Chapter Twenty: The Monster Mash
When we arrived at the reception there was no sign of Professor Lazarus.
"I can't see him," said Martha.
"Yeah, I can't see him either," I added.
The Doctor whirled around to face me. "Ali, can you catch his scent?"
I discreetly sniffed the air, but there was no trace of the burnt rubber scent. "He's not here," I informed him. The Time Lord sighed worriedly. "He can't be far. Let's keep looking."
Before we could continue our search, a black man wearing a tux approached us. "Hey, you all right, Martha? I think Mum wants to talk to you."
Hmm… This man is obviously Martha's brother.
"Have you seen Lazarus anywhere?" Martha asked him, breathlessly. Her eyes were darting around the room.
Martha's brother smirked. "Yeah. He was getting cozy with Tish a couple of minutes ago."
My eyes widened in shock while Martha exclaimed. "With Tish?!"
Out of the corner of my eyes; I could see an older black woman wearing a glittery gold dress heading straight for us. And this must be Martha's mother. I thought.
"Doctor – "She began.
"Where did they go?!" The Doctor asked Martha's brother, cutting the woman off.
"Upstairs, I think, why?" As soon as he heard the answer, he grabbed my hand without warning and pulled me behind him as we rushed past Martha's relatives.
-0-
We arrived back at Lazarus's office, but there wasn't any sign of him and Tish.
"Alright, where else could they have gone?" I questioned.
The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it around the office. "Fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature, I might be able to pick it up." He spun around in a circle and the sonic began to beep. "Got him."
"Where?" I inquired.
The Doctor pointed the sonic at the ceiling.
Martha protested. "But this is the top floor!" She paused. "The roof!"
We raced to the stairs.
-0-
We reached the roof, we spotted Tish and Lazarus standing very close to each other. "I find that nothing is ever exactly like you expect. There's always something to surprise you. 'Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act – '
"'Falls the shadows'" finished the Doctor.
Lazarus turned to face us. "So, the mysterious Doctor knows his Eliot. I'm impressed," he drawled.
Tish looked surprised to see her sister. "Martha, what are you doing here?"
"Tish, get away from him," ordered Martha.
"What? Don't tell me what to do."
The Doctor continued to address Lazarus. "I wouldn't have thought you had time for poetry, Lazarus, what with you being busy defying the laws of nature and all," he quipped.
"You're right, Doctor. One lifetime's been too short for me to do everything I'd like. How much more would I get done in two or three or four?"
"Doesn't work like that," the Doctor disagreed. "Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not the time that matters; it's the person."
"But if it's the right person, what a gift that would be."
This guy is seriously pissing me off. Does he even feel any remorse over killing his wife? Apparently, not, since he is trying to get it on with Tish right after the murder.
I scowled at him. "You don't even think you've anything wrong, don't you?"
Lazarus growled and took a threatening step toward me. "Who are you to judge me?"
The Doctor yanked me behind him. "Why, my lovely little friend, here, is right. Look at what you've done to yourself."
Lazarus clenched his jaw and his expression looked murderous. Crap, I think he's about to lose control and transform.
Martha gestured to her sister. "Get over here, Tish," she hissed.
"You have to spoil everything, don't you?" Tish complained to Martha. "Every time I find someone nice you have to go and find fault."
"Oh yeah, he's a real prince charming," I muttered.
"Tish, he's a monster," insisted Martha. Behind Tish, Lazarus was contorting his body in impossible ways. Tish continued to speak to her sister, completely oblivious to Lazarus's state. "I know the age thing is a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones."
My jaw dropped in horror as I watched Lazarus transform into a giant monstrous creature that appeared to be a human skeleton and a scorpion. The Doctor grabbed my hand and shouted: "Run!"
We dashed back inside, and the Doctor sealed the lock with his sonic. While he did that, Martha pressed the button for the elevator. "Are you okay?" She asked Tish.
"I was going to snog him," Tish replied, breathlessly.
I scrunched my face up in disgust. "Thank God, you didn't."
"Yeah, tell me about it," She agreed.
"Oi! Stop talking and get moving!" the Doctor piped up.
I lightly slapped his arm. "Ow! What was that for?!" he exclaimed.
"Stop being rude," I snapped. Lazarus chose that moment to try to break down the door. The siren began to go off and a computerized warning comes over the PA. "Security Breach. Security breach. Security breach."
"What's happening?" asked Martha in a panicked voice.
"Uh, an intrusion. It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts. Seals the exits," answered Tish.
A loud bang echoed throughout the stairwell. We watched in sheer terror as Lazarus continued to pound on the metal door.
"He's strong enough to break down that door," observed the Doctor. "The stairs, come on!"
As we hurried down the stairs; we heard the door crash open.
"He's inside!" cried Martha. I gave her a slight push. "We have to keep moving. If he catches up to us, we're dead."
-0-
We returned to the reception to discover that the guests were blissfully unaware of the incoming danger as they were casually sipping their champagne.
The Doctor quickly scanned the room. "Tish! Is there another way out of here?"
"There's an exit in the corner, but it'll be locked now," responded Tish. The Time Lord tossed the sonic to the medical student. "Martha, setting 54. Hurry."
She rushed off with Tish following close behind her. The Doctor's gaze settled on me. "Ali, go with – "
"No," I interrupted him.
"Ali," groaned the Doctor.
"Look," I pointed out. "I'm not some fragile little girl anymore. You don't have to worry about me. Just be the Doctor."
His face broke into a large grin. "Oh, Ali, you're just brilliant!"
I gave him a small smile and then I motioned to the large crowd of people. "Go on, save them. Doctor."
He swiftly kissed my forehead and then he leaped up on the platform in front of Lazarus's machine. "Listen to me!" shouted the Doctor. "You people are in danger! You need to get out of here right now!"
A blond woman scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. The biggest danger here is choking on an olive."
Suddenly, there was a loud roar, and I spun around to see Lazarus on the landing. He jumped down to the reception floor. Pandemonium broke out among the guests as they stormed toward the exits. Shit. I avoided death by Daleks only to be trampled to death. I pressed myself to the side of a wall. There was no way I was leaving the Doctor to face Lazarus by himself. Martha's mother and brother didn't have the same idea as the other guests because Martha's younger brother got whacked by a table that the Lazarus Monster sent flying across the room.
"Leo!" shouted Martha's mother in alarm.
I sprinted over to them. Martha's mother narrowed her gaze at me. "You're the girl who's associated with the Doctor," She spat with venom.
I sighed. I don't want to deal her with bullshit, but Leo is hurt and there's an actual monster in the room. "I'm Ali Carter and I'm here to help Leo."
"We don't need your help!" she hissed.
"Listen, Martha's Mom – "
"Francine."
I inhaled deeply through my nose. "Francine, since there's a bloodthirsty monster in the room, and Leo is out for the count. I'm going to say: yes, you do."
Francine glared at me and said nothing. Before I had the chance to try to wake up Leo; a woman screamed. I twisted around to see Lazarus pouncing on the woman who didn't believe the Doctor. Oh, hell no! There's going to be no more people dying today. I bounded toward a chair that was near me and kicked a chair. It sailed through the air and smacked Lazarus in the face. He whirled around roared. Oh, shit. I saved that woman, but now Lazarus's attention is all on me. Lazarus advanced on me, his scorpion-like tail was curled up poised to strike.
Before Lazarus had the chance to attack me; the Doctor jumped in front of me. He reached backward and firmly grabbed my hand.
"Be ready to run," he whispered. I sent him a quizzical look.
The Doctor turned his attention back to the monster. "Lazarus! What's the point if you can't control it? The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you. You're a fool, a vain old man who thought he could defy nature," insulted the Doctor. "Only, Nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!"
The monster's face twisted into a look of pure rage before he launched himself at us but we were already sprinting away.
AN: This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I'm in process of moving to Florida so I don't know when I'll have the time to write. It will probably be after May sometime.