Doctor Who_ Placebo Effect Part 28

With a last look at the pills in his hands, the Foamasi a.s.sa.s.sin walked back out of the building, past the handful of terrified staff who just stared at him or the devastation and back to the Foamasi Temple.

Consort Ethelredd was standing at the side of the podium, on the gra.s.s, talking to Secretary Aigburth and Security Officer Gar when the explosion happened.

Ethelredd was looking past Aigburth (droning on about nothing as usual) and watching the d.u.c.h.ess nattering away with Edyth and Cait, her ladies-in-waiting. Just at the moment when Ethelredd decided that if you put the brains of the d.u.c.h.ess, the two giggling girls and Aigburth inside one head, you just might simulate the intellectual capability of a frog, a huge column of white-hot plasma vaporised the podium.

Ethelredd hardly had time to close his eyes before he was flung aside by the blast, and all he could hear was the repeated crump ! of the explosion and the screams and yells of thousands of panicking spectators and athletes.

It seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few seconds before he was lifted up - he would recognise Gar's powerful hands anywhere, so at leasthe was all right - and tried to open his eyes.

Slowly his blurred vision came into focus, but then he wished it hadn't.

The podium was a wreck: a few splinters of wood and plastic were all that was left. A collection of dead bodies fanned out from the base, people nearby who had been caught in the blast.

Ethelredd did not need to consider the d.u.c.h.ess of Auckland or her young ladies-in-waiting. Their bodies would have been atomised instantly. But De'Ath and Aigburth?

As his eyes focused on the dead body of Aigburth lying face down about ten metres from where they had been standing, the wail of De'Ath could be heard from the distance.

As he came into view, Ethelredd saw a miraculous transformation come over his favourite sparring partner. If Ethelredd expected the usual twee foppishness and camp vulgarity, he was disappointed. Instead, he saw a new Counsellor De'Ath, full of strength and sense, as he tried to help the injured and alarmed.

He caught Ethelredd's eye and looked meaningfully towards the podium.

Ethelredd shook his head and De'Ath nodded.

Both of them would be held accountable for the d.u.c.h.ess's death, but that could wait. Right now, there was a disaster to help clear up, people to a.s.sist and aid to administer.

'Oh my...' Ms Sox put her hand over her mouth a they saw the pillar of white fire reach into the sky from the Stadium.

Although she couldn't see his face, Sam could imagine that the Doctor probably would have frowned. 'It's started,' he stated quietly.

'What has?' asked Sam.

'The final a.s.sault by whatever is in the tunnels.'

Sam recalled what the Doctor had said to her when she had seen him last.

'Ah. The Foamasi,' she said.

The large green reptile thing between her and Kyle started. 'There are Foamasi in the tunnels?'

Sam frowned. 'Aren't there, Doctor? You called them Foamasi when I saw you...'

Green Fingers tried to puff out his chest with pride, but in the cramped and overloaded hovercar, that was quite difficult. 'Young lady,I am a Foamasi.'

'And your thing in the tunnel didn't look like the Amba.s.sador, did it?' added the Doctor.

'Er, no,' said Kyle, looking around the reptile at Sam for confirmation. 'More like a big insect thing. With pincers, and antennae and -'

The Doctor slapped his hand on his forehead. Sam thought it must have hurt. 'Surely I can't have been so stupid - yet maybe this is how it really began. The hatred for mankind...' Sam recognised this tone of voice. The Doctor would start rambling to himself if they weren't careful. She poked him in the back. 'Yes, right, thank you, Sam.' He looked at Ms Sox. 'Dr Mason's knowledge of chemistry and alien biology would be theirs, naturally.'

'Who?'

'An old enemy, if I'm correct. And I haven't got a clue how to stop them.'

Chapter 11.

Dazzle

The Hovercar containing the Doctor's party touched down amid the ambulances and SSS agent carriers grouped outside the Stadium.

The Doctor ordered everyone out except Ms Sox. To her he gave a whisper. 'I need help. What I'm going to do is dangerous. Are you interested?'

But Sam overheard. 'Hey, you! What about me?'

The Doctor looked at her. "They'II be expecting you. They know you. I'll be a surprise to them.'

'No you won't,' said Kyle. 'If they've absorbed Torin Chalfont's mind, they know all about you.'

The Doctor stared at Sam, frowning. 'I didn't know I was so famous.'

'I didn't know he was mentally attached to these b.l.o.o.d.y creatures, did I?'

The Doctor nodded.'You're right, of course. I'm sorry.'

'Some people would be flattered that they were talked about behind their backs,' she grumbled.

He tapped her cheek.'To be honest Sam, I'd be happier knowing you were here. I imagine there's a lot of good to be done here, and your experiences of disaster damage control on Ha'olam will come in very handy, all right?'

She looked like she might argue, but changed her mind.'OK. But if you're not back in an hour, I'm coming looking.'

The Doctor winked at her and the hovercar took off.

Ms Sox looked down at the dwindling figures.'I don't remember agreeing to come with you, actually,' she said.

'But, naturally, you will.'

'I have a choice?'

The Doctor looked concerned.'Of course!'

'I was joking. Sort of. Let's go.' She gave a last look at the disaster-ridden Stadium.'You control Miss Jones very well.'

The Doctor concentrated on navigating towards the tunnel entrance, which wasn't far but it was still quicker to fly than walk.

'Not at all. She'll follow us as soon as we go into the caves. They always do.'

'"They"?'

'Never mind. I just have to hope we can sort out the Wirrrn before she arrives.'

'Wirrrn? The insect things?'

The Doctor eased the hovercar to the ground, then opened the canopy.'I think so, yes. The telepathic a.s.sault confirms it really. I'm beginning to realise that what I glimpsed in that must have been the Queen. She's down here.'

'Oh. And how do we find her?'

'I imagine we'll be met. I knew she knew about me regardless of Sam's encounter with her. Otherwise I would never have received that message so powerfully.' He grinned at her. 'This could be lots of suspense, lots of danger and very messy. Still want to come?'

'Of course I do. Isn't that what "they" always say to you?'

The Doctor laughed.'You catch on quickly, Ms Sox. Let's go.'

Together they entered the dark tunnels.

Agent B'nel'ye't had been one of the first Pakhars ever to join the s.p.a.ce Security Service. Along with Sergeant Major Zzano'pt'll, he had joined up as soon as the SSS opened its door to non-human officers.

He was very proud of this fact - the rest of his litter were equally proud of'our Benji' and regularly sent him pads and holos of the family and friends back home.

He had been intending to reciprocate this evening, when the events at the opening ceremony had come to a conclusion, but the sudden destruction that had just occurred put paid to that idea.

Benji knew that he was unlikely to get near his personal communicator for a couple of days now.

Shaking his head at the carnage he had seen inside, Benji was currently reporting in to Sergeant Major Zzano'pt'll on the troop carrier's holo unit.

Zzano'pt'll said he was on his way over with more agents and some remote trackers to try to locate the bomber - or bombers.

After closing the communique, Benji was preparing to return to his fellows when he saw one of them sloping off in the opposite direction.

'Hey, Franks, where are you going?' he yelled.

But Franks clearly didn't hear, because he carried on walking. He seemed to be heading for Power House Building Three. Did he think the bombers were in there?

Benji scampered after him as fast as his little legs could go.

After a few moments he saw the Power House loom up, but he'd lost sight of Bobby Franks. Weird. Unless, of course, Franks had broken protocol and actually gone inside the Power House.

Slowly, Benji approached. He'd just drawn his blaster when the door to the Power House opened and Franks came out.

Benji's sigh of relief turned to shock as he saw what followed. A whole group of... of things .Yellow. Or green. Or brown. Or...

And they moved faster than Benji knew he could.

Within a few seconds, Benji had been enveloped by one of them, his muted shrieks for help lost.

The last thing he saw was the shape of Agent Franks, visible through the translucent mucus that now covered Benji's face, his nose and eyes, looking down at him, doing nothing, nothing at all...

Sam and Kyle were helping people towards the ambulances when the first scream of fear came.

'What now?' wondered Kyle but Sam was pointing.

The nightmare creatures she and Torin had seen in the tunnels were moving exceptionally quickly across the sandy terrain, swarming towards the Stadium.

SSS agents did not waste time - they dropped to their knees, taking aim and firing their blasters, while others ran around getting heavier weaponry out of the troop carriers.

Sam saw a group of agents led by a female sergeant take a defensive stance around the ambulances, giving other agents and some civilians the opportunity to keep loading the medical vehicles with the injured.

She told Kyle to wait for her and went over to join them.

'Hi,' she said to the female sergeant.

The woman glanced at her.'Don't tell me - the Doctor's chum, right?'

Sam tried not to look surprised. 'Hey, I'm famous.'

'Ever fired one of those before?' asked a man whose name tag designated him as Agent Fenton.

Sam nodded, sadly. 'When it's proven necessary.'

'Good luck,' Fenton said and opened fire.

"There's a man with them,' said another agent - McCarrick.

Sam shrugged. "They convert you to their side at a touch. He might look human, but he won't be inside. Not any more. He's one of them.'

An agent with a sort of binoculars affair held to his eyes was nodding.

'Sarge, he's covered in the same sort of stuff as the creatures. It's Agent Franks.'

'Trust me, Sergeant Dallion,' said Sam, glancing at the woman's badge.'He's not one of you any more.'

'I hope you're right,' Dallion said, then raised a blaster rifle and fired, blowing most of Franks's upper torso away.'It's court-martial time, otherwise.'

'Hey,' said Agent Clarke. 'Who cares? Ritchie's written us off anyway.'