Doctor Who: Nightshade Part 19

'What is it?' called Winstanley, still perched up his ladder.

The Doctor took the slim volume from Ace's hands and scanned a few pages. 'It's an archaeological work. It seems there was an expedition here in 1919. A dig. They found remnants of Palaeolithic quarrying.' He cast his eyes over the dust jacket. 'Seems it was abandoned. Under mysterious circ.u.mstances.'

'Where was this, then?' said Ace.

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Funny how such a big thing could go unnoticed. In fact, the whole village was terribly quiet. More like a wet Sunday in March than Christmas Eve. Already missing York's wonderful festive air, he made a mental note to spend some Chapter Seven more time in York before returning to London.

Medway pushed his hands into his pockets, overcoat tails bunching behind him, and mounted the steps to the police station.

'Have you seen this man?' announced a poster by the entrance. Medway hadn't. He pushed open the door and was taken aback by the scene which met his eyes.

In contrast to the quiet of the village, the police station Medway left the car in a side road adjoining the main was in turmoil. The front desk was piled with papers.

street and walked towards the police station. He didn't Uniformed men scurried to and fro. One man, at the back, a notice the disturbed bushes growing by the pavement, nor look of hopeless resignation on his face, was constantly the other faint traces of Trevithick's encounter the previous dialling and redialling a heavy black telephone.

night. But he felt distinctly uneasy.

'Excuse me...' announced Medway.

There was a chilling wind blowing off the moor, stirring The bustle continued. Medway rang the desk bell.

bare branches and discarded newspapers. Telephone wires George Lowc.o.c.k appeared from his office, jamming his swung like slack skipping ropes against the white sky, hat on to his head. A smaller, rosy-cheeked man scurried sighing as the wind blew over them.

behind him.

Jangling his keys in his pocket, Medway began to whistle 'Just try, Albert, that's all I ask. We've got to find a way 'We Three Kings' without much enthusiasm, glancing about out somehow.'

nervously at the cl.u.s.ters of nineteenth-century cottages 'Excuse me,' said Medway again. Lowc.o.c.k looked at him which dotted the road.

briefly and then made for the door.

The local pub seemed a more enticing prospect and he 'Yes, sir?' sighed Albert wearily.

could have done with a little something after his 'I've come to report an accident. A coach... on the road out experiences that morning. Ferrying hysterical geriatrics was of the village.'

not his thing at all and his supply of small talk had run very Lowc.o.c.k turned in the doorway. 'Coach?'

low indeed. Still, the monks had been kindness itself, saying 'Yes. A party of old folks and a Miss Mason.'

all the right soothing things in that pleasant, bland Lowc.o.c.k approached him. 'Any hurt?'

monotone beloved of men of the cloth.

'The driver. Dead, I'm afraid.'

Now he had to do his bit and report the accident.

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Albert licked a pencil and pulled out a note pad. 'And you He took Medway by the arm and led him outside. Albert are?'

leaned over the desk towards one of the young constables.

Medway puffed out his cheeks. 'My name's Tim Medway.

'Peter, get over to the York road, will you? Report of an I'm a BBC reporter. I'm here to interview Mr Edmund accident.'

Trevithick...'

The Doctor rubbed his fingers across weary eyes. The Lowc.o.c.k raised an eyebrow. 'Are you now? Well, laddie, print on the books before him was beginning to swim and you stick with me and I'll take you to him. Mind you, after centuries of reading in diverse libraries across the galaxies what we've all been through I doubt he'll be in any state...'

told him it was time to call a halt. He slammed shut the Medway frowned. 'What d'you mean?'

ma.s.sive tome before him.

'Never mind now. This coach...?'

'I think we've found out as much as we can from here,' he Medway leaned against the desk and shrugged. 'They said, glancing over at Ace. She looked at her watch. Just were heading for York. Miss Mason said they were after midday and still a while until Robin would arrive. She overcome by some sort of sickness and the driver lost smiled at her companion.

control.'

'Look, Doctor. I'm sorry if I haven't been much help so far.

'Sickness,' said Lowc.o.c.k thoughtfully.

What with everything we talked about before...'

'Think it's the same thing, George?' said Albert, pus.h.i.+ng The Doctor cast his eyes downwards. Ace continued, 'I the pencil behind his ear.

had a pretty rough day yesterday. Finding that stiff...'

Lowc.o.c.k pouted his lower lip. 'Could be, could be.' He 'I know,' said the Doctor. 'I'm sorry.'

looked Albert in the eye. 'Do you remember that pollution 'I just want you to know that even if I'm not with you, I scare a few years back?'

am... in spirit.'

'Oh aye,' said Albert brightly.

The Doctor gazed at her sadly. 'I understand. Thank you.'

Medway was getting interested, his journalistic nose How many times had he been here before? With Victoria sensing a story. 'Pollution?'

on the gas platform. Jo in Llanfairfach. Tegan in London.

'Oh, nowt much,' said Lowc.o.c.k dismissively. 'There was She'd grown up before his eyes; this funny misfit, a fire at a chemical plant a few miles off. I was just changing from a little bundle of venom with more chips wondering whether it could be something like that.'

than a Monte Carlo casino into a confident, maturing adult.

'That doesn't explain Mrs Yeadon, George. And what It had been a struggle though. He had hated the lies and the about Jack Prudhoe and Dr Shearsmith?'

half-truths he'd felt compelled to create in order to protect 'Mmm. You're right. "It is fatal to theorise without facts", her from the future. After Fenric and more recently their eh Watson?'

adventures battling the Timewyrm, he'd hoped to have put Lowc.o.c.k turned to Medway. 'Come along then, I'll all that behind them. But now there were other introduce you to Professor Nightshade.'

considerations...

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Ace jumped as the walkie-talkie in the Doctor's pocket The Doctor approached Jill. 'h.e.l.lo again. What happened squawked into life. He produced it with some relief.

here?'

'Doctor?' It was Cooper's voice, distorted by static.

Jill sighed, pus.h.i.+ng the annoying curl of hair from her 'Yes, Dr Cooper? Over.'

eyes. 'We had an accident out on the moor. All very 'b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l. It works! Erm... We're monitoring a slow peculiar.'

build-up. I'd like you here. Over.'

The Doctor mumbled something sympathetic and then 'On my way. Over and out.'

reeled as a small shambling figure almost knocked him off He stuffed the black box into his coat and picked up a pile his feet. Billy Coote glanced at him for a moment, biscuit-of selected books which he'd tied together with string.

brown teeth protruding aggressively, then shuffled towards 'Coming?'

the twisting stone steps which led to the tower.

Ace shuffled uncomfortably. 'I thought I might hang Jill explained what had happened, proffering a mug of around here for a bit. If that's OK with you?'

strong tea which the Doctor declined.

The Doctor nodded a little stiffly. 'Whatever,' he said and 'Did you all feel this?'

left the room.

'Yes. But Mr Medway, the one who helped us, must've Ace sat down in the Abbot's chair and chewed her lip.

been driving in the same conditions as us and he didn't feel There was a funny sensation churning in her stomach, a a thing. I thought it might be something in the air...'

kind of nervous antic.i.p.ation mingled with sadness, like the 'Gas?'

first and last days of school combined.

'Something like that. But what Mr Medway says rather The Doctor left the Abbot's study and traversed the rules that out.'

narrow corridor which led to the open cloisters. He paused 'I'm not so sure,' said the Doctor darkly. 'He was coming a moment, gazing at the hard white sky which was once into the village.'

more threatening snow, then he turned the corner towards 'What d'you mean by that?'

the Great Hall.

'Where's Abbot Winstanley?'

He found the room buzzing with noise and confusion. A Jill looked around at the chaos in the room. 'He was here.

dozen or so monks were helping the coach party into hastily Can't see him now.'

improvised beds, nursing sprains and applying poultices.

The Doctor turned towards the door. 'Never mind. Just Jill Mason stood to one side, banging the last dregs from an tell him I've gone back to the telescope, would you?'

ancient tea urn. Mrs Holland was still moaning softly to He gave her a little smile and left the room through the herself in the corner.

big double doors.

'It's these blackie postmen,' announced Mr Peel to no one Jill carried two mugs of steaming tea over to Mrs Holland.

in particular.

She sat down and sipped one herself, letting the old woman cradle hers like a security blanket. 'All right now, Esme?'

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Mrs Holland looked at her blankly, her toothless mouth her zest he liked, her spontaneity and sparkle. That and her champing in agitation.

rather appealing face. He smiled. Maybe she could come to 'Wilfrid?' she called weakly. 'Oh, it's you. I was just Italy with him. Maybe they could go away sooner...

recalling...'

Slow down. Slow down. You hardly know her yet.

She looked down and frowned. 'It's all changed now, you He thought of Ace's words: 'Plenty of time, suns.h.i.+ne' and see. All changed. I used to have such lovely long hair. My beamed.

mother used to sit and brush it by the fire. Like spun gold Still beaming, he walked through the door of The she always said.'

Shepherd's Cross. Trevithick looked up from a table where Mrs Holland put the mug on to the arm of her chair and Lawrence sat, head in hands.