Doctor Who_ The Infinity Doctors - Lance Parkin [85]
The Time Lords were returning their attention to the image in the Infinity Chamber. Savar could sense the turmoil as they tried to grasp what they were seeing, he revelled in the chaos that he had created in such an ordered place.
‘Such was my arrogance that I thought I might liberate the greatest of our number from his eternal tomb.’
‘So you have succeeded. After all this time, Omega has been found.’ There was a tone of awe in the President’s voice.
Lord Hedin pressed himself forwards. ‘We must land, we must finish your great mission.’
‘It is not Omega down there, but something infinitely more dangerous.’ But they weren’t listening to Savar’s pleas.
The Doctor could feel them slipping away. He made yet another appeal. ‘No. No. There is great danger here.
Magistrate, you must stay away from the Needle –’
‘You must destroy it!’ roared Savar.
‘– and return to Gallifrey.’
‘Only the President can give such an order,’ the Castellan reminded the Doctor disdainfully.
‘President?’ Savar begged.
The old man was calm. Savar felt his thoughts. The President had studied Omega, he had written a dozen books on the subject. His time in office had been dedicated to restoring Omega’s reputation. This would be a culmination of his Presidency, standing down to allow the restoration of Omega, his crowning as the first Lord High President since Rassilon himself.
‘No!’ Savar cried. ‘No!’
‘We should seize this opportunity,’ the President breathed.
‘Not only the Effect, but Omega himself!’
The Doctor had failed. The President was about to say it, he was about to allow this expedition to proceed. The Doctor was saying something, but Savar had no time to listen.
He reached into his robe, wrapped his hand around the force knife.
‘No!’ the Doctor shouted. Savar knew the words were directed at him, but they served no purpose.
Savar leapt, his hand clenched over the dagger. He telepathed his President’s feelings, as he had for all his victims. He felt the fear running lip the spine, the coldness in the hearts as they quickened. The increased heartsrate only made his target still easier to find. The eyes he didn’t have were wide with terror. But did not allow the emotions to cloud what must be done.
He brought the dagger down, plunging it through the ribcage. With a metal blade you’d strike up, to avoid a glancing blow off a rib. With a force knife there was no need for such subtlety. It passed through the bone like air.
The President fell forwards, warm blood spilling over his cream robes and the ceremonial Sash of Rassilon he wore.
The Doctor was pulling Savar away, grabbing him from behind. All around, people were breaking ranks, calling for the Watch and for the physicians. The Chamber full of clattering footsteps.
It said something about Gallifrey that the President’s personal physician was at the scene almost a full minute before the Watchmen. Surgeon Granola knelt at his President’s side, opening up his medical bag. The President himself wore an old body, and might not have the strength to regenerate.
‘Why?’ the Doctor asked Savar.
Savar was grinning. ‘Be calm, Doctor, just a blow to the primary heart. Nothing that an hour with a surgeon won’t cure. But it’ll leave something of a power vacuum. No decisions will be made, and our purposes will have been served.’
The Doctor looked up at the circle of Time Lords that was beginning to form around them. ‘Neat,’ he concluded curtly.
‘Thank you. Show me the key to my TARDIS.’
The Doctor did so, finding it in his jacket pocket.
‘Use it wisely.’
Half a dozen of the Watch had pushed their way to the front of the crowd. Now they separated the Doctor and Savar.
Savar offered no resistance, indeed he was very calm as one guard strapped the restrainer on his wrists, the others frisked him for weapons. His knife was already lying on the marble floor, covered in the President’s blood This time he wasn’t carrying a spare.
As Savar was led away, the Doctor knelt at the President’s side. The old man looked up at him, a little disappointed. The Doctor leant over much to