Doctor Who_ Storm Harvest - Mike Tucker [101]
As Blu’ip scuttled towards him, the Doctor cursed himself for being distracted. A tentacle swept out and caught his ankles, sending him crashing to the floor. Two more tentacles snatched up the weapon. The dolphin spun round and raced towards another door.
‘Blu’ip! No!’ bellowed the Doctor.
‘Skuarte...’ growled Mottrack.
‘Never mind Skuarte!’ the Doctor shouted at him. ‘Blu’ip’s got the weapon!’
‘Skuarte...’ Mottrack growled again.
‘Forget him!’ the Doctor yelled. ‘He’s dying! Help me!’
‘He has destroyed my ship, Mottrack snarled. ‘He will die – by my hand!’ The wounded general stumbled to his feet, picked up his gun, and lurched off after Garrett.
The Doctor sighed and set off at a run. He had to catch Blu’ip.
The corridor leading to the shuttle bay was free of Krill and Cythosi.
The Doctor hared along it. His fist slammed against the entry button and he burst through the doors.
The shuttle bay was a mess – the docking controls of the shuttles were utterly destroyed.
No. One was intact. Blu’ip, still carrying the weapon, was entering the emergency launch code into the docking mechanism of one of the shuttles.
‘You’re not taking the weapon!’ the Doctor shouted.
195
‘You again!’ Blu’ip chittered angrily. ‘You’re persistent, Doctor.
Face it – you’ve lost. Coralee is doomed.’
There was a sound to the Doctor’s left. A service panel slid open and Huttle crawled out of it, pale and dirty, sweating and trembling. His companions followed him.
‘Stop the dolphin!’ the Doctor cried. ‘You must stop him!’
The humans seemed confused, dazzled by the light.
‘The dolphin!’ the Doctor yelled again. ‘He mustn’t get away.’
One of the humans – Bavril – seemed to understand. Weakly he raised his gun and fired an erratic shot in the direction of Blu’ip. The shot ricocheted off the wall and hit the weapon. The dolphin dropped it with an angry screech and looked frantically around. The undocking mechanism was beginning to activate. The Doctor threw himself forward and dragged the weapon away from Blu’ip.
‘It won’t make any difference, Doctor!’ the dolphin laughed. ‘The weapon is damaged beyond repair. You will all die!’
A door at the far end of the bay opened. Bisoncawl backed into the bay, his gun blazing. He slammed the door shut behind him.
‘I wish you a painful death!’ Blu’ip screeched, thoroughly enjoying his own melodrama, and scurried into the shuttle.
The Krill are everywhere!’ Bisoncawl gasped. ‘It’s finished.’
The Doctor was poring over the ancient weapon. It was wrecked beyond repair. Bisoncawl was right. Blu’ip had been right. It was over.
There was a sudden high, whistling scream from inside the shuttle, then another, and another. The ragged, bloody bulk of Blu’ip flew through the shuttle door, his metal tentacles flailing uselessly. The corpse hit the deck with a wet thud as a Krill leapt from the shuttle and stood scanning the room, its claws flexing and unflexing, choosing its next victim.
Bisoncawl immediately began pumping plasma charges into the creature’s flank.
Bavril began to do the same. Other humans joined in. The Krill went down in a torrent of energy.
‘Quickly,’ the Doctor said to the humans, ‘you don’t have much time. The shuttle’s about to launch itself. Get to Coralee. At least down there you might have a chance.’
He threw a glance at Bisoncawl, whose eyes flashed between the Doctor and the functionaries.
‘They’re getting off the ship,’ said the Doctor firmly, folding his arms. There was a heavy pause.
‘Very well,’ said Bisoncawl.
‘Go with them,’ the Doctor urged. ‘The ship’s finished.’
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‘What about you, Doctor?’ Bavril asked. ‘Aren’t you coming with us?’
‘No,’ said the Doctor. He had the vaguest scrap of a plan. A last, desperate gamble. ‘Perhaps there’s something I can do, even now. Go!’
With a last glance at the Time Lord, Bavril entered the escape ship.
Huttle followed him and the rest of the humans filed aboard.
‘Commander?’ the Doctor