Doctor Who_ Nightshade - Mark Gatiss [64]
room. He nodded to each of them and put down his pile of Lawrence nodded dumbly and allowed himself to be led books on a bench.
from his chair to the door. Lowcock turned to Medway and
‘Ah, good,’ cried Cooper, joining him.
Trevithick. ‘I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.’ He tipped
‘Steady signals,’ said the Doctor, casting a glance at the his hat and helped Lawrence outside to the car.
console screens.
Medway looked at Trevithick rather uncomfortably. ‘I...
‘Yes, but not from the nova. Something else.’
er ... I seem to have come at a rather bad time.’
‘A build-up of some kind. As if it were gaining strength.’
Trevithick chuckled. ‘You can say that again.’
‘As if what were gaining strength?’ said Vijay, looking up.
‘Of course, I won’t detain you any further. We’ll arrange
‘That’s what we have to find out.’
to meet some time in the New Year.’
He sat down in a swivel chair and cleared his throat. ‘I Trevithick stood up and pushed the whiskey bottle think it’s time we examined a few facts.’
towards the newcomer. ‘Nonsense,’ he cried, pulling two Holly rose from her chair and sat next to Vijay, allowing glasses from the bar. ‘I won’t hear of it.’
his arm to snake around her shoulders.
Medway looked at the bottle gingerly. The old boy was
‘Go on,’ said Cooper, folding her arms.
probably half cut already. ‘Well, I’ll help if I can.’
‘Firstly, this station is not the only thing to occupy this site.
‘That’s it exactly,’ said Trevithick, a little unsteadily. He There was quarry work here, thousands of years ago, and a felt in his pocket for the old army service revolver which he twelfth-century castle too. The castle was unoccupied for had retrieved from his room. He was rather glad, now, that most of its life because it was reputed to be haunted.’
he had bothered to keep it in good condition. That creature
‘Oh come on, Doctor. We have enough problems in the wouldn’t catch him napping again.
material world ...’ began Cooper.
‘First of all,’ he said to Medway, ‘you can sit there and The Doctor held up his hands. ‘Bear with me, bear with listen. I want to tell you what’s been going on...’
me. During the English Civil Wars, the castle was occupied Vijay was having trouble concentrating. Every few by a small troop of Cavaliers who saw something that minutes he would cast an anxious glance across the control terrified them. Afterwards, the castle was destroyed by fire.
room to where Holly was sitting, seemingly absorbed in her
‘In 1919, an archaeological expedition was launched, work. Vijay suspected that she was just functioning ostensibly to dig up the ancient quarry. But it was automatically in order to blot out her recent experiences.
abandoned after several prominent members disappeared.’
Cooper was running around the room like a thing Cooper harrumphed. ‘I still don’t see what you’re getting possessed, ruffling her hair perplexedly as fresh data came at.’
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DOCTOR WHO: NIGHTSHADE
‘I would’ve dismissed this stuff as superstition just as
‘Well, what is he trying to suggest? That we’re being readily as you were it not for some striking parallels. Two plagued by demons?’
people have died, that much we know. A third, Dr
‘Look, Tom, we’ve all been under a lot of stress...’
Shearsmith, is missing. Mrs Yeadon at The Shepherd’s Cross Hawthorne stalked across the room, eyes blazing. ‘No!
has been confined to bed after claiming to see her brother’s I’m sorry, Dr Cooper, but I think I’ve been quiet too long.
ghost. Miss Kidd’s experience we all know about.’
We let this - this person and his freakish friend waltz in here Cooper turned to Holly kindly. ‘Holly’s been working without so much as a by-your-leave! Within five minutes very hard...’
he’s telling us what to do...’
‘I know what I saw!’
‘Story of my life,’ said the Doctor.
‘So do I,’ said Vijay.
‘And now,’ roared Hawthorne, ‘now you’re sitting here Cooper bit her lip and changed tack. ‘You said parallels?’
listening to him tell ghost