Chapter 3 (Surfacers)
The Doctor, Holly, Richard and Lilly had been led to a small hut. Inside were cushions laid all over the floor with a table in the middle containing all sorts of weird and wonderful fruit that none of them had seen before, as well as cold and hot drinks.
The walls were draped in red, satin curtains - or this planets equivalent of - and the air smelt of sweet honey.
The Doctor was sat crossed legged on a cushion looking deep in thought. Holly was sat next to Lilly and Richard was busy tucking into each of the different fruits.
“Something about this doesn’t sit right with me,” said Holly.
“I know what you mean,” said Lilly. “Having a festival for people before they die. How can they know when they’re going to die?”
The Doctor nodded. “It’s a quandary.”
“I’d hate to know when I was going to die,” said Holly.
“Me too,” said Richard, sipping a blue-ish-green liquid. “But then I suppose they have a different culture.”
“Well I don’t like it,” said Holly.
“Maybe we should just go back to the TARDIS. Get out of here,” said Lilly.
“We can’t run away at the first sight of not liking something from another culture,” said the Doctor. “We have to respect them.”
“But it’s wrong,” said Holly.
“What’s wrong about it?” asked the Doctor. “This race obviously know when they pass away. Who are we to dictate how they should act around that?”
“I know where Holly’s coming from though,” said Richard. “It’s all a little bit creepy.”
“Why don’t we just ask?” said Lilly. “Then we can all stop bloody worrying and looking concerned.”
“Lilly…” began the Doctor.
“Don’t worry about it,” said Lilly, as she got up from her cushion.
“Where are you going?” asked Holly.
“For a walk. To get some fresh air.”
Lilly exited the hut and Holly looked at the Doctor.
“Go on then,” he said, urging her to follow her friend.
Holly got to her feet and followed Lilly outside. It was getting dark now and lots of little lights were shining amongst the trees from the various platforms. Lilly was stood beside a barrier looking out into the jungle, smiling at the lights.
Holly joined her by her side and took her hand. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” said Lilly. “Just…”
“Just what?”
“Frustrated.”
“What with?”
Lilly itched her side again.
“Look, what’s wrong with your side? You’ve been scratching at it for ages now.”
“I don’t know,” she said.
“Then show me.”
Lilly sighed and pulled up her top, exposing her side. Her flesh was tinged blue and looked like it was flaking off.
“Jesus, Lilly,” said Holly, kneeling down to look at her. “Why didn’t you tell us about this?”
“I thought it’d go away,” she said, sadly. “It’s from that Kro’Tenk captain I killed. Leet. I didn’t notice it until I was in the shower. He must have sliced through me with his sword. Given me a superficial injury, but some of his blood got into the cut.”
“So you’re infected?”
Lilly nodded.
“We need to tell the Doctor.”
“No.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because it’s my problem. I’m sick of being his problem.”
“But this could be serious,” said Holly.
Lilly sighed. “I’m not totally stupid, Dangerfield. I have been running tests in the TARDIS. I was waiting for the results when we landed here.”
“Then lets get back down there and check them out. We need to know if you’re going to be alright.”
“I can wait,” said Lilly.
“Well I can’t,” said Holly, grabbing Lilly’s hand. She dragged her across the platform, made sure nobody was looking, and then they made their way down the steps.
In the corner, behind their own hut, a set of curious eyes watched them leave. And then the owner of the eyes started to follow the girls downwards.
Richard was just tucking into another of the fruits when the Doctor let out a long, drawn-out yawn.
“Why don’t you get some sleep?” asked Richard. “Before the Age Festival, that is.”
“I don’t sleep very often,” said the Doctor, smiling.
“Cos you’re an alien?” asked Richard.
“Well, all species sleep,” said the Doctor with a smile, “but I just don’t need as much as you Human beings.”
“I like my sleep,” said Richard. “You can’t have a good day at work without having at least eight hours sleep.”
“Work,” laughed the Doctor. “I used to do that once.”
“I can’t imagine you working. Was this back on your home planet?”
“On Gallifrey? Yes.” He smiled at the memory.
“It sounds like you miss the place. Have you been travelling long?”
The Doctor looked at Richard and then relaxed a little. Whilst Holly and Lilly were busy having their own, relationship problems, Richard here was unassuming. He had his own issues to deal with, but right now he was an open book. None of his pages had been blotted by the chaos of time travel with him.
“I left Gallifrey a long, long, long time ago, but I’ve been back on several occasions. I even lost the planet once. I thought it’d been destroyed.”
“I take it you haven’t been back in some time?”
“A while ago something happened. It means I can never go back.”
“Never?”
“Well, without dealing with the consequences, no.” He leaned in. “There was a town on Gallifrey called Jacarthia. The people there were being treat unfairly by the High Council. I came along and thought I could help.”
“So what happened?” asked Richard, leaning in closer to the Doctor.
The curtain to the hut was flung open and an angry looking Tees was stood flanked by two guards.
“A problem, Mr Tees?”
“Your two friends.”
“What about them?”
“They’ve descended down to the lower platforms without permission!”
“I’m sure they just went for a walk.”
“Nobody goes for a walk at night.”
The Doctor and Richard got to their feet. “Then we’ll go and look for them. What are you so scared of?”
Tees looked like he was about to say and then swallowed his words. “I’m not scared, but they shouldn’t be that far down at this time of night.” He pointed to the Doctor. “You will go with Captain Jag and his troops and bring them back.”
“What about me?” asked Richard.
“You will stay here. I cannot afford to have any more visitors out after dark.”
The Doctor looked worried for Richard and he spotted his concern. “I’ll be fine,” said Richard, sitting back down on his cushion. “Just go and find them.”
Tees led the Doctor out of the hut where Jag was waiting with four other guards. “We will have to postpone the Age Festival. There will be consequences.”
“I think you better start telling me a few truths,” said the Doctor.
Tees glowered at him. “I have been nothing but truthful.”
“If you were telling me the truth you wouldn’t be so concerned right now.”
“Take him, Jag,” said Tees angrily. “Bring those Humans back to us immediately.”
Lilly and Holly had reached the bottom platform. It seemed darker now than it had been earlier on. Down here even the star and moon light couldn’t be seen. Holly could barely see Lilly and if it wasn’t for the fact that she was holding her hand she wouldn’t have even believed she was still with her.
“Watch your footing,” said Holly, as she felt some uneven slats of wood beneath her feet.
“Maybe we should have told the Doctor.”
“And caused a fuss?” said Holly.
“Says the girl who’s causing the fuss in the first place,” said Lilly.
Holly turned to face Lilly, who she could barely make out in the gloom. “You know why I’m causing a fuss, don’t you?”
“Cos you like me,” said Lilly, grinning a little.
“I thought that much was obvious,” said Holly.
“I’ve never had anyone like me before.”
“What about your friend, Craig?”
“Craig the robot?” said Lilly. “Just mates. And he was a robot.”
Holly smiled. “True. But then even Data from Star Trek TNG fell in love once.”
There was a scuffling sound from somewhere over to their right. Holly frowned and peered into the darkness. It was impossible to spot anything in this low-light.
“What was it?” asked Lilly, gripping her hand tighter.
“I don’t know,” said Holly, “but we’ve only got another set of steps to go down and we’ll be at the TARDIS.”
“We need to go back up.”
“We need to get you checked out,” said Holly. She began to guide Lilly towards the next set of steps. They made their way down until they reached the final, lowest platform. The TARDIS was standing there next to the tree trunk and Holly suddenly felt a little safer.
“There it is again,” said Lilly, trying to look for any kind of clue in the darkness, trying to locate the source of the sound.
There came a scraping sound from somewhere towards the edge of the platform. Holly tensed up and the two girls hurried over to the TARDIS doors.
“Quickly,” said Lilly as Holly fumbled to find her key.
The scuffling came again, followed by the sound of claws scraping on the wood.
“It’s some kind of animal,” said Lilly, pressing herself against the TARDIS doors.
“One of those Surfacers,” said Holly, remembering what Tees had said.
“Where’s that bloody key, Dangerfield?” barked Lilly.
Holly pulled out the key, attached to a chain that had been in her jean pocket and smiled as she held it out in front of Lilly.
But before she could put it in the lock the pair of them were aware of a dark shape flying at them from towards the edge of the platform. They shielded themselves and waited for the attack.
Which never came.
They heard a high-pitched cry from somewhere to their left and saw a flash of something hit the shapeless creature and cause it to recoil in pain.
“Back, creature!” said a high-pitched voice, which Holly instantly recognised.
“Kitz?” she said into the darkness.
There was more struggling and animal howls before Kitz appeared at the side of them. He looked out of a breath and was holding a bloodied spear high in the air.
“What was that thing?” asked Holly.
“A Surfacer,” said Kitz. “They live below.”
Suddenly there came a cracking sound of wood. Holly felt the relatively solid wooden boards beneath them start to shift and move. Holly grabbed Lilly, and Kitz dived for a vine. He swung out into the darkness and then swung back, grabbing hold of Holly.
Holly gripped Lilly tightly, but it was too late. As Holly found herself being swung away from the platform and into the higher trees she felt Lilly slip away as the platform - along with the TARDIS - collapsed.
Lilly cried out as she disappeared into the darkness below.
To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment