Part 18 (2/2)

The whole walkway jolted.

Leela stumbled and deliberately lost her balance. She twisted sideways as she fell, hoping to crush her opponent's arm.

The woman called Dorothee yel ed in pain and rolled away. Something metal jangled away from her hand. It was a key, not a knife.

'Mistress! Emergency! Withdraw! Abandon the walkway!'

80.

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Leela heard the K9s' urgent warnings, but she was too busy to listen.

In a moment, Dorothee was up and facing Leela. She was short with long, tangled brown hair and was wearing black. Her eyes were cold with rage. Leela recognized a warrior when she saw one. But this woman's hunting instinct was out of control.

Dorothee launched herself again, but Leela ducked low, catching and cartwheeling the woman over her head. As she disappeared over the edge of the rail, Leela grabbed round at a flailing arm. Their fingers locked. The jolt of the sudden weight nearly dislocated Leela's shoulder and dragged her half over the rail as well.

She felt the walkway trembling and heard the distant cal ing of the K9s.

Black nothingness gaped under the swinging shape of her opponent. She started to pul . With both arms yelling mutinous protests, she slowly dragged the woman called Dorothee up on to the walkway. They lay side by side trying to gasp back their thoughts.

The walkway juddered again.

'Mistress! Mistress Leela!'

Leela sat up. The walkway was moving. One end had disengaged from the central hub. It was sliding back, open-ended across the chasm, carrying them with it as it retracted into the column under the isolated prison cell. The side rails were folding down to the floor as the walkway was steadily consumed.

Leela reached the open edge and stared across the widening gap. It was already too far to jump. The K9s were stranded on the hub, staring back at her.

'You said al security systems were disabled,' she called.

'Correct, Mistress. This automatic system has been reactivated. Attempting to rectify damage.'

Two bolts of ruby light speared past Leela and hit a panel on the cel wall. It exploded, sending a cataract of sparks into the depths. The walkway kept retracting.

'Apologies, Mistress. Please wait.'

'Who are your pets?' said Dorothee.

'They're your rescue party,' said Leela.

'Who from?'

81.'They said the President sent them,' Leela confessed. 'But they may have sent themselves.'

'What President? France? The EC? The Galactic Federation?'

Another fierce judder forced them to their knees. 'K9! Fetch help!' yel ed Leela.

'Help already summoned, Mistress,' responded the dwindling K9s.

'Then tell it to hurry!'

Leela turned to look for another escape route and saw the gashed hole in the confinement cell. 'We could always go back in there.'

'No fear,' said Dorothee. 'You're not getting me back in there. I only just got out.'

'Then you must have a cutting device.'

'Hardly. Just a small supply of explosive I always keep about me for emergencies.'

'Is there enough to stop this thing?'

'Used it all up,' said Dorothee testily. She waited for Leela's reaction.

'So we have to go into the cel .'

Dorothee gave a grim smile. 'I'd rather jump.'

The walkway had already cranked over halfway back across the abyss. Leela could hear the grind of the mechanics inside the column. Black metal panels were sliding up over the outer wal s of the cell, blocking their last chance of refuge.

' C'est la guerre C'est la guerre.' Dorothee leant over the rail and studied the b.u.t.tresses of the approaching column.

'Leave it to the last second before we go. If you can cope with that.'

'I'd rather jump than fall,' said Leela.

'Good,' Dorothee said, apparently impressed. She pointed past Leela towards the hub. 'Hang on. Trouble.'

Three figures in guard uniforms had slid up out of the floor behind the K9s. One was carrying a heavy weapon.

'K9s! Behind you!' yel ed Leela.

As the robot dogs swivel ed towards the guards, one of the figures pulled off his scarlet helmet. 'Leela!' he shouted.

'Those uniforms,' said Dorothee. 'This is Gallifrey.'

'It is Andred,' declared Leela. 'He will save us.'

'Whoopee,' muttered Dorothee. The last lengths of side rail folded down beside them. The walkway was down to only a few spans. 'You'd better tell him to hurry.'

'He can see that,' said Leela trustingly.

On the hub, the guards had set the weapon up on a tripod. 'Get down!' yel ed Andred. A bolt like a spear shot across the chasm and embedded itself in the cell wall. It dragged a cable behind it which sang in the dank wind as it pulled taut.

82.'Like this,' said Dorothee. She pulled off her jacket and slung it in a loop over the cable.

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