Clarence (Chapter 7)

Chapter 7 (The Brain Trust)

Owen edged backwards from Clarence as the clown continued to stare at him, his eyes glassy and lacking emotion. He stepped back a few paces and then his back hit something. It felt cold and hard and metallic.

“What do you want?” asked Owen. “What’s going on?”

Clarence reached out a hand and Owen looked away, his eyes closed. But instead of another attack from the clown he felt the clown place a hand on Owen’s left shoulder. He opened one eye and looked down. Sure enough all Clarence was doing was putting a hand on his shoulder.

“What…?”

Clarence nodded slowly. “Safe,” was all he could say.

“Safe? What do you mean safe?” He shrugged the clown away. “Get off me.”

“Safe,” said Clarence again as Owen pushed past him.

“What do you mean safe?” asked Owen.

Clarence pointed. “Safe.”

But Owen realised he wasn’t pointing at him, but instead pointing past him. Owen followed the direction of his pointing finger. Now his eyes were adjusting to the darkness he could make something out. It was the outline of a small door.

Owen looked back at Clarence. “Where are we? I’m not dead, am I?”

“Safe,” said Clarence again, jabbing his finger towards the door.

Owen turned around and walked up to the door. He felt around the frame for an sign of an opening and then spotted a indentation in the door with a handle inside. He grabbed the handle, turned it, and the door clunked to signal it was unlocked.

He looked back at Clarence again.

Clarence nodded. “Safe.”

Owen turned, tightened his grip on the handle and slid the door open.

The inside of the room was dimly lit, but he could make out around three small huddles of people. Of around 15 people. The same amount that had disappeared from the town.

And sat in the middle of the huddle of these people was a little boy with mousy brown hair and freckles. He was picking at the stitching on his top and looked sad.

Owen felt his heart leap in his chest and gasped in relief. “ELLIOT!”

Elliot looked up at Owen, his face breaking out into a beaming smile.

As Owen ran towards his son and lifted him to his feet, hugging him tightly, Clarence remained in the doorway. He nodded to himself. “Safe.”




The Doctor slowly walked up to the brain-like creature, looking at it curiously. He walked all the way around it, it’s tentacles flaying about wildly. If he tried to get too close it would surely attack him. He returned to the front of it and then stood before the great, blue eye, making sure he was out of reach of the tentacles.

“Well, you’re a new one on me,” said the Doctor. “Not the nicest thing to find in the middle of a circus.”

“This is my circus,” said Uncle Joe.

“And you live underneath the tent?” said the Doctor, pointing towards the ground.

“Underneath is my living area. The circus buries itself partially in the ground.”

“Wait a minute,” said Holly, “you mean the tent flies into space?”

“That is correct,” said Uncle Joe.

“The spaceship is disguised as the tent,” said the Doctor. “Saves time wasting I suppose. It means you can get off planets quickly and without fuss.”

“That is correct,” said Uncle Joe.

“Do you realise you’ve given this poor woman a headache,” said the Doctor, pointing back towards Carlotta.

“It’s fine, Doctor,” said the woman, still rubbing her head.

“No it is not,” said the Doctor, looking straight ahead at Uncle Joe. “What in the Carrion Nebula have you been playing at?”

“Yeah, you freak,” said Lilly. “How dare you probe our thoughts. They’re private.”

“And so they will remain that way,” said Uncle Joe. “I have no desire to publicly air your inner most feelings.”

“Then why do it? Why not just invite us in?”

Gordon and Ringo burst in, flanked by two rows of clowns. Ringo looked from Joe and then back to Carlotta. He rushed over to the woman and sat down beside her.

“I’m fine, Ringo,” said Carlotta, brushing off his attention.

“I am going to give you one option, Doctor,” said Uncle Joe, “and I advise that you take that option as the alternative is death for you and your friends.”

“Go on.”

“Leave now. Leave this planet.”

“I’m afraid not,” said the Doctor. He tilted his head to the side. “You see, I have no issue with extra terrestrial circuses. Far from it. I encourage it, but something isn’t quite right here, is it?”

“Aye,” said Lilly. “Something damn freaky is going on here. What’s the deal with Clarence?”

“Clarence has malfunctioned,” said Joe. “He’s been killing people.”

“Oh, come off it, Joe,” said Carlotta. “He’s not been killing people, has he?”

“Silence, Carlotta,” said Joe. “You know who your master is.”

“I resign,” said Carlotta, getting up and walking towards the tent exit.

“Henry..” said Joe, indicating the zig-zag wearing clown.

Henry turned in one mechanical movement, raised his hand and fired a bullet out of his finger. The shot rang out and Carlotta was hit in the back, falling forward face-first into the wood shavings.

“Carlotta!” cried Ringo, running over to her and turning her onto her back. Her eyes were wide open, her face contorted into a look of pain.

“There was no need for that,” said Holly.

“Why? Why kill one of your own?”

“These people are just tools,” said Joe.

Gordon looked away, daring not to look at his master.

“They work for me. I let them live.”

“You killed her!” growled Ringo.

“Ringo, take it easy,” said the Doctor. “Holly, Lilly, take care of him.”

The two girls nodded and knelt down beside the grieving Ringo.

“As Carlotta was saying,” continued the Doctor, trying not to let his anger take over, “Clarence hasn’t been killing people, has he? He’s been trying to save them. The question is what is he trying to save them from? From you?”

Uncle Joe blinked slowly.

“Maybe. But I found out something quite interesting. I tracked back over the last few planets you’ve visited.”

“And?”

“Not long after you left each of those planets slowly descended into petty fighting which eventually led to wars between different groups of people.”

The Doctor knew it was impossible, but he guessed that if Joe had a mouth that he would be smiling smugly.

“It’s him,” said Ringo, his voice quivering in anger. “He takes us from planet to planet. The people come and watch us and he absorbs their emotions.”

“I beg your pardon?” said Lilly.

“Think about it, Lils,” said Holly. “You’ve been feeling grumpy since we landed.”

“I’m always grumpy. Well, mostly,” said Lilly.

“But you’re down in the dumps,” said Holly. “And I’ve gotta admit that I’m not feeling too happy at the moment.”

Joe chuckled.

“That’s right, isn’t it? You bring people here, bring out the best of their emotions. The excitement. The fun. The joy. And then over the few days that you’re here you slowly suck up their emotions.”

“How though?” said Holly.

“He’s psychic,” said Ringo. “He had a psychic link with Carlotta.”

“So like a spider you sit below the circus sucking up the emotions from those around you, using Carlotta as your proxy. Then, when your belly’s full, you take off and find another planet to attack.” The Doctor could barely hide his disgust.

“That’s horrible,” said Lilly.

“And I’m going to stop it,” said the Doctor.

The clowns, as if reading the warning signs, suddenly sprang to life, pointing their gun-fingers at the Doctor, Ringo, Holly and Lilly.

“I gave you the option to leave,” said Joe.

“And I’m giving you the option to leave,” said the Doctor.

“It’s not that simple, Doctor,” said Ringo. “If he leaves he takes all of those happy, positive vibes with him. This planet will follow the same route as the others.”

“This planet will descend into war,” said the Doctor ominously.

To be continued...