Doctor Who_ Trading Futures Part 10

'Are you sure it is the Doctor, leader?'

The shorter of the two held up a device about the size of a packet of cigarettes, setting off a whole new round of cravings. There was a sickly*sweet smell.

'The control box indicates that the Doctor has one heart,' the alien says.

'Er... he's got two,' Fitz began. 'Oh no, hang on, as you were. Blimey, you keep your records up to date, don't you?'

'If you have one heart, then you must be the Doctor,' the man told him.

'Look, sorry to have bothered you, but I really need to get going. Places to go, people to get punched by, you know how it is.'

The man placed his hand on Fitz's shoulder.

'You don't understand. You are coming with us.'

And Fitz was rather alarmed as the whole universe disintegrated around him.

Roja stood still, watching the window through his spygla.s.s.

All four of them in there the Doctor, his companion, Baskerville and Dee Gordon were looking out of the window. That meant the spygla.s.s could read their lips without difficulty. He'd put the speaker on, so Jaxa could hear, too. All the voices sounded the same, of course, but it was easy enough to work out who was speaking.

' surely you can see how it would benefit the whole of mankind?'

'Perhaps she can see how it's a Pandora's box.'

'Doctor? As a man of science, the possibilities of time travel must intrigue you, surely?'

'It is him,' Roja said.

'We knew that,' Jaxa said irritably.

'We've caught him red*handed. We should get authorisation for a purge and destroy operation.'

'Not until we know all the details.'

'One thing, Baskerville, is that you've not named your price yet.'

'My price? Surely whatever price I asked, it would be '

'He's turned away from the window. Wait, wait, he's coming back.'

' simply require half an hour's access to your country's ULTRA computer. The computer used by your intelligence service.'

[Laughter]

'Why on earth would a man from the future need that?'

'I am trapped in this time. Returning home requires a precisely plotted course, and I need more computing power than is available in this time except for the most powerful computer in the world. And that is the ULTRA.'

'And then you'll hand us the secret of time travel?'

'Indeed.'

'Won't that interfere with established history?'

'You'll appreciate that I can't discuss future events.'

'But you can shape them?'

'Malady, have you considered that this might be the year my history books show that mankind developed time travel?'

'It's too early...'

'What was that, Doctor?'

'Mankind isn't ready. You said it yourself the Europeans and Americans are on the verge of the Third World War.'

'Fourth, surely?'

'Ah... yes, thank you Ms Gordon. Fourth.'

'Yet here I am, a man from the future. Mankind survives, Doctor I can tell you that much. The next century will see marvels, it will see mankind starting to reach its potential.'

Jaxa was looking puzzled. 'It's not the Doctor. He's involved, but it's Baskerville that's instigating this. The Doctor seems reluctant.'

'He's holding out for a better deal, Jaxa, that's all. We know Athens is destroyed in a couple of hours that's obviously our doing, to sterilise this area. We should call headquarters and get their authorisation for a low grade temp*pulse out at sea.'

'Possibly.' But she didn't seemed convinced. 'They've stopped talking.'

'The Doctor and that Asian girl have gone off somewhere to discuss something in private.'

'Can you find them?'

Roja shook his head. 'They're away from the window.'

The Doctor ushered Anji into the room, got her to close the door while he swept the room for bugs with the sonic screwdriver.

'It can do that?' Anji asked.

'Evidently. At any rate, it didn't find any. Now, quick, what did you find out?'

'I was in Brussels. It was far smoother than the TARDIS. More accurate, too.'

The Doctor looked displeased with the comparison. 'And it's a time machine?'

'I got... well, I got time sick. Really disorientated.'

'You've never had that in the TARDIS,' the Doctor said, some of his pride restored.

'No. But it is a time machine. I was there. Baskerville is on the level.'

The Doctor nodded. 'When I asked how it worked. Dee got a bit snotty. I wonder if she really knows how to operate it. I would have thought Baskerville would want to retain at least some secrets. It doesn't matter, at least not for the moment. What matters is that Athens is going to be destroyed, and we've got a chance to save some lives.'

'Athens is...?'

'Shush. What we need is for one of us to get out of this building and warn the authorities that at midday there's going to be a tidal wave, and that they have to evacuate the city. Meanwhile, I'll investigate this time machine and '

'Hang on.'

'What?'

'You get to investigate the time machine and go on a yacht, and I just have to go off and call the police?'

'We could hardly do it the other way round. I mean, do you think you're really up to poking around a time machine?'

Anji considered her next response carefully.

'True. And it's not as though you could convince the authorities.'

The Doctor looked confused. 'Why not?'

Anji laughed. 'Well, I mean... look look at you.' at you.'

'I could so.'

'Bollo Nonsense. Everywhere we land we get accused of murder or something and the authorities don't believe a word of what you say.'

'On Endpoint, I '

'The exception that proves the rule.'

'Anji Kapoor, I could get this city evacuated like ' he snapped his fingers 'that.'

'Then we're agreed: you alert the authorities, I investigate Baskerville?'

The Doctor nodded decisively. 'Agreed.'

Anji smiled.

The Doctor tapped his lip. 'Now... we just need a way to get me out of the building.'

The door opened, and Baskerville stepped in, with their chauffeur. 'I'm sorry to press you, but we really need to get away from here. My yacht is moored near here, and it will take about an hour to get it clear.'

Anji stepped forward. 'Baskerville, I have a couple of things to tell you. First of all, I'm not EZ. I'm CIA.'

Baskerville looked shocked. 'CIA?'

'Central Intelligence Agency. I'm an American agent.'

'You are?'

'I... think we can cut a deal. I'm operating on the direct authority of the President himself. Whatever the EZ is offering, whatever you want from them, we can give you more.'

Anji could feel the Doctor was glaring daggers at her, but that didn't stop Anji from feeling smug. Besides, her masterstroke was coming up.

'And this "Doctor" isn't EZ, either. He's an independent operative, the man that stole Jonah Cosgrove's briefcase. He's an impostor.'

Baskerville looked over at the Doctor.

'Is this true?'

Anji leant in to the Doctor and went on tiptoes to whisper in his ear. 'That should get you out of the building.'

It was around then that Baskerville had his man throw the Doctor out of the window.

Chapter Seven.

All Fall Down The Doctor fell about twenty*five feet, about two hundred less than he was expecting to, then resumed his fall, at a reduced speed, a moment later.

Malady the real Malady Chang, not Anji had been climbing up the building on some sort of polymer line. He'd grabbed a handful of the back of Malady's sweatshirt. This had broken his fall, but the impact dislodged her, and they found themselves heading straight back down her climbing rope.

'What the h.e.l.l?' Malady asked, grabbing at the line, feeling the material of her gloves starting to fray.

'h.e.l.lo again,' the Doctor said cheerfully. He wrapped an arm around her neck and a leg around her, until they were inseparable. That had the result of tipping them over, now they were almost horizontal.

'How did...?'

'Mind the gla.s.s,' he warned. Shards of gla.s.s were falling along with him, sparkling in the morning light.

'You jumped out of a twenty*third storey window?'

'I don't know which storey it was,' the Doctor admitted candidly, 'and I was thrown out, I didn't jump, but yes, that's the gist of it. Can we discuss this later?'

The line wasn't designed to carry their combined weight. Malady was sure the piton at the end of the line would hold, but wasn't confident they'd slow down enough. She grabbed a little harder, saw the Doctor about to grab the line.

'No! It'll take your hand off.'

The Doctor stuck his free hand, the one that wasn't grabbing the back of her shirt, in his coat pocket, then clutched at the line.