Doctor Who_ Storm Harvest - Mike Tucker [94]
‘How come you were there for me, R’tk?’ she asked. ‘I thought you’d gone over to the reactor.’
‘Too rough.’ chirruped the dolphin. ‘I was being tossed around like a dice. Decided to head back. Was almost home when the reactor blew.
Finding you was pure luck.’
‘Well, thanks. I owe you.’ She snapped a torch on and played the beam over the waiting dolphin. ‘Right. We’d better get up to control, see what we can do to help.’
The two of them struggled through the lashing rain, trying to keep to the walls and out of the wind. The central square was a mess of broken roof tiles and debris from the jungle. There was even the mast of a sailing vessel in the fountain.
Holly pushed open the sliding doors of the admin block and the two of them pushed inside.
‘I guess it’s the stairs.’
Holly set off at a trot, R’tk’tk clattering behind her. When they arrived at Brenda’s office Holly stared in astonishment at the mess.
Papers lay scattered in pools of rainwater, hurricane lamps guttered on top of computer consoles, the huge glass windows were being boarded up. Glass sparkled over everything. Brenda sat perched on her desk, her ashtray full to overflowing.
Relief washed over the older woman’s face as Holly peered round her office door.
‘Thank God,’ said Brenda. ‘I thought I’d lost you again. We sent someone down to your workshop, but...’
‘It’s gone. Yeah, I know. I was a bit close when the storm shutters went, Holly said. ‘I went in, but R’tk got me out.’
There was a surprised click from the other side of the room. ‘You went out in that? I’m impressed.’
Q’ilp stood in the shadows, the glow from his cigar like a baleful red eye.
R’tk’tk rounded on him. ‘Give me a break, OK? It’s been a long day.
I haven’t seen you out risking your neck.’
‘Pack it in, you two!’ Brenda caught hold of Holly’s arm, pulling her to one side. ‘Things are bad up here.’
‘So I see. Why aren’t the emergency systems online?’
Brenda shook her head. ‘We don’t know, it looks like they were set 182
to blow with the first surge from the main reactor. Whoever set us up knew exactly what they were doing.’
‘And the Krill?’
Brenda shrugged. ‘For the moment – not a sign. But that doesn’t mean the buggers aren’t on their way. We have to get the defences back up.’
Holly nodded. ‘Do we have power anywhere?’
The coastguard have emergency power, and Med-lab is still operational.
Holly slid out of her jacket.
‘Then I’d better get busy.’
‘Doctor, what is the situation?’ Bisoncawl was on his communicator.
‘About as bad as it could be, Commander. Garrett – Skuarte – is aboard ship. He’s destroyed the holding tanks. The Krill are free.’
Blu’ip scuttled close to Bisoncawl. ‘You can hear their screams,’ he chittered with quiet bliss. ‘Human screams...’
‘Bisoncawl,’ said the Doctor urgently. ‘We must evacuate these levels. You must let us through.’
‘What? Open the doors?’ Blu’ip squeaked. ‘And let the Krill in here?’
‘Your defences won’t stop the Krill,’ said the Doctor, ‘but the people down here are caught like rats in a trap. The Krill are advancing all around’
‘Shame,’ chuckled the dolphin.
Bisoncawl snatched the communicator away from him. ‘If you utter another sound I’ll have you removed from the command deck,’ he barked at the dolphin. ‘Perhaps I will put you on a shuttle and evacuate you to Coralee.’
The dolphin whistled angrily. Bisoncawl knew that Blu’ip was right and that he couldn’t open the doors – but he didn’t need that fact to be pointed out to him by a psychopathic dolphin.
‘I’m sorry Doctor,’ he said. ‘I can’t do that.’
The Doctor switched off the communicator.
‘What did you expect,’ sneered Peck. ‘from a Cythosi?’
‘From any soldier,’ said the Doctor sadly.
They were sitting in a barracks crowded with panicking people. A little man pushed his way towards them.
‘They’re everywhere!’ he cried. ‘They’re killing us all! There’s no one left!’
‘Calm down, Huttle,’ snapped Peck. ‘I’m thinking.’
‘Doctor,’ said Bavril quietly, ‘what should we do?’
183
‘Get as many of your people together as you can. You need to get to the shuttle