Doctor Who_ The Last Dodo - Jacqueline Rayner [63]
Dorothea.
The dodo had recognised the white sphere that Frank had rested on the floor. In among all the unfamiliarity, this was something she knew. The dodos had gone over this again and again with Frank. He gave them an egg, and they were supposed to bury it. It seemed to her that Frank had once again given her an egg. So she should bury it.
But for a shattered vase of flowers, the infirmary room was stark and gleaming. There was a bed, a cabinet, a trolley holding equipment, and some monitors. Nothing that she could reach, nothing suitable for a burial.
But there was a bag. It was on the floor, and it was full of papery stuff, just perfect for covering up an egg. She waddled over to the egg and started to push it along with her claws, towards the bag.
With considerable effort, she used her great beak to nudge the egg the few inches up the side of the bag until it plopped softly into its paper nest. A few sweeps with the tip of her beak and it was fully concealed.
I’ll give all my wodges of cash to the poor…’ Frank was continuing. Then he laughed. ‘Yeah, right!’ He picked up his bag of money. ‘Seven – six – five –’ He pressed the blue button on his pendant – and vanished.
‘Four… three… two… one,’ said the Doctor.
There was a stunned silence as the Earthers, who had all been holding their breath, suddenly realised they were still alive and could let it out again. A grinning Martha started to explain, but as they caught on whoops and cries and laughs of relief drowned her out. Nadya hugged Rix, and Vanni hugged the Doctor, and Tommy managed to pull himself to a sitting position in bed and punched the air. Martha grabbed Dorothea and the two of them did an ungainly waltz around the room. Celia cheered the loudest of all – well, thought Martha, it’s like a messy divorce; it’s going to be the ex‐partner who’s happiest when someone blows themselves to smithereens.
‘Oh!’ said Vanni suddenly, ‘I hope he doesn’t materialise anywhere where there are people…’
The laughter stopped, but Martha kept dancing. ‘Nope,’ she said. ‘He’s gone to that warehouse on Earth. I recognised the coordinates.’ And then she realised something too and stumbled to a halt. ‘But we never got Eve’s password from him!’ She turned to the Doctor in dismay.
‘What do you need Eve’s password for?’ Tommy asked. ‘All those animals on Earth,’ Martha told him. ‘The ones that got… accidentally transported there.’
‘What about them?’
‘I’m going to return them all,’ said the Doctor. ‘Once I get into the central computer.’
The Earthers all looked delighted, and Tommy nodded. ‘Oh, right. Lucky I have access as head of the Earth team. The password’s “Hr’oln”. H, r, apostrophe, o, l, n. Eve’s first pet, apparently.’
The Doctor looked very slightly sheepish.
THE ISPYDER BOOK OF EARTH CREATURES
GREAT AUK
Pinguinus impennis
Location: North Atlantic
The Great Auk is a flightless bird that resembles a penguin. It lives in the sea but comes ashore on islands to breed. It has a black back and head with a white underbelly, and white patches above its large, slightly hooked beak.
Addendum:
Last reported sighting: AD 1844.
Cause of extinction: hunting by man.
ISpyder points value: 800
EIGHTEEN
The medical computers reported that Tommy was well enough to leave the infirmary, but I couldn’t bring myself to entirely trust non‐sentient doctors, so I insisted on giving him a thorough check‐up first. But it only confirmed the computers’ verdict, so I wagged my finger and told him to be more careful in future, and then let him get up. The Doctor had already dashed off to Eve’s office; Tommy suggested we all meet up in the Earth section afterwards. So the remaining six of us – seven, if you included Dorothea – trooped off and waited for him by the empty dodo case. It seemed rather appropriate.
We’d been standing there