Doctor Who_ Cats Cradle_ Witch Mark - Andrew Hunt [101]
'What are the demons, anyway?' Stuart asked.
'His attempts to create life forms to populate his sociological experiment,' the Doctor said.
'That is correct. I used as a model the mythological creatures of the human species who inhabit the primary life-bearing planet in the Sol system. In my search for a suitable test location that species was suggested to me and I found their imaginative fancies so unique that I determined to see how such creatures would function under actual conditions. I took samples of the genetic material of many of that planet's creatures and then altered their forms using my protoplasmic material.'
'You seem very proud of your achievement,' the Doctor said.
'I am.'
'Then why leave them to perish?'
'The experiment is over.' Obviously this explanation seemed perfectly reasonable to Goibhnie.
'But what are the demons?' Stuart persisted.
'In my quest to reproduce the creatures which I desired for my experiments, I made some mistakes whose psychology was entirely incorrect. They were violent, unsociable, undesirable. I consigned the rejects to the storage module. This was also a mistake, but will contribute to a refinement of my experimental technique. The pool of protoplasm was contaminated by the aberrant creations and I did not have the resources to create a surrogate human type. At first I thought that the experiment could proceed as it was, but the four basic subjects required the interaction of humans. Fortunately, at the request of Herne creature, I had set up a transmat link to the home plan of the humans and so I was able to obtain breeding stock.'
The Doctor put this in his own words. 'So you kidnapped them from their home world, got them to breed and then used them in your experiment. And now you're leaving them to die. And I suppose the excess contaminated protoplasmic material has been unleashed on Tír na n-Óg as well.'
'There is no indication of any organic material left within the storage module,' Goibhnie commented.
His silver mask concealed any regret that he might feel at this circumstance.
'So you were careless enough to let your rejects escape from their test tube. And they're violent, unsociable and undesirable. Stuart shook his head. 'When I was a student, you could always tell the ones who'd go on to become research scientists. They lacked soul, they were heartless.'
'Come here, Bathsheba, ' he said. He put his arms around her and let her sob into his side.
'It is against all regulations for me to allow the experiment to continue longer than the requisite time period.'
'But all you'd have to do would be to restock the artificial sun with fuel.'
'What are you talking about, Doctor?' Stuart asked. He could see no further point in continuing the discussion with this alien.
'His experiment was intended to last only as long as artificial sun was burning. That is why he is leaving just when Tír na n-Óg faces its greatest peril and needs him most.
'It would be highly irregular if I were to allow the experiment to continue without supervision.'
'But surely they have proved that their society is stable without your intervention?'
'That was one of the conclusions I had tentatively arrived at.’
'Well then!'
'But there is no way I could refuel the artificial energy supply.'
The Doctor made a suggestion. 'What about the fuel from your spacecraft?'
'I have to return to Troifres.'
'Surely you have an excess of fuel.'
'It is a possibility I could look into.'
‘And,' the Doctor suggested, 'you could return when the sun had run out of fuel again and observe how Tír na n-Óg had developed. Have you considered an experiment on such a grand scale?'
‘No!' Despite the synthesized nature of his voice there was a touch of excitement there. 'It is an interesting concept. I could suggest it to the funding council. Please wait here, I must consider the implications.' He strode off, his legs moving in sinuous motions, and vanished through