Doctor Who_ The Forgotten Army - Brian Minchin [51]
Lars marched Strebbins out awkwardly, as the Vykoid scientist called out, 'Next!'
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General Erik and his Vykoids had felt hours pass, stopping for two meal breaks and nine cups of coffee in the process. But in only thirty minutes of New York human time, the Vykoids had upgraded themselves to become controllers of hundreds of fully armed NYPD cops. They had taken the defenders of the city, and made them the attackers.
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18
Leaving the Doctor and Sam to rip more parts out of the mammoth, Amy wa ndered out to Fifth Ave nue to watch out for fireworks from Polly Vernon's class. The sun was beginning to rise above Brooklyn, sending fingers of light through the still clear sky.
Then, as the sun rose over the park, something unexpected happened. Another huge pulse of green light spread over the city. Just like before, Amy felt as if every part of her had become weightless, like she'd reached the top of a rollercoaster ride. It passed just as quickly and, all around New York, the power returned.
On the street around her, cables ripped from street lamps sparked on the tarmac, and the windows of the city flashed into light again, the blackness
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banished. It was astounding to Amy how quickly the air filled with chatter as all the televisions and radios that had been left on around the city blared noisily back to life.
Hearing the commotion, the Doctor ran out of the Zoo to where Amy was staring joyfully at the rejuvenated city, hopeful that the threat was over.
'Hey, the lights have come back on!' she cried. 'Is it over?
Maybe we've got the better of them?'
A department store window showed TV screens with news channels scrambling to get their reporters on air. The rolling headlines were calling it the Big Blackout. The sun was rising above Brooklyn, and the dark night was over. All the noises and business of an ordinary New York day began to fill the air, as if the long dark night had been an aberration or a bad dream. New York had survived a night of terror and confusion and it felt like a time to celebrate.
But the Doctor punctured Amy's feeling of elation. 'That was too easy.’ he told her grimly. "The Vykoids haven't done what they came to do. This all has to be part of their plan.
The next stage has just begun.'
As New Yorkers ventured out of their apartments, Amy could hear mobile phones ringing as people checked on their friends and families. 'Are you OK?' 'What did you see?'
'Is anyone hurt?' All around New York the same things had happened. But no one seemed to know who had done this, or why
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such mayhem had been caused.
The Doctor and Amy joined a crowd watching the television news through a cracked department-store window. Trinity Wells was broadcasting to the nation, looking immaculate as she spoke into camera.
'I'm about to bring you an exclusive for AMN news. The woman who took control of the city overnight, and has brought order back to New York, joining us live, is Commander Strebbins of the New York Emergency Crisis Taskforce.'
Strebbins walked stiffly into the studio and sat beside Trinity.
'So,' said Trinity Wells, 'Commander Strebbins, what happened last night? And what should New Yorkers be doing this morning?'
Commander Strebbins leaned into the camera, lookin g rather awkward, her make-up smudged and uneven. When she spoke, her lips dribbled spittle, but the words came out clear. 'I am keeping the curfew on Manhattan with all bridges and tunnels into the city remaining closed. Following the damage last night, we need to do structural tests before they will be safe to re-open. However, I am pleased to tell you that the City is otherwise back to normal: Metro lines will start running at 8 a.m., and schools and places of work are expected to open as usual. I'd like to reassure all small business owners that there will not be a repeat of the violence and
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looting of last night, and that there is no cause for concern.'
'How come she managed it, and we didn't?' Amy asked the Doctor.