Doctor Who_ Human Nature Part 27

'Two.'

'One would have been better for a hostage.'

'I'm terribly sorry. Did you manage to do anything with-'

'Too dangerous. I think we managed to put those wonderful tools of yours to good use, though. Now, off to the flint pit with you two. I'll wait here.' He took his pistol back from Bernice with a wry little smile.

Alexander and Benny dashed down the hillside behind the monument. Ancient flint diggings provided useful cover there. The two of them leapt in, to find the boys lying there, an a.s.sortment of rocks and rough wooden stakes in their hands.

'Oh, Bernice!' said Anand. 'Merryweather here has been fretting terribly about you.'

Merryweather glared at him.

'Maybe we could have dinner when this is all over?' Bernice winked at the embarra.s.sed boy.

'I, ah, beg your pardon?' Merryweather squeaked. Alexander patted him on the head. 'I do believe she's teasing you.'

Greeneye and Serif ran out on to the light slope where the monument stood and looked around. 'Where is she?' Greeneye muttered, pulling both his swords from his harness.

They split up, fanning out in different directions. Rocastle peered out from behind Old Meg and winced. They were supposed to a.s.sume that the statue was the obvious cover and run straight for it.

Greeneye indeed was wandering towards him, but Serif was some distance away, slowly turning as if smelling the air.

Rocastle took a deep breath, poked his head out again and shouted. 'Oh my G.o.d, they're here!'

Greeneye spun. He ran at the monument.

And fell straight through the ground.

Before she'd left, Bernice had shown the boys how to use her excavation probe, a gravitic device that could, at its highest setting, create a large pit. Over that pit, they'd put a film of resin created by her ion bonder. Then they'd just thrown a light covering of the soil and gra.s.s from the pit back over it.

Greeneye dropped straight through the resin, bellowing as he went. His swords had gone flying as he tripped over the edge.

But Serif stopped just short of the pit's edge, his arms spiralling. He balanced himself and stepped back. 'You did this?' he hissed at Rocastle, who stepped out from behind the monument.

'I did,' Rocastle said. 'And my lads killed your girl.' He jumped back behind the monument as an energy bolt hissed past his head.

Serif glanced down at the pit beneath his feet. Greeneye was staring up at him angrily from about twenty feet below, his face a ma.s.s of blood, one eye caked shut.

'Throw both of them down here,' he bellowed, 'and I'll toss you the sc.r.a.ps!'

Serif nodded and stalked towards the monument, firing energy bolts at intervals into the ground in front of him.

Hutchinson scrambled to climb over the edge of the flint workings, but Alexander grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.

'Not yet!' Benny whispered. 'If I let any of you get into danger, Rocastle will kill me.'

'But he's - 'He's armed. We're not.'

Serif had reached Old Meg. He stepped slowly around it, antic.i.p.ating an attack at any second.

Rocastle stepped out behind him and raised his gun. 'Now-'

Serif spun and knocked the gun from his hand. 'You should not have warned me.'

He swung his own pistol up.

Rocastle lunged forward and slammed the alien against the stone. 'You destroyed all my dreams, you know,' he told him as they struggled, almost conversationally.

'But, strangely, I feel almost as if I ought to say - '

Serif spun him round, smas.h.i.+ng the human against the base of the statue. Rocastle fell, winded, and looked up as Serif aimed his pistol at his head.

'Thank you.'

The force of the explosion threw Hutchinson and Alexander back off the edge of the flint diggings. The others threw their hands over their heads as debris rained down, small lumps of the stone that had made up Old Meg.

Benny peered up over the edge. The monument was a crater in the ground, at its centre a ma.s.s of flaming debris that was sparking up into the sky, small detonations still going off.

She climbed out and walked over to the flaming pyre, Alexander and the boys following her.

'He knew that it would explode,' Hutchinson said. 'It was the only way.'

'No it b.l.o.o.d.y wasn't,' Benny whispered.

There might have been an argument then, but Merryweather had turned to look in the direction of the pit. 'Look!' he yelled.

A hand had gripped the rim of the pit, and was scrambling against the crumbling earth, trying for a solid hold. As they watched, Greeneye slapped another hand after the first and began to haul himself over the edge, his face a mask of rage and sorrow. 'Serif!' he was bellowing. 'You animals! I'll cover this hill with your blood!'

Hutchinson started to say something, but it came out as a roar. He sprinted towards the pit and the other boys followed, yelling shrill cries.

Hutchinson grabbed one of Greeneye's swords from the ground where it lay and Merryweather grabbed another. The rest of the boys formed a rough circle around the pit as the alien climbed out of it, clutching their rocks and clubs.

Only Anand stayed back, beside Alexander. 'Are you going to help them?' he asked Bernice.

Benny realized that she'd just been staring at the scene, absolutely useless to everybody. She was feeling sick inside. It took her a moment to realise why.

She'd seen this before.

She started forward. 'Wait - '

Greeneye was now fully emerged from the pit. 'Well then?' he shouted. 'Who's first!' He grabbed for his gun.

Hutchinson lashed out and Greeneye clutched at his upper arm, the gun tumbling from his numbed fingers.

Merryweather ran in and struck him across the leg, the ultrasharp blade bursting a line of blood from Greeneye's thigh. He roared and lashed out, knocking Merryweather to the ground. He stumbled forward, felling boys to the left and right with his fists. Hutchinson went flying too, dropping his sword.

But the boys still closed in, swinging their rocks and clubs.

Benny shoved her way through the crowd, pus.h.i.+ng them aside to get to the man.

Las.h.i.+ng out all around him, he was blindly groping to get a hand into his boot.

He pulled out a small black capsule.

Benny leapt through the boys, straight at him. She knocked him over, landing on his chest, blows still falling randomly around her.

'You can't stop us!' Greeneye was roaring. 'I - will - see you all die...'

His fingers squeezed the end of the capsule. It was about to burst.

Benny felt something give inside her, an internal explosion of some vast rage she'd never known. 'n.o.body else dies!' she shouted.

And she punched him.

Very hard.

The body slumped back on to the ground, unconscious.

The capsule fell from his hand. The boys fell back.

Hutchinson swayed into view amongst them, having recovered the sword. He swung it up overhead, about to behead the alien.

But Benny threw herself on to the body, clutching him tightly to her, slamming her head against his. 'n.o.body else dies! Do you hear me?' She glared up at Hutchinson.

'Do you understand?'

'She's hysterical.' Alton stepped forward. 'Let's get you-'

'I am not b.l.o.o.d.y hysterical, I'm not the one trying to kill the hostage!'

There was a general mumble of agreement. The boys started to drop their improvised weapons.

Hutchinson placed the sword on the ground, visibly controlling his anger.

Alexander helped Benny to her feet. She was s.h.i.+vering. 'Busy day.' She flapped her hand, wincing. 'Ow, I think I've broken my knuckle.'

Alton spoke up. He was crouching by Greeneye's neck, his hand on the alien's pulse. 'This man's going to come round soon. Can't we secure him somehow?'

'Schoolboys who don't have any string?' a familiar voice called from behind them.

Smith was standing against the burning crater on the skyline, leaning on his umbrella. 'That's unusual.'

Chapter Thirteen.

Let Me Tell You Something That's True

'Doctor!' Bernice cried, and ran to him.

Smith disengaged himself from the hug. 'Smith. Still.' He pulled the Pod from his pocket and spun it in the air thoughtfully. 'I haven't yet applied for my honorary doctorate. I saw how you saved him, by the way.' He pointed to Greeneye, who was even now being bound in miles of schoolboy string. 'Well done.'

'We need him as a hostage.'

'I doubt that would work. Anyhow, that wasn't why you did it.'

Benny resumed the hug and this time he allowed it. 'No,' she whispered. 'It wasn't.

I think I've developed this phobia about letting people get surrounded by men with swords. Hey, how did you know about that?'

'This.' Smith rubbed the Pod on his elbow. 'It lets me know little bits. At random, I think. Oh, by the way, I brought some friends.'

Up the hill behind him had appeared Hadleman and Tim.

Anand ran to Tim and shook him warmly by the hand. 'I thought you were dead!'

he laughed.

'So did I,' said Tim.

Alexander had been helping the boys secure Greeneye. Now the curator looked up.

For an instant, he closed his eyes. Then he made himself smile and stood up, waving. 'Richard!'

Hadleman ran forward, and the two men stood at a distance from each other, their hands forming restrained spirals before them. 'Alex, old chap, what are you doing here?' Hadleman grinned.

'I could say the same. Come and, erm, see what's happened to the monument.'

Alexander glanced at Smith and the boys, and the two men wandered around to the other side of the destroyed statue.

Benny was still holding on to Smith. 'So, you're finally convinced that you weren't always human?'

'I am. What an odd thing to find out.'

'Well, this might be a good time to consider what species you'd like to be. You know about Joan?'

'Yes. They've told me I have until dawn to give them this, or they kill her.' Smith gazed at the brightness that was starting to redden the eastern horizon. 'I had thought of just making the swap, but Timothy showed me what would happen if I did. I was tempted to go through with it anyway, because I do love her, Benny.' His eyes sought hers. 'But I don't think the Doctor would like it.'

'You mean you're still going to stay as Smith? You don't want to be the real you, despite all this?' Benny sat down heavily on the gra.s.s. 'The Doctor would have some plan worked out in two seconds. One, if we had a chessboard handy.'

He sat down beside her. 'John Smith is the real me. And it's because of all this, not despite it. You don't know what you really want in life until it's taken from you.'