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"I… uhhh… umm…" Vera stammered. Vera's unusual lack of eloquence was, at least in part because she was suffering from the mental equivalent of charisma induced sunstroke, was rapidly falling in love with the long coat the Doctor was wearing, and couldn't work out why he did have the slightest sign of exhaustion after all that running. Also, she was convinced she could hear something, actually lots of somethings, running down the tunnel, that sounded like… But that was impossible, wasn't it?
"Excellent!" enthused the Doctor with a smile that aggravated Vera's charisma sunstroke. And before Vera knew what was happening found herself half running and half being pulled down the platform back to the stairs.
"I… but my train…" At this point Vera was about to come to an abrupt stop and protest, probably including a release of the accumulated pent up frustration of the day (which would have taken quite some time) when a small ball of scintillating, coruscating light flew down the tunnel out towards them, suddenly veered just enough to miss Vera and the Doctor before going on to impact the wall where it vanished. And promptly made a very large hole, showering chunks of tile, rock and concrete all over the platform in a sound the likes of which Vera had never heard. At which point two things happened simultaneously. Vera suddenly remembered how to sprint (and very nearly overtook the Doctor) and she frowned. She could have sworn, that for a moment, just as the light appeared and started towards them, she saw….
As Doctor and Vera flew up the stairs, with a speed not even obtained by those who are about to miss the last train home, several more small balls of light flew out of the tunnel and added to the renovation prospects of the station. Turning the corner, the Doctor reached into his coat with his free hand and pulled out something.
What good is an otoscope, thought Vera, mainly because she needed all her breath to keep running, leaving her unable ask. Well, he was a Doctor, though this did not seem a sensible time for an examination, and despite the incredibly loud explosion a few moments ago, she was very hopeful her hearing was fine. After all she was still convinced she could hear all those…. Maybe a checkup was a good idea.
Strangely, rather than pointing it at Vera, he pointed it at what Vera always assumed where blast doors (though what sort of blasts the underground was exposed to had, until a few seconds ago, always escaped Vera). The otoscope glowed blue. Ahead of them the doors twitched and, with a reluctance that reminded Vera of getting out of bed in the morning, the crept towards one another.
The strange sounds the Vera's mind was desperately discounting as impossible, were growing louder and closer, and as Vera and the Doctor ran though the slowly closing gap, Vera caught a clear sight of the source of the sounds.
"DUCK!!!" shouted the Doctor throwing himself to the ground and pushing Vera down, just before several glittering balls flew past.
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