Doctor Who_ The Taint - Michael Collier [22]
Her confidence was shaken somewhat when Chubby's body was slung past her, slamming into some dustbins. They made an insane din in the quiet street, but Chubby himself remained silent, his head lolling unnaturally in the sickly glow of the only street lamp.
'You going to let yourself be thrown around all night?' she whispered to Chubby's body. Then a louder voice, harsh and metallic rasped out.
'Venus.'
Sam froze. 'What?'
'Venus .'The 'e' and the's' were elongated to a ridiculous extent. The voice was alien, frightening. A man-sized shape walked slowly into view.
Sam felt slightly foolish as she asked, 'Is that where you're from? Venus?'
'You... Venus Someoneorother '.
Another man stepped from out of the thick shadows. 'We want you.'
Why would they call her Venus, unless...? They hadn't been in Molly's, and Chubby wasn't looking too clever. This pair had either beaten the misinformation out of him or else...
She saw the glint of metal on the first figure's head, and shivered at the twisted voice.
'You will come with us, Venus.'
There was no faint mist from his breath in the cool night air when he spoke, and Sam could hear the low hum of machinery. A robot? In 1963? She watched the figure shake as if something was coming out of him.
'It's my night off and I don't give autographs,' she said. 'So if you'll just -'
The two figures advanced on her, walking quickly. Sam tensed herself, then sprang forward.
Patented Fight-or-Flight Plan No. 10, worked out and practised in the safety of the TARDIS months ago. It should've taken these jokers by surprise -
she wasn't running away: she was running straight at them. They should've been caught off guard. But, while one of them took a step backward, unsure, the other simply stretched out his arm and grabbed hold of her shoulder. She shrieked as the pressure of his fingers dug into the skin.
Please, not another scar after what I went through getting rid of the last ones...
She struggled to pull free, but now the other guy was here, grabbing her legs, pulling them from under her and she was too off balance to stop him.
Oh Jesus, she could hear the machinery more loudly and the Doctor hadn't even let her carry her rape alarm. Too anachronistic, he'd said. Well, bugger that in future because there was going to be -had to be - a future -
She felt something in her mind, something hard like a needle, probing. She flailed about, white noise in her ears, thrashing her limbs wildly, thought of the screaming man earlier that day – and felt something outside respond to that thought...
Then suddenly her head smashed into the concrete; the grip on her body slackened. There was a pause. Her ears were ringing but she could make out scuffles, voices.
'This way, lads, that's right, drag the bleeder down here and we'll sort him.
There's ten of us, one of him...'
'And we'll stick anyone in our way, right, boys?'
'Right! 'Ere, what's going on down there? Come on, let's have 'em!'
Someone gave a roar of approval, and Sam felt her attackers moving away, glimpsed them shambling off down the alley. Then she realised her eyes were still closed and fear really kicked in. Her head seemed to be spinning like a tumble dryer and just as noisily, but a part of her realised she was still in trouble.
'Stay back!' she warned, trying to focus as a shadow fell over her. 'Don't even think about -'
'It's all right. It's me.'
'Who?'
Fitz. You can't have forgotten me so soon?'
Sam pushed herself up on her elbows and brought the long, stubbly face into focus. 'Where are your mates?'The ludicrous notion flashed through her buzzing mind that she was glad she hadn't asked that of a nineties boy.
Fitz put on a rough voice: 'We're here,' he said, before switching to another.
'Ready to rumble.'
He put an arm round her to help her up. 'You're trembling,' Sam said.
Fitz nodded with an embarrassed smile.