It came out of the sea, and slid over the edge of the rocks on to the island. Its many-faceted eyes saw the lighthouse, with its flashing light. It had studied its enemies and made its plans. Now it was time to act. Swiftly and silently the glowing shape moved towards the lighthouse.
'Time that boiler was stoked, boy,' said Reuben gruffly.
Vince nodded, but he didn't move. 'Reuben, you don't really believe what happened all those years ago is happening again? The Beast and all that?'
'There's three of us, and there were three of them. Two dead, one mad. Ben's dead, isn't he? And the night's not over yet.'
Vince stood there white and trembling, and Reuben said, 'You're shaking too much to hold a shovel, boy. Stay here, I'll do the boiler.'
'Well if you're sure,' said Vince eagerly. He tried to pull himself together. 'I'll go if you like...'
Reuben shook his head and stumped off.
The Doctor was finishing his speech of warning. The problem was to impress his audience without giving them any real facts. 'No one, no one at all must go outside the lighthouse, for any reason,' he concluded. 'Is that clear?'
Palmerdale had recovered his breath, and his self-assurance. 'No, it's not clear. Lot of ridiculous mumbo-jumbo if you ask me. Just what is this mysterious threat that's supposed to be lurking outside?'
Reuben came on to the landing in time to hear Palmerdale's question. He paused in the doorway and Iooked at the Doctor. 'You've told 'em you've seen it, have you? Told 'em the Beast is back.'
Skinsale gave an incredulous laugh. 'What Beast?'
'There's always death on the rock when the Beast's about.'
'Preposterous rubbish,' exploded Palmerdale. 'What is the old fool saying?'
Reuben glared malevolently at him. 'I'm saying that what's happened before will happen again.' He disappeared down the stairs.
The Doctor sighed. Reuben's intervention had come at just the wrong time, reducing his warnings of danger to an old wives' tale they could all laugh at.
'Superstitious old idiot,' said Palmerdale dismissively. 'If you expect us to take notice of some drunken fisherman's tale, Doctor...'
Leela decided to apply her own brand of persuasion. She whipped the knife from her boot and thrust it dangerously close to Palmerdale's chest. 'Silence, fat one. You will do as the Doctor instructs, or I will cut out your heart.'
Palmerdale was too terrified to speak.
The Doctor smiled. Perhaps there was something to be said for Leela's methods of persuasion. 'You heard what she said, old chap. And I warn you, she means it—don't you Leela?'
Leela didn't reply. She was staring into space, her whole body tense.
'What is it, Leela?'
'It's getting cold again.'
'You're sure?'
'Yes. The last time it felt cold like this—like a cold wave.'
The Doctor concentrated, testing the atmosphere. 'Yes, I think you're right.'
'Well, I can't feel anything,' said Skinsale.
'Leela's senses are particularly acute,' said the Doctor. 'And if she says it's getting colder—it's getting colder.'
He turned at the sound of movement in the doorway. It was Adelaide. She was wrapped in a blanket, shivering and only half awake. 'What's going on? Something woke me up... I suddenly felt so cold...'
'Nothing for you to worry about, Adelaide,' said Skinsale reassuringly.
The electric lights flickered.
They flickered down in the generator room too, where Reuben was stoking the boiler. He paused, looked suspiciously at a pressure gauge. Everything seemed normal. He flung on a few more shovels of coal, exhausting the little pile by the boiler door.
With a muttered curse he went over to the door o the coal store and flung it open.
Adelaide looked wildly round the room, wondering why everyone was acting so strangely. 'I don't understand what's wrong with you all. Please, Lord Palmerdale, what's happening?'
Skinsale glared warningly at Palmerdale, who cleared his throat and said, 'Nothing, my dear. There's absolutely nothing wrong..
The electric lights went out, and a terrifying scream came echoing up the stairs.
7
The Enemy Within
Adelaide's own scream of terror merged with the piercing scream from below, and she flung herself into Skinsale's arms. The Doctor and Leela were already racing towards the sound.
At the door of the generator room, the Doctor held up a warning hand. He stepped cautiously inside. The darkly-shadowed room was empty. The door to the outside was standing ajar, and fog was seeping into the room. 'It's taken Reuben,' said the Doctor. 'It can't have got far—we may still be in time to save him. Come on, Leela—and don't step on any jellyfish l'
They ran out into the night.
Adelaide was on the verge of hysterics, and Skinsale and Palmerdale tried vainly to calm her down.
'That ghastly scream,' she sobbed. 'What was it? I know something terrible has happened.'
'Control yourself,' said Palmerdale irritably. He was frightened enough himself, and Adelaide was making things worse.
Skinsale patted her soothingly on the back. 'It's all right, my dear,' he said, 'there's no cause for alarm.'
Adelaide refused to be consoled. 'I knew I should never have come on this cruise. My astrologer Miss Nethercott warned me about danger by sea. It was in my stars!'
Skinsale produced a large white handkerchief and handed it to her. 'Come now, that's nonsense. You're overwrought...'
Adelaide sniffed into the handkerchief and her sobs began to subside.
Palmerdale saw that Harker had picked up an oil-lantern and was heading for the door. 'Harker! Where do you think you're going, man?'
'Below. Doctor may need help.' Harker shoved him aside and went on down the stairs.
'Insubordinate ruffian!' said Palmerdale indignantly. 'If there is something dangerous on this rock, we should all stick together!'
Skinsale gave one of his cynical grins. 'That's the ticket, Henry, surround yourself with people! With any luck the Beast will satisfy its appetite before it gets to you!'
This was too much for Adelaide. 'Stop it, stop it,' she screamed. 'Don't say such horrible things.' She collapsed in tears.
Palmerdale looked at Skinsale. 'Now see what you've done, you fool. You've set her off again!
Harker came into the generator room. 'Doctor?' he called. 'Are you there?' He saw the outside door was still open. The Doctor and Leela must have gone outside. He crossed to the door and stood looking out into the swirling fog, but there was nothing to be seen.
For a moment Harker hesitated, wondering whether to follow the Doctor. Then he heard movement behind him and whirled round.
Reuben stood swaying in the doorway to the coal store, white-faced and glassy-eyed.
Harker stared at him. 'Reuben! Is something wrong, mate?'
Reuben's voice was thick, distorted, scarcely recognisable. 'Leave me be.' He staggered towards the stairs.
Harker looked worriedly after him, wishing desperately that the Doctor was back. He turned and shouted. 'Doctor, ahoy there...' His voice boomed out into the fog, but there was no reply.
Reuben climbed the stairs with agonising slowness, hauling himself up by the hand-rail. The wail of the foghorn came down from above and he paused, staring upwards with dead, inhuman eyes. He resumed his laborious climb.
Vince gave a final blast on the horn, and with startling suddenness the lamp came on again. Vince shook his head in perplexity. How long would the lights stay on this time? He had a nasty feeling the intervals were getting shorter...
Adelaide was still sobbing. Skinsale gave a sigh of relief as the electric lighting came on again. 'You see, they've repaired the lights again, my dear. It's all right, there's nothing to worry about now.'
Palmerdale was hovering nervously near the door. 'Listen!' he hissed. 'There's someone coming..
He looked appealingly at Skinsale who moved quietly over to the door.
'Sssh!' whispered Palmerdale agitatedly. He wanted to know who was on the stairs, but he didn't want to be the one to go and find out.
Skinsale went on to the gloomy landing. 'Doctor, is that you? Harker?'
Dragging footsteps came up the stairs, and Reuben appeared. His face was deathly white, his eyes fixed and staring. Skinsale stared at him. 'Are you all right? Where are you off to?' Reuben shuffled past without a word.
Skinsale went back into the crew room. 'It's all right, it was only the old chap. He went straight on up the stairs. He looked pretty done in.' He turned to Adelaide. 'The crisis seems to be over, my dear. Why don't you go and lie down?'
Adelaide shuddered. 'Up there alone? Have you taken leave of your senses, Colonel? I shall stay down here!'
Skinsale sighed.
At last there was an answer to Harker's repeated shouts. Suddenly, 'Harker! Is that you?' called a familiar voice.
He saw a lantern bobbing through the fog, and the Doctor and Leela appeared. 'We heard you calling,' said the Doctor. 'There's nothing out there now —nothing we could find, anyway.' They came into the room and the Doctor said, 'Let's get that door shut!' He slammed it behind them, and stood leaning against it, lost in thought. 'You know what I think?'
Leela looked puzzled. 'The creature has killed Reuben?'
'I'm afraid so,' said the Doctor. 'But that's not what I meant. I was wondering if I could work out its size...'
'Reuben's all right,' interrupted Harker. 'I've just seen him.'
The Doctor didn't seem to hear him. 'It would seem that every time it comes within a certain range of the generator...'
Leela turned to Harker. 'What did you say?'
'Reuben's all right,' he repeated. 'I just saw him go upstairs.'
The Doctor was lost in a maze of calculations. 'U, by Q, over R,' he said mysteriously.
Leela tugged at his sleeve. 'Doctor, did you hear that?'
'Sssh, Savage,' said the Doctor reprovingly.
'What are you doing?'
'Thinking!' The Doctor touched the metal rail. There was a crackle of blue sparks. He snatched his hand away, sucking his fingers. 'Yes, it's certainly been here. You see, Harker, in the space which surrounds an electrically charged body an electrical potential occurs which is roughly proportional to the charge Q and inversely proportional to the distance R from the centre...' His voice tailed away as he became aware that Harker and Leela were staring at him with blank incomprehension. Suddenly the Doctor said sharply, 'Well, then, where is he?'
By now Harker was thoroughly confused. 'Who, sir?'
'Reuben. You said you'd seen him.'
'He went upstairs, sir. Looked like he'd seen a ghost.'
'Why didn't you tell me?'
'Well I tried, sir. I told the young lady here.'
'Why am I wasting my time trying to work out its size, eh? Why?'
Harker scratched his head. 'I'm sure I don't know, sir.'
'If Reuben's seen it, then obviously he can tell us!'
'That's what I thought,' said Leela. 'But then, I'm only a Savage!'
The Doctor grinned. 'Come on then, Savage, we'll go and find him. Harker, can you secure that door?'
'I reckon wedges'd do it best.'
'Then get on with it. I want us sealed in this light-house till morning.'
The Doctor and Leela hurried up the stairs.
Adelaide lay dozing on a bunk with a blanket over her. Skinsale too had stretched out again, but Palmerdale was on his feet pacing restlessly about the room. He paused in front of the telegraph set and stared longingly at it. Then he turned to Skinsale, his voice warm and friendly. 'I don't suppose you learned anything useful in the army, Jimmy? Like how to use one of these gadgets?'
'And you surely don't suppose I'd send a message to your brokers for you?'
'We could make a real killing, old boy,' said Palmerdale persuasively. 'Tell you what, not only will I forget your IOUs, I'll even split the profits with you. What could he fairer than that?'
Skinsale stared at him in astonishment. You could say one thing for Palmerdale, he was consistent. Even in the middle of the dangers that surrounded them, he still had his mind fixed firmly on making a profit. 'Look, Henry, if the word got out I'd given you that information, I'd be ruined, and you know it. Money isn't everything, you know!'
Palmerdale was still trying to grapple with this novel thought when the Doctor appeared in the doorway. 'Where is he?'
'Who?'
'Reuben.'
'Saw him on the stairs a few minutes ago,' said Skinsale.
'Doctor, what's happening?' demanded Palmerdale indignantly. 'I insist on an explanation.'
The Doctor ignored him. 'How did Reuben look?'
Skinsale considered. 'Groggy,' he said finally.
'Groggy?'
'Yes, Doctor. Decidedly groggy.'
Adelaide sat up. 'Doctor, what was that terrible cry we heard?'
The Doctor said, 'Thanks very much, Colonel. Come on, Leela.' They hurried off.'
Adelaide was indignant. 'Really! That man's manners are quite insufferable.'
'Things on his mind by the look of him,' said Skinsale thoughtfully. 'Eh, Henry?'
'We all have!' said Palmerdale shortly, and went abruptly out of the room.
Adelaide was still concerned with the social short-comings of the Doctor and his companion. 'As for that girl, it's disgraceful the way she follows him about. You'd think she was tied to him by a piece of string...'
Skinsale stared after Palmerdale. 'Where would you say his lordship's off to, Adelaide?'
'Is it important? None of us can go far on this dreadful place.'
'You know, some people make me nervous when I'm with 'em. Your employer has the opposite effect. I get nervous when he's out of my sight!' He made for the door.
'Colonel, you're not going to leave me here, alone?'
'Don't worry, my dear, back in a minute.' Skinsale hurried out.
Adelaide rose to follow him, thought of the gloomy staircase and decided to stay where she was. She sat down again, huddling inside the blanket. Would morning never come? And why was it so cold...
The Doctor and Leela looked for Reuben in the lamp room, but Vince had seen no sign of him. He suggested the old man might be in Ben's room. They went back downstairs, and along a short corridor, which ended in a closed door. The Doctor hammered on it with his fist. 'Reuben! Reuben, can you hear me? Are you in there? Are you all right?'
There was no reply.
Reuben was standing quite motionless, staring at the window. The Doctor's voice could be heard quite clearly, but it produced no reaction.
Reuben went over to the window and flung it open. Cold air and fog flooded into the little room. Reuben's body seemed to blur and glow in the darkness...
8
The Bribe
The Doctor abandoned his banging and shouting and turned away.
Leela stared at the closed door. 'Why doesn't the old one answer?'
'He's not listening!'
'Not listening? Why not? We wish only to help him.'
'If he saw the creature and escaped from it, he'll have had a terrible shock—and shock can close the mind. He could stay like this for hours.'
'What shall we do?'
'For a start, somebody's got to keep the lighthouse running. You go down and tell Harker to keep the boiler-pressure up.'
'Keep the boiler-pressure up,' repeated Leela dutifully. She went back along the corridor and down the stairs chanting, 'Keep the boiler-pressure up. Keep the boiler-pressure up...'
'Lonely life you chaps lead here, eh?'
Vince jumped. Palmerdale was in the lamp-room doorway, smiling affably.
Vince was always uneasy with the gentry, but he was glad of company, even Lord Palmerdale's. 'That it is, sir. Still you soon get used to it.'
Palmerdale came into the room. 'Don't suppose they pay you much either.'
'Oh, it's not so bad. You get your keep, and it's steady work.'
'But you wouldn't mind earning a little extra—fifty pounds, say?'
'Fifty pounds!' It was as much as Vince could do to imagine such a huge amount of money.
Palmerdale moved closer and spoke in a confidential whisper. 'I need to send an urgent message to London. I assume you know how to use the telegraph?'
Vince nodded. 'Ben taught me, sir. But it can only be used for official business. Strict rule, that is.'
Palmerdale believed firmly that every man had his price. If the first offer was refused, you simply increased the size of the bribe. He pulled a wad of notes from his pocket, and riffled them persuasively under Vince's nose. 'Look, when I say fifty pounds, I mean fifty pounds now. It's all I happen to be carrying. There'll be another fifty pounds for you, as soon as I get back to London.'
Skinsale came quietly up the stairs and looked into the lamp room. He took in the scene at a glance; Palmerdale's low persuasive voice, the wad of money in his hand, Vince listening as if hypnotised.
There was a big streak of caution in Vince—no one gave you money for nothing. 'I don't want to get mixed up in nothing wrong, sir. It's a fortune, a hundred pounds.'
'Not to a man like me,' boasted Palmerdale. 'See here, my lad.' He thrust his hand under his shirt, fumbled with a hidden fastening, and brought out a handful of gleaming stones. 'Diamonds, worth thousands of pounds. I call 'em my insurance. That's the kind of man I am. You'll get your money, never fear.' He put the diamonds away, and held out the money. 'Here, take it. I'm a businessman. How could there be anything wrong?'
In the shadows of the staircase, Skinsale's face was cold and hard. He'd underestimated Palmerdale's persistence. Something would. have to be done.
Something was moving up the outside of the lighthouse. It was shapeless, glowing, and it slithered up the smooth stone walls, higher and higher until it was just beneath the high gallery of the lamp room. There, it waited...
DOCTOR WHO AND THE HORROR OF FANG ROCK Page 5
