PART TWO
 ce
counted the seconds to the explosion. When it finally came it knocked
the creature to the ground stunned, but not dead, but it served their
purpose of gaining some more time in order to get the door open.
"Ace!" shouted
Ace. But her joy at her successful attack upon the creature was short
lived, for as the dust cloud began to disappear and settle, she could
see several other creatures now beginning to emerge from their
shell-like cocoons.
Ace tapped the Doctor's shoulder.
"Not now, Ace!" he snapped, "I'm busy!"
"Doctor, it didn't work," she began.
"I know it didn't that's why I'm trying again."
"No. The Nitro it hardly touched them." Ace pulled hard at the Doctor's shoulder forcing him to turn around.
As he turned to
face the creatures, it became all too clear to him that they were
trapped. Their access to the TARDIS was completely cut off, and his
failed attempt at opening the airlock door did very little to improve
their situation. Taking Ace by the arm he slowly moved back against the
airlock door as the creatures before them roared their pleasure and
began to advance towards their prey…
The cold
metallic door suddenly began to rise. The Doctor was puzzled at this but
his further most thought was to get inside and to safety. He grabbed
Ace by the arm and pulled hard. Ace thought her arm had been pulled out
of its socket at the sudden jerk which nearly sent her crashing to the
ground.
The Doctor and
Ace crawled frantically beneath the ever increasing gap which now
appeared and into the dim glow of the emergency lighting that engulfed
the airlock. As soon as they were inside, the Doctor hit a panel to the
right of the door to close it before it even reached its full open
position.
Ace rubbed her
arm to ease the pain caused by the Doctor's reaction. The Doctor asked
her if she was okay, but the look was enough.
|
A shadow
suddenly appeared to pass the observation window that viewed the inside
of the airlock from within the base itself. Both the Doctor and Ace
looked at each other, then suddenly Ace dived beneath the ever
descending airlock door.
'Ace!' shouted
the Doctor, 'No!', trying to make a grab for her the best he could. The
door to the airlock would be closed within seconds.
'Hang on, Professor!' she shouted back as she crawled beneath the ever decreasing gap.
Ace suddenly
appeared with a broad smile across her face and a very dusty, but still
intact rucksack, just as the metallic door slammed shut behind her.
'That was very foolish!' he snapped at her.
'Sorry, Professor.' The smile now gone from her face and she looked forlornly to the ground.
After a brief pause, the Doctor said, 'Right, let's see if I can get this door open.'
'It shouldn't be too hard. You managed to open the door, eventually.' Ace said with a light wry smile.
'That wasn't me.'
'Then who?'
'The answer, Ace, may well be behind this door.' and with that the Doctor continued to examine the door panel.
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