main elevator shaft and summoned the lift. As they waited, the Doctor stared up at the indicator and suddenly shivered.
'What's wrong?' asked Jamie.
'Just my little phobia about lifts,' the Doctor shrugged, grinning wanly at Packer. Then he turned to Jamie and swivelled his eyes and contorted his eyebrows in a brief pantomime of signals.
After a baffled pause Jamie nodded furiously. 'Och aye, Doctor... Yer wee phobia?' he murmured sympathetically.
As the lift arrived and the doors slid open the Doctor suddenly turned to Packer and gave a hopeless shrug. 'It's no good Mr Packer, I can't bear to let Zoe suffer,' he admitted. 'I'd better tell you what you want to know.'
Packer's bloodless mouth compressed with suspicion and he raised his gun. 'You're willing to talk?' he demanded, sensing his opportunity to redeem himself in Vaughn's estimation.
The Doctor nodded, nudging Jamie to enter the lift. 'Actually I'd rather tell you everything...' he continued, frantically gesturing to Jamie behind his back. 'I find Mr Vaughn rather...' The Doctor stared deliberately over Packer's shoulder. 'Too late. Here he comes now,'
he muttered, hacking into the lift as Packer turned to look down the empty corridor.
Meanwhile Jamie had pressed a button and the doors started to close before Packer could turn hack to them. The Doctor just managed to wriggle between the doors in time. They snapped together and the lift began to ascend.
'Quick, give me your dirk,' he cried.
Jamie reached into his sock and drew out a short, wicked-looking dagger. Snatching it eagerly the Doctor prised the faceplate off the control panel and yanked out a handful of wires.
'What are ye doing?' Jamie gasped in alarm.
The Doctor gave the bundle of wires a sharp tug. 'We shall either stop or crash back down the shaft,' he announced impassively.
Jamie glanced at the floor indicator. 'But we're six floors up!'
he shrieked.
'Then hold tight,' muttered the Doctor, tugging again.
There was a short burst of sparks and a few wisps of black smoke from the panel and the lift whined to a halt. They held their breaths. Suddenly there was a scream of distant gears and the lift dropped several metres before jerking to a stop again.
White-faced and sweating they picked themselves up off the floor. Jamie gazed in disbelief as the Doctor gingerly bounced up and down a few times. To their relief the lift stayed put.
The Doctor grinned. 'It was a fifty-fifty chance, Jamie, but we're safe,' he said smugly.
'We're not. We're stuck five floors up!' Jamie protested heatedly, snatching back his dirk and shoving it down his sock.
The Doctor smiled patiently. 'Jamie, the lift is stuck, not us,' he retorted, pointing up at the small trapdoor in the ceiling above them.
'Come on, up you go.'
The Doctor touched his toes and Jamie clambered reluctantly onto his back. 'Och, ye're a clever wee chap,' he admitted grudgingly, pushing open the trapdoor.
'Thank you, Jamie,' came the Doctor's muffled response, 'and you're a brave wee chap, so you can go first.'
A few minutes later Jamie had heaved the Doctor up through the hatchway and they crouched on the roof of the lift, gazing apprehensively up the long shaft where the greasy cables disappeared into the darkness.
The Doctor tested the narrow steel ladder clamped to the wall of the shaft. 'It's a long climb, Jamie, but with luck we'll reach the top before they realise what's happened.'
Something scribbled in the thick layer of dust on the lift roof caught his eye. 'Who's Kilroy?' he wondered absently.
Jamie grinned and wiped his finger. 'Och, nobody you'd know.
Come on, Doctor.'
With Jamie leading the way they started to climb the vertical ladder, their laboured efforts causing eerie echoes in the tall dark shaft.
'Doctor, what happens if... if they get the lift working again before... we reach the top?' panted Jamie after a while.
The Doctor grunted breathlessly. 'Quite simple, Jamie. We get squashed...'
Jamie
'What's wrong?' asked Jamie.
'Just my little phobia about lifts,' the Doctor shrugged, grinning wanly at Packer. Then he turned to Jamie and swivelled his eyes and contorted his eyebrows in a brief pantomime of signals.
After a baffled pause Jamie nodded furiously. 'Och aye, Doctor... Yer wee phobia?' he murmured sympathetically.
As the lift arrived and the doors slid open the Doctor suddenly turned to Packer and gave a hopeless shrug. 'It's no good Mr Packer, I can't bear to let Zoe suffer,' he admitted. 'I'd better tell you what you want to know.'
Packer's bloodless mouth compressed with suspicion and he raised his gun. 'You're willing to talk?' he demanded, sensing his opportunity to redeem himself in Vaughn's estimation.
The Doctor nodded, nudging Jamie to enter the lift. 'Actually I'd rather tell you everything...' he continued, frantically gesturing to Jamie behind his back. 'I find Mr Vaughn rather...' The Doctor stared deliberately over Packer's shoulder. 'Too late. Here he comes now,'
he muttered, hacking into the lift as Packer turned to look down the empty corridor.
Meanwhile Jamie had pressed a button and the doors started to close before Packer could turn hack to them. The Doctor just managed to wriggle between the doors in time. They snapped together and the lift began to ascend.
'Quick, give me your dirk,' he cried.
Jamie reached into his sock and drew out a short, wicked-looking dagger. Snatching it eagerly the Doctor prised the faceplate off the control panel and yanked out a handful of wires.
'What are ye doing?' Jamie gasped in alarm.
The Doctor gave the bundle of wires a sharp tug. 'We shall either stop or crash back down the shaft,' he announced impassively.
Jamie glanced at the floor indicator. 'But we're six floors up!'
he shrieked.
'Then hold tight,' muttered the Doctor, tugging again.
There was a short burst of sparks and a few wisps of black smoke from the panel and the lift whined to a halt. They held their breaths. Suddenly there was a scream of distant gears and the lift dropped several metres before jerking to a stop again.
White-faced and sweating they picked themselves up off the floor. Jamie gazed in disbelief as the Doctor gingerly bounced up and down a few times. To their relief the lift stayed put.
The Doctor grinned. 'It was a fifty-fifty chance, Jamie, but we're safe,' he said smugly.
'We're not. We're stuck five floors up!' Jamie protested heatedly, snatching back his dirk and shoving it down his sock.
The Doctor smiled patiently. 'Jamie, the lift is stuck, not us,' he retorted, pointing up at the small trapdoor in the ceiling above them.
'Come on, up you go.'
The Doctor touched his toes and Jamie clambered reluctantly onto his back. 'Och, ye're a clever wee chap,' he admitted grudgingly, pushing open the trapdoor.
'Thank you, Jamie,' came the Doctor's muffled response, 'and you're a brave wee chap, so you can go first.'
A few minutes later Jamie had heaved the Doctor up through the hatchway and they crouched on the roof of the lift, gazing apprehensively up the long shaft where the greasy cables disappeared into the darkness.
The Doctor tested the narrow steel ladder clamped to the wall of the shaft. 'It's a long climb, Jamie, but with luck we'll reach the top before they realise what's happened.'
Something scribbled in the thick layer of dust on the lift roof caught his eye. 'Who's Kilroy?' he wondered absently.
Jamie grinned and wiped his finger. 'Och, nobody you'd know.
Come on, Doctor.'
With Jamie leading the way they started to climb the vertical ladder, their laboured efforts causing eerie echoes in the tall dark shaft.
'Doctor, what happens if... if they get the lift working again before... we reach the top?' panted Jamie after a while.
The Doctor grunted breathlessly. 'Quite simple, Jamie. We get squashed...'
Jamie
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