Part 42 (1/2)

Trix's legs slipped clear of the beam. She clung on to the splintering wood by her fingers; not a sitting duck, but a dangling one.

Falsh couldn't miss.

With a quick prayer to anyone who might be listening, Trix let go and dropped down into the centrifuge. The blast from Falsh's rifle lashed past her as she fell, she felt its heat on her cheek even as she slammed feet first into the metal tub. Her whole body jarred with the impact, but she held herself still and silenced the whimpers of agony she felt building at the back of her throat.

'Trix?' called Falsh.

She held her breath for what seemed like an age, didn't make a sound. If he thought she was dead he might just turn around and leave.

The seconds ticked by. Nothing.

Trix bit her lip, closed her eyes and said a silent 'thank you' to the heavens.

She had more lives than a cat!

There was a clattering noise as something landed beside her. A metal ball, a giant Malteser, clicking quietly to itself.

Falsh had taken more than just a rifle from the ga.s.sed soldiers. This had to be a grenade.

Swearing, Trix grabbed for it and threw it back out again. There was an enormous explosion. The centrifuge shook. The gloomy rafters above her lit up a brilliant magnesium white then took fire. A succession of WHOOMPHs went up around her big metal bucket, telling her a proper big blaze was taking hold.

Trix stared wildly around. The metal walls around her were sheer and unscalable. And getting hotter.

227.

Chapter Twenty-nine.

'Aha,' said the Doctor. 'This must be the control centre.'

He led Halcyon into a large, hexagonal room. One of the walls was given over to a giant viewscreen, a great window looking out on to the star-studded darkness of s.p.a.ce. A chunky, rugged console was arranged beneath it, with seating for three. The seats were empty though big, little and middle-sized bodies lay curled up on the ground, two men and a woman and a large chunk of the thick plastic console had been split open, exposing the wires and filaments beneath.

'What is it?' hissed Halcyon.

'There was quite a fight in here.' The Doctor ran over to check the damage.

'No major systems affected. . . ' He brought up a bubblescreen, flicked through some pages. Then he bashed his fist down on the console in anger. 'The destructive charges are primed but the software's damaged. I can't call up selective detonation. The whole network of mined moons will need to be reconnected before we can start punching them out of the network.'

'What's that?' Halcyon jumped at the sound of quiet footsteps close by.

The Doctor spun around to see, but no one was there. Then he realised his banging the console had called up a new set of bubblescreens, floating in front of the main viewscreen. They showed an array of static views of rooms and corridors presumably fed from security cameras.

One of them showed a docking tube and a man. It was his his footsteps they could hear, as he moved along with a curious, jerky gait. He clutched a laser gun in both hands. footsteps they could hear, as he moved along with a curious, jerky gait. He clutched a laser gun in both hands.

'Klimt,' hissed the Doctor, helping Halcyon to the pilot's seat at the console.

'Klimt?'

'A man who'll do anything he can to stop me blowing up Leda.' He frowned.

'You know, in this sort of situation, his role and mine are usually reversed.'

'What are you talking about, Doctor?' cried Halcyon, clinging on to both sides of the chair like he might fall out.

'This whole madness is his design. The slugs are Klimt's creation, and he'll do anything to protect them.'

Halcyon started to quake.

The Doctor placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Well, he'll try, anyway. And I'll I'll try to stop him or to buy you time, anyway.' try to stop him or to buy you time, anyway.'

229.

'Me? Time to do what?' He stared about helplessly. 'Where am I?'

'At the helm of this station. You're going to have to instruct the computer to re-make those connections.'

'I'm blind, you idiot!' stormed Halcyon.

'I know and I can't let you hide behind that any longer,' the Doctor snapped. 'The computer has verbal control. You used to be an engineer, man!

In this day and age I can't imagine you did much without one of these things.

And most importantly, you know the names of all the satellites for the chop in your grand orchestration. You do do, right?'

'I. . . ' Halcyon stared sightlessly around at the systems. 'I don't know if I can '

'You must,' said the Doctor simply. 'Or we'll all die. There's no saying how long we have until we succ.u.mb to the influence of those creatures, blind or or sighted. Do you want to die like these poor people around you? Like they're dying in their thousands on Callisto? If left unchecked, that sort of stuff could seriously eat into your profit margins.' sighted. Do you want to die like these poor people around you? Like they're dying in their thousands on Callisto? If left unchecked, that sort of stuff could seriously eat into your profit margins.'

'Stop prattling, man, my mind's a whirl already!'

'Don't talk to me,' the Doctor hissed in his ear. 'Talk to the computer. And give me your cloak.'

'My cloak? Why?'

The Doctor yanked it off, snapping the thin chain that held it in place about his neck. 'Because I've got to improvise.' He paused in the doorway. 'Don't forget the moment the charges are cleared for detonation, destroy Leda.'

'Check,' said Halcyon hoa.r.s.ely.

Without another word, the Doctor ran from the room. He hadn't noticed the body of the girl start to twitch and s.h.i.+ver, just behind where Halcyon sat in gloomy majesty.

'Kreiner, no!' Sook screamed, dragging herself towards him.

Mildrid's struggles were weakening kneeling down, Kreiner's weight on her, she could use none of her skills to get free. But what could Sook do?

Nothing. And the moment he'd finished with Mildrid, he'd start on her.

The PadPad charger was hooked around the edge of the fallen trolley, close to Kreiner's eye level. It was hanging by a smouldering wire. She yanked it out. The resultant sparks made him recoil, flail around on his back. Mildrid scrambled clear, making some terrible noises as she gasped for breath.