Doctor Who_ Storm Harvest - Mike Tucker [68]
Her coma had been a way of dealing with the shock of seeing her crew ripped apart, and bringing her out of it had been a terrible risk; something that he would never have done in ordinary circumstances.
Now she was dealing with it by throwing herself at her work as if nothing else mattered, but that could only last so long. She needed friends around her, people who could talk to her, love her. He sighed.
All he could do at the moment was keep her busy.
He crossed to her side. ‘Any luck?’
She nodded, not looking up from her work. ‘I’ve managed to isolate the security shutters from the fire systems.’ She jerked a thumb back at the mess of cables in the alcove. ‘There’s a common optical link that runs through all essential computer systems, easy to hack into if you know where to look.’
The Doctor grunted. ‘Easy to say when you’re the one who put in the system in the first place.’ His face tensed. ‘Does this mean that we can close the security shutters throughout the complex?’
Holly held up the medical pad. ‘All from here.’
‘Then do it.’
‘It won’t stop them.’
‘No.’ The Doctor’s face was grim. ‘But it might slow them down.’
‘If there are people still trapped in the corridors...’
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The Doctor stared down at the dismembered teddy bear and opened another space in his subconscious. ‘Then it will be quick.’
Ace skidded backwards down the corridor as the Krill bellowed at her. By the time she had reloaded the harpoon gun the creatures would be on her. Right now it was just dead weight and her only chance was to be agile; she knew how fast these things could move. She tossed gun and ammo to one side, the spare harpoons clattering like matchsticks.
Balancing on the balls of her feet she tensed herself to run. With a grinding roar of metal on metal, heavy steel shutters began to slide from the roof, compartmentalising the corridor. She was going to be trapped with the Krill.
Ace hurled herself forward, blood pounding in her ears. The gap between shutter and floor looked far too small, and was getting smaller. She threw herself to the floor and slid across the polished surface.
She crashed into something that knocked the breath from her.
Tentatively she opened her eyes. She was in a tangled heap against the wall, the shutter tight against the floor behind her. Skid marks crossed the floor like tramlines, and one of her trainers was crushed under the bulk of the shutter, torn from her foot.
Ace rubbed at her heel, looking at the mangled shoe. She sat for a moment, trying to still her pounding heart. Holding her hands in front of her she tried to stop them shaking.
There was a crash from the shutters. She scrambled to her feet. The heavy metal shook as the Krill threw themselves against it on the other side. Already it was beginning to buckle, huge bulges and cracks appearing even as she watched.
The needle-tip of a claw punched through and began to saw its way down the metal sheet. Another shutter blocked any escape further along the corridor. She punched at the control panel. The computer bleeped cheerily.
‘Please insert your security override key.’
Ace cursed and looked for another way out. Nothing. The only break in the blank walls was a cupboard full of fire-fighting equipment.
There was another wrench of tortured metal and the eye of a Krill peered at her through the disintegrating shutter.
The shutter.
The shutters had slid down from above.
Ace looked up. The ceiling was false – plastic panels held in a delicate frame.
She grasped the cupboard and dragged it into the middle of the corridor. The enraged Krill began to push through the hole they had 132
made. Ace scrambled on to the cupboard and punched at the ceiling.
The panel swung up with a crash and she clambered up.
The roof space was cramped and tangled with machinery. Ace crawled blindly, the screams of the Krill ringing in her ears. Her head cracked against beams and pipes, sharp edges cut into her hands.
A sudden waft of air washed over her. She stopped. A sliver of light