Doctor Who_ Longest Day - Michael Collier [89]
'Fascinating!' he announced, blowing a drop of sweat from the end of his nose.'What are conditions like on your planet, then, hmm?' The Kusk did not respond. 'Quite harsh I'd guess. You've evolved over a long, hard period, haven't you? You should really take a rest when you've hoisted me up.'
Another two handholds, deep breaths, the creature drawing earer.'Changing concentration of gases in the atmosphere back home? A result of that war you mentioned, perhaps? That would certainly explain your lungs' unusual filtration system, and that -' another handhold -
'charming little byproduct you produce as a result of your -' deep breath in, breath out - 'exhalations!'
Still silence. Must be a beautiful sunset behind him. The dusky rose glow of the sun was reflected on the glutinous skin of the creature. Nearly there.
Another handhold. Nearly...
***
Anstaar wanted to move closer to the Kusks and to where the Doctor would arrive, but fear kept her back. She'd heard that sharing near-death experiences bonded people, drew them together. She certainly felt something for the Doctor, but somehow she felt he shared near-death experiences with people every day. Still, she'd never known a day as long as this one. No wonder she looked so old.
She repressed a bitter laugh and kept her eye on the Doctor, now getting dangerously close to the group of creatures watching him so closely.
***
As the Doctor neared the end of his climb, he wondered what he could do to stop one of the other Kusks reaching down and snatching the bundle in his coat from his chest, enabling the other simply to let him go and plummet to his death. It occurred to him that this was something he should perhaps have thought about on the long way up, rather than time trees, the apparent ubiquity of time travel these days and how planetary conditions can fashion race development.
Just as the toe of his battered shoe cleared the edge of the rise, the Kusk nearby lunged with awful speed and precision at his chest. With the last of his strength the Doctor swung himself in a short tight arc away from the grasp of the monster. He felt the fingers grab at the fabric of his grey waistcoat, scraping against his side. He let go of the rope and folded his arms in around his chest, landing on top of the bundle in his coat squarely on the narrow ledge.
'I did think you might try something like that but told myself I was being paranoid,' he began, speaking quickly, face down in the mud a few metres from the creatures. 'But one must never overestimate the predictability of a military mind and - please - don't come closer, because if you do I shall -'
he broke off the chatter, and spoke slowly and clearly -'throw your precious
"Prize" right back down where it came from!'
He felt rather than saw the three Kusks standing like statues. Rolling over slightly on to his back, he saw they'd stopped, and smiled. 'Very good.' He scrambled to his feet. Already he seemed to have recovered his breath.
'Now, gentlemen, I'm going to leave this present for you here.' He backed away from them a few metres before carefully placing the green velvet bundle at his feet.'Enjoy your Prize, won't you?' He could sense the loathing in their huge saucepan eyes, and after a small bow he ran away as fast as he could.
***
Anstaar saw the Kusks move like giant locusts on to the bundle of fabric, and the figure of the Doctor tearing towards her, his face manic, curls bobbing about in the breeze of his flight. 'Run, everybody!' he cried.
She didn't need telling twice. She grabbed Nashaad's hand and pelted away through the soft mud and back the way she and the Doctor had come. The Doctor soon caught them up, then overtook them.
'I'd better go first - there may be others,' he explained, simply. They ran on for a short while, Nashaad treating it a bit like a race but not wanting to get so far