Both parties opened fire. Bolts and beams of fire from Nimosian and
Emindianweaponstoreintothehorde,lightingthemupfromwithinasthough
theyweremadeofmeltingwax.Ifthesoundsthethingshadmadebeforewere
terrible, the chorus of rage and fury that issued forth now was ghastly beyond description.
Butnotonecreaturefell.
The edges of a hole blasted through a scaled body flowed together and
knittedseamlessly;alimbseveredbyanincandescentcuttingbeamreformed.
A Nimosian marine was snatched up into the air by a huge clawed hand
belongingtoahulkingthingwithabear'sbodysupportedbyaclusterofspider's legs.Ashestruggledanotherclawslashedacrosshim,tearinghissuittoribbons and ripping open his flesh. Simmons was skewered by a tentacle tipped with a metre-longspike,extendingfromapulsatingmassofbloatedfleshthatflopped
andwriggledacrossthefloor.Ablack-wingedcreaturewithaslobberingneedle-
fanged frog mouth dived at Bendix, Dessel and Rexton even though their fire was burning holes through its leathery integument, and knocked them to the ground.
Lieutenant Tane had fallen to his knees as his two attendants joined in the
fight.Samcaughthimunderthearmsandhauledhimtohisfeet.
An octopoid arm coiled itself about Lyset Wynter's waist and dragged her intotheclutchesofaballofwrithingblacktendrils.Delraywasontheground,
weaponlessandclutchinghisarm,shoutingLyset'sname.Butthethingcarrying
hervanishedinthedreadfulkaleidoscopeofslashinglimbsandstabbingfire.
ThentheshrilloftheDoctor'ssonicscrewdriverroseabovethebedlam.Arm
outstretched,heswungitbackandforth.Theimagefromanoldhorrorfilmofa
priestholdingbackthedevil'screatureswithacrossflittedthroughSam'smind.
Thecreatures'plasticformsshiveredlikeripplingwaterandSamsawwavesof
light and darkness radiating through them. For the briefest moment the things edgedbackwards,notharmedbutperhapsuncertainwhatthestrangesoundwas.
In that momentary respite she saw Rexton snatch something up from the floor.
'Totheshuttle-now!'
theDoctoryelled.
Theyranfortheirlivesthroughthemouthofthelongstraightcorridorthat
led back to the shuttle bay. And at their heels came the gibbering, baying nightmarehost.
Tanewasrollinghisheadandshoutingwildly.TheDoctorgrabbedhisother
arm and helped Sam run him along. She couldn't see any Nimosian soldiers.
Weretheyalldeadorhadtheyescapedalonganothercorridor?
DesseltookuptherearpointbehindalimpingDelray,firingsnatchedshots
behindhiminanattempttoslowtheirpursuersandbuythempreciousseconds.
Samranasdesperatelyassheeverhadinherlife.Sheknewsheshouldlook
onlytothefrontandthatnothingcouldmakehermoveanyfaster.
Nevertheless she could not resist the compulsion to snatch a glance behind them.
Whatshesawdidmakeherrunfaster.
Behindthemthethingsactuallyfilledthecorridorfromfloortoceilingand
wall to wall.A boiling mass of translucent putrid flesh, hair and scales, rolling overandsqueezingtheirwaybetweentheirfellowsinablindfrenzyofpursuit.
Some were growing extra arms to haul themselves along the ladder-like
handrailswithhooksandtalons,whileothersranupsidedownalongtheceiling,
clinging on with platelike suckers. Bony many-jointed arms sporting uncannily humanhands,spinedtentaclesandchitinousinsectilelimbslashedoutfromthe
seethingmass-limbsthatstretchedimpossiblylikerubberinanattempttocatch themintheirembrace.
And then they were at the junction.The inner airlock door, sensing their presence,begantoopen.Beforetheaperturewasametrewidetheywereforcing
theirwaydesperatelythrough,drivenbyfearofwhatwasattheirheels.
Theyonlyjustmadeit.AsDesselplungedthroughlasthewasjerkedflaton his face and began to slither backwards, struggling and kicking. A thick glistening tentacle was coiled round his leg. Sam and Manders grabbed his outstretched arms and heaved, while Rexton and Bendix fired point-blank into thewallofmottled,slightlytranslucentfleshthatfilledtheaperture.Abeakset in the underside of the thing snapped back at them. But the beast would not releaseitsgrip.SlowlyDesselwasbeingpulledbacktowardsit.
The Doctor had the control panel beside the door open and was working
franticallyonthecircuitrywithin.Suddenlythedoorbegantoclose,theirising segmentscontractingaboutthethigh-thicktentacle.Amotorwhinedinprotestas
itmetresistance.Then,withasprayofbloodandyellowslime,thetentaclefell
to the floor as the door closed completely. Dessel fell forward, trembling as thoughfromcoldandshock.SamandManderstorethelimbfreefromaround
hisleg,thesuckerscoiningloosewithloudpops,andkickeditasideindisgust
and horror. The cleanly severed end flopped and twitched grotesquely for a moment,thenlaystill.
Dull thuds reverberated against the other side of the door, and Sam could hearthemuffledcriesofthethingsriseinachorusoffrustratedrage.TheDoctor adjusted his sonic screwdriver and played it over the control panel, which sparkedandpuffedsmoke."Theywon'tgetthatopeninahurry,'hesaid.'Gods!'
exclaimed Dessel softly, pointing a trembling finger. The severed tentacle that hadalmostdraggedhimtohisdeathwasfadingintotranslucency.Beforetheir
eyesitbecameacoilofmistthatvanishedasthoughithadneverbeen.
Even as they looked at each other with numbed amazement, a ghostly grey tendrilreachedthroughthetightlyclosedairlockdoor.Anotherfolloweditand
another, as though the material of the door itself had sprouted some weird growthfromwithin.Theyflinchedawayfromthefrighteningbuthypnoticsight.
Tane'sincoherentwhimpersbecamemanic,fitfullaughter.
"Theywon'tletusgo.They'llneverletusgo...''We'renotdeadyet,'Rexton said, panting from his exertions but undaunted. 'Visors down and seal your suits.'
Only as he adjusted his own suit did Sam realise he was carrying Lyset Wynter'scameracaseslungacrosshisshoulder.Beforeshecouldsayanything
the middle door opened and they stumbled into the next compartment of the airlock.AssoonasitshutbehindthemtheDoctorfusedthedoorcontrolonce
again.'Atleastit'llslowthemdown,'hesaidsimply.Rextonsteppeduptothe
thirddoor.Samfeltthepressuredropandhersuittightenaroundher.
Shehalfexpectedthebaytobefullofmonsters,buttheshuttlestoodthere
justastheunfortunateJenezmusthaveleftit.TheDoctorpunchedtheunlocking
codeintothekeypadandDesselbeganturningthewheel.Abovethemtheroof hatchbegantoopen.Samsawablurredflickerofmotionsilhouettedagainstthe
stars.'Lookout!'
Butitwastoolate.Anindistinctgreyformdroppedthroughitontotheroof
oftheshuttle.Andthenanother...
***
ThefirstindicationArgenhadthatsomethingwaswrongwaswhenthemarines
standing guard on the hole cut in the hull hatchway started firing rapidly downward.Ababbleofvoicescamecracklingoverthedistortedsuitchannel.
"They'rer
ightbehindus...Dak,lookout!Grenades!Takeouttheroof!'
Whatthehellwashappeningdownthere?Argenthought,evenashebegan
powering up the Resolve's systems. 'Ready on the ramp hatch,' he told the engineer.'Turret,makereadytoprovidecoveringfire.'
Argen saw a marine's head and shoulders appear over the edge of the hull hatchwayonlytobejerkedbackwardsintothedepths.Thetwoguardsredoubled
theirrateoffire.Whatweretheyfighting?Couldhemovetheshuttlecloserso
theycouldangletheturretgunto-
Grey forms frothed over the pit's edge .The marines fell back, threw their grenades,thenturnedandranfortheshuttle.Half-seenthingsboiledoutofthe
pit after them, growing more substantial as they poured out on to the surface undertheglareoftheIndomitable'^lights.
Theturretgunspatfire.
The bolts tore through the ghostly horde and exploded behind them in
showers of molten hull metal. The living shadows flickered and swirled where theenergypulsesstruckthem.Forafewsecondstheiradvancewascheckedas
theyspreadout.Butthentheysurgedforwardoncemore.
Watchinginslack-jaweddisbeliefArgensawtheirbodiesgrowmoresolid,
resolving into a shapeless nightmare of mismatched forms. He felt sickened.
Their grotesqueness defied all logic. This was an appalling, loathsomedanse macabrethatwasterribly,terriblywrong.
'Run, run!' he shouted aloud to the marines, though they needed no
encouragementfromhim.
Theturretgunnerloweredhissightsandblastedthegroundatthepursuers'
feet.Somethingresemblingahugecrabwithtwosetsofpincerswastossedaside
by the concussion. A thing like a rolling tumbleweed fringed with lashing tentacleswassplitinhalf.Butthetwosegmentsrolledonandafterafewmetres mergedoncemoreasthoughnothinghadhappened.
As the two surviving marines reached theResolve the engineer dropped the accessrampandtheytumbledaboard.Argencutintheunderjetsandtheylifted
even as the leaders of the horde washed about them like a grey wave. He saw grotesque forms blasted aside and sent tumbling out across the marbled metal plain.
'Yes!'heexclaimedfiercely.
He was fifty metres up when a long, shapeless, translucent limb slapped across the forward viewport before his eyes. One of them was clinging to the hull.Heheardascreamfromthecompartmentbehindhim,followedinstantlyby
the crack of guns. He saw the HATCH CLOSED light on the display panel flickerandsuddenlythepressuredropped.Thesoundofgunfireceasedabruptly.
Over his headphones he heard the gunner in the upper turret give one startled yellthatendedinasuddenchokinggurgleofpain.
Argen engaged the autopilot and tried to twist about, drawing his sidearm, buthisseatharnessheldhimback.
Even as he reached for the buckle a grey ballooning mass swelled and
bubbledupthroughthehatchwaybehindhim,takingonaterriblesolidityasit
came.An extruded limb lashed out.Argen felt the terrific thud as it struck the backofhischairandsomethingseemedtotugveryhardathischest.
Helookeddown.
Aneedle-pointed,curving,glassyspikewasprotrudingthirtycentimetresout
ofhissuitjustbelowhissternum.Hesaw,withadetachedandsurprisingclarity of perception, his own blood laced about its tip begin to steam and boil away intothevacuum.
Thenthedarknessswallowedhim.
***
Theywerefightingfortheirverylives.
Boltsoffirecrisscrossedtheshuttlebay,explodinginshowersofsparksas
they struck the walls.A thin haze was billowing rapidly out of the roof hatch, fromwhichmoreofthecreaturesweredroppingontothemeverysecond.
Sam didn't know if their efforts were doing anything but delaying the
inevitable, but it was a simple stark choice: fight or die. Except that as fast as they knocked one of the hellish things down, another took its place. And the onesthathadbeenhitflowedlikesyrup,reformed,andcamebackatthemagain,
likecreaturesfromanightmarethatwouldnotend.
Whycouldn'ttheydiedecently?Samthought.Orweretheyalreadydead?
Weretheyreallyfightingghosts?
She was frantically cranking the roof hatch open wide enough to let the shuttle pass. Dessel stood by her side, his back to the wall, a rifle in one hand and pistol in the other, blazing methodically away at the nightmare horde that clutched and clawed and snapped at them.The Doctor was hunched over
adjusting his sonic screwdriver. Rexton and Manders were standing on the Doria's ramp, fighting to keep it clear. Delray, one arm still held close to his chest,washaulingafeeblystrugglingTanetowardsthem.
Bendix was visible through the Doria's cockpit viewscreen seated in the
pilot'schairandpoweringuptheshuttleforlaunch.
Anintense,rapidlypulsinglightfilledthebay.
The Doctor was holding his sonic screwdriver aloft once more, this time radiatingintheopticalwavelengths.Againthethingsdrewback.Samlookedat
thesteadilyopeningroofhatch.Ifonlytheycouldholdthemforafewseconds
more.'It'swideenough!'theDoctorshouted.'Comeon!'
Dessel started forward with them, only to give a cry of pain and drop his weapons.
Ghostly limbs bristling with dark sea-urchin spines had extended from the wallandcoiledtightlyabouthim.Hestruggledforasecondthenwentlimp.
Sam saw the spines begin to tear into the fabric of his suit. Instinct overcomingherreluctancetouseguns,shesnatcheduphispistolandfiredatthe spinesatpoint-blankrange.Thegunflickeredanddied,itspowercelldrained.
Shethrewitasideandtoredesperatelyattheglassylimbswithherglovedhands.
Shefeltanumbingcoldbiteintoherbonesandadreadfulwearinessseepinto
her,asthoughthelifeforcewasbeingdrainedfromherbody.Butatthesame
momentthelengthoflimbshetouchedseemedtobecomemoresolid,andsome
ofthespinesbrokeoffandmeltedawayinherpalm.
Still holding the pulsating sonic screwdriver in one outstretched arm, the DoctorreachedoutwiththeotherandgraspedthethingthatheldDessel.
Theglassylimbsbecamedarkerandmoresolid,asthoughsuddenlyinfused
withreality.ShecouldseethepainontheDoctor'sface.
'Now,Sam!'hechokedout.
Shekickedfuriouslyattherestraininglimbs.Spinessnappedandfellaway
while their stems crushed into pulp under her blows. Dessel dropped limply to thegroundwhiletheremaininglimbsreleasedtheirholdand,threshingmadly,
faded and withdrew through the wall. The Doctor thrust the sonic screwdriver into Sam's hand, hauled Dessel upright and threw him over his shoulder. They plunged through a knot of grey things clustered about the shuttle's ramp with Samholdingthepulsatingscrewdriverbeforethemlikeatalisman,evennerving
herself to kick one of the confused creatures aside, ignoring the stab of pain it
causedher.
Theytumbledthroughthehatchanditslammedshutbehindthem.Evenas
the Doctor laid Dessel down and they fell into their seats the underjets roared.
Therimofthesurfacehatchflashedpastjustbeyondtheports.
Thentheywerepoweringtheirwayoutintofreespaceandthegreatbulkof
thealienshipwasshrinkingbehindthem.
They slumped in their seats, too exhausted to speak. Sam saw the Doctor's head sagging on to his chest, as though evenhis remarkable reserves of vitality weretemporarilydrained.Sheherselffeltlikedeath.
She was so exhausted that she was only vaguely aware that, despite the automaticheatingcuttingin,theinterioroftheshuttlewasunnaturallycold.
ItremainedsoallthewaybacktotheCirrandaria.
***
'TheResolveisclearoftheinterferencezone,sir,butitisnotrespondingtoour signals,'theoperatorreportedtoVega.
"Theymayhavebeenhurt,'Faylesaid.
'Overridecommdefaultprotocols,'Vegasaid.'Patchintocockpitcamera.'
A new image appeared on the screens. A collective gasp of dismay
whisperedroundtheIndomitable'sbridge.
Argen was seated upright in his chair, held in place by his acceleration harness.Therewasadarkstainaroundaraggedholeinthecentreofhischest.
Glittering red jewels tumbled slowly past the camera lens: droplets of frozen blood,Vegarealised.Argen'sbulgingeyeswerestaringsightlesslythroughhis
visor.Bloodhadbubbledandfreeze-driedabouthislips.
Hewasclearlyquitedead.
Yetsomehow,impossibly,hisarmsweremoving.
Itwasajerkymotion,asthoughtheybelongedtoamarionetteoperatedbya
clumsypuppeteer.Butitcouldnotpossiblybemistakenforrandommovement
generated by the motion of the shuttle. Argen's dead hands were operating the shuttle'scontrols,settingtheautopilottoreturnittotheIndomitable.
Vega found his lips were dry. He had to lick them before he could
speak.'Sickbay, recovery team to shuttle port at the double.' He looked back at thescreen.Argen'shandsweremotionlessagain,butheknewhehadn'timagined
it.
Faylewasleaningforwardandpeeringintentlyatthemacabreimage,almost
blocking Vega's own view. But Vega said nothing. Fayle's suspicious nature might not make him popular, but it had saved them from serious trouble more
Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 14 - Vanderdeken Page 13
