Doctor Who_ Hope - Mark Clapham [48]
I am from the year 3006, he said eventually, turning to Anji with an enquiring expression, as if he expected her to have some response.
Im afraid thats rather after my time, she replied. I left Earth in 2001, and the year 3006 isnt one Ive dropped into on the way here.
Although Anji couldnt be sure, she would have sworn Silver looked briefly relieved. But if he had such feelings, or feelings at all, he covered them up fast.
Time travel, said Silver, as if savouring the words. I have only experienced it once, when I travelled from my native time to this one. The freedom must be incredible.
As free as swimming in an ocean, replied Anji. During a storm.
Silver laughed a deep, metallic chuckle. In spite of herself, Anji found she was laughing with him.
It occurred to me, said the Doctor, that our killer must have a purpose in the acquisition of the heads he takes from his victims. Now, presuming that we are not dealing with a ritualistic killer and all the patterns would indicate we are not then there must be something within those heads that is of use to the perpetrator.
Fitz stuck his hand up. The Doctor raised an eyebrow.
Memories? asked Fitz. The victims might all have seen something, and the killer might need those memories.
Good idea, very good, said the Doctor, and Fitzs chest swelled with pride. Good, but it wouldnt make any sense. So disparate are the victims that I doubt they could have any useful shared recollections our killer would need to gather. Besides, our killer seems to have a gift for observing the areas he inhabits. Im sure such a stealthy individual would be able to gain access to anything our victims had seen if he needed to.
Fitz shrugged a whatever and sank back into his chair.
I was certain the answer was more basic, said the Doctor. Something biological. Now, Endpoints medical records are sketchy at best, but I spent the night going through as much of the available research as I could get my hands on. And I found one characteristic unique to Endpointers, a physiological oddity that might explain our killers head obsession.
The Doctor stepped back and inserted a new slide into the projector. A crude crosssection diagram appeared of what looked to Fitz like a human head. An area towards the bottom of the brain had been coloured in a rich golden yellow.
This, said the Doctor. Is the vivactic gland, which research indicates floods the body of an Endpointer with a unique hormonechemical cocktail, referred to by most medical experts asKallisti .
Miraso shrugged. So what? she said. Powlin seemed equally confused as to the relevance of this. For his part, Fitz had no idea what any of them were going on about.
You may well consider the vivactic gland to be as common as a heart or lungs, said the Doctor. But I assure you it is not common at all. No other species I have encountered has such a gland, which seems to have evolved as a direct and strong response to the harshness of the Endpoint environment. Kallisti makes Endpointers stronger, faster, more resistant to poisons. It increases your healing capacities. To be quite honest, I suspect that it isnt an evolutionary product at all, but the result of smart geneware responding to extreme conditions. Perhaps that geneware was implanted by your ancestors. Perhaps it was the result of humanity crossbreeding with a heavily genetically reengineered species. Nevertheless, the result is the same. Any other species with military ambitions would kill, probably kill in the millions, to produce their own vivactic glands. Now, past research shows the gland withers rapidly when removed from the brain, that Kallisti breaks down in contact with air and becomes useless, impossible to analyse. A researcher would need fresh samples of the vivactic gland, preferably still inside the heads of the donors.
The Doctor pulled a chair over and sat down, waiting for a response to his theory.
So, asked Powlin eventually, who would want to perform this research? All Endpointers