Doctor Who: The Doctor Trap by Simon Messingham

Author:Simon Messingham [Messingham, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ebury Publishing
Published: 2010-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

They were beating Sebastiene. Donna would wait outside his door, which she couldn’t break down no matter how hard she thumped. The sounds from within, the muffled cries and the thuds, the mumbled questions and the defiant replies, left her in tears.

When the sessions ended, when they had had enough, the door would click open and Sebastiene would stagger out. Donna would help him down to the lobby, their nest.

Practised now, she dabbed his bruised face with cotton wool and water scrounged from the Exquisite Traveller’s meagre first-aid box. Every day he took longer to recover. ‘Why are they doing this?’ she asked.

‘They like it,’ he said back.

‘There must be a reason. There has to be.’

Sebastiene winced and held his jaw. ‘It’s the other Sebastiene. He comes in with his pals, works me over and leaves.’

‘Where?’ She tried not to sound hopeful. ‘I mean, if they’ve got a secret exit we could—’

‘Forget it,’ said Sebastiene. ‘They’re using the transmat. I thought I had arranged it to be switched off but—’

‘If we got hold of this man. If I got in the room, put a gun to his head, held him hostage . . .’

Sebastiene smiled. ‘It’s a nice idea, but there’s a reason you can’t get that door open, Donna. There’s a molecular seal. You couldn’t break it down in a million years. But I admire your imagination.’

Donna dropped her cotton wool into the bowl. The water was red now. ‘That’s the best I can do, Sebastiene. I’m sorry.’

He sat up, wincing as he did so. ‘Listen, you’re terrific.’

‘I don’t understand why they’re beating you up. If they wanted to kill you, wouldn’t they have done it by now?’ She didn’t wait for an answer. ‘Why bother to send you here to meet me? They must want something.’

She looked at him. He looked at her. They both spoke at once. ‘The Doctor.’

That afternoon, Sebastiene decided to take a walk round the grounds. ‘Sod the rain,’ he said. ‘Let it fall.’ And for the first time in what seemed like for ever, Donna laughed.

Sadie watched from the reception desk as they linked arms and stood in the doorway.

‘We’re off,’ said Sebastiene. ‘We’re taking a constitutional.’

‘A perambulation,’ said Donna.

‘A walk!’

Sadie smiled. ‘Have a nice time,’ she said.

‘Oh Sadie, while we’re out . . .’

‘Yes, Sebastiene?’

‘Don’t forget to kill yourself. A really excruciating and hideous death would be ideal.’ He smiled back.

‘Have a nice day,’ said Sadie again, without changing her expression.

‘Why do they want the Doctor?’ asked Donna. ‘And why don’t they have a go at me?’

They had reached the road’s first pointless turn. From here they would be walking in an endless loop. All roads led to the Exquisite Traveller.

Sebastiene shrugged. ‘Good question.’

‘They must ask you something.’

‘I think he’s worried. Afraid, even. The Doctor has done something to him.’

‘That sounds familiar.’

‘No, I mean really afraid. Is he really as terrifying as the stories say?’

Donna remembered her first encounter with the Doctor. When she had been supposed to be getting married. She remembered what she said when he asked her to join him.

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