19
MY FAIR LADY
Far off in the distance it was just about visible if you squinted hard enough, a tower a tall one with a blinking light on top, a rather weak orange strobe but not visible from the sea with its carpet of silvery mist.
Sarah couldn't see the point of it really, hardly a lighthouse she mused but definitely some kind of beacon although she couldn't imagine who it was aimed at as the beach was totally deserted with not so much as a footprint or a pebble just mile after mile of dirty yellow sand with the odd streak of purple sea weed.
Taking a step she winced and gave a low yelp as stubbed her toe on something solid and unyielding, hoping around she was about to utter a most unlady-like expletive when she saw what it was she'd inadvertently kicked, it wasn't a stone or a shell it was a….
Oh brother. Nausea welled up inside her as she stumbled backwards holding her midriff badly shaken, this was not something she'd expected to see in such a serene location.
Getting control of her racing heart she squatted down and peered at the head, not a human head she decided some sort of alien or maybe it was native to this world it had been severed neatly from its neck by one clean blow because they were no jagged edges. The jaws were slightly apart allowing the long black tongue to protrude and the eyes were open if glazed, green eyes with a vertical gash of a pupil. It was a reptile a very large lizard of some sort with a big skull, so maybe it was intelligent or had been before the guillotine.
"What have you got there?"
The words made her jump and this time she did utter something tabloid, good grief he could have warned her he was coming back, a shouted wave of greeting would have been nice. After all he might have been the killer and her crowning glory could be lying on the sand with its tongue hanging out all dry and sandy.
"Yes," he said noting the lizard. "There are more of them just beyond those dunes, a variety of species all neatly amputated in the same way and just there, possibly as some kind of warning."
One we seem to have ignored she thought, "I wonder why they were killed?"
"Well we can't exactly ask them can we?" His dark, macabre sense of humour did nothing to improve the state of her nerves.
"How many of them are there do you think?" She asked.
"No need to guess I counted them," he would have, "Thirty-six so far."
Not liking the 'so far' bit Sarah tried to suppress a shudder but didn't quite manage it, so much for a peaceful stroll on an alien beach to catch the air; as he'd flippantly put it.
"A slaughter," she remarked, "This one looks quite fresh," oh no don't look at it again; the blessing thing seemed to be looking back accusingly.
"They all seem quite fresh," he remarked not something she really wanted to know if she was honest.
"Seems like our cue to leave," she suggested knowing as she said it they wouldn't be departing any time soon, not now he had his 'interested' face on his 'I'm going to solve this' expression she'd come to know only too well.
He patted her hair lightly then stroked his own fulsome curly locks; it might be thirty-eight soon if they weren't careful a cheery thought.
Sarah pointed at the winking beacon and the Doctor nodded, yes it was the only sign of civilisation the only thing worth exploring.
"Long walk," she said and it was getting cold to with that mist moving in.
"Who said anything about walking?"
"Oh, got a boat tucked away inside the TARDIS have we?" Nothing would have surprised her; you could hide an ocean liner in the vast innards of the time ship.
The big eyes looked at her askance then the curly head shook, no not a boat exactly.
"You'll like this," he said impishly and she thought – no I probably won't.
Sarah cried with a mixture of fear and excitement as they buzzed along the sand, the big-wheeled buggy had the words MAD DOCTOR ABOARD printed on the inflatable side and Sarah thought how appropriate these words were, mad assistant with him she mused as they picked up speed bouncing over the uneven sand and shale in their haste to reach potential danger.
Of course the tower might be unoccupied, some kind of automated thing. On the other hand the head-removing maniac might be in residence, and this wasn't a pleasant idea. "Where did you get this thing?" She asked, her words broken up by the bouncing and vibration, what a way to travel.
"Made by a previous self," he responded flicking a few of the many switches on the dashboard. Sarah had only met one previous Doctor, the chap with the white hair and lisp all nose and chin. She'd liked him, missed him but she was vaguely aware there had been other Doctors.
"I've never seen it before."
"I've never had a chance to use it before," he told her with a grin. "I used to race these things all the time back home, terrific fun. We have gigantic beaches on Gallifrey; some of them have vast LUBA worms coiled just below the surface. If you go over one they rear up out of the ground and try to eat you, you need good gears and nerves of steel."
"How big are these worms?"
"How big is a Boeing 747?" He responded and she laughed, he was making it up he had to be, this Doctor had a real sense of the absurd he exaggerated all the time LUBA worms indeed, probably no bigger than a finger.
"Hey we're almost there," the tower now stood out stark and grey against the orange skyline it didn't look as tall as she'd imagined it would, a bit fatter though. It wasn't rounded either but had four distinct sides. No windows she noted, it must be dark inside. There was a door she could see that clear enough and it was half-open as if in invitation. Maybe the owner had just stepped out; although she couldn't see anyone around maybe he was just careless.
Or maybe she mused he's waiting for us with a very big axe.
They came to a halt jolting her against her seatbelt, "Ouch." She said.
"Ouch?" he mocked as though only wimps made such a complaint.
"It hurt."
There was little sympathy in the big eyes, "You should try doing an aerial spin at top speed in zero visibility with a nest of LUBA worms on the case, now that's worth an ouch."
Before she could tell him to naff off he was unbuckled and out of the buggy striding purposefully towards the tower. "Hello," he shouted to no one in particular. "Nice day for it."
Wrestling with her buckle, which steadfastly refused to release her Sarah grumbled about lousy drivers who told ridiculous stories about aerial spins and giant worms. Oh come on you stupid thing she fretted, I can't defend myself from decapitation like this?
"Allow me," said a voice over her left shoulder and long fingers deftly defeated the buckle in a second.
A thank you was on Sarah's lips, but next instant she was out of the buggy and backing away with raised hands wondering where the axe was.
The beautiful woman didn't seem to be armed except with a smile, it shone through a cascade of long jet-black hair that flowed down onto her pale shoulders. She was quite stunningly attractive Sarah though studying the lean face with its high-cheekbones and perfectly symmetrical features. Then there was the superb figure in no way hidden by tight clothing that seemed rather inappropriate for a beach setting in this chill no goose bumps though, so the bare shoulders stomach and legs obviously weren't suffering.
She was around Sarah's own age but had more muscular definition to her arms and abdomen like she worked out religiously, she was also a few inches taller and Sarah was no shorty herself.
"Doctor," He'd disappeared inside the tower on those long legs of his galloping ahead heedless of any other concern which was typical.
"I'm not a doctor," said the woman gleefully. "Are you?"
No Sarah almost replied I'm a reporter, but then realised that on this small moon halfway across the galaxy the term reporter might have no meaning.
"Sarah-Jane Smith," she said.
"What a delightfully melodious name, I like it." The woman smiled. "It suits you, far more than this sand."
Having itchy grains of sand in her hair, collar, sleeves and shoes Sarah was not at her best and felt a stab of envy at how polished this glamorous stranger kept herself. Then again she hadn't driven at over 100mph in an open topped buggy piloted by an insane time lord.
"I'm sure you'd love to clean up, shall we go inside?" Waving at the tower she added, "This is my home and I could use some company, not many people venture out to the headland at this time of year."
She seemed friendly enough and Sarah was desperate to freshen up, plus the Doctor was inside the tower so it should be safe.
"You live here alone?" Sarah found this idea astonishing, why would such an attractive woman choose isolation when she could have men falling over themselves to be with her?
"Not anymore," said the woman which was a suitably mysterious reply.
"I came here with a tall man, you might have seen him." Sarah said as she followed her hostess into the building. The grey soon surrendered to an attractive colour scheme, carpeting and soft furnishings. She might well have entered a suburban bungalow at the top end of the market for there was a lot of space and it had been tastefully stylised. She noted flowers in vases, tapestries and even some lit candles. No mirrors though not a single one, and it was unusual for a woman not to have a mirror.
"You can call me Ella," Said the woman and Sarah wondered if she'd just made it up. "I'll make us both a warm drink, you can bathe in there." A pink door was indicated. "There's plenty of water and soap, use any of the aromatic oils you like I don't stint on my pleasures."
No, that was obvious from the clothing and luxuriant hair.
Approaching the door Sarah asked, "How long have you been here Ella?"
The reply was astonishing, "I was born here I've never lived anywhere else."
Entering the bathroom feeling deeply disturbed Sarah wondered how old Ella was – twenty-three, twenty-four she couldn't have been much older. Had she really lived her entire life in this remote tower, and where were her parents or boyfriend or anybody?
Finding shampoo she began to wash her hair and boy did that feel good, swilling out all that horrible sand she seemed to have brought half the beach with her. As she was drying her hair something caught her eye in the big wall mirror, it was a man's face with a bush of thick dark curls.
"Doctor," She spun around but there was no sign of him in the room. Returning her gaze to the mirror she found she could still see him.
He was visible in the glass only.
Bemused she reached up and touched the glass, a ripple passed over its surface as though the glass were a pool of still water.
"Doctor, what's going on?"
His mouth mouthed as if in answer but she couldn't hear a thing, it was like a TV with the sound turned right down.
"I can't hear you," she said and he stopped talking. With a frown he scratched his hair then moved nearer to the glass. He spoke again.
Sarah sighed, "I still can't hear you." She told him.
With a shrug he stared at her, then lifting his left fist he struck the other side of the mirror. A ripple expanded outwards. He struck it again harder creating another ripple. He was like a ghost, sort of with her yet not with her. She didn't understand any of this, she'd seen him enter the tower he should be physically present.
"It's no good Doctor, you can't reach me and I can't reach you."
Terror rose up inside her as did a sensation of being trapped, of having walked blithely into danger and then there were those decapitated heads.
"Can you hear me," she asked? When he nodded she sighed with relief, well that was something. "Okay one-way communication it is. There's somebody else here, a girl called Ella have you seen her?"
The head shook.
"Well she claims she's always lived here, it seems a bit odd to me. She doesn't strike me as hostile in any way and she's able to leave the tower because she was outside with me near the buggy."
The look on the time lord's face was one of utter bemusement, and then he made a curious gesture with both hands a mixture of chopping motions then a jabbing point.
"What?" Sarah asked. He repeated the motions. "Oh I see, you want me to go back outside?"
The shaggy head nodded.
"Back to the buggy," she enquired?
He offered a nod.
"But I don't know how to drive it, and I can't just leave you here."
A frown and a wag of the hand – just get on with it.
"All right," she said sadly putting her top back on, it was still sandy but that didn't seem to matter now. "Can you get out?"
The shrug was unhelpful – maybe, perhaps, I've no idea – take your pick.
"Well you must," Sarah cried knowing she couldn't pilot the TARDIS even if she figured out how to drive the buggy.
The Doctor nodded and gestured that he'd try.
Returning to the bathroom door Sarah opened it and blinked in astonishment. She was looking at a different room it wasn't the same room with things moved about but a totally different place.
Smaller and four sided with low crossbeams it seemed old-fashioned and the walls lacked any paper or real plaster, she was looking at stonework. Instead of carpet there were a series of fluffy mats and the furniture was mostly wood. Shelves held a variety of articles some functional some not, and in the far corner was an open grate with a roaring log fire.
Feeling utterly dazed Sarah felt a bit like Alice after she fell down the rabbit hole; nothing stayed the same here from moment to moment. Where was she and where was the Doctor? She called his name hoping against hope that he'd appear and they could leave, something she wanted now more than anything.
"Hello again," The voice made her jump with shock and there was Ella dressed in a long Victorian style dress with lots of frills and flourishes only now she had curly hair and it was a lighter shade of brown.
"What's happening; why has everything changed," Sarah demanded. "Including you?"
Giving her a secret smile the other woman indicated a pan near the fire saying she'd made them some broth and would Sarah like a bowl. "It's very good, very nourishing."
Appetite completely gone the journalist decided the time had come to grasp the nettle. "Where is my friend the Doctor, I know he's here somewhere because I've just seen him?"
Swanning over to the pan Ella took two bowls and a ladle quickly transferring some of the broth into the former.
"I want an explanation," Sarah stormed.
"Yes I can see that," Ella responded with some amusement taking the bowls over to a high oak table with two chairs. "Join me."
"I'm not hungry thank you."
Sitting down and picking up her own spoon the pretty girl began to enjoy her broth.
"Right," said Sarah and headed for the exit or rather she would have had it still been there. The only door now visible led further into the tower, it led to some ascending stairs. Wait a moment this was insane there had to be a way out, after all there'd been a way in.
"I don't believe this," she said out loud. "It's like I'm trapped in a nightmare."
In sheer frustration she went over to the stairs, she didn't really want to go any deeper into the tower but it seemed the only logical way of finding the Doctor and maybe a few answers.
Ella's voice reached her as she put her foot on the first step. "I wouldn't go up there if I were you Sarah."
Was that a threat? Taking her foot off the stair Sarah turned back to the girl waiting for an explanation, when none was forthcoming she returned her foot to the stairs and began to climb.
"You're being foolish," Ella's voice echoed behind her. Foolish or not she had to get to the bottom of this bizarre enigma; buildings just couldn't change their shape in a moment or refurbish themselves in the blink of an eye. Unless this tower was a TARDIS - she knew that it could reconfigure itself because the Doctor had told her. But how likely was that?
The higher up she went the more she noticed how modern the place was. The old-world rustic charm soon made way for a more futuristic appearance. This is not some old tower built in a bygone age after all she thought it's a chameleon and can alter its appearance.
All too soon she came to the room. This long and four sided with very subdued infrared lighting, it was almost entirely filled with large glass tanks and floating within these were bodies headless bodies. Attached to the neck stumps where complex looking metal collars with sealed ends. Cables ran from each collar out through the bottom of the tank to a terminal, upon this were digital readouts.
Disgusted Sarah moved up to one of the tanks, the thing inside was reptilian or it had been and its missing head might just very well be the one she had found on the beach. The other bodies were a mixture of humanoid, simian and even insectoid in other words a wide cross section of alien life forms, but all had two things in common – they had died here and lost their heads.
Tenderly touching her own neck she wondered if she'd be joining them. She also wondered what the point of all this was, why did Ella need bodies minus their brains?
At the far end of the room was a terminal with a large glass dome she saw not her reflection in it but the face of the Doctor.
"Oh thank goodness, can you see all of this?" She demanded, but it was obvious from the serious look on his face that he could.
"It's monstrous Sarah."
Her heart almost skipped a beat; she could hear him just about his voice sounded distant like over a few telephone connection.
"Yes well you would," he said. "This is the power room for the entire vehicle."
Wait a moment she thought, what had he just said?
"Yes Sarah I'm beginning to understand now that this whole tower is temporal transfer tube, it's the interior that travels through various dimensions whilst the exterior shell stays exactly where it is. I've heard of TTT's before but this is the first one I've actually encountered. They were banned centuries ago."
Just about following the Doctor's conversation she asked, "Why where they banned?"
"Well look around you at the fuel source."
Fuel source, oh no he couldn't mean….?
"Oh my god, you mean these lifeless bodies are actually powering this thing?"
"Not lifeless Sarah merely headless, the bodies are being kept alive by artificial means. The heads are removed to erase any conscious rational mind that might resist the process. It's actually quite brilliant in a grotesque, Frankenstein sort of way."
Not in her view, she felt sick. If the bodies were fuel then Ella would need a constant supply of them, like her and the Doctor for instance.
"Doctor I've just had an idea, are you alone in your parallel dimension?"
His head jerked around and he appeared to listen for a moment before lowering his voice to say, "She's looking for me, I've got to keep on the move."
"Who is, do you mean Ella's there with you, but she's here with me?"
But he'd gone scooting away in that frenetic dash of his. Ella couldn't be in two places at once could she?
Hearing a bump Sarah jerked with shock then squatted down behind the dome-topped terminal; the noise had come from inside the room and had been quite close. Was Ella here now, had she come with her axe like Lizzie Borden to lop off another head?
Something wet sounding slapped onto the hard floor then began to pad moistly up the room, what the hell was it? Sarah risked a quick look and the eyes almost popped out of her head, oh no this was too much.
A headless humanoid figure covered in silver scales was moving towards her, it must have climbed out of its tank. So the Doctor was right these bodies were alive only now instead of being under the control of their own brains they were being directed by the neck collar.
Next instant a massive furry body climbed up out of its tank and jumped to the ground, the arms were so long that the clawed hands scraped against the floor. The room's attacking me she mused, it must somehow sense the presence of an intruder unless these headless freaks planned to make her one of them; maybe Ella didn't need an axe, maybe her fuel was self-replenishing.
When a third body – blue skinned with a tail – vacated its tank and joined the other two Sarah decided to run for it. There was one way out that she could see, and if she weaved in between the tanks keeping out of site she just be able to…
In that instant the room door slid shut and locked itself sealing her inside, trapped and apparently helpless.
"I'm sorry Sarah," the voice came from somewhere high up on the wall and felt amplified. "But I'm afraid my craft is running low on energy. One body won't do this time I'll need at least a couple; you and your doctor friend seem most suitable."
Outrage coursing through her Sarah almost did something rash like shouting back, but to do that would be to betray her position to the walking dead as she thought of them. Nothing minus a head was truly alive in her view these things were glorified zombies.
Yet with the only door locked what could she do?
Scales, Monkey and Blue were closing in fast and all three looked nasty pieces of work. If they got hold of her she knew she was finished, so she made up her mind to keep moving to at least make things difficult for them.
"Sarah!" The voice was hoarse and close looking up she saw a familiar pair of large bulging eyes staring at her from out of the dome. "Are you still there?"
She let him see her; of course she was still there where else would she be? She pointed at the approaching trio and the Doctor's big eyes got bigger.
"Oh dear me," he said and couldn't resist an ironic smile.
"I can't get out," she whispered although why she was whispering she had no idea. They knew where she was because they could somehow see and hear her without eyes or ears.
"You're in exactly the right place Sarah, well done for finding it."
How could she be in the right place if it meant joining the ranks of the vertically challenged?
"Now listen carefully Sarah-Jane," he only used her full Christian name when things were grim and to hear it didn't surprise her. "I want you to do one thing for me; I want you to smash me into tiny pieces."
She did a mental double take smash him?
"Find something hard and heavy and smash my image."
It occurred to her to ask why but there wasn't time, on the floor just behind her was a metal cylinder screwed into one of the machines, grabbing it she began to twist and it came lose.
"Hurry," the Doctor urged. She was hurrying - did he imagine she'd dawdle at a time like this? Not understanding the need for vandalism she pulled the cylinder lose, stood up and swung it at the glass dome.
It bounced off harmless with a loud clang.
"Must be reinforced glass," said the curly haired man, which wasn't a great deal of help. The three headless aliens were a couple of meters away, Ape Man made a lunge for Sarah. Dodging around to the other side of the dome she hit it again, another loud clang but no breakage.
"Come on Sarah," the Doctor impelled. "Imagine it's an editor who's spiked one of your pieces."
Clang – still nothing.
"Imagine its Harry Sullivan calling you an old girl."
Clang, clang – a slight crack appeared, only a slight one. Blue Alien lunged at her - she had to duck right down to avoid him.
The Doctor said, "Imagine it's ME!"
The glass dome shattered with a fierce pop, hit not by Sarah but by Scaled Alien who lunged at her, lost his balance and fell onto it.
The pop was followed by a brilliant flash, a choking cloud of smoke and a shrill symphony of alarm from the other machines!
The water in the body tanks began to bubble, the bodies themselves started to thrash about and the three aliens on their feet fell to the deck in a convulsion.
The room door shot open and there stood Ella, this time she was armed but not with an axe. The look on her face was unmistakable, all the sweetness and sugary charm had well and truly gone. Yes Sarah realised you've come to kill me the old-fashioned way, its payback time because I've put a right old spanner in your works.
"I couldn't find the elusive Doctor but I know where you are Sarah dear."
Keeping behind cover the journalist tried not to make sound, at least she did until Blue Alien's webbed fingers touched her ankle in a spasmodic final twitch. With a cry of shock she stood up.
Ella's smile was one of pure vindictive spite. "It's amazing how stupid people can ruin complex technical operations by a mixture of luck and crude physical violence."
Not liking to be called stupid by anyone, even someone with a gun and a reason to use it. The plucky side of Sarah revealed itself by a stiffening of the spine and a lifting of the chin.
"What kind of ghoulish, cold-blooded monster are you to create something as vile as this?"
There was a decided lack of contrition in the beautiful eyes and it was clear that Ella was the type of monster quite devoid of a conscience.
"You've made a real mess but I can repair it, I might even be able to salvage some of the meat but as I said before fresh flesh is essential."
Sarah looked at the gun. "You can't shoot me then." It was a wild stab in the dark and as it turned out, inaccurate.
"The surgical beam from this prismatic laser cuts and cauterises wounds instantly, so I'm afraid your beginner's luck just ran out."
Sarah just stared at the weapon knowing she couldn't do anything now not with Ella stood in the doorway and tanks full of headless zombies and metal walls with holes appearing in them….
Hang on, holes appearing in them?
She blinked in disbelief there could be no doubt about it the walls had begun to melt like butter in a frying pan. Small gaps were turning into huge rents and through them she could see another room as big as this one only with no tanks in it, just a single tall figure in a long coat and scarf.
"At last," he said bounding up to the rapidly dissolving wall. "Tricky thing balancing co-terminus dimensions and I should know. Hello Ella, you're not going to use that gun on us are you?"
Of course she is thought Sarah she's quite mad and by now more than a bit desperate after my little bit of impromptu sabotage.
A blindingly white beam shot from the end of the gun but it wasn't aimed at her. The Doctor ducked just in time and the surgical fire shot past him harmlessly. He was lucky in that he had the wall for cover, but unlucky in that it was disappearing fast and when it was gone not even his massive sense of humour would protect him.
He said, "Am I right in thinking that it isn't just this tower that draws sustenance from our headless friends, but you as well?"
Sarah hadn't thought of that, then again there was no reason why she should. She'd just assumed that Ella was a person like her, alien maybe but flesh and blood and reasonably normal at least in biological terms.
The Doctor went on, "And that without them you'd be up the creek – so to speak. I mean if the rest of these tanks were to go suddenly offline it could be very unfortunate."
"They won't," Ella shouted as she fired again this time at Sarah forcing her to dive to the floor. Why is she shooting at me Sarah wondered, I'm not the one provoking her? It's the Doctor coming up with all the unpleasant ideas as usual – tanks offline indeed. After all how could that happen, which control could make it? She stole a look and surprised herself, now why didn't I see that before? Well maybe because I wasn't lying on my stomach before at such an odd angle.
Suddenly the Doctor's head popped up all curls and grin. Ella swung around and fired at him again giving Sarah her chance, well here goes she thought launching herself up off the deck like an athlete. She had about fifteen meters to cover, not a lot really unless some psychopath was trying to take your head off with a very efficient self-targeting gun.
Some instinct made her duck and just in time, as a terrific wave of heat shot overhead.
"Oh poor shot," the Doctor mocked. "Even a one-eyed drunk on a seesaw could do better than that."
Ella's reaction was to take another shot at him and the grin disappeared from his face as his scarf ignited, bursting into flames at both ends and forcing him to rapidly uncoil it from his neck. In a surprising move her hurled the thing at Ella, forcing her to stumble back in shock. "Quickly Sarah," he yelled.
With one final spurt she flew at the lever, grabbed it and pulled it.
It refused to budge being jammed in place.
Ella's laugh was an unpleasant sound, "Oh dear didn't I mention the override switch?"
No fumed Sarah you didn't, but then you wouldn't would you that might give us a chance to win and now we have no hope, we're sunk.
The surgical laser was aimed right at her now with a grim finality and there didn't seem to be anything else the Doctor could do, sort of commit suicide with a wild insane dash forwards over the trenches.
"You first Sarah my dear," Ella announced, "the Doctor second."
Gripping the lever Sarah tugged with every ounce of strength she possessed, but even faced with imminent death she couldn't make any impression. Go ahead shoot me get it over with and make it quick, I don't want to see it happen and would be happy not to feel it as well.
Hearing boots on the floor she turned to see the Doctor stood between her and the gun a living barrier, good grief he was committing suicide after all a noble but surely pointless gesture. In his right hand was a long white pebble with black spots down the side.
"I never did tell you about the unique life cycle of the LUBA worm did I Sarah, oh yes it's quite remarkable."
Oh no not a biology lesson now of all times, did he really think it would stop Ella from killing them both?
He went on, "Soon after hatching the worm expands at an alarming rate achieving physical maturity in about twelve seconds, and it's hungry very, very hungry." He tossed and caught the white pebble. "Now this is the egg of a LUBA worm, it's been incubating in my pocket for, oh around a couple of centuries so it should be nice and ready to hatch by now."
Ella didn't look anymore convinced than Sarah was, what a preposterous story a typical exaggeration.
"Nice try," the alien woman scoffed. "But no sale."
Oh well the Doctor's shrug said if that doesn't convince you. He closed his fist and the stone was crushed, it wasn't a stone at all but had a brittle shell. Within was a lot of goo and something long and dark that wriggled and pulsated disgustingly. He threw it on the floor at Ella's feet and she stared at it in amazement as it began to stretch and swell alarmingly inflating like some novelty balloon.
Stepping back she dipped her gun and fired. The deadly ray hit the ugly expanding mass but had no effect at all not even scratching it.
"Oh yes there's something else you need to know about LUBA worms, their epidermis can refract even focused light so energy weapons are useless against them." Sarah felt her arm grabbed and she was wrenched away from the lever. "Time to leave," came the fierce hiss. "When that worm reaches maturity it'll start chewing its way through this place with a vengeance."
Oh great thought Sarah this is all we need, a giant flesh eating invertebrate.
"Why didn't you use it before?"
"I was trapped in another dimension before remember? In any case I have a confession to make to you Sarah-Jane," a violence sneeze escaped the time lord's nose and she noticed a rash forming on his damp hand.
"I'm rather allergic to LUBA worms if you must know, never could stand the filthy things."