Doctor Who: Big Finish - Short Trips [009] - Monsters by Ian Farrington

Author:Ian Farrington
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
Publisher: Big Finish
Published: 2004-07-30T22:00:00+00:00

Categorical Imperative

Simon Guerrier

The Doctor had just said to find something ‘For a christening’, so Sarah had picked out an innocuous blouse and skirt. He hadn’t got changed himself. As a result, they were almost the only ones here not dolled up like royalty. There could have been as many as a thousand people in the chamber, and she and the Doctor were easily the scruffiest. Sarah tried to ignore the disgusted glances thrown their way. She pretended not to hear what they said about his scarf The chamber had once been home to some kind of parliament, the Doctor had told her when they arrived. Now it was used for parties.

He usually liked parties, she thought. But he was in one of his glowering moods now.

At first, Sarah had tried to pick out the scandals, pointing out to the Doctor who was cold-shouldering who, where the allegiances were, who she would bully for gossip. But the Doctor had shown no interest in her journalistic instincts, her efforts to provoke at least a smile. He just wanted to brood. So much for his promise to take her somewhere different, to get away from…

She didn’t want to think about that. If the Doctor just wanted to watch these people in their pretty clothes and hats, then fine. She could sit here, behave herself, not show him up.

So they had sat for hours, some way towards the back of the room, looking down on the queue of great and good that snaked towards the crib. Tall, fearsome guards in black armour watched over the baby and those waiting their turn to see him. The guards didn’t just look ceremonial, thought Sarah. In the far corner of the room, there was a buffet for those who had already done the queue.

Over glasses of pink fizz, they could schmooze with each other and with the baby’s family. The Doctor pointed out one sour-faced woman, probably not yet twenty-five, Banked by a pair of younger, prettier girls in far less formal dress. She was the mother, the Doctor said. The poor baby, thought Sarah.

It was this group that Sarah had been watching with most interest for the past hour. She couldn’t quite work out the dynamics. The girls were not servants, and yet they weren’t part of this aristocracy either. Perhaps they had not yet come of age or something. The baby’s mother didn’t seem to share any intimacies with them, which might mean she was playing to the rest of the room. Or that she didn’t know them. As soon as Sarah realised this, it became obvious the girls didn’t know each other, either. So who were they?

She nudged the Doctor, and whispered, ‘Hey!’

‘I know,’ said the Doctor, tight-lipped. ‘Don’t let him see you.’

Sarah looked at him. What was he talking about? He could be so cryptic. Anything to make things difficult.

She followed his gaze down to the queue. Who was she going to recognise, anyway? This was years after her time, surely. And then she slapped her fingers over her mouth to stop the squeak of surprise.

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