Part 18 (1/2)

The bike stopped abruptly, at the same time veering to the right and flipping onto its side, das.h.i.+ng Rose to the ground. The landing was softer than she had expected; she had thought she would be flung forwards, but somehow her momentum had been drained. Still, she was barely able to roll out of the way before bike and rider crashed into the s.p.a.ce she had just vacated.

The cop was pinned down by his vehicle, shouting obscenities at her, and Rose scrambled away and climbed to her feet, feeling lightheaded and wobbly.

She was back at the lifts, just about the only defender left standing. The patients had collapsed or fled, and the cops were moving systematically down the main corridor, continuing their search, nearing its end. What could she do? She couldn't fight them alone.

Then, suddenly, a set of lift doors shot open and she started...

...and then grinned at the sight of Captain Jack, suspended from the lift cable, gripping it with his ankles, one arm looped about it to press a handkerchief to his nose and mouth, the other holding a gun trust him to have found one with which he had evidently just shot out the doors' circuits. They were still smouldering.

She thought he wouldn't recognise her in the helmet, through the green mist, but her clothes were obviously a dead giveaway.

'Not going so well, I take it?' said Jack cheerfully. He swung himself easily out of the shaft. 'How long's it been?'

Rose checked her watch and her heart sank. 'About seven minutes.'

'OK.' Jack was already running. 'Let's see if we can make eight at least.'

They took the corridor to the right because it was relatively empty. But the cops had gone the more direct route and were already battering down the door to the makes.h.i.+ft studio. Rose could hear the Doctor's voice on the far side, still talking, still calm. They were almost there, but the cops were running to meet them dozens of them.

She wasn't afraid. She was determined. They had told the Doctor ten minutes and that was what he was going to get.

Jack had four paces on her and he sent a barrage of blaster fire the cops' way, then ploughed into them. He fought brilliantly he could have matched any four of his opponents, maybe more but there were just too many of them.

And the door splintered open.

Rose had eyes for only that, had thoughts for only the Doctor. In that moment, nothing else mattered to her except that she get to that door.

And somehow she did, slipping between the cops in her path, expecting to feel their hands on her collar; but they were surprised by her speed and her dexterity, and too busy with Jack.

And she raced into the small office, where a cop with pips on her shoulder and a uniform a bit too large for her was levelling a gun at the Doctor, who had stopped talking and was raising his hands.

'I trusted you,' spat the cop, 'and you were him all along. You lied to me!'

And Rose leaped onto her shoulders...

...to be thrown off with an almost casual shrug. She landed in a heap, found her arms pinned by two cops before she could stand again. And there were many more cops streaming into the room, more guns aimed at the Doctor's head, and his hapless volunteer was wideeyed with fear as he was wrenched away from his camera.

'Turn it off!' the cop with the pips ordered.

'Why?' asked the Doctor.

'Because we've all heard enough of your lies!'

'But you're here now. Inspector Waller to the rescue. The world is watching you. Your chance to fix everything, set the record straight.'

Waller hesitated, gesturing to the cop who had picked up the camera to stay his hand for now. She was thinking about it.

'You can be the one who tells them the truth,' said the Doctor. 'The whole truth and nothing but the truth.'

And he smiled past the cops. At Rose.

SEVENTEEN.

Domnic had had a good day. A friend of his from the reading group had a friend who was setting up a publis.h.i.+ng company. He was interested in fiction, maybe even comics, and he had agreed to look at some of Domnic's stories.

He'd made four phone sales at work, including one to a girl he hoped might become more than a customer. He'd told her that his company's windows were specially proofed against zombies and she had playfully called him a big liar.

'That obvious, huh?' he had said. 'I'm still new to it, you see haven't had much practice.'

'Well, they're saying now that lying is good for a relations.h.i.+p,' she had rejoined.

At which point Domnic had let his dreams get the better of him. He'd blurted out a suggestion that they meet in the flesh to practise on each other some time and she had agreed.

Not tonight, though. Tonight was a special night.

Domnic had turned on the telly an hour early and was pa.s.sing the time by surfing channels.

' big match about to begin on 9 Sport, and for anyone who doesn't wish to speculate about the result, it was 21 to '

' of Sector TwoThreePhi was delighted to be given a parking s.p.a.ce closer to '

' viewers will decide whether Todd or Lucy our two remaining contestants, who are about to emerge from the door behind me gets to take home the Audience Shares grand prize: a starring role in their very own docudrama!'

OK, so change didn't happen overnight.

But starting on Channel One tonight was a brandnew show a drama, with a script and actors and everything and its makers had promised to show viewers things from beyond their world.

Some people had already complained, before the show had even aired. They were saying it was too scary, too violent or offensive to their newfound religion. But they would be watching.

Everyone would be watching tonight because this was something that, two months ago, they couldn't have imagined. Something different.

On 8 News, they were playing back the recording of the Doctor's confrontation with Inspector Waller again. Domnic had missed it the first time round, but he'd seen it often enough in the two months since.

'The only truth that needs telling here,' stormed Waller, 'is that you're fantasy crazy, the furthest gone I've ever seen! The people only have to look at you, Gryden. They only have to see what's happening out there.'

The Doctor shook his head. 'I didn't cause any of this. Pushed the process along, maybe, but...' 'I didn't cause any of this. Pushed the process along, maybe, but...'

'It's your fault, you and your Static channel. The media is meant to inform, to educate. It tells us what's real, what we can believe. But you've corrupted it. You've used it to spread dissent and violence and fear!'

'Your people want change,' said the Doctor. said the Doctor.

'Yeah,' piped up the voice of Rose Tyler from offcamera. piped up the voice of Rose Tyler from offcamera. 'And if you'd listened to what the Doctor was saying, you'd know ' 'And if you'd listened to what the Doctor was saying, you'd know '