Doctor Who_ Loving The Alien Part 25

Then all she was aware of was a sudden explosion of noise and pain, instantly extinguished.

Less than an hour later George Limb and a sobbing Jimmy dumped Ace's body, wrapped in a sack, off Blackfriars Bridge in the rain. Late the next day it was washed up at Wapping, taken to a mortuary and labelled Jane Doe.

123.

PART THREE.

Chapter Thirteen.

Police have admitted they are 'baffled' by the body of a mysterious young woman which was discovered yesterday washed up by the young woman which was discovered yesterday washed up by the Thames at Wapping Old Stairs. The woman, whom police have so far Thames at Wapping Old Stairs. The woman, whom police have so far failed to identify, is estimated to be in her late teens or early twenties, failed to identify, is estimated to be in her late teens or early twenties, but who she is remains a mystery. but who she is remains a mystery.

A London River Police spokesman described the woman as aged about eighteen, with long brown hair and 'tomboyish' in appearance. about eighteen, with long brown hair and 'tomboyish' in appearance.

'On first sight we thought it was a young man,' said Inspector Clements. 'She was wearing a short black jacket and American army-style combat trousers and boots.' Clements. 'She was wearing a short black jacket and American army-style combat trousers and boots.'

He went on to describe the gruesome manner of her death.

'She was shot in the face. There was ma.s.sive damage, which has made her unusually difficult to identify. It was a particularly brutal made her unusually difficult to identify. It was a particularly brutal and s.a.d.i.s.tic crime.' and s.a.d.i.s.tic crime.'

He went on to reveal one clue to her ident.i.ty. 'She had a tattoo on her back, and from that we believe she had the unusual name or her back, and from that we believe she had the unusual name or nickname of 'Ace'. That is the name found tattooed on her shoulder, nickname of 'Ace'. That is the name found tattooed on her shoulder, linked by a heart to someone called Jimmy. Attempts to locate this linked by a heart to someone called Jimmy. Attempts to locate this Jimmy have so far failed.' Jimmy have so far failed.'

One theory is that she was a street-walker who picked up the wrong client or offended her overlord. Said Inspector Parks, 'Her body client or offended her overlord. Said Inspector Parks, 'Her body displayed signs of recent s.e.xual activity.' displayed signs of recent s.e.xual activity.'

He appealed for anyone who might know the ident.i.ty of the girl to come forward and come forward and (continues on page 17) Cody McBride kicked angrily at the old newspaper that tangled around his leg. The wind carried it off again. It sailed listlessly among gravestones before disappearing into the dark line of trees beyond. (continues on page 17) Cody McBride kicked angrily at the old newspaper that tangled around his leg. The wind carried it off again. It sailed listlessly among gravestones before disappearing into the dark line of trees beyond.

A thin, sharp skein of sleet blew suddenly against McBride's face, stinging his cuts. He had three broken ribs and a whole mess of bruises and lacerations running the length of his body. He'd been lucky to escape the primate house with his life.

Luckier than Ace.

He had watched in horror from across the caged room as George 125 Limb, that terrible old man, had shot Ace in the head. He'd tried desperately to scramble around the warring, shrieking ape things to reach the bars, shouting himself hoa.r.s.e.

His progress was slow other apes were now beginning to fight.

One leapt over him on a single, huge metallic arm. A metal jaw, vicious with pointed steel teeth, bit into the plate-metal neck of a gorilla, which had what looked like a deep-sea diver's helmet for a head.

He had crawled frantically forward. His shouts were lost in the chaos. Limb didn't even notice him. The old man had shuffled out, instructing a silent, shaking Jimmy to bag the body and wash up the blood.

'Turn out her pockets,' he said. 'I think her ah personal effects will be of more use to me than to the police. And for heaven's sake, turn the primates off. They're not toys, you know!'

By the time McBride reached the bars Jimmy was struggling to get Ace what was left of her into a huge canvas sack.

'You G.o.dd.a.m.n son of a b.i.t.c.h murderer!'

McBride had hammered on the bars.

Jimmy looked pale and rattled. He didn't reply. He'd started to shove at Ace's body.

'She was a G.o.dd.a.m.n kid! Look at her!'

Jimmy knotted the top of the sack roughly.

'You shuddup!' he suddenly yelled. 'You don't know zip! You don't know what she done!'

'You been listening to George Limb? He'd sell his own mother down the river! Probably did!'

'I owe George my life!' Jimmy snarled.

'So you helped him kill a girl!'

'You just shut your mouth!' Jimmy shouted. He swung towards the wall-mounted controls and twisted. With a triumphant leer he started backing away from the bars, watching expectantly.

The roof above McBride exploded in cascading light. Sparks drenched him.

Screams of rage and pain filled the stone room. The creatures started thras.h.i.+ng wildly, tearing and biting at themselves and each other.

Something huge hurled itself against the bars. McBride stumbled away once more.

Where to go? The whole cage was dancing with pain. He dodged and ducked wildly there was nowhere.

Then it happened. Something careered into his chest, knocking him off his feet, and landed hard on top of him. It writhed and buckled, a 126 huge arm jointed metal plates, trapped beneath the thing's bulk sc.r.a.ped and twisted, cras.h.i.+ng into McBride's chest as he tried to roll out from beneath the monster. He staggered to his feet, his chest crumpling with blinding pain. The other arm sailed through the air like a windmill blade, gas.h.i.+ng him from head to foot, sending him to the floor once more.

He felt himself blacking out. Breathing was difficult and agonising.

He had to stay awake or he was dead. He heard the trundle of metal tracks on stone - the twin-headed abomination on caterpillar tracks was rolling slowly, blindly towards him. The heads were shrieking and biting at each other. One had lost an eye, the other was bleeding heavily from a livid gash in its skull.

Gritting his teeth, he rolled out of its path.

The room swam. This was it...

The creatures seemed to be moving in slow-motion now.

No, they were slowing. They were stopping.

The ceiling was growing dim and suddenly the place was flooded with electric light. A tutting George Limb was picking his way among the half-slumbering monstrosities.

'Jimmy...' he hissed with exasperation.

McBride had lain motionless and watched as Limb worked his way to the far side of the room.

The cage door was open...

Agonisingly McBride began to drag himself towards it, hoping the noise and slow twitching of the dying ape-machines would conceal his movement.

He had to speed up the old man was coming back. He was carrying a mop and bucket.

'If you want a job done properly...' Limb muttered.

McBride's hand closed gladly on a metal bar. He dragged himself forward and crawled through into the corridor.

He was crawling through Ace's blood...

Horrified beyond pain, he had lurched to his feet and run from the h.e.l.lish dungeon into the sunlight.

'Even in the midst of life, we are in death...'

McBride had heard the spiel often in the past. It went with the job.

But this was indescribably worse. He'd been there. He should have saved her. The Doc had trusted him...

He'd managed somehow to get himself to a hospital lucky not to have punctured a lung then had discharged himself prematurely and gone straight to the cops. They'd checked out the zoo, then had 127 suddenly gone quiet. Polite, regretful, blank in response to McBride's enquiries. McBride knew when he was being stonewalled. It was the Cyber thing all over again. A cover-up.

Then the body had turned up. That had caught them on the hop it made a bit of a splash in the papers before they could squash it.

There couldn't even have been an autopsy. It was all too quick. They just wanted the whole thing out of the way.

Dead and buried. McBride almost laughed.

He'd tried unsuccessfully to find Rita he was going to raise a holy stink about this. That was when the Doctor had appeared, silently, like a ghost, pale and drawn, old-looking, and told him no.

That was all he'd said: no. He'd told him when the funeral was, then left, and McBride hadn't seen him until just now when he'd turned up at the graveside.

He looked at the strange little man. He seemed even smaller.

Shrunken by his loss...

He hadn't yet met McBride's eyes.

The vicar finished his recitation and leaned towards McBride and the Doctor.

'Would you like to throw the earth now?'

They each had a handful of earth. Solemnly they let it fall, first the Doctor, then McBride. The earth rattled hollowly off the lid of the coffin.

Apart from the two of them, the vicar and some professional bearers, there was no one else around the sad little grave, though a policeman lurked some distance away beneath the trees.

'Thank you, gentlemen,' the vicar said. 'My deepest condolences. I shall leave you alone now.'

'Thank you,' the Doctor croaked.

The vicar smiled sympathetically and shuffled off.

'I'm sorry, Doc. I failed,' McBride said.

'The fault is mine, Cody,' the little man said in a quiet, hollow voice.

'I did a terrible thing bringing her here. I found her body, you see. In the future. I found out the point in time where it was to happen and brought her back here. I didn't want this hanging over her... or me. I was sure I could prevent it.'

He shook his head slowly. The pair began to walk from the lonely graveside.

'Did you know there are laws of time?' the Doctor asked.

'Yeah?' McBride could barely follow all this.

'And I broke them. I came here with prior knowledge of future events, intending to change things, and in doing so I've helped make 128 them happen. Time won't be tricked, Cody.'

'It was George Limb, Doc!'

'I know.'

'I saw him do it - I couldn't stop him. He had this big flunky sounds mad, but I'd swear it was James Dean...' McBride shrugged. '...

and he '

'James Dean?' the Doctor interrupted, suddenly sharp-sounding.

'The movie star. He was killed in a car crash back in '55. This guy was a dead ringer for him. Tough, too'

McBride's hand rested lightly on his bandaged ribs.

The Doctor stopped walking.

'This situation gets worse by the minute, Cody. I half feared as much.'

'What?'

'James Dean. It appears I'm not the only one who's been messing around with time.'

129.

Chapter fourteen.

'What in the name of Jesus has been going on here?'

General Crawhammer sucked furiously on the fat stump of a cigar.