by Mark Gatiss
‘Doctor,’ hissed Noah in an urgent whisper. ‘What’re we going to do?’
The Doctor shook his head. ‘I don’t know. If the Brigadier can get through we can still destroy the matter encoders…’
Everyone stiffened at the sound of the multiple bazooka barrage close by. Bliss looked away from the light, but she seemed untroubled.
She felt the creature’s agony as the human soldiers shattered its flesh. The pain coursed through her own veins, jagged, dreadful. But the tiny voice in the back of her mind called not for help but for release. Release…
In a very few moments, she would allow the worm to die. Its part in the great plan would finally cease. But not yet, not just yet. The encoders must be protected. The time for the breakthrough had come.
‘Look at her face!’ Jo’s voice cut across the deafening sound of the column of light.
Bliss did indeed seem to have altered. It was almost as though her bulky frame was merely hanging loosely over another, more angular, body; like a butterfly about to cast off its chrysalis. The mouth was impossibly wide, more like a wound, and there was something visible behind it, chitinous, slimy. Only the huge, dark eyes seemed the same, and they blazed like burning pitch.
‘Everything I have striven for is about to come to pass,’ she hissed, something like wonderment in her voice. ‘The last of the Gaderene are on their way. We have found our new home.’
The Doctor struggled to make himself heard over the noise of the light-column.
‘There must be another way.’
Bliss shook her head. Fragments of skin came away.
‘When the elders arrive, they will take charge of the invasion. We will gather all those humans we have converted. All of them, from across the globe. Enough to provide shelter for my people!’
She turned to the Master, a kind of sneer twisting her distorted features. ‘And now all that is no longer useful can be disposed of. Even a Time Lord.’
The Master’s face fell. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘I have been tolerant of you for too long,’ spat Bliss. ‘You have been a faithful servant, but you remain only a servant!’
The Doctor smiled slyly. ‘Trouble at t’mill?’
The Master ignored him. ‘You would be nothing without me! I made contact. I have saved your people!’
Bliss’s voice seemed to drop in pitch. A solitary, straw-like mandible began to creep its way around the wet corner of her mouth. ‘And you have taken every opportunity to humiliate me. Well, no longer… Master,’ she sneered.
The Master raised his pistol to cover Bliss. ‘Might I remind you that if only one of the encoders were removed, then your invasion force would be obliterated.’
Bliss shook her head. Great gobbets of saliva flew from her mouth. ‘That is no longer a concern. To enter the column now would mean certain death for anyone. It is finished!’
The Master swung round and covered the Doctor. ‘It seems they have me at a disadvantage, Doctor,’ he said blithely. ‘Therefore, you will enter the column and remove one of the encoders.’
‘No!’ cried Jo. ‘He can’t. He’ll be killed.’
The Master moved back so that everyone, including Bliss, was in his line of fire. ‘The Doctor won’t mind, Miss Grant. What do you say, Doctor? Your life or the fate of the whole world?’
The Doctor looked the Master up and down, his face impassive.
Then he took a step forward.
Jo grabbed at his smoking jacket. ‘No, Doctor!’
He turned and grasped her hand. ‘I’ve no choice, Jo.’
Noah was shaking his head violently. ‘No!’
Bliss’s eyes bobbed in her loose flesh like grapes in a winepress. ‘You are too late! They are coming!’
Jo looked up at the column of light. The dark shapes she had seen earlier were finally coalescing. Strange, hideous, twisting forms, like spiders washed down a huge, translucent drain.
The Master pointed the pistol directly at the Doctor. ‘If you would be so kind, Doctor.’
Bliss darted forward, her hands stretched out like talons, a gurgling roar belching from within her.
Suddenly, a strange droning sound cut across the roar of the blue column. The Doctor looked up. A shape zoomed overhead, like a great bird. He frowned, puzzled, and then smiled broadly.
‘Good grief!’
The shape came by again, its engines taking on a familiar drone. ‘It’s the Spitfire!’ cried Jo.
The old plane flew dangerously low and a downdraught of air forced everyone to scatter. The Master rolled over and shot a wild bolt of energy high into the air.
The Doctor kicked out and knocked both weapons from the Master’s hands. He grabbed Noah’s hand. ‘Come on!’
He, Jo and Noah began to pelt away across the tarmac.
‘Doctor!’ gasped Jo. ‘Where are… we can’t leave now…!’
‘Must get to the Brigadier,’ called the Doctor over his shoulder. ‘If we can get in touch with the Spitfire…’
Jo dragged on his arm and pulled him up sharp. ‘No need.’
‘What?’ he barked.
Jo pulled her own R/T set from her bag.
The Doctor threw up his hands. ‘Well, why didn’t you say so?’ He grabbed the radio and immediately clicked to the correct frequency. The set crackled.
‘Trap one? Trap one, are you receiving me? Over.’
All three listened anxiously. Overhead the Spitfire was circling.
‘Trap one here, Doctor. Over.’
Jo sighed in relief.
‘Brigadier, you’ve got to get in touch with that plane. It’s armed. Over.’
The R/T set crackled. ‘Roger, Doctor. Over.’
The Doctor nodded to himself. ‘Tell him to concentrate his fire on the circle of light. Over.’
‘Will do. Over and out.’
The Doctor tossed the radio back to Jo. ‘Right. Let’s see if that gets us anywhere.’
The worm roared again and staggered backwards into the hangar, smashing the old glass roof and sending hundreds of deadly shards streaming to the ground.
‘It’s weakening, sir!’ called Benton above the din.
The Brigadier nodded. Half a dozen troops were wrestling with the villagers in hand-to-hand combat. He turned to Yates who was once again crouched at his side. ‘Any luck?’
Yates shrugged. ‘I’m not sure, sir. There’s no way of telling… ah!’
The R/T set gave a positive-sounding squeal and Yates thrust it into the Brigadier’s hand.
‘Hello, Spitfire. Hello Spitfire. Are you receiving me? Over.’
The radio crackled.
The Brigadier clicked again. ‘This is Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Is that you up there, Alec?’
The Spitfire roared over the aerodrome.
Inside the cockpit, Alec Whistler suddenly felt forty years younger. He peered through the glass at the terrifying but beautiful column of blue fire which lit up the heavens. He could see it stretching away through the clouds, seemingly into infinity, like a vast tornado frozen to the spot. Then he saw the monstrous, wounded worm thrashing about in the ruins of the hangar buildings. He thrust the joystick down and prepared to make another pass, then raised the radio receiver to his masked face.
‘Alistair! What a lovely surprise. Can I be of assistance? You look like you’ve got your hands full. Over.’
The ancient device hissed and the Brigadier’s delighted voice came through.
‘Don’t worry about us, Alec. I’ve got some very specific instructions. Now listen very carefully. Over.’
The Master was pointing his sleek, black pistol, hastily retrieved after the Doctor’s attack, at Bliss. She seemed in the grip of a convulsion, her flabby white skin rippling and puckering.
‘Even if you kill me now, the Gaderene will destroy you, Time Lord.’ Her face juddered and a whole section fell away, revealing a gaping, mandible-stuffed maw.
The Master considered what she had said. He glanced ov
er at the row of gurneys and then up at the terrible creatures taking shape within the column if light.
‘Your weapon cannot affect the encoders,’ chittered Bliss. ‘You know that.’
‘And what if I simply destroy your… swine?’ said the Master simply. ‘Then where will your precious race take shelter? You won’t get far trying to take over the world if you’re stranded on the runway of an East Anglian aerodrome.’
He smiled and swung the weapon round to cover the recumbent form of Charles Cochrane. The Secretary of Defence slept soundly, unaware that death was poised to claim him.
With a screeching howl, Bliss threw herself bodily at the Master, knocking him to the ground. His weapon rolled out of sight without firing a single blast.
The alien’s bulk was immense and the Master struggled to get his breath as it straddled him. He put both fists together and smashed them into its chest. Bliss howled and slumped slightly, clothes and flesh falling away to reveal more and more of the vile creature beneath. A segmented tail burst from what had been one of Bliss’s legs and wrapped itself around the Master’s throat.
Gasping, he rolled on to his side and slapped his gloved hand on the grass, desperately trying to locate his weapon. Bliss’s tail tightened, scale sliding over scale. The Master retched and hammered his fists against the unyielding flesh. The alien reared over him, the last vestiges of Bliss falling in disgusting clumps from its massive, locust-like head. Now the great dark eyes were fully revealed, gazing down with terrible malice at the prone Time Lord.
A rapid staccato of gunfire bit into the parched soil. Grass and dry mud flew into the air as the Spitfire rained down bullets, aiming for the column of light.
Again and again they came, stabbing at the earth. Then bullets hit scaly flesh and dark fluid pumped into the soil.
Wisps of smoke filled the air. The Bliss creature opened its mouth and howled in agony.
The Doctor stood some distance away from the column of light with hands on hips. He shook his head. ‘It’s no good, Jo,’ he said at last. ‘Whistler’s not even touching the encoders. I have to go in myself.’
Jo shook her head violently. ‘But you heard what Bliss said! Anyone who goes in there will be killed. It’s suicide!’
The Doctor detached himself from her grip and squeezed her hand affectionately. ‘Nevertheless,’ he said quietly.
He raised a hand and touched her cheek. Then he turned on his heel and walked swiftly towards the column.
Jo’s whole frame sagged. Noah crawled forward and put his arms around her. She closed her eyes. At last, she took the R/T set from her bag and made contact with the Brigadier.
‘You can call off the Spitfire,’ she said flatly. ‘The Doctor’s going in alone.’
‘What?’ came the Brigadier’s reply. ‘Say again.’
Jo let the radio fall to the ground.
The Doctor stood as close as he dared to the boiling, twisting column of light. The twelve elders were almost formed now, standing as though behind a shimmering curtain, just waiting for the moment to break through. They fluttered and jerked like an old film, shadowy impressions of the creatures’ full forms. They moved in and out of focus, testing the waterfall of light with their claws.
The Doctor looked for a moment into their pitiless black eyes and then over at their intended homes, the people lying prone on the black couches only feet away.
The nearest encoder was visible, thrust into the ground about five yards away from him. He could try and reach through the curtain of light, of course, and only risk destroying part of his body, but he had to be sure. He had to uproot the encoder and send the Gaderene streaming back into space and inevitable destruction. It gave him no pleasure to contemplate this. They were merely striving to survive. But he could not allow them to destroy humanity.
The Doctor took a deep breath, gathered himself and stepped forward.
With a bellowing scream, the Bliss creature was on him, sending them both flying backwards. He gasped, winded, and tasted earth in his mouth. He tried to turn over but the massive, wounded beast was holding him flat, mandibles chittering, fathomless eyes dilating with evil intent.
The Doctor managed to chop at its neck and the alien croaked throatily, spewing its saliva on to his chest. Managing to raise one leg, he kicked blindly at it and sent it rolling head over tail.
Jumping to his feet, the Doctor made straight for the column.
The Bliss creature’s tail coiled around his ankles like a snake and dragged him to the ground. He fell heavily, his face connecting with the iron-hard soil. With lightning speed, the tail was around his throat, crushing the life out of him.
The Doctor gasped for air, eyes bulging.
He tried to get his fingers between the scales on the monster’s skin, to find any vulnerable spot. But there was nothing. He felt the alien’s spiny claws bite into his clothes as it grasped him in a deadly bear hug.
He tried to crawl forward. He had to make it into the column. He had to remove the encoder and destroy the Gaderene. Had to. If it was the last thing he did…
A dark figure suddenly swam into view. The Doctor tried to focus on it, but consciousness was leaving him as the alien throttled him to death. He was vaguely aware that the figure was raising its arm…
Then there came a sharp, electric crackle and suddenly the Doctor could breathe again.
He sank to the ground, dragging breath after ragged breath, and finally managed to look over his shoulder.
The Bliss creature was shrinking before his eyes, scales impacting upon one another, the lethal tail winding itself up like a spring, the mandibles crushing themselves, the black, black eyes popping like over-ripe fruit. The creature’s roar diminished into a pitiful squeal as it grew smaller and smaller and smaller and finally lay still.
The Doctor rubbed his eyes, scarcely able to believe what had happened.
The Master stood before him, his black weapon in his hand. ‘I could hardly deny myself the pleasure of killing you myself, Doctor.’
He grinned and raised the weapon.
Whistler banked the Spitfire to the left, peering through the cockpit hood at the scene below. A white-haired man was lying prone on the grass, a figure in black pointing some kind of gun at him.
The man in black was obviously one of Bliss’s mob. His jaw setting grimly, Whistler powered the plane forward, his finger hovering over the machine-gun control.
The Doctor heard the bullets hit the ground before he saw them. Two smashed into the parched soil, scoring a direct hit on the ring of encoders. With a loud crack, one of the keys came loose, like a rotten tooth.
More of the deadly bullets smashed to earth and suddenly, with an agonised cry, the Master pitched forward on one knee. He toppled backwards and the weapon rolled from his gloved hand.
The column of light flickered uncertainly. The Doctor could see the adult Gaderene shuffling perplexedly, their claws tearing at the blue light.
In an instant, he was at the Master’s side. Blood was pouring from the Time Lord’s hand.
‘Don’t try to move,’ said the Doctor gently.
The Master shook his head. ‘It’s no good. It’s finished.’
The Doctor threw a quick glance at the Gaderene. They seemed impatient to be free, writhing and pushing through the column of light. The loose key rocked in its socket.
‘I should have listened to you,’ said the Master softly.
The Doctor nodded. ‘You could never have controlled them.’
The Master managed a small shake of his head. ‘No. I mean… I mean I should have listened to you years ago…’ He succeeded in smiling, then coughed. ‘I liked this body,’ he said at last. ‘It had style.’
The Doctor stared down at him, then over at the column. The Gaderene had still to be stopped. His work wasn’t over.
The Master suddenly sprang to his feet.
Taken by surprise, the Doctor fell sideways. He clutched at the Master’s tunic but his old enemy pushed h
im back.
‘Dear Doctor,’ he laughed. ‘I was always better at play-acting than you!’
He stepped into the blue incandescence.
The Doctor watched helplessly but it seemed that without the ninth key in its proper order, the dazzling column was safe to enter, just as it had been when Bliss inserted the key some time before.
The Master pushed through the half-formed Gaderene creatures towards the loose key. In moments he would reinsert it, step out and the invasion would be complete. The Doctor had no choice but to enter the blazing light. He moved swiftly forward, his cloak streaming behind him.
Whistler listened to the Brigadier’s voice on his radio. He was deep in conversation with a young girl named Jo. She was very upset. It seemed this Doctor fella was about to throw his life away by trying to remove Whistler’s good-luck charm. There was no other way to stop this invasion. The Wing Commander still had no idea why the jade-coloured thing was so important to Bliss and her cronies but important it obviously was.
As he flew, Whistler managed to open the little lead tin that sat next to him. The dog-eared, white-bordered picture of his one-time love looked up at him, her smile still as vivid to him as on the last day he saw her. He touched the picture with his left hand and then set his jaw determinedly. He had one last mission. One last chance for revenge.
The Master fell to his knees, put his uninjured hand around the ninth key and struggled to ram it back into its proper place.
He was genuinely shocked when the Doctor grabbed his shoulder, span him round and punched him to the ground. Kicking out savagely, the Master caught the Doctor on his shins and brought him slamming down on to the earth. For a long moment, the two men grappled, the flickering blue incandescence boiling around them. The half-formed adult Gaderene and the thousands of embryos swirled over their bodies like wraiths.
The Master reached out a gloved hand towards the ninth key. It was only inches from his fingertips.
The Doctor rammed his hand under the Master’s arm and held onto it in an iron grip. Grunting, the Master slammed his elbow into the Doctor’s side and the Doctor fell back, gasping in pain.
‘You’re too late Doctor!’ screamed the Master triumphantly as his hand closed around the key.
