Note: "Iron crow" is the early 18th century word for crowbar.
Vignette 7: Seeds of Something
...
One of the few semi-normal items that could be made in the TARDIS' kitchenette was toast, and Jamie nibbled on his in a daze.
"You're just eating it dry? No jam, no marmalade?" The Doctor asked with a raised eyebrow. He was sitting across from him at the dinette table.
Jamie blinked at the older man a moment then made a muffled "oh". Clearly Jamie's mind had been miles away. With the toast still dangling from his mouth, the young man grabbed the blackberry preserves.
"Good morning, Zoe!"
The knife spreading the preserves slipped from Jamie's fingers, the metal singing harshly against the floor.
"Jamie ..." the Doctor complained, rubbing his ears. Zoe winced as well.
"Sorry," he mumbled and picked it up.
"Tea?" The Doctor asked.
"Yes, please." As the Doctor poured, Zoe took a piece of toast. "Jamie—"
The Highlander wordlessly slid the marmalade toward her.
Zoe blinked at him for a moment. "Thank you."
"I must say how well you're looking this morning, my dear." The Doctor said. "Sleep well?"
Jamie fumbled his tea cup, it clattered loudly on the saucer drawing the attention of his companions.
"And you're a bit of a butterfingers this morning, Jamie," the Doctor commented with a frown.
"Dinnae sleep well," Jamie grumbled.
Zoe paused in spreading her marmalade and gave the Doctor and Jamie an apologetic look. "That's my fault, I'm afraid."
Aye, it's yer fault.
He had spent the rest of the night staring up at his ceiling trying to pick apart his tangled feelings.
"I was having trouble sleeping and Jamie was kind enough to ... sit up with me, he even sang me a Gaelic lullaby." Zoe smiled warmly at the memory. "I suppose I fell asleep after that …" Zoe touched her temple. "It's a little muddled."
"Well, wasn't that sweet of him!" The Doctor looked at his Scottish friend, his eyes bright with teasing amusement.
Jamie wished one of those worm-thingamabobs would open up inside the TARDIS and swallow him-"him" being himself or the Doctor, it didn't matter.
Why did Zoe have to tell him? He was never going to hear the end of this. At least she left out the detail that he was in her bed.
"Yes," Zoe continued, oblivious. "I can't remember a time I slept so well or so soundly."
Jamie's mood swung from irritated to gratified.
Och, well, I suppose it was worth it then.
"All the same," said the Doctor. "I'd like to run a diagnostic after breakfast, just to see that you're all free and clear."
…
The Doctor ran the scanner over Zoe's supine form on the examination table.
Zoe turned her head slightly to watch Jamie as he idled on the other side of the room in his customary pose: thumbs hooked in his sporran belt.
Earlier, when she had woken to find the space beside her empty Zoe had felt a pang of emotion she had been all too familiar with on the Wheel, but had not felt since joining Jamie and the Doctor:
Loneliness.
Another seemingly misplaced emotion to take note of. Why should she feel lonely? It's not like Jamie went far, and it was only logical for him to leave once she was asleep … besides, he would rest better in his own bed … and yet he apparently had not ...
"You know," the Doctor said, breaking into her rambling thoughts. "I was quite impressed seeing the way you fought to get yourself free from those guards, Zoe. So was Jamie." A wide, impish smile spread across his face. "Very impressed."
Jamie glared at the Doctor. He was not out of the woods yet, apparently.
Zoe turned back to look at Jamie again with raised eyebrows.
"Really?" If Zoe had feathers she would be preening.
Jamie blushed and cleared his throat.
Curse him.
"Weel, I … jist ... dinnae expect a … wee thing like ye tae be able tae fight like tha'." Jamie waved his hands around in a sketched imitation of combat. "Wha' was tha', anyway?"
"Jiu-jitsu."
"Dia leat."
"Hm?"
"Oh, I thought ye sneezed."
"No, the fighting technique is called jiu-jitsu."
"Ah."
"It's of Japanese origin, it first began during the Nara period, circa 710 AD, 794 AD, combining early forms of Sumo and various Japanese martial arts which were used on the battlefield for close combat."
"Ask a silly question ... I thought history was not yer 'field of study'."
Zoe sheepishly tucked a brown lock behind her ear. "Well, when it comes to the Karkas I do know a little more …"
Jamie rolled his eyes. "O' course."
The Doctor declared her brain waves looked good and healthy.
"Thank you, Doctor." Zoe hopped off the table and practically skipped over to Jamie, hands clasped behind her back.
"Would you like me to show you how it's done?" She asked, eager to show off.
"Nae. I'm sure it's a good way for lassies tae defend themselves aginst other lassies, but in a fight wi' a man— nae a chance."
The Doctor saw Zoe bristle and quickly interjected.
"The, uh, the Karkas was quite a big man and she tossed him about like a rag doll."
"Aye, but tha' was in the Land of Fiction—he wasnae real."
"Let's have a match then."
"Ey?"
"You heard me."
"Och, dinnae be daft, woman. No."
"Afraid?"
Now it was Jamie's turn to bristle.
"Of a wee thing like ye? Dinnae make me laugh!"
Zoe's brown eyes flashed a silent challenge and, of course, Jamie could never resist a challenge.
"Alreeght. Fine."
"You may want to change out of your kilt, just in case."
Jamie waved her off. "Nae need. My feet won't be leavin' the ground."
…...
Jamie found himself, once more, staring up at the ceiling, but this time from the Control Room floor.
Zoe's anxious face hovered into view.
"Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"
Jist my pride.
Thank goodness his kilt had not flipped up with him or he would have died of shame.
"Crivens. We couldhae used ye at Culloden, ye wee harpy!" Jamie rasped, the wind slightly knocked out of him.
Suddenly the Doctor's face also slid into view.
"Ah. Well done, Zoe," he said simply, his mouth twitching with amusement before moving out of view.
"Ye always take her side …" Jamie growled as he wincingly sat up.
"Not always," the Doctor answered from his spot by the console. "Just when she's right."
"Which is always," Zoe said without missing a beat.
Jamie huffed and rolled his eyes then moved to get up. As he did so Zoe went to help him.
"Well, what do you say now, James MacCrimmon?"
Jamie sulkily yanked his arm out of her grip.
"I admit I underestimated ye," he said. "But I assure ye I won't be makin' the same mistake twice."
"Twice?"
Jamie rolled up his sleeves. "Lemme put somethin' else on first, I'll be reeght back." Jamie took off down the corridor then briefly walked backwards to point at Zoe and yell, "Stay reeght there!"
Zoe sighed. Her interest in this contest had already waned, but clearly for Jamie it could go on indefinitely.
Zoe should have expected this possibility. It had been very foolish of her to think that beating him once would prove her point and be the end of it. A proud and highly competitive young man such as Jamie did not accept defeat that easily—in fact it only spurred him on to try harder.
Zoe tilted her head as she considered that last thought. Back on the Wheel she had seen that trait as foolishness, but now she envied it. She realized she had a tendency to give up too easily when faced with poor odds. Another thing she could learn from Jamie.
"I'm back."
The object of her thoughts had returned, looking quite the same.
On seeing her quizzical expression Jamie lifted a corner of his kilt just enough to reveal a pair of black jogging shorts. "I found a pair of verra small breeches."
Zoe pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle.
"Wha'?"
"Those aren't breeches, those are called shorts!"
"Ah." He studied them again. "They're aptly named."
Zoe continued to laugh. Jamie flushed and dropped his kilt. He then hunkered down into his combative pose. Zoe had seen that determined, focused, look on his face before when facing the Gonds in hand-to-hand combat. There was no dissuading him now.
"Alreeght, anither go."
"Are you sure?"
"Nae wee lassie is goin' tae get the best o' James Robert MacCrimmon! Come on, now!"
"You two will have to save the horseplay for later. We've landed," the Doctor suddenly cut in and beckoned his companions over with a wave. The pair had forgotten he was there. "Jamie, give me a hand with these controls. They're being rather—agh—sticky."
"But—"
"Now, if you please!"
Jamie reluctantly joined him at the console and Zoe followed.
"If we've landed, where are we?" She asked.
The Doctor made an impatient motion. "That is what I'm trying to find out, Zoe."
He flipped a few switches and looked up at the scanner; Jamie and Zoe followed suit.
"A rocket?" Zoe wondered aloud as a 1960's era rocket appeared on the screen.
"Then we're just hangin' in space!" Jamie exclaimed.
The Doctor frowned. "No … we can't be."
Zoe reached over his hands towards the chart controls. "Well, let's find a star we know."
The Doctor swatted at her hand like a child caught reaching for cake; Zoe frowned and pouted like one, rubbing her hand.
The next image that appeared on the scanner was of a helmeted astronaut with the letters CCCP emblazoned above his visor.
"What in Heaven's name?"
"Hey! Wha's he up tae?"
"He's trying to climb aboard!" Zoe exclaimed.
The Doctor struggled with the sticky levers. "Just a minute, just a minute—agh! These controls …!"
The view turned back to the rocket. "Now that's an iron jet rocket of the 20th century … but," he turned the controls again, and back came the astronaut. "But that helmet … it's not nearly so sophisticated … certainly not later than 1960."
"Wha' are those letters on his helmet?"
Zoe read them out.
"Of course!" The Doctor said brightly. The image changed again to what appeared to be ink drawings of strange craft on yellowed vellum accompanied by illegible script.
"Doctor, what is it?"
"It's a flying machine, Zoe. Designed by a gentleman named Leonardo DaVinci in about 1500."
"Weel, wha's it doin' up here?"
"Yes, Doctor, where are we?"
The older man looked at the both, large eyes shining with relief and excitement. "It's a museum! A space museum! Look!"
The Doctor changed the view again and several images passed before their eyes: a hot air balloon, a biplane, a Supermarine Spitfire, and a Concorde jet. As the Doctor cycled through the exhibit images Zoe and Jamie came around the console to stand together for a better look at the scanner.
The view returned to the astronaut.
"That's Gagarin," the Doctor provided. "The first Earthman in space!" The last image was an advertisement for something called "T-Mat Transportation".
The Tardis doors opened.
"Come along," the Doctor beckoned. Jamie and Zoe exchanged eager glances. Zoe was a little surprised to see him apparently interested in a museum about space.
As they "oooed" and "ahhed" over various exhibits, Jamie and Zoe came to a desk with a keyboard. Out of curiosity and a love of pressing mysterious buttons, Zoe pressed one.
A sudden, loud, electronic chirp sounded, startling them all. Jamie, who had been standing nearby, immediately reached for her and pulled her to his side, ready to protect her from whatever was about to happen.
But nothing evil happened. An innocent projection screen rolled down the opposite wall.
Even though he knew there was no danger after all, Jamie left his hand on Zoe's back. He stole a glance to see if she had taken notice. She glanced back at him, but her face was unreadable. Jamie let his hand slide down her back to drop to his side. Zoe gave an involuntary shiver that Jamie did not feel. They both turned their attention to the informational film for "TravelMat" that was being projected onto the screen.
"'TravelMat'," Jamie said, reading the title card. He turned to Zoe, his gray eyes bright with humor that had Zoe smiling even before he made his joke that it sounded like a flying carpet.
The Doctor shushed their laughter as he strained to hear the film's narration.
They both looked back to the screen, but Zoe observed Jamie out of the corner of her eye.
She had noted earlier that Jamie was wearing a new tunic, but had not paid it much heed beyond that, until now.
It was black with a pointed collar that cut down to his chest in a "v"-shape, held together with lacing. There were also laces tied around his cuffs, the dangling ends making an attractive accent to his wrists.
It seemed to Zoe, if Jamie was any indication, that Scottish men took much pride in their appearance, given the array of different styles he played with, though the kilt alone was enough of an indicator.
Zoe decided she liked Jamie in black. It created a nice contrast to the bright colors of his kilt. Her other favorite was the turtleneck. The way the dark fabric created a silhouette of his lean, muscular arms and torso by hugging his upper body was nice—from an objective, aesthetic viewpoint, of course; a dispassionate observation just like those she made on the Wheel. That was why she was also hyper aware of how closely Jamie was standing behind her. So close she could feel his body heat. The memory of being tucked up against him last night rose to her mind. If she leaned back, even just a little, she would be against him again.
Just an observation ...
"... it is completely automated and foolproof against power failure."
"We have our own system, thank you," Jamie addressed the film then turned to Zoe with a significant look and grin, pointing back at the Doctor, "only it isn't foolproof!"
Zoe pulled herself together and managed an answering grin and a nod.
"Now, Jamie," huffed the Doctor, "I think that's a bit—"
The Doctor cut off suddenly, which caused the pair to turn to see why; that's when they noticed the gun being pointed at them.
…...
"Now, for the last time, who are you and what are you doing in my private workshop?" An older man, balding, and wearing a some sort of jumpsuit uniform had his laser gun fixed in their general direction.
"Now, ah, just listen—there's no need for these histrionics," the Doctor said, slowly approaching. "We are perfectly harmless."
"How did you even get in here?"
"Well, uh, the usual way … we … we just materialized."
The old man frowned in confusion. "But the T-Mat cubicle always gives automatic warning, but it didn't this time."
"Well, that's not our fault is it?" Zoe said tersely. Jamie tensed.
Ye idjit! Dinnae provoke a man when he's got a weapon pointed at ye!
Luckily, the man seemed to be unbothered by Zoe—unluckily, he decided the Doctor to be a more significant target and turned the gun on him.
"Why did you come?" He demanded sharply.
"Well, this . . . this is a museum," the Doctor answered matter-of-factly, with what he hoped was a smile to inspire confidence.
"But the museum is—" The man then noticed the "new edition" to his exhibit. "What is that? It looks like a . . . mid-twentieth century police box."
"Well, yes, in a way," The Doctor conceded.
"Well, how did it get in my museum?"
Zoe was about eighty-percent sure this man was not going to fire upon them and decided to lower her tired arms. "Well, you could say it's a form of spaceship."
The man turned his gun back on her and Zoe re-raised her arms.
"Now, Zoe, I do think we owe this gentleman an apology …"
Zoe twisted to look back at Jamie, letting her concern show. Jamie nodded slightly, trying to give her silent assurance.
"We really are just interested in the museum, Mister . . .?"
"Eldridge. Professor Eldridge. Look, the museum is closed to the general public and you've obviously made a mistake." The gun swung back to Zoe. "So, if you'd be good enough to leave-"
Jamie suddenly stepped into Zoe's field of vision, placing himself directly between Professor Eldridge's gun and herself. "Uh . . . are ye in charge of this place?"
Professor Eldridge went on to explain he was the curator of this museum and how T-Mat had forever shelved his rocket project, of which he was head. All he had left were these relics of a distant and not-too-distant past.
The Doctor shared in his horror that the people were no longer interested in such an engineering masterpiece as the iron rocket that the professor had devised for moon travel.
On recognizing the presence of a kindred spirit Professor Eldridge put down the gun. His tired face lit up as the Doctor launched into a litany of sincere praise for his work.
Zoe scurried to Jamie's side and they shared a look of long-suffering as a session of the mutual admiration society was now in full swing between the two scientists. Alas, the cozy academic chat was not to last. The T-Mat warning bell rang and two new people materialized: A man and a woman from the main T-Mat control center with troubling news about the moon station.
…..
One thing led to another and Jamie found himself staring up at the shaft of an enormous space rocket. After seeing the tiny model in the museum he had not been prepared for the reality of its sheer size. It was so tall that, from his perspective, it seemed to already be halfway to the moon without even leaving Earth.
As Jamie continued to stare his knees suddenly decided they were made of jelly and his head of air. He felt himself leaning too far back and he probably would have fallen if not for Zoe.
"Oof! Jamie, what—?" Zoe exclaimed as he bumped against her. Her initial annoyance faded into concern as she noticed his pale complexion and the sheen of sweat on his forehead.
"Jamie? Are you alright?"
Jamie tore his eyes away from the rocket to the ground, then to everywhere else but her. "I-I'm fine." He tried to walk around her, but she stepped in front of him.
"No, you're not," she said firmly. She had observed enough anxiety attacks as part of her work in the Parapsychology Unit to recognize the signs. Zoe put a hand on his arm and said gently, "You don't have to go, you know."
Jamie finally looked at her. "And who will protect ye and the Doctor if I'm nae around?"
Zoe flashed him a teasing grin. "Don't worry, I can fight them off."
But Jamie was not laughing. In fact, he looked quite angry.
"Ohh, I see … jist because ye threw me once ye think ye dinnae need me anymore!"
Zoe blinked at him, briefly taken aback, then rolled her eyes. "I didn't say that!"
Jamie pointed a finger in her face. "Weel, jist let me tell ye somethin', my wee lassie, I'm goin' an' ye cannae stop me!" With that, the Highlander swept past her with long determined strides towards the boarding stairs.
As Zoe followed up after him she could hear him grousing in Gaelic and every now and then he would cast dark looks at her over his shoulder.
And here Zoe had been under the impression that the stereotype was women were too sensitive!
Perhaps Scotsmen were the exception.
Or maybe just this Scot.
…..
Now that he was in the rocket, seated and strapped in, all the fear came rushing back. Jamie white knuckled the cushion as he fought to dispel the vice-like grip panic had on his chest.
Jamie took in a deep breath of the pumped-in air through his nose then let it out slowly between puckered lips.
Come on, lad. It's nae like ye've neiver been on the moon before …
The last time he was on the moon he had got there via the TARDIS, which was a lot different than being physically launched towards it in a giant metal tube.
He glanced over at Zoe, seated about a foot away in an identical chair. She looked as cool as a cucumber, bending over her trajectory calculations.
It was galling that this wee slip of a lass should be so calm while he felt like he was about to cast up accounts.
Gia Kelly's voice came over the intercom.
"Clear site for launch."
"Three minutes seem a long time." Zoe's voice had a tenor of uneasiness, giving Jamie a little feeling of vindictive gratification. At the same time the fact that she was nervous made him feel worse. Zoe had spent the majority of her life in space. If she was nervous …
Jamie swiped at the sweat that had been bubbling on his brow.
"Yes," the Doctor agreed wryly. "You remember your take-off briefing, Jamie?"
"H-he told me all about the G-force stuff— I know!"
"You don't know, Jamie," Zoe said tersely, "not until you've experienced it."
Jamie twisted in his seat to glare at her. "Zoe, I'll have you know tha' the Doctor and I—"
"T-minus sixty seconds from now."
The Doctor adjusted his headphones. "There's one minute to go. Now, hold tight everyone."
The trio put themselves in the brace position, their hands behind their necks.
"Well, I'm alright, Doctor," Zoe said. Her tone was nonchalant, but her slight breathlessness betrayed her nerves. "How about you, Jamie?"
"Look, I-I keep tellin' ye I'm fine!"
"10 … 9 … 8 … 7… 6 … 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1
We have lift off!"
The roar, the deep vibrations that seemed determined to shake his bones apart, the pressure, like a giant, invisible war-hammer punching down on him. He wanted to call out for the Doctor, for Zoe, but he could not seem to get his voice to work.
No matter that Zoe had felt G-forces before, they were just as unnerving as she remembered them and if she was on the edge of screaming, how must Jamie feel? She wanted to turn, to check on him, call out, but the pressure and the stationary chair would not allow it. With enormous effort she turned her head. She could just make out Jamie's figure in her periphery. He was still in the brace position. Good. Unlike herself on her first day of training, he hadn't blacked out.
Hold on, Jamie, we're almost there.
Just when they all felt that they had reached their limit, the rocket leveled out.
Now, instead of being pushed down into his seat, Jamie was being pulled up out of it—or so it seemed. The front section of his kilt and his sporran rose off his lap, along with his legs and arms and everything else that was not nailed down. He was momentarily bewildered before he remembered his visit to the moon base with Ben and Polly and knew that this was the effect of the loss of gravity. They must be well and truly in space now.
"Earth control to rocket, do you read me?" Gia Kelly's voice came urgently over the intercoms.
Jamie winced as the straps dug painfully into his stomach and shoulders. He clawed at the clasps. Zoe must have heard him scrabbling because she commanded:
"Don't release your safety straps until I switch over to automatic gravity, or else you'll float away."
"Earth control to rocket, do you read me?"
"Wait a minute! Switching to automatic gravity control … Now!"
"Earth control to rocket—"
"Wait a minute, will you! We've only just recovered from take off!"
"Is everything alright?" Came the wizened voice of Professor Eldridge. "We seem to have lost our video monitor link … Doctor?"
"Yes, ah … I think there must be a fault in one of the circuits …"
There was a sudden "pop" over by where the Doctor sat. Both Zoe and Jamie turned at the sound to see him frantically waving away tendrils of smoke that were leaking from the control panel.
"Doctor? Doctor!" Came the insistent voice of Eldridge.
"What is it?" Zoe asked the Doctor in alarm.
"One of the circuits is burnt out, Zoe! I'll switch to a secondary one."
"Och, this is worse than the TARDIS!" groused Jamie.
"I'll thank you to keep your opinions to yourself unless you have something more useful to say, Jamie!" snapped the Doctor, still waving at the smoke.
Jamie pulled a face while silently mouthing the Doctor's last words.
"It's no use," Zoe sighed after trying every frequency she could access. Not one hum of electrical life at all. "Every circuit's dead."
"Weel, dinnae try it again!" Jamie burst out. "Ye may blow the whole rocket next time!"
"It's no use worrying about the radio now, anyway," Zoe said with a shrug. "We're nearly at the end of the journey."
"I hoped we could stay in contact with Earth!" Said the Doctor.
"We don't need them. All we have to do is activate the Moon homing beacon."
As Jamie watched this exchange, anxiety drilled deeper into his chest. He wanted out of this giant tin whistle and he wanted out now!
"W-well how do ye do tha'? I-I thought we weren't in contact with anyone on the Moon!"
Zoe pivoted in her seat to face him. "It's quite simple, Jamie …"
Jamie groaned inwardly. He knew from experience that whenever Zoe said 'it's quite simple, Jamie' it would be anything but. He gripped the seat and leaned forward, desperately willing his brain to understand whatever was about to come out of her mouth.
And a lovely wee mouth it was, too.
Focus, Jamie.
" … automatic device. We send out code radio signals which trigger the homing beam into action. We automatically lock onto it until we reach the point in orbit where we fire retro rockets to land."
Jamie nodded, processing. "Oh … B-but if they've all been cut off, how can they activate?"
Zoe sighed impatiently and turned an exasperated gaze on the Doctor who quickly took over the explanation. Jamie hated it when she made that face. It made him feel two feet tall.
Just as the Doctor finished his explanation a sing-song three toned alert sounded in the cabin.
"Ah! There's our activating signal."
The three tone was replaced by one high sustained note. A bright smile of relief appeared on Zoe's face.
"That's it! As long as that note holds steady we're home and dry, no trouble at all!"
The Doctor and Zoe were a flurry of activity as they exchanged instructions and flipped various toggles and switches and read off readings to each other. Again, Jamie was left to feel useless, sitting in the chair, watching them. Though, the disparity did not bother him as much as before since Zoe kindly pointed out back in Cornwall how his differences were an asset.
The high pitched tone suddenly stopped. Zoe turned toward Jamie and the Doctor, eyes wide in alarm.
"The homing beam—it's cut out!"
"I know! I know! I'm trying to re-activate it."
"Wha's gone wrong? I thought you said it was infallible!"
Zoe did not answer but bent over her paper and began to furiously scribble. After a few tense minutes Zoe sat back in her chair.
"Given our present rate of drift, and allowing for the usual gravitational influences, we'll be drawn into the heart of the sun in approximately five months and ten days."
"Nae need tae worry about tha'," Jamie said grimly.
"What do you mean?" asked Zoe with a look of confusion. Jamie leaned forward.
"We've only got enough food and water for three days, remember?"
Oh. Yes. She'd forgotten that variable. Count on Jamie to remember the more practical issues like food and water.
"Just a minute," the Doctor suddenly said, holding his headset firmly to his ears. "I think I'm getting something." Zoe and Jamie put their headsets back on. They immediately heard the distressed voice of a young man calling for assistance from the moon base. He informed them that the base had been taken over by alien intruders and he was holed up in the Solar Energy Room room.
"Can you describe the aliens to me?" The Doctor asked.
In the middle of the young man's description of the invaders his voice faded out.
"Wha's happened, Doctor? Did that circle-thing cut out again?"
"No, it's not the circuits, Jamie. We're out of range. We'll have to wait until our orbit goes over the base again. We're passing the dark side of the moon now."
The Doctor and Jamie were quiet, thinking over the dismayingly familiar description of the invaders the young man gave. Jamie rocked slightly in his chair, one arm over his stomach and the other raised so he could bite his thumbnail. After a few minutes the Doctor looked at his wristwatch.
"How much longer, Zoe?"
"Our orbit will bring us back to his range in approximately forty-three seconds."
The Doctor pulled his headset off with a worried sigh. "Well, let's hope he can still transmit." Zoe also pulled off hers.
"Well, his signal was quite strong when we were on his side of the moon. There's no reason for it to fade." she said encouragingly.
"It's not his equipment I'm worried about, it's his survival!" The Doctor stressed, leaning forward in his chair toward Zoe.
Zoe frowned and bit her lip. "Doctor … these aliens he described … "
"How much did you hear?"
"Bipeds, reptilian, armed with some kind of sonic device."
Jamie suddenly leaned forward, fixing Zoe with a look of intense worry. "Aye! Ice warriors!"
"What?"
"Jamie and I have met them before. They come from Mars."
"Well, what do they want?"
"Mars is a dying planet. I imagine they're trying to find a new home."
"Why the moon?"
"I think that is just a stepping stone."
Zoe turned to Jamie. "What did you say they were? 'Ice warriors'?" The Doctor jumped in to explain for Jamie.
"Well, as you know, Mars is a cold planet. They've adapted to that. It's heat they can't stand."
When they came back in range, they re-established contact with the moonbase and learned that the young technician's surname was Phipps. They had to explain to the distressed Phipps that they could not turn around to warn Earth for lack of fuel, and, of course, one cannot flip a gear and throw a rocket in reverse like you could a car. They would have to land and refuel on the moon.
"But they'll kill you!" came Phipps' static-laced cry.
"We will have to take that risk," The Doctor said firmly.
Zoe's stomach tightened into a knot, but she remained outwardly calm.
. . . . .
They had locked onto Phipps' transmission and the landing was going well until the signal cut out. The Doctor frantically worked the controls, prepared to do a manual landing, when the signal popped back on.
"It's working again!" Zoe cried. "Doctor, can you lock back on to it?"
"Oh! I'll try!" The Doctor turned a dial and listened. "Ah, yes. There it is. I think we're going to be alright."
'Until we run into an ice warrior,' thought Jamie darkly.
It was not long before the rocket settled, and a little roughly at that. The trio's upper bodies were thrown violently forward. Jamie automatically reached out to stop himself. His palms, and the Doctor's, landed on Zoe's upper thighs for a brief moment, but then Jamie's hands slipped between her legs to brace against the chair cushion. He was not sure which position embarrassed him more.
Zoe immediately grabbed Jamie's arm in an instinctive attempt to steady him. The moment he was able, Jamie casually removed his hands and straightened. He glanced at Zoe to gauge her reaction, but she seemed unruffled and unaware.
"I'm sorry about the landing," the Doctor said sheepishly. Jamie glared at the Doctor, not for the rough landing, but for the fact that the older man still had his hand on Zoe's leg. The Doctor caught his look and glanced down; he colored slightly and quickly pulled his hand away. "Ahem. Is everyone alright?"
"Well, we're down, tha's the thing."
"Now what do we do?" Zoe asked as they all unbuckled and disentangled themselves from the headsets and wires.
"The first thing we must do is refuel," the Doctor replied. "You can see to that, Zoe, won't you?"
"Yes, but what are you going to do?"
"Well, I must go in search of Mr. Phipps."
"But what about the Ice Warriors?"
"Oh, I've met them before."
"But, Doctor, you can't-" But the Doctor talked over her protestations.
"I've got to rescue Mr. Phipps! Now, where's that map?"
Jamie suddenly coughed and scratched his nose. Zoe hoped he had not caught a space cold.
The trio mused over the map. Zoe ran her eyes over it, committing every line to memory.
"That seems to be quite a simple route," the Doctor murmured.
"Reeght, I'll come wi' ye."
"No! You'll stay here and look after Zoe. I'll be quite alright."
"... Aye."
Zoe glanced at Jamie. He looked uncertainly at the Doctor but did not put up a fuss.
"Good luck!" The Doctor shot over his shoulder as he stepped out of the control room door and closed it behind him.
"And to you," both Zoe and Jamie murmured. The pair then turned back to each other. Zoe noted that they seemed to be left alone together a lot more of late.
"Well," Jamie began a trifle awkwardly, putting his hands on his hips. "How do we refuel?"
"Oh, well, that's simple." Zoe touched the small of his back to direct him to move aside, then walked to the main control panel where the Doctor had been sitting. "It will connect automatically from here." She pointed at the gauge labeled "fuel".
"Uh-huh."
"I will need you to watch this dial. When it reads 'full', switch it off." Zoe flipped the toggle switch to demonstrate.
"Ah."
"Now, do you think you can remember that?"
Jamie bristled at the suggestion of doubt in her voice.
"Tch. Of course I can!"
"Good. I'm going to have a look at the rocket motors." Zoe moved toward the staircase—so shallow it was more like a ladder than stairs—which led toward the rocket's lower level controls. Jamie quickly followed after her.
"Why? Wha's the matter?"
Zoe paused and turned back. "Well, I didn't like much the way we landed—it could have caused some damage." She turned again to step onto the stairs and automatically reached out for Jamie's assistance and Jamie, almost simultaneously, took her hands in his own to assist her first steps down.
"Weel, I know it was a bit rough, but surely it wasnae as bad as all tha'." He leaned over the top of the stairs to watch her descent.
"Well, it's not the landing that matters now," Zoe's voice echoed back up to him. "It's the take-off."
Jamie's jaw dropped as the implications hit him. They would have to get off the moon the same way they came if they could not get the T-Mat working again … and if the rocket was damaged … Jamie didn't fancy being stuck on the moon with a bunch of Ice Warriors lumbering about, shooting people.
Jamie impulsively went to follow her, wanting to ask more questions, to be as well-apprised of the scope of their situation as possible. "Ah, Zoe!" Zoe's head snapped up at his call and the sound of his boots on the metal stairs. "Jamie, I told—" the words died on her lips as she found herself staring up his kilt. She immediately looked away, flushing, annoyed and embarrassed. Fortunately, the voluminous folds of the kilt, in concert with the dim lighting in the stairwell and the distance, created enough shadows that nothing past his knees had been visible. "Jamie! I told you to stay by the fuel gauge!"
"Oh! Reeght. Sorry." Jamie quickly climbed back up. Zoe peeked up to see the edge of his kilt disappear over the top then continued down the stairs.
"Honestly, I don't know where his head is sometimes."
It was then that Zoe noticed how dark it was around her. Where was her head sometimes?
"Jamie … "
His voice floated back down to her "Aye?"
"I forgot the torch."
"So wha' d'ye want me tae do aboot it?"
"Can you bring it to me?"
"I cannae leave the fuel gauge, remember?"
"Ugh." Zoe climbed her way back up, stopping at the top to lean over the edge of the landing, hand outstretched. Jamie was busy rooting around the stainless-steel drawers and cabinets. "Can you also find the screwdriver while you're at it? I need it to open the access panel."
"My, my, yer perfect memory isnae so perfect, is it?"
"The torch and the screwdriver, Jamie?"
"Aye, aye …"
Once he found them he crouched down and held out the tools to Zoe. But, when she went to grasp them he suddenly pulled them out of reach.
"Wha' d'ye say?"
"Jamie, stop fooling around."
"Nae, tha's not it."
Zoe briefly considered lunging over the top and grabbing them, but that would have been too undignified.
"Please."
"And?"
Zoe huffed. "Thank you."
"Yer welcome." Jamie smiled and let her take the torch and screwdriver.
Zoe gave him an unamused look. "Keep an eye on that gauge," she said curtly and redescended the stairs.
It was amazing how her feelings toward Jamie could fluctuate. But the blame for that could be placed solely on him: one moment he could be a pillar of masculine strength and warmth—like last night—the next, a petty, teasing, bewildering … boy.
Zoe's attention was snapped back by the sound of her boots hitting the metal grating that made up the engine room floor.
Focus, Zoe.
She tucked the torch between her neck and shoulder since she needed two hands to unscrew the tightly wound bolts holding the access panel in place. The moment she removed the panel bluish smoke came pouring out. Zoe's heart sank. She coughed and waved the smoke away then shone the torch on the undulating wave made opaque by the light. Fortunately it soon dissipated, which meant there wasn't an active fire.
Zoe raised herself up on her toes and leaned in to get a better look, wincing as the bottom edge of the opening pressed against her sternum. The torch light illuminated her worst fears.
"Oh, no …"
The giant pistons' skirts had completely collapsed and all the connecting rods were bent. It also did not help that the entire engine was covered with excessive carbon buildup. Whoever did the maintenance check on this rocket should be sacked. There was nothing else Zoe could do. She could diagnose the problem, but that was all.
"Doctor? Are ye alreeght? …" Zoe could just hear Jamie's voice echoing faintly above her. "Aye, we jist finished and Zoe's checkin' the rocket motors … "
Zoe reattached the access panel and climbed back up.
"How is he? … And yer bringin' him back now? B-b-but, Doctor, wha' aboot the Ice Warriors? B-But, Doctor!"
Zoe came up over the landing into the control room to see Jamie banging on the radio. "Doctor! Hey! Och!" He tossed the headphones and mic down. He saw Zoe approach. "Tha' was the Doctor. He—" Jamie sat on the word "he" a little longer as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Heee's found Phipps," he began, ticking off his fingers. "He wants us tae prepare the rocket fer take off while he puts T-Mat out of action."
Zoe's eyes widened in alarm. "But he can't!"
Jamie put his hands on his hips. "Why?"
"I just checked the main power drive and the rocket motors are completely useless!"
Jamie opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, and looked just as panicked.
"What?"
"The only way back to Earth is by T-Mat!"
Jamie made a despairing noise and Zoe hurriedly sat down in the communications chair. She grabbed the headphones and Jamie handed her the microphone. If anyone could better explain the gravity of their situation to the Doctor, Zoe could.
"Doctor? Doctor, can you hear me? This is Zoe! … Doctor!"
Nothing. Not even static. Zoe's chest tightened. She tossed the headphones aside and looked up at Jamie who had been hovering nervously at her side. "Oh! He must have switched it off!"
"Weel, now what do we do?!" Jamie cried, the pitch of his voice rising with his anxiety. Zoe shot up from the chair.
"We'll have to go find him! Come on!"
. . . . . .
Zoe rushed ahead through the tunnelled walkway that connected the entrance to the rocket with the docking bay like an umbilical cord.
"Wait! Zoe!" Jamie hissed. He jogged after her and grabbed her arm. "Ye canne rush ahead like tha' with Ice Warriors roamin' aboot—if it is Ice Warriors."
"Oh, right. I forgot." Zoe followed Jamie's cue and lowered her voice. "Are Ice Warriors really that awful?"
"Aye! Ye especially need to look out for their laser guns, one shot from those an'—an', poof!"
Zoe's lips twitched despite her fear. "'Poof?'"
"Aye. 'Poof'!"
"I'll take your word for it."
"Ye can also tell when they're comin' 'cause instead of normal breathin' they hiss reeally loudly, so we need tae keep an ear out."
The tunnel suddenly took a sharp corner. Jamie put a hand up to stop Zoe from going ahead. "I'll look 'round the corner tae see if it's safe." Satisfied, he gestured for Zoe to follow. They continued to tiptoe down the corridor in this fashion, Zoe directing with what she recalled on the map as they went. But, at the first split in the corridor her photographic memory turned blurry. This hardly ever happened. Her mind must have been so crowded with worry and all the variables that she had not really focused on the map. Today was not her day. Forgot the torch, forgot the screwdriver, literally forgot the map.
"Alreeght now, which way?" Jamie prompted, gesturing to her.
Embarrassment heated the back of Zoe's neck and ears. She looked guiltily up at Jamie. "I don't know …" she reluctantly confessed, "I'm lost."
Jamie tsked in annoyance. "Och, I thought ye knew the way!"
"Well, so did I!"
Jamie rolled his eyes in exasperation, tsking and 'och'ing at her again.
Zoe quietly fumed inside. How often had she fought to be patient with him over his many blunders? Why couldn't he be patient with her few, small ones? She pointed down the corridor to their right. "Let's try this way," she said and hurried past him.
"Women," Jamie muttered.
Zoe stopped short and whirled around, her eyes flashing. "Men!" She hissed then resumed her march away.
"Tetchy, tetchy …"
The corridor emptied into an intersection of four more corridors to choose from, fanning out from like spokes on a wheel.
"Och, we'll be wandering aroound here all day," Jamie groused.
Suddenly, a faint hissing sound was heard coming from the end of one of the corridors. Zoe heard it first and alerted Jamie who came to immediate attention. He reached for her but Zoe needed no prompting. Together, they flattened themselves against the inside wall of one of the other corridors, their sides flush against each other.
Panic rose in Zoe's chest as the hissing sound and heavy, dragging footfalls grew closer. Once the great hulking bi-ped came into view and she saw the full scale of the creature, it took all her effort not to bolt. Zoe stretched out her fingers and touched the back of Jamie's hand. He immediately clasped her hand in response, interlacing their fingers together. She felt her heart rate steady ever so slightly.
"W-what was that thing?" Zoe dared to whisper once the creature began to recede in the distance.
"An Ice Warrior! Ye see, we were reeght!"
All of a sudden, the Ice Warrior stopped and turned back in their direction. It spotted them.
"Quick! He's seen us!" Zoe hissed.
The pair nipped around the corner and down a long hall, the heavy dragging steps close behind. They ran up against a set of stainless steel doors that were ajar. Zoe dashed through them first and around another corner with Jamie on her heels. He paused at the edge of the corner to look behind when Zoe suddenly reached out and pulled him to her, hard, yanking him sideways.
"Get back!"
The momentum spun him around and flush into Zoe. She put a hand on his chest to stop his forward motion and he instinctively put his arms around her. For a moment her elfin face was inches from his.
"Don't move!" she whispered.
Jamie held Zoe tighter against him and she, in turn, gripped his shirtfront. She could feel his heart racing under her hand.
They both anxiously turned their heads toward the sound of the Ice Warrior. Then, without passing them, the shuffling of the creature receded. Jamie dared a peek. The Ice Warrior had gone. The pair untangled and breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief. They both pressed their hands to their stomachs to still the proverbial butterflies.
"Now, wha' do we do?"
"Keep looking for the Doctor and keep your eyes open for the solar energy room." Zoe touched her hand to his chest. "Come on." Then took off down the next hall.
"'Solar energy' …" Jamie repeated breathlessly as he followed.
. . . . . . .
"This place really needs signposts …" Jamie commented as they turned down what seemed like the thousandth corridor. "I feel like we're in the Land o' Fiction all over again."
"Don't remind me," Zoe shuddered. She then suddenly stopped and put a hand out. "Wait. I remember this part! I know where we are!"
"Oh, aye?"
"Sh!" Zoe closed her eyes. "One left, two right … down the stairs— I've got it!"
Jamie smiled widely. "There's a canny lass! Let's go!"
….
When they arrived at the solar energy room they were greeted by Phipps and, to their surprise, Miss Gia Kelly who, growing impatient, had traveled over by T-Mat to lend her assistance. They did not have good news to report. The Doctor had been captured.
"Couldn't you have helped him?!" Zoe exclaimed.
"I'm sorry," Phipps said apologetically. "There wasn't anything we could do."
"Yes, we had a job to reach here ourselves," Gia said gravely.
"Aye, so did we."
Zoe sent a worried glance over her shoulder towards the door. "Are you sure the Ice Warriors don't know about this place?"
Phipps revealed that one had got in but he had rigged a booby-trap with the solar energy lamps.
Gia looked slightly doubtful. "To look at those things, one think they were invulnerable!"
"No," said Zoe, "The Doctor said they can't stand heat."
"Tha's right," Jamie concurred with a vigorous nod.
Phipps informed them that the temperature controls for the entire station were located in the main room.
"But how do we get there? The Ice Warriors are controlling those corridors."
Phipps thought for a moment, his handsome brow wrinkling in thought. Then it suddenly cleared. "I know! The maintenance tunnels! Over here!"
Phipps led them all to one of the walls and crouching down, began to fiddle with opening the access panel.
"We could get through here, rescue the Doctor and defeat the Ice Warriors!" Jamie exclaimed.
"And T-Mat ourselves back to Earth!" Gia said, warming to the plan.
"But I thought T-Mat had broken down," said Zoe.
A smile inched across Gia's proud face. "Not anymore. I repaired it." She then looked to Phipps and asked how he was coming along with the access panel. It had not been used for some time and a heavy rust had developed around its edges.
"It might take some time."
"We may nae have much time," Jamie said gravely
…..
As Phipps and Jamie continued to use their combined force on the rusted panel Zoe engaged Gia in quiet conversation, inquiring on how she fixed the T-Mat. It was refreshing to have another female around, especially one as capable and almost as intelligent as herself.
"Hey," Jamie interrupted, twisting in his crouched position to face the ladies. He pointed at a box of tools that Phipps had pulled out. "Can one o' ye hand me yon wee jemmy there?"
Gia tilted her head. "What?"
Jamie impatiently snapped his fingers, his hand still stretched out. "Och, wha's the sassenach word? Iron crow."
When both women looked at him blankly he said, "Och, neivermind," and moved to get up.
"Oh, do you mean a crowbar?" Gia asked, pulling the tool from the disorganized pile and handing it to the Highlander.
"Thank ye," Jamie said, giving her a winning smile and a quick, appreciative glance before turning back to his work.
Gia returned to Zoe. "Now where was I? Oh, yes. The spatial stabilizers, now they're-Miss Heriot, is something the matter?"
"Matter?"
"You were frowning just now."
"Oh, was I? I can't imagine what for."
Gia continued her explanation of the inner workings of the T-Mat. Zoe was still interested but had to fight to focus. All she could see was the admiration on Jamie's face when he had looked at Gia.
When Miss Kelly had reached a stopping point Zoe volunteered to go stand sentry by the door. It was not long before, through the small crack in the door, a chilling hiss was heard to filter through.
"I heard something!" Zoe hissed. Everyone froze. Zoe opened the door an inch wider to get a view of the corridor. An Ice Warrior turned the corner just in time to spot her.
Zoe gasped and slammed the pocket door shut.
"It's coming!"
The quartet scrambled into action. Jamie took the crowbar and jammed it against the door handle and the frame like a tension rod, keeping the door closed and giving Phipps time to reset his booby trap.
Once Phipps was ready Jamie removed the rod. The Ice Warrior lumbered right in and Phipps hit the switch.
With the suddenness of whipping back curtains from a window at midday, the light came on and grew in intensity. They all shielded their eyes. There was a gurgle and a brief smell of burning, then the light was gone.
Zoe and Jamie slowly lowered their arms. The Ice Warrior was gone. The only evidence that he had been there at all was a pile of ashes smoldering in the middle of the floor. They all silently stared at it for a moment in horrified wonder.
Jamie suddenly clapped his hands together, startling everyone. "Weel, back tae work."
A few minutes later the panel was off.
"Right. You ladies sit tight while Jamie and I try to get to the temperature controls. We should be back soon."
Phipps ducked into the narrow passageway. Jamie hesitated for a moment at leaving the women by themselves.
"Keep an eye on tha' door now," Jamie directed to Zoe. Zoe rolled her eyes.
"That goes without saying."
Jamie looked at Zoe a beat longer before ducking into the tunnel after Phipps.
….
Zoe fought to keep calm as they ran out of things to do in the solar energy room. Jamie and Phipp's mission to turn up the heat would take them to the central control room where the Ice Warriors were sure to be found.
"Come on, Jamie …" she whispered. She began to pace a little, biting her thumbnail. She then gave up and stood in front of the tunnel entrance and waited.
Gia was as placid as a City lake. "I'm sure they're fine. Tell me more about your friend … Jamie, was it?"
Zoe's head bobbed up in surprise. "What about him?"
Gia gave a graceful shrug. "Just making conversation. There's nothing else to do at the moment." There was a pause then Gia spoke again, a faint, mischievous glint in her eyes. "You seem close."
Do we? The comment caused a sudden and unexpected thrum of pleasure. "Yes, I suppose we are."
"You suppose? You're not together then?"
Zoe tilted her head to the side, taken aback. What a very odd, inane question. "Of course we're together. We both travel with the Doctor."
Gia blinked and opened her mouth to clarify, but then stopped. This Miss Heriot must have lived a very sheltered existence up until now. For such a smart girl she seemed very … naive, almost to the point of ridiculousness.
"Oh," Zoe suddenly said, comprehension dawning on her face. "No … We're just friends."
So, not so naive.
Gia was about to try another line of questioning when the sound of the boys returning was heard in the tunnel.
"Jamie!" Zoe quickly crouched to look down the tunnel. "Are you alright?"
"Aye, an' we have the Doctor!"
…...
The quartet looked down at the Doctor lying partly unconscious on the makeshift pallet of pillows they had made for him on the worktable. Gia just finished giving him some water from her water bottle.
"How is he?" Zoe asked.
"The water seems to have helped," Gia replied as she rescrewed the cap.
"We'd better get back," Jamie said to Phipps. "We still have to get tae those heating control things."
"It's no good, Jamie, we'll never make it," Phipps said despairingly.
Jamie put his hands on his hips and demanded why not.
"The ventilator's too small and there's no other way!"
"Weel, mebbe I can get through!"
"Look, it's impossible!"
As Zoe watched this interchange a thought occurred to her. "How big is this grill?"
Phipps held out his hands parallel to each other to demonstrate. "About so big."
Zoe moved quickly up to Phipps and slipped her body in between his hands. Jamie stiffened, his shoulders dropping slightly in surprise. He was about to ask Zoe what in the world she thought she was doing, when she stepped away from Phipps and turned to him.
"I could get through!"
Alarm immediately flared up in Jamie's chest. He quickly moved around the table to where Zoe was standing and barred her way.
"No, Zoe! Yer not going!" He said, stressing every word. Zoe took a confrontational step closer.
"Look, I'm smaller than you and probably a lot quieter, too!"
Jamie sputtered. "Look, i-it's tae dangerous aneway!"
Zoe took another step even closer, her brown eyes burning. "What other alternative is there?"
Jamie backed away, folding his arms. "W-Well, uh …"
"She's right," Gia crisply interjected. "It's the logical thing to do."
"Thank you," Zoe said with a tight smile of vindication. She turned back to Jamie with a pointed look and gesticulated toward the tunnel. "Well, come on! Show me the way!" She then strode past Jamie who watched her worriedly and then gave Gia a glare as if to say thanks fer naethin'. Gia smirked in return.
…..
Zoe's knees ached. It seemed as if they had been crawling for hours when they came to an intersection in the tunnel. These maintenance tunnels were a regular rabbit warren, just like the station's corridors.
Phipps got off his knees and sat back on his haunches, looking lost.
"Which way now?" Zoe whispered.
"I'm not sure …"
"But you must remember! You've already been this way once with Jamie!"
Phipps eyes darted about and sweat dripped down his temple. "I-I know, but I can't remember this time!"
Zoe slapped against her thighs in incredulity. "But you must remember, surely!"
Phipps' head snapped back to her. "Look! I can't remember!" He burst out, biting his fist. "They all look the same!"
Zoe could see Phipps was well on his way to having a nervous breakdown. "Are you alright?" She asked in her most calm, clinical tone.
"Oh, yes. I'm fine," he answered sarcastically. "I've seen all my friends killed and am being hunted by monsters!" His voice rose to an almost hysterical pitch before he choked off.
Zoe closed her eyes, fighting for patience-and losing. "Well, if you go on shouting like that you'll be caught by them and so will I!" she said, her own voice rising above a whisper. Bringing Phipps was supposed to be the logical choice since he worked at this station, but clearly that logic was not panning out. She wished Jamie was with her. Despite what she said, the Highlander would have been quieter, and calmer under pressure.
"I'm sorry," Phipps ran a hand through his mass of raven hair. "I don't know what's the matter with me."
"It's nervous exhaustion," Zoe explained slowly, taking another crack at patience. "And a slight touch of claustrophobia. Just sit down and we'll have a rest."
Phipps began to rock back and forth. Zoe pressed her lips together, her own nerves protesting against this pause. They were running out of time. She also was unreasonably unnerved by the thought of Gia and Jamie being alone together. The image of Jamie's eyes darting over Gia Kelly's figure came to the forefront again. Men.
"I think we ought to go on." Zoe said firmly.
…..
Gia plugged in the wire for the solar lamps, glancing at the Highlander as she did so. He was crouched down in front of the opening of the maintenance tunnel. He had stationed himself there the moment Zoe and Phipps slipped through and had not moved since.
"Any sign of them?" Gia asked.
Jamie bit his thumbnail. "No."
He shouldn't have let Zoe go. They would have found a different solution. Imagined images of her wee body being struck down by an Ice Warrior's laser blast kept replaying in his mind.
"Oh Dia, cùm i sàbhailte," Jamie murmured.
"What's that?"
"O-oh, naethin'... Jist prayin'."
Gia looked nonplussed. "Oh." After a moment she sighed. "They've been gone ages. They can't have reached the controls yet, the temperature seems the same."
"Look, I'm goin' down there!" Jamie burst out and made to bolt down the tunnel.
"No!" Gia said firmly. "Our job is to act as a rearguard in case something goes wrong."
Jamie hesitated, his anxiety and frustration palpable. "Alot good we are!"
"We're not entirely helpless."
Jamie sighed and pulled himself out of the crawlspace the tunnel was located in. "Ye've got tha' thing workin' again?"
"I think so," Gia conceded. "But we can hardly test it …."
Jamie's face fell and his brow scrunched up again in intense worry. He turned and leaned an arm against one of the many machines dotted about the place. "Where are they?" he groaned. "What's keeping them?" Jamie looked as if he were ready to jump out of his skin. He began to pace around like a caged lion.
"Your friend has a good head on her shoulders, I'm sure she'll be fine. And she's got Phipps."
Jamie continued to pace. He waved an agitated, dismissive hand. "I know, but—"
"Only you can protect her?"
Jamie wheeled on her. "Yes!" he burst out, then paused, blinking with surprise at himself. Gia's eyebrows rose in mild amusement. Jamie flushed.
"I-I mean— no … och ..." The Highlander raked a hand through his hair as he gathered his thoughts. "Zoe can take care o' herself alreeght … She's a canny lass but sometimes she gets ... ahead o' hersel' and doesnae realize how much danger she's in until it's tae late. And I …"
Gia inclined her head, encouraging him to finish, but Jamie turned away and would not say more. He resumed his vigil in front of the tunnel.
And I cannae rest easy until she's in front o' me agin.
"Look, I'm goin' tae see wha's happened to them!"
Gia sighed. "Alright—" but then her face froze in alarm.
"What?"
"Quick! The door!"
Jamie grabbed the crowbar but it was too late, the Ice Warrior was there opening it.
"Too late!" Jamie scrambled back to his hiding place behind a large computing cabinet. The Ice Warrior came in and stopped on the mark laid out by Phipps. Jamie signaled for Gia to hit the switch for the solar lamps. Gia yanked down the lever. Nothing happened.
….
Zoe hardly dared to breathe, but her heart was pounding so hard the effort to keep her breathing quiet was making her lightheaded. In order to use the temperature controls she was going to have to turn her back on the Ice Warriors standing deeper in the cavernous room. She was completely exposed. Phipps was by the open ventilation grill, keeping a watch to warn her if she was spotted.
Zoe was just tall enough to reach the temperature controls and she gripped the dial now. It resembled a small pilot's helm. The dial was a bit stiff from disuse, but she got it to turn. With an inner shout of triumph Zoe watched as the temperature gauge needle moved up. Time to go.
Zoe started to inch back along the wall, the way she came when she heard Phipps' voice ring out.
"Look out, Zoe!"
The Ice Warrior who had spotted her turned and gunned Phipps down. Zoe should have run while it was distracted but she just stared in horror at Phipp's lifeless body. Zoe had often scoffed at the concept of people being paralyzed with fear, sure that she was too sensible for that to ever happen to her. Yet, here she was, rooted to the spot as the Ice Warrior came closer, gun poised. She was going to die.
Oh, Jamie … Doctor …
Jamie ...
…..