Post by Fitz Kreiner on Sept 2, 2010 20:56:11 GMT
Escape.
Captain William Morris stared at the picture on the screen for some long seconds, taking in the sight before him. He felt repulsed by the grotesque visage that faced him. The head was that of an insect, but like no insect he’d seen before. There were four mandibles knowing at thing air, each moving in separate ways. The carapace was the same brown as oak bark, flecked with white dotted with many multi-faceted eyes.
“What are you?”
The voice wasn’t coming through the speakers; it was in his head. How he could hear it, he couldn’t tell, there was just a voice.
“Doctor, how come I can hear that thing?” he whispered.
“That ‘thing’ as you call it is the commander of the ship out there,” the Doctor replied, shooting Morris a look. “It’s the TARDIS telepathic circuits. Disorientating to the first time user, but you’ll soon get the hang of it.”
“If you say so,” Morris muttered.
“I repeat; what are you?” the voice continued.
The Doctor stepped forwards, gripping the lapels of his black velvet coat. “I’m the Doctor, and this,” he said, gesturing back to Morris, “is Captain William Morris, commander of the local military service.”
“Your primitive military might is no match for us,” the voice said.
“I can assure you, they’re not my military might,” the Doctor replied. “And we’re not here to have a fight,” he added, shooting a glance over at Morris. “We want to talk and see if we can sort this little situation out.”
“You are the leader of the primitives?” the voice asked.
“No,” the Doctor replied. “I’m not one of them, I’m just here to try and help you. I know you’ve crashed here and are stranded. I also know you’ve taken at least one of this planets’ inhabitants on board, possibly for the purposes of dissection to learn more about them and we have one of your crew here. Now, I propose a prisoner exchange, we shall return your crewman, willingly, if you give a goodwill gesture and release whatever hostages you have aboard. As well as that, I will gladly come aboard and help you repair your systems so that you can return home.”
Morris looked at the Doctor as he stepped back and held his head high before turning his attention back to the screen. The creature, whether it was a he or she, Morris couldn’t tell, didn’t seem to have moved during the Doctor’s speech, despite a few twitches of its head. Whether that was an insect style of communication, Morris didn’t know.
“Well, do you accept?” the Doctor asked.
“You try to deceive us,” the voice said in almost a snarl. “We have detected two intruders in our craft. You try to send in spies to murder us.”
“No,” the Doctor replied, holding his hands out. “No, you’ve got that all wrong. Those two are my companions, I’m afraid they appear to have taken it into their heads to go on a rescue mission to find the chap you’re holding. You have to let them go. Block off all sections in your ship so that they can only leave, they will.”
“You admit to sending interlopers to steal our technology?” the voice said, accusingly.
“They’re not there to steal or to murder,” the Doctor replied. “You can understand me, you know that I’m clearly not of this planet, can help you, but only if you agree to what I’m saying.”
“Intruders will not be tolerated,” the voice replied.
“Doctor, I don’t think you’re winning this,” Morris said stepping closer to the Time Lord.
“Quiet, Will,” the Doctor hissed out of the corner of his mouth. “Look,” he said, addressing the screen again. “My friends have only good intentions. I can assure you that I’m the best way you have of leaving this planet. I can mediate between you and humanity. You don’t need to recommence any hostilities. I can tell that what happened outside earlier was an accident. I know two of your crew were injured, but one of the humans was killed. Work with me, help me to prevent any more bloodshed and this can be settled amicably.”
“You are primitive,” the voice snarled. “We do not deal with primitives. Your communication and bodies are weak, we can overrun you. We can use this world to greater advantage than you can. You poison your own air. Klil-Raäth do not mistreat our worlds as such. You are an infestation.”
The Doctor began to pace up and down a small space between the end of a desk and Morris. “No, no, no, no, no.” He said quickly. “I’ll admit these humans have a long way to go yet, but they will get there, I have seen it. These humans are so small; they’re just starting their way to become something so much bigger, something so much more important.”
“The affairs of primitives are none of our concern,” the voice replied. “This planet would be better in our hands.”
“You don’t have hands,” Morris muttered.
“Will!” the Doctor chastised before turning back to the screen. “I really want to avoid bloodshed. I can help you, just listen to me and let me help you.”
A loud crashing from the front of the trailer make the Doctor stop and both he and Morris turn. The Klil-Raäth in the office had woken and was throwing itself at the plastic windows repeatedly.
“Keep back,” Morris yelled, holding his hand out to the Private at the door who was looking terrified.
The young soldier’s rifle was held up and pointing at the creature. Landing on the smashed desk, the Klil-Raäth poised itself before launching itself forwards into the plastic window again. A large and vivid crack appeared in the window following the latest launch by the creature.
“Get behind me, Doctor,” Morris yelled over the noise, swiftly pulling his pistol from its holster.
“Will, wait,” the Doctor protested as Morris stepped round him. “We can sort this another way.”
With another loud crash, the Klil-Raäth smashed itself against the window again, the crack widening to reach from the top to the bottom. A further crash caused the window to fly out from where it was fixed. One part flew into the large screen, smashing into it and causing the picture to die. The other half flew towards the Doctor and Morris, tumbling over the desk that stood between them and the office.
With a quick dive, Morris dropped to the floor, grabbing the Doctor’s lapel and dragging him down too. The sharply cracked Perspex flipped as it hit the desk and clattered noisily onto the two desks above the two men, making a roof over the two of them.
Instantly gunshots sounded from the terrified soldier who had been stood guard as the Klil-Raäth burst through the window, landing on the desks, its forelimbs clawing at the air before it. The creature’s body jerked as the bullets tore into it, knocking it off the desk it was stood on.
Taking a quick stock of the situation, Morris leapt to his feet, knocking the remains of the plastic window away as he stood, bringing his pistol up to bear in case the alien attacked. He was in time to see the creature leap with alarming speed and precision, despite its wounds, from where it was stood onto the soldier. He followed with his pistol, just behind it due to its immense speed. By the time he’d got the creature into his sights, the soldiers screams had stopped and the alien was now turning to look at him.
Grimacing, Morris squeezed the trigger and loosed shot after shot into the alien’s head. The black covered head snapped back with each shot, a green fluid spraying the wall behind it until the clip was empty. Morris held his ground for several long seconds as the Klil-Raäth remained on its feet before crumpling to the ground.
“Will,” the Doctor started as he got to his feet.
“I don’t want to hear it, Doctor,” Morris said, holding his hand out to the Time Lord as he holstered his pistol. “It was it or us,” he added, finally looking the Time Lord in the eyes before walking out of the damaged trailer.
*
Jess cried out as the Klil-Raäth reached out for her. Its bizarrely jointed arms flexing as the claws scraped her boot. She found herself moving as Tom shifted beneath her and his leg kicked out, hitting the creature in the side of the head. Its jaws mashed to try to bite at his foot before it staggered sideways, the blow not having a great effect on it.
“Come on,” Tom said, scrambling to his feet.
Jess staggered backwards as she hurriedly tried to get up as the Klil-Raäth reached her foot and pulled. She screamed as the force of which the creature pulled seemed as though it had wrenched her foot from her leg.
She heard a faint yell as Tom charged the creature, knocking it totally off balance. Through the mist and flickering light, she saw him stamp down onto one of the aliens legs, grateful she didn’t hear the sound through the suit. A swift kick from him followed and the creature rolled away.
“Come on,” he said again, helping her to her feet and supporting her.
It seemed to Jess that the journey back to the airlock took forever. Everywhere she looked, she thought she could see the Klil-Raäth through the mist.
“Was that one of them?” she managed to ask.
“Yeah,” Tom replied, looking back over his shoulder. “They know we’re on board, so we’re getting the hell outta here.”
“No,” Jess said, trying to pull Tom back. “What about their prisoners? We’ve got to get them.”
Ignoring her, Tom pulled Jess along the corridor and back into an area which was more metal than organic. Throwing his hand against the wall, a door slid open, revealing the airlock beyond. Half-carrying the still struggling Jess inside, he closed the door.
“No, Tom, we’ve got to help them,” Jess cried again.
Pinning her against the wall by her shoulders, Tom fixed her with a steely stare.
“I couldn’t find any record of prisoners,” he said loudly and firmly as the airlock began to decompress. “There was a record of specimens, but they died. I’m sorry, we were too late,” he said, sadness creeping into his voice.
“They killed them?” Jess feebly asked.
Inside his suit, Tom nodded. “And they’ll do the same if they get their hands, or claws, on us.”
“What?” Jess asked, suddenly alert. “They why are we just standing here?”
“Airlock,” Tom pointed out. “We’ve got to wait for depressurisation.”
“Can’t you make it go faster?” Jess asked.
“If I want to run the risk of killing us,” Tom replied.
“Oh,” Jess said; a sudden sinking feeling in her stomach. “Hang on, what if they know we’re in here and try to stop us?”
“Oh,” Tom’s face fell. “I’d forgotten that. I’ll have to see what I can do.”
The sinking feeling came back into Jess’s stomach with a vengeance as the air lock began to refill with the green misty atmosphere from the inside of the ship.
*
Jumping down from the back of the trailer, Morris walked over to a jeep sat nearby in the car park. The birds had started calling the dawn chorus and the sky was starting to get lighter. There were no traces of cloud yet and the bad weather seemed to have dissipated. Shooting a look down to the ship, Morris saw that it was shrouded in a green mist, which seemed to be rather sickly in the low light.
Stopping, Morris looked at the mist. He could see the figures of the patrol he’d sent down to try to rescue the Doctor’s friends. They had remained on the edge of the mist and were gathered around something on the ground.
Morris was about to make towards them when the sound of an engine and a vehicle pulling into the car park made him stop. Looking round, he saw a jeep pulling up; Loding in the driving seat and Lovatt sat next to her. Before the jeep had even stopped, Morris was at the driver’s window.
“Sir?” Loding asked.
“Corporal,” Morris said, shooting another glance down at the ship before turning his attention back to Loding. “I want you to get through to RAF Marham and get them ready to scramble. I want them to be able to be here within ten minutes, at max. Sergeant, you’re with me.”
“Sir,” Lovatt said getting out of the jeep.
“Greyhound fifteen to Trap seven,” Corporal Andrews’ voice crackled out of Morris’s radio.
“Trap seven receiving, go ahead greyhound,” Morris replied holding up his hand to Lovatt, who stopped mid step.
“They’ve got some sort of gas cover,” Andrews replied. “We’ve got a man down.”
“Gas?” Morris asked softly, looking over at Lovatt.
“The Doctor said yesterday about them venting something like mustard gas,” she replied. “He said it could have been like their atmosphere or something.”
“We’re on our way,” Morris almost shouted into the radio as he turned and ran to the trailer, Lovatt in tow. “Doctor, we’ve got an emergency out here, we may need your help.”
“What is it, Will?” the Doctor asked, appearing in the doorway to the trailer.
“Their mustard gas atmosphere has poisoned some of my lads,” Morris shouted over his shoulder as he set off at a run.
The Doctor paused at the edge of the trailer, his right hand to his mouth. “Their atmosphere is escaping, venting into the surrounding area, but it’s only staying local to the ship. I wonder why?” he thought aloud.
“Well don’t just stand there,” Lovatt said gripping his sleeve.
“What? Oh yes, of course,” the Doctor muttered still distant. “When did you get back, Allison?” he asked, running alongside her.
“Just now. Is that important?” she shouted back.
“Oh, everything’s important,” the Doctor grinned back as he vaulted the railings. “Even the little things; remember that Allison, never ignore the little things.”
“And what do the little things tell you about this?” Lovatt shouted back.
“Their venting has given them a bit of a safe breathing space,” the Doctor replied. “I wonder why it’s not spread though.”
“Is that important?” Lovatt asked.
“The little things, Allison,” the Doctor replied before skidding to a halt. “Of course, the gaseous compositions are heavier than Earth atmosphere. It’ll take some time for a full dispersal.”
“Doctor?” Lovatt called, stopping to wait for the Time Lord.
“What? Oh yes of course, sorry,” he apologised before setting off at a run again.
“Doctor, what do you think?” Morris shouted from where he was crouching by the fallen soldier, who was writhing on the ground, crying out in agony.
“Mustard Gas,” the Doctor said, sniffing the air. “There’s nothing we can do for this poor fellow here, we need to get him into hospital immediately.”
Standing, Morris motioned to the three privates stood nearby, somewhat uncomfortably. Snapping briefly to attention, the young men picked the fallen soldier, who writhed and squirmed in their grasp, coughing blood. Standing up, the Doctor solemnly watched them carry him off before turning to Morris and Andrews.
“And what were these men doing down here?” He asked, his voice soft yet full of authority.
“They were doing what you should have done,” Morris replied. “Getting your friends out of the trouble you lead them into!”
“Me?” the Doctor responded, almost aghast.
“You put that damn fool idea in their heads of them getting whoever was in that shop out. They wouldn’t be in there if it wasn’t for you,” Morris replied.
“Jess and Tom do not have to resort to heavy handed military tactics to get things done,” the Doctor almost shouted back. “There’s a high chance they are more likely to succeed in doing what they do instead of going in all guns blazing.”
“Sir,” Andrews interjected pointing into the mist, “there’s something moving out there.”
Turning round, Lovatt and Morris drew their pistols and pointed them at the two shapes moving through the murk.
“No, wait,” the Doctor said, stepping in front of them as the two figures came into clear view. “Is that the military way?” he asked turning back and looking at Morris. “See who you’d have killed.”
“Doctor,” Tom gasped, pulling his helmet off and then holding out the data pad. “We’re in trouble.”
The Doctor reached out and took the data pad as Tom turned back to help Jess with her helmet. Flicking through the information at speed, the look on the Doctor’s face fell. Noting the Doctor’s expression, Morris moved closer to try to peer at the pad.
“Well, what is it?” he asked.
“Bad news,” the Doctor replied, pocketing the device.
“Our alien friends there are sending out a signal to attract others of their kind here,” Tom answered, not noticing the sharp look he got from the Doctor. “This misty gas stuff; they’re poisoning the atmosphere so that only they can breathe it.”
“Tom,” the Doctor said softly.
“Are you trying to hide this, Doctor?” Morris asked, cutting in.
“No, Will, no, no, no,” the Doctor said, holding his hands up and pacing slightly. “I’m simply trying to prevent further bloodshed. What happened back in the HQ was an accident, and I’m sure I can make them see that. If I go into their ship and reason with them.”
“Doctor, that’s not a good idea,” Tom said.
“They tried to kill us,” Jess agreed. “And they killed their prisoners.”
“And I won’t allow it, Doctor,” Morris said, firmly. “I want to know what you’ve found out and what they are planning.”
“I’d have thought that was obvious from what I said,” Tom replied. “They’re slowly changing the atmosphere of this planet so that it will support their life and not yours. Every living thing on this planet will die. They’re planning genocide on a planet-wide scale.”