Steve Cole - Doctor Who - The Knight, The Fool and The Dead

‘Wait.’ Fallomax jumped up. ‘If we can’t study the Wave in action, perhaps we can study it historically? Analyse its effect on a species’ DNA, with samples taken before, during and after.’

Brian tilted his head to one side. ‘Samples from where?’

Fallomax shrugged. ‘Back to Andalia!’

Betel four-seron-four kaffa, four-four-sky betel .

‘It’s perfect,’ said the Doctor quietly. ‘The new Andalian DNA shows us “after”, the just-killed can show us the during … and, thanks to the bodies in the Tombs of the Ended, we have the original, stable genetic information from centuries ago.’

‘Right,’ said Fallomax. ‘We can see what’s happened biologically to change them and reverse-engineer the metamorphosis. Although how we’d then use it against the Kotturuh I’ve no idea. And, anyway, I can’t see Chalskal just letting us zip off to Andalia before he’s got his Lifeshroud …’

‘Then we’d better give it to him,’ said the Doctor. ‘Hadn’t we?’

The next day, as the flagship chimes sounded evening six-bells, Estinee sat in her room with the lights off, feeling anxious. Since telling Fallomax what had happened, the only times she’d seen either her or the Doctor were when they’d run tests on her, taken blood or shone weird gadgets around her head. What it was all for, they wouldn’t exactly say. She’d told them she hadn’t seen the Kotturuh again, that it had felt more and more like a dream.

The Doctor had hugged her and told her she’d have better dreams soon. But then he’d gone off to work with Fallomax on some new thing with the crystals, while Brian manufactured new testing equipment. And her? She’d been told to rest. Alone, bored, nothing to—

‘Don’t just sit there!’ Fallomax burst in without knocking and the lights rose automatically. ‘We’re showing Chalskal the new Lifeshroud prototype. Come on!’

Estinee hugged herself. ‘I don’t have to wear it?’

‘Not this time.’ Fallomax nodded to the door with her head. ‘Come on. I promise, watching it work will make you feel better.’

So Estinee went with her to the main lab.

Chalskal stood at one end on his three big tails, looking impressively officious in a red poncho with golden braid and a small tricorn hat. Four armed guards stood in attendance. Brian was delving through a bronze toolbox on a float-table, helping the Doctor work on what had to be the new Lifeshroud. It had several ungainly attachments – strange, crystalline circuits and extra cables were plugged into the chainmail. The checks apparently complete, Brian stepped discreetly away.

‘Doctor,’ said Chalskal, pushing himself up to a more regal height. ‘I have indulged you with equipment, materials and time. I trust the presentation is ready to begin – and that I won’t be disappointed?’

‘Here it is.’ The Doctor reached under the Lifeshroud and pulled out a short, tubular object – the tool that Brian had been making all day in the workshop. ‘It’s a brand new prototype.’

‘A prototype for what ?’ Chalskal demanded.

‘Not just “what”.’ The Doctor gave a cheery smile. ‘ Watch! ’

Estinee could’ve sworn time slowed down as things happened in a chain reaction. The Doctor tossed the tube to Brian, who aimed it at the nearest guard. Blasts of light spat into its torso, knocking it down. As the other guards drew their guns, the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and twisted hard. The weapons shot sparks and jumped from the guards’ hands – one recoiled and crashed into Chalskal, who went down with a squeak. Calm in the chaos, Brian took down two more of the guards while the Doctor shoved the float-table into the fourth. As the guard doubled over, Fallomax hefted the toolcase and brought it down on the back of his neck. He collapsed and there was suddenly stillness and silence.

Fallomax’s violet skin was flushed almost purple. ‘We did it!’ she bellowed.

Estinee stared, incredulous. ‘You haven’t killed them?’

‘Stunned,’ said the Doctor.

‘Well, it is only a prototype.’ Brian held the metal tube to Chalskal’s hairy wart of a head. ‘Thank you for supplying the materials needed, Ambassador. Is a further demonstration necessary?’

‘NO!’ wailed Chalskal. ‘I protest formally! And informally! You can’t do this to me … The Lifeshroud is needed.’

‘By your mercenary army so they can kill without comeback, we know,’ the Doctor agreed. ‘And they’re going to get them too. We weren’t kidding about the Lifeshroud two-point-zero demo. There’s just one feature we’ve literally not had time to test. Professor, put the Ambassador in the new Lifeshroud, could you?’

Fallomax approached the sweating Chalskal – who was holding very, very still at gunpoint – and dressed him in it as best she could. Once she’d made connections to two of his’s tripod tails, she retreated to stand beside Estinee, leaving the Ambassador looking like a dressed-up child.

‘Lovely!’ The Doctor flicked a switch on the crystalline circuit, and Chalskal’s chainmail glowed soft gold. ‘Now, Ambassador. We’ve made improvements to the power efficiency in the crystals powering the ’Shroud. Whoever wears it, their DNA signature is shielded from the Kotturuh’s genetic wave. But if we boost the power far enough, we think we can reverse that Wave and bounce it back at the Kotturuh …’

‘What use is that?’ Chalskal cried, crossly. ‘The Kotturuh can’t be affected by their own spells, can they?’

‘Not without a little adaptation,’ the Doctor agreed. ‘That’s the next stage. Sorry to love you and leave you, but hey, don’t worry. You can help Brian finish the demonstration.’

‘We need to know how long the crystals will hold double-charge before they either melt or explode,’ Fallomax informed him. ‘Might be hours. Might be days! Might be just minutes …’

‘You dare to make High Ambassador Chalskal your test subject?’ he raged, tails thumping the floor.

‘I would hold very still, Ambassador,’ Brian advised, stepping back. ‘With the extra charge running through them, the crystals become highly volatile …’

‘Release me!’

‘Perhaps I shall. Once you release control of your mercenary fleet to the Doctor.’

‘What?’ the Doctor and Chalskal chorused. The Ambassador was so shocked he actually fainted; the Doctor only looked like he wanted to.

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ said the Doctor. ‘What do I need with a fleet?’

Brian crossed to him. ‘What you are planning is tantamount to declaring war on the Kotturuh. There may be … consequences.’

‘And billions of lives at stake,’ said Fallomax.

‘You said you would do whatever it takes,’ Brian said. ‘Remember? Crewed by mercenaries in Lifeshrouds, a conventional fleet will stand a better chance against the Kotturuh than anything else. I fear Mr Ball is too hot-headed for an admiral’s commission in peacetime, but I will act as your commander and brief the mercenaries—’

The Doctor shot him a look. ‘Why are you so willing to help me?’

‘Because I know that you would never just abandon this time and place. And so I prefer to live.’ Brian smiled. ‘I think you underestimate your grasp of strategy and fitness for command.’

‘Or prefer to,’ Fallomax muttered.

The Doctor looked troubled. ‘All right, we’ll argue about it later. Look after Chalskal and get things ready for action here. Professor, Estinee – we need to get to Andalia and get what we need to generate the reverse wave.’

Fallomax raised her eyebrows. ‘In your ship? How long will that take?’

‘We’ll be there before you know it,’ the Doctor told her.