Chapter Ten
Ianto stared back into the Doctor's eyes, but there was no recognition, not that Ianto could see the Doctor's eyes beneath the threadlike film that was covering them.
"Doctor, let go" he said, desperate to get upstairs.
He could hear multiple footsteps, the Hub had been invaded.
He looked at the Doctor again. "Doctor... please," he whispered.
He looked up again as he heard feet on the metal steps, then he felt the Doctor's grip on his hand relax.
He jumped as the Doctor let out what Ianto could only describe as a predatory hiss, and got off the table, dragging the wires until they were too taut and snapped.
Ianto didn't have time to react as too many things were happening at once.
He heard Martha cry out again, then the first of what turned out to be a large group of armed men appeared at the door to the med-room.
Everything after that seemed to be a blur.
The first man stepped into the room, saw Ianto and raised his weapon.
Ianto felt himself shoved backwards, and landed behind a large cabinet. He fell awkwardly, so he didn't see what happened next, but he heard it.
There was the predatory hiss, which could only have come from the Doctor, and then there came the scream of someone in agony.
Angry shouts muffled the screams of the man, followed by what sounded like a struggle.
"Get the restraints....Jesus...what the hell has he done. Get him the hell away..... god damn freak!"
Ianto righted himself, but didn't move, as the struggle was continuing.
There was another scream, and more shouts.
"What the hell, don't let him go!"
"Somebody kill the bastard!"
"No, he wants him alive!"
Another scream filled the air, and Ianto decided he should act. If they were under attack, he had to help, even if it was some distorted version of the Doctor.
Taking a deep breath and drawing his weapon, he scooted to the end of the cabinet, and looked round the corner... and his jaw dropped.
The Doctor had his hands clamped to one of the invaders head's, but it wasn't that, that made Ianto's stomach turn.
It was the threads of what looked like fine webbing...no, it looked like strands of fungus that were smothering the man's face.
He looked round the room and saw several men in the same state, no worse, almost engulfed in a white shroud that appeared to be turning black.
It looked like the thread that had invaded the Doctor's body, only it was spreading faster.
Although it was horrific, it was in Ianto's mind, no more than they deserved.
He shut off his mind to the thought and brought his weapon to bear, and with a cold, methodical accuracy began picking them off, as they tried to enter the med-room.
At first, his secondary attack didn't seem to make any difference, but gradually the door to the med-room became jammed with the dead, some by Ianto's hand, and the rest by whatever was inside the Doctor.
Ianto hoped they would get the message soon, as he was running out of ammunition.
Ianto's hopes seemed to be answered, when someone suddenly shouted.
"Screw this, he's not paying enough!" and the sound of retreating invaders filled the air.
Ianto still didn't move from behind the cabinet, fearing the Doctor was still out there. It was a good few minutes before he chanced looking round the corner of the cabinet.
He found the room empty, but it looked like something out of a horror movie.
There were bodies everywhere, some had fallen to his bullets and were now blocking the doorway.
The others had died in a less merciful way. Their bodies invade by something that cared nothing for them as humans.
Ianto stood up and tried not to look at the tangled mass of bodies and black tendrils.
The Doctor had vanished, and that worried him, he could be anywhere.
Martha was dreaming of sandy beaches and azure seas, when her dream exploded. With a startled cry she fell off the small bed, and hit the floor with a painful thud.
She didn't have time to pull herself up, because the door burst open and someone barrelled in and dragged her up.
She let out a surprised scream as the person hauled her out of the room.
"Where is he!?" the person shouted, tightening his grip on her arm.
Martha had finally gathered he senses and glared silently at the man.
"Fine, he can't hide in here forever," the man said and roughly man-handled Martha down the steps into the centre of the Hub.
The sounds of gunfire suddenly distracted the man, and taking her chance she pulled.
But the man's grip was too tight, and with a snarl he backhanded her.
She fell and didn't move.
The man growled and set off down the stairs, leaving her on the floor, a thin trail of blood trickling from her mouth.
Martha never heard the screams and the shouts, nor did she see the hurried retreat of what was left of the armed invaders.
She came too when she felt someone touch her face. She opened her eyes slowly, but they widened when she saw who was staring down at her.
It was the Doctor, he was reaching out with a hand that was almost translucent.
The first thing Martha saw was the black tendril, saw it writhing under his skin. She let out a gasp and tried to move back.
This seemed to startle the Doctor, and he jumped.
Martha stopped when it looked like he was trying to say something.
"Martha," he said, he voice sounding strained, like he was fighting to get the words out.
"Martha.....help me....please."
He suddenly stiffed and he arched backwards, his spine cracking with the strain. He fell back but managed to right himself.
"Martha...please..." but his words were cut off by a cry of agony, and he staggered back, straightened and ran out of the now destroyed Hub door.
Martha didn't move, not straight away. Her heart ached, the Doctor's voice had held so much pain....dear god, he knew what was happening to him.
Shaking herself, she pulled herself off the floor. There was no point in chasing after the Doctor, she would never catch him.
It was then that she caught the smell of gunfire in the air, and the distinctive smell of fresh spilled blood......the med-bay....Ianto.
Ignoring the bruise that was already stiffening her jaw, she started down the steps.
She stopped outside the med-bay door, looking down in horror at the bodies that littered the floor.
Swallowing her horror, she stepped into med-bay, and screamed when a hand shot out and covered her mouth!