Grave Matter by Justin Richards

Author:Justin Richards [Richards, Justin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Fiction, General, Science Fiction
ISBN: 9780563555988
Google: S-oGAAAACAAJ
Amazon: 056355598X
Publisher: BBC Worldwide Americas
Published: 2002-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

‘Toughened,’ Janet said, with obvious effort. ‘No way in.’

‘Sounds good to me,’ Sir Anthony conceded.

The Doctor was leading them back down the hall now.

‘Except that Packwood can always open the windows and the door,’ he said. ‘And Janet here is going to succumb to the alien material at any moment. That is, if the house doesn’t burn down first, of course.’

‘Otherwise OK?’ Peri asked.

‘Oh yes,’ the Doctor admitted. ‘Nothing we can’t handle.

Ah, there you are.’ This last was directed at Packwood, who had stepped out of the smoke-filled drawing room as they passed.

‘Can’t catch me!’ the Doctor jibed, and neatly side-stepped the large man.

They ran.

‘Where are we going?’ Peri asked.

‘Cellars,’ the Doctor called back to her. ‘The laboratories that Janet mentioned.’

‘Why?’ Sir Anthony wanted to know as the Doctor pushed Janet ahead of him to lead the way.

‘That’s where this started. It’s the best place to end it.’ He called after Janet and Peri who were racing ahead. ‘Not so fast!’

They slowed to let the Doctor and Sir Anthony catch up.

Logan Packwood was barrelling after them as they started down the stairs.

Peri made to slam the door shut behind them, but the Doctor stayed her arm. He shook his head. ‘We want him down here, with us.’

‘Do we?’

‘And not letting the others in. One of them is easier to deal with than all of them.’

‘So we let him think he’s catching us,’ Peri said as she chased down the steps after the Doctor.

‘Can’t keep you fooled for long.’

‘And then what?’ she asked. They were past the cellar room they had been locked in earlier, heading down the passageway towards the laboratories.

The Doctor paused just long enough to admit: ‘I haven’t the foggiest. I’m making it up as we go along.’ Then he was off again. Until he suddenly stopped sharply outside a door. A heavy door, with a tiny square window set high up in it. ‘What about this?’ he called after Janet.

She shook her head. ‘Not lab,’ she managed to call out.

‘X-ray room.’

The Doctor beamed. ‘Excellent,’ he decided and opened the door. ‘In we go.’

Packwood was behind them, out of sight beyond a bend in the corridor, but they could hear his heavy footsteps. He had slowed - he knew there was no way out for them.

‘We’re lucky he’s so arrogant,’ the Doctor murmured.

‘Otherwise he might just have locked us down here and let his friends in.’

The room was small. There was a hospital bed pushed against the far wall. X-ray equipment stood beside it. On the other side of the room, close to the door, was a heavy lead screen with a small control panel behind it.

‘Right, time for a little experiment,’ the Doctor decided.

‘Behind the screen, everyone.’

The footsteps were approaching now, close outside.

‘Maybe he’ll go past and we can sneak back out again,’ Sir Anthony suggested in a whisper.

‘I hope not,’ the Doctor replied. ‘Right, Peri, I want you to turn this dial here right round.’ He caught her hand. ‘When I tell you. Then count to three, and turn it back to zero.

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