Doctor Who_ The Bodysnatchers - Mark Morris [90]
Instantly there was a hum of power and the doors closed.Tuval turned to Balaak, trying to hide the relief and satisfaction on the inordinately expressive human features that it wore.
'Now,' Balaak hissed,'set the coordinates... for Zygor.'
One expression that Tuval could not conceal was surprise.'But Commander, Zygor was destroyed many centuries ago.'
'Do not treat me like a fool.Tuval,' snarled Balaak.'My body may be decaying... but my mind... for the moment... is still intact. You are forgetting that this... is a time craft... We are going to pilot the ship... into the past... to a time before Zygor was destroyed... by the Xaranti... I know it is too late for me... but I wish to die on my home planet... You, Tuval, must warn our people... about the Xaranti attack... and prevent Zygor from being destroyed.'
Tuval inclined its human head in obeisance. 'Of course, Commander.'The Zygon scientist hovered for a moment above the console, and then, hoping for the best, punched in what it believed to be were the spatial and temporal coordinates for Zygor. Glancing nervously at the monitor screen, Tuval was much reassured to see that the correct time and destination were indeed displayed there. Next, the Zygon reached for the lever that it was fairly sure would send the TARDIS into the time vortex. Flexing its human hand, it pulled down the lever.
Instantly a number of things happened. The most reassuring was that the grinding, trumpeting din of the TARDIS's drive systems filled the room as, presumably, the craft dematerialised from the bridge of the Zygon ship.
However, more alarmingly for Tuval, the console suddenly seemed to become 'live', threads of crackling blue light dancing across it and skittering up the outside of the time rotor like barbed wire made of electricity.
'Comman-' the Zygon scientist began, but then the light seemed to coalesce into an angry blue ball and rushed at Tuval. With a sizzling crack, it flung the Zygon backwards. Tuval felt a searing bolt of pain, and the next moment was flying through the air and crashing to the ground. A burning unconsciousness flooded in from all sides, dragging Tuval into the buzzing darkness at its centre.The last image that filled the scientist's mind was the Doctor's face, mouthing the words, 'Contingency plan'.
***
It was the sound of the TARDIS dematerialising that penetrated Sam's subconscious.As she spiralled up through the darkness, back towards the light, her other senses slammed into place like wooden blocks forced into holes that were slightly too small for them.
Her sense of smell was the one she could have done without. The stench of decay was so appalling that she recoiled, scrabbling upright into a sitting position. She gagged and clapped a hand to her mouth. Her stomach contents seemed to coil and twist like a bagful of snakes. Her eyes opened, at first into slits, and then wide when she realised what she was looking at.
'No,' she croaked, but it didn't stop the faint outline of the TARDIS from fading, dragging the trumpeting din of its engines along with it.
She scrambled to her feet, feeling panicked, confused, betrayed. Why had the Doctor gone off and left her here in this... this abattoir? Then she caught a flash of movement over to her right and whirled round. The Doctor was crouched over a thing that looked like a giant heart with fungus growing all over it, suspended in midair by thick tubes that sprouted up through the floor and down through the ceiling.
The heart thing was shaking, like a boiler about to explode. Steam was rising from its surface, and it was emitting a burbling, whistling noise that did not sound at all healthy. Nevertheless, although that, coupled with the Doctor's hunched stance and quick, darting movements, gave the clearest indication possible that the situation here was not good, Sam felt a rush of relief at the sight of his familiar figure. She went and stood beside