Touch The Sky: Doctor Who/Studio C [Book 3]

Partners in Crime (Part 3)

"Oh," Miss Foster said mildly as she eyed the controls for the cradle. "I don't think so."

The Doctor and Donna, that were descending down the building at a maddeningly slow pace, suddenly accelerated as the familiar hum of a sonic device filled the air. Oh, that's not fair, the Doctor thought, pulling out his own sonic to battle their fall and pulling them to an abrupt stop. "Hold on, hold on, we can get in through the window," he said, running his screwdriver over the edges of the window nearest them.

"Deadlock the building," Miss Foster ordered above, rendering the Doctor's attempt useless.

"Can't get it open!"

"Smash it, then!" Donna exclaimed, snatching a wrench from the floor of the cradle and starting to bang on the glass. The window hardly budged, and she stopped suddenly, looking up. "She's cutting the cable!"

The Doctor looked up, having just enough time to grab hold of the railing when the cable snapped, sending Donna flying from the cradle. "Donna!"

"Doctor!"

He looked over the edge to see her hanging on to the very end of the cable. "Hold on!"

Her face turned from terror to annoyance. "I am!"

The Time Lord yanked on the cable, trying to pull her back up, but he wasn't at an angle where he could get any leverage. He glanced back up, seeing Miss Foster beginning to start on the other cable. The familiar sonic hum sliced through the air, magnified by two as he added his screwdriver to the mix, leaving her to drop her pen sharply as it zapped her with mild electricity. The Doctor reached out, snatching the pen from the air and stowing it in his mouth. He clambered up the still intact cable, using the pen to override the building deadlock and open the window.

"I'm gonna fall!" Donna cried. "This is all your fault! I should've stayed at home!"

"I won't be a minute!" the Doctor called back as he clambered through the window. He launched himself down the stairs again, flying back into Miss Foster's office and seeing Donna's legs dangling out the window.

"Is anyone gonna tell me what's going on?" Penny demanded, still tied up in the chair.

"What, you're a journalist?" the Doctor asked as he started to sonic the window.

"Yes!"

"Well, make it up!" He reached through the window, grabbing Donna's legs.

"Get off!" he heard the ginger woman exclaim.

"I've got you, I've got you! Stop kicking!" A moment later, he managed to drag her inside.

"I was right," she said. "It's always like this with you, innit?"

"Oh yes! And off we go!" They took off again, to Penny's cry of OI! A moment later, the Doctor poked his head back in. "Sorry!" He aimed his sonic and the ropes around Penny loosened. "Now do yourself a favor, get out!"

They were tearing across the room full of cubicles when Miss Foster and her guards cut up to them. "Well then," she said. "We meet at least."

"Hello," Donna said.

"Nice to meet you," the Doctor said casually. "I'm the Doctor."

"And I'm Donna."

"Partners in crime," Miss Foster said. "And evidently off-worlders, judging by your sonic technology."

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor said, as if he'd forgotten. He patted his hands over his suit. "I've still got your sonic pen. Nice, I like it. Sleek, it's kinda sleek."