Doctor Who: Synthespians by Craig Hinton

Author:Craig Hinton
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science-Fiction:Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780563486176
Publisher: Diamond Comic Distributors
Published: 2004-10-05T10:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

While the Doctor took over the pool table in her dad’s den, covering it with papers and printouts, Claudia and Peri took the opportunity to get changed. Claudia was a little less withdrawn than earlier, but Peri was at something of a loss as to what to say. Somehow, she could empathise more with having a step-parent than the loss of a father: her dad’s death had been an horrific accident, a combination of events which had left him to drown under a capsized boat. But Claudia’s father’s death was anything but an accident. Peri didn’t think that she’d ever forget that look of emotionless calm on Joan’s face as she had sat there, playing with the blood-stained knife.

Then again, a little voice at the back of her mind pointed out that she’d seen far, far worse during her time with the Doctor: carnage on a galactic scale, the application of pure evil, and yet she managed to live with that, didn’t she? No, she argued – I manage to live alongside it. With Claudia, it was personal.

Showered and changed – Claudia in a purple spandex leotard with thick white leggings, Peri in a borrowed hooded sweatshirt and grey jogging bottoms – they joined the Doctor in the den.

‘Feeling refreshed? Good. There’s coffee and Danish over there – I persuaded Mrs Svenson to fix breakfast. We’ve all got to keep our strength up.’

As Peri poured coffee for herself and Claudia, the Doctor made a couple of last-minute rearrangements to his mess of paperwork before standing back with a very pleased expression on his face. ‘Ta-da!’ he bellowed.

‘I assume you’re going to explain all of this?’ All Peri could see was a higgledy-piggledy collection of papers.

‘This, my dear Perpugilliam, is a financial map of the New Earth Republic. Marc was absolutely right when he described the Nine as the richest men in the Republic: between them, they control – controlled – legally, illegally and just downright dodgily – 99 per cent of all businesses in this peculiar little region of space.’ He stabbed a finger at a photograph of Claudia’s father.

‘Charles Bruderbakker was the founder and owner of Bruderbakker Industries, which is the largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the Republic. His company also controls 88

per cent of the infrastructure: the base stations, the satellites, the interstellar relays, et cetera. August DeValle was the founder and owner of Republica Comms, which is the second largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the Republic, and controls the remainder of the infrastructure.

‘And, as of this morning, Walter Jeremiah Matheson III now controls the entire mobile-phone industry across thousands of worlds. Handsets and infrastructure.’

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a mobile phone.

‘Believe it or not, this is August DeValle’s mobile phone – I found it after his untimely death. From what I can gather, market penetration of mobile phones in the Republic is 100

per cent – everyone has one. At first glance, they look like the phones that Peri and I are used to.

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