The Beast of Babylon Read online

  Ali dropped the judge, swatted Zabaia out of the way and advanced on Hammurabi, who collapsed to his knees, head bowed, hands gripped together.

  ‘Ali … No …’ The Doctor tried to stand, but swayed and felt consciousness slipping away. ‘Stop. You’ve done enough. You have to stop. It’s over …’

  And at last Ali did stop. She picked the Doctor up and the last of her anger drained away. She looked around at the devastation, the bodies of the soldiers and the judge, Hammurabi on his knees in the dirt, quivering …

  ‘Ali …’ said the Doctor. ‘I think it’s time to go home.’

  10

  The TARDIS hummed and throbbed like the inside of the Doctor’s head. He was still groggy. Still in pain. Still trying not to be angry with Ali, and with himself for giving in to her and bringing her along.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she was saying, ‘but they deserved their punishment. I should have killed them all.’

  ‘You only did what you thought was right,’ said the Doctor. ‘This is why I usually take humans as my companions. They have … well, they have humanity. Not all of them, I’ll give you that, but the ones I choose.’

  Ali looked at the Doctor but said nothing.

  ‘That’s why I was reluctant to take you in the first place,’ the Doctor went on. ‘Not for your own safety, but for others. You Karkinians have a scary reputation, particularly the females, and having seen you in action I can see why. Remember what I told you when we first spoke, Ali? I’m not a warrior unless I have to be. It’s not my way.’

  ‘You killed the Starman.’

  ‘I didn’t kill him. I simply sent him back to where he can’t do any harm.’

  ‘But if I hadn’t saved you –’ There was bitterness in Ali’s voice.

  ‘I’ve somehow managed to survive for quite a long time without your help.’

  ‘You ungrateful –’

  ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ The Doctor put up his hands in surrender. ‘You’re right. Thanks. You did save me. Without you I’d have had to – I don’t know – reboot again, or something, I suppose, and, yes, our goat-fish friend would probably have eaten the entire planet. So, yes, I will be eternally grateful to you. But your way, Ali … It’s too risky. I wouldn’t ever be able to go anywhere if I was worried you were going to go into a Karkinian war frenzy every time anyone looked at me funny.’

  ‘I can’t help it –’

  ‘Exactly. That’s my point. You’re from Karkinos. I thought maybe you were different. You are special, I’ll give you that. And you’re nearly as clever as me, but you’re also a warrior, and I can’t ask you to change that, because that’s what you were born to be. And the best place for you right now is back on Karkinos, looking after your family.’

  ‘I gave those humans a fright, though, didn’t I?’ said Ali, and she chuckled. ‘They won’t forget me in a hurry.’

  ‘They won’t ever forget you, Ali. You’re a star and you always will be. You’ll be their star. They’ll name a constellation after you, and add you to their zodiac along with the twins and the goat-fish. You’re my A-star girl.’

  11

  The moons of Karkinos were strung out across the sky, shining their light over the surface of the lake, as beautiful as Ali remembered them. She was standing by the waterside, the eight feeding fingers round her mouth clutching at the night-scented air and wafting the smells across her scent filters.

  The Doctor assured her that it was only a short while after they’d left, though to Ali it felt like a lifetime. Nothing had changed. Somewhere under the water were thousands of eggs. Her mum had laid a batch of thirty in the spring and when it was summer they’d hatch and those that survived would crawl out and find their families and it would be safe to go swimming again without disturbing them. Usually only three or four a year from each batch survived. Mostly males, but every few years a precious female would make it.

  Ali thought of her twenty-three brothers and her one solitary sister, waiting for her at home. How had she ever thought she could go off with the Doctor and abandon her precious little Gilia?

  It felt good to be home.

  A curly lugeron swooped low over her head, whooping, its wings rattling as it twisted and spiralled into the trees.

  ‘Well …’

  The Doctor was standing in the doorway of the TARDIS. She could tell he was anxious to be gone. This was difficult for him. Saying goodbye.

  ‘Where will you go now?’ she asked.

  ‘Wherever I’m needed, I suppose.’

  ‘You are so pompous.’

  ‘Yeah, I am, aren’t I?’ There was that mad grin of his, the one she’d grown to love. ‘One man – off to save the universe!’

  ‘Alone again, or …?’

  ‘Alone for now.’

  Ali moved closer to him, her feet sinking into the soft mud. How good it felt: cool and moist and full of life. ‘You know that girl,’ she said. ‘The one you were telling me about? Rose Tyler?’

  ‘What about her?’

  ‘You should try again. Now you’re free of the time tag.’

  ‘I gave it my best, Ali. This life wasn’t for her.’

  ‘I didn’t have you down as a quitter, Doctor.’

  ‘It’s too late.’

  ‘Ha! You’re a Time Lord!’ Ali laughed at him. ‘How can anything be too late? I thought time had no meaning in your infinite, immortal, immaterial box of tricks. Too late, indeed. You just get back there.’

  ‘Ali …’

  ‘No, listen. Us girls, we might all look different, but we’re pretty similar underneath. We like to appear responsible, to do what’s expected of us, we’re not supposed to be reckless and wild and go running off with dodgy space tramps like you. But give us a nudge and –’

  ‘Ali –’

  ‘No. You go straight back there now and you ask her again. But you’ve got to offer her more than just – well – you. I mean, you’re a Time Lord, but you’re not all that. Sell it to her.’

  Now the Doctor laughed.

  ‘That’s why I need a companion,’ he said. ‘To keep my feet on the ground, and my head out of the clouds. To keep me from myself. It’s people like Rose, and crustaceans like you, Ali, who keep me going, who remind me that it’s not all over and it’s not all about me. My people may have gone, but you have your people … and Hammurabi had his people, and everyone has their own people. And every one of them is precious.’

  ‘Go on then,’ said Ali. ‘What are you waiting for? We’re done here. Hurry back. And don’t mess up this time. She sounds very special, your Rose.’

  ‘Oh, she is. I really think she is.’

  Ali raised a claw and touched the Doctor on the cheek. His skin felt warm, dry … alien.

  The Doctor looked at the claw and flexed his wrist.

  ‘A long time ago, in a body far, far away, I had something like that,’ he said. ‘Though not on that scale.’

  ‘Goodbye,’ she said.

  ‘I’ll be seeing you,’ he said.

  ‘Will you?’

  ‘I’m sure I will. When I need you most. When I need a mighty warrior.’

  And he was right … In a moment the TARDIS was gone, its grating call snatched away on the swirling wind of its departure. Ali returned home and her planet spun on round its sun, one star among countless others, and the stars turned, and the universe grew older, step by infinite step, marching closer to its end, and at last he came back, the hounds of hell on his heels …

  But that’s another story.

  12

  The Doctor double-checked his time readings, his place readings and his face in the mirror. Practised a smile, a serious look, a sad face … settled on the smile, or at least the closest thing to a genuine human smile that he could manage. He took one last look around the TARDIS, made sure the old girl was looking – how would Rose put it? – awesome.

  Yes. She was looking well awesome.

  He pulled the lever that finalised the landing sequence and
relished the familiar scraping noise of the TARDIS doing her thing. Then all was silent. He put the engine to sleep, closed down the systems and set the lights to an attractive warm orange glow. He realised he was still grinning and it was starting to hurt his face. Not long now. He took a deep breath and strode over to the door. Pulled it open.

  He’d timed it just right. Rose was almost exactly where he’d left her, there, standing with Mickey, who was looking more than a little confused.

  He grinned wider at Rose, relishing her surprise. He was a cheap magician sometimes, but it worked.

  ‘By the way,’ he said. ‘Did I mention? It also travels in time.’

  And he stepped back inside, leaving the door open. Was it enough? Rose wasn’t the type to fall for a hard sell, but had he undersold it?

  From the shadows behind the open door he spied on her. Watched her turn to Mickey and say something, kiss him, and then she was running towards the TARDIS, her hair flying, and he knew that everything was going to be all right.

  He had his new companion.

  To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, eleven ebook short stories will be available to download and collect throughout 2013.

  ELEVEN DOCTORS.

  ELEVEN MONTHS.

  ELEVEN AUTHORS.

  ELEVEN STORIES.

  FIFTY SPECTACULAR YEARS.

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  ISBN: 978-1-405-91330-0

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