Doctor Who_ The Eleventh Tiger Part 20

Breathless, his lungs burning as much as his thighs were, he pelted down several streets dodging the occasional guard.

The sounds of footsteps behind him increased as more troops joined the chase. At one point a shot blew chips off a wall several feet away. It was a hopeless shot on the part of whichever guard had fired it, but it woke other troops up to the fact that something was happening.

Ko's legs felt heavier than mountains, his head swam and he fully expected his heart to burst. Instead, he heard wood booming hollowly under his feet and realised he had reached the jetty.

All the fis.h.i.+ng boats were broken and shattered. He wanted to cry, but couldn't spare the breath. At the end of the jetty a gangplank led up to the junk. It was too large a s.h.i.+p to operate on his own, even if he had known anything about sailing, but he could see a small rowing boat in a cradle on the deck. If he could get it into the water, maybe he could still escape with his life.

Then the deck swung up to meet him, smacking him across the face with the sickening crack that only solid planks can deliver. Ko rolled over, stunned. Above him, Zhao pulled back the leg with which he had tripped him and prepared to drive the edge of his foot down on to his neck.

Half-remembering his martial training at the monastery thirty years ago, Ko managed to grab Zhao's ankle and twist it. Zhao went down, and Ko knew he couldn't let the muscle-bound ape get back up again. He grabbed the man's neck in a lock and gripped more tightly, applying pressure to Zhao's windpipe. Gradually, the bigger man's struggles became more feeble. Ko shook with relief and strain as he felt consciousness leave the monk's muscles.

A faint patch of light brightened on the wall of the wheelhouse beyond them, as if someone was s.h.i.+ning a torch on it.

Two torches, in fact. Ko looked over his shoulder without letting go of Zhao, to see if there was someone with a candle or lantern. There was no-one there. The light was brighter now, and it looked almost as if it was being projected from Zhao's head.

Zhao went limp at last. But instead of flopping on to the deck his arm lashed back. Pain and blurring rippled out from the bridge of Ko's nose. Stunned, his grip weakened and Zhao tossed him aside.

To Ko's horror the light was coming from Zhao, beaming out of his eyes as it had back in the monastery. When the monk grinned, more light escaped through the gaps in his teeth and Ko realised that he'd made a huge error of judgement.

Then there was a flash of pure light and sound and Ko knew nothing else, ever again.

5.

Sunrise brought morning exercise for Wong Fei-Hung and his students. Vicki watched from a cosy corner of the courtyard, trying her best to copy their movements. It was difficult, but something about doing this made her feel just a little stronger, a little healthier and a little better.

It never ceased to amaze her that people could do the most astonis.h.i.+ng things, and achieve near miracles of balance and movement. She had seen people practise their kata kata in zero gravity, and beings with more than two arms or legs competing in judo tournaments broadcast on the s.h.i.+p-wide sports channel, but the ability of an ordinary human to do some of these things on Earth was magical to behold. in zero gravity, and beings with more than two arms or legs competing in judo tournaments broadcast on the s.h.i.+p-wide sports channel, but the ability of an ordinary human to do some of these things on Earth was magical to behold.

After a while Fei-Hung told the students to go and get breakfast, and approached Vicki. 'I saw you joining in. Not many Europeans would do that.'

'I'm not European,' she pointed out.

He looked surprised. 'Where are you from, then? America?'

'Earth,' Vicki said. 'To start with anyway.'

He looked at her as if he was trying to spot a flaw in her reply, and she realised what she had just said.

'The British Empire may be the most powerful in the world right now,' Fei-Hung said darkly, 'but that doesn't make it the whole of the Earth.'

'I didn't mean it that way.'

Vicki stopped talking, as the strangest sensation she had ever experienced buzzed inside her head. It wasn't so much deja vu as a sort of as a sort of jamais vu, jamais vu, or even or even roman vu. roman vu. Everything seemed unreal, and she half expected to see stagehands behind the walls, or the sun being taken off a wire that suspended it from the ceiling. Everything seemed unreal, and she half expected to see stagehands behind the walls, or the sun being taken off a wire that suspended it from the ceiling.

'Are you all right?' Fei-Hung asked, taking her arm. 'Let's go back into the surgery and brew a -'

'No.' Vicki shook her head and forced a smile, which she could feel was more goofy than intended. 'It's just the first time I've spoken to a fictional character.'

'Fictional?'

'Oh, I don't mean to be rude. It's just that where I come from there are stories about you, and I didn't think you were real until now.'

Fei-Hung looked down at himself and patted himself on the chest and stomach. 'I feel real.' He paused. 'You did well this morning. No worse than any newcomer. Do you know gungfu?' gungfu?'

Vicki shook her head. She knew a few basics of self-defence, like aiming a kick at the groin if someone tried to grab her, but that was about the limit of her martial skills.

n.o.body had needed to know more than this in a world where fighting was done with the push of a b.u.t.ton, if at all. 'Only what I've seen you do - ,' she bit off, 'in movies'.

'Ah. Our styles of boxing are family matters. There are basic moves and styles which are common to everyone, but the more advanced elements are handed down from father to son, or to selected students who are close friends and allies of the family.' Feng-Hui laughed. 'My father didn't want me to learn gungfu! gungfu! he admitted. 'Think of it, one of the Ten Tigers, the greatest boxers of them all, and he didn't want me to carry on this tradition.' he admitted. 'Think of it, one of the Ten Tigers, the greatest boxers of them all, and he didn't want me to carry on this tradition.'

'He seems all right with it now.'

'I went to Luk Ah Choi, the master who taught my father, and learnt from him. When he found out why I had gone to him he immediately berated my father for not teaching me.

The family style is supposed to be pa.s.sed down from father to son, and Ah Choi warned my father that if he didn't teach me it might be forgotten.'

'It's always the fun things parents don't want you to do,'

Vicki said. 'They're happy for you study hard, but they panic if you want to stay out late the way they did when they were your age.'

'Yes. That's my father exactly!'

'I think we have parental influence in common. Your father reminds me very much of mine.'

'Was your father a healer too?'

Vicki shook her head. 'He had basic paramedic training for the job he was going to take up on Astra. And it was useful on the s.h.i.+p.'

'A s.h.i.+p?'

Vicki only nodded, the laughter fading from her heart.

'He was in the navy, then?' Fei-Hung asked.

'Oh no, it was a civilian s.h.i.+p. Pa.s.sengers and some cargo.'

'Is this s.h.i.+p here in Guangzhou?'

'No, it... ran aground, a few months ago.'

'I'm sorry to hear that.'

'There were only two survivors. Myself and one man. I found out, when he died, that he had caused the accident deliberately. He killed my father. But it was already too late to find out whether I'd have the courage to take revenge, or the courage not to. I don't think I'd have liked myself much either way, so I'm glad I didn't have to choose.'

Smoke and steam rose from long, low buildings set among the riverside trees. The abbot, flanked by two men from his quartermaster's staff, stepped into the nearest one. Inside, sweating men and women were grinding black, steel tubes and fitting them against wooden stocks. Once the breeches and locks were added they would be rifles.

The abbot paused for a moment, watching them work.

Then he took a barrel from the nearest woman and examined it closely, inside and out.

'Acceptable,' he said, handing it back.

One of the quartermasters made a note.

The abbot moved along the production line and took a barrel from a man who had been working hard on it with a file. Examining it, the abbot could see that the end of the barrel had been filed at a slight angle. Once evened up it would be a fraction short when it was mated with a breech and stock.

He lashed out with the barrel, the steel smas.h.i.+ng into the man's cheek. The worker sprawled, bleeding and spitting teeth.

'Replace this t.u.r.d,' the abbot said.

The quartermaster made another note.

Fei-Hung found the Doctor in the surgery studying one of his father's medical texts.

'Most interesting,' the Doctor said. 'Most interesting for this time period.'

Fei-Hung smiled, proud of his father and naturally glad to hear him praised. It lasted only an instant as he had brought more serious news. 'Jiang is at the gates.'

The Doctor frowned as if unsure what the message meant.

Then his face cleared. 'Oh, this ridiculous and silly duel. I'm rather afraid I had quite forgotten it.' He sighed wearily. 'Very well, let's get on with it, shall we? Let him in.'

'Sif- Doctor,' Fei-Hung corrected himself. 'You cannot mean to fight Jiang-sifu.' Doctor,' Fei-Hung corrected himself. 'You cannot mean to fight Jiang-sifu.'

'Can't I indeed? And who are you to tell me what I mean?'

Fei-Hung had never seen such courage in a white man before. Or maybe it was stubbornness. 'Do you not know who he is?'

'A rival master to your father. Does it really matter?'

'Two years ago a j.a.panese master came to challenge Jiang.

The j.a.panese had heard of his boasts about being a great fighter, and wanted to teach him a lesson. Everyone expected it to be a prodigious bout that would drag on and on.'

'And wasn't it?'

'It took exactly one move. Jiang killed the j.a.panese master with a single kick to the head.'

All the students were waiting, ranged around the main courtyard. They were whispering among themselves, but Jiang couldn't hear them clearly enough to make out what they were saying. Perhaps some of them were expressing dismay that one of their own would challenge the man appointed by the master of the school, but this didn't bother Jiang. He was sure the majority were excited at the prospect of seeing him humiliate the gwailo. gwailo.

Once the Doctor was no longer in charge Jiang, as deputy, would take his place. Then he need only ensure that Kei-Ying didn't return.

As if summoned by Jiang thinking about his father, Fei-Hung appeared through the latticework doors of the hall.

Chesterton, Barbara and Vicki followed. Finally, the Doctor appeared. He hadn't even bothered to change into more appropriate clothing, Jiang noted.

The Doctor's clothes weren't loose enough to perform much in the way of martial arts, so perhaps he was going to forfeit.

That wouldn't be as much fun, but it would still get Jiang what he wanted, so he would accept it.

The Doctor stepped down on to the courtyard and approached Jiang. He stopped a few feet away. 'Well, young man,' he said. 'Do you still insist on this ridiculous duel?'

'Unless you are choosing to forfeit. There is no dishonour in acknowledging one's limitations.' Jiang waited for the Doctor's inevitable backing down.

'So be it,' the Doctor said. 'Then let's get on with it.' He turned slightly side on, left foot forward, lowering his right hand behind him.

With his left hand, the Doctor beckoned to Jiang.

CHAPTER FOUR.