Doctor Who: Nightshade Part 29

The voice gave a guttural choke, as though willing itself 'All time,' it burbled, ectoplasmic fluid gus.h.i.+ng from the back into life. 'Only ever here. Alone. Cannot rest. Cannot light-blanched mouth. 'Need! Need!'

rest.'

The Doctor leant forward as close as he dared. 'What do The light in Billy's eyes seemed to blaze again for an you need?'

instant.

Billy Coote's body flickered for a moment and then, like a 'Need!' it rustled. 'Need!'

distant image in a heat haze, vanished into the s.h.i.+mmering wall of light.

242.

243.

Ace spotted her rucksack, now a good few feet from what Robin launched himself back through the window and was left of Billy Coote. She scrambled across the room and began to descend the rope.

picked it up, immediately retreating to the window.

Ace cupped the explosives in her hand and turned around.

'We've got to get out, Doctor!'

The Doctor was against the wall, the huge miasma of energy The Doctor glanced at the trap door, which was now floating about him. It was roaring with power now, totally enveloped by the clouds of whispering energy.

beautiful colours like frozen flames rippling within its 'Need!' bellowed the disembodied voice.

nebulous structure.

Ace found a coil of rope in her rucksack and hastily tied 'Need you!' came the chuckling voice.

one end around the nearest beam. It was further from the 'Doctor! Get away from it!' cried Ace in a hoa.r.s.e whisper.

window than she would have liked but it would have to do.

She rolled the globes of nitro-nine-A across the floor.

She ran back to the window and fed the rope down the wall.

'No, Ace!' yelled the Doctor.

It was a good twenty feet short.

The cloud's tendrils retreated a little, slipping around the 'Robin!' cried Ace, pus.h.i.+ng her head through the stone explosives inquisitively.

arch. 'Come on!'

Ace grabbed the hood of the Doctor's coat and dragged 'What do you need?' shouted the Doctor to the air around him towards the window. She found the rope and pulled him.

herself through, abseiling down the face of the tower.

A tendril of energy appeared and stroked his face almost Freezing wind bit at her face and hands. She looked up. The tenderly.

Doctor was just emerging through the window. Looking 'Need you,' gushed the voice. 'Need your life. Warm life!'

down, she saw Robin gazing up at them. He was all right.

'Doctor!' screeched Ace. She tipped up her rucksack. No Ace pushed her feet off the stones and slid down the rope, more rope. Just a small collapsible ladder and... and...

trying to ignore the vicious burning sensation it induced.

Two globes of nitro-nine-A.

The end of the rope came in sight and she jammed her She'd been right then. Thank G.o.d she had foresight.

fingers into the brickwork. Twenty feet to go. Twenty feet.

It was the same formula she'd brewed up in n.a.z.i And that nitro was so unstable...

Germany during their fight with the Timewyrm. Bit of an She looked up anxiously. The Doctor was still too high up.

unstable formula but effective. And that was what they 'Come on, Doctor!'

needed now.

Her voice was blown back at her by the wind.

Robin pulled himself through the window but Ace 'Ace!' Robin cried, holding out his arms to grab her. 'Jump!

immediately shook her head.

You're close enough!'

'No time! Get down the rope!'

She saw that there was only ten or twelve feet to go. Time 'It's too short!' he cried.

to put some of that training into action. She thought of 'Just have to try it, mate,' she said, smiling.

Sergeant Drew Smith and the parachute team he had 244 245.

brought to Perivale Youth Centre one wet bank holiday.

He'd been one of her earliest crushes. This one's for you, Drew, she thought.

Ace threw herself to the ground, rolled expertly and found herself gripped by Robin's hands. He kissed her Chapter Ten gratefully. Then they both looked up at the tower.

The Doctor was reaching the end of the rope. He swung in the wind, trying to get a grip on the loose masonry of the tower wall.

In the attic chamber, the cloud of energy s.h.i.+mmered over the globes of explosive. There was potential energy in there, it knew. Delicious energy. And any moment now...

Trevithick pulled at the banister and leant heavily over it, wheezing and spluttering. He stared into the gloom and The tower roof erupted in flame as the entire attic made out a large red sign on the far wall. Level 8. He was disintegrated. Chunks of stone and roof-slate blasted into almost there now. Just through the door and back down the the air. The whole structure tottered on its foundations.

corridor towards the control room.

The Doctor felt the heat first and a blinding light as he lost There was a sharp pain in his leg and he reached down, his grip on the rope. Then there was terrible empty air wincing as his fingers contacted a vicious cut. The tweed around him and his senses cried out in shock, his stomach material of his trousers hung in shreds.

lurching. He hit the ground with tremendous force.

Trevithick took a deep breath and hauled himself to the Ace and Robin were by him in an instant.

top of the steps. He allowed himself a little smirk of 'Doctor!' Ace wailed, running her fingers over his satisfaction. He'd fought off that creature. Come through it blackened face.

alive. Him! A seventy-year-old man. That was something to The ruined tower crackled with flame behind them and tell his granddaughter, should he ever chance to see her lumps of stone continued to fall. Robin coughed as a blanket again.

of smoke drifted down to ground level.

He pulled open the doors and stumbled as black dots The Doctor lay sprawled on the gra.s.s, deathly still.

crowded his vision. Shaking his head, he advanced down the corridor, leaning against the wall for support. For an instant, everything went black.

No. He'd never fainted in his life. This was no time to start.

Oh but he had, hadn't he? After the window had been smashed.

246.

247.

Don't think about that. Don't...

The Doctor fell back, tears springing to his eyes, and bit He had to tell them what he had seen in the lower floors.

into his lower lip.

It was too important to ignore.

'It's his shoulder,' yelled Robin. 'Look!'

The corridor walls seemed to close in on him.

Ace looked and felt suddenly sick. There was an ugly d.i.c.ky ticker, he thought to himself. No surprise at his age, lump projecting from beneath the sleeve of the Doctor's coat.

and after the strain he'd put himself under...

'Dislocated,' gasped the Doctor, weeping in agony. 'Have With a low moan, Trevithick slid to the floor, unconscious.

to put it back.' He was panting in distress.

'What?' said Ace. 'I can't...'

'Doctor!'

'Do it!' ordered the Doctor. 'Please ... please. Can't stand Ace pulled at the hood of the Doctor's duffel coat in an it...'

attempt to rouse him. Robin put his ear to the Doctor's chest He arched his back and screamed. Robin put his hands on and blinked anxiously. He frowned and moved his ear to the Doctor's right shoulder, eliciting an immediate howl the other side.

from the prostrate Time Lord.

'He's got...'

'I'll hold it,' panted Robin. 'You push it back in.'

'I know,' said Ace quietly. 'Two hearts.'

Ace looked down worriedly.

She knelt down and held the Doctor's hand in hers. His 'Please!' hissed the Doctor between his teeth. 'Quickly!'

face was pale and waxen, little curls of sweat-soaked hair 'Sorry about this, Doctor,' said Ace grimly.

plastered to his forehead.

Robin pushed his knee under the Doctor's back and Ace 'You might as well know,' she said, hopelessly. 'He's an rested her hands on the dislocated shoulder, gritting her alien and I'm from the future. We travel through Time.'

teeth as though she were feeling the pain herself. She Robin looked up from his scrutiny of the Doctor. He grasped the bones firmly and, holding her breath, slammed shrugged and smiled slightly. 'Well, you did say you them back into place.

weren't from round here.'

The Doctor emitted a stream of oaths not heard since the Ace put her hand on the Doctor's brow. 'Why won't he very darkest days of Gallifreyan history and then fell back, wake up?'

sobbing, on to the moor.

Robin sighed. 'I don't know. His heartbeat is very shallow.

'Thank you. Thank you both,' he muttered, eyelids Maybe that's normal for him...'

flickering.

Suddenly, the Doctor sat bolt upright and yelled in pain.

'Did I do good?' asked Ace eagerly. 'Blowing up the Ace sat back on her haunches in surprise, staring at the tower?'

Doctor's wide open mouth. He roared and screamed and The Doctor opened one eye painfully. 'Nothing could've howled in agony until Ace thought she'd be deafened.

been worse. It feeds off energy. You gave it a nice hors 'What is it? What is it?' she cried desperately.

d'oeuvre for the main dish.'