Part 20 (2/2)

She straightened her bush hat and then turned the key in the igni-tion. The Land-Rover rumbled into life.

'Where are you going?' Gaskin asked.

'I'm going to see why it's so keen to keep us out.'

She put the Land-Rover into gear, turned the wheels towards the thorns and then put her foot down.

Automatically, Martha grasped the Doctor's outstretched hand.

His fingers felt hard and bony, but they grabbed hold of her hand and squeezed. It was all she needed. Somewhere inside, the Doctor was reached out to her not just physically, but mentally. He needed her.

He needed her to do something do something.

She forced herself to look into his eyes. They were bloodshot, wide with pain, but inside them the Doctor's intelligence still burned fiercely. It wasn't the insane stare of someone driven beyond their ability to think or act. It was a look that implored her to help.

And then, in a flash, she saw it.

The Vurosis was trying to force the Doctor to change, to mutate so fast that his molecular structure ignited and blew itself into dust. Just like it had with Barney Hackett, and Ben Seddon, and Nigel Carson.

But the Doctor was resisting it.

His body was palpitating, rippling before her eyes as the cells within twisted and turned, but he was holding the damage at bay.

But now he was asking her to help. He couldn't do it alone.

She held his hand tightly in both of hers, as tightly as she could manage, and nodded. Then she looked up at the Vurosis, and the flickering green diamond of its brain.

Martha closed her eyes. She let the green glow envelop her, felt the first tendrils of power sneaking into her mind, alien and cold and malignant.

It was strong. She sensed its power and intention. She sensed the way in which it tried to change her, to dominate her. She even felt it when her body began to change and mutate, causing her to panic and almost let go of the Doctor's hand. Her veins seemed to fill with something other than her blood, something that was as cold as ice and yet burning in its intensity. It was as if a sudden floodgate had been opened deep inside her, precipitating a ma.s.sive and comprehensive transformation that she could not control.

But the Doctor's hand kept its grip on hers, and his mind was there too, somewhere, because she could sense him as well as the Vurosis.

'Concentrate, Martha! Keep holding it back!'

you will not stop me Martha let out an involuntary cry, whether it was pain or fear she wasn't sure. 'I can't. . . It's too powerful. . . '

The Doctor's voice again, clear in her head: 'Yes, you can. You can halt the transformation. Reverse it! Sadie's was halted, remember.

Duncan's was reversed. We can do it!'

The Vurosis renewed its attack and Martha felt the change sweep-ing through her system, literally sensed the veins beneath her skin beginning to respond to its telekinetic effort.

you will not stop me 'I can't do it, Doctor! It's too strong!'

'You must! Together we must!'

YOU WILL NOT STOP ME The searing heat of the trans.m.u.tation overtook her. Martha felt something burning deep within her, at the very core of her being, transforming everything that was human. Her eyes opened, slowly, agonisingly, and in the milky blur of her vision she saw the Doctor. The searing heat of the trans.m.u.tation overtook her. Martha felt something burning deep within her, at the very core of her being, transforming everything that was human. Her eyes opened, slowly, agonisingly, and in the milky blur of her vision she saw the Doctor.

Or what had once been the Doctor.

Now there was a ma.s.s of writhing white weed surrounding his wide, brown eyes, the lips drawn back from his teeth in a feral cry.

The Land-Rover punched right through the thorn barrier, ripping the long wire-like stems apart. The thorns scratched at the vehicle, almost as if they were reacting to its intrusion and were determined to stop it. They dug deep into the metal hide of the car, forcing a series of screeching protests from the old, worn bodywork. The engine roared and the wheels clawed at the ground, churning into the white weed.

Angela kept her foot hard down on the throttle and dropped down a gear, forcing the engine into a metallic shriek. Her knuckles were bone-white on the steering wheel as the veteran Land-Rover bucked and rattled under her grip.

'Keep going!' bellowed Gaskin. 'We're getting through!'

He was holding on to the dashboard, willing the machine on. The Land-Rover reared and then surged forward, the last of the brambles sc.r.a.ping the dark green paint off in strips.

But it was free.

'Ha!' barked Angela gleefully. 'Take that, you blasted alien mon-strosity! This isn't just Earth you're trying to invade. It's England!'

The Land-Rover slewed around as it skidded on the weed, narrowly avoiding the large, gnarled growth containing the barmaid Lucy. Angela swung the wheel and the Land-Rover turned, tipping onto two wheels before cras.h.i.+ng back down and speeding towards the well.

It was an eerie, twilight world of pale, alien weed. It was almost like a giant snow globe containing the well and the monster squeezing itself out of it like an enormous worm.

And in front of it, lit by a halo of putrescent green light, were the Doctor and Martha.

'They're still alive!' Duncan said, pointing. 'Are you sure?' Gaskin asked as the Land-Rover came to a stop.

Without thinking, he was already opening the pa.s.senger door to step outside.

Angela had climbed down from the driver's seat. 'Of course he's sure! Look!'

Martha and the Doctor were crouched in front of the Vurosis, hands clasped together. The Doctor was clearly in a bad way, but he still looked up at Angela as she approached. His eyes looked white and cold. 'Trying to. . . hold it back. . . ' he croaked. A pained smile appeared on his lips. 'Could do. . . with a hand. . . '

Angela nodded immediately and said, 'Come on, Henry!'

Gaskin stepped forward a little uncertainly. 'What can we do?'

'Help them, of course!' Angela grabbed hold of Martha's free hand and held out her other hand towards Gaskin.

He reached out and took it. Her hand felt warm and dry in his. She smiled back at him and said, 'It'll be just like making a wish.'

Duncan joined them, looking up in disgust at the Vurosis. 'That thing bullied its way into my mind, made me kill my best friend!' He grabbed hold of Gaskin's other hand. 'Let's do it!'

The Vurosis suddenly twisted and released a ferocious hiss of annoyance. Green light crackled around the well, discharging into the five people gathered around it in a semi-circle.

The Doctor got to his feet, shakily, but the veins were now settling beneath his skin, and his eyes were s.h.i.+ning with renewed determina-tion. 'Keep fighting it,' he said. 'It can't change all of us! That's why it was trying to keep you out!'

The green glow of the telekinetic energy flowed over them, winding around their arms and legs, sparking and crackling but unable to settle. There were too many minds to infiltrate at once.

i must grow 'I'm sorry,' the Doctor said. He was looking more like his usual self again, tall, thin, standing up straight as the light flickered over him, his hair moving wildly as the telekinetic force scratched and sc.r.a.ped at his head. He looked directly up at the Vurosis brain, which was now s.h.i.+ning with a desperate, blinding green light. Then the electrical storm of energy surged up and around the well, up the Vurosis itself, concentrating on the brain. Long, jerking fingers of green light stabbed out of the brain, las.h.i.+ng at the humans a.s.sembled around it, but without actually connecting. Instead, the wild arcs of light zig-zagged back towards the creature itself. Suddenly it was illuminated from within, so brightly that its internal organs were visible through the fibrous outer hide.

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