Doctor Who_ The Taint - Michael Collier [105]
'I think she's all right,' said Lucy.
'Old biddies shouldn't have surprises like that,' said Russell.
'We'll give her a nice surprise when she wakes up,' said Lucy. 'Everyone we've killed today, all strung up for her to have a good laugh at.' She bounded enthusiastically up the stairs. 'Come on. We might still be in time to see Captain Watson kill the Doctor.'
***
The Doctor didn't know where else to go, so he headed for the TARDIS.As he approached the lab room he pulled out his key. Watson was right behind him again.
The Doctor fumbled the key in the lock. With a roar of triumph, Watson lunged for him, just as he fell through the doors and slammed them shut behind him.
'You can't hide in a box for ever, Doctor!' Watson screamed at him. 'I'll burn you alive in there, I will! Smoke you out like a rabbit, and the things I'll do to you then, boy, don't doubt it!'
Finding himself a little shaken, the Doctor left the exterior doors and walked to the console. Watson was right. He couldn't stay in here for ever. Every minute that passed, now, their powers grew greater.
He activated the scanner screen and turned down the volume, watching Watson gibber his threats in silence.
***
Lucy thought on what Watson had said as she galloped along the landing, trying to ignore the dull ache of disappointment. Change was coming - not to the skies as she'd always wanted, but the world beneath it. She'd always longed to sway heaven's judgement over her; if God believed she was good, how swiftly men would follow. But it made bleak sense, this way; how could it be any different? God didn't change His mind. She'd been damned from the moment she was born, and the whole world knew it.
Now the whole world would feel it, too.
***
The Doctor pushed open the door to the butterfly room and smiled in delight. Sam was sitting with her knees tucked under her chin, her arms wrapped round her legs, drowsily rocking herself back and forth on the grass.
'Sam, you're feeling better!'
Her eyes were dull and cloudy, and her skin was covered in red blotches.
'No, I feel like death,' she said.
'Death warmed up?' asked the Doctor, squeezing her hand as if gauging her temperature.
'No,' she answered, closing her eyes. 'Death left to congeal in the back of the fridge in the middle of winter, actually. In the Antarctic.' She rubbed her nose. 'I'm sorry, Doctor, I'm not much use to you at the moment, am I?'
'Just concentrate on getting stronger,' the Doctor said soothingly.
'How's it going, anyway?' she said, her words slurring slightly.'Have we won yet?'
The Doctor smiled, sadly. 'Not quite yet.'
'Doctor... when I feel stronger, will I stop seeing the Beast?'
The Doctor froze. 'You can still see them?'
'Faintly. On you, on me. Only faintly.' She closed her eyes again. 'It's not so bad...'
He stroked her hair. 'It'll fade altogether, soon. The leech inside you has shut down, but the program hasn't finished unravelling itself, yet.' He frowned at her. 'You shouldn't even be awake.'
'I'm not; she assured him. 'You're dreaming.'
Then she fell gently back against the hillock, scattering a number of blue peacocks as she went.
The Doctor rose to his feet. So it had worked, he thought. If Azoth hadn't run off like that, him and his wretched terminal solution... He'd acted as if he was able to instigate it just like that, whereas in the Cavern he'd said it was lost, nowhere...
Suddenly he stood stock still. 'If I configured a comic-book room,' he wondered aloud of the butterflies, 'would light bulbs appear above my head each time I had an idea?'
He ran for the console room.
***
'What's a police box doing in here?' asked Russell, as he, Taylor and Lucy joined Watson in the lab.
Watson shrugged. 'It wasn't here before, that's all I know.' He turned to Lucy. 'The Doctor must've had it moved here. Was that the old woman that knocked me down? She all right?'
'That golden thing did her some damage,'