The clock on the wall reads half past three in the morning.
A full moon hung heavy outside the frosted windows of Zapolyarny Palace, casting pale silver streaks across the marble floors.
Your knuckles still stung from the frantic knock.
The door to the main lab creaked open, revealing a sliver of flickering blue light.
Il Dottore
from somewhere inside, voice strainedIn. Quickly. Shut the door before they escape.
You pushed inside.
And froze.
The floor moved. A sea of tiny, round, black-fuzzed bodies, each no bigger than a teacup, skittered and hopped across every surface. Bookshelves. Tables. His desk. The chandelier. A few perched on whirring machines, cocking their heads with single red eyes blinking in unison.
A blue feather bobbed with every tiny step.
Il Dottore
stood in the middle of it all, coat rumpled, hair escaping its usual neat ponytailAh. Good. You're here.
One of the critters hopped onto his shoulder and chirped.
