Cold Fusion - Lance Parkin [83]
Part Five
Breakthrough
13
Crossing the Line
The Doctor broke into a broad grin and began to raise his hat, turning to face them.
Although Adric had seen the ghosts on three previous occasions, this was the first time he’d been able to look at them properly. There were two of them and they were tall, a little more solid than before. Unlike his Doctor, this one seemed unafraid of them.
‘We are perfectly safe inside the circle,’ the Doctor said cheerily. The wind was howling around the chalk circle rather than through it. It was like being in the eye of a hurricane, or a diving bell.
The ghosts flickered towards them, growing larger and smaller with each step.
‘You stand in our way.’ The voice was soft, and like the wind it was all around them. It was a statement, not a threat.
‘Ferutu. I am the Doctor,’ the little man shouted over the roar of the wind. ‘As you’re not from round these parts, you won’t have heard of me. Know then that I am a representative of the High Council of the Time Lords.’
The taller of the two ghosts drifted forward, watching the Doctor carefully. It found that it couldn’t cross the chalk line and began to explore the extent of the invisible barrier. ‘You are known to me,’ it said, the whispers drifting effortlessly over the noise of the wind.
‘I am?’ the Doctor said, surprised. ‘Then you have the advantage of me.’
The expression on the angular face did not change, the mouth did not move. Adric realized that its companion, the other ghost, had disappeared at some point. ‘You do not know of us?’
The Doctor shook his head. ‘Nothing but this rune.’ He indicated the symbol he had drawn on the ground. ‘One of your kind drew it last night to anchor itself on this world.
It’s a binding symbol, isn’t it? I wish to learn more.’
‘Then I will show you.’ It reached out its hand. First, you must step from the circle.’
‘What assurance do I have that you will not destroy me.’
‘None.’
Adric grabbed the Doctor’s arm. The little man turned, and Adric saw that he was biting his lip. The wind was screaming around them like a flock of demons.
‘Step from the circle,’ the ghost repeated. The Doctor nodded and took the step. Wind tore through the Doctor’s clothes, forcing him to grab onto his hat. His jacket was whipping up, flapping as though it was trying to escape.
The Doctor held out his free hand. The ghost clasped it.
The very moment they touched, both the ghost and the Doctor began to fade into nothingness. Then they were gone and Adric was alone on the plateau, in the eye of the hurricane, holding the Doctor’s umbrella. The wind snapped off.
‘Thank you for not trying to stop me.’ The Adjudicator was staring into the glass dome, watching the lights dance around in a Brownian swirl.
Whitfield kept her expression neutral. ‘I am curious to see what you are doing. Besides, you are wearing bio-electronic augmented armour, and are clearly combat-trained, I am a fifty-nine-year-old scientist.
‘I’d try not to kill you,’ the woman assured her.
Whitfield smiled. ‘Are you really an Adjudicator?’
‘Of sorts. I stole this armour.’ She consulted her chronometer again, then pulled the lever back to its former position. The noise of the engines gradually died down.
‘One minute,’ Whitfield noted. ‘You activated the Machine for exactly one minute.’
‘Yes. And I’ll be doing the same in quarter of an hour. I thank you in advance for your co-operation.’
‘Bluerose bloom,’ said Whitfield.
‘I beg your -’ It was as if the woman had been grabbed from behind. She lost her grip on the holdall she was carrying, sank to her knees, gasped for breath.
‘My dear child,’ Whitfield began, ‘if you are an Adjudicator, you’ll know that they look after their property. And they set great store on crime prevention.
This is what they call an "immobilizer". All the joints have locked, the computer’s down, the radio’s down, you’re blind, and the air vents have closed. You’ve got about five minutes’ supply – as long as you don’t exert yourself.’
An armoured hand struggled to lift, the woman inside