The Doctor smiled at her, with pride. “I knew you’d work it out. Yes, sea water. Somehow it’s getting through, getting through the shell or the skin of the bubble these people live in. And it’s happening more often… Imagine if something cracked the shell beyond repair. This place would flood – fill with water…”
Yaz shuddered. It didn’t bear thinking about. “So what’s causing it?”
“Not sure yet,” the Doctor said. “Lots more questions yet. Ash,” she said, more loudly, “your dad sounds like he has his head screwed on the right way. Can we meet him?”
The light in Ash’s eyes dimmed. “He’s gone,” she said, sadly.
“Oh, Ash, I’m sorry,” said the Doctor.
“What happened to him?” said Yaz.
“Nothing happened,” said Ash. “He… he went away.”
“Where to?” Yaz said.
“I don’t know,” Ash said, sadly. “He’d given up trying to make people listen to him. He said he had to go and find proof of what was happening – something that would make people sit up and listen. He and some friends left – nearly two hundred days ago. He could be anywhere. Lost on the White Way, for all I know. I haven’t heard anything since the day he left.”
Again, Yaz felt a rush of sympathy. Sometimes her family was so in-your-face that she wished they’d all go away and leave her alone – but she knew she’d be devastated if that happened for real. Like the world had broken apart.
“He’ll come back, I know he will,” Ash said, bravely. “He has to. He’s the only one who can help us.”
Yaz glanced over at the Doctor. “Not any more.”
They walked on for a long time. The world around them became lighter, although, of course, Yaz couldn’t see any sun. Most of the light came from the rocks, from the gems and crystals encrusting them. “Feels like daytime,” she said, “but how?”
“I think some light from the surface must get through,” the Doctor. “This planet is still spinning, turning one face to its sun and then another. Some of that filters through – and that’s what makes the gems light up. Look up now.”
The friends stopped to look up at the far side of the sphere. It was darker there now, just a few pinpricks of light here and there. “What are those?” said Ryan.
“Our furthest settlements,” Ash said. “Lanterns from our people on the far side of the sphere. It’s a long way for them to be – the furthest any of us have ever gone. We like to stay close to each other.” She smiled at the Doctor. “Yes, there’s natural light here from the rocks, but that’s not all. We can fashion gems and other stones to give out light and warmth.” Her voice went proud. “My father did that.”
Graham was still looking up. “What are those thin threads?” he said. “I’d say they were shooting stars, if I didn’t know better.”
Ash sighed. “We don’t know. They weren’t there a few thousand days ago. There seem to be more and more of them as the days go past.”
Yaz glanced at the Doctor. She was holding the sonic screwdriver up and frowning. Then she shook her head, and walked on.
As the day got brighter, they came to the edge of the ridge along which they had been walking, and looked out over a bleak landscape.
“Blimey,” said Graham. “This is worse than Yorkshire.”
“Eh,” said Yaz. “Less of that.”
“What is this place, Ash?” said the Doctor.
“All this used to be sea,” said Ash, sadly.
“Sea?” said Ryan. “You mean water?”
“Not water,” said the Doctor. “My guess would be lava. A lava sea! It must have been beautiful,” the Doctor said, and then gave a wry smile. “If ever-so-slightly hostile to our kind of life.”
“You bet! I saw that Mary Beard thing on the telly. Pompeii, you know? It was horrible!” Graham stared out at the lost sea. “Lava, eh? I wouldn’t fancy paddling in that.”
“No,” said the Doctor. “Not much fun – unless you’re a rock person. Ash, what was it like here, before this happened?”
“It was beautiful,” said Ash. Her eyes shone with the memory. “The rocks were so supple, so fluid… The colours melted from white hot to crimson and all the way back again. And the creatures! Hosts and hosts of ember-flies, skating close to the rocks, and then the sea would shift and they would fly upwards in huge waves …”
“Like a flock of starlings,” murmured Yaz.
“You could dig into the lava and pull out fresh gems, still hot in the hand, and you could squeeze them into shape, turn them into dolls or playthings or ornaments, and then leave them to one side to cool while you hunted for more… Or you could take the stone boats out and lie back in them and bask in the heat rising from the lava…” Her face went said. “And now all that’s left is this.”
They stood and looked across the empty land, the rock bare and cracking.
“A desert,” said Graham. “It’s not right, is it? Why can’t people take care of things, eh?”
“I’m not sure this is entirely the fault of the people here,” said the Doctor.
“No,” said Ash, “but I think we could do a better job of understanding what’s happening.”
“There seems to be a lot of denial going on,” said Ryan.
“Worse than that,” said Ash. “You get into trouble for trying to say what we can all see. My father was mocked for years, and that was bad enough, but I don’t think Emerald would let him get away with even saying those things these days.”
Yaz glanced at the Doctor. She didn’t look happy.
“No,” murmured the Doctor. “No, that’s not right at all. Emerald, eh? There’s always someone trying to stop people doing the right thing…”
“Something has to change,” said Ash. “Otherwise – I don’t think we’ll survive this.”
The Doctor smiled at her. “Change,” she said, “is what I’m all about. Come on – we still have a way to walk, don’t we?”
Ash nodded. “A little way.”
She led them down the ridge onto what had once been the seashore. They skirted along the edge of the old coast and then back inland. After a while, sheer black cliffs began to rise on either side, until they were walking through a narrow cleft in the rock. Yaz ran her fingertips along the black stone, and soft shards of silver came away. This place seemed so hard, so barren, she thought; but at closer glance everything was delicate and finely wrought. The Doctor was right: look beneath the surface and you so often found wonders.
Ryan sighed. “I don’t want to be the one to ask this, but are we nearly there yet?”
“Nearly,” said Ash.
“Hang on in there, soldier,” said Graham, patting Ryan on the back.
Ash was as good as her word. Overhead, the cliffs met, forming an arch over the narrow tunnel that led them downwards for a while. And then, suddenly, the space ahead of them opened out, and they stepped inside a vast and glittering cave.
“Wow,” said Ryan. “OK. Right. Yeah, the walk was worth it.”
The cavern they had entered was filled with treasures. A long stone table ran the length of the room, and it seemed to Yaz that every inch of its surface was covered; there were gemstones, and huge rocks, and glass domes with strange specimens inside. The walls were covered with glowing crystals whose colours gently shifted up and down the spectrum. At the far end of the room, there was an alcove in which long thin white crystals hung from the rocky roof. And the whole room seemed to hum, ever so gently, and sweetly.
“Wow,” said Ryan. “This is what a wizard’s study would look like. Gandalf’s study.”
“You and your daft films,” said Yaz, although she knew exactly what he meant.
“Yaz,” Ryan said, “we’re inside a planet with a bunch of rock people. Those ‘daft films’,” he did the scare quotes, “are better than TripAdvisor.”
“What is this place, Ash?” said the Doctor.
“This is – or was – my father’s laboratory. Where he did his studies.”
&nbs
p; “Scientist, huh?” said Ryan.
“I don’t know what that means,” said Ash.
“Curious,” said Graham. “Liked to ask questions. Liked to find out answers.”
“Oh!” said Ash. “Yes! That’s him exactly.”
“Scientist,” said the Doctor, with a nod of her head. “Good, good…”
Graham was peering at something on a table. “Er, what’s this?”
The friends gathered round. “Wow.” The Doctor was entranced.
On the table, there was a dome of transparent crystal, filled with heaps of rocks and tiny gems. Skittering around these was a small creature, about six inches long, with a brownish hide encrusted with red gems, and the most incredible…
“Teeth,” said Ryan. “It has teeth.”
“When they were handing out teeth,” said Yaz, “they did a good job with this little guy.”
“You could do someone a mischief with teeth like that,” said Graham.
The creature’s beady eyes flashed a malevolent red glare up at them.
“What is this thing, Ash?” said Graham.
“That’s a ruby rat,” said Ash.
“It’s beautiful!” said the Doctor.
Ash was laughing. “You sound like my father! Most people call them vermin!”
“That’s not nice,” said the Doctor. “What have ruby rats ever done to them?”
“Do you want a list?” said Ash, with a smile.
“Poor thing,” said the Doctor. She reached forwards and lifted up the dome. The rat didn’t waste any time, scampering for freedom and diving for cover behind what looked to be a huge heap of diamonds. Ryan shouted out, Graham yelped, and Yaz grabbed his arm.
The Doctor burst out laughing. “Go on, little guy, run for the hills!”
Ash was unperturbed. She picked up a handful of tiny crystals, coaxed the creature out from its lair, grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, and trapped it back beneath the dome. “I’d be grateful if we kept it in here,” she said. “They really can do a lot of damage and, besides, my father’s very fond of it and would be sad if it escaped.”
The friends peered in again, watching the beast crunch away at the crystals. “Wow, though!” said the Doctor. “Look at those teeth!”
“I said, didn’t I?” said Ryan. “I said you should look at the teeth.”
“You know,” said Ash, politely, “I do have a few questions.”
“Me too,” said the Doctor. “Tell you what – you go first, then I’ll have a turn.”
“All right.” Ash took a deep breath. “You’re not from this planet, are you?”
“That’s right,” said the Doctor. “We’re not from this planet. We’re not even from the same planet as each other.” She glanced at her friends. “Well, they are. I’m from somewhere else again.” She studied Ash carefully. “Is that OK?”
“Is it OK?” Ash burst out laughing. “It’s wonderful! It’s amazing!”
The Doctor grinned at her. “I knew I was going to like you!”
“Oh, it’s everything my father always dreamed of!” said Ash, clapping her hands together. “All coming true! He thought – he said there were holes in the roof of the world, and that he’d seen bright lights coming through, and that meant that this world wasn’t all there was, but that if you dug through the stone far enough you’d find there was another surface up there, high, high above… But everyone just laughed…” Ash’s face went sad. “He was right, though, wasn’t he? There is more up there.”
“Ash,” said Graham, “you’ve not even seen the half of it.”
“It’s pretty cool,” agreed Ryan.
“It’s amazing,” said Yaz. “Travelling with the Doctor is… amazing.”
The Doctor crinkled up her nose. “Aw, thanks guys! That’s one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me.” She put her hand on Ash’s arm. “So your old dad taught you to look up and imagine what might be up there? I’m sure I’d like your father, Ash. I hope I get to talk to him. Did he leave you any messages, any clues?”
“There are his notes…” Ash said, doubtfully. “But he always wrote in code…” She was about to say more, when they heard a chiming sound. They all stopped dead.
“What’s that?” said Ryan.
“It’s an alarm system that my father set up,” Ash said. “To let him know if anyone was approaching.”
“Could the Greenwatch have found us?” the Doctor said. “Do they know about this place?”
Ash looked scared. “My father kept it very secret… I suppose it’s possible someone followed us?” She glanced round the group of friends. “Keep quiet. I’ll go and see.”
She left the room. After a minute or two, they head muffled voices.
“Doc,” whispered Graham, glancing worriedly at Ryan. “Should we be going?”
“Not yet,” the Doctor said.
“These people need our help,” Yaz said.
“I don’t think we can hold back climate change, Yaz love,” Graham said, doubtfully.
“Somebody has to!” said Yaz.
“Ash is taking her time,” said Ryan. “Do you think she needs some help?”
He had barely finished speaking when a figure crashed into the room. A giant, Yaz thought at first; a huge, purplish creature with a jagged row of crystals standing up from its brow.
“Great crest!” said the Doctor. “Love it! Look at that! That’s punchy. Let me guess – quartz?”
The giant stood stock still and blinked at her. “What? How did you know my name?”
“I like rocks,” said the Doctor, simply. “And I like to know the names of things.”
“She’s sort of Gandalfy,” said Ryan, helpfully, then his face fell. “Oh, I don’t suppose you’ve seen those films.”
“Films,” said Quartz, rolling the word round in his mouth like a pebble. “Films.”
“Pictures. Movies. Flicks.” Ryan shook his head. “You know what? Don’t worry about it.”
“So, Quartz,” the Doctor said. “Are you friend or foe?”
His eyes gleamed at her. “That depends.”
“Depends on what?” said Graham.
“On you,” said Quartz.
“Oh,” said Graham. “Fair enough.”
“He’s a friend,” Ash said, firmly. “Quartz, why are you here?”
“I heard a rumour,” Quartz said. “Back in the City… Strangers, seen out on the Plain. Strange creatures, like walking mushrooms.”
“Mushrooms?” said Graham.
The Doctor’s eyes danced. “I suppose we do look a bit, well, mushroomy. To the uninitiated.”
“So you’re not mushrooms?” said Quartz.
“I am most certainly not!” said Graham. “Can’t speak for the others, mind you—”
“So you heard a rumour, Quartz,” said the Doctor. “And you came… here? Lucky guess, eh?”
“Anything out of the ordinary usually leads back to Ash and her father. And here you are.” Quartz studied each of the friends carefully, in turn. “Funny looking bunch, aren’t you?”
They settled into the low chairs around the room. Quartz couldn’t keep his eyes off them. Fair enough, thought Yaz; she could hardly keep her eyes off him.
“So Basalt was right after all,” Quartz said, and began to laugh.
“Basalt?” asked Graham.
“My father,” said Ash. “Quartz is one of his oldest friends, and he’s been a great help to us over the years. Helped my father get resources so he could carry out his studies.”
“His patron, eh?” said the Doctor. “Very generous.”
Quartz smiled. “I’ve tried.”
“He’s very well connected,” said Ash.
“Hmm,” said the Doctor. “Yeah.”
Yaz, watching the Doctor carefully, thought, I wonder why she doesn’t like him.
“What shall we do, Quartz?” said Ash.
“We can’t take them to the city. The mood there is…” Quartz shook his head.
“What’s happened?” Ash said quietly.
Quartz looked very bleak. “Another pool. In the Great Curve, this time.”
“Oh no,” whispered Ash.
“It was horrific,” Quartz said, his voice clipped.
“What does that mean?” said Graham, uncertainly.
“The Great Curve is the area around the Diamond City,” Ash explained. “It’s where most of our people live.”
“And one of those big pools opened up there?” Ryan shuddered. “Horrible.”
“People don’t survive if the liquid touches them,” said Quartz. “It’s dreadful to see.”
“Wait a moment,” said Ash. “I’ll show you.”
She went over the room and came back holding a pale blue stone, about the size of a grapefruit. Gently she warmed it between her cupped hands, and the friends watched in amazement as images began to appear within.
“Oh, that’s clever,” said the Doctor. “Some sort of holocrystal… Very nice, Ash. Your dad has done some brilliant work.”
“Doctor,” said Yaz, bleakly. “Look.”
They watched as the scene unfolded. A small group of rock people, walking along together, were suddenly stopped short as a jet of water shot up in front of them, catching two of them full in its spray. Yaz watched in horror as they dashed away from the steam, their hard shells blistering and cracking. “No,” she cried. “That’s terrible!”
“It scars us and melts us,” said Ash, unhappily. “Doctor, you know what this liquid is, don’t you?”
“Yes,” the Doctor said. “It’s seawater.”
Ash shook her head. “I don’t know what that means.”
“Let me explain,” said the Doctor. “So – assume everything your father told you was right. Where you live – your world – it’s a huge hollow sphere, right in the middle of a much bigger sphere. When you push through the rocks of that sphere, when you dig as you would say, you really do come out on the surface of the outside sphere.”
As the Doctor spoke, Ash’s smile grew bigger and bigger. Quartz, Yaz noticed, was giving nothing away.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” the Doctor said. “When you get to the very top, to the surface – well, there’s a lot going on there, even on a nice quiet polite little planet like yours. There’s land-masses – the tops of the rocks, basically – and between them are the seas. Like your lava seas, but filled with a different kind of liquid – water. That liquid, that water, is leaking through down here somehow.” She frowned. “I’m not quite sure why yet. Anyway, when it does, it gets super-heated, and it bursts through the shell of your sphere, and out into your world. We need to stop that from happening.”
Doctor Who: Molten Heart Page 4
