Part 44 (1/2)

Chapter Twenty-three.

'Mullen? Mullen, wake up!'

Chief Inspector Mullen forced apart his crusted eyes and stared into the face of Cody McBride.

'd.a.m.n it, McBride,' he groaned. 'You're not the first thing that I want to see when I wake up.'

McBride forced a smile. 'Right now I might be more use to you than some pretty nurse. We're getting out of here, Mullen.'

Mullen tried to laugh, but his throat was too dry and all he managed was a croaking rasp. McBride waved his gun at Hark. 'Get him some water.'

His face like thunder, Hark filled a gla.s.s from a jug on the bedside table and handed it to McBride.

'What's he doing here?' growled Mullen.

'Just helping out. Don't worry about him.' McBride raised the gla.s.s to Mullen's lips. The big Irishman took a gulping mouthful, water splas.h.i.+ng onto his hospital gown.

'Hey, hey. Slow it down there.' McBride tried to wipe some of the spilled water from Mullen's chin with the sleeve of his coat. Mullen batted feebly at his arm.

'Don't you dare go soft on me, McBride.'

There was a distant rattle of gunfire and an echoing howl. Mullen raised a quizzical eyebrow at McBride. 'Why is it that I think things have got a h.e.l.l of a lot worse whilst I've been asleep?'

'You don't know the half of it.'

Mullen slumped back weakly onto his pillows. 'It's no good, McBride.'

'I mean it. I'm getting you out of here.'

'How, exactly? In case you haven't noticed, this is a bed, not a getaway car, and I'm stuck in it.'

Keeping a careful eye on Hark, McBride pulled a delicate silver chain With a silver shape at the end from his pocket and dangled it in front of Mullen.

'Very pretty, McBride. Christmas decoration or stolen jewellery?'

'TARDIS key,' McBride whispered.

218.

Mullen's eyes opened wide. 'TARDIS? You mean...?'

'I mean that the Doc has parked his s.p.a.ce machine in the bas.e.m.e.nt.'

'And trusted you with the key? Things must be bad.'

McBride said nothing. The two men stared at each other for long seconds. Then Mullen nodded.

'All right. How do we get there?'

McBride pointed to an ancient wheelchair at the foot of the bed. 'Dr Hark has provided some quality transportation for you.'

'So you get me into this G.o.dawful contraption, we get in the lift and you wheel me to the safety of the Doctor's TARDIS, is that it?'

There was another rattle of gunfire from somewhere deep in the hospital.

'It's not going to be quite that straightforward,' said McBride.

'But how did I get here, how did you get here, and where in the name of h.e.l.l is is here?' here?'

The Doctor waved frantically for Rita to be quiet, took one final look out into the darkened corridor and closed the office door.

He caught Rita by the arm and led her to a deep leather sofa. She slumped back into it, the Doctor perching on the arm.

'Miss Hawks, I regret not having time to give you a full lecture on multiple universes. For the moment will you just accept that you have been taken through a crack between dimensions, brought to a world that is running parallel with ours, alike but not identical?'

'And this world is trying to invade ours?'

'Yes.'

'And if they succeed, then the universe could be destroyed?'

'Yes.'

'And you are trying to stop it?'

'Yes.'

Rita lowered her head into her hands. 'I so need a drink.'

The Doctor laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. 'And when we get out of here I promise to buy you the finest Manhattan that London has to offer.'

Rita raised her head and smiled at him. 'That's the nicest offer anyone has made me in this whole world.'

'I try my best...'

'How did you know I was trying to get in?'

'I didn't. I was trying to get out. I saw you through the window.'

'But how did you...'

'Recognise you? It wasn't that difficult. You were the only one not trying to break a land speed record. I doubted you'd be hard to track 219 down once I was outside.'

'I thought I'd never see you again.'

The Doctor stared levelly at her. 'I was hardly just going to leave you stranded here, now was I?'