The Doctor Of War ³

Thin Ice pt.2

"So, what's easier to find?" Bill asks.

"Conjecture. There's something frozen under the Thames and it's eating people" the Doctor says.

"Ok."

"Proposal. We need to get a closer look it."

"Good, yeah."

"Plan... let's get eaten" the Doctor runs off while Bill is completely speechless.

"He's not serious, is he?" Bill finally asks looking up at me, I sigh.

"I'm afraid he is. Come on." The Doctor has acquired a cart and is unloading brass and canvas or leather clothing from it.

"Is this stuff safe?" Bill asks.

"Potentially."

"Potentially? What does potentially mean?"

"Safe, with a frisson of excitement."

"Right, but we're not going to be like completely defenceless down there, though?"

"No, no, no, no. Well yes. But don't worry about it."

"Why not? What have you got up your sleeve? Oh, my God! Have you been holding out on me? Do you have, like, magical, alien powers?" the Doctor huffs on the diving helmet and polishes the faceplate "what was that an impolite question?"

*Time Skip*

"Why do we need diving suits on top of the ice?" Bill asks.

"If we're lucky, the lights will come and take us under. Whatever they are, they're clever. When they went after the boy, they waited until he was away from the crowds, by himself" the Doctor and I have moved away from Bill to look around.

"What? Did you say something?"

"The question is, how?" I ask. Bill spots the green lights starting to surround her.

"Doctor? Oh. Ah. Seer? Doctor! Seer!" Bill throws her lantern and it hits the Doctor's back and he turns around just in time to see her fall through the ice. The air hose is uncoiling rapidly.

"Bingo!" he and I run and jump into the hole just before it closes. We sink to the bottom and the Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver as a torch. He turns to see Bill waving and mouthing at him. She points at the angler fish circling above, then something large growls nearby. The screwdriver illuminates a set of heavy chains holding down an enormous creature. It belches, and bits and pieces float out of its mouth, including a red hat. Spider's. Bill shows it to the Doctor. Then a giant eye opens and looks at them. The Pie-Man is fishing for his wares through a hole cut in the ice, when the Doctor, Bill, and I climb out of it, scaring him into dropping his catch.

"What?" the man flees. The Doctor takes his diver's helmet off along with Bill and me.

"I know you! You're the cheat! I love your work!" the Doctor shouts.

"The sound it made. I couldn't hear you, but that noise, it's like I felt it in my bones, you know? It sounded like, like..." Bill trails off.

"Despair. Loneliness. A prisoner in chains" I say.

"That guy. He said he caught the fish himself. I bought pie off that guy. Fish pie!" Bill says as the Doctor picks up an angler fish.

"Oh, hello. Aren't you magnificent?"

"I ate that pie. I liked that pie" Bill murmurs.

"Definitely not carnivores. Which means you're cooperating with the creature, providing for it. What do you get in return, hmm? What did it take for you to evolve into that?" the Doctor looks the fish.