Doctor Who_ The Forgotten Army - Brian Minchin [53]
The Doctor looked back and saw the police waddling towards them with stiff legs making awkward strides. The Vykoid controllers were doing their best, but somewhere deep down, the police minds were fighting against them, slowing their movements.
'It's not them I'm worried about,' the Doctor told Amy, pointing to the other side of the road, where a fleet of armoured police vans were pulling up.
'Ah. Point taken.' Amy took the Doctor's hand, and they fled across a crossroad, dodging taxis and bikes.
Amy saw a yellow taxi idling outside an office and leapt into the back. The Doctor had a better idea and jumped into the driver's seat. At a nearby coffee stand, the driver saw them, and shouted 'Oi!' He headed towards them, waving his hands like a drunk Italian.
'Museum, please,' Amy requested, leaning back in the cab.
'Try to avoid the avenging aliens, though, if you could.'
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'Yes, ma'am.' The Doctor slammed the accelerator down and they sped off, heading through early morning Manhattan.
Close on their tail, four NYPD cars were slamming through the traffic, sirens blaring and lights flashing. Amy could see the nearest driver had taken his hat off, and his Vykoid controller was whooping with excitement, full of the glory of the chase.
They might have come to Earth to round up mammoths, but were equally at home hunting Time Lords in New York.
Reaching a red light, the Doctor slammed on the brakes and turned unexpectedly to the right, tyres smoking on the tarmac as they skidded round the corner. Behind them, one of the cars shot off the road, ploughing into a marble building.
'One down, Doctor...' Amy called. 'I didn't know you could drive like this!'
The Doctor swung the car to the right, heading up a narrow back alley. 'I don't often get the chance!'
The remaining squad cars were still close behind, and were gaining on them. A shot rang out, and Amy heard the terrifying sound of bullet tearing through metal. To compensate, the Doctor tried to weave their car from side to side, looking like an out-of-control learner driver.
Reaching a main road, the Doctor shot straight out, aiming for another back alley. This time he clipped a newspaper stand as he took a short cut on
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the pavement, sending copies of the New York Times flying through the air.
The Doctor's driving had taken them into the lurking industrial buildings of Hell's Kitchen, and he turned through more gloomy side streets. As the taxi approached, suspicious workers carrying unmarked crates retreated back into the shadows, unnerved by the sound of police sirens. Amy could see only one car on their tail now, and that seemed to be losing ground. The Doctor turned the taxi onto Broadway and joined the streams of cars.
'It's still with us,' Amy told the Doctor, and he spun the taxi around to the right. The car was heading straight for Central Park and, without warning, the Doctor veered onto the grass, smashing through a fence and circling the lake.
'What are you doing?' Amy yelled at the Doctor.
'I've lost them, haven't I?'
When she looked round, Amy had to agree that he was right. 'But we're in the middle of nowhere... Oh.' While she'd been talking, they'd arrived back at the entrance to the Zoo.
Parked right in front of the Zoo, Oscar was sitting in a squad car packed with schoolchildren. Amy leapt out and ran to hug him, then checked herself. What if he's one of the Vykoids now? Oscar's happiness at seeing Amy was tested when she yanked his hat off, ruffled his hair, and then poked him repeatedly.
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'Good, it is you!' Amy said with relief, and gave him a huge hug. 'Although what's with the normal clothes? I thought a tiara suited you.'
'What are you doing with our team?' the Doctor asked.
'I found them downtown trying to set light to something,' Oscar explained. 'They told me you'd put them up to it. There's a lot of folk going missing right now, so I thought I'd bring them back to you...'
Oscar opened the car door and the sleepy children in the back of his car leapt out