While Alaya meets her end, Restac pushes on a pair of massive, ornate wooden doors, and Malohkeh leads the Doctor and Nasreen into the cavernous room that opens before them. The floor is made of clean slates of stone; there are no windows behind heavy-looking crimson drapes lining the walls at even intervals. In the center of the room is a long polished oak table, reflecting the light from a chandelier somewhere above. There are high-backed chairs gathered around it as if they were expecting more than just themselves.
"You're not authorized to do this," Malohkeh reminds his partner.
"I am authorized to protect the safety of our species while they sleep," retorts Restac.
"Oh, lovely place," quips the Doctor. "Very gleaming."
"This," says Restac cruelly, "is your place of death."
The Doctor opens his mouth to add another cleverly-disguised wisecrack, but he is interrupted by a voice, one which he would know in a crowd of billions.
YOU ARE READING
The Time of Change
FanfictionThere are some people who seem destined for greatness. There are others who seem stuck on the path of failure. For most of her life, Annalise Song felt as if she was the unhappy median between the two: bound to be nothing more than mediocre and soli...
