we're the ones left to deal with the consequences.'
'Then why do I feel so bad?'
'No one said it was gonna be easy.'
Cuttin' Edge bristled. 'I know that. I ain't never had it easy. I had my Pa kickin' all kinds of zip outta me from day one on Gauda Prime. I had to drag myself out that hole an' into the army an' not even they wanted me. An' you know the fix I was in when you found me.'
Bowman looked at Cuttin' Edge for a long moment before replying. He suddenly felt very old, and Cuttin' Edge suddenly looked very young. 'Listen, son. You're one of the good guys. Don't let anyone tell you anything else. Not your folks, not the army, not even the Doctor. You fight Daleks and that means you're on the right side when all is said and done, no matter what. And it takes courage to do what you did.'
'I didn't feel very brave when I was scrapin' that thing out of its barrel.'
'It's not how you feel that matters. It's what you do despite the way you feel. Look at Scrum. Damn near wetting himself the whole time but he still stuck it out. The only one not gettin' his hands dirty was the Doctor.'
Cuttin' Edge gave a shrug. 'Everyone has a point of view, I guess.'
'Yeah,' Bowman nodded. 'Only trouble is, his point of view is the wrong one. Now get that Dalek off my ship. Kick its tin backside out into space, along with the contents. I don't ever want another one of those things onboard.'
'You betcha.'
Bowman smirked. 'Whatever happened to "Yes, sir"?'
'You what?'
'Never mind, Cuttin' Edge. Never mind. Old days, long gone.' Bowman pulled off the gauntlets and threw them onto the rubbish heap. 'Best get rid of them too while you're at it. And then you can clear the rest of that slime off the floor. Smell's getting on my nerves.'
The Doctor and Scrum were discussing the technical specifications of the Wayfarer 's engines when Bowman strode onto the flight deck. He glared suspiciously at the Doctor and then spoke to Scrum. 'We've got rid of that thing, anyway. Dumped the casing and the mutant into deep space. Cuttin' Edge is cleaning out the cargo hold now.'
'The Doctor's plotted a course for Arkheon,' Scrum informed him. 'Or at least, where it used to be. We should be there in a couple of hours.'
Bowman raised an eyebrow. 'That's quick, even for the Wayfarer .'
'Well, I know a few short cuts,' admitted the Doctor. 'And I picked up some clues on Hurala.'
'Maybe the Daleks did too.'
'True – which is why we need to push ahead at full speed.' The Doctor stood up and faced Bowman. 'With your permission, I'd like to tighten the regulator valves in the engine room. They're loose and costing us time.'
Bowman regarded him coolly. 'Just for the record, Doctor, I still don't like you. I've no idea what we're heading into, but I still say you know more than you're letting on. The only reason I haven't thrown you overboard with the remains of that Skaro slime is because of Koral. She's vouching for you and I'd trust her with my life. So if you betray that trust – if this is any kind of a trick or some sort of con – then I'll kill you myself, quickly and with pleasure. Got that?'
'Loud and clear.'
'And once we reach Arkheon, just remember one thing: I'm in charge. Not you.'
TWELVE
The Doctor was in his shirtsleeves, working on the Wayfarer 's engines, when Koral found him.
She stepped out of the shadows in a cloud of steam as the Doctor finished tightening the last of the regulator valves. He looked up when she arrived, the sonic screwdriver still clamped between his teeth.
'Gnnf gnn mmph gnn,' he said.
'Excuse me?'
The Doctor dropped the screwdriver into his hand. 'I said, you can't creep up on me like that any more.'
'I wasn't trying to.'
'Well, I've fixed these old engines so they're running like a sewing machine. Listen.' The Doctor cupped a hand to one ear and grinned. 'Not a rattle or a squeak. You could hear a pin drop anywhere
'Then why do I feel so bad?'
'No one said it was gonna be easy.'
Cuttin' Edge bristled. 'I know that. I ain't never had it easy. I had my Pa kickin' all kinds of zip outta me from day one on Gauda Prime. I had to drag myself out that hole an' into the army an' not even they wanted me. An' you know the fix I was in when you found me.'
Bowman looked at Cuttin' Edge for a long moment before replying. He suddenly felt very old, and Cuttin' Edge suddenly looked very young. 'Listen, son. You're one of the good guys. Don't let anyone tell you anything else. Not your folks, not the army, not even the Doctor. You fight Daleks and that means you're on the right side when all is said and done, no matter what. And it takes courage to do what you did.'
'I didn't feel very brave when I was scrapin' that thing out of its barrel.'
'It's not how you feel that matters. It's what you do despite the way you feel. Look at Scrum. Damn near wetting himself the whole time but he still stuck it out. The only one not gettin' his hands dirty was the Doctor.'
Cuttin' Edge gave a shrug. 'Everyone has a point of view, I guess.'
'Yeah,' Bowman nodded. 'Only trouble is, his point of view is the wrong one. Now get that Dalek off my ship. Kick its tin backside out into space, along with the contents. I don't ever want another one of those things onboard.'
'You betcha.'
Bowman smirked. 'Whatever happened to "Yes, sir"?'
'You what?'
'Never mind, Cuttin' Edge. Never mind. Old days, long gone.' Bowman pulled off the gauntlets and threw them onto the rubbish heap. 'Best get rid of them too while you're at it. And then you can clear the rest of that slime off the floor. Smell's getting on my nerves.'
The Doctor and Scrum were discussing the technical specifications of the Wayfarer 's engines when Bowman strode onto the flight deck. He glared suspiciously at the Doctor and then spoke to Scrum. 'We've got rid of that thing, anyway. Dumped the casing and the mutant into deep space. Cuttin' Edge is cleaning out the cargo hold now.'
'The Doctor's plotted a course for Arkheon,' Scrum informed him. 'Or at least, where it used to be. We should be there in a couple of hours.'
Bowman raised an eyebrow. 'That's quick, even for the Wayfarer .'
'Well, I know a few short cuts,' admitted the Doctor. 'And I picked up some clues on Hurala.'
'Maybe the Daleks did too.'
'True – which is why we need to push ahead at full speed.' The Doctor stood up and faced Bowman. 'With your permission, I'd like to tighten the regulator valves in the engine room. They're loose and costing us time.'
Bowman regarded him coolly. 'Just for the record, Doctor, I still don't like you. I've no idea what we're heading into, but I still say you know more than you're letting on. The only reason I haven't thrown you overboard with the remains of that Skaro slime is because of Koral. She's vouching for you and I'd trust her with my life. So if you betray that trust – if this is any kind of a trick or some sort of con – then I'll kill you myself, quickly and with pleasure. Got that?'
'Loud and clear.'
'And once we reach Arkheon, just remember one thing: I'm in charge. Not you.'
TWELVE
The Doctor was in his shirtsleeves, working on the Wayfarer 's engines, when Koral found him.
She stepped out of the shadows in a cloud of steam as the Doctor finished tightening the last of the regulator valves. He looked up when she arrived, the sonic screwdriver still clamped between his teeth.
'Gnnf gnn mmph gnn,' he said.
'Excuse me?'
The Doctor dropped the screwdriver into his hand. 'I said, you can't creep up on me like that any more.'
'I wasn't trying to.'
'Well, I've fixed these old engines so they're running like a sewing machine. Listen.' The Doctor cupped a hand to one ear and grinned. 'Not a rattle or a squeak. You could hear a pin drop anywhere
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