Part 31 (1/2)

'Two things. Firstly, I do not trust Jodi on the bridge. You will remove her from command once I am gone, thereby not reflecting the action on me. After all, once I am in deep s.p.a.ce, I cannot stop you doing whatever you believe is right for command.'

'I am not joining you?'

Aysha shrugged. 'I know you enjoy killing, Lotuss, but Chosan needs you here more. I want you to work together on improving our weaponry. The Doctor was certainly right about Earth's defences. I want a pulse trigger built that will set off every nuclear-powered device on the planet simultaneously. If nothing else, it'll rip the thing apart and we'll absorb the energy that way.'

'And when do we use it?'

Aysha smiled again. 'Preferably when I return empty-handed. I am trying to locate the buoys one last time.'

They began walking towards the shuttle bay. 'I wish you good hunting, Your Majesty,' Lotuss said.

Aall stood outside the bay entrance. 'Your command crew are aboard the shuttle, Your Majesty.'

Aysha twitched her whiskers. 'Good. Shall we go?' Lotuss opened the bay doors, revealing the shuttle. Chosan looked into the bay control room.

Tamora. Excellent.

The bay door dropped behind them. Aall, Chosan and Aysha began walking towards the shuttle. Lotuss paused and then followed.

'Why are both hatches open?' Aysha demanded.

Aall shrugged. 'I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I don't know.'

Chosan nudged Lotuss and pointed at the rear hatch. With a sigh, Lotuss nodded and went to close it.

236.

The alarm screamed at them, followed by Tamora's panicking voice over the intercom. 'Decompression! The outer doors have circuit-jumped. They're opening!'

Lotuss, near the open hatchway at the back of the shuttle, heard the alarm and Tamora's voice. Decompression took four seconds - she hurled herself into the open hatchway, praising Chosan sarcastically for sending her there.

Slamming it shut with the emergency lever, she saw Nypp doing the same with the side one.

Nypp? Why was she here? And Tuq. And . . .

'Nypp! State of decompression in the bay?'

Nypp stabbed at a control. 'I don't understand - there's no decompression. It was a false alarm.'

Lotuss looked through the window and saw Chosan and Aall escorting Aysha through the closing bay door, back into the corridor.

'Whoops. Sorry about that. False alarm.' Tamora's voice crackled through the communicator. 'Shuttle preparing to launch now. Strap yourself in. Good hunting.'

Tuq was frowning. 'I thought the Queen was -'

Lotuss leaped forward, pus.h.i.+ng Tuq aside. She stabbed the comm-switch. 'Tamora! Don't you dare!'

'Decompression completed. Your navigation controls appear to be locked out, Lotuss. Sorry, I'll guide you out with the tractor beam.'

'I confirm that,' said Nypp. 'They're moving us. Controls should re-engage when we're outside the s.h.i.+p's s.h.i.+elds.'

'No! No, no no!' Lotuss slammed her paw into the console.

The shuttle was free of the bay and in s.p.a.ce. The tractor beam - or rather Tamora - gave it a push.

'Free of s.h.i.+elds in ten seconds.' Nypp punched her navigation and helm controls. 'Still locked.' She frowned. 'I don't get it.'

'Time,' shrieked Lotuss. 'What time is it?'

237.

She did not hear Tuq's response. All she saw out of one window was a flash from two bulkheads below the shuttle bay. The refuse area.

She breathed deeply and allowed herself a grim smile.

Outwitted in a style she thought only she was capable of.

'I misjudged you, Mother.' As her missile struck the shuttle the floor erupted. Nypp was sucked straight out, Tuq crushed by the missile as it hit the propulsion unit. In her mind's eye, Lotuss saw Aysha, Chosan and Aall laughing at her.

'd.a.m.n.'

The shuttle, and litter-runt Lotuss, disintegrated in a burst of fire that was instantly extinguished by the vacuum.

'Are you all right?'

Polly opened her eyes and promptly shut them again - there was a glare of brilliant white, which she recognized.

From where?

After a few more seconds she tried again and quickly adjusted to the brightness. Looking at her were two vaguely familiar people, but she could not place them straight away.

'Well done, Polly. You got us here.'

She recognized that voice, even if she could not see him.

Her heart sank. Despite her beliefs, Polly knew in her heart that the concept of Heaven as a physical place you go to after dying was a nonsense. Wherever she was, she was both alive and trapped. With Tim. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked around. Tim was sitting cross-legged about four feet away from her. He looked different - his face less weathered and his hair more meticulously shaped. He was wearing a dark one-piece jumpsuit. So were the other two people near by - although, as they were standing over her, they were far enough away from Tim to let her know that they were not best friends.

Mrs Wilding and Mr Dent. Looking younger and, in Dent's case, somewhat less crippled. They too were wearing the black suits. Polly reasoned that this was all three's real appearance.

238.

Mrs Wilding held out her hand to Polly who gratefully allowed herself to be pulled up.

'Excuse me. Everyone else turned to gla.s.s and I'm feeling fragile myself'

Tim laughed. 'I didn't know you were such a wit, Polly.'

'I didn't know you were such a -'

Dent took Polly's arm. 'Let us tell you what is going on, shall we?'