Doctor Who: The Curse of Fenric by Ian Briggs

Author:Ian Briggs
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science-Fiction:Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780426203483
Publisher: Target Books
Published: 1991-01-14T10:00:00+00:00

Chronicle IV

Vampire City!

1

The Doctor stared at the bonfire of burning chess sets as he strode past it. Things were happening too quickly. He hurried into the hut where the Wrens had their quarters.

A couple of young women were playing cards quietly; a third one lay on her bunk reading a magazine. Joe Loss and his band played softly on the wireless. Kathleen was just rocking Audrey to sleep in a cot half-hidden beside her own bunk.

The Doctor’s head appeared round the door, and he peered inside. He saw Kathleen, and smiled. ‘Hallo. You haven’t seen Ace, have you? I was expecting her to meet me back here.’

Kathleen smiled warmly. ‘I’m sorry, I haven’t. But I’ll keep my eyes open for her.’

The Doctor looked down at Audrey who was gurgling happily to herself. ‘What are you going to do with her?’

‘Oh, something’ll turn up.’ Kathleen looked hopefully at the Doctor in case he might suggest some solution. ‘One of the girls said she’d ask her sister if Audrey could stay for a few days, just until I sort something out.’

But she knew in her heart that the sister would say no.

She looked down at the happy little bundle who had no idea of the trouble she was causing. How could anyone take against a sweet little thing like this?

Kathleen looked back at the Doctor, and noticed he was smiling too. ‘Do you have any family yourself?’ she asked.

The Doctor looked up, a little sadly. ‘I don’t know,’ he sighed.

‘I’m sorry. It’s the war, isn’t it? It must be terrible not knowing.’

‘Yes,’ said the Doctor. How right she was. Were there others like him, he wondered, in a distant galaxy somewhere? Would he ever know? ( Ever is a terribly long time.)

He stood up quickly and banished such thoughts from his mind. ‘Can’t stay. Must look for Ace.’

He hurried across the compound towards the decryption room. Dr Judson was hunched over the teletype unit. New Viking letters had been stuck over the ordinary keyboard alphabet, and Dr Judson was typing the final inscription into the machine.

Nurse Crane sat indifferently to one side.

The Doctor breezed in. ‘You haven’t seen my assistant, have you? I’m getting quite worried.’

‘Quiet!’ interrupted Dr Judson. Then he sat back and smiled. ‘Now then. Let’s see what lies encrypted in these carvings, shall we?’

He flicked a switch, and the machine chattered into life.

The relays clicked rapidly and the rotor wheels whirred.

Judson watched in excitement.

The Doctor leaned forward anxiously and watched.

Suddenly, the machine stopped. There was a moment’s silence before the teleprinter started to clatter. Even Nurse Crane seemed interested, as the machine began printing its message: LET... THE... CHAINS... OF... FENRIC...

SHATTER.

The Doctor gave a slight sigh of relief.

Judson sat back triumphantly. ‘You see! A thinking machine! Even with an alphabet more than a thousand years old, the Ultima machine can reveal its meaning.’

The Doctor smiled. ‘Well, it can translate it, at least.

Who knows what it might mean?’

‘What?’

‘It can print out a translation in English. But what does it mean?’

‘How should I know? Some stuff and nonsense to do with all that Viking mythology, I shouldn’t wonder.

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