Doctor Who_ Nightshade - Mark Gatiss [91]
‘It’s coming from under the ground, not space,’ said Holly, slightest hesitation, the Sentience moved in for the kill.
triumphantly.
Vijay found Trevithick slumped in the corridor just The Doctor blinked. ‘Yes. Yes, that would make sense.’
outside the control room. He appeared to be asleep through Trevithick stepped forward. ‘Doctor, I’ve seen it. Down sheer exhaustion, his empty revolver gripped tightly in one there. You wouldn’t believe it. All the lower levels, full of hand.
light and.. .and...’ He stammered and shook his head.
Vijay was so delighted to find the old man alive that he
‘I’ve spoken to it,’ said the Doctor gravely.
kissed him, an action which roused Trevithick faster than
‘You’ve what?’ cried Vijay.
any smelling salts.
‘I don’t know what it is. I don’t even know if it’s alive in Hooking one of Trevithick’s arms around him, Vijay any sense we understand. It’s like a virus. Or a vampire.
carried the battle-weary actor into the control room where Feeding off energy.’
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Ace shot a look at the shattered window. ‘What happened
‘Exactly.’ The Doctor rose from his chair. ‘And the here?’
stronger your belief in it, the more powerful it becomes until Vijay smiled. ‘You wouldn’t like to know.’
you haven’t the will to deny it. And then it consumes you.’
Robin was also by the window, gazing at the boiling sky.
Robin thought of Betty. What had she seen? What was the
‘Doctor, I think you should see this.’
dreadful death he had condemned her to?
The Doctor appraised the violent heavens with one look
‘What can we do?’ he said at last.
and then turned back. ‘We’re running out of time. It’s
‘We have to fight it at source,’ declared the Doctor firmly.
spreading all over the moor.’
He turned to Trevithick. ‘Edmund, you said something
‘But what is it?’ insisted Cooper.
about the lower levels...’
‘I’ve told you, I don’t know!’ bellowed the Doctor, angrily.
‘There’s no need, Doctor,’ cried Vijay. ‘I think we’ve
‘I can’t have an answer for everything.’
found a more direct route downwards.’ The Doctor frowned.
Oh, that’s a good one, thought Ace.
The Doctor sat down. ‘It’s incredibly ancient. Older than Andrew Medcalfe jerked back from the window in the Earth itself. It runs through the planet.’
surprise. There was someone standing by the war memorial,
‘Like the letters in Blackpool rock?’ said Trevithick their face in deep shadow.
brightly.
He almost turned to call Lowcock. Everyone was The Doctor glared at him. ‘If you like.’
supposed to be inside the church. For their own good. He Cooper looked at the Doctor earnestly. ‘But all these almost turned.
incidents, ghosts...’
But then the figure raised its face and gazed directly into The Doctor’s voice was husky and exhausted. ‘My guess Medcalfe’s bleary old eyes.
is that, powerful as it is, it can’t feed directly. It needs Need
something to latch on to, to give it time to feed.’
The young man was wearing a knee-length trenchcoat
‘Memory?’ said Vijay.
and high boots. His hair and skin were fair, almost radiant, The Doctor nodded. ‘For the most part. Strong flushed with youthful vigour. He smiled warmly.
associations. Regrets. Desires. They’re formidable emotions.
‘John?’ whispered Medcalfe.
Think how one little thing can stir up a flood of nostalgia in John Cleminson.
all of us.’ He glanced down. ‘All of us.’
‘Like that French chap and his teacake!’ announced Need
Trevithick triumphantly.
Need
‘So the power of our emotion, our memory, summoned Need
these ghosts into being?’ whispered Holly.
The Sentience hissed with delight. Perfect.
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‘John?’ croaked Medcalfe in disbelief.
Need
His mind raced, unbidden, through the other names on The Sentience relished Lowcock’s contact and grew the memorial. So many friends.
stronger still.
Medcalfe backed away. There were others now, appearing Suddenly, there were faces crowding the window, out of the mist in a staggered