The Time of Change

Countdown

Holding fast to my hand, the Doctor whips around and pulls out the sonic screwdriver. He holds it up to the advancing soldiers threateningly for a moment, then clicks the button on its side. The guns in the hands of the Silurians in the first row, a mere five feet from him and me, explode in a shower of sparks. "This is a deadly weapon," he states. "Stay back."

Suddenly, amidst the smoke and flashes of electricity, the extensible tongue of one of the warriors shoots out and lashes at his neck. I see it before he does. On instinct, I shove him to the side just before it reaches him and feel him scrabble for my hand as he crashes to the floor. His unexpected pull on my fingers causes me to go sprawling down on top of him, and he stares up at me like I'm insane. "You can't do things like that!" he whispers, both annoyed and fearful.

I wink, smiling. "You promised you'd let me be brave," I tell him.

"I most certainly did not."

"Well, I promised for you."

Now recovering from the detonation of their weapons, the Silurians start crowding around us again, and in a flash he's yanked me back up to my feet. Once more he slips his hand into mine, and we take off into the tunnel. In the distance, I can see Hunter's and the others' backs. "Take everyone to the lab," the Doctor pants at Hunter when he's in earshot. He turns his head, looking surprised and relieved to see us. "We'll cover you!"

Restac marches forward, taking her time, but the soldiers are running as fast as they can to catch up to us. My stomach twinges in discomfort, yet it's not the kind I would connect with fatigue, especially since we haven't been running long. Before I can think much about it, the Doctor stops, jerking me to a halt sharply, and turns around, brandishing the sonic at the army again. They slow their pace but continue nonetheless.

"Ah-ah-ah!" he says as they grow ever nearer. "Stop right there, or I'll use my very deadly weapon again. One warning, that's all you get. If there can be no deal, you go back into hibernation. All of you. Now, this ends here."

"No," Restac replies coldly, pushing her way through the ranks. "It only ends with our victory."

I tug on the Doctor's hand, wordlessly begging him to keep going. You'll get yourself killed! I scream in my head. Like he hears me, just as he used to be able to, he nods ever so slightly. "Like I said," he tells the commander in a voice low with dismay. "One chance."

He turns swiftly on heel, and again we hurry down the hall to a laboratory. It's not the same as where Mo and I were kept; that lab was cold, damp, and dark. This one is clean with white stone walls and shiny tile floors. There are containment units along the far left wall. At the back are various machines. It actually looks as futuristic as the Silurians claim to be. In the middle, Hunter, Ambrose, Elliot, Nasreen, Mo, Tony, and Eldane huddle together. I didn't even realize the Silurian leader had fled with us; I shoot him a soft smile when he sees us. All the humans cling to one another except Hunter, who watches us approach with an unreadably intense look.

As soon as we're inside, the Doctor releases my hand, turns, and slams the door. Then he takes the sonic and slides it along the edge of the doorframe, sealing it shut. He flicks it one last time in the general direction of something like a television sitting on a nearby table; it roars to life with static a second later. "Elliot," he says, shattering the brittle quiet, "you and your dad keep an eye on that screen. You too, Hunter. Let me know if we've got company. Annalise," he adds to me as he puts a tender hand on my arm, "keep reminding me how much time I haven't got."

"O-okay," I stutter, holding him still long enough to retrieve my iPhone from his inner jacket pocket. He gives me an unsteady smile when I meet his gaze. "Bit over twelve minutes till drill impact."