Part 28 (1/2)

M'Kabel stopped her in the doorway. 'Now do you see why the Admiral didn't ask you to do the mind-reading?' he said gently.

'Yeah.' She glanced back at Woodworth, who had buried her face in her arms. 'It wouldn't have been a good idea,' she said.

Roz was making lunch in the cottage's kitchen. She'd had enough twentieth-century experience now to recognize the different foods and appliances. She was slicing mushrooms when Chris came into the room.

He looked faintly bewildered. The top b.u.t.ton of his pyjamas had come undone, revealing the fine golden hairs on his chest.

'Morning,' he said. 'What's up?'

'You are, at last,' she said. 'Nothing much is going on. If there's any news or they need us, they'll telephone.'

'We ought to be out looking for the Doctor,' said Chris.

'And Jason.'

'Yeah,' said Roz, 'well, you've got concussion, I'm babysitting you, and Isaac's in charge and he says we're not going anywhere. Ow, frag frag!'

'You okay?' He reached automatically for the hand she'd managed to slice instead of a mushroom.

She s.n.a.t.c.hed it away from him. 'Sit down or something, okay?' she said.

'Look,' said Chris. 'It was an accident. I'd been hit on the head. Not that I'd have to be hit on the head before I'd kiss you, right, but I didn't mean to.' Roz was staring at him, Pressing a tissue against her cut thumb. 'It was just a kiss, anyway. I mean, you're old enough to be my mother. Not that you're that old. We're friends. It didn't mean anything, right?

We could kiss again right now and it wouldn't matter.'

They stared at one another, aghast, for about thirty seconds.

'Um,' said Chris.

'If you ever do it again,' said Roz, 'I'll rip your head off.

Understood?'

'Yes,' Chris squeaked.

She grabbed hold of the front of his pyjama top and yanked, pulling him down over the counter. Their mouths met in the centre.

'Good,' said Roz indistinctly, a few minutes later. 'Now that we've gotten that out of the way, how about lunch?'

The gun's kick had surprised him. It was a small electric pistol, used for stunning rodents, part of the s.h.i.+p's odd stock of emergency equipment.

Albinex gingerly tucked it into the pocket of his jacket.

The Doctor was sitting on the floor of the engine room, blinking rapidly.

'Don't try to hypnotize me,' he told the Time Lord.

'No,' said the Doctor. He stood up, with the help of one of the benches.

'That wasn't torture,' said Albinex. 'It was self-defence.

Don't try to hypnotize me.'

'Can I ask you a question?'

'All right,' said Albinex, warily.

'How long have you been planning this? How have you kept it from Isaac?'

'That's two questions,' said the Navarino. 'Isaac's just a stepping stone. When I was stranded here, he was my best bet to find someone who could help me. I've been waiting a long time.'

He tilted his head, trying to read the Time Lord's expression. 'You still don't trust him. I'm surprised. He He trusts. trusts.

He's not always looking for ulterior motives. Which makes you the more intelligent one.' He waved the gun. 'Fix the engine. I'll be back in an hour.'

The Doctor folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

'Don't you want to see your TARDIS again?'

'I was wondering when you'd get to that.'

'You knew I had her?'

'I knew she was on board the s.h.i.+p that was arriving above the crop circle. And I knew it wasn't a Lacaillan s.h.i.+p.

Only a handful of species had, have or will have time technology.' He tapped a fingernail on the bench. 'Why don't you let me see her? To show me she's all right?'

'She's not aboard. Not anymore. But I know where she is. Fix the engine.'

'Albinex,' said the Doctor, as the Navarino backed towards the door. 'I'm not going to give you the destructor codes.'

Albinex stared at him.

'That's a fact. Alter your plans accordingly.'