Doctor Who_ Nightshade - Mark Gatiss [93]
‘Had enough?’ he said.
this is the result.’ He gestured around at the scorched,
‘Now I know it’s not from space,’ she gestured at the disrupted ground.
steady pulse of data, ‘it’s not such a burning issue. I was Trevithick stepped forward. ‘Well, let’s see where it goes, giving myself a heart attack trying to make sense of it. Turns shall we?’
out to be just nonsense. This “thing” below us flooding the The cave floor began to dip almost immediately, leading systems.’
into a steep tunnel. The rock walls glistened with moisture.
Robin sensed her helplessness and felt sorry for her. It Holly wrinkled her nose. ‘Can you smell that?’
couldn’t be easy having so many of one’s certainties turned on their heads like that. He looked at the chattering consoles 260
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with interest and decided to engage Cooper in conversation, Ace grinned. ‘The Doctor taught me everything I know.’
preferably on a topic she was expert at. Almost guaranteed
‘Anyway, they’re very rare,’ Cooper continued. ‘One of to perk her up.
the reasons we’re here is to look for their remains. We call
‘And what’s that?’
them pulsars. A friend of Holly’s discovered the first one in He pointed to the small bank of monitors to Cooper’s left.
February.’
She smirked. ‘That, son, is the only thing we can get a fix on Ace sat down next to Robin, deciding to continue at the moment. Our own private nova.’
privately with her impressive monologue. ‘The iron core Robin chewed his thumb, struggling to recall his half-collapses and becomes so dense that the, that the...’
heard science lessons. ‘And that’s an exploding star, right?’
‘Atomic nuclei,’ called Cooper, without looking up. Ace Cooper nodded. ‘Mmm.’
smiled ruefully at Robin. “Those, anyway, are crushed Robin held up his hand and looked into space together. It spins on its axis and produces pulses which they thoughtfully. ‘So what’s the difference between that and a -
can detect with the telescope.’
what d’you call it - super nova?’
Robin grinned at her. ‘Right.’
Ace saw her chance. This was going to sound impressive.
‘Anything else you’d like to know?’ said Ace chirpily.
‘A supernova is...’ she hesitated, remembering one of the
‘Yes. How long you’ll be staying around.’
Doctor’s short but instructive lectures, ‘a supernova is an Ace’s face fell. She’d been expecting this moment. ‘Well...’
old star. Its centre gets hotter and hotter till it tries to burn Robin looked at her. ‘You said the Doctor wants to stop heavier elements...’
travelling. Settle down. Is he likely to do that here?’
‘Helium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon...’ added Ace shook her head. ‘He’s got universes to choose from.’
Cooper helpfully.
‘Any time, any place, any where. He’s not called Doctor Ace cast her eyes upwards, praying she wouldn’t forget.
Martini, is he?’
‘And finally iron,’ she said triumphantly.
Ace smiled sadly. ‘Anyway, I doubt he’ll choose
‘So?’ Robin shrugged.
Yorkshire in the late sixties.’
‘When the centre of a star is made of iron,’ said Cooper Robin shifted uncomfortably. She knew so much that he with mock gravity, ‘it has an energy crisis, because the wanted to know.
thermonuclear fusion of iron absorbs energy instead of
‘Tell me about the future, Ace. Will things be OK?’
releasing it.’
Ace frowned. ‘I can’t tell you that. It’s not fair. You’d be Ace knew that bit and was a little annoyed she hadn’t expecting things, or dreading them.’
been allowed to say so. ‘Anyway,’ she put in, before Cooper Robin took her hand. ‘Well, there is one way of making could steal any more of her thunder, ‘the star collapses like sure I just take things as they come.’
a house of cards and boom!’
Cooper smiled. ‘You’re remarkably well informed.’
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Ace looked at his serious expression, his thick black hair,
‘No. It’s me.’ Ace’s voice was indistinct through the hiss brilliant eyes and oh-so-delicious lips. ‘Stay with me,’ he of static. ‘Dr Cooper’s monitoring a slow build-up.