Doctor Who_ Alien Bodies - Lawrence Miles [108]
The Shift had also summoned up a chair, and it sat as well, still facing the other way. ‘I’VE BEEN DOING MY BEST TO SABOTAGE THE AUCTION, IF THAT’S WHAT YOU MEAN.’
‘You were the one who attacked Marie, I’d guess. And keep your voice down.’
‘Yes,’ said the Shift. ‘Or, more accurately, I convinced Marie to attack herself. I don’t have any physical influence, you understand. I can only deal in ideas. Abstracts. I introduced Marie to the concept of paranoia, and her weapons systems did the rest.’
‘What about Homunculette? I know he’s a bag of nerves, but he doesn’t strike me as psychotic. He attacked Cousin Justine with a monkey-wrench, and I don’t think that’s his style at all.’
The Shift nodded. A table appeared by its side, complete with teapot and cup. It started pouring itself a drink. ‘I find the idea of revenge particularly easy to work with. Pushing Homunculette over the edge wasn’t hard. I’ve accomplished more than that, though. I’ve been quite subtle, in my own way. Little Brother Manjuele’s attempt to steal the Relic, for example.’
‘Your idea?’
‘Cousin Justine’s idea. But I made it possible. I encouraged Lieutenant Bregman to violate the Faction’s shrine. I put her in a position where Manjuele could take a biodata sample. And when the Faction finally tried to steal the Relic, I made you think that telling everyone about it was a good idea.’
‘You’ve been trying to turn the other bidders against each other,’ said the Doctor. ‘With them out of the way, you think you can take the Relic without any resistance.’
‘Obviously. Of course, I could try to kill the others directly. I could insert myself into their creative centres, encourage a few imagination tumours here and there. But there’s always a risk of failure with that kind of direct action. And a risk of discovery. I find it much easier to deal with people by getting them to kill each other off.’
That explained a lot. Ever since the Doctor had arrived in the ziggurat, he’d been suffering erratic mood swings, even tendencies towards extreme violence. He’d assumed it had been something to do with the chemistry of his latest incarnation. But if the Shift had been at work inside his head, that would explain things much more neatly. Or was he trying to duck the responsibility?
The Shift slurped its tea. ‘I know who you are, Doctor. I’ve known almost from the moment you arrived. Technically, I can’t read your thoughts, but there are more than enough loose concepts on the surface of your mind to give you away.’
‘And my being here doesn’t bother you?’
‘No. I think you overestimate yourself.’
‘If you believed that, you wouldn’t be so keen on getting hold of my body,’ the Doctor responded. Touché. ‘Tell me, what do the Celestis want with the Relic?’
‘I’m not sure. You’d have to ask the Celestis.’ The Shift paused, then put down his teacup. Cup and table both promptly disappeared. ‘Oh, I see. I think you’re labouring under a misapprehension, Doctor. I’m not working for the Celestis.’
Now, that was a surprise. ‘Not the Celestis? Then who are you working for?’
‘Ah. In the present company, I don’t think I should mention any names. Suffice to say that I’m in the employ of those you might call “the enemy”.’
The Doctor nearly fell off his chair. Or, more accurately, he nearly stopped concentrating for long enough to make the chair vanish. He caught himself at the last moment.
‘The enemy? You mean, the ones the Time Lords...’
‘...are at war with. Yes. Frankly, Mr Qixotl should have known better than to invite both myself and Mr Homunculette to the auction. I know Qixotl isn’t exactly ethical, but I would have expected some degree of common sense from him, at least.’
The Doctor actually found himself scratching his head. ‘But Qixotl told me about the way the Celestis work. They operate on a conceptual level, the same way you do. I assumed both you and they were products of the same science.’
‘We are. I was “created”, if we have to use that word, by the technology of the Celestis. To be more specific, the technology