Doctor Who_ The Algebra of Ice - Lloyd Rose [106]
Brett snorted. ‘You really haven’t understood, have you? I’m not even alive,’
– and he strolled into the chamber.
The door began to shut, but Molecross ran and blocked it with his body.
Inside, Brett approached the capacitor thoughtfully, hands behind his back. In the red light, he was reduced to stark contrasts of light and shadow – a figure in a black-and-white film. Molecross knew he must be communicating with the others, receiving directions. With a grunt, he squeezed through the door. It slammed and locked behind him.
Ace ran over the hills, dragging the Doctor. He was disorientated and stumbling, but stayed on his feet until she slipped going downhill and he fell into her. They slid to the bottom, and when Ace sat up, the being was looming in front of them. Seeing it now, Ace realised there was something familiar about it, though she couldn’t think what.
‘No,’ it said. ‘The Doctor must stay.’
Chapter Twenty-six
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Ace grabbed for her Nitro Nine, but the Doctor put his hand on her wrist.
‘That’s no use.’ He was lying on his stomach, his hat fallen over his eyes.
Now he raised the brim and looked steadily at the being. It smiled, not quite believing.
‘You would fight me on my own ground?’
‘Ace,’ said the Doctor. ‘Don’t watch this.’
‘But I –’
‘Don’t watch!’
She turned away and covered her eyes. The being remained incredulous.
‘Did you learn nothing before?’
‘Before I wasn’t ready.’ The Doctor stood up. ‘Shall we dance?’
Brett looked over at Molecross curiously. ‘You can’t stop me.’
‘I know,’ said Molecross. Behind him, Ethan hit the window and slammed it with his fists.
‘Unbreakable,’ Brett said.
‘Well, it would be, wouldn’t it?’ Molecross approached the capacitor, craning his neck to see the top. ‘All of this. . . ’ he said, ‘I never thought I’d see it. I was certain it existed, but I’d never see it.’
‘Then this is a touching moment.’
‘I’ve experienced wonders now,’ Molecross confided.
‘Very nice for you.’
‘So what’s going to happen? Will a ray shoot through you?’
‘Put crudely, yes.’
‘Won’t it destroy the TARDIS systems?’
‘No. I’ve set all the infiltration programs in motion and disconnected.’
Molecross nodded seriously. ‘Wonders,’ he repeated.
‘I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to continue this fascinating conversation. I have work to do.’
Brett shut his eyes and his head fell back. His form shimmered. Connection established, thought Molecross. Absurdly happy, he stepped between Brett and the capacitor. As Brett jerked and glared, Molecross threw his arms joyfully around him.
Then the energy shattered them both to atoms.
This time, when he was sliced apart, the Doctor refused to be reassembled. He willed his spinning self to a still place, and began to translate his thought processes into mathematics. Dimly, he felt the being tugging, trying to get hold of 218
The Algebra of Ice
his numbers and put them together logically. The Doctor thought not. He had no wish at all, in fact, to engage it on its own ground. That would be suicide.
Perhaps this was suicide anyway. The thing had abruptly surged with power.
The Doctor fought to stay scattered, but it was pulling him relentlessly, shaping him into a formula it could corrupt. He dodged and twisted, felt himself falling into order, set up to be disordered for good –
Then its grip loosened. The Doctor squirmed free. Immediately, he began to shift rapidly in and out of numerical combinations. He formed himself into equations that depended for solution on imaginary numbers – that should discourage his opponent. And indeed, he felt it reject him like poison. No, no: don’t go away. Just let me get hold of one little equation, needn’t even be a complicated one – his numbers shifted and regrouped, snatching at the being’s equations. No. No. No. Ah! He trapped the string of numbers in parentheses and drew it close. This was simple. In fact, this was rather fun. He understood what Ethan saw in it. Although the task was hardly challenging. He simply moved a couple of numbers and changed a plus to a minus. . .
He snapped