Synthespians by Craig Hinton

Author:Craig Hinton [Hinton, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, General, Science Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 9780563486176
Google: GoESAAAACAAJ
Amazon: 0563486171
Publisher: Random House UK
Published: 2004-10-05T07:00:00+00:00

Finally, he stopped.

‘This should give us a bit of a breather. But not for long.

Not only do they never give up, but they have the tracking instincts of a bloodhound.’

‘Are you saying that Brady is a Synthespian?’ But Brady was their chauffeur. Joan was sleeping with him. Unless...

‘Claudia. You have to understand this. Reef Station One –

indeed, the entire Republic – is in terrible danger. What you and your compatriots call Synthespians are nothing more than tools of a calculating alien intelligence called the Nestene Consciousness. It’s a creature of pure psionic energy, which exists solely to colonise other worlds. But being rather ethereal, it needs a practical power base – and that’s where the Autons come in. Hands and guns in one package – literally.’

‘But how can he – it – track us down?’

‘The Auton will be attuned to our brain patterns. And they never tire and never give up unless ordered to.’

‘But you said Matheson wouldn’t kill us.’

‘I know. Perhaps an assumption too far. I get the feeling that his plans – or the plans of his Nestene paymasters – are nearing completion. Maybe Peri and I were nothing more than a sweet distraction for a day or two. Now that the endgame is here...’

There was a light footstep only yards away. The Doctor placed a warning finger to his lips, but what was the point of keeping quiet when the thing could sense brainwaves?

There was a loud thump as the crates surrounding them started to fly apart. Claudia looked for another exit, but the Doctor seemed to have chosen a dead end to wait out their final moments.

Suddenly, he tapped her on the shoulder and pointed upwards. She noticed that the crates formed a kind of staircase, leading towards a skylight. Following the Doctor’s lead, she began to clamber up them, glancing backwards to see what the Auton was doing. It had finally smashed through the last of the crates, and was now about 15 feet below them, its single eye staring directly at her. The hand came up again, and she ducked to one side as another energy bolt detonated the crate she had just stepped off.

The tower of crates was now getting more and more unsteady – an unsteadiness increased by the presence of the Auton, now making its slow but inexorable ascent after them.

‘Through the skylight. Quickly!’

Claudia pulled herself out of the warehouse and onto the featureless flat roof. Great. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run to, unless the Doctor had a two-person flying machine hidden away in that ridiculous coat of his.

But the Doctor wasn’t doing anything. He was standing at the threshold of the skylight, waiting. What was he planning?

To kick the thing in what was left of its head?

That was exactly what he had planned to do. His spatted shoe booted the Auton in the eye, but the Auton reached out and grabbed his foot in what was – going by the agonised expression on the Doctor’s face – a vicelike grip.

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