Doctor Who_ The Sleep of Reason - Martin Day [109]
As Susannah led everyone she could to safety outside the Retreat, Liz and Fitz set about organising those that remained behind. Laska, Joe and Fitz volunteered to try to repair the emergency sprinkler system and reconnect the phone lines; Joe, who said he worked in IT, avoided eye contact with Liz and 202
seemed happy enough to be away from her. Laska drew her own conclusions from the couple’s body language.
Meanwhile, Trix and Liz would go and release Thomson and Oldfield from their enforced incarceration. ‘After all,’ said Liz, ‘we know they’re in the clear now.’
It took a few moments for the full implications of this to register with Laska.
‘Wait a minute, she exclaimed as they climbed the stairs away from the burning basement. ‘Who was infected? Where’s James?’
She thought perhaps that he was one of the poor unfortunates trapped in the chapel – dead or dying, about to be melted down by the Sholem-Luz – but truth chilled her even more.
‘It was James who was infected,’ said Liz sadly. ‘Just before you arrived he and Dr Smith disappeared into some sort of tunnel.’
Laska fought back the tears.
‘I’m sorry,’ added Liz, resting a gentle hand on her arm.
Once more the connotations did not immediately dawn on Laska. Only as they stood at the top of the stairs, about to depart in their two groups, did Laska ask, ‘You knew?’
‘About you and James?’ said Liz. ‘I was trying to deal with it discreetly. I’d given Mr Abel an official warning, albeit in private.’
‘He never told me.’
‘It seems that wasn’t the only secret he kept from us,’ observed Liz. ‘I’m sorry, Laska, but I had to deal with this relationship, once I knew of it. My hands are tied, but I wanted to behave honourably, for the good of both of you.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ said Laska. She knew they had to concentrate on the here and now, on the fire that blazed in the basement. For all that, though, she wondered what would happen to her – and Liz – when they came to pick up the pieces, once all this was over.
Assuming it ever would be.
Liz and Trix ran towards the offices. Progress was slow as the power had now failed; emergency lighting had kicked in, giving everything a fiery sheen. Even this illumination was patchy, leaving large expanses of shadow and darkness.
The smoke was getting thicker, forming phantom shapes that writhed and twisted like souls in torment.
Liz unlocked Oldfield’s door with nervous fingers.
The room was deserted, the window open. It was clear that Dr Oldfield had noticed the fire in the basement and had found a window key from somewhere. ‘I notice he didn’t try to come to save any of us,’ noted Trix.
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‘Good riddance,’ said Liz automatically. ‘Actually, if I ever see his spawny face again, I’m going to tell him exactly what I think of him.’
Trix held up her hands in an intercessory gesture. ‘Easy,’ she warned. ‘We don’t want to give those creatures any more energy than we absolutely have to.’
‘That’s easy for you to say!’ exploded Liz. ‘You haven’t just caught your husband screwing some tart on the floor of your own office!’
Immediately Liz put a hand to her mouth, breathing hard. Just for a moment she remembered the rage that overcame her when she’d seen Joe with Susannah; she wanted to kick him all over again. ‘Sorry,’ she breathed.
‘That’s OK,’ said Trix. ‘You’ve every reason to feel angry and frustrated. But all that can wait, right?’
Liz nodded dumbly.
‘Come on,’ said Trix, putting a sisterly arm around Liz. ‘Let’s go and rescue Dr Thomson. Poor bloke will be wondering why we’ve turned up the heating. . . ’
Laska’s group searched the smoke-filled corridors of the Retreat for a fuse box or a control panel that might help them reconnect the phones or the automatic sprinklers. Laska found herself being distracted by Fitz, who seemed to keep staring at her. The first time or two she let it pass. Then finally she snapped, swivelling on the spot and pushing a finger into his chest.
‘What the hell are you looking at?’ she said.
To his credit, Joe Bartholomew studiously concentrated on the wires he was following along