Doctor Who_ Transit - Ben Aaronovitch [103]
'Sounds reasonable,' said Credit Card.
'Only because we've all gone mad,' said Lambada.
'How long have we got?' asked Blondie.
'Ninety seconds,' said Credit Card.
'Everybody take cover,' said Old Sam.
They turned their back on the Central Line gateway and went back to the barricades, each of them walking in as casual manner as possible.
'My contract never said anything about alien monsters,' said Credit Card. 'Standard general maintenance contract, that's what I signed.'
'Mine did,' said Old Sam.
'No shit?'
'Mine had a clause about pest control,' said Lambada. 'What about yours Blondie?'
'I couldn't read mine,' said Blondie, 'the small print was all in Chinese.'
'How long?' asked Lambada.
'Forty-five seconds,' said Credit Card. 'If I'd known this was going to happen I'd have asked for a bonus clause.'
The barricades formed a metre-high semicircle ten metres out from the Stunnel gateway. There were no gaps so they had to climb over. Old Sam vaulted over in a single fluid movement, body metabolism already accelerating under the influence of a shot of doberman. Lambada hadn't objected this time.
'If I'd known,' said Old Sam, 'I'd have been a watchmaker.'
'A profound statement, Sam,' said Lambada, 'but intrinsically meaningless.'
'Thirty-five,' said Credit Card.
Blondie hunkered down in his assigned place. Old Sam had left a pulse rifle for him, propped up against the barricade. Blondie took the rifle and laid it across his knees.
'Twenty seconds,' said Credit Card.
'I suppose it's too late to put in for some sick leave?' asked Lambada.
'Much too late,' said Old Sam.
Olympus Mons (Central Line)
'KADIATU', the train indicator had said, her name flashing up in half-metre holographic letters thirty seconds after the Doctor had gone.
'What?' she'd screamed down the platform.
'WAIT' said the indicator and she'd waited.
If it mentions making a sacrifice for the children, thought Kadiatu, I'm going to shoot it.
'FAT MAMA 1 min'.
Now it's getting personal, thought Kadiatu.
One minute later a wrecked tank engine pulled into the station, steam leaking from a ruptured cooling valve at the back. The cabin hatch was welded over with a patch but the cargo doors opened when they drew level with Kadiatu.
She looked up at the indicator hologram.
'STRAIGHT TO HELL'.
'Been there,' said Kadiatu as she climbed aboard, 'done that.'
Acturus Terminal (Stunnel Terminus)
The scariest thing was that Blondie could see right through the side of the black train. Through its semi-transparent bulkhead he could make out the shadowy form of dozens of cake monsters curled up on tiers inside.
Old Sam's cut-off hadn't worked, the Central Line gateway had stayed open and the black train had come screaming into the station. No one had a chance to ask Old Sam what had gone wrong because the train had ploughed into the barricades. Blondie didn't see it, but he thought Lambada and Credit Card might have jumped clear in time.
Almost before it stopped the train started to derez, patches of transparency racing across the hull like oil slicks over water. Inside the train the cake monsters were squirming, struggling to get free of the rapidly disintegrating train.
Blondie saw Johny Ray's sweaty face in his mind's eye, freezing up under the violet skies of Mars. Not me, thought Blondie, I ain't no Johny Ray, I'm not the grunt that can't. He snapped the pulse rifle around and emptied a clip into the side of the train.
The bullets ripped through the degenerating hull and exploded amongst the squirming cake monsters, bright flashes throwing up gouts of red and blue.
As if opening fire was a signal Blondie heard the snap of Old Sam's drones as they detached themselves from the ceiling and the drill sound as they opened up with their miniguns. The roof of the black train was swallowed up in a ripple of yellow explosions, the whole top tier of cake monsters underneath simply disintegrating.
Black greasy smoke boiled upwards and spread across the ceiling. Blondie stopped firing and fumbled for his respirator