Doctor Who: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead (Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious) by Steve Cole

Author:Steve Cole [Cole, Steve]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781473532458
Publisher: Ebury Publishing
Published: 2020-09-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

‘Medicapsule, Professor.’ The Doctor’s voice shook as he lifted Estinee in his arms. ‘You must have one on board.’

‘Yes, last room astern,’ she said. ‘You don’t need to worry about Estinee, she’ll be all right—’

‘I suppose this must happen a lot,’ the Doctor said icily. ‘All part of the medicine show. Lifeshroud is the Dark Times’ equivalent of snake oil – a useless “cure-all” tonic sold to the gullible, the desperate – the dying, though they don’t even know it.’

‘It will save lives,’ Fallomax protested. ‘It’s not a magic cure against all death but it will keep them safe from the Kotturuh. I’ve got more of the Mordeela crystals now, I just need time and funding to—’

‘Shut up, you’ll keep. Now, you.’ The Doctor swung his attention threateningly back to Brian. ‘One thing, and make it good. How did you know you wouldn’t kill her for real?’

‘Intuition on my part. Observation on Mr Ball’s.’ Brian shrugged slightly. ‘When I fired upon her on the stage, she tried to work the Lifeshroud’s transmat. It seemed to me that the entire circuit was jammed, and yet cellular regeneration still took place. She is the miracle here, not the technology.’

‘You didn’t know for certain.’

‘I am certain now. There had to be a reason why the Kotturuh would confine her to Mordeela when she’s already been judged. She is a freak of nature – a child immune to their touch. Immune to death.’

The Doctor pushed past him, rushing Estinee to the medicapsule, a large brass coffin-shaped affair set into a pink, stuccoed alcove. Dark Times! He could’ve laughed: the beautiful improbability of a child naturally immune to death; these days deserved to be called the Brightest Times Of All. But of course, always, there were creatures like the Kotturuh wanting to take something so miraculous, so wonderful, and drag it down into the dirt and darkness, try to break it or suppress it. Angrily he kicked a green button on the side of the medicapsule and its lid swung open. He laid Estinee down in it and hit the heal cycle.

Then the ship pitched under some great impact, throwing him against the wall. The whushhh of the ship’s systems was replaced moments later by the froufrou swank of an extremely irritating alarm.

‘What’s happening?’ the Doctor cried.

‘Something just burned away our cover,’ Fallomax shouted.

‘The asteroid has been destroyed,’ Brian confirmed.

The Doctor ran back. Every light and gauge in the room was glowing purple. Indicator needles jumped as if in time to a skipping pulse. Chunks of rubble floated past the cockpit window.

‘Unidentified ship, closing fast,’ said Fallomax.

‘Kotturuh?’ said the Doctor.

‘Can’t tell,’ said Fallomax, ‘scanners are out.’

A low clanging rumble rang through the Polythrope.

‘Whoever they are, they’re going to board,’ said Brian, the silver gun back in his grip. He hurried away back towards the cargo bay.

‘No time to get us all into the TARDIS …’ The Doctor scooped up the bronze pistol from the floor and looked at Fallomax. ‘You and I are going to have a talk.

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