Doctor Who_ Winner Takes All - Jacqueline Rayner [67]
* * *
TWENTY
Rose had been taken away from Darren Pye’s head, away from the Mantodeans she could see in the distance, chomping away at something unseen, but perfectly imaginable, on the floor.
She had been taken down many more tunnels, across chasms, up steps, and through she wasn’t sure how many encrypted locks and booby‐trapped doors, and she was really fed up.
Then, just as she’d given up hope of ever hearing another human voice again, she spoke to herself.
‘Rose, it’s me. You’re nearly there, so I’ve got to risk it.’
Her hand pulled the mobile out of her pocket, and began to dial.
‘Just got to speak to Mickey again. Listen, I’m going to get you out of there. Once you’re at close enough range, they’re going to activate the disruptors. I don’t know what’s going to happen then. But you’ll be OK. Trust me.’
The phone was held up to her ear.
‘What’s that you were saying about being OK and trusting me?’ said Mickey’s voice. ‘Is everything all right, Rose? God, I hope you’re OK.’
But Rose couldn’t answer him, and the Doctor couldn’t hear him.
‘Mickey?’ Rose said, in the Doctor’s words. ‘I hope you’re all set. Because it’s going to be any minute now.’
* * *
There was an air of barely suppressed excitement in the Quevvil control room.
As soon as Rose had started the final approach to the centre, Frinel had ordered the Quevvils into the yellow‐lit shower cubicles, which apparently were teleport booths. Nearly every Quevvil had squeezed in, leaving only one or two manning the various bits and pieces around the room.
Frinel himself was standing outside the nearest booth. The Quevvil called Herryan was in place to activate the disruptors, and then, the instant they were switched on, to teleport the Quevvils across to the heart of the Mantodean stronghold.
‘I shall lead the charge myself,’ Frinel had announced. ‘It is only fitting.’ He waved his fist in the air triumphantly. ‘Final victory approaches!’
* * *
The final lock was the trickiest yet. Rose avoided the acid flow and the razor blades that thudded out at head height, while standing at the top of a sheer cliff, and finally cracked the code. Or rather, the Doctor did all that.
The door opened. A hundred Mantodeans turned to look at her.
‘Mickey, now!’ she found herself yelling.
* * *
‘Herryan, now!’ cried Frinel.
Herryan’s paw shot out, and hit the button activating the disruptors. The screen in front of the Doctor went blank. Barely a split second later, the paw moved to hit the button activating the teleporters.
Robert felt his hair spring up on his head, the air full of static. There was a smell like lemon washing‐up liquid, and all the Quevvils vanished.
The heads of everyone remaining turned to stare as the door of the room smashed to the floor. Through the doorway fell Mr Nkomo, Mrs Nkomo, Mr Snow, Rachel Goldberg, Mr Johnson, Anne something or other, Tim Breeley and the Japanese girl, propelled forward by their momentum, each with a disruptor strapped to his or her chest.
The yellow lights of the teleport booths snapped out.
Every screen, dial and read‐out in the room died instantly.
And, for a moment, there was silence.
Then, ‘I think all your mates have just been atomised,’ said the Doctor to the two remaining Quevvils. ‘It might be an idea for you to surrender now.’
* * *
Back on Earth, the one remaining player of Death to Mantodeans shook his control pad, tried thumping the games console, and switched the TV on and off a couple of times. Nothing seemed to work. He looked at his watch, and saw it was the middle of the night. How long had he been playing that game for? He realised he was really quite hungry and tired now. Plus, wasn’t it supposed to be bad for your eyes? He’d get a sandwich, go to bed, and maybe try the game again in the morning. It might have sorted itself out by then.
And 100 miles away, a man who had agreed to pay £500 for something that would rid him of his wife once and for all lay tossing and turning in his bed, wondering if he’d made a terrible