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.The locking mechanism was remarkably simple.Nothing more than two giant claws clenched together, like two ogres holding hands.A bolt was screwed 112tightly through the clenched grip, keeping it in place.Chris fitted the wrench and set to work loosening it.The bolt turned quickly and easily.Despite its dirty appearance, the thread was well greased and in a few moments the bolt twisted off, bouncing once on the undercarriage of the train before spinning away into the early morning countryside.Now all he had to do was loosen the grip of the claws.He braced himself against the side of the last carriage and pulled.He suddenly realized that he was still sitting on the last carriage.If he did manage to separate the trains he was going to go sailing off with only Mr No-Face for company.Chris grimaced, he didn’t like the idea of that at all.He changed sides and prepared to pull at the claws again.He felt the claws begin to loosen at the same time as he noticed the ribbed cables, like gas mask pipes, running between the carriages.The ribbed cables were vacuum tubes, part of the braking mechanism of the train.If they were ruptured and the vacuum inside disturbed, all the brakes on all of the carriages on the train would immediately be employed.Their entire purpose was to prevent carriages becoming separated and running away.The truth struck Chris like a slap in the face.There was no way to separate the carriages without bringing the train to an emergency stop.Someone jumped between the carriages, landing heavily on the other side.He heard Patsy call his name.The signal.The plan wasn’t going to work.The creature was going to be able to – He glimpsed something in a dark grey uniform leap across the gap after Patsy, finishing the thought for him.He heard it land heavily and firmly on the roof of the penultimate carriage.Chris almost dropped the wrench in his hurry to get to the ladder and climb on to the roof.The wind was harsher, tears streamed from his eyes.The roof of the train was wet and slippery, its surface broken every few metres by torpedo-shaped ventilators which protruded a few inches into the air.The creature had its back to him, advancing on Patsy, who was trying to back away as fast as she could without risking slipping on the wet surface.He shouted obscenities at it, trying to attract its attention.He wasn’t even sure whether it had the ability to hear at all.If it did hear his words, it didn’t react to them.It kept stalking Patsy, one of its metal spears held high in one hand, the other stretched out in front of itself for balance.Chris started to run.It was ridiculously dangerous, the power of the wind threatening to whip him from the roof.His leather-soled shoes kept threatening to slide out from under him.Even if he caught up with them, it was only going to take one punch to send him sailing from the train.Up ahead, the creature made a lunge at Patsy; she threw herself back, landing awkwardly.It had a hold of one of her ankles and was starting to pull her 113towards itself.Goddess, it was going to kill her in front of his eyes.Why had he listened to the Doctor? Why hadn’t he sneaked an energy weapon out of the TARDISwith him like.like Roz always used to.Roz had never really believed that you could fight evil without weapons, without killing in turn.She’d always thought the Doctor’s ideals were just so many words, that he was out of touch with reality.Live by the sword and die by the sword.That had been her motto.And she had.A long desperate snarl of grief erupted out of Chris.He threw the heavy wrench over-arm, it spun on its axis straight down the centre of the roof, looking like some bizarre Samurai weapon before striking the uniformed figure squarely in the base of its neck.The creature snarled in its scratchy, unfinished voice.It dropped Patsy angrily and she slid to the edge of the roof, one leg slipping dangerously over the side.It spun around to face its assailant.‘Come on then!’ Chris roared, his words lost as the whistle of the train was sounded.‘Come and get me!’It ran towards him.Its long, powerful legs hitting the roof with such force that Chris felt the reverberation in his body.Patsy had dragged herself back on to the centre of the roof, for some reason she was looking away, in the direction the train was heading.Still, as long as he took the creature with him when he fell from the train she would be safe.He couldn’t take his eyes off the creature’s head as it raced towards him.It was perfectly smooth, no blemishes at all.Just smooth blank skin.It reached for him.Chris put up his fists.‘Get down,’ Patsy screamed.‘Hit the deck.’Distracted, he looked beyond the empty face that was almost upon him, to the mouth of the dark tunnel that had already swallowed half the train.He threw himself on to his back, just as the creature reached him.For a second, he saw it lean over him, spear raised, snarling in triumph –– and then the creature and sky disappeared, and there was only the roof of the tunnel – a dark blur, inches above his face.Just that and the deafening sound of the train echoing in the confined space.1148Against NatureThe doors were marked RESEARCH WING: NO ADMITTANCE in large unfriendly letters.The Doctor pushed through them without breaking his stride.A hospital orderly was trying to come through the swing doors from the other side and the Doctor knocked the door back into his face, sending them both sprawling to the ground.They sat on the floor trying to get their bearings for a moment [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]