by Doctor Who
Having caught her breath, Rose turned to follow Vahlen. Then paused. Movement – out of the corner of her eye as she turned she 136
had seen movement. From the other side of the fire. Not the blue glow of the advancing creatures, but a dark silhouette moving quickly to escape a thrashing, burning tentacle. Rose leaned as close as she could to the fire.
Was there someone there – trapped on the other side? If there was, she could do nothing for them. She peered through the smoke and flames, struggling to make sense of the shapes and movement on the other side. . .
The phone was ringing again. It had to be Rose. The Doctor snatched it up. ‘Yeah?’
Minin was struggling with the door. He could just get his hand through the gap, but he couldn’t open it any Further.
Rose was shouting in the Doctor’s ear. Telling him the creatures were almost there. That Jack was on the other side of the fire and they had to help him. That time was running out. What she was going to do.
The Doctor did not reply. He hung up the phone. ‘See you,’ he said quietly. ‘Good luck.’ Then he was back at the door, shouting to Minin.
‘You’ve got to stop him. Those creatures are nearly here. Get the door open and stop him!’
But the door wasn’t moving. Minin stared back at the Doctor, face gaunt – haunted, hollow-eyed – as he slipped off his jacket and pushed up his sleeves. He held the gun in his left hand – so he could squeeze it through the gap between the door and the frame, could reach round to aim at Georgi sitting silent and still in the cage.
On Minin’s forearm was tattooed a snarling wolf. Despite being muffled by the thick glass, the sound of the shot echoed round the room.
This was it. Jack had wrapped himself round the girl, protecting her as best he could, though he wasn’t sure why he was bothering. At least she would feel nothing as the creatures grabbed her and drew out what was left of her life.
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A tentacle clawed at Jack’s arm, wrapping round, heaving him away from the girl. He hung on, pulling her with him. ‘We’ll go together,’
he said, teeth gritted. He felt woozy, tired, as if he’d not slept for a month. . .
A triumphant roar – like a massive engine straining in too low a gear. He looked up, expecting to see the creature bearing down on him.
Instead it was knocked away, the tentacle ripped from Jack’s arm, and suddenly he was awake and alert – and watching the massive digger that smashed into the creature and set it tumbling backwards.
The huge wheels were on fire, rubber tyres showering sparks as they turned.
It reversed, back towards Jack and Valeria. The figure in the cab was waving and shouting. Rose.
He couldn’t hear her, but he didn’t need to. There was only one thing to do. The creatures were advancing again – gathering themselves as if to leap forwards.
Jack heaved the girl into his arms and stumbled to the digger. He collapsed with her into the metal scoop at the front. There was a hiss and he could smell his clothes singe. Wisps of grey smoke were curling upwards and the heat was soaking through from the hot metal and into him. He almost cried out with the pain, gritting his teeth. Valeria was a dead weight on top of him. He had to keep her from getting burned – she wouldn’t feel it, wouldn’t know to pull away from the hot surfaces.
The engine roared again and Jack was being lifted. The scoop was rising slowly up into the air. Flames danced round them, but thin and pale. From the top of the fire as Rose drove back through.
Then there was a loud explosion and the world lurched to one side.
A tyre, he realised – blown out by the heat. The digger lurched forwards. Stopped. Lurched again. Slowly the scoop was lowering and Rose’s smoke-stained face was waiting, looking down at him as Jack rolled out onto the mercifully cold ground. Valeria lay beside him, staring impassively up at the smoky sky.
‘Hot date?’ Rose said.
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‘Too hot,’ he told her. ‘Even for me.’ He pulled himself to his feet and dusted down his ruined coat. ‘Hey,’ he said. ‘Thanks.’
Minin could not easily reach round far enough to fire at Georgi. He hoped the shot would wake the man, break his concentration.
It didn’t.
He struggled to force more of his arm through, to be able to angle it so he could shoot the man. Shoot him. Had it come to that – shooting an old man? Would just wounding him be enough? Could he do it?
From the other side of the glass, the Doctor was shouting. But Minin could not make out the words. All he could hear was the blood rushing in his ears. All he could see was Chedakin’s laughing face. He blinked it away, aimed as best he could.
Fired.
The shot missed again. Georgi did not move. There was another noise now, not just the rushing of blood – a hissing. Like escaping gas.
Gas.
And Minin could see the dark puncture mark in the canister behind Georgi. A thick red mist was seeping out. A cloud of scarlet gathering in the air, rolling lazily across the room.
Last chance. He shot again, unthinking, unfeeling. The cloud was engulfing Georgi now. The old man slumped forwards. Minin heard the crash of his body hitting the floor. He ripped his arm back through the gap. Punched at the keypad. ‘Close, damn you – close!’
The door didn’t move.
The red mist was spreading slowly across the room towards him. . .
‘He’s killed Georgi,’ Vahlen said. His voice was flat – shocked out of any inflection.
‘He didn’t mean to,’ the Doctor said gently. ‘He was trying to warn him, or just wound him. Now get Minin out of there before he dies too.’
‘What is it?’ Vahlen pointed to the red mist.
‘Deadly. Can you get the door open? Get him out?’
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Vahlen examined the fused keypad. Minin’s face was close to his, through the glass. Eyes wide with fear.
‘Probably.’
But Vahlen made no effort to do it.
‘He betrayed
Chedakin,’ he said quietly. ‘Betrayed my friend. He deserves to die.’
‘No one deserves to die.’
‘What about Georgi?’
‘He didn’t deserve it either. But there was no other way.
‘And Chedakin?’
The Doctor hauled Vahlen to his feet. His dark eyes stared into the man’s very soul. ‘You still don’t get it, do you? You saw the file in his office. You still think that Minin drove your innocent friend to suicide?’
‘What else?’
The red mist was halfway across the room. Minin was hammering on the door.
‘There was a party agent working undercover, sending back information. Damning you all.’
‘Minin.’
‘No!’
‘Then he worked for Minin.’
‘You saw the memos. Minin didn’t even know he was here. And when he found out. . . ’
And Vahlen did see it then. ‘Chedakin? But he was my friend.’
‘He would have betrayed you all,’ the Doctor said. ‘That’s why Minin shot him. Back of the head. An unlikely suicide. More of an execution.’
‘I thought he was my friend,’ Vahlen said weakly.
‘Then hurry up and save the man who never told you different.’ The Doctor lifted up the tool box, holding it open for Vahlen. ‘Do it.’
The troops were retreating into the base. Pretty soon the creatures would be there, and Levin knew his men would be trapped between creatures and fire. Their only chance was to get inside and try to defend the concrete building.
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Rose and Jack were with them. Jack was carrying Valeria in his arms, stumbling across the compound.
Once inside, Rose led Jack and Valeria to the Doctor. Levin and his men immediately started to barricade the doors and block off the windows. Krylek had gone to get the civilians to help.
The Doctor was in the corridor, with a sullen-looking Vahlen. Alex Minin stumbled after them. He loo
ked pale and frightened and was clutching a handkerchief to his mouth as if he was afraid he was going to be sick.
‘They’re almost here,’ Rose said.
‘Levin’s barricading us in, so I hope you’ve got a plan,’ Jack added.
Beside him, Valeria stood staring blankly forwards.
‘Is she all right?’ Minin asked hesitantly.
‘No,’ Jack told him.
‘But the rest of us will be,’ the Doctor said. He was smiling. ‘It’s risky, but we’ll have to try to shut the ship down. At least we know now there’s a direct link.’
‘What about Georgi?’ Minin asked.
‘You did the right thing. The only thing. I dunno why he was bringing the creatures here. Maybe he was in with Barinska, cos someone was. But whatever, it’s time to finish this.’
He led the way down the corridor, and Rose realised they were heading back to the storeroom where the tunnel to the ship emerged.
‘But didn’t you say it was dangerous to try to shut down the ship?’
‘Oh, yes. Very.’ He was suddenly serious. ‘While there was another way, I’d never have risked it. But now it’s our only chance. This is Plan B.’
‘And there’s no Plan C,’ Jack said.
‘That’s right.’
The door to the storeroom was still standing open. On the other side of the room, the hidden door was closed, and the Doctor went over to it. ‘You don’t have to come with me,’ he told them all.
‘You might need help,’ Jack said.
‘We’re coming,’ Rose told him.
‘Great.’ He pulled open the door.
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And a huge tentacle hurtled towards him.
The Doctor slammed the door shut again, but it caught on the tentacle, which was forcing its way into the room. The door burst open
– a glowing, blue, glutinous mass filling the frame behind. Forcing its way through into the storeroom.
‘Back!’ Jack shouted, shoving Valeria ahead of him.
The Doctor was last out, slamming the door behind them.
‘That won’t stop it,’ Minin said. He seemed to be shivering.
‘Not for long, no.’
‘So what now?’ Rose said.
The Doctor looked at her, meeting her gaze. ‘Back to the main doors,’ he said. ‘It’s time for Plan C.’
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‘If we’re lucky we can keep them out for a while,’ Levin was saying.
He and Krylek and several of the soldiers were standing by the barricaded main doors. Metal filing cabinets were jammed up against them – most of the barricade was metal, made from things that had been left behind because they wouldn’t burn on the fire.
‘Too late – they’re already inside,’ the Doctor said, running up.
‘Sorry.’
‘So what now?’
‘Working on Plan C,’ Rose told him.
‘Minin’s looking for plans of the building, so let’s get to his office.
Everyone else to the conference room. At least we’ll all be together,’
the Doctor said. ‘Jack’s already assembling all the civilians he can find.
Get your men to help him.’
‘You think there’s another way out, sir?’ Krylek asked.
‘Nope,’ the Doctor told him. ‘I think there may be somewhere to hide.’
The barricade shuddered under a blow from outside. An upended metal desk toppled away and crashed to the floor. Dust showered down from the ceiling.
‘There’s one on the roof,’ Levin said.
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∗ ∗ ∗
In Alex Minin’s office, Boris Brodsky and Catherine Kornilova watched Klebanov arguing with Minin.
‘Those plans are out of date, they’re no help at all,’ the chief scientist was saying.
‘They’re all we have.’
‘They’re from the 1960s, for goodness’ sake!’
‘Children,’ Jack admonished. He had sat Valeria in an upright plastic chair on the other side of the room. He’d left the civilians in the conference room, together with most of the soldiers, but he didn’t trust Valeria’s father to look after her.
The Doctor arrived with Levin and the soldiers. ‘Post guards along the corridors. Let us know as soon as the creatures are in.’
‘That one in the storeroom seems to be staying put for now,’ Jack told them.
‘Waiting for its mates,’ Rose said.
‘Could be,’ the Doctor agreed. ‘Right – what have we here?’
Jack and the other scientists moved aside to let him get to the desk where Minin and Klebanov were arguing about the plans.
‘What are you looking for?’ Minin asked.
Levin joined them. ‘I don’t see a way out,’ he said, scanning the maps.
The Doctor traced his finger round the main corridor. ‘See this? It runs right round the edge of the building. Rooms off either side. This is us, here. That’s your office, Klebanov. That’s the conference room.
Labs. Storerooms.’
‘So?’ Klebanov demanded. ‘It shows us nothing we don’t know.’
‘Maybe not.’ The Doctor jabbed his finger down in the middle of the floor plan. ‘Right here. In the middle. What’s this?’
‘It’s. . . nothing,’ Minin said. ‘There’s nothing marked.’
‘Must be something,’ the Doctor told him.
The other two scientists – Boris Brodsky and Catherine Kornilova –were leaning in to look.
‘I’ve never been there,’ Brodsky said. ‘There’s no way in.’
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‘Nothing to do with the labs,’ Catherine added. ‘Probably just a closed-off area or solid concrete. The building’s in the shape of a square with a courtyard or something, except there’s no way into it.’
Levin was running his finger along the same route the Doctor had traced. ‘Everything’s round the edge. But I’ve seen this place from above, when we arrived in the helicopter. It’s solid. Completely enclosed. The Doctor’s right – there is something there.’ He pointed to a storeroom. ‘This is the access point. A corridor blocked off and turned into a room. Another one here.’
‘So what are you saying?’ Rose wanted to know. ‘Is it just empty space or what?’
‘Might be full of concrete,’ Jack pointed out. ‘Solid.’
‘Nope.’ The Doctor pulled out a plan from underneath the one they were looking at. ‘Wiring, pipes, air conditioning – they all service that area like any other.’
‘You’re wondering why it is blocked off,’ Klebanov said quietly.
‘Yes. But I’m also thinking it’s the best place to defend, because it’s blocked off.’
Klebanov was shaking his head. ‘Go in there,’ he said, ‘and you’re dead.’
The barricade finally collapsed. One of the filing cabinets split open, spilling papers across the floor. The doors were bulging, bursting. A blue wall pulsed and glowed beyond them.
The two soldiers left on guard retreated slowly along the corridor, their rifles levelled even though they knew they were useless against the creature that was now forcing its way inside.
They turned to run. But not quite quickly enough. A tentacle shot across the corridor, swiping one of the soldiers off his feet. His comrade paused, turned, watched as his friend was dragged away – face collapsing and limbs atrophying. He hesitated only for a moment, then he ran.
The Doctor was facing Klebanov. The room was eerily quiet as he asked, ‘Why? What’s in there?’
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‘It was the main lab. Years ago, when this place was first set up. It was sealed off. For good.’
‘Why? What happened?’ Catherine asked.
‘It was in the 1950s. Before my time, but of course I was briefed when I took the assignment here.’
‘Just tell us,’ the Doctor snapped.
‘There was an accident. Containment leak.’
‘Biological?’ Brodsky asked, his voice husky.
Klebanov nodded. ‘They sealed it solid. Standard procedure.’
‘What leaked?’ the Doctor asked.
‘What about the people?’ Catherine said before Klebanov could answer. ‘What happened to them?’
Klebanov’s face was drained of colour. ‘They’re still in there.’
The Doctor put his hand on the scientist’s shoulder, turned the man to face him. ‘I said, what leaked?’
‘Does it matter?’
‘Of course it matters.’
‘He wants to know,’ Jack said, ‘if it’s still dangerous. Because if not
– that’s the best place to defend. To survive. It’s already sealed solid, if we can just get into it.’
‘We can blow the wall here,’ Levin said, pointing to one of the blocked-off storerooms. ‘Yes?’
‘Yes, sir,’ Krylek told him. ‘Probably. Depends how thick it is.’
‘You’re crazy,’ Klebanov said. ‘We could all die the moment you open that chamber.’
‘Yeah.’ Rose told him, ‘the alternative being what exactly?’
‘Die trying to survive,’ the Doctor said. ‘Or just die. We need to draw the remotes in so I can get to the ship. Way’s blocked at the moment. So, any other offers?’
Whatever the answer was, it was drowned out by the shouts from outside. Several soldiers ran in, and one of them hurried over to Levin and talked to him quietly.
As they spoke, Minin opened a drawer of his desk. He glanced up to see if anyone was watching him and caught Jack’s eye. The man 146
hesitated, then pulled a bottle of colourless liquid from the drawer.
He pushed it into his jacket pocket.
‘We’re out of time for debate,’ the colonel announced when he had heard the report. ‘Lieutenant, get the explosives and gather the men.
Bring the civilians. Let’s blow that wall and find out whether this thing’s still dangerous or not.’ He was looking at the Doctor. ‘Agreed?’
‘What are you waiting for?’ the Doctor asked.
There were two storerooms that used to open into the sealed-off main lab. They headed for the one nearest the conference room.
