Doctor Who_ Night Of The Humans Part 5

'The tower that you went into... That was the s.h.i.+p. It was a freighter, carrying cargo from one end of the galaxy to the other. You are the descendents of the surviving crew.'

'And what about Gobo...?'

The Doctor sighed. How could he explain this without breaking Manco's heart?

'Gobo was a symbol! he said softly. 'A drawing.

65.Something made up by people on Earth. He isn't real.'

The human was now hunched over in his cot, sobbing. 'I knew it,' he said. 'And I told Django... about the words I had read, the Captain's words. Django told me it was a trick, a trick placed here by the Bad.'

The Bad? Who's the Bad?'

'The enemy of Gobo. The dark one who is the enemy of mankind. The speaker of lies. Django said it was the Bad who sent the grey people from the sky, the ones who called themselves Sittuun. The Bad put those things inside the tower, to confuse us, but I knew he was lying.'

'Did you try telling the others?'

'I didn't have a chance. Django had me thrown in this place.

n.o.body else is allowed into the tower, and I'm the only one left who can read or write the language of the Olden Ones. It's the only reason I'm still alive.'

'You're the only one who can read or write?'

Manco nodded, and then, speaking once more as if remembering a pa.s.sage of scripture: 'And Gobo came amongst the people and He saw that they were given to sinful words, and He did take the words away from them, so that they might speak but neither read nor write, leaving but one who might still have that gift. The Wordslinger.'

'And that's you?'

66.Manco nodded. 'It pa.s.ses down through my family. My mother, and her father before her. But I have no mate, and no children, so I am the last.'

The Doctor nodded. Manco's last words had struck a chord inside him, and he looked across the dungeon to his fellow prisoner with sympathy.

'Tell me about these Sittuun! he said. 'You said there were grey people from the stars?'

'Yes.' Manco replied. 'The Sittuun came here, to speak with Django. They said the star would hit this world and destroy it, and that there were other worlds, with other people, far away from here. They said the pieces of this world would be scattered out into the night, and that if just one of them were to hit another world, that it would kill millions.'

'And is that why they were here? The Sittuun?'

Manco nodded. 'They have a bomb,' he said. 'A bomb that could destroy the whole world, before the star comes. A bomb that would save all those millions...'

'And what happened to them? The Sittuun who came here?'

'Django said they were heretics,' Manco replied, his voice quiet and sombre. 'And he killed them for it.'

From the other side of the dungeon they heard the metallic wheezing of the main gate being opened, and Manco shrank away into one corner 67.

Chapter.

6.

Captain Jamal stared at the outer casing of the Nan.o.bomb. It was a cylindrical drum, almost a metre in length and half that in diameter. It was one of a kind; there was no bomb more powerful in the known universe. Deep inside its core there were a billion Nanites, microscopic robots with one function alone. the outer casing of the Nan.o.bomb. It was a cylindrical drum, almost a metre in length and half that in diameter. It was one of a kind; there was no bomb more powerful in the known universe. Deep inside its core there were a billion Nanites, microscopic robots with one function alone.

The bomb was designed to disperse the nanites over a radius of almost five hundred kilometres, a wide enough blast to cover the Gyre. The explosion itself, if it could be called that, would last just one-fifth of a second, with some of the Nanites travelling at over a thousand times the speed of sound to reach their destination. Once they had been dispersed, the Nanites would devour everything within the 69.blast radius, whether it be animal, mineral or vegetable. Within four and a half seconds, an object with the size and ma.s.s of the Gyre, and everything on it, would be obliterated; a vague grey mist of disconnected atoms floating in the black void of s.p.a.ce.

The Captain couldn't look at the bomb without feeling a tremendous sense of both awe and trepidation. Awe because of its immense power, and trepidation because he knew that very soon he would have to detonate the bomb. Whether they had escaped the Gyre or not.

Without looking over his shoulder, he felt the presence of another person in the bomb chamber. He turned slowly to see that it was Slipstream.

'Say, Captain... We're just about ready for the off. Seems the girl is coming with me, and your two young lads. Hope you don't mind. Say! Is that it? Is that the Nan.o.bomb?'

The Captain nodded silently.

'Well, isn't she a beaut? Saw one of these go off in the Straits of Copernicus once, you know. Took out a whole mountain range in the blinking of an eye. One minute they were there, the next... pffft! Like that. Gone. Anyway... Thought it best to let you know we'll be going soon. TTFN, as they say.'

With a wink and a smile, Slipstream left the bomb chamber, whistling a happy tune as he went.

70.His rifle still charging, Charlie sat on the edge of his bed and watched the glowing green bar creep its way slowly along the barrel. He had been alone for no more than ten minutes, and all that time he had waited for a knock, or a voice calling his name, so it was no surprise when it came.

'Baasim... Can I come in?' It was his father's voice, speaking in Sittuun.

'Yes.'

The door opened, and Captain Jamal entered the room. He looked angry.

'You're charging your rifle?'

Charlie nodded.

'Then you're still serious about joining this... Slipstream...

and going to the human city?'

'Yes. Yes I am.'

Captain Jamal shook his head. 'This is insane,' he said. 'It's a suicide mission.'

'This is all a suicide mission, Dad! said Charlie, getting to his feet. 'The last hundred days have been one long suicide mission. We've got no way of getting off this thing, so we can either wait for the comet to hit us, or we can set off the Nan.o.bomb. Either way, we're dead. I'd rather meet my end knowing I'd tried to save someone, than just waiting for death.'

His father closed the door behind him and spoke in hushed tones. 'It doesn't have to be that way! he said. 'Slipstream has a s.h.i.+p. A working s.h.i.+p.'

71.'Yes, and he's going to rescue the Doctor. So we're stuck here until he does.'

'Not necessarily.'

Charlie stepped away from his father and laughed nervously. What could he mean? He looked at him, trying to read his expression, but Captain Jamal remained stoic.

'You don't mean...?'

'Baasim... That s.h.i.+p is in fine working order. When Slipstream and the human girl have gone, we can fly out of here.'

Charlie started shaking his head. 'No,' he said. 'No, Dad...

I can't believe you'd even suggest that...'

'Why not?' asked the Captain. 'The clock is ticking, son.

Need I remind you that our world is one of those at risk if Schuler-Khan hits the Gyre? A billion Sittuun men, women and children. Our family is at risk. Our home. Three human lives for a billion of your own kind?'

Charlie fell back onto his bed and put his head in his hands. He knew that his father was, in his own way, right, but he still felt responsible for Amy and the Doctor. If they had only given them the chance, when they had met in the valley, none of this would have happened. Amy and the Doctor might have been able to help them, as Amy said.

'It's not just three human lives, though, Dad! he said at last.

'What about those in the human city?'

72.Captain Jamal laughed incredulously. 'Those savages?' he said. 'Have you forgotten that those... those monsters have killed six of our crew? And what is it with you and these humans anyway? I knew we shouldn't have sent you to the Lux Academy. You came back, and everything about you had changed. Calling yourself Charlie... What kind of a name is Charlie?'

Charlie laughed derisively. 'How many times do we have to have this discussion, Dad? And last time I checked, Jamal was hardly a Sittuun name...'

'Don't talk to me like that, Baasim. I may be your father, but I'm also your commanding officer, and I am ordering you to stay on this s.h.i.+p. Is that understood?'

Charlie looked up at his father with an insolent glower, but he knew it was no use. His father wouldn't take no for an answer, and besides, before he had the chance to argue any further, there was another knock at the door.

'Yes?' said Charlie.

The door opened just a little. It was Amy.

'I'm sorry... But Dirk says we have to go. Now.'

Charlie looked from Amy to his father, and then back again.

'I'm not coming,' he said.

Amy's face became drawn, an expression of disappointment. She sighed.

'Really? But-'

73.'I can't,' said Charlie. 'I'm sorry.'

'Right. OK. Well... I'm going. Thanks for...' She paused, rolling her eyes. 'I don't know... The soup?'

Then she turned her back and walked away. Charlie could sense her anger. He had been around humans enough to know when they weren't happy.

'Amy!' he cried out. He made to follow her but, before he could leave the room, his father had grasped him by the arm.

'You are staying on this s.h.i.+p,' the Captain snapped. 'Don't think I wouldn't go ahead with the plan if you didn't.'

'Ah, there you are, Miss Pond. Glad you could join us. We're just about ready for the off.'

Slipstream and Ahmed were in the loading bay, packing provisions onto the buggy. Amy nodded to each of them in turn, but said nothing. She just wanted to leave, to get out of there. Maybe they could rescue the Doctor, and then Slipstream could take them back to the TARDIS, and they could just leave.

Another moment's hesitation would just be wasted time.

Ahmed looked past her, to where Charlie was now standing in the doorway.

'Come on, Charlie,' he said. 'We're going.'

'I'm not,' Charlie replied. 'I'm staying here.'

74.Ahmed frowned. He looked stung.

'What? But you said-'

'I know. But I can't. I just can't.'

Ahmed turned to Slipstream and then Amy. He looked at the buggy.

'Well, lad...' said Slipstream. 'What's it going to be then, eh?

Are you coming with us, or are you staying here with your friend? That's the thing with these Sittuun, Miss Pond. No fear, or so they say. But it takes fear to be truly courageous...'

Ahmed's expression changed from one of disappointment to determination. He turned to Charlie.

'I'm going.'

Captain Jamal now entered the loading bay, but didn't speak.

His eyes were fixed on his son with a stern glare.

'And we're taking Ella! Ahmed added, patting the side of the buggy. 'If that's all right.'

Charlie nodded, but it was as if he couldn't bear to look at them, his gaze fixed on the ground. Amy caught his glance just once and shook her head, and Charlie looked away.

'Right-ho!' said Slipstream. 'All aboard. Looks like we're going.'

Ahmed climbed into the driving seat, then Slipstream sat beside him. Turning her back on Charlie, Amy mounted the back of the buggy, bracing herself against its tubular metal frame. As 75.the engine revved into life, Charlie looked up at her one last time before they drove out, down a long ramp and out into the great, grey expanse of the Gyre.

76.

Chapter.

7.