Part 25 (2/2)

'Does it really?' the Doctor said in a low voice.

' All European primary nodes converted. USA seventeen per All European primary nodes converted. USA seventeen per cent complete. Asia responding. Progress well ahead of cent complete. Asia responding. Progress well ahead of predictions. predictions. ' '

Sarah looked from the Doctor to Stabfield, realization beginning to dawn. 'You mean ' But she stopped short of completing the thought.

'Yes, Miss Smith,' Stabfield said. 'We are not organic life forms which have tried to augment ourselves with artificial limbs and implants. Quite the reverse. The pilot study involved the introduction of organic components into a small number of Voracia's robotic infantry systems. These had been designed to a.s.sume control of the less sophisticated military hardware, and in order to control the systems most efficiently had therefore been modelled on the exterior form and proportions of an 228 organic Vorellan. It was thus a relatively simple step to take organic components from captured Vorellans and replace some of the synthetic systems within the infantry warriors.'

'Take organic components?' The Doctor was appalled.

'You're talking about murder and dissection, about heinous crimes against life.'

Stabfield ignored him. 'The brains remained robotic, but organic subsystems were slaved to them the lobes grafted on as extra storage and intuitive processing regulated by the central positronics. Because of the nature of the brain graft, parts of the front of the head were replaced with at least some of the organic physiognomy. Since native Vorellan determination and will seemed to transcend the brain and permeate their whole being, other organic elements were also introduced, largely at random and as they became available.'

The Doctor snorted. 'Became available? You sit there, the unspeakable remnants of an abominable failed experiment, and you talk about organs and limbs from an intelligent life form becoming available available.' The Doctor advanced on Stabfield.

'Voracia failed before, and you will fail here.' He turned to Sarah. 'So there,' he said.

The Voracians were silent, perhaps considering the Doctor's outburst. Sarah took the opportunity to whisper to the Doctor.

'What have you done?' she asked as Cairo faded to red.

'I've redefined the local area network throughout the Hubway building,' the Doctor replied quietly. 'For example, the main reception desk thinks its New York and the kitchen is Paris.'

'You mean ... ?'

The Doctor nodded. 'Voractyll is only converting the systems within this building. Systems they already control.

That's why they're so far ahead of schedule.'

Sarah looked over to the Voracians. They were watching the world map fade to red, oblivious to its actual significance.

'Won't they notice?' Sarah asked.

The Doctor chuckled. 'Not unless I've done something very silly,' he whispered back.

229.

Stabfield turned from the map. 'The world awaits our protocol,' he said. 'What makes you so sure we shall fail, Doctor?'

'Because I'm going to stop you.'

The technician leaned slightly forward, double-checking a reading before reporting: ' Rockall Rockall.'

Stabfield's eyes narrowed, the hint of a frown creasing one side of his smooth forehead.

'Whoops,' said the Doctor.

Stabfield stood motionless for a second. 'Recheck,' he snapped at the technician.

The technician tapped at the keyboard. 'Rockall node converted.'

'That's very interesting, isn't it Doctor?' Stabfield stepped forward, and the Doctor backed away.

'Is it?' he asked innocently, turning his hat over and over in his hands.

'There isn't a Rockall node,' Johanna said quietly from behind Stabfield.

'Are you sure?' The Doctor was against the wall now, his back pressed into the unyielding surface of Turner's Thames.

'Maybe they just set one up?'

'No Doctor,' Stabfield said, his head swinging gently from side to side, his voice tight and over-controlled. 'I don't think so.' Then he lashed out, his gloved claw catching the Doctor across the side of the head and sending him sprawling into the equipment he had used to project the images on to the wall.

The painting skewed and blurred, a nightmare of colour and curve more like Munch than Turner. Then it disappeared, leaving the wall bare and empty.

The Doctor picked himself up and shook his head. Sarah helped him to a seat as Stabfield and the Voracians turned their attention to the main network systems.

It took only a few minutes for the technician to run a diagnostic, locate the problem, and reroute the systems to an external network node.

'You have caused us some considerable delay, Doctor.'

Stabfield stood stiffly in front of the Doctor. 'You have wasted valuable time.'

230.

'I never waste waste time,' the Doctor told him. 'I appreciate its true worth.' time,' the Doctor told him. 'I appreciate its true worth.'

'Be quiet,' Stabfield hissed.

'Losing our cool, are we? Not quite the machine you thought you were, eh?'

Stabfield stood still, facing the Doctor eye to eye. His head was shaking, vibrating as if with rage. For a moment Sarah thought he was going to hit the Doctor again. But then he seemed to calm slightly. His shoulders relaxed and his head stopped shaking so violently.

'Voractyll is running,' the technician announced. 'Now entering the highway. Highway integrity and veracity double-checked.'

'Our plans are now at phase five,' Stabfield said, his voice quiet and apparently calm. 'We are entering a non-return sequence. Voractyll is running and has begun to access the nodes on the superhighway, has begun to convert systems across the world. I have the CD that your friends took from us, and I hold your life on a knife-edge. The Voracian experiment was not a failure, everything so far proves that. You suggested we return to our roots, that we build on our origins. We are doing that. And we are succeeding; we will succeed. And now that Voractyll really has been unleashed, Doctor, there is nothing that even you can do to stop it.'

231.

11.

Escape Sequences

Harry was in the mobile control centre. Ashby had called him in once it became clear that one of the m.u.f.fled voices they were hearing through the directional microphone aimed at the main computer suite belonged to the Doctor. Harry in turn had suggested Colonel Clark join them, and now they were all hunched round a small speaker trying to make out the sounds they were getting.

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