Doctor Who_ Transit - Ben Aaronovitch [13]
Kings Cross (Central Line)
Kadiatu remembered another rescue like this. Thrashing useless limbs, swallowing water, watching the sunlight recede as she sank down into the stream. Under the water her friends' voices became shrill and distant. When she bashed her head against the side of the boat it was like a wooden gong, a deep profundo boom which intermingled with the pain until she couldn't tell them apart. Her father saved her that time, yanked her from the river by the hair, his big fist knotted in her braids. That's why your mother plaits your hair, he told her later, to give me something to grab hold of.
Something had come through the station.
Something that howled out of the tunnel and filled the wind with knives and the stink of ozone. The Inspector had been lifted from his feet and hung shaking before her. There was a sharp crack as his visor shattered and Kadiatu glimpsed a pale contorted face. Then he vanished in an expanding cloud of blue vapour that was in turn shredded by the wind and blown away.
That was when somebody grabbed Kadiatu's hair and pulled her to safety. Except she wasn't a child any more, wasn't drowning in the washing stream on a bright Makeni morning to the shrill screams of her friends. It was not her father's hand that was knotted in her hair, yanking her up and away from the platform edge. Whoever it was they were strong, lifting her easily to her feet as if she still were that child and not the seventy-two kilos of bone and muscle she had become.
'Not again,' said a voice by her ear.
Acturus Terminal (Stunnel Terminus)
Old Sam was moving, really moving, way beyond the normal human range. As they moved up on the galleria he was almost too fast for the eye to catch.
'Jesus, Sam,' hissed Dogface, 'slow down, will you?'
Old Sam came to a sudden halt by the entrance and stood rock still. 'Slow enough?' There was a manic edge to his voice.
'Are you wired?' asked Lambada.
'Just some Doberman,' said Old Sam.
Blondie heard Lambada swearing under her breath. Ahead galleria was in darkness, the entrance a pitch black rectangle. Blondie didn't think it was a good place for Old Sam, not with him cranked up on Doberman.
'Don't worry,' said Old Sam, 'it's good stuff.'
'It's not the bloody quality I'm worried about,' said Lambada. 'Where's it from?'
'I scored it off Blondie's girlfriend,' Old Sam grinned at Blondie, 'didn't I?'
They all turned to stare at Blondie who blushed.
'Never mind that,' said Dogface to Old Sam. 'How are you feeling?'
'Fast and mean!' said Old Sam.
'You can go first then,' said Lambada.
'OK,' said Old Sam and vanished into the darkness.
Lambada glared at Blondie.
'How was I supposed to know?' said Blondie.
'He'll be all right,' said Dogface.
'It's not him I'm worried about,' said Lambada, 'it's us. What if he has a flashback?'
'I haven't had a flashback in ten years,' said Old Sam from just behind them. Lambada jerked round and grabbed Sam by his lapels.
'Don't do that!'
'Sorry,' said Old Sam and Lambada let go.
'Well?' asked Dogface.
'The galleria's clear of targets,' reported Old Sam. 'I haven't been into the station yet.'
'No people?' asked Lambada.
'That's what I said,' said Old Sam.
'You said targets.'
'People, targets.' Old Sam shrugged. 'What's the difference?'
Dogface linked with Credit Card back at the Olympus West and told him to put on the emergency lights.
'Up in thirty seconds,' said Credit Card.
Ming broke into the link. 'Well?'
'We're going in as soon as the lights are on,' said Dogface. 'Any word from the KGB?'
'Nothing from them or Viking Security.'
'Lights are up,' said Credit Card.
'Call you back, Ming,' said Dogface.
Old Sam led them across the empty galleria. Dogface and Blondie in the middle with Lambada bringing up the rear. Dogface kept his fingers in contact with the portable link box.
'What's that smell?' asked Lambada.
It came from the Kwik-Kurry franchise. A ten-litre pot of curried