Doctor Who_ Nightshade - Mark Gatiss [104]
‘I want to test out a theory. Will you come with me, in the
‘See it?’
TARDIS? One last time?’
Ace craned her neck. ‘Oh yeah.’
Ace was taken aback. She looked over at Robin and then
‘Well, what’s that distance in light years?’
back at the Doctor. She owed it to him. ‘Er ... yeah. Yeah!
Ace grimaced. ‘Erm...’
Why not?’
‘There’s 3.259 light years to a parsec, or 19,160,000,000,000
The Doctor smiled and hurried over to Vijay and Cooper.
miles, so...’
Ace embraced Robin and kissed him fondly. ‘Won’t be
‘About three hundred and thirty light years?’
long. Promise.’
The Doctor smiled triumphantly. ‘About, yes, about. But He kissed her full on the lips, lingering for a long minute.
I’m willing to bet on another figure.’
‘Vijay,’ said the Doctor. ‘This nova of yours. What’s the Ace was intrigued. ‘What?’
distance from Earth?’
The Doctor pulled up sharp. ‘Three hundred and twenty-Vijay shrugged. ‘About a hundred and ten parsecs.’
four,’ he grinned.
The Doctor did a lightning calculation. ‘Of course!’
292
293
DOCTOR WHO: NIGHTSHADE
DOCTOR WHO: NIGHTSHADE
George Lowcock counted to ten and pushed at the floor The tertiary console room was just as they had left it. The plate. He looked around the darkened church. Starlight Doctor stepped over to the console and let his fingers flutter glinted off the fallen lectern. The place was utterly silent.
over the controls.
Lowcock threw back the floor plate and clomped his way Ace picked up Susan’s uniform and folded it neatly over up the steps from the crypt.
the mirror, smiling wanly to herself. The TARDIS had been He wandered down the aisle, conscious of the shadows her home for so long. The only real home she’d ever known, looming in every corner, and grasped a tall candle.
and now...
Fumbling in his pockets he produced a lighter and lit the
‘Aha!’ cried the Doctor. ‘I knew it. It’s travelling candle, holding it high above his head.
backwards in Time. Fingers crossed, we should be able to
‘Nothing,’ he whispered, then raised his voice so that the get there first.’
villagers in the crypt could hear him. ‘Nothing! They’re
‘Get where, Doctor?’
gone!’
The Doctor turned and his eyes were twinkling with Slowly, like shell-shock victims staggering from a bunker, mischief. ‘Why, Crook Marsham, of course.’
the residents of Crook Marsham filed from the vault, Ace frowned.
blinking bemusedly.
Jill ran straight over to Lowcock. ‘Are you sure?’
The night was warm and balmy. Campfires glowed Lowcock held up his hand. ‘Listen.’
distantly.
Jill pricked up her ears, expecting the tinkle of breaking
‘Captain!’
glass. But a gentle sound was struggling to make itself Phillip Jackson turned to the soldier behind him. The heard at the edge of her awareness. A low, repeated hoot.
fellow was pointing towards the castle.
‘It’s an owl,’ she whispered.
‘What is it?’
Lowcock smiled.
‘There’s someone there, sir. I swear it. Down there, by the gates.’
The Doctor patted the TARDIS affectionately and pushed the key into the lock.
The Doctor stepped from the TARDIS and looked around.
‘Have you back in two shakes,’ he said to Ace, pushing The night was pleasant, the air sweet. This was more like it.
open the door. Then he looked at her. ‘Thank you for Ace emerged behind him. ‘Where are we?’
coming with me.’
‘I told you. Crook Marsham.’
She smiled. ‘Least I could do.’
Ace looked at the imposing castle next to which the They went inside.
TARDIS had materialised. ‘When?’
‘Sixteen forty-four,’ said the Doctor.
Ace laughed in surprise.
294
295
DOCTOR WHO: NIGHTSHADE
DOCTOR WHO: NIGHTSHADE
The Doctor gazed up at the battlements. ‘The light from
‘The castle was destroyed by a mysterious fire!’ shouted the exploding star has taken three hundred and twenty-four the Doctor above the rising din.
years to get to Earth. Which means?’
‘This is it?’
‘Which means that it actually went nova in 1644!’ cried The Doctor nodded, beginning to run back to the TARDIS.
Ace delightedly. ‘You are devious, Doctor.’
A few moments