Doctor Who: BBC Past Doctor Adventures [015] - Last Man Running by Chris Boucher

Author:Chris Boucher
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780563405948
Publisher: BBC Books
Published: 1998-10-13T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

A towering pillar of rock pushed steadily up in the middle of several square kilometres of wind-carved and dust-blasted open desert ground, and settled in place with titanic groans and shudders. In the centre of the pillar, the modified unit rose through a narrow shaft and emerged high above the surrounding country. Once the device was in position the access shaft narrowed to become a wire-thin link with one of the smallest of the power sources far below the planet’s surface. The unit’s control programme had been adapted to uplink with any available orbiter, as well as to scattercast direct pulse-plasma signals. Its power had been boosted to the limit and all its signals were stronger and more coherent than specification. Once it had been activated it would be only a matter of time before a search-and-retrieval ship responded to this second-hand, standard-issue distress beacon and came looking for the OIG team led by CI Serian Kley and consisting of ACI Monly, SI Sozerdor, SI Fermindor, and Investigators Belay, Pertanor and Rinandor.

Leela found the voice of her captor ingratiating and threatening in equal measure. Bullies like that were common enough in her experience, wheedling and intimidating by turns, and she had never had any trouble ignoring their attentions. Avoiding this one was more of a problem, though, since he had hidden himself in the darkness and someone had bound her so tightly that she found herself completely unable to move. From the sound of him he was enjoying himself and she had no intention of adding to his pleasure by speaking to him or acknowledging his presence. All she could do was wait and then, when something changed, she would take whatever opportunity came with it to escape.

‘Why won’t you speak to me?’

Leela had discovered that counter-attack came naturally to her.

‘I can make you tell me what I want to know.’

Her strength as a warrior had always been based on speed rather than physical power but recently she had come to realise that it was quicker still to wait and see what happened and react to it.

‘Thedoctor has already told me all I need to know, so it’s of no importance. But it is rude not to answer when I speak to you.’

Leela wondered where the Doctor was and whether he was a captive too.

‘I hate rudeness. It’s unnecessary. It makes life so stressful, so graceless.’

If he was, she had no doubt he would be trying to work out where he was being held and what was happening and who was doing all this – and why. He did so much of that sort of thinking that he tended to miss the opportunities when they came because he was not paying attention and he was not ready.

‘I will hurt you again.’

Leela had no intention of making that mistake.

‘I will hurt you very badly.’

Leela waited to see what would happen.

Kley kept her eyes tight shut. She could not move. Spasms of ferocious pain shot through her without warning. She had obviously been injured in the earthquake and now she was trapped in some sort of air pocket.

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