==Chapter 8==

A Serious Game Of Leapfrog

"Don't even blink."

- The Doctor

Watson's eyes widened in alarm, head whipping around towards the door... and an involuntary cry of shock and horror burst from him at the sight: an Angel was halfway across the room, arms outstretched towards them, fingernails extended to claws, pointed teeth bared in a frozen snarl. An old veteran he might be, but Watson was still deeply shaken over just how swiftly and silently these creatures could move – and the Angel's expression of murderous fury wasn't helping, either!

Sally started at his reaction, whirled around, saw the Angel, and gasped, jumping back involuntarily. "All right," she said, unable to keep the tremor out of her voice, "we just... keep looking at it, right? Keep looking at it, get out, shut the door... maybe get to the police station? Extra eyes, I mean..."

Watson nodded slowly, gaze still fixed on the statue. He'd been anxious to avoid going to the authorities up until now, and if the TARDIS was no longer at the station... but he had to admit he didn't have any better ideas, and any plan of action was better than none right now. "All right, but you'd best watch the door – we don't want to get ambushed from behind. I highly doubt this thing's hunting alone." He squeezed her hand again, tightly controlled fear giving his voice a stern note. "We move slowly and carefully at all times, understood? We can't outrun them, so we'll have to try to outmaneuver them. And if you must blink, only one eye at a time; hold them open if you have to."

She nodded and focused on the doorway, hoping against hope that no more angels would appear. Ha, angels... demons, more like, especially the way this one looks right now... "That could get really hard, really quickly. Sure you'll be okay watching that thing?"

Watson smiled mirthlessly, although he was glad to hear her sounding more like herself. "My dear, if there's one thing that working with Holmes has taught me, it's how to keep eye contact. Let's go."

"Right." Sally took a deep breath, steeling herself, then began to move carefully around the frozen Angel, giving it a wide berth. "It looks clear out there..."

There was a flicker of motion, and a second Angel appeared in the doorway. Sally's heart skipped a beat. "Oh my god!" This one wore a blank expression, its hands down, and it left barely enough room to squeeze past. She didn't even want to try. "Can we get out the window?"

"Not without a fire escape, I'm afraid." Watson took a few paces back, shifting his gaze carefully. "It's all right, Sally – I've got both of them in my line of sight, just squeeze on past."

And leave two Angels between herself and him? Not a chance. She gripped his hand firmly. "You're squeezing with me. Come on."

He hesitated for a moment, then obeyed, taking care to keep his eyes on the first Angel, just in case. "It's a good thing I've been living on a student's budget for the last two months," he remarked, far more lightly than he felt.

She chuckled nervously. "I imagine you'd be pretty fit in any case..." She halted at the Angel in the doorway, heart pounding. It still stared blankly ahead at its counterpart—could they see or hear or think anything at all when they were frozen? She took another deep breath and slipped around it, still holding on to John.

Watson frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose that first Angel really can't move until the second one unfreezes..." He took a deep breath of his own, then turned his gaze to the second Angel, moving past carefully... and despite the danger, he simply couldn't stop himself from reaching out and touching one of the creature's wings.

"Don't touch it!"

"Good Lord, the Doctor wasn't joking," Watson exclaimed, barely hearing her in his fascination. "They really do feel just like solid granite!" Thank God these creatures couldn't actually fly... His lips twitched at the sudden incongruous thought of someone seeing an Angel in the air and the Angel immediately plummeting to the ground and shattering... Now there was an idea...

"What are you, twelve?" Men... She pulled him out the door and looked down the hallway in either direction—so far, so good. "All right, so... you watch that one; I'll watch where we're going. Here's hoping there isn't one on the stairs..."

Watson groaned. "You had to say it... But if we can just make it down to the underground parking garage..." He was starting to suspect it wasn't mere coincidence that the lift was out of order – not that he would have wanted to try taking it, anyhow, he'd much prefer being able to see these things coming.

Sally perked up. "Do you have a car?" A moment later, she remembered who she was talking to.

His brow furrowed, wondering bemusedly why she would think he'd had the money for one, let alone the time to learn to drive! "No, but I still have a key to the groundsman's cupboard, and among those tools is a sledgehammer." He smiled grimly. "Even if they can't be killed, we might be able to inconvenience them a trifle..."

She sighed. "How much, though? Don't you have a bad shoulder?" She reached the stairwell door and opened it. "So far, so good..."

Watson echoed her sigh, unexpectedly nettled by the concern. "You know, it's at times like this when I truly regret having written that blasted opening to 'A Study in Scarlet' so accurately!" He did his best to keep an even tone, but fear combined with the frustration of his ever-present bugbear quickly served to get the better of him. "As a doctor, I am well aware of my own physical limitations, and I really don't appreciate anyone else reminding me of them; I am not an invalid!"

They'd gained the top of the stairs, and Sally was startled enough by his outburst to glance at him, dropping his hand. "I didn't say you—"

Watson felt rather than saw her turning to look. "Sally, no!" He couldn't keep his eyes from flickering towards her for a split second, either... and that was enough opportunity for the first two Angels to catch them back up – Watson blanched as they reappeared only a couple of feet away from him. At least this time they both had their hands back over their faces, it made it far easier for him to keep looking at them.

Kicking herself, Sally turned back... to find a new Angel right in front of her, snarling, its extended claws just an inch from her face. She screamed, shrinking back. One more second and she would have been dead... and might still end up that way anyway. "John, there's another one right in front of me—I'm sorry! I'm sorry..."

Watson was still feeling rattled by how fast these things moved, but now his thoughts were moving just as rapidly. "No, it's all right!" He bent down a little and turned slowly, careful not to block the third Angel's view of the other two. "Think about it: we've got three of them bunched together now, they're going to have a hard time navigating past each other in this narrow stairwell! Just keep looking down the steps for any others and get below the third one, I'm watching it now."

"What about the other two?" She ducked and slipped under and past the newcomer.

"They're in the line of sight of yours – but they've got their faces covered. As soon as I lose sight of Three and it turns around, they'll be coming, too." He shook his head slightly, muttering, "Lord, we've got one serious game of leapfrog going on here..."

"It's worse than Tetris!" she moaned. She moved slowly, not wanting to be separated from him in the slightest right now. "I'd like to say we're clear, but given what happened the last two times..."

Watson grinned wryly, wishing that they could at least look at each other. "Third time's the charm."

Eyes fixed on the third Angel, he followed her backwards down the stairs, grateful beyond words for the central balustrade, which saved them from having to worry about breaking eye contact from a missed footing. Mercifully, there were no more slip-ups for the rest of their descent, and the three Angels simply couldn't get any closer than half a flight under Watson's steady gaze, even with all the turns they were negotiating.

Finally they reached the ground floor, where Sally took over the upper sentry duty, allowing Watson to unlock the door to the garage.

"Even if the sledgehammer idea doesn't work, we'll still have another way out." He looked at Sally thoughtfully. "I don't suppose you know how to hotwire a car?"

She shook her head. "Mm, sorry, I failed Car Hotwiring."

Watson nodded, amused. "Grand Theft Auto 101, hm?" He took Sally's hand and opened the door, revealing another short flight of steps; drew her carefully backwards through the door, which Sally closed and locked behind them. "Come on."

"All right, so, now..."

Staring fixedly into the darkness at the foot of the steps, Watson did his best to sound optimistic. "Well, let's just concentrate on making it outside for now, shall we?" But assuming they did manage to reach the police station, it was just possible they could get an escort from there to Wester Drumlins. It was the only solid lead they had left now – although given the choice, Watson would almost rather have faced down a Rax than invade these creatures' territory, especially at night!

Reaching the bottom of the steps, he fumbled for the lights... then gaped as they flickered into life, face lighting up in shocked delight. "I don't believe it!"

On the far side of the garage sat the TARDIS.

"They brought it here," Sally breathed.

There was a flicker of movement, and then a fourth Angel was standing in the centre of the garage, pointing upwards at the ceiling.

"Oh, and there's another one," Watson said wearily. Just how many of these damned things were there?

Sally studied the Angel. "Okay... but why's it pointing at the..." Her eyes widened in realisation: the Angels were telekinetic. "John, run!"

As the lights started to flicker and buzz, Watson took off as fast as he dared across the garage with Sally in tow, eyes fixed on the fourth Angel. "Watch the steps!"

"I am!" The door burst open, revealing the first of the Angel trio. Another flash of darkness, and the first Angel was down the steps with the other two in the doorway. "Oh my God—they're coming! Every time the lights flicker!"

Watson swallowed his rising panic; the newest Angel was getting uncomfortably close. The instant they'd gotten past, he turned and started backing up towards the TARDIS, there were simply too many of the creatures now for Sally to watch them all on her own.

Sally couldn't stop a whimper escaping her. Moving backwards, she'd lost track of where the TARDIS was and the Angels were getting closer every second, claws extended, faces contorted with hate. "John, please—we need to get in!"

Watson gripped her hand tightly, praying they were still going in the right direction, then almost sobbed with relief as he collided with a blessedly familiar solid object. "Keep watching!" He spun around, key already in hand, and jammed it into the lock, looking desperately back over his shoulder. "Come on, old girl, come on!" The Angels were only a couple of feet away...

Then the key turned, the door swung open with its beautiful questioning creak, and Watson dragged Sally inside and slammed the door, right in the Angels' snarling faces.

Sally did sob in relief as the door shut, slumping against John. After a moment, she noticed her surroundings, and after what she'd just been through, she didn't have it in her to be surprised. "Time machine. Bigger on the inside. Okay."

Watson put his arms around her, hugging her tightly, feeling limp as a rag himself now that they were finally out of danger. "Thank God... thank God for you, Sally..." he murmured. How he wished that he might do more than simply hold her...

The hug took her by surprise but she returned it, resting her head on his right shoulder—his good shoulder, as she recalled. She felt so warm and safe... she tilted her head up...

A holographic image sprung to life near the column in the centre of the room. The Doctor. "This is Security Protocol 712. This time capsule has detected the presence of an authorised control disc, valid one journey."

Watson felt a sudden growing warmth in his coat pocket, and pulled out the disc, which was now glowing bright as a flare. "All right, one moment." He released Sally again with great reluctance and went up to the console, looking in bewilderment at the array of controls – what on earth was he supposed to do with the disc?

Sally sighed and followed him, wishing that their moment hadn't ended quite so soon.

"Please insert the disc and prepare for departure," said the hologram.

The next moment, the entire room tilted violently to one side, then to another. Sally fell against one of the support struts, gasping, and scrambled up to the central deck. The Angels must be shaking the box. "They're trying to get in!"

"Don't worry, they can't!" He hoped it was true, but surely if even the Daleks couldn't... He gestured frustratedly at the console. "Can you see anywhere to put this?"

She stumbled around the console, holding tight as the box continued to rock. "Ah... yeah—DVD-ish slot right here." She pointed.

Watson was quick to join her, managing to insert the disc into the slot despite all the turbulence. "All right, madam," he called in relief to the TARDIS, "get us out of here!"

Sally stared bewildered at him, wondering what he was shouting to, but then a crooning noise answered back. A screeching noise followed, vwoorp-vwoooorp, and she felt a jolt of pure horror. John and the TARDIS were fading right around her; she could feel the concrete of the garage floor beneath her feet. "No!" she screamed. "John!"

"Sally!" White to the lips, Watson reached out to her, his hands passing right through her as if she were a ghost. He turned to the console again, frantically trying to get the disc back, but the slot had swallowed it whole, there weren't even any buttons. "I can't stop it!"

She tried to grab at the TARDIS, at his hand, but her hands slipped through both just as his had done through her. "John, please don't leave me! Please!"

The Angels grew rapidly clearer around her as the TARDIS continued to fade. This was it. She was going to die. They weren't even going to send her back to the past—they were going to finish her off here and now.

Abandoning his futile efforts, Watson turned back to Sally, whom he could barely even see now, saying urgently, "Sally, listen to me: I'm coming back for you, d'you hear?" He would not simply abandon her to the mercy of these monsters, the Doctor had to know a way to save her! "I will find you, I promise! I'll find you...!"

And then she was gone.

Sally knelt, cold and alone, in the center of a ring of Angels. "Please, John," she murmured despairingly. "Please..."

The Angels hadn't attacked yet—what were they waiting for? Just get it over with, already. She looked up slowly, then quickly around, realising what had happened. "He tricked them..." The Doctor had tricked them: the Angels had formed a ring around the TARDIS, and when it disappeared, they were left staring at each other. Keeping each other safely frozen in place.

She bowed her head, trembling, and moved out of the ring. She felt numb, as if watching the world through someone else's eyes, as she left the garage alone.

A/N from Ria: Whew! Hands up, who else had trouble sleeping after this episode? I'm not ashamed to admit it, I was on the edge of my seat watching the original - and roleplaying our version out was just as nervewracking, especially this last scene!

A/N from Sky: Ditto to all of that! In fact, I respectfully submit to you, dear reader, that this version is actually even scarier than the original, for the simple reason that the Angels invaded someone's home. *shudder*

Oh, and don't think it didn't kill us to write that very last bit! Stay tuned!