Doctor Who_ Prime Time - Mike Tucker [32]
‘I hope you know what you’re doing, I really do.’
Gatti slid out of the spinner, crossed to the ladder and started the dizzying climb.
Inside the studio Ace and the Doctor continued to walk, the jungle set getting denser and denser around them. Even though she knew it was only scenery, Ace was beginning to be taken in by her surroundings. Things seemed to flit through the tree tops and the canopy of leaves had closed over them; she couldn’t see the ceiling any more. It was getting hot, too. She began to struggle out of her jacket.
‘Hey, hang on a minute, Professor.’
The Doctor turned. ‘Yes, it is getting a bit oppressive isn’t it?’ He mopped his face with his handkerchief.
Ace slumped on to the ground. It was soft. Like earth. She started to scratch at it, trying to find the hard studio floor.
‘There’s something very strange about this, Professor.’
The Doctor fixed her with unblinking eyes. ‘Yes?’
‘All of this is a set, right? A studio.’
The Doctor nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘But it feels as though we’re in a real jungle, they’ve even covered the floor with earth, a lot of earth.’
‘Yes. And... ?’
Ace frowned. ‘And? And what?’
The Doctor cocked his head on one side. ‘How far do you think we’ve walked?’
Ace shrugged. ‘Dunno, difficult to tell in this jungle.
Quarter of a mile maybe.’
She stopped, staring at him. ‘Professor, we should have reached a wall by now!’
‘Yes, we should have, shouldn’t we?’ The Doctor smiled grimly,‘But that means that this studio...’
‘...is bigger on the inside.’ The Doctor sank on to the ground beside her. ‘The reason that I left the TARDIS a long way from here is that I think we were expected. I had a suspicion the signal in the vortex was designed to lure us here, and now I’m sure. I think that someone or something is waiting for us. It’s a trap, Ace, and I’ve led us right into it.’
‘I couldn’t have scripted it better myself!’
Lukos threw back his head and bellowed with laughter.
‘He’s an absolute star, Roderik, you see? Drama, pathos, mystery, and all I had to do was pique his curiosity.’
Saarl scowled. ‘All right Lukos, but will the punters watch it?’
‘Auntie!’ Lukos shouted. ‘Initial projections.’
+LOCAL AUDIENCE FIGURES WELL INTO USUAL
PATTERNS. OUTER SYSTEM FIGURES BUILDING
STEADILY PREDICTIONS ARE OF TOP RATING SLOT
FOR THIS TIME PERIOD+
‘Exactly as I thought!’ Lukos punched Saarl’s shoulder.
‘They are not going to be able to resist him, Roderik! They are not going to be able to tear themselves away.’
Ace pushed aside a tangle of leaves. The path was getting harder and harder to follow. She was about to complain to the Doctor when a long mournful howl echoed through the trees.
The hairs on her neck stood up.
‘What was that, Professor?
The Doctor had stopped, head cocked on one side. ‘I’m not sure.’
The howl came again, closer now. The Doctor went pale.
‘Oh, no.’
‘What is it, Doctor? What’s wrong?’
The Doctor suddenly pulled Ace to one side, ducking into a tangle of undergrowth.
‘Quiet, Ace!’ he hissed.
The howls began to build, a baying that echoed around them.
Suddenly it went quiet. The Doctor turned to Ace, his face grim.
‘Ace, we are in grave danger. If I’m right, then we are being stalked by a pack of Zzinbriizi jackals.’
Ace opened her mouth but the Doctor waved to her to be quiet.
‘There will be time for questions later, at the moment all you need to know is that they are cunning, vicious and will kill us without a second thought.’
There was a sudden crack as a twig broke close by.
‘Back!’ hissed the Doctor.
Ace could see a shape pushing through the undergrowth towards her. She reached into her rucksack for the piton gun, testing its weight in her hands. She could see the Doctor trying to wave her back again but she was damned if she was going to go down without a fight.
The figure was almost on them. ‘Ace? Doctor?’
‘Gatti!’ Ace caught her by the arm. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’
‘Thank God, I had to find you to tell you...’
‘Quiet both of you!’ The Doctor glared at them. ‘This is getting appallingly dangerous.’ The baying had started