Read Online Death of the Doctor by Gary Russell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Gary Russell
Ads: Link
children are irrelevant.’
Karim sighed at their lack of imagination. ‘Not to the Doctor, they’re not,’ she said, slowly, hoping that spelled it out to the Shansheeth. ‘Wherever he is, he’ll be planning something. So we need to divert his attention.’
And she ran her finger up the device, increasing the heating in the ducting walls…and then smiled as three new dots appeared suddenly on the screen. ‘Gotcha,’ she said.
In the bedroom allocated to Sarah Jane, where they had been standing before being zapped off to that alien planet, the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Jo Jones had popped back into existence in a blue flash.
‘They’re not here,’ said Sarah Jane, meaning the teens.
‘Help!’ came a voice.
‘That’s Rani!’
The Doctor whirled around the room, taking it all in properly for the first time and then his eyes settled on the ventilation grille lying on the floor where the Groske had, unknown to the Doctor, shoved it earlier.
‘Ventilation shafts,’ he said delightedly. ‘That takes me back. Or forwards.’ And he kneeled down and crawled in. ‘Hold on!’ he yelled. ‘We’re coming!’
‘Doctor!’ That was Clyde. ‘We’re getting roasted!’
The Doctor touched the walls. Warm. ‘Must be hotter further on,’ he said to Sarah Jane and Jo behind him, without turning around. Because he couldn’t.
But there was no reply.
‘Sarah Jane?’
Nothing.
‘Jo?’
Nothing.
Which meant they were in trouble – probably that UNIT Colonel and her Shansheeth friends.
But who to help? His old friends or the teenagers trapped in a rapidly heating-up shaft?
It was getting hotter where he was too. But why weren’t Clyde and the others coming towards him?
He noticed slits in the walls. ‘Shutters. In case of fire. Gaaah!’
Decision made – he had to get to the youngsters who were almost certainly trapped behind a shutter.
Clever Colonel Wotsername, she knew how to press his buttons!
He scurried forwards as quickly as he could, hands and knees, feeling the increasing heat as he got closer to the calling voices.
‘Clyde? Rani? Jo’s grandson whose name I never got?’ he yelled.
‘Doctor!’
He turned a sharp left and ahead was a closed hatchway.
No sonic screwdriver, and Sarah Jane still had her lipstick with her.
‘Brute force it is then,’ he muttered, and pushed his palms against the heated panel. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the panel, and with one mighty shove, it lifted a fraction.
Clyde’s fingers immediately appeared underneath, followed by a series of complaints about how hot it was.
Adding both their strengths, the panel didn’t stand a chance and it lifted and returned to its slot in the wall.
The Doctor found himself face to face with Clyde.
‘Blimey,’ Clyde said. ‘You really have changed your face. Couldn’t see before, what with all the body-swapping and stuff.’
‘Good to see you,’ the Doctor grinned.
‘Oi!’ yelled Rani. ‘Still cooking back here!’
‘And where’s my Gran?’ came another voice.
‘Right, yes, sorry,’ the Doctor stammered. ‘She’s in danger.’ Actually, that probably wasn’t a wise thing to say, he chastised himself silently. ‘So, we’d better…oh, can’t turn round.’
‘You have to sort of shuffle backwards,’ Clyde pointed behind the Doctor.
So the Doctor did, as fast as he could.
Clyde moved forward, face to face with the Doctor. ‘Even your eyes are different,’ he said as they scurried. ‘Weird. I thought the eyes would stay the same. Can you change colour? Or are you always white?’
‘I can be anything,’ the Doctor said, slightly breathlessly. Going backwards at speed wasn’t that easy.
‘And is there a limit?’
‘Limit?’
‘Yeah; how many times can you change?’
‘Five hundred and seven,’ the Doctor said, feeling his feet in the larger space of the bedroom now. He popped out and quickly all but dragged Clyde, then Rani, then Jo’s grandson,
Karim sighed at their lack of imagination. ‘Not to the Doctor, they’re not,’ she said, slowly, hoping that spelled it out to the Shansheeth. ‘Wherever he is, he’ll be planning something. So we need to divert his attention.’
And she ran her finger up the device, increasing the heating in the ducting walls…and then smiled as three new dots appeared suddenly on the screen. ‘Gotcha,’ she said.
In the bedroom allocated to Sarah Jane, where they had been standing before being zapped off to that alien planet, the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Jo Jones had popped back into existence in a blue flash.
‘They’re not here,’ said Sarah Jane, meaning the teens.
‘Help!’ came a voice.
‘That’s Rani!’
The Doctor whirled around the room, taking it all in properly for the first time and then his eyes settled on the ventilation grille lying on the floor where the Groske had, unknown to the Doctor, shoved it earlier.
‘Ventilation shafts,’ he said delightedly. ‘That takes me back. Or forwards.’ And he kneeled down and crawled in. ‘Hold on!’ he yelled. ‘We’re coming!’
‘Doctor!’ That was Clyde. ‘We’re getting roasted!’
The Doctor touched the walls. Warm. ‘Must be hotter further on,’ he said to Sarah Jane and Jo behind him, without turning around. Because he couldn’t.
But there was no reply.
‘Sarah Jane?’
Nothing.
‘Jo?’
Nothing.
Which meant they were in trouble – probably that UNIT Colonel and her Shansheeth friends.
But who to help? His old friends or the teenagers trapped in a rapidly heating-up shaft?
It was getting hotter where he was too. But why weren’t Clyde and the others coming towards him?
He noticed slits in the walls. ‘Shutters. In case of fire. Gaaah!’
Decision made – he had to get to the youngsters who were almost certainly trapped behind a shutter.
Clever Colonel Wotsername, she knew how to press his buttons!
He scurried forwards as quickly as he could, hands and knees, feeling the increasing heat as he got closer to the calling voices.
‘Clyde? Rani? Jo’s grandson whose name I never got?’ he yelled.
‘Doctor!’
He turned a sharp left and ahead was a closed hatchway.
No sonic screwdriver, and Sarah Jane still had her lipstick with her.
‘Brute force it is then,’ he muttered, and pushed his palms against the heated panel. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the panel, and with one mighty shove, it lifted a fraction.
Clyde’s fingers immediately appeared underneath, followed by a series of complaints about how hot it was.
Adding both their strengths, the panel didn’t stand a chance and it lifted and returned to its slot in the wall.
The Doctor found himself face to face with Clyde.
‘Blimey,’ Clyde said. ‘You really have changed your face. Couldn’t see before, what with all the body-swapping and stuff.’
‘Good to see you,’ the Doctor grinned.
‘Oi!’ yelled Rani. ‘Still cooking back here!’
‘And where’s my Gran?’ came another voice.
‘Right, yes, sorry,’ the Doctor stammered. ‘She’s in danger.’ Actually, that probably wasn’t a wise thing to say, he chastised himself silently. ‘So, we’d better…oh, can’t turn round.’
‘You have to sort of shuffle backwards,’ Clyde pointed behind the Doctor.
So the Doctor did, as fast as he could.
Clyde moved forward, face to face with the Doctor. ‘Even your eyes are different,’ he said as they scurried. ‘Weird. I thought the eyes would stay the same. Can you change colour? Or are you always white?’
‘I can be anything,’ the Doctor said, slightly breathlessly. Going backwards at speed wasn’t that easy.
‘And is there a limit?’
‘Limit?’
‘Yeah; how many times can you change?’
‘Five hundred and seven,’ the Doctor said, feeling his feet in the larger space of the bedroom now. He popped out and quickly all but dragged Clyde, then Rani, then Jo’s grandson,
Similar Books
