Doctor Who_ Empire of Death - BBC Worldwide [56]
The two men joined the others, bracing their feet against the wooden floor of the pontoon and leaning backwards to create greater leverage. Vollmer filled his lungs with air before screaming out the order. 'Pull! Pull! Pull!'
Extract from Observations and Analysis, A Journal: The Doctor had pulled a fistful of components from beneath the central console and was wiring them directly into the dematerialisation circuits. 'I'm trying to impose a dimensional buffer on to the rift,' he explained. 'When throw the dematerialisation switch, the TARDIS will redirect that energy to where the weakness in the continuum is most prevalent. It will expunge any matter that has crossed over from the other side of the rift'
That would have the same effect on anyone from Earth inside the rift, I knew, pulling them back to this side. But even if the Doctor succeeded, he ran the risk of burning Alt half the circuits in the TARDIS. We would be stranded on Earth until they could be repaired. When I put my assessment to him, he nodded grimly.
`That's the best-case scenario, yes'
Ànd the worst-case?'
Èxplosive decompression of time and space within these walls. The old girl would tear herself apart, taking us with her.
The effects would be limited to the TARDIS interior, so the other passengers on the train are safe' The Doctor finished his rewiring. 'If you want to leave now, I would understand.
You don't have to share the risk with me'
I shook my head and smiled. 'Right now this is the closest place I've got to a home. So - what do you need me to do?'
The Doctor indicated three dials on a console unit. 'Those readings will indicate the degradation propensity of the buffer.
All three must be equal when I finish the dematerialisation or else - well, let's just say all three must be equal'
I nodded my understanding and wished him good luck.
He smiled. 'And to you. Here goes!' He began the dematerialisation process. The central column began to rise and fall, but its familiar wheezing, groaning sound was absent. Instead the TARDIS started to scream.
Hawthorne and Johnson had retreated a safe distance from the corpse, the younger soldier's fingers scrambling across the beads of a rosary, his prayers tumbling out in breathless succession. 'Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace...’
`Hush a minute,' Hawthorne urged. 'I can't hear myself think with you giving it hosanna all the time' Johnson ignored him, just repeating the same words over and over. Eventually Hawthorne slapped the beads from Johnson's hands to get his attention. 'I said shut up, Nicholas! I'm trying to listen!'
Johnson picked up the beads but did not resume praying.
Instead he leaned closer to the other soldier. 'Listen to what?'
`Breathing. I thought I could hear Lieutenant Ashe breathing' They both fell silent, straining to catch any sound.
A tiny whisper crept back to them.
`Daisy? Is that you, Daisy? I didn't mean to hurt you'
Hawthorne could feel a chill snake down his spine, shivers trembling his hands. The voice, it was that of Lieutenant Ashe. Hawthorne looked sideways at Johnson, who just nodded. He could also hear the voice, it seemed.
`Daisy? Please, you must forgive me. I just wanted to be your friend'
`Who the hell is he talking to?' Johnson whispered.
Ì don't know,' Hawthorne said. 'I didn't know corpses could kick, let alone talk. Maybe that undertaker was right. Maybe this place is cursed. Must be if it can scare people to death and then bring them back to life again'
`Daisy, you don't understand!' Ashe's voice was getting louder now, becoming increasingly querulous. 'I didn't know there