Doctor Who_ Winner Takes All - Jacqueline Rayner [65]
Frinel spoke to the Doctor. ‘You were warned. From now on, the slightest deviation will result in the death of a human. Now, continue with the game.’
The Doctor’s face had gone blank. Robert guessed he was feeling very, very angry and upset, and was trying not to show it. The Doctor picked up the control pad, and began to move Rose through the maze.
One of the Quevvils, who was hunched over a display of some kind, suddenly called out, ‘The carrier is approaching another carrier again!’
Robert looked at the screen. Yes, he could just see a figure in the distance.
‘Don’t blame me,’ called out the Doctor. ‘I’m not doing it on purpose. I can’t even tell where the other players are any more.’
Robert held his breath as Frinel waddled over to the Doctor.
* * *
They’d spent some time swapping Darren Pye stories – what he’d said, what he’d done, what they’d heard he’d done, who they’d heard he’d done in. It was quite a catalogue. Mickey would have found it ludicrous if he hadn’t known for a fact that a good part of what sounded like scurrilous rumour really was true. But now they’d sort of sunk into an expectant hush, just waiting for something to happen.
Suddenly, the sharp ring of a mobile phone cut through the silence in Mrs Pye’s living room. Mickey jumped. This was it! But it wasn’t his mobile, it was Jason’s.
‘It’s Anil,’ Jason reported. ‘That bloke’s got back in touch, the one who wouldn’t stop playing the game. He says… he says he thinks he’s discovered a new cheat code, cos he can see some bird on the screen. He’s gloating about it.’
‘Rose!’ yelled Mickey. ‘Tell him to do that thing, now! Tell him you’ve discovered a quicker way to the end, if he follows our instructions!’
‘Did you hear that?’ Jason said into the phone. There was a pause. Then Jason said, ‘Anil says he doesn’t believe him. He says that Anil’s just trying to put him off, feed him a false route, cos Anil wants to finish first. He’s going to keep on playing. He says… he says if that bird’s a rival, he’s going to nobble her…’
* * *
Rose felt as if she had ten‐ton weights in her trainers. The Doctor was moving her at that slow, clunking pace again, each step an event.
Her head turned, and she caught a glimpse of a figure some way ahead of her. Brilliant! Was everything back to normal? But she had suddenly stopped still, she wasn’t hurrying forward to meet it like before.
The figure was still coming forward, though, and with a start, Rose realised who it was.
Darren Pye.
She knew he was on the planet with them, and anyway the Doctor had told Mickey about it through her, but he hadn’t said a word about Darren being sent to the stronghold. She wondered if the Doctor knew. Surely he wouldn’t be so eager to rescue every last person if he did. She sighed. Yes, he would, he was the Doctor.
Darren was clumping towards her like a lead‐booted ape. She instinctively tried to get out of his way, even though she obviously couldn’t. When he got close, she was amazed to see that he was scowling. It wasn’t that his face had frozen in an angry grimace, he was actually scowling. And there was more: every now and then he would almost pull back a limb, resisting the imperative placed upon him by the wires in his brain. He’s strong, Rose thought, so strong. If he can fight against this…
She could tell when Darren had seen her, because his expression changed. His eyes narrowed, and the hatred directed at her was so intense Rose felt it like a blow. If she had been able to move, she would have staggered back.
Easy, tiger, she thought, as he lurched nearer and nearer. Now would really be a good time for the Doctor to do something. Because seeing Rose was only going to act as an incentive for Darren to really regain control of his limbs…
* * *
‘The carriers should not be able to approach each other!’ shouted Frinel. ‘This game was designed so each carrier would follow a separate route! If the human controllers caught sight of the carriers…’
A nervous‐looking Quevvil hurried over and examined the console. ‘He