Menagerie - Martin Day [37]
Raitak nodded. 'That's the newest exhibit, my friend., Found in the same city as your good self.'
'Though there,' said Reisaz, 'the similarity ends.'
Zoe unclipped the rope that was held at waist height across the alcove, and dropped on to her knees to inspect the casket. 'It's quite advanced,' she said. 'The principle is simple enough, but the execution is perfect.'
'You're not supposed to touch the exhibits,' said Raitak.
'I wouldn't worry,' said Zoe. 'There's no power left in this thing. The creature will have died centuries ago.'
'Is it a coffin?' asked Reisaz.
'Not really,' said Zoe. 'This will put a creature to sleep.
Decades later, when it's needed, it can be woken up again.'
'And the creature is definitely dead?' asked Reisaz quietly.
Zoe stood up, wiping condensation from the glass that formed the top half of the cabinet. 'Almost certainly.' She stared down at the creature's talon-tipped arms and its rough, muscly hide. 'Some creatures could survive for centuries like this, but —'
There was a brief hum of power, and a 3D display sprang into life, showing a shallow graph of life readings and cryogenic integrity. Before even Zoe's well-ordered mind could take it all in the casket became silent again.
'Ah,' said Zoe, the concern in her voice making the twins instantly look up from the incredible machine. 'There is some energy left in the cells. It comes through in irregular bursts. This unit could have been working until fairly recently.'
'How?' asked Reisaz. 'I see no cables, hear no noise of engines.'
'A battery can hold on to energy and discharge it when required. It's a bit like . . .' Zoe glanced around for an example. 'Like your lamp. Unlike the circus light bulbs it can give off light for long periods of time.'
'I see,' said Reisaz. 'Is the coffin safe?'
'It's not the coffin that ought to worry us,' said Zoe. 'I'm not sure this creature is dead after all.'
Seven
With some difficulty the grating was pulled back. The Doctor squatted and peered down into the darkness. The suit protected him from the stench that for many years had so effectively prevented thorough exploration of the sewers. A glowing lantern — its naked flame covered to minimize the chance of an explosion - was passed to the Doctor. He swung it experimentally back and forth. Silver drips of water twinkled and then faded in the darkness of the concrete shaft. 'There's a metal ladder,' he announced. 'Not much else is visible for the moment. Shall we proceed?'
He turned to the knights, all of whom had now pulled their helmets into position. Only Himesor's height allowed the Doctor to differentiate him from his colleagues.
Himesor nodded, and indicated that he would descend first, the Doctor following close behind.
The Doctor found it difficult to grip the ladder through the thick gauntlets. The rusted metal was slippery with folds of green slime, and he almost fell as he began his descent.
Metal flaked away under his grip and fell past Himesor like scarlet shooting stars. Truth be told, the Doctor was glad that he couldn't see where they were going. He wasn't one for heights.
He risked another glance downwards to Himesor, who was already twenty feet below him. The Grand Knight was moving down the ladder with herculean exactitude, the lantern clipped into position on his belt. Above the Doctor, and doubtless impeded by his slow progress, came five more knights, most of whom also carried lanterns.
The Doctor's foot came off a half-broken rung. He wrapped both arms around the ladder while his boots fought for purchase on the ladder. Just as they did so his mind, confused by the darkness, made a sudden cognitive jump, and he seemed to spin dizzily through ninety degrees.
His neck and forehead were cold with sweat. In the terrible black silence gravity seemed no longer to exert a steady influence. One moment the Doctor felt that he was clambering along the underside of a roof; next, the blood seemed to rush to his head as, head-first like a spider, he negotiated a long strand of metal.