I'm back, at long last! Blimey, it was a whole different era of Doctor Who history when I last updated! Never mind, let's sally forth into Chapter Six. Looking back over it, not much happens compared to previous chapters, but I'm still pleased with it.
The Doctor braced himself grimly as Maglect advanced upon him, wielding the instrument. The Time Lord stared at his adversary as he bore down on him, looking totally capable of murder. He took a quick skip backwards, sucking in his stomach as the ugly silver hook of the weapon arced towards his midriff. Now aware that he was being backed up against the pillar of the arch of the stage, the Doctor looked behind him for an escape route- and groaned in pain as his vision kaleidoscoped into an array of melding colours. Another regenerative surge, he thought, before plunging off the stage in a semi- conscious stupor, smacking into the floor below with a thump.
Maglect dropped the instrument swiftly. Running a hand over his hairless forehead, he quickly moved to the edge of the stage, trying to see what had happened to the strange man he had been trying to ward off.
The scientist knelt on the stage, staring down the six- foot drop to where the Doctor lay, unmoving. Suddenly, he looked up, blinking in surprise as the doors to the hall slammed open, splintered wood flying in all directions. Colonel Bardon shoved past the butts of his men's guns, his own pistol extended down towards Maglect.
"Now, you just stop right where you are," commanded the Colonel authoritatively, his eyes staring unblinkingly at the figures on and below the stage, his jaw set firmly.
Maglect looked, a little less steadily than usual, up at Bardon, and blinked. For weeks now he had been treating the Colonel as a complete incompetent, someone just on his tolerance threshold. Now, for the first time, it seemed the Colonel was able to stand up for himself and actually behave like a soldier. And this worried, and irritated, Maglect.
Glaring at the Colonel, the scientist slowly raised his hands and, with some difficulty, got to his feet without breaking eye contact.
"Cover him," Bardon ordered to Lamb and Keats as he rushed down the irritatingly long flight of steps to where the Doctor lay. As his boot hit the last step, the prone Time Lord suddenly snapped upright, sitting up and staring wildly around him, his wide, shining brown eyes settling on Bardon.
"Blast!" he shouted irritably. "That could've been timed better! Never mind! Other things to do!" He scrambled to his feet, breathing heavily, and stormed towards the foot of the stairs. "Oh, hello, Colonel," he sneered in a voice of distaste as he passed Bardon.
Bardon ignored his tone, turning to follow him. "Are you alright, Doctor?" he asked.
"Probably not," the Doctor called cheerfully, bounding up the steps. "But that doesn't matter right now. Oh, by the way, watch out for that Ice Warrior."
Bardon half- turned just in time to see the Ice Warrior tear itself from its restraints with a wheezing snarl of triumph and sheer effort.
The two soldiers spun around to aim their guns up at the creature on the stage. As soon as the menacing twin barrels swerved away from his face, Maglect made a diving bid for escape, rolling on the floor and bounding into the cover of a small flight of steps leading into the backstage area.
The Doctor swiftly turned, clutching at a lapel with one hand and holding up his other in warning. "Wait- don't-"
His warning came too late; Lamb and Keats opened fire. The furious onslaught of bullets caused the Martian to stagger backwards, crashing into the chair, yelling in frustration and irritation.
"Brilliant!" spat the Doctor. "I knew I could always rely on UNIT to make the situation worse!"
His attention was suddenly diverted by the sight of Maglect backing quickly out of his escape route, staring nervously at the tall, imposing figure driving him back.
"Worse and worse," moaned the Doctor softly as the Ice Warrior raised its weapon.
Suddenly, the roaring of the creature on the stage caused its comrade to turn.
The Doctor anticipated the horror and murderous rage at what had been done to its fellow moments before it came. Leaping down the steps, he hurled Bardon bodily up the stairs as he passed.
I've got no plan, the Doctor realised as he clattered to an abrupt halt between the armed Warrior and the two UNIT troopers, raising his palms to the Martian in a gesture of peace. "Now, then…" he began, but was suddenly knocked to one side from behind, landing in a half- crouch on the floor.
"Get down!" yelled Private Keats, priming a small explosive as he prepared to throw it across the room at the Warrior.
"No!" yelled the Doctor and Bardon at the same time, but the Warrior's reflexes were like lightning; it fired instantly, the force of the sonic blast hurling Keats' shattered corpse towards the opposite wall.
Immediately the Doctor was on his feet, one hand on Private Lamb's belt and the other on his collar as he hauled him towards the stairs, the elderly soldier's feet leaving the floor with the Doctor's strength of urgency. The Colonel dashed upwards a few steps ahead of them, expecting all the while to hear the whine of a Sonic Weapon just behind him.
Sub- Commander Sslok permitted himself a small smile of victory as he raised his arm to fire on the cowardly humans as they attempted to escape. But at the very moment that he was about to clench his fist, his arm was batted aside, sending the shot wide across the vast room. In his fury, all thoughts of vengeance on his mammalian foes were thrust from Sslok's head as he wheeled on Gurzan.
"How dare you ssstrike me?" he demanded, baring his teeth as he shoved Gurzan up against the front of the stage, his powerful forearm across his subordinate's throat.
Gurzan stared fearlessly back. "We ssshould not blindly continue an offenssssive assssault! We ssshould attempt to communicate! You cannot fight an entire planet, Ssssub- Commander!"
A sudden noise caused them both to look to the nearest corner of the amphitheatre, where, forgotten by both Martians and humans, Doctor Maglect was crouched in a corner, looking warily at the confrontation.
Sslok smiled, and took a step towards his human prey…
The shattered doors to the lecture hall swung open as Bardon, Lamb and the Doctor burst through, causing Jenny and Captain Ceylon to look up from their worried conversation.
"Doctor!" Jenny exclaimed, rushing forward to the breathless Time Lord.
"Ah, Jenny," the Doctor panted, looking up. "Help me with this gentleman, will you?" Together, the pair of them hauled the wheezing old soldier into a corner, sitting him up against the wall. "He'll be alright," the Doctor said dismissively, giving Lamb a cursory glance before drawing himself up to his full height, staring down at the people around him: Professor Quintus, full of scientific curiosity, peering through the cracks in the double doors, eagerly trying to catch a glimpse of the Ice Warriors; Bardon, Ceylon and their men hauling tables and vending machines to the doorway to create a rudimentary blockade; Jenny watching him, filled with interest about the mysterious Doctor, but also, the Doctor was flattered to note, with the beginnings of glimmerings of trust in the Time Lord.
"Right!" the Doctor shouted, authority lacing his voice, causing even Bardon to automatically listen to him. "Seeing as you and your toy soldiers have done nothing but make the situation monumentally worse, I'm off to sort out your mess. I suggest that the rest of you bog off somewhere and defend yourselves as best you can while-"
"Now, see here, Doctor-" Bardon began forcefully.
"-As best you can while I go and try and prevent the Ice Warriors from quite understandably slaughtering you all!"
Captain Ceylon instinctively reached for his holster. "Here, you can't just-"
"Doctor, I refuse to let you run around this base alone!" Bardon shouted at the same time.
The Doctor rounded on him. "Right! Very well! I'll take Miss Donague with me!" he snapped. "Come along, Jenny," he said, marching towards a side door, turning, and holding out a hand to her.
Jenny glanced at Bardon. "Donague, stay where you are," the Colonel ordered. "We need everyone we've got to fight the enemy."
The young woman levelly held his gaze. "But what if we don't have to fight?" she asked. She turned back to the Doctor, who was still staring grimly at her. Impulsively, she reached out and grabbed his hand. The Time Lord smiled softly, then turned and pushed open the door with his free hand. Together, the Doctor and Jenny ran into the maze of the complex, and were soon lost to sight.
Ceylon stared helplessly after them, then turned to his superior. "What shall we do, sir?" he asked apprehensively.
A muscle twitched in Bardon's face. "Do?" he snapped, still looking at the doorway through which the two absconders had disappeared. "Ceylon, take everybody here and secure the security centre. That must be our key priority!"
"What will you do, sir?" asked the Captain.
"Never you mind, Captain," Bardon said, walking away. Ceylon watched, concerned, as Bardon drew his pistol from his holster, appearing to weigh it in his hand before disappearing through the door.
Rubbing his chin worriedly, Ceylon turned to the small group of UNIT troopers before him. "Right, you lot," he began. "You heard the Colonel. Let's take back our territory!"
Professor Quintus hurried up to him. "And, er, what shall I do?" he asked.
Ceylon turned to him, and silently marched over to Corporal Marshall's covered body. He picked up the Corporal's gun, hefted it, marched back to Quintus and shoved the weapon against his chest. "You're going to fight for humanity, Professor!"
In the reception lounge, Sergeant Drayle tapped her foot impatiently as she watched the two men crouched behind the barricade, weapons trained on the unnerving space beyond the room. All around her, dishevelled- looking men and women sat against the walls, shivering, sobbing, some just staring into space.
At the bar, Doctor McStevens had poured herself a whisky, but hadn't yet touched it, staring at the glass as if afraid it might bite- or start firing a sonic weapon at her. Drayle went over to her, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. McStevens jumped, spilling the whisky slightly, droplets spattering the wooden surface of the bar.
"Hey, steady," said Drayle, releasing McStevens. She sat down next to the scientist. "The important thing is that we remain calm."
The Doctor gave an amused hiccough. "Is that in your little sergeant's rulebook?"
"It's in the rulebook of common sense," Drayle replied gently.
"Well said," came a rich voice from nearby. They turned to see the unmissable bulk of Sir Hector Bruce firmly ensconced in on of the more comfortable looking chairs. "Look," the knight explained. "The people out there are the best of the best, aren't they? Well, that's good enough for me to invest my trust in them, and I suggest that you two young girls do the same."
"Well, what are we meant to do in the meantime?" McStevens demanded, her voice rising towards hysteria.
"Well, I don't you about you," Sir Hector replied, stretching his legs. "Drink yourself silly, for all I care. I, in the meantime…" he fished a large handkerchief from his breast pocket, and, lying back, placed the material over his face. "… am going to have a nap."
The Doctor dashed down the stairs, into the heart of the complex, Jenny struggling to keep up with the manically charging Time Lord. She broke into a run to try and match the pace of his strides- and suddenly collided with the Doctor's broad back as he abruptly stopped. He spun around, forcing her to take a pace or so backwards, a quizzical look on his face. "By the way," he began, a faint smile on his face. "How do I look?"
"Er…"
He brushed back his fringe, running a hand through his tangled brown hair. "Well, it's always nice to get an outside opinion." He leant forward. "So, how do I look? I mean, I know I'm no Miss World, but…" he left the sentence hanging.
Jenny bit her lip. "Erm… just… normal…" she sought for something tactful to say. "…average…" she gave up. "You're right Doctor, you're no looker."
The Doctor shut one eye, and scrutinised her through the other for some time. Finally he grinned. "Let's say 'rugged,' shall we?" he said, before turning and beginning to stride down the corridor, peering in through every door. He turned again just as Jenny caught up. "It's just…" he began, blinking as if to keep something out of his eyes, "It's just… this is my last time. My last body, my last regeneration." He looked at Jenny, his eyes shining. "Mortality. It's terrifying. I don't know how you lot cope."
Jenny looked straight at him, talking frankly to him. "We just… milk life for all it's worth."
The Doctor looked away, apparently busying himself pushing the collar of his suit jacket upwards. When he looked back, his gaze was clear. "Good answer." He resumed his apparently haphazard striding along the corridor.
Jenny rather cautiously began following him, keeping to the other side of the corridor, so that when he very suddenly halted yet again, as indeed he did, she avoided yet another collision with his shoulder blades.
"Ooh, hello!" the Doctor exclaimed, peering in through the tiny round window of an inconspicuous steel door.
"What?" Jenny asked, coming over to him.
"Well, look," the Doctor told her. She obediently peered in through the porthole.
"I repeat, what?"
The Doctor turned to her. "Aha! You haven't been paying attention!"
He pointed to the door further down the corridor, one which they had just passed. "Look through that one."
Jenny dutifully walked over to the previous door and examined the room. It seemed normal enough, just another storeroom, but…
"Now, wait…" she said to the Doctor, who was now grinning at her. She began to walk down the corridor. "Now, that room stops here," she said, pointing to a certain point in the wall. She continued walking. "And that room begins here," she said, and then looked up. "You think there's something between them?"
"I certainly do," said the Doctor. "I mean, what's the point of building it like this? An underground complex, every square foot of this place costs money!"
"So… there's something between these two rooms," said Jenny. "How does that help us? How do we get to whatever it is?"
"You're forgetting my legendary sonic screwdriver!" said the Doctor, flourishing said instrument with a grin. He began to sweep the wall with the device.
"Anyway, how does this help us stop the Ice Warriors?" Jenny asked.
The Doctor shrugged. "Yes, I suppose there's a chance that it might have nothing at all to do with the Ice Warriors. But I very much doubt it. Why don't you apply your questioning mind to who might be in a position to build a room and then hide it away in such a manner."
Jenny crouched down beside the kneeling Time Lord. "Erm… Doctor Maglect and Doctor McStevens have been with the project from the start. Professor Quintus joined just after building started. Then there's a bunch of Lairds and Councillors and the like…"
The Doctor turned to her. "What about people from UNIT?"
Jenny thought for a moment. "Well, Colonel Bardon and Arj- erm, Captain Ceylon have been overseeing the whole thing, but I really don't think they'd- Doctor, what are you suggesting?"
"Me? Oh, I'm just bouncing a few hypotheses off you," said the Doctor cheerfully, standing up and taking a few steps back. "I'm sure your friends are totally innocent and I'm completely wrong… even though I never am… aha!" He delivered a precise kick to a spot at the base of the wall and a panel at head height swung open. The Doctor examined it carefully, and began wielding his sonic screwdriver at it. "Now, if I resonate this at just the right frequency… I can trigger the same reaction as if the correct code had been entered… ooh, even better, here comes the code now… I wonder whose birthday that is…" The Doctor's prattling died away as a section of wall slid open. "Quick, through we go," he said cheerfully, ushering Jenny through. Whisking off his tie, he positioned it so that the knot was in line with the sliding panel, and hopped over it. The panel slid back, put was stopped from closing completely by the new obstruction.
Jenny blinked, trying to acclimatise to the near pitch blackness of the secret chamber. The Doctor began shining the screwdriver about: little beams of green light projected off into the darkness. "Aha! Light switch!" he said, and suddenly Jenny was reeling from the light that filled the room, causing her to press the heels of her hands into her eyes until the flashing had stopped.
Gingerly she opened her eyes, and, shoulder to shoulder, they stared at the sight that greeted them.
"Blimey."
Ooh! Anyway, carry on Reviewing! Bountiful thanks to the handful of people who have been reviewing so far, it's much appreciated.