Doctor Who: Engines of War Read Online Free PDF Page B

impatient look. ‘No. It’s a screwdriver. Now, why don’t you put down that gun? You’re upsetting the old girl.’ He patted the TARDIS console fondly. ‘And to be perfectly frank, you’re upsetting me.’
    Cinder ignored the last part of his jibe. ‘You mean, more than you’ve just upset her by crashing her into a planet?’ she retorted. She lowered the barrel of the gun all the same, although she refused to relinquish her grip on it entirely.
    ‘There, now,’ said the Time Lord. ‘Doesn’t that feel better?’
    Cinder gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Look, what are you doing here, on Moldox?’
    ‘Ah, so that’s what this dreadful-looking planet is called, is it? Moldox.’ He said the word like he was trying it on for size, then shook his head, as if deciding it wasn’t for him. ‘More to the point, what were you doing out there, facing off against those Daleks?’
    ‘An ambush,’ she said.
    The Time Lord gave her an approving look. ‘An ambush?’ he echoed. ‘Just you, your friend and a single, salvaged Dalek energy weapon. I’m impressed.’ He looked momentarily forlorn. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t save him.’
    Cinder looked at him, confused. ‘My friend? I was alone.’
    The Time Lord frowned. ‘The TARDIS picked up two human life signs in the crash zone. One of them disappeared just after a massive energy discharge from one of the Daleks. I’d assumed you were together.’
    Again, that strange itch at the back of her mind, as if there was something she should be able to remember, but couldn’t. ‘I…’ She hesitated. ‘I don’t think so,’ she said.
    The Time Lord nodded, but it was clear he was troubled by her answer. ‘Well, you might as well make yourself at home for a minute or two,’ he said, doing a lap of the console, making adjustments to the controls. ‘I’m just going to get her started up again.’ He grabbed a lever with a worn wooden handle and pulled it towards him. The tall glass chamber at the centre of the console flickered briefly with bright, white light, and the nest of tubes at its heart began to rise up inside the column. But then the light dimmed, and there was a deep, unsettling groaning sound from beneath the floor.
    ‘Damn it!’ said the Time Lord, striking his fist angrily against the control panel. ‘She’s out of action. She’s going to need some time to heal before I can take her off-world again.’
    ‘Off-world?’ said Cinder. A sudden, unbidden thought had entered her head. Was this it? Was this the chance of escape she’d been looking for? Could she hitch a ride off the planet with this eccentric old Time Lord? The thought was appealing. She’d toyed with the notion of leaving Moldox hundreds of times over the years, but the opportunity had never presented itself. Could this be it? Her chance for a fresh start, some place where the war was nothing but a distant memory, a fairy story told to the young to encourage their good behaviour. Places like that had to exist somewhere out in the cosmos.
    ‘Well, it’s not as if we’re in a particular rush,’ she said, finally getting to her feet. She propped the gun against the metal railing, but made sure to remain within grabbing distance of it. It wouldn’t really do her much good in a tight spot – at least until she found another power pack – but if things got ugly, it was all she had.
    ‘We?’ said the Time Lord.
    ‘You said you were going to take me somewhere safe,’ said Cinder. ‘And I can assure you, Moldox is not safe. It’s difficult enough avoiding the Dalek patrols. I’d rather die than let them take me prisoner.’
    ‘Prisoner?’ said the Time Lord. ‘That’s not like the Daleks. Not unless they’ve got plans for this planet. What happens to the people they’ve taken?’
    Cinder shrugged. ‘All I know is that they’re taken to the cities. That’s what the patrols are for – to round people up. They only exterminate you if you try to run or fight back.’
    ‘Are