Doctor Trek - The Green Green Glow Of Death (Parts 1, 2 And 3) (5)
maggot slithered ever closer, and began rearing up to strike. The front window caved in with a crash as Bouncer came smashing through it, landing on all his four paws, facing the maggot. "Get away from her, you BITCH!" the labrador roared. The maggot turned. Cody fell off her chair. The maggot turned back to Cody, preparing to strike once more. "Cody, look out!" Bouncer yelled. Cody stood up, grabbing the kitchen chair. The maggot leapt for her throat. Cody swung the chair violently, smacking the maggot across the room and into the kitchen wall. It slid to the ground, quite dead. Bouncer padded over to her, grinning, tongue lolling out approvingly. "Nice one, Cody. So you ARE more than just a pretty face. Not that I ever thought you were that, particularly." Cody stared at the heroic, talking dog in bemused disbelief, until her mind clicked into gear and she recognised the voice coming from the unusually communicative labrador. "FROBISHER?!?!?!?!?!?!?" It was lunchtime, and Josh Anderson was down by Lassiter's Lake, playing around with his motorised toy boat, but he wasn't really thinking about it. He was thinking about Melissa Jarrett. Again. It had been six months since Melissa had left to go overseas with her parents and broken his heart, and although everyone thought he was over it long ago, deep down he really wasn't. Oh sure, he'd gone out with a few chicks since, and he was still a terrible flirt, especially where Lucy Robinson was concerned, but he still missed Melissa sometimes. Well, make that ALL the time. "Josh." Josh turned and gaped. Melissa! "But, but.. you're in America!" he gaped. Melissa grinned, her long blonde hair streaming down her shoulders, and looking positively radiant. "Holidays," she beamed. "Mum and Dad wanted to come home to see the rellies. And I - " she put her arms around him, "wanted to see you. I've missed you, Josh." "I've missed you too," Josh whispered, and leaned in for a kiss. Cody and Frobisher sat at the Willis dining table, Frobisher propping his head up on one paw. "How long have you BEEN here?" Cody wanted to know. "Oh, not long," 'Bouncer' shrugged. "Only a few bleedin' YEARS!" "YEARS?!" Cody exclaimed. "Why didn't you come see me earlier?" "I didn't know if it was really you. My you, I mean, as opposed to the pre-Sammy you, or the post-TARDISPRISE you. I don't know," Frobisher put his head in his paws, "these time-travel paradox thingymyjigs always do my head in." "Me too," Cody admitted. "So you've spent YEARS pretending to be a dog?" "I thought I WAS a dog, at first," 'Bouncer' admitted sheepishly. "Total memory loss. Then bits started to, bob back." "Bob back?" Cody queried. "In bits and pieces. I had a dream that I was a tortoise. Then I woke up and I WAS a tortoise. I didn't know if I was a dog who dreamed he was a tortoise, or a tortoise who dreamed he was a dog!" Frobisher continued. "Then I found out I could talk. THAT came as a surprise, too, both to me and Mrs Mangel and ol' Harry Bishop. Luckily they were both pissed as newts on what they thought was apple cider at the time, but still." "You couldn't trust anyone with your secret?" Cody asked. "Well, Nell, maybe, but Joe, no way," 'Bouncer' shook his head emphatically. "He'd probably sell me to a circus, knowing him." "Mm," Cody agreed. "So, Frobisher, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm REALLY glad to see you." "Course you are, sweetheart, course you are," Frobisher patted her head with his paw reassuringly. "Why wouldn't you be? I'm adorable." "Yes, well," Cody coughed, quickly changing the subject. "So can you remember what HAPPENED?" "Which bit?" 'Bouncer' queried. "All of it," Cody acknowledged. "The last thing I remember is going back to the TARDISPRISE. Admiral Borusa had sent us a message or something. Then it's all a blank until I woke up here the other day." "That's IT?" Frobisher seemed surprised. "I can remember much more than that. All except the last bit, where we confronted the villain in his lair and, well, I can't be sure, but from our current circumstances, I'd guess it all went pear-shaped." "So what happened?" Cody demanded. "You're right," 'Bouncer' sighed. "We went back to the TARDISPRISE because of a message from Admiral Borusa. The Imperial Government was getting all bent out of shape due to some virus or something." "Virus?" Cody queried. "That's what they called it, anyway," Frobisher continued the story. "Some kind of sentient, intelligent virus that could take over other living things. The Admirals had predicted a time when it could take all other life-forms." "I say, that's a tad cliched, isn't it?" Cody objected. "Never mind," 'Bouncer' shushed her. "They believed they'd tracked it down to it's source, where it came from, and they sent us to stop it from ever getting out into the rest of the universe." "So where was it?" Cody demanded. "Where DID it come from?" "Well, where do you think?" Frobisher looked at her. "HERE." Josh and Melissa were sitting by the lake, kissing passionately. Finally, they broke apart. "So how long are you here for?" Josh wanted to know. Melissa shrugged. "A few days." "A few days?!?!?" Josh was mortified. "Is that ALL?" "'Fraid so," Melissa tossed her hair back. "We'll just have to make the most of it, won't we?" she teased. "I guess we will," Josh moved in for another kiss. Down by their feet, a giant maggot began pulling itself from Lassiter's Lake, "I see," Cody thought. "And we stayed with Mrs Burke, right?" "Right," 'Bouncer' confirmed with a shake of his furry head. "And we investigated the recent deaths, with the glowing green after-effects. Recent then, and recent now, if you're following this admittedly more-complicated-than-usual plot." "A little over-complicated, if you ask me," Cody noted, raising her eyebrows. "So what happened then?" "What do you think?" Frobisher asked. "We tracked it down, located it's main hideout, where it did all it's major plotting and scheming and lurking and all those other things your average super-villains get up to." "Which was WHERE?" Cody demanded. 'Bouncer' looked at her. "The Robinson Corporation." The maggot struck. Josh screamed, holding his hand up in the air, the maggot still attached. Melissa saw it and screamed even louder. Josh managed to pull it off with his other hand and threw it back into the lake. "What the HELL was that thing?!" Melissa screeched, on her feet. "I don't know, I - " Josh began to rise, then sat down again, woozy. "What's wrong?" Melissa exclaimed. "I don't know. I," Josh looked at his hand. It was glowing bright green. "Josh!" Melissa screamed. In a matter of seconds, the green spread from his hand, up his arm, over his face and neck and entire body. "JOSH!!!" Melissa yelled, tears streaming down her face now. Josh lay, unmoving, his green face distorted, green eyes staring in death. The giant maggot came splashing back out of the lake, and launched itself at Melissa. Melissa screamed hysterically, turned on her heel and ran, the giant maggot slithering after her with surprising speed. That's when Josh sat back up. "So," Cody was pondering everything Frobisher had told her. "If we know where the thing is, we can go get it!" "Tried that," Frobisher reminded her. "Ended up back in the past - or a bit in the future for you - sick as a dog, and me thinking I WAS a dog, as I recall. Methinks we need a better idea." "We've got to do SOMETHING," Cody slammed her hands on the table in frustration. "Confronting this thing is our best chance of finding Sammy." "And the Captain and Ace," Frobisher reminded her. "Oh of course and the Captain and Ace!" Cody exclaimed. The front door opened and Doug and Pam came in, laden with shopping. "Hi, honey," Pam called. "Hi, mom," Cody replied. Pam and Doug came through to the kitchen, Pam noticing 'Bouncer' for the first time. "What's he doing in here?" Pam wanted to know. "Oh, I, er, " Cody flailed. "Oh, get his paws off the table," Pam complained. "That's DIRTY!" "You cheeky bitch," Frobisher reproved. "I've probably got better personal hygiene than you have." Pam dropped the shopping. 'Bouncer' winked at her. "Put the tea on, will you, luv? Summut decent an' all. I'm just about fucking sick of fucking dog food!" Pam fainted. CHAPTER SIX Wickersley Comprehensive School, England. July 1989. As soon as he had the opportunity, Sammy slipped away back to the boys' toilets again. What on EARTH had that thing been in there? And why did he have the feeling that, whatever it was, it was somehow meant for HIM? Sammy slipped into the toilets to find Warnie standing by a urinal, looking at him. "I've been expecting you," Warnie said hoarsely. "Really?" Sammy raised a quizzical eyebrow. Warnie took a menacing step toward him. "I've been WAITING for you." "I, see," Sammy took a step back. "Erm, how can I put this? I'm sorry, Warnie, but you're just not my type." Warnie opened his mouth. Sammy threw himself to one side as a spray of green slime hit the wall where he'd just been standing. "What the HELL?!" Sammy gaped. Warnie turned. "YOU CANNOT ESCAPE," he breathed gutturally. "THERE IS NO ESCAPE." His eyes glowed green. Warnie's green eyes sent a shockwave of recognition, familiarity and realisation coursing through Sammy as his memories returned in one almighty flash. "YOU," Sammy realised. "YOU! You, FOLLOWED ME!" "YOU WILL DIE, SAMMY," 'Warnie' grunted. "AS WILL ALL YOUR FRIENDS. AND THE UNIVERSE ITSELF SHALL FALL TO IT'S KNEES BEFORE ME!" "Yeah, okay, whatever," Sammy noted the slime moving toward him once more. "Sorry, I can't stay and chat. Must dash." He dived out the door. The slime slithered along the floor, up Warnie's body and back into his mouth. Warnie stormed from the bathroom after Sammy. Sammy ran headlong down the school corridors, Warnie in hot pursuit behind him. As he passed a classroom door, it opened and a young boy with sandy brown hair stepped out. Seeing Warnie pelting toward him, he asked, "What's all the palava?" Warnie vomited green slime onto his face. Over in the Drama Block, the Sci-Fi Club were sitting up the stage for the dramatic climax to their movie, "The Big Fairy", in which Scott Fawcus' character, Mr Wok, was to eat the malevolent title character. At the moment, however, preparations for the scene were being undermined by the absence of both Paul Bates, who played Dr. Crawford, and was also present in the climactic scene, and any fairy cakes for Scott to actually eat. "Ooh, where is he?" Lawrence was frantically pulling at his hair. An alarming amount was actually coming out, too. "I KNEW I shouldn't have trusted him with such a task! No sense of responsibility, these actors today," he howled. "Oh, why am I surrounded by AMATEURS?!?!?!?!?" The central doors opened and Paul emerged, carrying the tray of fairy cakes. "He's here!" Lawrence cried delightedly, attitude changing in a millisecond, throwing up his hands and giving Paul a big kiss on the cheek. "I never doubted you for a moment, darling!" "What is WITH him?" Chris Naylor wanted to know. "God knows, he's bonkers," Scott noted. "Last year he was Adolf Hitler, now he's Dame Edna!" But as Chris and Scott chuckled, and Joe and Lawrence prepared to set up the scene, none of them noticed the faint tinge of green in Paul's eyes, TO BE CONCLUDED, DOCTOR TREK THE NEW ADVENTURES THE GREEN GREEN GLOW OF DEATH BY IAN KIDD Part 3 CHAPTER ONE Space Station Delta Sigma, the far future. Ace had long since finished her tea, and was itching to get stuck into the murder mystery, but Garbel was making it difficult for her, droning on and on about Peta bloody Brady. Ace had got over being horrified; now she just pitied him. The poor man was clearly deeply mentally ill or something. He obviously didn't know what he was saying. "I can put one on if you like," Garbel said suddenly. "What?" Ace jerked, startled. "A Peta episode," Garbel told her, a fanatical gleam in his eye. "I HAVE THEM ALL, YOU KNOW." "Oh no - no, that's alright," Ace was on her feet quickly. Sammy had watched one once by mistake - and had been violently ill all night. Ace was feeling woozy enough as it was after that void thingy. "I should go." "Do you have to?" Garbel blocked the door, desperate, almost pleading. "There's something I, I've never told anyone." "Oh?" Ace raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Do you promise not to laugh, and not to tell no one?" Garbel begged. "Er - okay," Ace said dubiously. "It's my name," Garbel told her. "My first name. Everyone here thinks it's Horaldo, but it's not really." Ace looked at him bemusedly. Garbel began again, hesitantly. "My real name's, Dorothy." Ace looked at him in horror. "It's my mum," Garbel shrugged. "She really wanted a girl." "I - er - I gotta go," Ace slid round him to the door. "They had to put her in a home in the end, you know," Garbel said sadly. "'Come here, Dorothy', she used to say," he began reminiscing. "'You've been a very bad girl, haven't you Dorothy? Playing in the mud with the boys, they'll think you're a cheap whore. And you've RUINED one of your best dresses, too,'" Ace managed to open the door. "See you later," she said. Ace slipped out into the corridor. "Gordon Bennett," she breathed. Ace turned, noticing an inordinate number of space station personnal who appeared to be heading toward her down the corridor. Ace frowned, squinting. There was, something wrong with their eyes, "But Peta made it all better," Garbel stepped out of his apartment, joining her. "As soon as I saw her, I knew she was the one. Oh, I know I haven't really met her. But I will. One day. Everything's possible. One day, I'll find a portal into a fiction universe or something and meet Cody. The REAL Cody, not that unattractive Amelia Frid vers - " A space station resident reached him and shoved an arm right through his chest, sending a strange tomato sauce-like fluid all over Ace's jacket. "Hey!" Ace examined her jacket worriedly. "If he's damaged my Blue Peter badge," Garbel collapsed, dead. Ace realised all the residents coming toward her had glowing green eyes. "Crap," Ace turned. A dozen more of the zombies blocked her path. "Hell's bells," Ace cursed. "Talk about an attack of the green-eyed monster." Ace reached into her jacket and retrieved two cans of Nitro-Nine. Pulling off the lids with her teeth, she rolled them at the approaching monsters. A huge explosion blew a clear way out, not to mention blowing off several - apparently plastic - arms, legs and other assorted body parts. "Wicked!" Ace ran to the other end of the corridor, and looked back. The green-eyed monsters were climbing to their feet, apparently unharmed. "I don't believe it," Ace breathed. "Not after two cans of Nitro, nothing could survive that!" "AH," one of the zombies had apparently heard her, raising an impudent finger - or rather, stump of a finger. "I BEG TO DIFFER, MY DEAR." "Flamin' 'ell!" Ace bolted. Commander Kipling entered Dr. Ronlay's laboratory to find Dr. Crawford standing motionless by an empty tray. "Ah, Dr Cwawford," Kipling addressed him. "Have you theen Dr Wonlay? I wequire to thpeak with him at onthe." Crawford didn't answer. "Dr Cwawford? Hello?" Kiplinh walked in front of him. "I am adwething you, you know!" Crawford opened his mouth and Kipling dived aside just in time to avoid being hit in the face by a spray of green slime. "Oh, Dr Cwawford, weally!" Kipling said disgustedly. "Are you alwight?" A thought struck him. "I thay, you haven't been watching thome of Thergeant Garbel'th 'Neighbourth' collection, have you? For goodneth'th thake, the fact that Wonlay was willing to be turned into an owwible cweature wather than watch one thould have told you thomething!" Crawford turned, opening his eyes. They glowed bright green. "Oh, I thay," Kipling began backing away. "THERE is NOWHERE TO RUN, COMMANDER," Crawford told him in a deep, guttural hiss. "NOWHERE TO HIDE. NOT THIS TIME." Kipling ran for the door. Crawford's eyes rolled up in his head and he smiled a terrible smile. Doctor Ronlay had been in the gym, exercising his German accent, and was now heading back to his laboratory when Commander Kipling came bolting down a corridor at him. "Wun, Wonlay, wun!" Kipling reached him, breathless. "Veally?" Ronlay was thrilled. "Vot have ve von?" "No, no, wun!" Kipling turned and pointed. "Look!" Ronlay turned to see the possessed Crawford marching, zombie-like, down the corridor toward him. Ronlay raised an eyebrow. "Vell, vell, vell," he commented. "Come on!" Kipling grabbed Ronlay's arm and they prepared to run down a side corridor, only for Ace to come crashing into them. "Not that way!" Ace yelled. "Zombies!" "Vot?!" Ronlay overacted. "Zere iz more ov zem?" "A LOT more!" Ace told him breathlessly. "Then there'th only one more way to wun!" Kipling turned. "Come on!" He started to run, then stopped short. The third corridor was likewise blocked by six floating fairy cakes. "ALAS, COMMANDER, I'm AFRAID YOU ARE OUT OF PLACES TO RUN," the fairy cakes mocked in unison. "Oh, my!" Kipling wailed. "Fairy cakes?" Ronlay blanched. "Not more fairy cakes, zurely?" "Fairy cakes," Ace stopped, cold realisation and bad memories rushing over her. She hit her forehead in frustration. "Oh, hell." "Vot are you?" Ronlay yelled. "CAN'T YOU GUESS, Doctor RONLAY?" Crawford mouthed. "I know what they are. What it is," Ace realised. "We went to Erinsborough, the other universe, MY universe, to stop an infection at it's source. But it was waiting for us. It was a trap. It knew we were coming. And it knew the Captain of old." "Vot did?!" Ronlay breathed. "Ace." Ace whirled. "Oh, no." The possessed space station personnel had caught up with her. "TIME TO DIE, Ace. AH, Doctor RONLAY, COMMANDER KIPLING. HOW NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN AFTER ALL THIS TIME." "Hunh?" Ronlay wrinkled his nose. "What'th it thaying?" Kipling wanted to know. "WHO, WHO ARE YOU?" Crawford demanded. "Vot?!" Ronlay yelled. "You know who ve are!" Ace stared at the zombies, then at Crawford. "Oh, hell. It's not talking to you, Ronlay. It's talking to it!" she gestured at the zombies. Kipling frowned, perplexed. "But it'th the thame thing, ithn't it?" "Same thing," Ace said hollowly. "Different time zone." Crawford and one of the zombies approached each other. "That's how it knew we were coming," Ace said slowly. "That's why it was waiting for us." "I'm afwaid you've lotht me," Kipling sighed. "Ya, me too," Ronlay agreed, scratching his head. "When we attacked the virus, it was ready for us. it attacked US," Ace explained slowly. Crawford and the zombie reached out a hand to each other. "In the fight, the teleport cubicle was damaged," Ace continued. "It blew up, sending us across time. I came here - and so did the thing that's in THEM!" Crawford and the zombie held hands. Green slime slid back and forth for several moments. Finally, Crawford stepped back, breaking contact. "Aah," Crawford grinned horribly. "NOW I UNDERSTAND." "You bwought it with you?" Kipling queried. "Yeth - er - I mean yes," Ace nodded. "But that's the rub. We went to Erinsborough to stop the thing at the source. But the Admirals got it wrong. It DIDN'T come from Erinsborough to begin with. It came from HERE!" "Vwhat?" Kipling and Ronlay exploded in unison.
Copyright © 2003 Ian Kidd |