Purple Vortex [II]

The Lazarus Experiment Pt2:

"'Falls the shadow,'" The Doctor finished as the three stood behind Lazarus and Tish. "So, the mysterious Doctor knows his Eliot. I'm impressed." Lazarus said as they turned to them. "Martha, what are you doing here?" Tish demanded. "Tish, get away from him." Martha said. "What? Don't tell me what to do."

"I never thought you'd have the time for poetry, Lazarus, what with you being busy defying the laws of nature and everything." Galaxy said, shrugging. "You're right, Galaxy. One lifetime's been too short for me to do everything I'd like. How much more I'll get done in two or three or four?"

"Doesn't look like that. Some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty. It's not the time that matters, it's the person." The Doctor said. "But if it's the right person, what a gift that would be." Lazarus remarked. "Or a curse. Just look at what you've done to yourself." Galaxy said, shaking her head.

"Who are you to judge?" He asked, glaring at them. "Over here, Tish." Martha said and thankfully, her sister listened. "You have to spoil everything, don't you? Every time I find someone nice, you have to go and find a fault." Tish grumbled.

"Tish, he's a monster!" Martha argued as Lazarus started collapsing to the ground, convulsing. "I know the age thing's a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones." Tish said.

But suddenly, the sound of growling got her attention and she slowly turned to see Lazarus was in fact a monster. His form now resembles a cross between a skeleton and a scorpion.

"Run!"

They all ran toward the door that led to the stairs and the Doctor soniced the door shut and they ran down the stairs and Martha pushed the button for the lift.

"Are you okay?" She asked her sister. "I was gonna snog him." Tish said in horror. The lights flickered then as the creature tried breaking in and a siren went off.

"Security one. Security one. Security one."

"What's happening?" Martha asked as the lights went out. "Uh, an intrusion. It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts. Seals the exits." Tish explained. "He must be breaking through that door." The Doctor said. "We take the stairs then. Come on." Galaxy said.

Just as they got down the first flight, the sound of crashing then growling came from behind them.

"He's inside!" Martha shouted. "We haven't got much time!" The Doctor shouted as they continued to run and they didn't stop until they reached the reception again. "Tish, is there another way out of here?" Galaxy asked her. "There's an exit in the corner. But it'll be locked now."

"Martha, setting fifty-four. Hurry." The Doctor said, throwing his sonic to her and she rushed off with Tish behind her while the Doctor and Galaxy stood on the platform in front of Lazarus' machine.

"Listen to me! You people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now!" He shouted. "Don't be ridiculous." A snooty woman remarked, "The biggest danger here is choking on an olive."

Suddenly, glass shattered on the second floor and Lazarus appeared, leaping down onto the reception floor.

"He looks so much like an olive, doesn't he?" Galaxy remarked, rolling her eyes.

People began to panic and run for the exits and Galaxy went to help some people that had fallen down from shock at seeing Lazarus' appearance.

"Mum! Get back!" Leo shouted and Galaxy looked just as Lazarus pushed a table with his tail and it hit Leo, knocking him out. "Leo!"

"Over here! This way! Everyone downstairs now! Hurry!" Martha shouted as she got the door open.

Galaxy pushed some people toward the door before catching sight of Lazarus closing in on the snooty woman, who was standing there in fright.

"No! Get away from her!" The Doctor shouted but it was too late, Lazarus attacked the woman and her body fell to the floor, drained of life and then he turned his sights on Mrs Jones who was by a barely conscious Leo. "Lazarus! Leave them alone!"

Suddenly, one of the tables flew across the room and hit Lazarus' back. He turned around as he roared in anger, trying to see who had thrown the table but because of the chaos he couldn't find the culprit but with his back turned, Martha ran to her brother's side, helping him up.

"Martha." Her mother breathed but Martha focused her attention on her brother's injuries. "C'mon, stay with me." Martha said and then pulled him and her mother away before Lazarus could turn his attention back on them.

"What's the point if you can't control it?" The Doctor shouted, getting the monster's attention to him, "The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you. You're a fool, a vain old man who thought he could defy nature. Only nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!"

The Doctor ran then with an enraged Lazarus following behind him and Galaxy was leaning against the wall and decided that she was going to kill the Doctor for baiting the monster, that would be after the pain in her head had disappeared.

-9-

"What's the Doctor doing?" Tish asked Martha who was studying their brother's head. "He's trying to buy us some time. Let's not waste it. Leo, look at me. Let me see your eyes." Martha said and looked at her mother, "He's got a concussion. You'll need to help him downstairs." She said, putting some ice cubes in a napkin and she noticed something in the reception area, "This'll keep the swelling down. Go! I'll be right behind you! Tish, move! We need to get out of here!"

She pushed her family toward the stairs and she went into the reception area and over to the machine where Galaxy currently was, she was sitting through the doorway of it and she had some wires out while her sonic key was in her lap.

Martha was going to ask her what she was doing but noticed something that caught her attention. "Galaxy, you're bleeding." She said and Galaxy glanced up at her. "It's nothing. Just a nosebleed." She told her, wiping the slight trail of blood under her nose and went back to working.

"Galaxy, you could have a concussion or something. At least let me examine..." Martha started but Galaxy cut her off. "Martha. There are others that need help more than you need to be worrying about me. I'll be fine." She told her and looked at her to see her not moving, "I mean it. Go."

Galaxy gave her a smile and Martha hesitated before running out of the room, she knew Galaxy had a point, there were a lot of people that were still in a state of panic and needed to get to safety and she knew she could head back to the Time Lady once she was done.

Galaxy was in deep concentration as she worked on the wires in the machine, when she had seen it earlier an idea popped into her head and she hoped that it would work, otherwise she didn't know what else to do to stop Lazarus.

Well, she did have another idea but there were too many risks and she didn't want Astro to have a go at her for pushing her body to use the implants.