The Worldship p.2
The surviving guard stared at the Doctor with wide, horrified eyes then fled down the corridor in the opposite direction.
The Doctor knelt, picked up a pinch of ash and let it sift from his fingertips. "Spontaneous combustion?"
He heard guards come thundering back down the corridor led by the guard who had fled moments ago. "Get him!"
The Doctor sped around the nearest corner and ran smack into someone.
"This way." She grabbed his hand and hauled him down the hallway, around corners, through deserted courtyards, and finally into a small dark closet where she shoved him back behind a rack of clothing. "Stay there!" She ducked outside and he could hear her through the door. "A stranger! Why is he here? Who is he?"
"Which way did he go!"
"Through there!"
The trample of guard footsteps rushed off as quickly as they'd come. A few seconds later the woman ducked back into the closet. "They're gone."
The Doctor struggled out of the tangle of clothes. "Thank you."
"Who are you? Did you get my distress call?"
"I’m the Doctor. And yes. What is happening here?"
"Everything is crazy. The captain has declared martial law. He has all the guards out hunting for my sister and her baby."
"Why does he want them?"
The scramble of men returned, barking orders outside. The Doctor grabbed the woman and pulled her back through the rack of clothes.
A guard ripped the door open. He kicked over the cleaning supplies and looked under the hanging clothes for any sign of feet. Not finding any, he slammed the door and barked more orders. "Keep looking. They've got to be around here somewhere." A commotion, scrambling, and the discharge of a weapon, sent all the boots tramping off to see what happened.
Behind the clothes rack the Doctor dumped off the pile of clothes that he’d tossed over himself and his companion and unbraced his feet from the opposite wall. They both stood up. “Good thing this is a small closet."
The woman nodded, shaking. "You have to help us."
"Why does the captain want your sister?"
"He doesn't really. He wants the baby."
"Why?"
"An old legend. He thinks if he can kill little Joshia everything will go back to normal." The Doctor raised an eyebrow. She explained. "The legend says that every few generations a child is born which causes the Madness. The captain thinks that Joshia is that child. But he can't be. The legend also says that the mother is always the first to die. And Klayisha is very much alive. When she realized what the captain was thinking she took Joshia and hid." She grabbed the Doctor's hands. "You have to help us."
"Do you know where your sister is?" The woman nodded eagerly. "Good. Two corners down from where you found me to the right is a large blue box. Get your sister and meet me there. You'll be safe inside until we can figure out what's behind all this. I’ll distract the guards."
Just as the Doctor's hand closed on the doorknob an intercom squealed to life in the hallway outside.
"Citizens. I am pleased to announce that the child and its treasonous mother have been caught. The executions will be held in Centerdome in three hours time. All guards report to duty stations. B-troop report to Centerdome for crowd control. Captain out."
Shadia dropped her face in her hands. "Oh no!"
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