Doctor Who_ The Room With No Doors - Kate Orman [96]
‘Oh, super,’ muttered Joel.
The Doctor knelt beside the pod, running a hand along its surface. ‘His power would have been suddenly, massively amplified. No wonder the effects have been so unpredictable – there’s no way he could keep it under control.’
‘Doctor,’ said Penelope, ‘his perceptions are confused – they are similar to my own when I was engaged in my hyperwalk.’
‘He sees in four dimensions.
‘Or more. It was a jumble, terrifying and incomprehensible.’
‘Of course! That’s why he brought you and Joel here. He must have thought you were passing space travellers – he mistook the future for a nearby planet, Penelope’s machine for a hyperdrive.’
‘Oh yeah!’ said Joel. ‘And my little trip through time as a transporter, or something. . . ’
The Doctor nodded. ‘And when he couldn’t bring Joel all the way back to now, he sent Penelope’s machine forward. Once he found something that worked, he tried it over and over. Dragging you back in time, healing Kame’s wounds.’
‘We must get him out of there at once,’ said Penelope.
‘The Kapteynians don’t have the technical skill,’ said Chris. ‘It could be dangerous to open the pod incorrectly. We were hoping you could think of something.’
The Doctor nodded, examining the control panel which Talker had opened.
‘I wish there was time for a bath,’ he said, ‘but Gufuu-sama will be making all speed here. How are we set for a siege?’
‘Well,’ said Chris, ‘we’re not, really. If Gufuu really wants to break in, he’ll break in.’
‘Right,’ said the Doctor. ‘Our only hope now is to –’
‘You will not hand Psychokinetic over to them!’ squawked Talker.
‘– open the pod,’ finished the Doctor. ‘And as quickly as possible. Once Gufuu gets inside the walls, it will be out of our hands.’
‘That’s why I sent Penelope to fetch you,’ agreed Chris. ‘You work on it –
Talker can help.’ The Doctor nodded. ‘I’ll make sure no one gets hurt. What do I need to know about Gufuu’s army?’
‘Joel can tell you,’ said the Doctor, without looking up from his work.
Chris looked over at Joel, who was still standing beside the time conveyance, looking bewildered. ‘Welcome back,’ he said.
Joel burst into tears.
∗ ∗ ∗
196
Gufuu stared up at the walls of the monastery. They were earth embankments, faced with stones, like castle walls. They had kept this monastery safe for decades. Today, they would be breached for the first time.
Or tomorrow. Or the day after. The monks were not armed, and there was no urgency. The pod would soon be his.
Gufuu looked around at his troops: thirty men and six of his captains. One of the samurai was examining the demon woman’s musket, keeping it carefully pointed away from the others in case he discovered its secret. The rest had been sent to mop up the remains of Umemi’s army – a meandering rabble, now they were leaderless – and to begin the push into his old rival’s territory.
Gufuu-sama stroked his chin, considering. It would be wise to send some scouts in case the reputed secret entrance could be found, though they probably wouldn’t need to use it. No, the best way was simply to construct a few ladders and climb over the top. He didn’t expect much resistance. If all went well, the pod could be his by lunchtime.
There was a sound like metal being torn with someone’s bare hands. Gufuu flinched, instinctively, raising an armoured hand to protect his face. Dust and tiny pieces of rock and soil rained down on him.
He risked opening his eyes, and started slapping the dust from his armour.
The samurai with the strange musket was looking from the weapon to the hole he had just blown in the monastery wall and back again, astonished.
‘Well done,’ said Gufuu lightly, brushing soil from his breastplate.
The explosion didn’t even make the Doctor flinch. Chris had run back from the wall, brushing dust and chips of stone from his hair.
‘They’re through!’ he shouted. ‘We’re out of time, right now!’
Penelope and Talker stared towards the smoke, holding their guns, knowing they would