Doctor Who_ The Forgotten Army - Brian Minchin [54]
'We've found it.'
'It's this massive glowing ball.'
'Do I have to go to school now?'
'Joe didn't see it first, it was me.'
'We need to get a boat.'
'Speak slower!' Amy told them. 'One at a time.'
Joe stepped forward. 'We went up the Chrysler Building, and Millie got scared but it was only the wind. Then we went down to CitiGroup, and went out on the roof, and we could see it... It's the Statue of Liberty. Everywhere else is dark, but there's something inside the top of it, like a giant fireball that kept on burning.'
'It was green,' Millie added.
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The Doctor beamed at them. 'That is brilliant, Joe. You have been the best. Truly the best.'
Joe's face lit up with joy.
'I'm going to send you back to Miss Vernon now.’ the Doctor went on. 'Whatever you see, just stay indoors.'
Amy looked downtown, gazing down the lonely deserted streets strewn with rubbish. Every road was covered with detritus of the Vykoids' midnight rampage, and she knew that every obstruction might be hiding the alien army, lurking and ready to ambush them.
'Don't worry.’ the Doctor said. 'We're three kilometres and a short ferry ride away from the Statue of Liberty and, if we don't get there before New York wakes up, all of Manhattan are going to be taken as slaves. I guess you're going to get to see the sights of New York after all, Amy.'
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Chapter
19
Inside the Zoo, the Doctor flung open the gates of the mammoth enclosure and stood in front of the enormous beast. Amy could see what he was thinking. And she flatly refused.
"This is your plan? No way.'
'Come on.' The Doctor started to clamber up inside the mammoth, and beckoned for Amy to join him.
'There's an army of them! Every police officer in New York will be trying to stop us. They have guns.'
'Forget the courage of the mob. We have the single-mindedness of the foolishly hopeful!'
I'm not coming in unless it's bigger on the inside.’ Amy insisted. 'If I have to face the tiny army, I'm 205
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going to do it with dignity.’
'It's definitely faster in here.’ the Doctor said. Leaning back out, he looked sweatier to Amy. 'You still here? I just spent half an hour fixing it so I can steer with this.' He held up a pretzel he'd picked up from a shut-down stall. 'Isn't that funny! Steering with a pretzel? No? Nothing? Not even a little bit?' He wasn't getting any reaction from Amy. 'Anyone ever tell you that you're hard to please?' he asked.
Amy smiled. 'All of them, Doctor.' She had made a decision. 'Now budge over. If we're going in this thing, I'm driving.'
She grabbed the Doctor's hand and hauled herself up. The Doctor had smashed out a space in the neck of the mammoth, and Amy squeezed through the gap, emerging into the empty head of the mammoth. The beast's massive eyes were windows onto the city, and she gasped in amazement.
Outside, everyone was moving in ultra-slow motion. It was like she was seeing people frame by frame. Joe was standing beside Oscar, casually picking his nose in a gesture that seemed to go on and on. Amy was drawn into the sheer graphic wonder of seeing everything in such slow motion.
Behind Joe, two chatting women looked like lazy Guppy fish, mouthing aimlessly. Amy was sure she could see every muscle on Oscar's neck as he breathed. Oh so slowly, he was getting the children back into the police car to deliver them to Polly.
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'Is this what's it's like for the Vykoids?' Amy asked. 'No wonder they've got so far.'
'If we can get to the Statue of Liberty and break their signal, they'll be helpless.'
'Why did you say, if?' Amy cut straight in, a hard note to her voice.
'What do you mean?'
'Don't pretend! You said, "If we can get there". We've just climbed inside an alien spaceship disguised as a mammoth, and you're not sure if it's going to work?'
"The one thing we have is the element of surprise. No one in their right mind would attempt to do