"What do we do?!"
"Calm down for starters. Binko, have we still got backup ionizers?"
"Yeah, it'd shatter them."
"Which isn't what we want." The Doctor interjected.
"Why?"
"Break them up into harder to defend against, smaller shards?"
"Oh."
The Doctor took a pair of glasses out and slipped them on. He looked at the oncoming icicles again, then turned to Binko.
"Is there any place with a better view?"
"There's an observation deck on level BB96."
"Well, we haven't got a moment to lose, unless you want to lose some moments which is fine by me. Coming K9?"
"Affirmative, master."
"You too Binko. Need a tour guide."
He turned his attention to Miriam.
"Whatever you do, do not fire."
"I'm perfectly capable of recognising a danger zone, Doctor."
"Never said you weren't!"
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They faced an enormous window, the biggest the Doctor had ever seen.
"Well, I tell a lie, fifth biggest."
The fifth most enormous window he'd ever seen, the perfect vantage point.
"They'll be here in fifteen minutes."
"How can you tell?"
"I get an accurate sense of time, being a Time Lord. Plus K9 told me."
"But we have deflector shields!"
"Embers can still get through a fire-guard. No, nothing will stop them."
Binko sighed.
"I had a girlfriend at home. Fiancé, really. Great girl."
"She have a name?"
"Yeah. Clara, her name was."
"Hmm. Nice name, Clara."
"Yeah. Anyway, you got any plans Doctor?"
"I was hoping they'd melt by name, Binko. You have an actual name?"
"Ian. But I prefer Binko."
"I knew an Ian once. Great man, knighted he was."
"What happened to him?"
"Oh, he went home with his friend. I travel with many people, y'know. And sometimes, when they leave, I wonder. I wonder if they ever stop and remember me. I wonder if they close their eyes and sigh and move on."
"Do you think, or hope?"
"Neither, I forget. Easiest thing to do."
The hotel intercom buzzed quickly.
"Doctor, it's Miriam. We're getting some traces of dangerous activities in the generator room. I'd go there myself, but I daren't risk it."
"Understood."
He looked at Binko.
"Generators are?..."
"Level KB54."
"Which is?"
"Thirty levels wide, two levels east."
"How long a walk?"
"20 minutes."
"Elevator?"
"No."
"Good. Walking'll keep the blood going! Come on K9!"
"Affirmative, master."
"Binko?"
"Affirm- yeah, Doctor."
lllllllllllllllllllllllllll
The generator room was damp, and obviously built with cheapness in mind.
"Careful, could be ANYTHING!"
The Doctor slipped, and his back smashed on the ground.
"Bornium oil. Ugh. Another robot."
"I don't think so."
"Why?"
"I think it's better if you see for yourself."
The Doctor crept forward and saw not a robot, but a cluster of robots, bolted awkwardly to each other. They formed an uneven circle, banging against the generator with immense power and force.
"K9, I need you to hit the one in the middle."
"There is no definite centre point, master."
"Then just fire!"
K9 began to shoot, sending things into sparks. The robots stopped working, and began to converge on the three of them like mice to cheese.
"Right, well, in the normal circumstances I'd love to chat but right now I think it would be best if we run!"
They burst out, the robots in pursuit, but ducked when they found Operhimer and two others with guns at the ready. They tore through the robots, reducing them to useless metal and inoperative circuitry. Operhimer helped the Doctor and Binko up, and gave a sly nod to K9.
"You two are having trouble with safety."
"Oi, K9 counts!"
"I know."
The Doctor looked outside, and saw the icicles were still coming.
"Come on," he said, "time to be Poirot."
lllllllllllllllllllllllllll
The Doctor had put on a fake curly mustache and a grey hat, but had taken them off when no one had gotten the joke.
"Now, we've been trying to figure out the robots, right?"
They all nodded.
"Well, simple solution is this: one of you smuggled them on board."
"What?!"
"Someone brings them on to sabotage, to make sure you'd all be stuck in place."
"For the icicles!"
"Exactly. This was all planned out, ages in advance. But it went wrong."
"How?"
"Well, the robots killed them."
"Wait, so Smith and Emilia brought the robots?! Why?!"
"I dunno. Blackmail, disdain, something like that. But it all links back to the icicles. Whatever they are, they aren't just icicles."
He looked at Miriam.
"Can I please use my ship? Get a closer look at icicles?"
She sighed.
"Fine."
He smiled, gave two thumbs up, told K9 to stay and then ran to find the TARDIS. He dematerialised and then rematerialised next to the icicles. He opened the door, and looked at a nearby icicle. He could see the ice was frozen in a specific way, like someone had thrown water at a ball and flash-frozen it. He rooted around at the console and found a small telescope. Using it he could see, but barely see, small grills running up and down the icicle's innards.
He arrived back on the hotel and ran back into the control room.
"Right, they aren't icicles."
"How?"
"It's ice, don't get me wrong, but not icicle ice. Something's frozen inside, coming here."
"Don't know whether to be worried or confused."
"Being frighteningly intrigued usually does it for me. All that's left is finding out what is frozen."
"How do we find out?"
"Do what everyone else does, what for it to melt of course! K9, how long til they melt?"
K9's ears whirred.
"Approximately 4 minutes, master."
"And how long until until they get here?"
"4 minutes, master."
"Talk about luck!"
Binko looked annoyed.
"So we just wait and do nothing?"
"What's wrong with waiting? It saves time!"
lllllllllllllllllllllllllll
The icicles were in close proximity, and began to melt.
"Doctor! Look!"
The icicles were now more or less melted. Inside was recognisable, an almost flat disk with grills running up both sides. Each one had a tinted window. The Doctor sighed.
"Spaceships. All this was about an invasion!"
The ships docked, and two seconds later three tall men walked in. They very much resembled Vikings, but carried laser rifles.
"Gnarrr!" their leader snarled. Operhimer fired at them, but was disintegrated by one of the laser rifles.
"That was uncalled for!"
"Quiet earthman! We are Nords! And we claim this for the invasion of Earth!"