Part 32 (1/2)

Roba barely dared to breathe as the monstrous angel plucked the headband away, studied it a moment. Then it smiled serenely, leaned in close to him. Its stone fingers were cold as old bones as it gently fitted the webset around his forehead.

Its blank, wide eyes looked into his own. Roba kept closing his, hoping it would go away, a child's wish: I can't see you, I can't see you, you can't see me. you can't see me. But each time he opened his eyes a fraction it was there still. Maybe it would think he was asleep, or dead. But every time he sneaked the glance the angel hadn't moved. It was right up close and it was still smiling. But each time he opened his eyes a fraction it was there still. Maybe it would think he was asleep, or dead. But every time he sneaked the glance the angel hadn't moved. It was right up close and it was still smiling.

Roba heard dragging footsteps. Something was lurching down the tunnel towards him. He and the angel waited for it to arrive, together.

III.

'Open fire!' Haunt roared, as the colossal winged creature drifted closer through the smoke and the shadows.

Polly saw the thing lit up in yellow flashes as Tovel, Shade and Creben joined their marshal in firing off blast after blast from their rifles. Its pallid, inhuman face glared emptily at her, as incapable of fear as anything else. It had been built grotesquely from some mysterious flesh that did not seem to feel the gunfire that should've charred it to ashes. She willed the rifle-fire to hurt it somehow, to send it flapping round the room like a caged bird looking for release. But it only drew closer and closer, resisting all attempts to drive it back.

The Doctor ducked down so as not to obscure the line of fire and scuttled over to Polly. They clung to each other, looking up helplessly together.

'Your launcher,' Tovel shouted at Shade over the fizzing cacophony of the rifle fire. 'Use your grenade launcher!'

Polly remembered the way the weapon had brought down the roof when the robot had been chasing her. She felt a sudden surge of hope. 'Yes, Shade, come on, you can do it!'

But Shade ran past her in the opposite direction, and was swallowed up by the darkness. She stared after him in shocked disbelief.

'Come back,' the Doctor demanded, outraged. 'Come back at once, sir!'

To Polly's amazement, Shade did - carrying the grenade launcher.

'I left it back there,' he explained curtly, and dropped to one knee.

He aimed the launcher.

Polly looked up into the elongated, colourless mask of the giant cherub's face. It began to smile.

Then she clamped her hands over her ears as Shade fired the grenade.

The angel silently exploded into a billion pieces.

A billion insects insects.

Polly choked as the black, smoky air became thick with fleas. She tried to hold her breath but they were everywhere, falling like hard rain, crawling and hopping in her hair, over her face. She thought she would be sick.

'What the h.e.l.l was that,' yelled Frog from a pitch-black corner. 'I know none of you wants to look at me, but...'

'The fleas,' the Doctor called out urgently, cutting her off.

He lit a match, and Polly saw his pale face flicker into focus.

'They are the life from which the Morphieans fas.h.i.+on their constructs! The weed must sustain them when they're not in use...'

'They really did turn this place against us,' said Haunt.

'Shade, check on Frog and fetch some light. The rest of you, stay wary.' In the thick gloom Polly watched as Haunt brushed a ma.s.s of the insects from her face, spat out a mouthful. 'Doctor - wherever those things are, they can swarm into angels?'

'Yes, I'm afraid so,' the Doctor told her. He cupped a hand round his match.

'What's to stop them reforming right now?' Polly asked, fingers pulling dozens of the things from her hair.

'It would seem the creature came here to deliver a message,' said the Doctor. 'Now it has done so, it is no longer needed.'

'Message?' Ben looked at him like he was raving mad.

The Doctor gestured to the flickering screens with his free hand, right the way around the room.

A single angular symbol, a kind of spiral, was glowing on each.

Then a bright, white glow spread through the control chamber. Polly flinched from the sudden light. Shade had placed some kind of high-tech lantern on the ground between them all.

'What kind of a message is that?' Tovel said in a strained voice.

'It means ”life”,' said Haunt.

Everyone turned to look at her. Polly noted the surprise on the Doctor's face. He blew out his match.

'Seen it a thousand times. The symbol denotes a Schirr life on their combat scanners.' She gave a crooked smile. 'See one of those wink out, you got another dead. Sweet as blowing out birthday candles.'

'OK. So what does it mean mean?' asked Shade.

'Life support, maybe,' Tovel suggested. 'Those sparks, the lights going out...'

'Those things have decided to stop mucking about then,'

Ben said.

'But there are so few of us now,' said Creben, 'If they wanted us all dead why not just attack us in force here?'

'Maybe they knew we had the grenade launcher,' Tovel said, 'Seems to be the only thing we've got they're vulnerable to.'

Ben sighed. 'So they cut off the life-support systems.'

'Surprised you didn't recognise the sign yourself, Creben,'

said Haunt. 'You saw it only a matter of hours ago.'

Creben looked uncomfortable. 'Marshal?'