A wheezing and groaning sound echoed from the next room. As I passed a scanner
on the way out I could see I had a full beard and my hair was flecked with
grey. An effect of the time distortion? Or had that happened whilst I had been
imprisoned? There you were, and Vicki and I could have wept with joy.
The Doctor patted Steven on the shoulder and handed him a glass of water.
‘Oh my dear Steven what an ordeal you have suffered’ he remarked, sitting
in the chair next to him and steepleling his fingers together close to his face
and tapping his lip with them.
‘What’s wrong, Doctor?’ asked Vicki, still mesmerised by the emotion with
which Steven had recounted his missing year on Malanex Alpha.
‘Don’t you see my dilemma, my child? If it wasn’t my TARDIS that Steven saw
powering their wretched experiments then whose was it, hmm? And who was this
Jovanka woman that Steven speaks of? A dangerous business, messing about with
time. Yes, very dangerous indeed.’ He
stood up again, lost in his thoughts and walked towards the central console.
His hands hovered over the controls, as if he was drawing power from them.
‘You don’t mean to say we’re just going to leave this mystery unsolved?’
Vicki asked, astonished.
‘Oh Vicki my dear sometimes it is better not to know. We have Steven back
and with a few weeks rest and relaxation he will be as right as rain.’
Vicki sighed. She knew better than to argue with the Doctor when his mind
was made up. She led Steven to the living quarters. She would look after him
until he was better.
The Doctor coaxed the ship into flight and leant on the hexagonal console,
his dark eyes lit up by the flashing lights. He knew he couldn’t explain the
intricacies of time travel to the child but this had been a close miss if one
of his later selves had been out there involved in the war of this planet. He
wondered when he would visit Malanex Alpha again and if it would be in this
body accompanied by this Jovanka woman.
A flicker of a smile crossed his face. What an interesting life they led.
END OF PART TWO
written by
written by
JOE FORD
copyright 2013
artwork by
artwork by
COLIN JOHN
copyright 2013
