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would have to wait until they got to wherever it was, they were going.
At last the door opened and Epreto appeared, his huge body filling the frame. Where are you from, that you don t know about the sun and talk
about building the Sky? he asked, without any attempt at preamble. Are you from another Land?
The Doctor turned to face Epreto. You could say that.
Earth, said Mike at the same time, then immediately wished he hadn t.
Earth? Which Land is that?
It s very far away, said the Doctor.
Then you admit you are Dead.
I m sorry, but I really don t see how that follows.
A pause. No, I suppose it doesn t. Another pause. Tell me, does the sun in your Land live? Does it shine? Mike noticed that Epreto s voice was
trembling with excitement. The man s eyes were fixed on the Doctor.
Of course it does. It shines constantly, but it moves. That s why I was so curious about yours which appears not to move.
Epreto stepped inside the cabin, gestured to Hanu. Leave us, please, Mr Hanu.
The man obeyed. Mike heard his footsteps retreating up the wooden stairway outside. Epreto waited until they had faded away, then shut the door
carefully.
If you are telling the truth, he said quietly, this will be extremely important to me. Where is your Land? How can I navigate to reach it?
The navigational instruments on the TARDIS aren t fully calibrated yet, you understand. I really can t tell you.
Epreto frowned. So how does this... TARDIS travel?
The Doctor shook his head. I could explain, but you wouldn t understand. Suffice to say she doesn t use steam power.
Something more advanced? Epreto left the question open, clearly expecting an explanation.
He was sharp, thought Mike. You had to grant him that. And it was the first time he d seen the Doctor put in the position of having to answer all the
questions.
The TARDIS utilizes the power of space time itself.
Mike could see that the Doctor expected that statement to be the 51
end of the discussion: but Epreto wasn t letting go.
How far can you travel?
Oh, a very long way. Tell me, how fast can this steam-wing of yours travel?
Thirty miles per hour in a good wind. But it s your machine I m interested in. I need an answer. How far can you travel, Doctor? The last words were
spoken with a cold emphasis that reminded Mike rather too much of the Master. Whatever Epreto was so excited about, it didn t seem as though it
was going to be good news.
The Doctor seemed oblivious of all this. Well, anywhere in the Universe, really, he said easily. If I can get the navigational systems sorted out.
Epreto appeared to consider this.
Then your Land it is above the Sky?
The Doctor nodded.
Epreto smiled. I need to travel above the Sky. We will be able to work together.
The Doctor stroked his chin. Perhaps.
The cold emphasis returned to Epreto s voice. You are my guest, Doctor. It is customary here for guests to offer some trade to their hosts in return
for their hospitality. I say this only to advise you, in case the custom may be different in your Land. He turned and left, closing the door behind him.
After a moment, Jitil and Hanu returned and resumed their station against the wall of the cabin.
This time the guns were openly trained on Mike and the Doctor.
Looks like we re prisoners, Doctor, muttered Mike.
The Doctor was looking out of the window. Oh, I shouldn t worry about it, he said. Happens all the time. You ll get used to it after a while.
soft
soft dark
soft dark warm
soft dark warm comforting
softwarmcomfortdarknesssoftwarmcomfortdarknesssoftwarmcomfortdarkness
I am Dead.
yes
I am Jo.
yes
I am Dead. And I m alive.
yes
That doesn t make any sense.
you will remain alive
52
should be alive
until you choose to be Dead
You want
yes
something
there is something
something I can give you, that s why you want to talk to me
there is a person
a person who is known to you
a traveller from another Land
the one who knows the most
The Doctor!
the Doctor will know
you must bring him
we need him
need him to tell us
Tell you? What do you want him to tell you?
bring him
bring him and we will find
find out what he knows
But I can t do that. He won t just agree, you know
you know the Doctor
you will be made alive again
then he will not know
I don t want to be alive. It s nicer being Dead. And I don t want to betray the Doctor
then you will bring him because you want to be Dead
because it is nicer to be Dead
because you want him to be Dead
because the Doctor is your friend and you cannot betray him
for this reason you will bring him
when you bring him
you will choose to be Dead
he will choose to be Dead
you will both know softwarmcomfortdarkness
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