Frontier Worlds by Peter Anghelides

Author:Peter Anghelides [Anghelides, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780563555896
Publisher: BBC Books
Published: 1999-11-28T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

‘I Could Have Told You’

‘What kept you, Fitz? I’ve been waiting for hours.’

‘I’m surprised you waited.’

‘I nearly didn’t, but you’ve seen the layout of Level Ten.’ Compassion wasn’t smiling. She was scowling in the doorway of the lift, her arms folded savagely in front of her. All she needed was a rolling pin and hair curlers to complete my mental image. I decided not to mention this to her for a while. A couple of decades maybe.

The lift door pinged open, and I was surprised to find we were already on Level 10 of the HQ building. The corridor was in out‐of‐hours darkness, except for the occasional emergency light.

‘While I was waiting, I used the time to do a bit more research while you fought your way here through heavy traffic, heaving crowds, and stampeding animals.’

‘Sarcasm isn’t your strong suit,’ I said. ‘Tell me what you did – that’ll make you feel better. Better than me, I mean.’

I stepped out into the carpeted corridor of Level 10, and then hopped straight back in as the entire corridor was suddenly illuminated with overhead lights.

I stared at Compassion in a panic. She just gave me one of those looks down her freckled nose. ‘I managed to do plenty of surfing round the systems,’ she continued calmly. I’ve worked out from the security wiring diagrams which are the main rooms up here, since everything else is classified. And I’ve worked out how the automatic motion‐detection lights work during the night shift.’

I squared my shoulders to suggest nonchalance, and to try to disguise the fact that I’d been hiding behind a large rubber plant in the lift. I stepped boldly back into the corridor, and fell over a round – and full – waste bin. I crashed down painfully on to the comfortable carpet, and the bin rolled away, scattering a trail of scrumpled paper.

‘And’, hissed Compassion and she hauled me roughly to my feet, ‘I found out what the cleaners’ schedules are. The bins are left outside the offices for supervised collection first thing in the morning. Watch your step. We’re running late.’

‘That sounds like a major bit of investigation. How did you manage all that?’

‘It’s a knack,’ she said tartly.

‘I was making my way down the corridor to Sempiter’s office, trying not to limp. I’m glad you didn’t waste any time, then.’

Compassion pulled me round by the shoulder and stared me straight in the face. ‘You’re the one who was wasting time, Frank. You’re the one fraternising with the locals, instead of looking for the Doctor.’ As if she cared, huh! But while she harangued me, she never blinked once. She just carried on relentlessly in her cold, threatening tone. I hadn’t realised that her grey eyes could look so angry. ‘This is not a game any more, Fitz. We have one chance at this. Just one. I got us computer authorisation to be here. But once the defence data‐mining system works out that we only got that authorisation today, and

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