by BBC
‘That would be me, then,’ said the Doctor. ‘Well, as I said, it’s really quite simple. It started when a meteorite crashed into the surface of this planet’s moon nearly four billion years ago. Lovely big crater, tiny little something left at the centre. An alien something. Carrying alien bacteria. Special alien bacteria that lay on the cold, airless surface of the moon until an unsuspecting astronaut from the last Apollo mission collected it as part of a sample of moon rocks to bring back to Earth for study. All clear so far?’
Silence.
‘Good, I’ll carry on. We’re getting to the good bit! Not all the moon rock samples were tested straight away. Some were, some were given away as presents to foreign governments and some were kept for display. Some were held back for further investigation. And some – including the one carrying our special alien bacteria – were sent for analysis by Chris and his friends here at the Research Institute.’
Chris gave a little wave.
‘Chris and his friends bombarded the moon rocks with ultraviolet light – and the special alien bacteria reacted. This is what it had been waiting 3.9 billion years for. So, it reacted pretty quickly, because, let’s face it, it had been waiting for a long, long time and was getting pretty impatient. And it used its own unique and special talent: to change whatever it touched into something that it could use as a body.’
‘Change?’ said Hoggett.
‘Molecular reconfiguration,’ nodded the Doctor. He wiggled his fingers together in a complicated pattern as he spoke. ‘Transforming metal, plastic, wood, skin, bone, anything at all, into moon rock.’
‘And your point about the moon bacteria is?’ prompted Jess.
‘It’s natural. It can’t help what it does. You humans always wanted to fly, and it took you ages to make gliders and wings and engines and build something you could fly in. But the birds and the bees have been doing it since forever. Naturally. They can’t help it. And that’s just like the moon bacteria. It can’t help changing things.’
The Doctor turned in a slow circle, ensuring everyone was still listening. Hoggett’s mouth was hanging open, and the Doctor reached out and gently closed it.
‘The bacteria copied the first real life form it discovered, fashioning a humanoid body for itself.’
‘The Rock Man,’ said Amy.
The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. His dark eyes glowered from beneath his heavy brow. ‘And then. Then it went looking for something.’
CHAPTER 24
CHRIS’S SECRET
‘Looking for what?’ asked Rory. ‘Sorry, I’m not following this at all.’
The Doctor smiled. ‘It went looking for a particular rock: the lunar sample that had started it all. The source of the bacteria.’
‘Which was where?’ asked Jess.
‘Here,’ answered the Doctor. ‘In the farmhouse.’
‘But – how?’
‘Ask Chris.’
Jess turned to Chris with a puzzled frown. ‘Chris?’
Chris looked uncomfortable. ‘I … brought it here. From the research centre. I’m sorry, I really didn’t know what I was doing. But I knew the rock was trouble. I’d seen the effect it had produced at the research centre, turning everything and everyone I knew into moon stone. I was scared. But I knew I had to get the rock away from the centre, in case it happened again. So I hid it here.’
‘You never told me.’
‘I didn’t want to frighten you. I was trying to think of a way to deal with everything. I’d only just got your Dad to accept me – almost, anyway – and I didn’t want anything to risk that.’
Jess looked at her father, still turned to stone. ‘I think you risked everything.’
‘Possibly,’ the Doctor agreed. ‘But Chris really didn’t know what he was dealing with. And he couldn’t have known that the Rock Man would come looking for the stone – which, incidentally, I have here in my pocket.’
He took the heart-shaped lump of rock from his jacket pocket.
‘You mean that’s what brought the Rock Man to the farm?’ asked Jess.
‘Yes. He arrived in the middle of the night, knocked down your wall – accidentally changing it into moon rock – blundered around a bit and then got scared off by your father.’
‘I came straight away,’ Chris continued. ‘I wanted to take the Heart of Stone back – or at least, away from here.’
‘Heart of Stone?’ queried Rory.
The Doctor held up the rock. ‘Yeah, looks a bit like a human heart. Complete coincidence. In fact, it doesn’t really look like that at all.’
He produced the sonic screwdriver in his other hand and pointed it at the rock. The tip shone green and a shrill noise filled the room. Suddenly, the rock cracked and disintegrated in a puff of grey dust that trickled through the Doctor’s fingers.
The Doctor snapped the sonic screwdriver off. Left in his other hand was something a little smaller than the original rock – something smooth, spherical and black. It was about the size of a tennis ball, but glossy, like a hugely magnified droplet of oil.
‘What is it?’ asked Rory, his eyes wide.
‘This is the original meteorite that struck the moon all those millennia ago.’ The Doctor held the sphere out for them to see. ‘It’s from another galaxy altogether. Here, catch.’
The Doctor tossed the ball casually to Mr Hoggett, who caught it instinctively. He looked at the ball and then at the Doctor, opening and closing his mouth but not making a sound.
The Doctor smiled. ‘The moon rock was just the outer layer, thickening around that ball over billions of years.’
‘I left the Heart of Stone here, hoping to hide it until I worked out what to do,’ said Chris. He looked miserably at Jess. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘The Rock Man came back the next night, while you were here,’ Jess said. ‘You knew what it was and why it was here. And yet you ran away.’
Chris looked shamefaced, but the Doctor said, ‘Actually, Chris saved us all last night, Jess. He took the meteorite away with him, knowing the Rock Man would follow him – and leave you alone.’
‘But not before the Rock Man had smashed the place to bits and done that to my dad!’ Jess pointed at her father, who stood like a statue in the middle of the room.
‘And that’s where the good news comes in,’ said the Doctor brightly. ‘I’m pretty sure we can change your dad back to normal.’
Jess stifled a sob. ‘How?’
‘Using the meteorite.’ The Doctor plucked the black sphere out of Mr Hoggett’s hands. ‘The change is highly unstable – it’s constantly on the edge of being permanent. But that means it’s also right on the edge of being temporary. If I can tap into the molecular code contained in this meteorite and reverse it, everything should turn out hunky-dory.’
‘Did you really just say “hunky-dory”?’ laughed Amy.
The Doctor winced. ‘It won’t happen again, I promise.’
Jess had turned to Chris, wiping away a tear. ‘Is it true? Can he get Dad back to normal?’
Chris nodded. ‘If the Doctor says he can, then I believe him. And so should you.’
‘It may take a few minutes to calculate the code,’ said the Doctor. He cleared a space on the kitchen table and sat down. ‘It’s probably some kind of binary-electron code – something natural and basic …’ He fished in his pocket and produced a jeweller’s eyeglass, which he screwed into place so that he could examine the meteorite in minute detail.
Chris took Jess by the hand. ‘Do you forgive me, Jess? I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me what was going on in the first place?’
‘I didn’t think you’d believe me. And worse than that – I thought you might call the engagement off. Or your dad would.’
Jess touched his cheek tenderly. ‘I just wanted you back, Chris, that’s all.’
At this point the Doctor looked up from his work. ‘You know, this is a very difficult job and requires total concentration. A littl
e quiet would help. You can save the soppy stuff for later.’
Jess smiled and squeezed Chris’s hand. ‘Anything you say, Doctor.’
‘Good.’ The Doctor clicked open his sonic screwdriver. ‘Now, complete silence, please.’
His only answer was a terrific crash from the remains of the kitchen doorway – and the sight of the Rock Man looming through the gap, grey hands outstretched …
CHAPTER 25
THE DOCTOR CHANGES
‘Oh, not you again,’ complained the Doctor. ‘What the dickens is that?’ roared Mr Hoggett as the Rock Man stepped into the farmhouse.
Everyone backed away quickly – everyone except the Doctor, who jumped to his feet and walked swiftly towards the creature, his sonic screwdriver at the ready.
‘Hello …’ he began.
The Rock Man gave a gravelly snarl.
‘I’m so glad you survived the – er – rockfall,’ continued the Doctor. ‘And I thought you’d probably come after me. Or rather – this.’
In his other hand he held up the glossy black sphere.
‘I’ve just been having a bit of a tinker,’ the Doctor confessed. ‘You know, trying to see what makes it tick and how I might use it to return poor Mr Conway back to his usual self …’
The Doctor pointed at Ralph Conway.
The Rock Man’s dark eye-pits turned towards the stone farmer. Its jaws scraped together as it seemed to consider.
‘You see, we have a communication problem here,’ the Doctor went on. ‘I can’t understand a word you’re saying. My guess is that your species has been mutated so far from its original form that it’s beyond alien. It’s something completely new and unique.’
The Rock Man growled.
The Doctor regarded it sadly. ‘It’s not even like you’re a long, long way from home. You don’t even have a home.’
The Rock Man growled again, and the noise was like a paving slab being dragged over concrete.
‘What can I do to help?’ the Doctor asked.
Everyone watched in amazement as the Doctor stood calmly before the towering grey creature, looking directly into the deep, dark pits where its eyes should be.
He was close enough for the creature to reach out and crush him – or turn him to stone.
And then the Rock Man did reach out.
And pointed a stubby, rocky finger at the Doctor’s own hand.
The hand that held the meteorite ball.
‘Yes,’ the Doctor whispered. ‘I think I understand.’ He held the ball up slowly. ‘This is your home?’
The Rock Man leaned forward and, very carefully, touched the ball.
It was impossible to tell exactly what happened in that moment.
There was no flash of light, no spark, no crackle or rumble of thunder.
But somehow, something – everything – changed in that moment. It was as if a connection had been made with something strange and mysterious – a connection between the Rock Man and the Doctor.
The Doctor stiffened – literally.
The hand that held the meteorite turned rigid, pale.
And then grey, like moon rock.
‘Doctor!’ gasped Amy.
The sleeve of the Doctor’s tweed jacket changed to grey, the elbow patch stiffened and turned to stone.
‘Oh, my goodness,’ breathed Jess. ‘No, please, no – not again …’
The Doctor turned his head to look at the others. His deep eyes blazed with fierce intent, the incredible mind behind them burning with the effort of speaking. ‘Don’t do anything – don’t do anything at all,’ he said gruffly.
And then his eyes turned solid.
The dreadful greyness had seeped up his neck and turned his face into a pallid, eerie stone. His hair whitened like that of an old man and stiffened, the heavy fringe apparently carved from solid rock.
In less than a few seconds, the Doctor had been completely transformed. He stood like a statue, holding the meteorite ball, with the Rock Man still touching it.
Amy held Rory tightly and screamed, ‘Doctor!’
CHAPTER 26
ATHROCITE
The Doctor had been transformed entirely into moon rock.
His head turned slowly towards his friends with a terrible grinding noise. And then his grey lips parted in a smile.
‘It’s all right,’ he said. His voice sounded dry and gravelly, completely unlike normal. It was a sound that made the hairs on Rory’s neck stand up and he felt Amy’s body wilt next to him.
And yet …
And yet the Doctor was smiling – sort of.
It wasn’t easy to tell with his features turned to stone, but the lips were definitely smiling, even if there was a vague look of pain in his flat, grey eyes.
‘It’s OK,’ he rumbled again. ‘I’m fine. Really.’
He raised his arms, spreading the fingers of his rock-like hands.
‘Well, not exactly fine,’ he ground on, ‘not fine in the normal sense …’
He stepped slowly forward, arms held awkwardly as if trying to maintain his balance in a body that must have felt so strange and heavy. His grey boots clumped across the carpet as he approached Amy and Rory.
‘I mean – look at me!’ The stone Doctor examined his own hand closely. ‘I’m made of moon rock! Moon rock moving using negative electrostatic energy. Isn’t that amazing?’
‘It is … amazing,’ Rory agreed. But he looked very uncertain.
‘Amazing,’ Amy echoed. ‘But not what we expected. Or wanted.’
‘It’s all right,’ the Doctor insisted.
He was trying to sound reassuring, but the harsh, scraping tones sounded totally alien coming from the Doctor.
‘I knew this would happen,’ the Doctor told them. ‘Sort of. Well, more of a guess, really.’
‘What on Earth have you done?’ Amy finally blurted, unable to stop herself. She put her hands up to her face, blinking away tears.
‘Don’t get upset,’ urged the Doctor.
He reached out for Amy but she recoiled. ‘Don’t touch me! I don’t want to be turned to stone!’
But the Doctor had reached a little too far – and started to topple over. He moved quickly, for someone made out of rock, and regained his balance. ‘Whoa! Gotta be careful here. One slip and crack! I’ll go all to pieces.’
‘Doctor,’ said Jess. ‘What have you done?’
The Doctor turned slowly and carefully to face Jess. ‘Only the most incredible and amazing thing I’ve done so far today. And I try to do something like that almost every day. I’ve been turned to stone.’
‘We can see that.’
‘So, now I know what it’s like to be like your dad. Or the Rock Man here.’ The Doctor pointed to the towering creature behind him.
The Rock Man was simply watching the Doctor through its shadowy eyes, as if wondering what he might do next.
‘But Dad can’t move or speak – at least, not properly.’
‘That’s because he’s only human,’ replied the Doctor. ‘I’m something else. And so is our friend here. We can use the negative electrostatic energy to move more easily. Well, a bit more easily. And that’s not all.’
The Doctor turned and said something to the Rock Man. But not in English, or any kind of language anyone else in the room had ever heard. It sounded more like one slab of concrete being pulled across another.
And the Rock Man replied in kind.
‘Can you two understand each other?’ asked Amy.
The Doctor nodded slowly. ‘Absolutely. Athrocite here can finally communicate. And I can only understand him because I now share the same molecular structure. It’s a complicated and totally unique way to talk.’ The Doctor’s stone hand reached up to touch his stone throat. ‘Plays hell with the vocal chords, mind you. Especially when they’re made entirely of stone.’
‘So, what’s he saying?’ Amy wanted to know.
‘And did you just call him by his name?’ Rory asked.
‘Yes. I’m c
alling him Athrocite. I don’t know if it’s his actual name or the name of his original species. But it seems nicer than Rock Man.’
‘But what’s he actually saying?’ Amy insisted.
The Doctor bit his stone lip. ‘What he’s saying is this: “how can I get away from this dreadful place?” ’
There was an uncomfortable silence.
‘Or words to that effect,’ the Doctor added nervously. ‘Place … planet … it’s difficult to be certain. And it loses a little in translation.’
Athrocite snarled something and the Doctor nodded. ‘Yes, yes, I’m trying to explain … Keep your hair on. Not that you’ve actually got any.’
‘For Heaven’s sake,’ snarled Mr Hoggett, his face redder than ever. ‘No one invited him here. Fellow’s some kind of monster if you ask me.’
‘I didn’t,’ said the Doctor pointedly.
‘Or is this just some kind of stupid practical joke?’ Hoggett demanded to know. His lips twisted into a sneer of contempt. ‘You look like a student.’
‘It’s not a joke,’ said the Doctor. ‘And I’m not a student.’
‘Because it’s not in the least bit funny,’ Hoggett continued.
Athrocite rumbled something else.
‘Athrocite says he never meant to come here,’ the Doctor translated. He took the ball from Athrocite’s hand. ‘His distant ancestors arrived on the moon in this meteorite. Scientists experimented on the meteorite and it formed a new kind of life, roughly based on a human being. In other words – Athrocite was born. So far, so good. But anything he touched was transformed into the same material. The research lab, the scientists, anything at all. Disastrous. And it won’t stop there. The process is highly unstable – there’s no way to control it, and if we don’t find a way to stop it …’
‘What will happen, Doctor?’ asked Amy.
The Doctor’s tone was deadly serious. ‘It won’t stop – ever. It’ll keep on going, transforming, until everything and everyone and everywhere is made of moon rock.’
CHAPTER 27
SHUT UP, HOGGETT!
‘Everything?’ said Amy. ‘We have to find a way to stop it – to get Athrocite away from here. Away from the planet.’
