Part 25 (1/2)

He hurried to stow Martha's s.h.i.+vering form safely inside.

'Stop!'

The Doctor was far from the only one to have seen the snow-blurred silhouette, sweeping the puny beam of a flashlight back and forth across their path. Landers was guiding them in for a gentle stop as the figure came trotting up, the silhouette magnifying enormously like a projected shadow.

The Doctor knew that something was amiss.

Up ahead, the bulky police truck, with its crest of lights, waited on the incline under the trees, identifying the figure before he showed his face at the driver's window. Landers helpfully rolled down the window and shrugged. 'I was only doing thirty, officer.'

The Doctor could see the Police Chief wasn't in the mood.

'What is it, Makenzie?' The Doctor opened his door and hopped out, brus.h.i.+ng his mop of hair back before jamming his hat down firmly. 'What can we help you with?'

'Doc, I need you to come take a look at Amber. Thank G.o.d you came when you did.'

'Well, you can thank Mr Landers for that.' The Doctor weighed his choices in a moment and stalked forward to the driver's door. He rapped on the vehicle's flank. Make sure you deliver my patients safely, Mr Landers. And when you transfer them into the hotel, move them very very very very gently. And gently. And don't touch the ice.' touch the ice.'

The Doctor was satisfied with Landers' nod, and he grinned to soften the threat considerably. He ushered Makenzie Shaw back a step to allow the departure of the improvised ambulance, and then marched ahead to the police truck.

Makenzie shone the flashlight in past him, showing Martha Mailloux laid out, wrapped in a blanket and in a fevered kind of sleep. Amber sat quietly alongside her mother, apparently in shock and very clearly dead to the world.

'Your mother did a very brave thing trying to protect you. But it was you who worked out it was afraid of the water. What made you think of that, hmm?'

As rich as the voice sounded, it didn't really reach through to Amber. How could it, when her thoughts were such a personal blizzard? Swirling and dancing like the snowflakes over the lake as Makenzie drove them carefully along the sh.o.r.e, back into town.

Doesn't matter which way we go. Amber was thinking.

Doesn't make any difference.

She looked up. The Doctor leaned over the back of his seat, holding her hand.

'That's a nasty cut,' tutted the Doctor, his sympathy not grating like some, but somehow forced nevertheless. Amber glanced down at her palm, and watched him prod at the tiny crystals with a tweezers. 'If you like, we can do something - to stop any infection.'

'It's nothing.' she said, and realised how much she meant and felt it. Her voice still sounded dead, the way it had as she had answered the man's questions, relating the story of all that had happened out on the lake. 'It's tiny, nothing. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't want to hurt any of us. That's just it - that's how I knew. I know how it feels.'

Makenzie's eyes glanced at her out of the mirror. She looked away, but that left her looking down at her Mom, sleeping fitfully beside her. She didn't know where to look and felt her face burning under the attention.

'I feel what it feels. I do. I know how it sounds, but it's the truth. I'm not lying. I'm not!'

'I believe you, Amber,' said the Doctor. And she found that steady, infinite gaze waiting for her when she looked up.

'Sure,' Makenzie weighed in, 'we believe you, Amber. We do.'

It was awkward and fumbling, unlike the Doctor's a.s.surance. But there was something in it that cooled Amber's resentment, if only by a degree or two.

'What does it want, Amber? Can you tell me that?'

'No, I only know how it feels. It just wants - a home, can't you see that? It wants its life back. It wants - Something new came to her out of the blizzard in her head. She stared into the Doctor's eyes, as deep as she could go. it wants you.'

The Doctor stared back at her, far from flattered.

She had effectively silenced him for the rest of the journey, and she felt satisfied with herself but wounded and sorry at the same time. But that was only to be expected.

That was what it felt like when you were the centre of a storm.

The Doctor hopped out as soon as they'd parked up. and Makenzie hurried to join him outside. Across the street, stretcher parties were gathering to convey the patients from the other vehicle into the hotel. The Doc was searching the snows as though the flakes were his thoughts and he might pluck the right one out of the air at any moment.

'I don't think there's any cause for concern in Amber's case.' the Doc a.s.sured him.

'You're kidding, right?' Makenzie kept a check on his anger, for the moment.

'Quite the opposite,' the Doc turned to face him. 'Those crystals barely penetrated her skin. They were so utterly inert, in fact, I went so far as to sc.r.a.pe the wound clean of them. No, I think we can a.s.sume your child has remained unharmed.' He arched his brow darkly. 'Why. That's the question we should concern ourselves with.'

'Doc,' Makenzie still wasn't happy. He could see Amber's face at the window of his truck, and he was thinking of Martha lying in there beside her. He, Makenzie. was the only one looking out for that kid right now. 'You have to understand, she's not my child, and-'

'Yes, tell me about that.' The Doc was very interested, all of a sudden. 'What goes on inside that child's head, hmm?

What makes her tick, would you say?'

Makenzie was stumped. Then he figured, well, the Doc wouldn't ask without good reason. It was just a shame he couldn't tell the guy much. 'What can I tell you. Doc. She's a mixed-up ten-year-old kid. Runs away a lot. but she learnt that from her Mom. She's been dragged here and there across the country, every time Martha felt the need to run - like she did tonight. Well.' he gave it some long thought. 'I guess she's seen enough to make her feel all grown up, like she wants to take control of her own life before it's time.'

'Hey there. Doc! You're wanted!

The technical guy, Pydych, was trotting across the road.

'Our Agency buddies want you in the lab,' he yelled. 'They got some kind of major breakthrough they need to discuss.'

The Doc glanced at Makenzie. 'Hm, it's only a shame we can't say the same. But you know, I think we might be on the brink of something. Either that, or a precipice.'

At that, he hared off past Pydych to the hotel, abandoning Makenzie to the blizzard.

Parker stood poised behind the laboratory door, rehearsing the ambush in his mind. The door swung open and caught him off-guard.

'Relax,' said Melody, rolling her eyes. 'They're bringing in Lieutenant Hmieleski and the Doctor's friend right now. He'll be in here any minute.'

Parker nodded, casual and content. 'Well good, he's kept us waiting long enough.'

'Parker, are you sure there isn't some more subtle method we could try first?'

Parker shook his head and sighed. He felt like cupping Melody's face in his hands. 'Your touching naivety is one of your attractions, hon, but trust me. On this, Parker knows best.'

'Whatever.' Melody sauntered over to her microscope, and leaned against the bench.

They only had a short wait.

The Doctor entered with his usual stoop, and glanced around. Parker was already rus.h.i.+ng up behind him and swinging the tall guy's arm up for a half-nelson. Nicely does it.