Waylaid In London

Chapter 14

Jamie tried to keep up with Captain Yates as he swiftly walked the corridor, his pace finally slowing as they neared the lab. He gestured inside and nodded, prompting Jamie to enter with Kathryn behind him. The Brigadier stood and acknowledged them with a nod before turning to face the Doctor. The Time Lord was seated on the stool again, his back turned to the microscope he must have just been studying. Jamie could not mistake the look of triumph on his face.

"What is it, Doctor?"

"I've got good news, my lad. We had some success getting more information from that Tom fellow." He tented his fingers together.

Jamie raised his eyebrows in curiosity.

"We administered another small amount of my powerful sedative which succeeded in rousing him. He shared the whereabouts of Drix's hideout."

"Well, where is it, then?"

"You may be somewhat familiar with the location. Do you remember the sewer where we last battled the Cybermen?"

Jamie's eyebrows drew together thoughtfully. "Aye. Ye mean he's down there?"

"It would seem so. There must be something special about that sewer that attracts these extraterrestrial monsters." An amused grin briefly lit up his face.

"But how can ye be sure he's tellin' ye the truth? Might he be lying tae protect Drix?"

"I doubt that very much. While sedated, he is speaking completely independent of the control of Drix's 'foot soldiers.' And before you say it, I highly doubt he would be lying out of spite after his confrontation with you last night." Jamie caught the brief look of disapproval on his face and felt his cheeks grow hot. "Not only that, but the Brigadier's men have been doing reconnaissance work in this area and they found a higher concentration of that slimy goo in that vicinity. I would say it's quite a sure thing. Now we know where to find him in order to confront him and convince him to stop his attack on the human population; perhaps even get him to leave Earth."

Jamie nodded thoughtfully. He was glad to know they'd obtained such a vital piece of information, despite how little he thought of Tom. His gaze returning to the Doctor, he found the Time Lord's face rather drawn in apparent frustration.

"What?"

"There's just one thing I find most frustrating. I've been studying this blood sample from one of the victims and trying to find an antidote. Given the biologic makeup of Drix's 'foot soldiers', which is roughly part-fungus, part-earthworm, it would seem we should try some sort of insecticide-fungicide combination: something that would starve the organism and kill it. I've tried many different combinations, but none seem to be even forty-percent effective. I've still got some more cocktails to try, but we're quite limited for time."

"Can I see what yer workin' on? Mebbe I could help ye ..."

The Doctor chuckled, almost surprised by Jamie's suggestion. "Oh, no, my lad. I appreciate the offer, but I don't think ..."

Jamie noticed a petrie dish lying next to the Doctor's microscope with what appeared to be a sample of blood. "Is that the sample yer studyin'?"

"Yes, but --"

"Well, mebbe --" Jamie's sentence was cut off as he made a sweeping gesture with his left hand, accidentally knocking over an open bottle next to the dish and spilling a great deal of its contents into it.

"Och, I'm sorry, Doctor!" he cried, grabbing the bottle and then searching for something with which to remove some of the liquid from the petrie dish, even though it was too late. He couldn't believe he'd been so clumsy. He must have really set them back quite a bit. All he could do was stare in horror and then cringe, expecting the Doctor to shout angrily at him.