'It is not your past I'm questioning,' the Doctor said simply.'but your intentionsconcerningthisvesselandtheothercraft.'
Rextoncontinueddeterminedly."Thealiencraftwasobviouslyofaradically
different design. Even in its damaged state the theorists could make some
reasonedguessesastoits...potentialities.'
"Thepotentialitiesbeingthecreationofahyperspatialtransportercarryinga fleetseverallightyearsinafewseconds,'theDoctorinterpolatedhelpfully.
Rextondidnotreply.
'Aweapon.Toldyouso,'saidSam.
TheDoctorcontinued,'!supposethat'swhyyou'vebeengettingMsWynter
torecordeverything.Incaseyoucan'ttakepossessionofthiscraft,you'llsend backtheinformationsothatyourdamagedmodelcanbefullyrepaired.'
Further denial was obviously pointless. Rexton said, 'You're quite correct, Doctor.Inthefirstcraftthecoreofthistower,thecontrolmoduleandmostof
thesecondarychamberswerebadlydamaged.Repairsandpartialreconstruction
have taken years. But with even the most superficial visual references of an undamagedassembly,thatprocessmayatlastbecompleted.'
The corridor opened out into another of the fin-shaped chambers. It was ringedwithcontrolpanelssimilartothoseinthetimelaboratory.
Butwithonestartlingdifference.
White rectangular labels had been neatly taped beside every one of the
hundredsofblocksofswitchesandbanksofdisplayscreens.Samcouldseethe
nearest of them quite clearly. On it was printed in large clear type not the indecipherablealienscript,butadescriptionofthecontrol'spurposeinperfectly legibleEnglish.
Chapter12
Ghost
JenezcarefullyexaminedtheT-junctionthatopenedofftheairlock.Hesawthe
arrow sprayed on the side wall of the middle corridor and stepped towards it.
Then it struck him that, as the interference had subsided slightly, the explorers mightnowbeinrangeofhishelmetradio.Hewasabouttocallthemwhenhis
attentionwasdiverted.Aboutahundredmetresdownthecorridortohisrighta
cluster of three blue ceiling-light discs were beginning to flicker. He looked at themwarily,wonderingifitwasapowerfluctuation.Ifthealienshipwasgoing
tocommenceanotherofitsgravityshiftsandenergydischarges,hewantedtobe
ready to grab hold of some solid support. But why were only three lights affected? Even as he watched, the furthest of the three brightened again. The problemseemedtobecorrectingitself.
Thenthenextlightalongdimmed.
Andthelastoneonthefarsidebrightened.
Thenanotherdimmed.
So odd yet outwardly innocent was the phenomenon that he watched it
approachattheequivalentofasteadywalkingpaceforseveralsecondswithout
anysenseofalarm.Asitgotcloserhenotedthattheshadowypatchofcorridor
directly under the shifting cluster of dimmed lights was curiously
indistinct.Almostasthoughtherewassomething....
Thehairsliftedonthebackofhisneck.
Afaintshimmering wispofgrey mistwasgliding silentlybutpurposefully
alongwithinthezoneofshadow.
Headingtowardshim.
Hedrewhisgunandbegantobackaway,turningintothetransversecorridor
theothershadgonedown.Hecalledoutanxiously,'Urgent:Jeneztoexploration
party.Canyouhearme?Replyplease!'
***
Rexton had stared at the improbably annotated control room for perhaps ten secondsinstupefiedamazement.Thenheappearedtorecoverhiscomposure.
'MsWynter,'hesaid,inatonethatdemandedinstantcompliance.
'Photographthesecontrols.Recordeverylabel.Don'tmissanything.'
Lysetbeganclickingaway,whiletheotherscontinuedtostarearoundthem
inbafflement.
'Butthisiscrazy,'Mandersexclaimed.'Whodidthis?'
'Idon'tknow,'Rextonsaid,'butI'mnotgoingtopassuptheopportunity.'
'It'sgottobeajoke,'Delraysuggested.
'It'spossible,sir,'Bendixagreed."TheNimosiansmaybetryingtomislead
us-'
'TheNimosianshaven'thadthetimetocreateanythingsoelaborate,'
Rexton said. 'And if they had taken possession of this control room, then they'dbeheretowelcomeus.No,somehowthisfeelsright.Whetherwecapture
thisshipornot,wewillmasteritssecrets.'HegracedtheDoctorandSamwitha lookoftriumph.'IthinktheFederationwillbeveryreadytoadmituswhenthey
learnthepowerwecommand,eh,Doctor?'
'I'll be sure to mention it to them,' the Doctor said absently, his own eyes flickeringintentlyroundtheroom.Then,suddenly,hesaid,'Keepawayfromthe
farwall!'
Lyset, who had been working her way methodically around the control
panels,flinchedbackward.TheDoctorsteppedquicklyuptoherside.
'Youwereabouttotouchthat;hetoldher.
Sam looked past Lyset at the half of the control room furthest from the entranceway. Now she looked closely she realised it was slightly blurred, as thoughseenthroughadistortinglens.Thelabelsonthepanels,whichhadbeen
clearly legible on this side, suddenly became I/legible only a couple of metres withintheboundary.
Desselcautiouslyreachedoutaglovedhand.Samsawhisfingertipsbluras
thoughtheyhadpassedintowater.Hepulledhishandbackquickly.
'Itwentrightintome,'heexclaimedinmildsurprise.'Asortofcoldtingle.
Nasty.'
'What is it?' Delray exclaimed breathlessly. Sam thought she heard a slight andunexpectedcatchinhisvoice.
"This room extends along the axis of the ship towards the end that appears indistinct and translucent from outside,' the Doctor said, as he ran his hands along the line of the boundary. 'It must be out of phase with the rest of the structure.Untilwe understanditsexact natureIwould stronglyadvisekeeping wellclearofit;
'But we must get through to the other side,' Rexton said. 'Half the controls areinthere.'Heglaredattheimmaterialbarrierforamoment,thentriedbodily tostepthroughit,asthoughhewoulddefyitbysheerforceofwill.
Butafterafewsecondshestaggeredbackward,trembling,hisfacecontorted
bypainandanger.
'There's a distinction between courage and foolhardiness, Councillor,' the
Doctor said sharply.'You must have patience. We will determine its limits by subtlermethodsthanbruteforce.'
As Rexton glared back at him with barely contained rage, Jenez's voice
soundedoverthesubduedcracklingoftheirheadphones.Thepilotwasspeaking
veryquicklyandurgently.
'...hearme?Comein,please!'
Bendixanswered,'Wecanhearyoujenez.'
'I'minthecrosscorridoroppositetheairlocks.Therewasamessagefromthe
Cirrandaria . The Nimosian party has been attacked... and there's something comingtowardsmerightnow!'
The Doctor cut in. 'Jenez, keep well clear of it but try to give us a description.'
Rexton took one last frustrated look around the control room, then led the way back into the corridor. They followed him as fast as the bulk of their restrictivesuitswouldallow.
'Can't see it properly,'Jenez said. "The lights keep goi
ng out around it as it moves.It'slikeagreycloudofmist,twistingandwrithing.'
'Canyouseeanydetails?'theDoctorasked.
They reached the central core and started back down the ramps,' Jenez's voicegrowingstrongerastheydescended.
'No...butIthinkit'sgettingthicker...Itwasmovingslowlyatfirst,butnow
it'sspeedingup...Waitaminute.There'sashapeinside....OhGod-'
'Run,man,run!'Bendixshouted.
Theyheardthesearingcrackofenergyweapondischargesfromthecorridor
onthelevelbelow,evenasJenez'sscreamofterrorshrilledintheirearphones.
TheyreachedthegallerytheyhadfirstemergeduponwiththeDoctorinthelead
andRexton,BendixandDesselathisheels,weaponsdrawn.
Theyroundedthecornerintothetransversecorridor.Ahandgun,presumably
Jenez's,waslyingabouttenmetresalongit.Samcouldsmellscorchingandsaw
a dark blaze on the ceiling. A cry of pain and fear came faintly to them from somewherebeyondtheriseofthecorridor.Theyracedalongit.
Thejunctioncameintoview.Samsawaflickerofmovementassomething
disappeared down the left-hand corridor - the same impression of something half-seenthatshehadexperiencedonthesurface.Theyreachedthejunctionand
turnedafterit.Twentymetresdownthecorridortheceilinglightswereflickering andgoingdiminrapidsequence.Withinthistravellingshadowagreywraithlike
formwasspeedingawayfromthem.
Itwasbiggerthanaman,butwhetheritmovedonlegsoreventouchedthe
groundatallSamcouldnottell.Forasecondtheysawaspacesuitedarmreach
out of the amorphous thing and heard another agonised cry. The thing was carryingJenez.
Bendixcursedloudly.
'Saveyourbreath;Rextoncommanded.
They pounded after the apparition. However the thing was moving, they
begantooverhaulit.
Then the corridor opened into a broad chamber from which a dozen more
corridorsledoffindifferentdirections.Acrossthemiddlewastheblurredhaze
oftheinterfacethattheyhadseeninthecontrolroomseveraldecksabovethem.
Itmustextendrightthroughtheship,Samthought.Thegreythingwasheading
directly towards it, haloed by flickering lights in the ceiling above. Now Sam could see the more solid form of Jenez twisting and kicking within, as though heldbyinvisiblelimbs.
Desseldroppedtooneknee,sightedhisrifleandfired.
Thebeamofenergyhitthethinglowdown.Itglowedasthoughlitupfrom
withinbylightning,andstreamersofsparksflashedaboutitsnebulousform.For
aseconditseemedtowaverandgrowmoresubstantial.Whatmighthavebeena
headturnedround.Samhadtheimpressionofbaredfangsandglowingcoal-red
eyes.Abestialhowlofpainorragereverberatedaboutthechamber.
Thenitplungedthroughtheinterfaceandvanishedwithitsstrugglingburden
throughoneofthefartherdoorways.Thelightsinthechamberreturnedtotheir
normalintensity.
'I hit it with the strongest blast I dared with it holding Mr Jenez,' Dessel said.'Nogood.'
Bendixgrittedhisteethandthrustanarmintotheinterface,butwasforced
todrawitback,clenchinghisfistasthoughtryingtorestorecirculation.
Dessel looked at Rexton expectantly, but for the moment it was evident he wasataloss.
'Ihavesomeequipmentinmyluggagethatmayhelpusgetthroughthis,'
theDoctorsaid.'WemustgetbacktotheCirrandaria.There'snothingelse
wecandohere.'
'Thatsoundssensible,'Delraysaidquickly.'Comeon.'
Bendixhesitated,lookingatRexton.Thecouncillornoddedreluctantly.But
astheyturnedtoretracetheirsteps,lysetWyntersaid,'Waitamoment-
listen.'
InthesilenceSamheardalowgroaning.Theylookedabout,automatically
raisingtheirguns.
'Where'sitcomingfrom?'Mandershissed.
'There,'saidtheDoctor,pointingtoanopenarchway.
Theyadvancedcautiously.Therecameanothergroan,whichdissolvedintoa chokingsob.
'Somebody'shurt,'saidtheDoctor,andsteppedforwardbriskly.
The corridor beyond made a right-angled turn a few metres in.The Doctor roundedthisandquicklybentdown.'Givemeahand,Sam.'
Lying there slumped with his back to the wall was a man in a Nimosian-patternspacesuit.OnthechestwasanametagwithLT.M.TANE
stencilled on it. His visor was open. Sam saw two wild eyes staring up at them.Spittlebubbledfromhislipsandhemadevaguescrabblingmovementsas
thoughhewastryingtocrawlawayfromthem.
'The rest of you stay back,' the Doctor said. 'Sam, take his hand. Let him know you're real. It's all right; he continued, addressing the wretched figure in thesamecalmingtonesSamhadheardhimuseonherearlier.'Wearen'thereto
hurt you...' She took the man's twitching hand and squeezed gently, smiling at himaswarmlyasshecould.
Tane's eyes darted madly from one to another of them. His rapid breathing began to slow and Sam felt the tension flow out of him. His head dropped forwardandhebegantosobuncontrollably.
'Whatthehellcandothattoaman?'sheheardDesselmutterbehindher.
Samthoughtshecouldguess.
TheDoctortiltedTane'sheadbackuntiltheireyesmet.'Iknowyou'vebeen
throughaterribleexperience,'hesaidgentlybutfirmly.'Butyouaregoingtoput thatasidefornow.Allyoucanhearismyvoice,andItellyouthefearisgoing.
Inamomentyouwillbeabletostandup.'Therewasahypnoticrhythmtohis
words.Tane'sfacehadrelaxed,lookingalmostchildlikeinrepose.'Givehiman
arm,Sam.'
They lifted the Nimosian soldier to his feet, the Doctor not taking his eyes fromhimforasecond.
'Nowwearegoingtowalkoutofhere.We'lltakeyousomewheresafewhere
yourfriendswillcometocollectyou.'
'Friends?'Tanesaiddully,hiseyesfocusedonsomedistantplace,speaking
halftohimself."The...theghoststookmyfriends.Itriedtofightthembutitwas nouse.Pulledusrightthroughthehull.Socold.Thentheystartedfightingeach other.Droppedme.Icrawledaway.Heardmymenscreaming...hadtogetaway
fromthescreaming...'
'Shh,'theDoctortoldhimgently.'That'senough.Don'tthinkofitanymore.'
TheNimosiannoddedobediently.
Gently they walked Tane back into the large chamber and turned for the corridor that would take them back to the shuttle. Just then came a clatter of
bootsfromasidepassage.
Halfadozenmenindark-greycombatsuitsemergedintothechamber.
Dessel,RextonandBendixautomaticallyraisedtheirguns.
'Don't be stupid,' the Doctor snapped. "They aren't your real enemies.' He calledouttotheNimosians,'Wehavefoundoneofyourmen.Heneedsmedical
attention.'
Themarinesfannedoutaroundthem.Samsawsuspiciousfacesbehindtheir
helmetvisorsandfingerstightonthetriggersoftheirguns.Justwhatweneed,
shethoughtdismally.Oneofthem,wearingcorporal'sstripes,steppedforward.
'Whathappenedtohim?Wherearetheothers?'hedemanded.
'Wedon'tknow.Weonlyfoundhimaminuteago,'Samsaid.
'Idon'tthinkh
e'ssufferedmuchphysicalharm,buthe'sinshock,'theDoctor
explained.'Hemusthavemedicaltreatmentassoonaspossible.'
The corporal looked at Tane's blank face, then waved a couple of his men forward.TheytookTanegentlybythearmsandledhimaside.
'Whodidthis?'thecorporalasked.
'Whatdidthis,youmean.Thesamethingthat'sjusttakenourpilot,probably,'
Bendixsaidbluntly.
Thecorporal'sfacedarkened.'Describeit.'
'Amistygreyfuzzball-butithadteethandeyes,'Samsaid.'Iknowwhatit
soundslikebutitwasreal.Ittookhimthroughthere.'
As she pointed across the chamber at the interface, all the lights on the far sidebegantoflickeranddim.
"They'recoming...'sheheardTanesaysoftly.
Andthenthegatesofhellseemedtoopenuponthem.
Chapter13
DeadMan'sHands
Thethingspouredoutofthedoorwaysinanightmarishtide.Foramomentthey
were mere phantoms lurking in the veil of shadow they wrapped around
themselves, their forms torturing the eye and imagination with improbable silhouettes and grotesque half-seen skeletons trapped within them. But as they flowed across the floor towards them they grew and became more tangible.
Twistsofmistcondensedintomany-jointedarms,tentaclesandclaws.Virulent
coloursuddenlyeruptedoutofshadowygreyobscurityandseareditselfintothe
mind: hot blood red, bile yellow, decay green. And the hues flowed into the things and took on their shapes like water soaking through a sponge,
illuminatingtheminalltheirterriblemagnificence.Samwantedtoturnhereyes
away,butshecouldnotbecausenotwowerealikeinsizeorshape,orheldthe
formtheyhadformorethanafewsecondsatatime.Andtheirfacesandeyes...
'Run!' she heard the Doctor shout, breaking the spell of disbelieving horror that had held them in its thrall. But before they could react the things burst throughtheinterfaceandfelluponthem.
Only then came the sound: a cacophony of howls, shrieks, roars, rasping hissesandhootingwailsthatshouldnothaveissuedfromanylivingcreature.
Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 14 - Vanderdeken Page 12
