Death of the Doctor by Gary Russell Read Free Book Online

about them. And if she was right about them, perhaps she was right about the Doctor.
    And if the Doctor was alive –
    He never finished the thought, as suddenly the blue crackling energy chose that inappropriate moment to reappear around his hand, sending spectacular shards of blue light everywhere, lighting up the inside of the ducting.
    Sure enough, Azure spotted it. And Clyde. ‘We are witnessed!’ he screeched.
    Clyde yelled loudly now, any pretence at secrecy given up.
    ‘Back up, back up,’ he yelled.
    ‘There’s no room to turn around,’ Santiago called back.
    ‘Then shuffle backwards,’ Rani suggested, and Santiago did as he was told, as fast as he could.
    ‘Faster!’ Clyde yelled, ‘Shuffle for your life!’
    At which point the ventilation grille where he’d been hunched a moment before was ripped away by Azure’s beak, and tossed back into the Funeral Chamber with a clang.
    The savage head was just the right size to ram through, so with eyes flaring in fury it saw the backward-shuffling teens.
    ‘Stop!’ Azure screamed. ‘Stop the children!!!’

Chapter Seven
    Sorry, Clyde
    Whether it was that the music had stopped, the soporific candles had gone out, or some sixth sense said that her friends were in trouble, Sarah Jane awoke with a start. And something of a headache.
    But she had been in enough tight spots in her time to know that two people who were talking one minute don’t wake up flopped on the floor the next for no reason.That was something she’d picked up from the Doctor and could bet Jo would say the same.
    She gently shook her new friend. ‘Jo, wake up.’
    Jo’s eyes flickered open, focused on Sarah Jane, and then she sat bolt upright. ‘What did we do?’
    Sarah Jane shrugged. ‘I don’t know, but something seems weird.’
    Jo looked at her watch. ‘Santiago and the others should have been back ages ago.’
    Sarah Jane nodded. ‘I think something’s definitely wrong.’
    Jo smiled grimly. ‘We always know when it is, don’t we? Even after all these years.’
    They crossed to the door and looked out into the empty corridor, ‘Where is everyone?’
    Jo joined her. ‘Big base like this? This can’t be right.’
    ‘Trouble?’ suggested Sarah Jane..
    ‘D’you mean “trouble” as in a just-like-the-old-days sort of “trouble”?’
    Sarah Jane laughed. ‘Exactly like the old days.’
    Jo grabbed Sarah Jane’s hand. ‘Groovy.’ They both ran away down the corridor.
    Rani and Santiago were back out in the corridor where they’d first gone into the ventilation shaft. Rani had her hand around the top of Clyde’s trousers and was all but dragging him out.
    ‘But what were they saying?’ Santiago was asking.
    Clyde was out. ‘Later,’ he said. ‘First we need to get to Sarah Jane!’
    He and the other two pelted down the corridors, turning left, then right.
    ‘Where’s everyone gone?’ Rani yelled as they ran. ‘We need to find Colonel Karim and tell her about the Shansheeth!’
    ‘This way,’ Santiago said. ‘I remember coming through that door!’
    Rani stared at the key coder. ‘We need a code.’
    Clyde stepped forward. ‘Watch and learn,’ he said. He tapped in 231163 and with a clunk, the door opened.
    They were back in the vast car park area, but it was empty of vehicles, apart from the space shuttle-y things, and they’d be no use to them.
    ‘Perhaps they’re on a training exercise,’ Santiago muttered.
    ‘Yeah, but this is no use to us,’ Rani said. ‘We need to get back to the bedrooms and –’
    But she never finished because Sarah Jane and Jo came full pelt down the corridor towards them and through the door.
    ‘There you are,’ Sarah Jane said, relieved.
    And Clyde told them all what he’d seen and heard.
    ‘Knew it!’ said Sarah Jane.
    ‘And if they were lying all along,’ Jo added, ‘that means the Doctor’s still alive, right?’
    ‘Of course I’m still alive, Jo. I’d have thought that was obvious. Keep up.’
    They all