Doctor Who_ The Bodysnatchers - Mark Morris [26]
'Of course,' said the Doctor graciously, and jumped up from his chair once again.'Shall we go?'
Seers led the way out of his office, back out on to the catwalk, and down the metal stairway to the factory floor. His employees seemed to be engrossed in their tasks as he passed by, but the Doctor could tell by the way they stood that not only were they aware of their employer's presence, they were also afraid of him.
The two men crossed the floor to the far side of the factory and came to a halt before a door that was barred and padlocked. Seers produced a heavy ring of keys on a chain that was attached to his waist.The keys clinked and jangled as he selected the right one and inserted it into the padlock.The padlock sprang open with a twist of the key. Seers removed both padlock and bar and pushed the door open.
Beyond the door the Doctor saw stone steps descending into blackness.
On the topmost step were several candles in simple brass holders and a box of matches. Seers squatted down on to his haunches, lit two of the candles, and thrust one roughly at the Doctor.
'Thank you,' said the Doctor, sounding as delighted as if Seers had given him a rare and precious gift.
The two men started down, holding their candles out in front of them at head height. The steps were a little slippery, the walls rough and cold to the touch. A gentle but chill breeze wafted up and over them from the depths below. From deeper still, beneath the building it seemed, the Doctor could hear the muffled gushing of water.As the two men descended, the yellow candlelight caused their gigantic shadows on the wall beside them to twitch and shudder, as if trying to tear themselves from the bodies that had cast them.
At last they reached the bottom of the steps and found themselves in a huge dank room with walls that glistened with moisture.The room was empty save for a few old barrels, some lengths of rotting timber, and several items of rusting machinery.
On the far side of the room, close to a large grating which, from its smell, presumably led down to the sewers, was an arch inset into a supporting stone wall, revealing only blackness beyond.
'What's through there?' asked the Doctor, the echo of his voice almost immediately dampened by the heavy atmosphere.
'Why don't you look for yourself, Doctor?' Seers's eyes glittered orange in the candle light.
The Doctor approached the arch, holding his candle out before him as he stepped through. Hallowe'en light bloomed in the darkness, slithering up the walls and across the ceiling and floor.
There was nothing to see. This room was smaller than its counterpart, little more than an alcove, in fact. Water dripped from the ceiling and trickled down the walls. There was another cluster of barrels in the corner, their wood dark green, spongy with rot.
The Doctor pursed his lips thoughtfully, then went back into the main room where Seers was waiting for him. The flickering light from his candle transformed his face into that of a bloodless ghoul.
'Are you satisfied, sir?' Seers asked, clearly intimating that he had far better things to do.
'Rarely,' murmured the Doctor, and looked around again. There was something very wrong here. Perhaps not here specifically, but in the factory.
He sighed and said, 'Your basement seems to be devoid of secrets, Mr Seers. Obvious ones, at least.'
'Covert ones also, I hope you'll agree. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a great many business concerns to attend to.' Seers gestured towards the steps.
'Of course,' the Doctor conceded, and began to move across the room.
Suddenly he stopped and stamped his foot down hard on the floor.
'Whatever are you doing, sir?' Seers asked impatiently.
'Testing your foundations,' said the Doctor, and smiled. 'You know, Mr Seers, they seem perfectly sound to me.'
***
After the Doctor had