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suddenly burst through his eyelids and into his mind, searing
and cleansing and
Louise hugged Cassie even tighter as the radiance from the
centre of the chamber burnt like a star. Even if the Doctor's
plan worked, Mel would be dead, Barry would still be dead,
and Cassie . . . She sighed. Cassie would be Cassie. Her
daughter. The little girl that she loved.
Stroking Cassie's blonde hair, Louise stared into the heart
of the incandescence as it expanded to consume them all. As
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the fringes of the transformation washed over her, a single
thought crossed her mind. If this was the face of God, she just
hoped He could hear her prayer. And then the light
270 
Part Three
Epiphany
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Seventeen
The Doctor opened his eyes and winced as the brilliant lighting
assailed his vision. As he scrambled to his feet, he noticed a
few things immediately. He was wearing his usual jacket once
more, Ashley Chapel was dressed in a beige suit, and the
interior of the TARDIS was once more white. And then he
looked at the scanner and swallowed. What had happened? The
TARDIS was still surrounded by the multicoloured crystal of
the Tabernacle. Had the Great Kingdom survived, despite all
their efforts? Or had it been transformed into something far, far
worse?
`Do not worry, Doctor. All is as it was.' The voice, resonant
yet kindly, rang in his mind like a bell. And he recognized it.
`Saraquazel?'
`I have very little time left, so please: join me.'
Opening the doors of the TARDIS, the Doctor stepped out
into the brightly coloured, brightly lit interior of the
Tabernacle. 'I don't understand,' he muttered. And then he saw
the prone form of the Technomancer, collapsed in front of
Saraquazel's throne. The giant golden figure, man-shaped with
the head of an antelope, was staring down at her.
`Her life ebbs, Doctor. But her sacrifice was a valiant one.'
`Was it?' he spat bitterly, kneeling down beside her. `Mel?
Mel, can you hear me?' He noticed a small catch on the neck of
the helmet, and tugged it. The face plate came free. And the
Doctor gasped.
`Anastasia?' he whispered.
The woman smiled. 'It's Anne, Doctor. Anne Travers.'
`Don't move, Anne. I'll get some help  '
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She shook her head. 'It's too late, Doctor. I'm dying. But
everything's going to be all right, isn't it?'
He shot a questioning look at Saraquazel.
`I am maintaining the Tabernacle. The shock of the final
realignment would rob her of her last moments.'
The Doctor nodded and returned his attention to Anne.
'Why did you do it?'
`I couldn't let Mel die, Doctor. She didn't deserve to
sacrifice herself. She's young, she's got so much to look
forward to. I squandered my life, spent it on bitterness, regrets
and revenge. Perhaps this one act goes some way towards
making up for that.' She smiled. 'What do you think?'
'Oh Anne,' he sighed.
`And the Intelligence. It won't be bothering the Earth
again.'
`You destroyed it?'
`No  ' She started coughing.
`Easy now.'
She caught her breath and continued. 'No. I could have
done. The power that I controlled  it would have been easy.
But that would have made me as bad as the Intelligence. No, I
banished it. It's stranded on the edges of the universe, riding
the blue shift outwards into infinity. Poetic justice, don't you
think?'
`Rest now, Anne  '
She smiled weakly. 'Thank you, Doctor. It wouldn't have
worked without your help. That extra strength . . . and the fact
that Saraquazel lent his own abilities . . .' She grabbed the
Doctor's hand and squeezed it. 'I was even able to undo a little
of the damage . . .' Another spasm of coughing began.
`What do you mean?' asked the Doctor, but Anne's eyes
were unfocused, distant.
`Father, I did it for you,' she muttered. And then she died.
The Doctor closed her eyes and stood up. 'She's gone,' he
stated flatly.
`I mourn her passing, Doctor,' intoned Saraquazel. `The
others are waiting for you.'
The Doctor turned  and saw Mel running towards him
with her arms outstretched. A moment later, she was hugging
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him warmly. 'Oh, Doctor  I thought you'd become that, that
thing.'
`No, Mel. The Valeyard is gone.' He just hoped that she
was convinced, because he wasn't sure that he was. Would the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]