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.`Ten million living beings, Professor Summerfield.Representatives of every civilized race, and a few less so, brought together under the common banner of peace, prosperity and universal harmony.It's taken many decades of work on the part of a few founder members, but it is really quite wonderful.And,' he grinned broadly at her, his puckish, lined face almost turning entirely upwards, `we're about to land.' With that, the Doctor flicked a couple of switches and the TARDIS, released from her 'pause' mode, reactivated her time rotor and with the familiar swell of resonance, the ship materialized.'And once we're there? What next? A quick spin around the offices to amuse myself and Attila the Hun in there?'Bernice nodded her head towards the door from the TARDIS console room.Somewhere down the corridor, in her room, the Doctor's other companion Ace was probably sitting in her room, testing her twenty-fifth century weaponry whilst simultaneously charging up her patented cans of Nitro-9.'Come on then, Doctor.Let's see what's out there!''In a moment.First I have to tell Ace something.' The Doctor scurried into the depths of the TARDIS before Bernice could reply.With a shrug she leaned over to the TARDIS databank, built into the console.She punched up references to the Galactic Federation.'Might as well get a bit of homework done,' she grunted to herself.The Doctor didn't venture into Ace's bedroom too often.He was almost frightened of what he might find there.Discarded cans of Nitro-9; half eaten McDonalds; he'd once seen her knock the stuffing out of a large teddy bear with her old baseball bat, swearing at it and accusing it of betraying her.A short while later he had sneaked in whilst she was having a bath and found the wrecked toy.On its shabby back was the name Mike Smith in permanent black ink.That was when he'd realized how much he misjudged Ace.How he'd never really noticed how much she kept bottled up.Now the room looked quite different, stark and uncluttered.There was no evidence that the occupier was a young lady from 1980s Earth.Instead, it gave off the impression of a hotel room, somewhere that no one allows themselves to get comfortable in.Like an army barracks.Part of the reason for this was the recent loss of the TARDIS.Now, the travellers occupied the less-than-reliable Type 40 TT capsule that had belonged to an earlier incarnation of the Doctor, an incarnation from an alternate timeline.Despite the cosmetic changes the Doctor had wrought, he was also aware that neither Ace's nor Bernice's room contained any of the mementoes that they had previously possessed.Her familiar black bomber jacket, 'Ace' emblazoned in loud, proud silver letters across the back, was lying in a crumpled heap in a corner.On top of it, a trooper's blaster, a reminder of her military training.Discarded but always in sight, the two objects seemed strategically placed as if to underline her two different lives.The Doctor took all this in in a moment.That, and the fact that Ace was nowhere to be seen.He paused for a moment as he closed the door and looked down the corridor.'Of course.: he muttered after a few seconds.'Ace?'She didn't move.She didn't blink.Perhaps she hadn't heard him.In front of her, ten video screens were rapidly flashing schematics.It took the Doctor only a moment to realize that Ace was examining some very lethal-looking weaponry.'Again!' she barked at the screens.Then: 'Two up.' The second screen seemed to grow larger, its image becoming clearer.'Okay TARDIS - this one'll do.3-D plus complete history.Text, not verbal.' She sat back in her chair and swung her legs up onto the desk top.The ten screens melted into thin air and the image she had requested became a semi-solid schematic, turning in front of her.Part of it was encased, revealing it to be a blaster of sorts.Other portions were sectioned so she could see inside it and admire the sophisticated structure.She reached out with her hands, as if stroking the gun, although it wasn't really there - just an image created holographically by the TARDIS.The Doctor was impressed.Only a handful of his companions had ever managed to get the TARDIS to work for them like this - and Ace had actually reprogrammed a lot of it.She had convinced the machine to reconfigure itself so that the computer-based parts resembled the twenty-fifth century hardware Ace'd been used to.Voice commands, holographic representations.she'd even replaced the old food machine with a more sophisticated replicator that dished up real edibles rather than nutrient bars.All things he'd intended to do but never actually got around to.Ì'm impressed,' he said.The images all dissolved, the darkened room brightened and the black militarian walls once again became cream-coloured roundels.Then, as if she was moving in slow motion, she turned her head.She was wearing a pair of personal stereo headphones.The player itself lay between her legs.The Doctor smiled: this was the Ace he'd known before - before the distrust, the arguments and the bitterness.Recently, after their struggles in Earth's alternate timelines and more recently on Olleril, she, Bernice and the Time Lord himself had found themselves on a more even keel.And he couldn't be happier.`Not interrupting, am I?' he asked with a smile.Ace tugged an earphone away.`Suede,' she said.`Goat skin.Rubbed to a nap and worn in cold weather by selfish humans who think it looks better on them than it did on the goats.' He smiled broadly.`Somehow I don't think that's what you meant, is it?'Ace shook her head.'Indie band.Circa 1994.Picked this tape up when we stopped off in Liverpool last week.''Ah.After Professor Summerfield's field trip to "Ancient Mersey" as she called it.Wanted to see the birthplace of the Beatles, I think she said.'Ace nodded.`Yeah.She bought a tape of Sgt Pepper.Then claimed it was classical music.Some people!'The Doctor squatted down.Ànother friend of mine from Bernice's era said something similar.'Ace removed the other earphone and switched the Walkman off.After a second's pause, she smiled up at the Doctor.`Hey, Professor.'Ìt's been a long time since you said that.'Ì know.Still, it's a long time since you've worn that awful jumper.Going somewhere cold?'The Doctor just smiled and pointed at the space where the schematic had been on view.`What d'you think?' asked Ace.Às I said, impressive [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]