Doctor Who_ The Hollow Men - Keith Topping [84]
Hatch spun around, his eyes ablaze. „What dost thou know of Jack i‟ the Green?‟ he asked, his voice guttural and rough.
„Not as much as I‟d like to,‟ said the Doctor. „I‟d really like to meet him. Could you arrange that?‟
„Old Jack don‟t be needing the likes of „ee,‟ said Hatch.
„Are you all right, Matt?‟ asked Bevan.
Hatch turned his head slowly towards his friend. „Fine,‟ he said in his own voice. „Why do you ask...?‟
‘Jack,‟ said the Doctor. Hatch‟s attention snapped back to him. „I want to talk to Jack. Are you Jack?‟
„I am he, and he is me...‟
„...and we are all together,‟ continued the Doctor.
„Don‟t play games,‟ said Hatch. „I have the cure, Doctor.‟
„What are you talking about?‟ shouted Denman, but the Doctor shushed him to silence.
The cure?‟
„The final obliteration of Jack‟s taint,‟ said Hatch, as though that explained everything.
„The people of Hexen Bridge cannot reproduce outside of that environment,‟ stated the Doctor. „And you‟ve isolated the mutated gene that controls that.‟
Hatch smiled. „We took genetic material and ova from Rebecca, made certain changes to the DNA, and synthesised a serum.‟
„So you‟ll be able to fill the world with little Hatches?‟
queried the Doctor. „I‟m delighted for you, if somewhat horrified for everyone else.‟
„You don‟t understand. Sterility is only part of the problem.‟
Hatch tapped the side of his head. „We humans have so much potential up here that we simply do not use.‟ He smiled a grey smile. „Like Jack, I abhor waste.‟
„And the drug we saw in the water supply in Liverpool liberates untapped psychic ability,‟ said the Doctor.
„Yes. We‟ve combined a concentrated version of that drug with the new serum.‟
„You mustn‟t use it,‟ said the Doctor. „Jack will destroy you.‟
„Doctor,‟ said Hatch softly. „You‟re making a habit of being too late. I took the drug ten minutes before you arrived. I now have the power of the universe flowing through me!‟
There was a sudden crackle in the air, like the release of static electricity. The Doctor‟s skin felt prickly and hot.
„You‟ve used alien technology,‟ he said.
There were worried looks on the faces of Trevor and Denman, and even Slater was relaxing his grip on the knife.
The vibration increased until it began to pound like an industrial piston. The air around Hatch was glowing. His skin was a spectral pale, his eyes burning fire across the room and into the Doctor‟s mind.
‘I am he and he is me.’
The others fell to their knees, clutching their heads, screaming. Rebecca Baber thrashed wildly against her restraints, her eyes bulging.
The Doctor resisted for as long as he could, his face a mask of pain. By the time he crumpled to the floor, overwhelmed by the assault, Denman, Trevor, Slater, Rebecca and Bevan had long since succumbed to Hatch‟s power.
The humming died away. Hatch stepped over the bodies and walked out of the room.
PART FOUR
MAD JACK’S EYES
CHAPTER 13
THE VACANT ZONE
Ace threw herself at the scarecrow, dragging it away from Joanna. Her fingers dug deep into the creature‟s eye sockets, stabbing into the cloth and the rotting vegetation beneath. At least, that‟s what Ace told herself it was. When she pulled her hand free, her fingers were wet and coloured reddish-brown.
In the car, Joanna was screaming. Steven stood rooted to the spot, his mouth hanging open.
Ace rolled free of the scarecrow, aiming a kick up at the creature‟s head. There was a satisfying thump of impact - Ace imagined the brain rolling around inside the cloth-covered head - and the creature stumbled backward, arms flailing.
Ace looked down the road. More scarecrows, cross shapes against the rising sun, were lumbering slowly towards them.
Joanna was babbling hysterically.
„Get her out of the car!‟ shouted Ace.
„Then what?‟ asked Steven.
„Run!‟
They ran.
A hundred yards down the road, Ace looked back. The scarecrows had stopped beside their fallen colleague, pulling the creature to its feet. It was an almost pathetic sight.
Ace grinned. Then she remembered that she was being chased through an English