Chapter Eight

'What do you mean dow-'

He shoved her through the doorway.

There wasn't a lift car. Benny was falling through the dark. She pulled her feet together and kept her hands at her sides, trying not to tense up. What sort of lifestyle was it where you instinctively knew what to do if you find yourself in freefall without a parachute?

She hit the top of the lift car a little awkwardly. The Doctor joined her a second or so later. They'd only fallen twenty feet or so. It was enough to escape the next blast, which roared overhead in a hurricane of rubble. The force of the blast kept the debris in the air, rather than letting it drop down the shaft after them. It also caught the lift cable, making the car they were on rock as if it was on a rough sea.

The Doctor had adjusted the sonic screwdriver to make it into a cutting tool and was burning through the roof of the lift.

Above them there was a series of explosive bursts, like grenades.

'The gas main ...' she whispered.

There was a rushing noise, a flash of light. She could picture the wall of flame rolling across the landing towards them.

'Excellent,' the Doctor exclaimed, glancing up. 'Quickly,' and together they dropped into the lift car. Almost as they hit the floor, the doors slid open with a chime. The Doctor ushered her out.

It was the UNIT underground car park. They'd come in this way, and Bessie would be down here somewhere. The power was down, and the room was lit by dull pools of emergency lighting. For the first time, Benny looked back, and her face was caught by the rush of hot air coming down the lift shaft.

A burst from the sonic screwdriver and the doors slid shut as the first flames rolled down past them.