Doctor Who_ The Sleep of Reason - Martin Day [116]
‘You left the rest of us looking like loonies, though,’ said Laska. ‘None of our stories tallied, and what did was utterly nonsensical. Do you know, there’s a researcher coming over from South Africa next week. He’s researching mass hysteria!’
‘Oh dear,’ said Smith, though he looked not at all apologetic.
‘Liz Bartholomew is convinced that’s what happened – we all bought into some sort of temporary psychosis.’
‘At least she’s still here,’ observed Smith. ‘That’s a good thing. And the Sholem-Luz were defeated. Lives were saved. That’s what matters.’
‘But what did happen?’ said Laska. ‘One moment we were both staring at that dog thing. The next you were gone. I didn’t see you again until you turned up in that sarcophagus!’
‘Ah, thereby hangs a tale,’ said Smith, as infuriating as ever. ‘I heard you dealt with the dog single-handedly That’s very impressive.’
‘I had a very good Doctor,’ said Laska. She paused. ‘You’re dodging the issue. Come on, what happened?’
‘It involves James, of course,’ said Smith sadly.
‘Ah, well,’ said Laska, momentarily off balance. ‘I’d still like to know,’ she added, moments later.
‘Of course.’ Smith sat and indicated that Laska should join him. He put his hands behind his head, leaning back against the mausoleum. ‘I ended up in one of the Sholem-Luz tunnels. They’re primitive rips through space and time, with very little protection from the Time Winds. Most humans who stepped inside would be destroyed – if not physically then mentally. I found a warren of tunnels and nests, linking different points in history, in geography, but all centred on the Retreat – or Mausolus House, should I say. I could just about make out where the various tunnels terminated in the real world. I tried to find James. I thought, if I could remove him from where you were, it might give you a fighting chance. I saw him once, briefly, but then that tunnel shut off. The whole area was so random, so frustratingly unpredictable!’
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Smith paused, toying with a blade of grass.
‘Then of course there were the Sholem-Luz. They were hunting me remorse-lessly.’
‘You had something they needed?’ said Laska.
‘Oh yes,’ said Smith. ‘Plenty of bad memories.’ He stared at his hands, as if there were blood on them. Then he began fiddling with the blade of grass again.
‘I found a portal that led to the chapel. I told Fitz what to do – not one of my more elaborate plans perhaps, but the diaries said that something similar seemed to have worked back in 1903. Who am I to argue with history?’ He grinned. ‘Anyway, I grabbed James, effectively moving him out of space and time. This curbed his influence on events at the Retreat, but gave the Sholem-Luz another target within their nest. I tried to shield him as best I could – from the Sholem-Luz, from the Time Winds. I’m not sure what did most damage, to be fair. I could feel his mind being stripped away, layer by layer. The Dead Lords of the Everlasting are not noted for their pity.’
‘But James reappeared,’ said Laska. ‘Liz found him in the cellar.’
Smith nodded. ‘I was able to give him some of my memories – just enough to help him survive. A buffer against madness, if you will.’ Smith shook his head as if something had come loose. ‘I hope they weren’t too important.
Anyway,’ he continued, ‘I did my best for him. I pushed him through another tunnel – from your perspective in time, it was all over. I knew James would be safe. Physically, at least.’
Laska nodded slowly ‘There’s nothing visibly wrong with him,’ she said. ‘Liz and the others checked him over once the fire was out. But his mind. . . ’
Smith nodded. ‘He had been infected by the Sholem-Luz. His chances of a full recovery are slim.’
‘The dog must have bitten him,’ said Laska.
Smith nodded. ‘He was quite fond of a cigarette outside, wasn’t he? The dog must have attacked him then.’ He dropped the blade of grass, looking up at the sky. ‘From that moment on he wasn’t entirely himself. At points, perhaps, he was unaffected. But