think we should leave,' said Rory. 'I'm not 41
DOCTOR WHO
liking where this is going.'
Albert pushed a white strand of hair away from his forehead. 'Yes, you must. You must leave right now, there isn't much time. Don't go to the military base. If you survive and they find you, you'll wish you'd stayed here.' He waggled a finger. 'And don't run, whatever you do. You can't run. You have to walk, leisurely and calmly. If the androids suspect, even for a second, that you know what they are, they'll kill you immediately.'
Amy edged slowly to the door. 'Come with us,' she said. 'We can get you to safety.'
'And you can help us get out of here alive,' Rory pointed out.
The man shook his head. 'No, no, I need to stay here, with Isley.' He squeezed her hand again. She squeezed back, even tighter this time. 'We started this together; we're going to end this together.'
Amy opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by a soft click from somewhere on Isley's chair. The group froze and Albert suddenly looked at them in horror. His lips moved to speak but his voice was cracked and broken.
'The cassette's run out,' he whispered finally. 'I lost track of the time, the tapes should have been swapped by now...'
Amy suddenly realised that Albert was no longer holding Isley's hand out of affection - she 42
NUCLEAR TIME
wouldn't let go. Amy stepped forward to help him, but Albert shooed her away with his free hand. 'Don't you dare,' he said.
Amy stopped and took a guilty step back, watching in horror as the man in front of her offered no resistance to the vice-like grip that was crushing his hand. He looked at her with sad eyes and acknowledged her sympathy with a curt nod. 'It was time anyway.'
'Come on, Amy,' Rory muttered, taking her by the shoulders and pulling her back.
Amy tried to shake him off. 'We can't just leave him!'
She stumbled onto the landing.
'Yes, you can,' Albert called. 'Because if you don't, you'll die too. And don't RUN!'
His last word was stretched and twisted into a cry of anguish as the pain became unbearable and he dropped to his knees. In a second, Amy found herself scrambling down the staircase and sprinting towards the front door, in spite of Albert's warning.
She couldn't help herself and it was too late to care whether Isley had clocked them as targets.
Amy felt ashamed.
'There was nothing we could have done. We have to get to the Doctor!' Rory yelled in her ear as he flung open the door and put his arm up to shield his eyes against the sudden daylight.
43
DOCTOR WHO
A horrible splintering noise tore through the heavy summer air, and Rory yanked Amy into a nearby bush just in time as a shower of timber and broken glass cascaded onto the path where they had just been standing.
Amy was the first to recover, pushing herself out of the tangle of twigs and leaves that scratched her face and hair. She turned to look at the pile of wreckage that lay in the middle of the lawn, and her hand instinctively flew to her mouth. In the middle of it all was Albert's body. Twisted and broken, the man's corpse lay flat on its back, his head twisted at an ugly angle to face her, dead eyes staring blankly into hers.
'I don't care what Albert said,' Rory shouted. 'If we don't get a move on, it'll be us next!'
They ran as fast as they could, away from the house with the hole in the roof, tripping and stumbling on the desert grit beneath their feet, hauling each other along as they careened around the first corner.
Rory looked around. 'Which house did the Doctor go in?'
Amy stopped and considered quickly. 'That one.'
She pointed.
They tore through the front gate and slammed into the front door. 'It's locked!' Rory shouted. He beat his fist against the whitewashed wood in 44
NUCLEAR TIME
exasperation.
The door clicked lazily and swung slowly open to reveal the Doctor standing in the frame. His jacket sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his hair was flopped in a ruffled mess over his face. He
DOCTOR WHO
liking where this is going.'
Albert pushed a white strand of hair away from his forehead. 'Yes, you must. You must leave right now, there isn't much time. Don't go to the military base. If you survive and they find you, you'll wish you'd stayed here.' He waggled a finger. 'And don't run, whatever you do. You can't run. You have to walk, leisurely and calmly. If the androids suspect, even for a second, that you know what they are, they'll kill you immediately.'
Amy edged slowly to the door. 'Come with us,' she said. 'We can get you to safety.'
'And you can help us get out of here alive,' Rory pointed out.
The man shook his head. 'No, no, I need to stay here, with Isley.' He squeezed her hand again. She squeezed back, even tighter this time. 'We started this together; we're going to end this together.'
Amy opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by a soft click from somewhere on Isley's chair. The group froze and Albert suddenly looked at them in horror. His lips moved to speak but his voice was cracked and broken.
'The cassette's run out,' he whispered finally. 'I lost track of the time, the tapes should have been swapped by now...'
Amy suddenly realised that Albert was no longer holding Isley's hand out of affection - she 42
NUCLEAR TIME
wouldn't let go. Amy stepped forward to help him, but Albert shooed her away with his free hand. 'Don't you dare,' he said.
Amy stopped and took a guilty step back, watching in horror as the man in front of her offered no resistance to the vice-like grip that was crushing his hand. He looked at her with sad eyes and acknowledged her sympathy with a curt nod. 'It was time anyway.'
'Come on, Amy,' Rory muttered, taking her by the shoulders and pulling her back.
Amy tried to shake him off. 'We can't just leave him!'
She stumbled onto the landing.
'Yes, you can,' Albert called. 'Because if you don't, you'll die too. And don't RUN!'
His last word was stretched and twisted into a cry of anguish as the pain became unbearable and he dropped to his knees. In a second, Amy found herself scrambling down the staircase and sprinting towards the front door, in spite of Albert's warning.
She couldn't help herself and it was too late to care whether Isley had clocked them as targets.
Amy felt ashamed.
'There was nothing we could have done. We have to get to the Doctor!' Rory yelled in her ear as he flung open the door and put his arm up to shield his eyes against the sudden daylight.
43
DOCTOR WHO
A horrible splintering noise tore through the heavy summer air, and Rory yanked Amy into a nearby bush just in time as a shower of timber and broken glass cascaded onto the path where they had just been standing.
Amy was the first to recover, pushing herself out of the tangle of twigs and leaves that scratched her face and hair. She turned to look at the pile of wreckage that lay in the middle of the lawn, and her hand instinctively flew to her mouth. In the middle of it all was Albert's body. Twisted and broken, the man's corpse lay flat on its back, his head twisted at an ugly angle to face her, dead eyes staring blankly into hers.
'I don't care what Albert said,' Rory shouted. 'If we don't get a move on, it'll be us next!'
They ran as fast as they could, away from the house with the hole in the roof, tripping and stumbling on the desert grit beneath their feet, hauling each other along as they careened around the first corner.
Rory looked around. 'Which house did the Doctor go in?'
Amy stopped and considered quickly. 'That one.'
She pointed.
They tore through the front gate and slammed into the front door. 'It's locked!' Rory shouted. He beat his fist against the whitewashed wood in 44
NUCLEAR TIME
exasperation.
The door clicked lazily and swung slowly open to reveal the Doctor standing in the frame. His jacket sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his hair was flopped in a ruffled mess over his face. He
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