Doctor Who_ Remembrance of the Daleks - Ben Aaronovitch [39]
Bellos hung on to the launcher as Amery shoved another missile up the pipe. Three hundred yards up the alley a Dalek was brewing up nicely. Dense off-white smoke was obscuring any movement behind it. Amery patted him on the shoulder, the signal that the second missile was ready.
Bellos squinted through the ratchet sight. He could see nothing through the smoke.
‘Come on you lovelies,’ he murmured, ‘let’s be having you.’
‘We’ve got to fall back,’ said Amery.
The haze was lifting, and within it shapes moved like shadows. There! One was framed in the rectangular sight.
Belloos squeezed the trigger. He saw the missile shoot away, red and white flame as it accelerated. It struck the Dalek between gunstick and manipulator.
‘Gotcha!’ hissed Bellos. He felt the familiar rush of triumph. More Daleks emerged from the smoke. ‘Get another one in,’ he called over his shoulder. Amery was yelling about pulling back. Bellos was turning towards him when the light smacked him into oblivion.
Abbot flinched backwards. For one nightmarish moment he could see every bone in Bellos’s body. He reflexively closed his eyes, but it stayed as an after-image, white bones against the darkness. Abbot rolled to the left, scrambling to get his feet under him. Amery was screaming somewhere off to the left. Abbot got his eyes open in time to see a Dalek bearing down on him. He tried to get his gun up but he knew it was too late. The gunstick started to point towards him.
The eyepiece exploded in shards of silver, the roar of the submachine-gun in his ear deafened him. A hand grabbed his collar and yanked him backwards.
‘Get under cover,’ said Sergeant Mike Smith. ‘Move it.’
White lightning flashed past his face. Abbot found his feet and ran.
From the shelter of the school gate Ace winced. The energy bolt shot past Mike’s head, barely rnissing. Beside her a soldier was shaking violently, a white-knuckled grip on a rocket launcher. Mike was firing point-blank at the Dalek to little effect. Another Dalek was homing in on him.
‘Give me that,’ snarled Ace and grabbed the rocket-launcher from the soldier. Mike threw himself down, under the level of the first Dalek’s gunstick and rolled, putting the creative between himself and the second Dalek.
Ace brought up the launcher and squeezed the trigger.
Nothing happened.
Mike was trying to make his way back to the gateway, zigzagging sharply. The second Dalek glided sideways, turning to get a clear shot.
Ace disengaged the safety and fired.
The top of a post box exploded in a fountain of cast iron.
Mike sprinted the last ten metres and threw himself through the gate. Through the smoke, Ace saw another squadron of Daleks forming up.
‘Come on, Ace,’ yelled Mike. ‘We’ll let the recoilless take care of them.’ He took her hand and started to pull her away. Ace took a last look at the mass of Daleks approaching. Next time she would get the thing aimed properly before she fired. She ran towards the school with Mike.
Rachel dodged back as a squad of soldiers hammered through the foyer on their way to the playground. They seemed to flow round Gilmore who stood in the centre calmly giving orders. Allison was yelling into a radio microphone trying to make herself heard above the yells and bangs.
‘Five round the back, sir,’ said a young corporal, ‘about twenty at the front. Kaufman isn’t sure he can hold them.’
‘Get back there and tell Kaufman he doesn’t have any choice.’ Gilmore turned to her. Rachel saw a wildness in his eyes. ‘Where are they coming from?’
‘I don’t know,’ she shouted.
There was a muffled crump from outside.
‘That was the recoilless,’ said Gilmore. ‘Ye gods, they must be in the playground.’
Where is the Doctor? thought Rachel.
The doors at the end of the foyer flew open and the Doctor swept in. There was a flash behind him, another thump and whistle from the gun outside. Mike and Ace charged in after him. Ace’s face was flushed,