carapaced body like a c.o.c.kroach mounted on gra.s.shopper By G.o.d, they"d have to do some detective work to find all legs. Its ma.s.sive bristly head rolled back and forth the old b.u.g.g.e.rs he"d worked with.
inquisitively as its mandibles juddered and clicked before it.
William Jarrold had nipped off to America to take Trevithick gawped, feeling his heart knock against his ribs Hollywood by storm. Went down like a lead balloon, like a racing engine.
according to the papers.
It was impossible.
Poor Jimmy Reynolds was dead, of course. Tragic really.
He pressed himself back against the hedge and yelled as But only the good die young. That"s why I"ve lasted so long, the creature lunged at him.
the old man laughed to himself.
It pulled back, the muscles of its neck bulging through its There was a scuttling sound nearby and Trevithick skin. Trevithick threw himself to the ground and rolled over, stopped, his ears p.r.i.c.ked.
repeating the fall he"d learned for The Sword of Araby.
"h.e.l.lo?"
Surprised at his own agility, Trevithick struggled to his There was another sound, so like wind-rattled branches feet and pelted back the way he"d come. He could taste rust that he turned to the high hedge which grew by the in his mouth and a crippling st.i.tch beginning to develop in pavement.
his groin as he clattered and slid across the icy pavement.
"Who"s there?"
The creature scurried behind him, its great muscular legs His heart pumped a little faster. George Lowc.o.c.k had said rippling with effort.
it might be kids who"d smashed the window. There were all It wasn"t true. Couldn"t be.
sorts of lunatics about these days and if they could tear up Trevithick saw the pub, lights ablaze in the taproom.
Grosvenor Square, why should they hesitate at attacking an There were still people in there. Had to be. Had to be.
old codger like him?
He was a few feet from the door when a brittle mandible "I know you"re there," he said firmly. The scuttling sound wrenched him backwards, slicing through his jacket and came again, like claws on gla.s.s.
waistcoat. He fell heavily and lay there, winded, as the 130 131.
creature reared over him, its head thrashing about as if in and jammed the end of his torch into the box which triumph and sticky fluid pumping from its maw on to his exploded in a flurry of sparks. The fence slid slowly open.
face.
The Doctor smiled, lifted his hat and ushered Robin through.
Trevithick screamed.
"After you."
The creature flared with light as Lawrence Yeadon"s car Robin looked up at the dish dominating the sky above swung crazily around the corner. Trevithick took his chance them. He felt an unpleasant sensation of falling backwards, and rolled again. The car seemed to be almost out of control the kind of insecurity he suffered crossing suspension and screeched across the pavement, lurching to a stop bridges or gazing up at skysc.r.a.pers.
inches from the pub door.
The Doctor pushed open the double doors and they found Trevithick looked up. The creature was gone. He got themselves in a featureless corridor, its cold walls stained shakily to his feet and stumbled over to the car. The doors orange by the emergency lights. Through the gla.s.s of the opened simultaneously, Lawrence and Lowc.o.c.k almost inner door they could see the frantic activity within the falling out of their seats on to the frozen ground.
control room. A deafening chatter of machinery and There were people emerging from the pub. The two men computer printouts seeped from under the door. The Doctor gripped the car for support and took great gulps of air.
paused on the threshold.
Trevithick wandered up to them, feeling his exposed chest "Now, Robin. Circ.u.mstances like these demand tact and where the mandible had seared the skin.
patience. Understand?"
"Did you see it? Did you?" he begged.
Robin nodded dumbly, then the Doctor barged through Lowc.o.c.k turned his pale face to the old man. He looked the door, doffed his hat and said, "Good evening, I"m the confused and frightened.
Doctor. h.e.l.lo, Ace. Having trouble?"
"We couldn"t get out of the village. Couldn"t get out..."
Robin didn"t think much of the Doctor"s ideas on diplomacy.
The Doctor approached the perimeter fence with Robin Cooper and Hawthorne barely looked up from their work.
scurrying behind him.
Vijay looked at the Doctor in blank astonishment.
"What happened to him, Doctor? What"s going on?"
"Come in! Come in!" called Hawthorne. "The more the The Doctor waved his hand airily. "I don"t know, I don"t merrier!"
know. We must find Ace. Make sure she"s all right."
"Your friend, I presume?" Cooper looked up from stabbing Robin eyed the squat grey box which controlled the a row of b.u.t.tons. Ace ran to the Doctor and gave him a hug security system. The red light winked in the darkness.
of welcome.
"You need a special key to get in there," said Robin.
"Are you all right, Ace?" he said, furrowing his brow. She The Doctor looked at him impatiently, prised off the front nodded and smiled. Robin hung awkwardly to one side and of the box, re-threaded two blue wires, pulled out a third then offered his hand in greeting.
132.
133.
"h.e.l.lo again."
Vijay didn"t have to consult his figures. "It"s the Bellatrix "Hi."
double in Orion 24. We"ve been monitoring the whole They grinned at each other and looked at the floor constellation for four weeks now."
simultaneously.
"But the other signals are completely different," continued Ace was reminded a little of Mike, the young man who Cooper. "Just a stream of nonsense. It can"t be coming from had wooed her and, ultimately, betrayed her in their battle Bellatrix."
against the Daleks. Robin had the same cheeky smile, the "Possibly not, possibly not," mused the Doctor. He looked same sort of piercing eyes, although green rather than blue.
about the room, eyes flashing. Ace knew this expression.
There was also the suggestion of something dark about "He"s thinking," she said to Robin.
Robin, some indication of deep currents under the still The boy nodded. "I"m Robin, by the way."
surface. Ace looked forward to exploring.
"Ace." She looked at him inquisitively. "So... how did you The Doctor was already at one of the consoles and ripped meet up with the Doctor again?"
off a printout as it pooled at his feet. "White dwarf. Double.
"I think you were supposed to meet him in the pub...?"
Hmm... you"ve got an exploding star on your hands."
"I got held up."
"Now look here..." began Hawthorne.
"Anyway," Robin continued, "my stepmum"s been taken ill "Oh shut up, Tom," barked Cooper. "We need all the help and the Doctor lent a hand."
we can get just now. We know about the star, Doctor..."
"I didn"t know he was that kind of Doctor," said Ace, "It"s a big one, isn"t it?"
grinning.
Cooper nodded. "It"s the only bit of solid information we Hawthorne was still looking daggers at the Doctor, have. It"s the rest of this stuff that doesn"t make sense."
obviously displeased at the way the little stranger had The Doctor joined her by a row of display screens and insinuated himself into the proceedings.
gazed down at the fluctuating figures.
The clock which Holly had so patiently watched the "Ma.s.sive energy levels of some kind."
previous night ticked loudly to a quarter past ten. Once "It"s flooding the systems. We can"t cope with it. We can"t again, with startling speed, the instruments whined to a halt; trace it."
gauges and monitors shuddered back to their normal, quiet Vijay joined them. "But it has to be coming from the same watchfulness.
sector as the nova. We"ve had the telescope trained on the Ace was reminded of the atmosphere in a launderette same area since all this began."
when all the machines finish their washing cycle. The strip The Doctor drummed his fingers on the console. "And lights faltered and then sprang back to life, allowing the where"s your nova located?"
orange emergency lamps to shut down. Everyone looked around as the unaccustomed silence returned.
"Same as before," said Cooper. "How long did it last?"
134.
135.
Hawthorne glanced at the monitor and pushed back a Robin looked up. "No, it was Jack Prudhoe. An old bloke strand of greasy hair. "Just under three quarters of an hour."
from the village. His wife found him out there. When the "Longer than last night," said Vijay.
Doctor touched him he just sort of... melted away."
The Doctor tossed his duffel coat on to Hawthorne"s chair "There, you see. Just like I told you!" cried Ace and plunged his hands into the reams of paper which had triumphantly.
tumbled to the floor.
"Ma.s.sive tissue collapse," said the Doctor gravely. "I"ve Cooper sighed heavily, thrust her hands into the pockets never seen anything quite like it and I"ve seen a few things of her lab coat and cleared her throat. "I"m Christine Cooper.
in my time."
This is Tom Hawthorne. Vijay Degun. Your friend here tells "And the smell..." Robin sat down heavily.
me you"re a scientist?"
"Yes. That too." The Doctor sat up and placed his hands on The Doctor didn"t look up from his scrutiny of the papers.
the console before him. "Whatever happened to Mr Prudhoe "Doctor!" urged Ace.
triggered some sort of instantaneous corruption. Like "Hmm? Oh yes. Scientist, explorer, philanthropist, general exposing a sealed coffin to the air."
do-gooder. That"s me."
"Does anyone else know about this?" said Cooper, "Well, as I said, we"d be grateful for any help."
frowning.
The Doctor gave her an intense look, took off his hat and The Doctor shook his head. "No. But your friendly local sat down in a swivel chair. "Help? Yes... I"ll help. I always bobby and Robin"s father have gone off to get help for Mrs do."
Yeadon. If they can sort out the communications problem "Doctor. There"s something going on..." began Ace.
too we might start to get somewhere."