back to square one on a board game. Have you played Backgammon?'
But the Doctor didn't answer. He was already away down the passageway, racing back the way they had come.
Racing back to the engine rooms.
EIGHT
The thick metal fire door squealed with protest as it lifted back up into the ceiling. It had only raised a couple of feet when the Doctor rolled underneath it, leapt nimbly up on to his feet and threw his arms round Martha Jones.
'Brilliant,' he said as he hugged her. 'Brilliant brilliant brilliant!'
'Hey,' she said to him, hugging him back but in a strictly friendly way. 'You took your time.'
He withdrew from her, his hands still on her arms like he couldn't quite let her go. His eyes sparkled with delight at her, and again made her insides turn over. 'Well,' he said, making light of it all, 'it took a minute to convince the doors that there wasn't any fire and they could let me through.'
'So why did they come down in the first place, then?' she asked. A thought struck her. 'What have you been up to?'
'It wasn't me!' said the Doctor, as if shocked by the very idea. 'The badgers didn't want anyone else just walking out of the engine rooms. So they set off the emergency things.'
'But there isn't any fire,' said Martha.
'No,' said the Doctor. 'But emergency things aren't meant to ask questions. You want them to react at the first sign of danger and not to think about it. So it's easy to set them off. Getting them to relax afterwards takes a bit of doing.'
'It is a precautionary measure, Mr Doctor,' said a polite, robotic voice from behind Martha.
'Gabriel!' beamed the Doctor at the robot. 'You're in better shape than last time. And you got trapped down here as well?'
'Begging your pardon, Mr Doctor,' said Gabriel, 'I thought it best to remain with Ms Martha in case I could be of assistance.'
'That's very noble of you,' said the Doctor. 'I'm sure Ms Martha appreciates it.'
'Yeah right,' said Martha. 'Kept on offering to fetch me drinks. But could he raise the fire doors?'
'This unit,' said Gabriel, 'may only countermand the door protocols when not to do so would threaten passenger safety.'
'He's been saying that the whole time, too,' said Martha.
'He was only doing his job,' said the Doctor kindly.
'But I've been stuck in here for hours!' said Martha.
'Total duration forty-nine minutes and eighteen seconds,' Gabriel corrected.
'That's about as long as it's been since I got out of the engine rooms,' said the Doctor. 'Give or take a bit. Guess if you'd been brought back any earlier, I could have seen it happen. And that's not how it works.'
'The Starship Brilliant is programmed with discretion parameters, Mr Doctor,' said Gabriel. 'We apologise for any delay.'
'It felt like hours!' snapped Martha at the robot.
'This unit,' repeated Gabriel, 'may only countermand the door protocols when—'
'What's wrong?' said the Doctor, picking up on Martha's anxiety. 'Martha, what's happened to you?'
'Doctor,' she said gently. 'I died. I really died.'
'Yeah,' said the Doctor. 'You did.' He grinned at her, that infuriating grin which made you grin back at him. 'But you got better.'
Martha would have said something, but her mouth fell open in horror as she saw who now stood behind the Doctor; Mrs Wingsworth and Archibald.
'What is it?' said the Doctor.
'He...' said Martha, struggling to find the words. 'He killed me. And I think he took the TARDIS key.'
'Yeah,' said Archibald.
'See?' said Martha.
'Yeah,' said the Doctor. 'And then he surrendered it to me, just because I asked him nicely. Here you go.' He dropped the chain with the key on it into her hands.
'Oh,' said Martha as she put the chain around her neck. 'So we're all friends again now, are we?'
Archibald fidgeted nervously.
'You've got something to say to her,' Mrs Wingsworth prompted him. 'Haven't you, dear?'
'Sorry,' said Archibald to
But the Doctor didn't answer. He was already away down the passageway, racing back the way they had come.
Racing back to the engine rooms.
EIGHT
The thick metal fire door squealed with protest as it lifted back up into the ceiling. It had only raised a couple of feet when the Doctor rolled underneath it, leapt nimbly up on to his feet and threw his arms round Martha Jones.
'Brilliant,' he said as he hugged her. 'Brilliant brilliant brilliant!'
'Hey,' she said to him, hugging him back but in a strictly friendly way. 'You took your time.'
He withdrew from her, his hands still on her arms like he couldn't quite let her go. His eyes sparkled with delight at her, and again made her insides turn over. 'Well,' he said, making light of it all, 'it took a minute to convince the doors that there wasn't any fire and they could let me through.'
'So why did they come down in the first place, then?' she asked. A thought struck her. 'What have you been up to?'
'It wasn't me!' said the Doctor, as if shocked by the very idea. 'The badgers didn't want anyone else just walking out of the engine rooms. So they set off the emergency things.'
'But there isn't any fire,' said Martha.
'No,' said the Doctor. 'But emergency things aren't meant to ask questions. You want them to react at the first sign of danger and not to think about it. So it's easy to set them off. Getting them to relax afterwards takes a bit of doing.'
'It is a precautionary measure, Mr Doctor,' said a polite, robotic voice from behind Martha.
'Gabriel!' beamed the Doctor at the robot. 'You're in better shape than last time. And you got trapped down here as well?'
'Begging your pardon, Mr Doctor,' said Gabriel, 'I thought it best to remain with Ms Martha in case I could be of assistance.'
'That's very noble of you,' said the Doctor. 'I'm sure Ms Martha appreciates it.'
'Yeah right,' said Martha. 'Kept on offering to fetch me drinks. But could he raise the fire doors?'
'This unit,' said Gabriel, 'may only countermand the door protocols when not to do so would threaten passenger safety.'
'He's been saying that the whole time, too,' said Martha.
'He was only doing his job,' said the Doctor kindly.
'But I've been stuck in here for hours!' said Martha.
'Total duration forty-nine minutes and eighteen seconds,' Gabriel corrected.
'That's about as long as it's been since I got out of the engine rooms,' said the Doctor. 'Give or take a bit. Guess if you'd been brought back any earlier, I could have seen it happen. And that's not how it works.'
'The Starship Brilliant is programmed with discretion parameters, Mr Doctor,' said Gabriel. 'We apologise for any delay.'
'It felt like hours!' snapped Martha at the robot.
'This unit,' repeated Gabriel, 'may only countermand the door protocols when—'
'What's wrong?' said the Doctor, picking up on Martha's anxiety. 'Martha, what's happened to you?'
'Doctor,' she said gently. 'I died. I really died.'
'Yeah,' said the Doctor. 'You did.' He grinned at her, that infuriating grin which made you grin back at him. 'But you got better.'
Martha would have said something, but her mouth fell open in horror as she saw who now stood behind the Doctor; Mrs Wingsworth and Archibald.
'What is it?' said the Doctor.
'He...' said Martha, struggling to find the words. 'He killed me. And I think he took the TARDIS key.'
'Yeah,' said Archibald.
'See?' said Martha.
'Yeah,' said the Doctor. 'And then he surrendered it to me, just because I asked him nicely. Here you go.' He dropped the chain with the key on it into her hands.
'Oh,' said Martha as she put the chain around her neck. 'So we're all friends again now, are we?'
Archibald fidgeted nervously.
'You've got something to say to her,' Mrs Wingsworth prompted him. 'Haven't you, dear?'
'Sorry,' said Archibald to
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