Doctor Who_ The Algebra of Ice - Lloyd Rose [49]
HE IS A TIME LORD.
Well, that was a big help. Brett swung his feet back to the floor and typed: WHAT IS A TIME LORD?
A LONG-LIVED RACE WHO HAVE MASTERED TIME TRAVEL IN YOUR UNIVERSE.
Brett was tempted to type ‘Oh really?’ but instead wrote: WHAT ABOUT YOUR UNIVERSE?
WE DO NOT KNOW WE HAVE NOT YET ENCOUNTERED HIM
IS HE PHYSICALLY INVULNERABLE?
NO
HOW VULNERABLE IS HE?
ESSENTIALLY HE IS HUMAN
NO SUPERPOWERS THEN
WHAT
NEVER MIND Brett thought for a couple of seconds. IS HE EMOTIONALLY
VULNERABLE?
UNCLEAR
DOES HE HAVE FRIENDS?
TRAVELS WITH HUMANS
‘Ah,’ Brett murmured. ‘Does he indeed?’
STOP HIM
I HAVE TO FIND HIM FIRST
CAN YOU FIND HIM
You know, Brett thought, I believe I can.
YES
AND STOP HIM
AND STOP HIM
Brett returned to the cellar. Ethan was curled beneath the blanket. Brett twitched it away. ‘Just one or two more questions.’
The Doctor contacted the Brigadier then headed for the chart room. Ace followed him.
‘How long will it take?’
‘Several hours, I’m afraid.’ The Doctor was at the control panel. ‘It’s a complicated process.’
‘What if we don’t have several hours!’
‘UNIT may have luck.’
‘And if they don’t?’
Chapter Twelve
103
‘What do you expect me to do, Ace?’ There was an edge in his voice. ‘This is one of the most sophisticated locating devices in the galaxy. I can’t use anything better.’
He glared at her. Ace glared back. ‘We got him into this.’
‘It was necessary.’
‘It’s always bloody necessary.’
‘Yes!’ he said. ‘It is. This is the universe, Ace. You may have heard of it. Everything alive, not just one man.’ She looked away and he softened. ‘I understand. You. . . like him. It’s hard.’
‘I can’t just do nothing.’
‘Go back to his flat. It’s quite possible we’ve panicked for nothing. If we have, he’ll show up. He may have already shown up.’
‘Right fools we’ll look.’
‘I hope so.’
‘Yeah,’ she said.
Ace didn’t really expect the Doctor’s optimism to be rewarded, and it wasn’t.
She looked at the messy flat and felt like crying. Sod that! She bloody well wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t going to stay around here either, when she could be. . . what? Ace sat down miserably. The Doctor was right. It was a waiting game, which was one of the games she was rotten at. She knew she was doing something but it felt like doing nothing, and she couldn’t, she couldn’t –
Hang on. Ace shoved a hand into her jacket pocket. Yes! The number plate!
The Brigadier would take her call. They’d be able to look up this sort of thing at UNIT, probably had their own files. The number might not be a lead at all, but she had to try. She jumped up and ran to the phone. That was when she noticed the message light blinking. Oh God, let it be him. Or at least good news. Or at least not bad news. She pressed the play button.
‘This is a message for the Doctor,’ said an upper-class voice. Ace sniffed. Posh plod. There was a click – he’d switched on a tape recorder. On the tape, the same upper-class voice said, ‘What is your name?’
‘What?’
Ace inhaled sharply. It was Ethan. He sounded like something was wrong with his throat.
‘Your name.’
Ethan sounded puzzled. ‘You know my name.’
‘Tell me again.’
104
The Algebra of Ice
‘Ethan Amberglass.’
‘How’s your foot?’
Sounds of a struggle. Not for long.
‘Feeling better, are we?’ said the upper-class voice.
‘What’s that?’ It sounded to Ace as if Ethan had spotted the recorder. ‘What the hell are –’ Then he began to scream.
Ace just stopped herself from smashing the machine in fury. She stepped back, catching her breath. The little click came again, then the voice. ‘I know you’d like to hear him speak to you himself, but he can’t talk just now. He can’t move very much either, or see.’
‘You’re dead, you bloody sod,’ Ace breathed.
‘I want to meet you. Tonight would be good, but, since you may not hear this message today, any of the next few nights will do. I think the field would be appropriate. You can have the guards called off, can’t you? That’s how I’ll know you’re there. And no trouble, please. If I’m not back here in three hours, Mr Amberglass