Doctor Who_ The Infinity Doctors - Lance Parkin [70]
Had his people done it? Had the Rutans? Sontar imagined himself, in a younger clone body, ninety-nine centuries from now. The throne he sat on was the same, the courtiers were different, although all their faces were familiar. A triumvirate of scientists stood before him. They were telling him about the ultimate weapon, one based on simple principles, but with the ability to destroy vast tracts of time and space. The Rutan would already have such a weapon, his Spymasters were telling him.
A generation later, Sontar saw Rutan warships drifting over the Throneworld, crystal nests floating past the landmarks of his Palace, like lanterns against the darkness.
Energy bolts streaking down, slamming into the ground, shattering the statues and palace walls, smashing through the defences. The gates have fallen. Rutan pour through the gaps in the walls, shock troops like giant jewelled crabs in their armoured battleforms.
Green blood in his eyes, his uniform torn, clawing into his thorax, Sontar drags his dying body over to the control, he operates the ultimate weapon. If his Sontarans are to die then the universe will die. The ground is rocking from another nearby explosion. He presses his claws against the button with his last ounce of strength.
The countdown begins.
20
12
11
10
2
1
0
‘A glorious victory,’ he hisses. The universe dissolves into grey. He is the last to die.
Sontar reactivated his eyes.
He stood, still not used to the low gravity of the Time Lords’ homeworld or their time ships. He took a few steps towards Dok-Tor. The Rutan turned slightly, suspiciously.
‘Check your instruments again, Time Lord.’
Dok-Tor frowned. ‘Why?’
‘I… have reached a decision. I have not felt this desolate since the defeat at Hwyx.’
Dok-Tor looked puzzled, but followed the order.
‘What am I looking for?’ he asked.
‘Has it changed?’
Dok-Tor shook his head.
Sontar sighed. ‘I have just made a vow. If it is within my power, if it is ever within my power, I shall not let what we have just seen happen.’
Dok-Tor looked at him clearly unsure how to react to the announcement. ‘No?’ he asked.
‘No,’ swore Sontar solemnly.
‘Me neither.’
The central column was slowing down.
We will be back on Gallifrey in the next few minutes. My people have detected a disturbance in spacetime. It’s the only thing I can think of that could possibly have had this effect.’ The Doctor stopped, stared up at the ceiling. ‘Either the disturbance itself destroyed the universe, or the Time Lords’ reaction to it did.’
There was very little that penetrated the dark of Savar’s TARDIS, just that from the lights on the console and the soft glow from the scanner. Larna’s eyes had adjusted enough to tell her that the decor of the control room was hard, military even. All steel handrails and sharp angles. Savar himself was somewhere in the darkness.
‘I can help you,’ she said. He needed someone to talk to, he needed someone who could get the right medical care for him.
‘You changed,’ she said. ‘Do you know why you changed?’
She still wasn’t sure how much Savar could “see”. His eyes might be blind, but his telepathy and acute sensitivity to the time field seemed to compensate. He didn’t know what she looked like, he’d not touched her – thankfully – the whole time they had been alone. So he almost certainly didn’t know how long her hair was, or its colour. Unless he had simply been able to lift that information from her mind.
‘Night fell,’ a calm voice said from nearer than Larna would have guessed.
‘It happens to you every night?’
‘Of late.’
‘Why?’
‘Because my master demands it. There is a power drain from the Eye of Harmony,’ he said, changing the subject.
‘Why?’
Larna edged towards the console,