Doctor Who_ Hope - Mark Clapham [12]
Look on the bright side, said Fitz. Humanity could have evolved into yicky insect creatures, something gross like that.
On the down side, countered Anji, were among people who regard us as their inbred yokel cousins.
Great, said Fitz enthusiastically. Its been a while since Ive played the banjo. He whistled a twangy redneck tune while playing airbanjo.
Anji laughed. Still, Id quite like to get out of here. Freezing to death in a polluted wasteland isnt my idea of fun.
It isnt just the city thats cold, said the Doctor quietly. It isnt even just the planet. Its the universe as a whole. I pushed the TARDIS too far, well past the point when the finite amount of energy in the universe has become too dispersed, where existence itself is beginning to wind down and die out. He pointed up at the sky it was a purely dramatic gesture, as none of them could see anything but a persistent smog. Out there stars are dying, entropy is setting in. We shouldnt be here.
Thanks for the cheery thought, Doctor, thought Anji. She felt even colder now, thinking of that increasingly lifeless universe. Only a short time ago she wouldnt have been concerned by the big picture like that, by distant star systems and faraway futures. Now she had only just begun to explore the universe, discovering places and times far away from twentyfirstcentury Earth. The universe seemed new to her, young and fresh. She didnt want to see it old and dying.
As they emerged from between the tenements Anji realised that the sloping path had gradually led them several storeys up, to a viewpoint that allowed them a broader view of Hope.
People live here? asked Fitz, amazed.
Anji could see what he meant. Hope was a shanty town of tremendous proportions, buildings leaning in on each other, towers and walkways welded on to the side of already haphazardlooking constructions, patchwork, uneven walls of different metals, bits of what looked like vehicles of some kind broken up and made part of the fabric. Smokestacks and wind turbines pierced the sky, ladders and bridges cut across everywhere. It was a maze built over a web built over anarchy. And, although it was the dead of night, Anji could see people moving around; walking over bridges, lowering themselves on ropes and chains, even swinging by in treacherouslooking cable cars.
Its beautiful, she said, almost to herself. In a really ugly way.
I agree, said the Doctor, and Anji turned to see the new day reflected in his eyes, his old enthusiasm slightly restored. He was smiling, eyes narrowed as he looked out across the city. Perhaps he was thinking of the complexity of it all, thought Anji, thinking of the new places and people that could be hidden in such a city. The Doctor was nothing if not restless, eager for new experiences.
What are we waiting for? said Fitz. Lets find someone who can show us the best places around here.
Fitz wasnt too impressed with Hope so far, although it showed signs of getting more exciting. The place was built out of rubbish, the mood pretty grim and the people little more than humans with funny skin and no hair. Or perhaps Fitz was just getting horribly blasé about the whole spacetimetravel thing. As they walked out on to a discshaped platform suspended between four pylons, Fitz got the distinct feeling that things were about to get more interesting. They seemed to be entering some kind of market square, with dozens of shacklike stalls open for business. Food was being served from great vats, while mechanical components and weapons of all kinds were being sold, the only common factor being the rough condition of the items. Heat and light