Doctor Who_ Night Of The Humans Part 16

'Right... Listen up. This story, the one you're watching. It's a film. If I remember rightly it's a film called The 8:10 To El Paso.

It's got nothing to do with Gobo, nothing to do with the star with the green tail. It's a Western. See... That guy there? His name isn't Zasquez. It's Shane. Zachary Velasquez was the captain of a ship that crashed here thousands of years ago.

He's not in this film. And him? He's not the Bad... His name is Ramirez. And they're both actors. But that star... the one that's in the sky right now... that star is very real. And when it comes here, when it hits this place, it will destroy everything.

Now... I think I can help you. No... I know I can help you... But you have to follow me. We are leaving this city, and we're going to my ship. And then we're leaving this place. For good. There's no coming back.'

The room fell silent. The Doctor looked at them all, his expression one of hope and quiet desperation.

'Well... Are you with me?' he asked, but still there was silence.

The bearded man in the black robes stood before 186 him, glowering at the Doctor. 'Leave this place! he said.

'I'm sorry...' said the Doctor. 'Didn't you hear what I just said?' He pointed at the screen. 'Didn't you hear what they said? They're not talking about Gobo. They're not talking about this place, or about the Olden Ones. It's just a film. You have to believe me. You are all in great danger.'

The Doctor looked to the audience, but none of them spoke.

Not one of them even moved. Amy now knew what the Doctor was at least trying to do, but she also knew it was hopeless. She and the others stepped out from the tunnel and into the room, making their way gingerly towards the Doctor, as if they were treading across a minefield.

'Doctor! she said. 'We have to go.'

The Doctor started shaking his head.

'No...' he said, still talking to the audience. 'You have to believe me. Please. I'm trying to save you.'

Manco placed one hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

They never listen! he said quietly. 'We must go now.'

'Come on! said Charlie more forcefully. 'We haven't got time.'

He grabbed the Doctor roughly by the arm, pulling him out of the room, away from the screen and the silent audience, and the Doctor struggled in his grasp, still facing the humans.

187.

'Please!' he shouted. 'If you stay here you are all going to die'

He was still calling out to them when he was far away from that room and the humans, too far away for them to hear him.

188.

Chapter.

18.

In the short time she had known him, Amy had never seen the Doctor like this. She had seen him angry, and thoughtful, and upset, but this was different. He hadn't spoken since they had reached the south gate of the city and made their way out onto the salt plain. He looked pale and drawn, and so much older, his boyish enthusiasm nowhere to be seen. she had known him, Amy had never seen the Doctor like this. She had seen him angry, and thoughtful, and upset, but this was different. He hadn't spoken since they had reached the south gate of the city and made their way out onto the salt plain. He looked pale and drawn, and so much older, his boyish enthusiasm nowhere to be seen.

She could understand why. There had been children in the crowd watching the old film. Children who were now doomed, whichever way you looked at it. She had half expected the Doctor to come up with some last-minute solution, something which would solve everything, but the expression on his face told her that wasn't about to happen.

189.

They were about a hundred metres away from the human city when Manco stopped walking. The Doctor turned around to face him.

'What's up?' he asked.

'I'm not coming! said Manco. I'm staying here.'

The Doctor blinked twice and started shaking his head.

'No, Manco, listen... We can get you out of here. We can take you far away from here.'

I know, Doctor. But I'm staying.'

'But why? You know what's about to happen.'

'Yes.'

'So come with us.'

I can't. Where will you take me, Doctor? Earth? The real Earth? What would I do there? Would the humans there accept me? Would they treat me as their own? I doubt that. I'm like those... those fish that we saw... inside the tower. You said yourself, that's the only place where they exist. And the key... the one we found there. You said it belonged here, that there was no other place for it. Well that's me. There is no other place. We aren't like the humans on Earth, Doctor. We've been here too long.'

'But, Manco, please...'

'No, Doctor. I'm staying.'

Charlie moved to the Doctor's side. 'Come on... We have to go. If I know my Dad he'll have programmed the bomb by now. We don't have any time.'

190.

The Doctor turned to Slipstream.

'The Key! he said. 'You still have it.'

Slipstream huffed indignantly, reaching into his pocket and lifting out the polished, golden orb.

'Yes.'

'Give it to me.'

With another petulant huff, Slipstream handed the key to the Doctor, who in turn gave it to Manco.

'Take this with you,' he said. 'It belongs here.'

'Yes, Doctor,' said Manco, with a sad smile. 'And so do I.'

He nodded at each of them in turn, but said nothing more, and then he walked back towards the human city, still holding the Mymon Key in his hand.

'Let's go! said Charlie. 'There's nothing you can do, Doctor.'

They walked on across the salt plain, with Amy at the Doctor's side. She looked up at him, trying to find the right words, but it was no use. What could she say that would make him feel better? Everything seemed so hopeless. The only thing she could do was reach out and hold his hand, and she was grateful, if just a little surprised, when he squeezed it in return and kept on holding it as they walked.

Charlie and Slipstream were in front, with Charlie's gun still trained on the prisoner.

191.

'So! drawled Slipstream, 'Do any of you bright sparks know how we're getting back to my ship? The bridge is out, and that swamp is infested with man-eating slugs. Any suggestions? Anybody?'

'We'll take Bird! said Charlie.

'And what, pray tell, is Bird?'

'The helipod. I left it on the edge of the swamp.'

'But wait! said Amy. "There was barely enough room in that thing for two of us, let alone four.'

Slipstream laughed incredulously. 'Oh, well isn't that marvellous? Alien Boy's plan involves squeezing four fully grown adults in a flying s...o...b..x. That's just spiffing.'

Charlie scowled at him. 'We could always leave you here!

he snapped. 'That would suit me right down to the ground.'

'Yes, I'm sure you'd like that, wouldn't you?'

The Doctor let go of Amy's hand, and he took several long strides so that he was now standing between Charlie and Slipstream.

'Play nice, children! he said, then pointed at the sky. 'Look!'

The four of them had stopped walking and now, looking up, they saw something hurtling towards them. It started as just a tiny, yellow dot hovering above the horizon, but gradually it grew bigger, swaying from side to side and juddering violently.

'That's my b.l.o.o.d.y ship!' shouted Slipstream.

192.

NIGHT OF THE HUNANS.

'Why of all the-'

'But who's flying it?' asked Amy. 'I mean... You're here.

Charlie's here.'

'It's my Dad! said Charlie, smiling. 'It has to be!

Just then, as all four of them were about to breathe a collective sigh of relief, three chunks of comet came streaking out of the sky, screaming like fireworks. The Golden Bough swooped and dived between the missiles with the fleetness of an insect, dodging each of them, but now the fragments were bearing down towards the salt plain.

They slammed into the surface of the Gyre, only a few hundred metres away from where they stood, and there was but a second's pause before the deafening triple boom knocked them to the ground. They scrambled to their feet as quickly as they could, and started running.

The Golden Bough was getting closer now, still jerking about in the sky. It pa.s.sed over the distant swamp, the tall plastic tubes swaying wildly in its wake, and it came out over the salt plain, its thrusters stirring up great clouds of powdered salt.

Amy tripped and fell as she ran, grazing her hands on the rough ground. She cried out in pain, but the Doctor lifted her to her feet with his arm around her waist, and he half carried her as they ran on, ever closer to where the Golden Bough now 193 hovered over the salt plain, only a short distance away.

As they drew closer, they could see Captain Jamal at the ship's controls. He looked angry, or frustrated, and the ship lurched turbulently, as if it was bouncing on waves. Each time it lowered it would get to within a few feet of the surface before being launched back up into the air thirty metres or more.

They heard the Captain's voice, amplified by speakers in the ship's hull.

'It's no use!' he shouted. This thing won't land. The systems are all shot. It's this place... the Gyre...'

In the distance another fragment of the comet came crashing down with a thunderous boom, and the ground beneath them convulsed.

Everybody turned to the Doctor.

'Why's everyone looking at me?'

Amy's eyes grew wider and she hunched her shoulders.

'Er... Because you usually have all the answers?'

'Oh. Right. Yes. Charlie!'

Charlie nodded.

'The helipod... Where is it?'

Above them, the Golden Bough bucked and shuddered again, its thrusters howling and kicking up swirling tornadoes of dust. Charlie had to shout 194.

just to be heard above the noise.

'It's at the edge of the swamp!' he said, pointing into the distance. 'Over there!'

'Right!' the Doctor yelled in return. He looked up at the ship, and at Captain Jamal, gesturing wildly with his arms and pointing at the sky.

'What are you saying?' shouted Captain Jamal, his voice still booming from the speakers. 'I don't understand!'

'GO UP!' yelled the Doctor. 'GO! UP!'

Captain Jamal looked down at his son, and Charlie nodded. There was a moment's unspoken communication between them, when Amy saw just how deeply afraid they both were. And Charlie had told her the Sittuun had no fear...

With a terrific whoosh, the Golden Bough rose up into the dark sky, and the Doctor, Amy, Charlie and Slipstream carried on running across the salt plain, towards the swamp's edge. As they neared it, they saw countless Sollogs, their bodies liquefying into a greenish ooze, lying in the salt.

'What's happening to them?' Amy asked, still running.

'It's the comet,' the Doctor replied. 'They're running scared, and they don't care where they're running.'

'Kind of like us, then?' said Amy.