Doctor Who_ Storm Harvest - Mike Tucker [35]
The Doctor took a deep breath.
‘Professor,’ he said smoothly, ‘I might as well reveal to you that InterOceanic are looking hard at putting together a funding package for the splendid work you’re doing out there, but you must understand that we could not possibly afford to be associated with anything which might prove harmful to the inhabitants of this planet. Now, until I have looked into this matter more fully, I really must insist that you suspend operations. If you’re interested in our money, that is...’
‘Of course, of course...’ said MacKenzie hastily. ‘I... should like something in writing, though. My superiors, you understand.’
‘I’ll see that you get it,’ said the Doctor. He delved back into the huge alien corpse on the slab. ‘So much to do,’ he muttered.
In the pocket of his jacket the alien data-pad gave a soft bleep.
‘General!’
Mottrack swung round in his command chair.
‘Well?’
‘Contact from Coralee, sir. Weak signal. Standard field operative com signal. It’s an old code, sir.’
Mottrack lumbered over to the communications array. His eyes lit up with excitement.
‘Vreik’s signal! Can you establish a two-way link?’
The officer stabbed at the control. ‘No, sir. It’s just an automatic signal. No operator online at the other end.’
Mottrack straightened, rubbing at his chin.
‘Pull us out of the asteroid field. Contact our scout. Tell him we are on our way.’
Ace and the Doctor wandered out of MacKenzie’s laboratory. The Doctor had completed the autopsy of the alien and now his attention was focused on the alien data-pad. Ace couldn’t get a peep out of him.
Something seemed to be happening on the other side of the paved square. A big, official-looking transport glided to a halt outside the tall 66
admin building and a woman got out.
‘Doctor...’
The Doctor watched her vanish into the medical centre.
‘Brenda Mulholland,’ he said. ‘Excellent. Ace, I think it’s time to visit the poor woman you found in the escape pod. We can kill two birds with one stone.’
Holly Reif was still in a coma. The colony co-ordinator was standing at the foot of the bed looking pale and grim when the Doctor and Ace entered the room.
The Doctor cleared his throat.
‘Is this your friend?’
Brenda nodded. She looked at Ace. ‘You found her?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Thank you.’
She turned back to the bed. Holly was pale and unmoving, the auto-doc clicking quietly above her. ‘Holly’s a friend of mine,’ Said Brenda Mulholland quietly. ‘Been working the ocean colonies for years. How could she have ended up like this? I’ve just been to examine the platform she was working on. It’s been...’
‘Ripped apart,’ said the Doctor. ‘I know – I saw it, Miss Mulholland.’
‘What could have done that?’
‘I’m not sure yet,’ said the Doctor, ‘but I should warn you, if my worst theory is correct – and they usually are – we’re all in danger.’
‘Danger...’ Phillip Garrett marched into the room and leaned over the bed. ‘How is she, Brenda?’
‘No change,’ said the woman sombrely.
‘I know you.’ The man was looking Ace. ‘You were on the beach.’
‘Mr Garrett, this is my... assistant – Ace, said the Doctor.
Ace gave him her most insincere smile. ‘Are you still holding my friends?’
‘For the moment, yes.’ Garrett’s face was without humour. ‘I may want to talk to you later, as well.
He turned to Brenda.
‘I’ve put a security sub out on patrol. If there’s something dangerous out there...’
Brenda Mulholland stared hard at Garrett for a moment. ‘Good,’ she said after a tense pause. ‘I should have done it myself.’
‘Ace,’ said the Doctor, ‘we should be going’ He doffed his hat. ‘So nice to have met you again, Miss Mulholland. Mr Garrett’
‘Doctor.’ The big man moved between the Time Lord and the door.
67
‘I built this colony, practically from scratch. If there’s some danger here, I want to know about it.’
‘A young woman is in a coma,’ said the Doctor firmly, ‘the cable-laying platform on which she was working has been destroyed, and a submarine full of people nearly met the same fate. And whatever is out there could do it again. I’d say that constituted