Doctor Who_ The Infinity Doctors - Lance Parkin [116]
They had spent the day building up a composite map of the habitable area of the Needle, collecting as much intelligence as their instruments allowed. Hedin had been on duty the whole time. The Technicians were operating a rota system: five hours on, five hours off. Even the Magistrate had needed rest, although – like the other crewmen who had tried
– he had found it impossible to sleep. He sat in his armchair, sipping at his wine, admiring the older man’s stamina. Hedin was still there, patiently plotting points and comparing the results of observations with the computer predictions, showing few signs of fatigue.
‘We have it, now, I think,’ Hedin announced. ‘Complete topography, with a full analysis of energy flow.’ The Technicians at the other stations were nodding.
The Magistrate placed his glass on the side table and returned to the console, climbing back up the steps to take his place in the centre of the control deck. Kinxoc, the youthful Technician who at been at the post, stepped down.
‘Show me,’ the Magistrate commanded.
A holographic representation of the Needle appeared in the column in the centre of the console. All six people operating the Controls stared into it. It was surrounded by fine yellow lines.
‘The defence perimeter envelops the whole Needle,’ Hedin began, ‘with the energy projectors mounted every few million kilometres along the length of the Needle. There is a greater concentration in the habitable zones.’
The image rapidly zoomed in to the area that had supported a biosphere.
‘Here there is very little activity. Plenty of evidence of extensive life in the distant past, almost no life or energy signs now. But there is a small fusion generator… here –’
(another zoom) – ‘and this is the crucial area.’
It was a roughly pyramidal structure, several miles high, in a state of serious disrepair.
‘There are life signs down there. It also coincides with a major nexus of the information infrastructure. I suspect that the entire defence system is run from a complex in that area.’
‘Lifesigns? Have you located the Doctor?’ The Magistrate stared into the image as if he might see him there.
Hedin gave a quivering smile. ‘I cannot say. Hold on–’
There was a bright flash of light, running from one end of the Needle to the other. The entire structure rocked visibly.
The Needle was so large that any force capable of doing that was truly awesome.
The lights had begun to flicker. The Magistrate looked around. ‘Are we under attack?’ he asked.
Technician Apa was grinning. ‘No, no. Just the opposite.’
There was a wheezing groaning sound, and a featureless white obelisk slowly faded into existence in the corner of the control deck. Before the process was complete, the door had slid open and half a dozen Time Lords and members of the Watch began to pour out, fanning around the room. They all carried medical cases. Three coffin-like medical caskets floated out after them on a raft of antigravity.
At the front of the group was the Lady Larna, in a cranberry work tunic.
The Magistrate smiled. She’d seen him, and made her way towards him. He joined her halfway down the steps of the console.
‘You have power here,’ she said.
The Magistrate nodded.
‘Your link to the Eye was cut, we feared the worst.’
Hedin had shuffled around to meet them. ‘The Doctor came up with a solution.’
‘He made it,’ she said nodding. She’d known, and had never doubted him. ‘Where is he now?’
The Magistrate swept his arm to indicate the central column and the hologram of the Needle.
Larna nodded again, businesslike. She knew just as well as the Magistrate that the Doctor could look after himself.
‘We haven’t much time.’
She unclipped a small box from her cuff and slotted it into the nearest control panel. Instantly, the image of the Castellan appeared. It fizzed for a second. The Magistrate frowned. Technology as simple as a temporal imaging