolphin bristling. Q’ilp let out a series of high-pitched whistles. R’tk’tk responded in kind.
‘Let’s not quarrel,’ the Doctor said hastily, although he feared R’tk’tk was right. ‘The dig...’
‘My, my,’ said MacKenzie, examining the beached, battered sub,
‘What on Earth could have done this?’
The Doctor ignored him. ‘Ace, who was on the hover-stretcher?’
‘Survivor from some ship, said Ace. ‘We found her in the water in an escape pod. She looked in a bad way. When we found her she was just screaming...’
‘So Ace thoughtfully punched her,’ Rajiid cut in, smiling wryly.
63
‘Holly Relf, she’s an engineer, part of the cable-laying operation.
Works for InterOceanic.