Doctor Who_ Interference_ Book Two - Lawrence Miles [73]
Guest had ordered the Doctor to materialise the TARDIS on the top floor of the tower, right underneath the media. He wasn’t sure why. Some impulse, some buried memory that had almost got itself lost over the generations, had told Guest that if he wanted to find the Cold, then this was where he had to start.
When Guest stepped out of the TARDIS, the Doctor was staring up at the media globe, his one good arm behind his back. Kode hovered by the TARDIS doors, the gun still pressed to his own neck. The Ogron was skulking nearby, keeping well out of the way.
Down on the ground, the people were still arranging themselves around the archways, defending the walls of the building. There was the screeching of fighter engines from somewhere in the distance.
‘It’s a component from a TARDIS,’ the Doctor declared, not bothering to look down at Guest.’Or something a lot like a TARDIS. Part of a translevel communications system, I think. Telepathic circuits and all. Did the Faction leave it there?’
‘I seem to remember it that way,’ Guest told him. Careful, he thought. Never tell a Time Lord more than you have to.
‘And now we’re off to see the Cold. Is that it?’
‘Yes. To release the Cold into this universe.’
The Doctor shook his head. ‘That may not be a very good idea. I’m not sure what this Cold of yours is, but if what you’ve said is true it’s probably better off staying outside N-space. I know the story Guest. I know about the things Rassilon let into the universe, before the start of the official history. I’ve even met a few of them. Vampires, and worse. If the Cold’s in the same kind of league…’
‘Rassilon let a lot of things into the universe,’ Guest countered. ‘Not all of them were hostile. The Cold only wanted to spread its own word across our universe. To send its signals to any of us who might want to listen. While the monsters were swarming over the Time Lords’ colonies, the Cold was still on the outer planes, getting ready to make its move into our continuum. Rassilon stopped up the holes before it could come through. It’s all in the history. It’s all in the transmissions. And I promise you, the Cold isn’t dangerous. It’s just a loa.’
At last, the Doctor looked at him. The Time Lord’s eyes flashed in the neon light of the transmission tower, a colour that could almost but not quite be described as blue.
‘If you open a hole into the universe next door, you won’t let just the Cold through,’ he said. ‘There’ll be other things. Things utterly inimical to life. Things that’ll try to kill us all.’
‘No. There’s a special pathway, directly between the Cold and our world. Only the Cold can manifest itself. Nothing else.’
‘A pathway? What kind of pathway?’
Guest considered the question for a moment, then finally decided to tell the truth. ‘I don’t know. I can’t remember. Doctor… I only want to reach the Cold. To let my people reach the Cold. Because it’s in my nature, because it’s in every part of me, to complete the mission objective.’
‘But you don’t know why,’ the Doctor insisted. ‘You’ve got reasons, but you don’t understand them. You really are a television zombie, aren’t you?’
‘Let me finish,’ Guest protested. ‘I don’t have any interest in terrorising the universe, and neither does the Cold, I’m sure. Even the Faction didn’t have anything to gain by starting another war between the Time Lords and the outer planes. We’re going to free our loa. Then… we’ll leave Earth alone. I promise.’
‘And can you keep your promises?’ the Doctor asked.
‘It’s in my principles to.’
‘Ah.’
Guest heard Kode clear his throat. ‘Can we get on with this now?’ the boy asked. ‘My neck’s starting to hurt.’
Guest nodded, and turned. ‘You’re right. It’s time we were leaving. The Cold’s waited long enough.’
‘I won’t do it, you know,’ said the Doctor. His voice was low, but Guest could hear it even over the sound of screaming voices and screaming fighters. ‘I can’t be party to this. It’s against my principles. Even if Kode tries to kill himself, I