Doctor Who_ The Hollow Men - Keith Topping [51]
He lay on the ground, dazed, for some moments. Then he tugged
at
the
blindfold,
desperate
to
ward
off
unconsciousness. Eventually his vision cleared, revealing a clock face at the top of an ornate tower. It was seven minutes to midnight. From the noise, he seemed to have ended up somewhere in the city centre.
The Doctor tried to move, and his head throbbed angrily.
He‟d have been better off battling the Cybermen or the Daleks. Human beings seemed to specialise in this type of mundane torture.
Young people were moving around him, shouting loudly.
Some stopped to look at the Doctor, but their voices were distant. Only occasional words filtered through the haze.
„...all right, pal?‟
„Lousy tramp.‟
„Look at „im...‟
The Doctor finally pushed himself upright. It felt as if his head would explode.
„Where am I?‟ he asked, sitting with his face in his hands.
He hadn‟t expected anyone to answer.
„You‟re on Lime Street.‟
The Doctor sat bolt upright. He put a hand to his ear and found the tiny metal speaker placed there.
„Don‟t try to shift it,‟ said the voice in his head. „It‟s the only thing keeping you alive.‟
The Doctor stood up, a frantic terror filling him. „Can you hear me?‟ he whispered.
„That‟s a big Ten-Four!‟ It was Shanks‟s voice.
„Where are you?‟ asked the Doctor looking around him, bewildered.
„Nowhere close,‟ said Shanks. „But that‟s immaterial. I can see every move you make. Down to business. If you care to check your midriff, you‟ll find about four pounds of high explosives strapped there. Enough to blow you into a million pieces, along with anybody else within a couple of hundred yards. So don‟t be a hero, at least for the sake of the innocent clubbers around you, OK?‟
The Doctor found the Semtex taped to his stomach, glancing all the while at the oblivious people who streamed past him. „You think you can bully your way to success, Shanks,‟ he said in a calm, cold voice. „But you will fail. I promise you that.‟
„Yeah, yeah, whatever,‟ said Shanks casually. „Thing is, Doctor, I need you to do me a favour, and seeing as you‟re in the area...‟
The Doctor felt his throat tighten as he considered the limited options open to him. „What do you want me to do?‟ he asked cautiously.
„Half a block down on your right you‟ll see a nightclub called the Pit. Apt name. Run by a villain from the top estates called Corkhill who needs teaching a lesson...‟ Shanks‟s voice trailed away, and the Doctor began walking in the direction of the nightclub.
„What do you want me to do when I get there?‟
„Go in, you soft get!‟
„Would you like me to have a dance or two?‟ asked the Doctor. „Only, you see, I‟m a little out of practice.‟
„Have a look in your pockets.‟
The Doctor found a passport-sized photograph of a young woman and a roughly wrapped parcel. „See the girl, right?‟
said Shanks. „Stick the packet in her handbag while she‟s not looking.‟
„What does it contain?‟ asked the Doctor.
„Half a pound of cheese,‟ said Shanks sarcastically. „Use your imagination.‟
„It‟s drugs, isn‟t it?‟
„Like I said, cheese. Now get on with it, I haven‟t got all night.‟
„How am I supposed to get in? I haven‟t got any money.‟
„One of my boys is working the door tonight. I could have got him to do this for me, but he‟s not the sharpest pencil in the pencil case, you know what I mean?‟
„And what if this young woman isn‟t there?‟
„Oh, she is, Doc. I‟ve made sure of that.‟
„What next?‟ asked Steven Chen.
„Well,‟ said Ace, „the latest photo‟s a couple of years old.
Let‟s see what the state of play is now.‟
„And how do you propose we do that?‟
„Come on, dumbo, where‟d you think these photos were taken from? I haven‟t seen a helipad at the vicarage.‟
Steven looked around him. „The church tower?‟
Ace nodded, and led Steven Chen towards the winding stone staircase, half obscured by another thick red curtain.
„Last time I did this I was being chased by vampires.‟
„Really?‟
„Oh yes.‟ Ace‟s eyes, briefly caught by the torchlight, were hard and resolute.
The steps were cold and smooth under