Doctor Who_ The Nightmare of Black Island - Mike Tucker [2]
The red eyes fixed on him and the creature threw back its head and gave a bellowing roar. Bright tongues of flame burned in its throat, as 4
if at its centre was a vast ball of fire. Steam hissed around it as the rain boiled on its skin. Carl started to scrabble away, but the creature bounded forward, looming over him, shrieking in triumph. As it raised one huge paw in the air, Carl realised with horror that its claws were barbed and metallic, like fishhooks. He closed his eyes as the huge arm swept down and was suddenly aware of a sharp pain, and then there was nothing but the sound of rain, and sea, and the laughter of a small child, slowly fading.
Way out in the depths of space, the police box shell of the TARDIS
appeared in a blaze of blue light, tumbling end over end in the dark. It spun for a moment, as if getting its bearings, and then, with a swirling kaleidoscope of shimmering colour flaring around it, vanished again into the time vortex.
Inside the Doctor sat cross-legged on the floor, poking and prodding at the tangle of tubes and pipes that wound their way through the coral-like growths and protuberances of the central control console. Above him the huge glass and crystal column of the time rotor rose and fell in steady progression, keeping time like the tick of a huge clock, or the beat of a heart.
The lights in the console room were dim and low, the huge curving walls in shadow, the indented roundels glowing softly with emerald light. Rose was curled up on the battered control room chair, the Doctor’s long brown coat draped over her like a blanket. She was fast asleep, her breathing slow and measured, keeping pace with the rotor. The Doctor peered round the console at her, smiling. It was rare to see her so quiet and still; she was usually such a bundle of tireless energy, always keen to head off to the next great adventure, to find somewhere new to explore.
The steady background hum from the console suddenly changed in pitch for a moment and there was a faint moan from Rose as she stirred on the chair. The Doctor frowned and clambered to his feet, peering at a flashing light on the console.
‘Well, that’s not right. . . Not right at all.’
He pulled a pair of thick-rimmed glasses from his jacket pocket and 5
leaned forward, his nose almost brushing the controls. He tapped at a readout.
‘What are you flashing for? You’re not meant to flash. If I’d wanted you to flash I’d have put you somewhere more obvious, more flashy.’
There was another bleep from the other side of the console. The Doctor hurried around to where a new set of lights had blinked into life, twisting controls as he went. A cluster of symbols flickered on to one of the many screens that littered the surface and there was a low electronic burbling from somewhere deep in the machinery below him.
Rose twisted in her sleep again, her brow furrowing. The Doctor’s gaze went from the console to Rose and back again, and he pulled off his glasses, chewing on one of the arms thoughtfully.
‘Now what are you two talking about? All girls together, is it?’
Pushing his glasses back into his pocket, the Doctor leaned forward and started tapping at the controls.
Rose knew she was dreaming. She knew because she could see herself, as if she was another person, from just over her right shoulder. It was odd, looking at the back of your own head, seeing everything from someone else’s perspective. A small part of her subconscious was aware of the fact that her hair was getting straggly and needed a cut, perhaps a bit of colour, but mostly she noticed that she was outdoors, in the rain and floating a couple of metres off the ground. She looked around, taking in the vague, unreal surroundings of her dream. As dreams went, it wasn’t particularly exotic. She was on the coast, almost certainly