Doctor Who_ Transit - Ben Aaronovitch [92]
Nothing. And Francine realized then that Flash Harry was gone, become just another pair of hologram eyes peering out between the bottles of PX beer and moonshine gin.
She got a visual fix on the Jacksonville beacon and corrected her glide path by two degrees.
Olympus Mons lay ahead, silver in the unreal moonlight.
STS Central - Olympus Mons
Ming had Dogface on one of the repeater screens in her office and two Yak Harrises on another. The big holograms above the control pit were showing a lot of weird activity at the far end of the Central Line.
To make things just that little bit more difficult, a drone had cleaned up the office and now she couldn't find anything. Especially the packet of Zap she kept stashed under the throw rug, in case of emergencies.
A third repeater screen was taking telemetry data from Jacksonville Base.
The two Yak Harrises were completely still as the subset personalities ran off on an 'errand'. Dogface didn't look good, his face was pale and strained. Ming reckoned that he couldn't override the medical computer for much longer without doing himself irreparable damage.
Ming never had understood the floozies. Without the engine of ambition they clung to a working-class ethic that had been out of fashion for centuries. Still, it was his funeral.
A fourth repeater screen was taking a security feed from Olympus Mons West. A police drone's fisheyed view of the clean-up operation, images selected according to machine priorities.
'What about the girl?' asked Dogface.
'She's on her way up,' said Ming. 'With an escort.'
'I heard she greased two of those creatures.'
'And half a train,' said Ming. 'Blondie's got a couple of drones trying to reopen the line.'
"And Francine?'
'Still approaching Jacksonville.'
'What are they saying?'
'That in about ten minutes the V Soc's going to be looking for a new godmother.'
'The Doctor, Kadiatu?'
'On board the jet as well,' said Ming.
'Francine's a good pilot ...'
'Forget it. Dogface,' said Ming. 'Jacksonville says she's coming down on manual with no exterior sensors and half a turbine. If she could see, maybe. Blind, no chance.'
Olympus Mons
The forward monitor was covered in static. The Doctor's faceplate had snapped down automatically as soon as the cabin filled with smoke. The HUD projected on the inside informed him that the surrounding atmosphere was almost pure halogen. He presumed it was a fire-suppression measure. That or the humans were getting creative with their materials technology again.
He risked a cautious glance over at Kadiatu. Turning his head could be fatal if Francine pulled another twelve-G turn. It was difficult to tell if she was all right with the faceplate down but the status lights on the suit were unchanged. She was lying still in the embrace of the ejection seat, possibly unconscious.
The Doctor settled his head back on to the headrest and tried to feel what was going on. That they'd been involved in a dogfight was obvious from the violent manoeuvres; that they'd been hit was also self-evident. Francine had remained ominously silent since the combat began and the Doctor didn't want to distract her.
Do not talk to driver while bus is moving, thought the Doctor. Sound advice.
The smoke was clearing from the cabin. Judging from the subsonic vibrations he could feel through the headrest, they were missing an engine.
This cabin has a bad attitude, thought the Doctor. About twenty degrees nose up and we're descending. Definitely a glide landing.
'If I should die,' said the Doctor, 'think only this of me, that there is a corner of a foreign field that is forever Gallifrey.'
He calculated the probable impact velocity.
'All right then,' he said, 'a very large corner of a foreign field.'
To take his mind off the danger the Doctor started a mental list of the hardware he'd caused to be destroyed since he arrived. He used a weighted points system, since he was unsure of the exact monetary value. He wondered whether to include the wrecked dustkart. Normally companions only contributed half scores, but did