Doctor Who: The Quantum Archangel by Craig Hinton

Author:Craig Hinton
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science-Fiction:Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780563538240
Publisher: BBC Worldwide Americas
Published: 2001-02-14T10:00:00+00:00

We’re stranded in an impossible space-time machine, captained by a lunatic time traveller, drifting in space millions of light years from Earth. No problem at all. But the Doctor’s expression suggested that there was far more to it than that.

‘The Virgo cluster is also the home of the Great Attractor, Professor Hyde. I realise that astronomy probably doesn’t fall under the remit of temporal physics, but you must have heard of it, man!’

It was Paul who answered. ‘An enormous gravitational mass in space. The Milky Way is being drawn to it at the rate of a million miles an hour.’ He shot an inquiring look at the Doctor. ‘I’ve always wondered what it actually was.’

The Doctor’s tone made it quite clear that there were some things mankind was not meant to know. ‘The home of something I pray we never encounter,’ he whispered. ‘But the immediate problem is that the gravitational flux in this region of space is going to play merry hell with the TARDIS’s navigation systems.’

‘But you know where we are,’ Stuart countered. ‘Why is it a problem?’

‘Because’, began the Doctor, with the tone of voice of someone talking to a five-year-old, ‘I can’t guarantee that we’ll end up at the point I’m aiming for – I can’t guarantee that we’ll end up anywhere, come to that. With the local gravity as it is, the time vortex is going to be prey to random gravity lenses, quantum mirages, substrate diversions... We’re trapped in a gravimetric lattice, I’m afraid.’

‘There has to be something we can do!’ shouted Paul. ‘The Master’s got Arlene, TITAN, Mel... Doctor, you have to do something!’

The Doctor frowned. ‘I am well aware of that, Professor Kairos. But the TARDIS isn’t a 22 bus to Putney Common!

And besides, she’s been damaged by the time ram. I have to think carefully about our options!’

Paul grabbed his shoulders. ‘You have to get us to the moon!’

‘I fully intend to,’ snapped the Doctor, breaking away from him and returning to the console, which was almost completely unscathed once more – some kind of autorepair gizmo, Stuart guessed. Shame it couldn’t help TOMTIT.

‘Unfortunately, this is one of those occasions where “kill or cure” is an apposite epithet.’

Stuart couldn’t help but shudder at the utter finality of the Doctor’s statement. ‘What do you mean?’

‘The only way we can break free from this situation is to find something to hang our hats on and then pray that we can fling ourselves out of this gravitational mess. The TARDIS

can see where we want to end up, but not the route. Therefore.

I have to home in on something and hope for the best.

‘The Master’s TARDIS,’ muttered Paul. ‘You’re going to match temporal frequencies and attempt to materialise near it.’

The Doctor broke off from his ministrations at the console to stare at Paul. ‘Very good, Professor. Very good indeed.’

Stuart was still trying to understand. ‘A bit like a lasso, Doc? Lassoing the Master’s TARDIS and pulling ourselves free?’

‘Got it in one. However, to do that I have to match temporal frequencies perfectly until the very last moment.

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