20
BLACKOUTA Tenth Doctor adventure featuring Martha Jones.
Copyright Neil Davies 2007
Charlie Ford had been expecting a nice quiet shift, the usual boring routine where nothing ever happened apart from the normal checks that way he could get on with his chess game. He had just made his tenth move when a red warning light cut into his concentration, oh no what now he thought excusing himself and sliding his chair over to the master terminal, as the chair was on castors he got there smoothly and quickly.
Power loss of 5 a screen informed him, Charlie blinked down at it, this was impossible the grid never lost so much at 2am, most people were asleep and most businesses closed. He did a quick diagnostic but there was no fault in the software then other red lights came on a whole rash of them this time.
Power loss of 11.
Charlie felt his neck muscles bunch and a dull ache form behind his eyes, oh God not a migraine attack. Terry, come and look at this."
His chess opponent gave a deep groan of dismay. "I'm about to take your bishop."
Doubting it Ford barked, "We're losing power right across the grid, it's just bleeding away. Oh no now the loss if 15."
With a snort Terry Price stood up, this was some kind of wind up and typical of Charlie who always tried to pull a fast one when he was losing. The grid never lost 15 capacity even during a busy day, so it was with deep distrust that he ambled over. "Another of your little practical jokes, eh Charlie boy?"
In response Ford pointed to the monitor, "Make a joke out of that if you can."
Power loss of 27 said the screen, and Terry felt his mouth begin to dry up with horror.
"It must be an error in the system," he said.
"I checked that," said Charlie.
"But nobody can siphon off that amount of power, it's impossible."
Also impossible was the next report, the power bleed was up to 32. Swiftly Ford picked up a red phone the one only to be used in dire emergencies and his view that was what they had, the line put him straight through to Britain's governing power authority.
"This 3432778 Ford at NUTON power station, we have a serious power outage of," he checked the screen and his heart almost missed a beat. "Dear God it's now 43, the grid here is being sucked dry."
A voice on the other end of the line asked Charlie if he'd been drinking because his report was insane, I know that he thought and it shouldn't be happening but it is and right before me.
"I'm forwarding the data now," he said hitting some keys. There was silence on the other end of the line then a gasp of horror.
"Isolate the source of the power loss."
Charlie looked at his mate but Terry was already sat in front of another computer, his fingers a blur of movement. Up on a main screen a map showing the entire district came up, NUTON supplied not just this county but two neighbouring ones as well.
"It doesn't make any sense," Terry cried. "Look at that Charlie."
Charlie was looking and his friend was correct the power bleed wasn't from a factory or an office block, not even a private residential address.
"Sir the leak seems to be in the middle of the moor land, an area that is totally deserted."
"Can you staunch the leak," he was asked? He looked over at his friend who was still working furiously.
"Nothing we can do," said Terry his face damp with perspiration. "None of the fail safes are working, not even the emergency cut outs."
When Charlie relayed the information an order came back at him curt and direct, he was to take the entire power grid offline, effectively shutting the NUTON power station down.
Martha stood with her hands on the edge of the central console she was facing the Doctor who was on the other side of it busy as usual and getting nowhere fast, also as per usual. She had asked him where they were going but hadn't received a coherent answer beyond backwards in time. Given that they'd just been two million years into her future this wasn't a lot of help, how far back, back to when and where?
A flicking light drew her attention the light was small and green. It turned first yellow then purple and then it died, Martha found this somehow very sad like a little part of her world had just ended but worse was to come.
Soon a dozen lights were flicking, altering colour and going dark. "Something's happening," she said but this was too vague, aboard this ship something was always happening. "Lights are going off," but that often happened to. "My terminal is dark."
The Doctor frowned, scratched an ear and played with more switches he hardly seemed to have heard her.
Martha watched an entire board of lights go mad and then go out now the next terminal was offline. "We're losing power," she said as a series of needles flicked from their green zones to their red ones. "It's happening right across the central console."
But it was only when the thrusting time rotor stalled, albeit briefly, that her companion looked up and with some alarm. Pulling down a lever he scooted around the console to her side. "Did you touch anything," he asked then shook his head as if this was a daft question. "We're being sucked dry," he said. "Like a lemon."
What a charming analogy Martha thought as a screen came on showing a very tiny police box hovering over a football sized planet, connecting the two was a shimmering cable with energy moving down from the police box to the planet. "It's definitely coming from the northern sector, western zone."
With a frown Martha thought how like Britain the land mass below looked, same place same size. "Is that earth," she asked but it was obvious? He had brought her home just like he'd promised, after a dozen alien worlds and far-flung time zones she was back where she belonged, assuming she still belonged in 2007 that is.
"Yorkshire moors," said the Doctor with a scowl. "And one of the most remote corners of it you can imagine, there shouldn't be anything there but moss, rocks and a few hares."
His head came up and the look on it was one she knew only too well, that curious mixture of fear, anger and excitement, which said he had found a mystery. Nothing on earth could affect the TARDIS and certainly not drain it of power even she knew that.
"How much power have we lost?"
He said, "Almost a quarter but it's even worse on the ground, the power grid is all but dry."
"And all this power is going where exactly?"
Good question said the gleam in his eye, "It seems to be disappearing into nothing, which is ridiculous of course. There has to be something down there on the Yorkshire moors that is insatiable for power, it can't get enough not even the entire northern England grid is enough so it's even trying to pirate off us."
Alien, Martha decided there was something alien on the moors. "Can you pinpoint it?"
Roughly said his shrug enough for a reasonably close materialisation. "We'd better get down there while we can still do anything, I don't think we'd got enough juice to go anywhere else."
"What time of year is it," Martha asked thinking how cold it could get on the moors even during the summer months?
The Doctor went to a gauge and turned a few dials, the year 2007 came up as did the month of…oh great just her luck November.
"November?" She said with disgust that meant fog, ice, maybe rain but definitely sub-zero temperatures. "I bet it's night time to isn't it, go on you can tell me, early morning and the coldest day of the year."
Giving her a smile he said, "No actually it isn't," Following a brief pause he added, "But it is the next coldest a mere minus ten."
The groan that escaped Martha in no way elucidated her misery it had been so warm and pleasant on their last planet and she'd spent most of it on a beach by the ocean. Okay there had been some giant lobster-thing on the rampage eating other tourists and yes she'd been chased by it and almost eaten but hey you couldn't get picky when you travelled with the Doctor. He just did giant lobster-things, usually finding at least one wherever they went.
Going towards the wardrobe section she decided to pick out a thick pullover, scarf, boots and a coat designed for polar explorers. "Can I get you anything, like a pair of huskies?"
Laughing he began to work the materialisation controls, the time rotor shuddered and from its base came a thin tendril of smoke. "Might be a rough landing."
So what else is new said her gaze, "Want a fur coat or two or three?"
"No need," he told her and surely he was insane.
"You did say minus ten didn't you?"
"Yes I did – almost everywhere on the moors except where we're going."
Making her way back to him she studied the aerial map he'd put up it was blue all over, dark blue in places especially around the edges but right slap back in the middle of it was a tiny oasis of orange-pink.
"Is that what I think it is – like warmth for instance?"
Yes said his grin that's exactly right, they were going to crash land but at least it would be somewhere pleasant – that made all the difference.
Martha had her red jacket on just in case but soon found she didn't need it, indeed she began to perspire the moment she stepped outside. It wasn't just warm it was boiling hot and she undid her jacket at once with a view to removing it. Around them in the distance was this strange wall or barrier, it seemed to be made of mist and stretched up right to the skyline. When she asked what it was the answer came back,
"That's November kept at bay."
"But it's roasting hot here like the middle of July," Martha objected. Yes it is isn't it said the impish grin by way of reply. "Doctor, how is this being done and why?"
"Localised energy embolism creating a controlled environment, very impressive in its way, as to why…" His shrug was expansive. "Maybe our visitor doesn't like to be cold."
Not keen on that herself Martha took out a tissue to mop her face, the tissue was soon wringing wet. This is too weird she thought, nobody can just alter the weather to suit themselves inventing a miniature July in the middle of November.
The Doctor pointed in the direction he wanted to go and set off, "shouldn't be too far." He said, "The embolism is only three miles in diameter."
Maybe she mused but who or what was lying in the middle of it, and how would they react to a pair of nosey callers?
"If there's been a huge power loss like you said, how come this area isn't crawling with the military I mean surely the government would react in some way?"
"Martha just because we managed to get into the embolism doesn't mean the military could."
"You mean that barrier doesn't just keep the cold out?"
"Wouldn't be much of a barrier if it did."
Finally she removed her jacket and slung it over her shoulder, she did think to toss it back in the ship but there was no telling what might happen, if the Doctor got involved the barrier might collapse then the chill November air would rush back with a vengeance.
"Have you ever seen anything like this before," she asked jogging to catch up?
"Variations on a theme," he said.
"Any idea who might be behind this embolism?"
"The technology's advanced but too general, several species could pull off a stunt like this, oh look at this." Bending down over something he parted his hands with delight, Martha had to move around in front of him to see what it was that had snagged his attention, she was destined to be disappointed.
"A weed," she said? "Doctor, it's a weed."
"Wild flower," he corrected moving a finger up the tall green stem to the curiously cone shaped flower which was an odd mix of yellow, pink and blue. "Not just any old wild flower either," he remarked.
It was pretty she had to admit that much even exotic but so what it was a flower, what was the big deal?
"Botany isn't my thing," Martha dismissed thinking of the tedious field trips she'd had to endure at school.
"Pity," he said. "If it was you'd realise that this lovely little specimen is not native to earth."
Now he had her interest, "It's alien?" Squatting down herself she extended her left hand to the top of the cone. Rapidly the Doctor intercepted her wrist and guided it quickly away, one second later the cone split open with a pop and a thick orange spray was ejected into the air. Both of them reared back but Martha caught a sickly sweet aroma that seemed vaguely medicinal.
"Toxic," said her companion. "All mature Skerid blossoms are."
The orange splay seemed to congeal in the air forming a curious web of vein-like fronds. "If they get into your lungs they'll eat them within less than two hours."
She was disgusted, "Eat them?" She repeated.
"Oh yes the Skerid releases a carnivorous spore that feeds on lung tissue, to start with anyway before setting to work on the rest of you."
Standing up Martha took two big steps away from the flower, "Where does that thing come from?"
Face intense and reflective the Doctor joined her, putting on a pair of plastic gloves and taking out some scissors. "Oh dear," was all he would say. "I had hoped…" but he didn't tell her what he'd hoped. Dropping onto his haunches he very carefully applied the scissors to the base of the flower and snipped, then putting his prize into a plastic bag he squeezed this shut.
Martha was bewildered, "What are you doing?"
"A ripe Skerid can live for up to twelve hours once the stem has been cut."
"Fascinating but why would you want to carry one around in your pocket?"
He gave her his famous smile the one that said it was a back-up plan but didn't want to disclose it just yet in case it didn't work, as ever he was improvising.
Martha couldn't see anything at all just the usual bare terrain ahead full of moss, lichen stones and pot holes. Turning to the Doctor she threw him one of her famous looks you must be kidding.
His expression remained resolute as he looked up from a hand-held tracker the size of an old-fashioned mobile phone, like the things in the very first Die Hard movie. The tiny screen of the tracker had turned from soft amber to sharp red and at its centre was a flicking triangle she knew from experience that the triangle meant a trace but a trace of what?
"Yes, we've found it." He announced like an optimistic fisherman.
"Found what," Martha let her impatience show? "I can't see a thing."
"It's well camouflaged, I'll give them that a level 5 cloak and you don't often come across one of those even the TARDIS only has a level 6."
All very interesting she thought but not terribly helpful, "You're sure?"
Positively beamed the thin face as his thumb worked the tiny diamond shaped keypad on the tracker, "Level 5's can be tricky but with a bit of tinkering on the osmotic scale I should be able to…yes there we are."
Martha had expected a building to appear or a space ship maybe a dome, but all she could see ahead of her was a shimmering ghostly outline, an opening in the air and the air at its centre was hardly much different from the stuff around it.
"Is that it," she cried with disappointment?
"The way in, yes." He confirmed.
"But there's hardly anything there, it doesn't even look real."
"Real enough," Came the response, "For our purposes anyway."
"Are you saying we can pass through that thing into the alien base?"
"Base, ship, garden shed – whatever they're using."
"I dunno," Martha confessed. "I was expecting something a bit more tangible, a structure."
The Doctor sighed, "Oh it's there alright but they have so many fail-safes and back-ups that if I go for a full decloaking it'll set off every alarm and defence grid they have."
"So they don't know we're out here, they didn't detect the TARDIS?"
He grinned, "Level 6 beats level 5 every time - don't you just love superior technology?"
Yes she did assuming they had it and she wasn't totally convinced about that, as he strode boldly forwards she hung back. "Hang on," she called. "Are you just going to walk in through the front door?"
It didn't strike her as a very astute strategy.
"That isn't the front door," he said. "Nor is the back door, more of a tradesman's entrance."
Oh terrific what a glamorous life I lead Martha thought, "Isn't it guarded?"
"Not anymore, I deactivated the automatic grid."
"I meant by living beings, entities or whatever they are in there."
Coming to a halt the Doctor rubbed his chin like she'd made a good point that hadn't occurred to him swiftly he keyed something into the tracker. "Better do a routine bio-trace, just to be on the safe side."
Yes she thought it might be prudent, there was little point opening a door just to walk into the arms or tentacles of something on the other side. The tracker gave a low cough she always found amusing, as though it had a cold.
"Clear," said the Doctor.
"You're sure about that are you?"
"It's not like you to be so nervous," he said and he was right it wasn't but this whole situation had been freaking her out since they arrived.
Right up to the ghostly portal now they admired its sheer size and strangeness. "They're not daleks are they?" Martha asked, "Or cybermen?"
Shaking his head the Doctor muttered something about wrong technology, "This is a different species altogether the skerid flower proves that."
"So you do know what they are," she pressed?
"A rough idea that maybe totally wrong."
"Better or worse than daleks and cybermen?"
This earned her one his enigmatic, wait and see looks that worried her far more than any other kind. He extended his hand in an almost romantic gesture and she took it, glad when he gave her a squeeze. "Ready," he enquired? No she wasn't but there was no pulling out now and they stepped forward into nothing – a nothing that became something – it just exploded and expanded around them. Wow thought Martha this is just too wild.
They were in a long chamber about the size of a five-a-side pitch at her local leisure centre only this place had nothing to do with sport, the walls and floor were metallic with gantries and cat walks crisscrossing their way above them. The floor had strange markings, geometric patterns Martha would have called them and odd alien symbols. Light came from cones made of quartz that appeared to grow out of the walls and on the far side were some tall cabinets possibly for storage.
Martha began to cough at once something in the air hitting the back of her throat with a sharp medicinal kind of tang. Instantly the Doctor produced a pair of small orange tablets and popped them into her mouth telling her to chew and keep chewing, very soon the coughing fit passed and the bad taste eased off.
"Thank you, what is it?"
"Excess hydrogen in the air, lethal to humans."
"How come you can stand it, your time lord biology?"
He frowned, "No it should be affecting me to I don't know why it isn't."
She was just glad her coughing and spluttering hadn't triggered any alarms or brought anyone to have a look. "You were right," she said. "No guards."
"This can't be a high-priority area, looks functional though with all those gantries."
Martha had an idea, "Does this mean they're humanoid."
His smile was praise by itself, well done it said you're getting the hang of this. Then he said, "Unfortunately not - anyway just because they're humanoid doesn't mean they like humans."
Then something snagged his attention and leaving her, he dove across the room with long strides saying the words interesting and remarkable. Martha had no idea why until she saw where he was heading and even then nothing interesting or remarkable jumped out at her. Ducking under a low gantry the time lord reached a kind of tall upright cabinet, bland and grey its only distinguishing feature was a curious symbol, a diagonal slash with three interlinking circles, this meant nothing to her.
"Well this puts a whole new complexion on things," he said running a finger down the slash then inscribing each circle. "Oh yes now things are a lot clearer, I suppose I should have guessed really I mean all the clues were there right in front of my nose – so to speak."
Having not the slightest clue what he was going on about Martha moved a few paces closer but didn't go right up to the cabinet, for some unfathomable reason she felt it was dangerous although outwardly it looked harmless.
"Care to share the insight," she said a tad sarcastically. This man tended to forget she wasn't galactically savvy, after all why should she recognise some alien symbol?
Turning to her he said, "This is worse than I thought."
Nothing new there then, situations were always more disastrous, terrible and chaotic than they first appeared.
"We've got to get them out of here," he went on.
"Who?"
A finger rose, "Them, actually."
Martha didn't want to turn and look but she knew she had to there was no avoiding it so warily she followed the Doctor's finger.
Three aliens were stood in a line some yards away and they were very alien aliens to her mind, not the human looking types she sometimes met in her travels. Curiously only one of them was looking at her, the other two had their heads down and eyes closed as if nodding off or praying. The one looking at her did so with an unblinking and piercing gaze, there was no friendliness in it at all. He was different from his two colleagues and it took her a few moments to work out how.
The leathery skin was a darker texture, the snout longer but skull smaller, there was more muscle across the arms and chest and he had very well defined hands that could grasp and hold. He looked physically stronger but somehow mentally weaker and was possibly a servant or guard to the other two aliens, same species different caste.
All this went through Martha's mind at the same time as the thought that they were incredibly ugly, uglier than Judoon, nastier than Cybermen yet curiously they didn't seem to be armed unless their weapons were so exotic she couldn't make them out.
What do we do now Martha asked the Doctor with her eyes dunno said his frown it's up to these guys. No she thought that isn't proactive enough; not Doctorish or even Marthaish for her tastes.
Then she felt it inside her head like a mild toothache, a sound or series of sounds linked together by a curious whoosh. Gripping her left temple where it hurt the most she let out a gasp, at once the Doctor's hand was on her shoulder telling her it was okay and he could feel it to.
"Telepathy," he said. "It's how they communicate."
One second later the pain eased and the sounds became clearly defined words.
"You have defiled this holy place and insulted the great goddess."
With a hammer blow of shock Martha realised the mind-voice was female, these aliens didn't look female to her but then what did she know about alien biology.
Hang on – holy, goddess? They were going on as though this was some kind of church or temple, the language was religious not military or commercial.
Then the Doctor spoke, "Forgive us in the name of the great prophetess Shigala, we are the unwise, the unsighted, those washed clean by the mighty healer Imbrah."
Surprise, Martha felt it ripple across the telepathic bridge between her at the aliens and she was pretty surprised herself by this outburst, a kind of formal grovel.
"You know of our beliefs, our culture, who are you?"
"The Doctor, I am or was a time lord."
More surprise but slightly less hostility, "There are no time lords left in existence," said the voice.
"One, me," Came the correction.
"How did you survive?"
"I ran away," the Doctor answered after a pause.
"We sense you are not a coward, why did you run away?"
"It was the only intelligent thing to do only a fool dies pointlessly."
Now the two smaller aliens opened their eyes, they didn't look at the intruders but they did nod their heads but was this in agreement or contempt?
"Yet you came here," the voice replied. "To die pointlessly."
Oh dear this wasn't going well after the initial high point, in fact the conversation had turned decidedly sour time for the Doctor to pull another rabbit out of the hat.
"Would you kill humble pilgrims seeking the wisdom of the Noari?"
Nice touch of humility she thought, but it fell on stony ground this time.
"The Noari have no wisdom to impart other than the endless bliss of eternity."
That meant death didn't it Martha had come to read between the lines very well. "You can't murder us," she blurted out. "That's not fair!"
"Martha," the Doctor grunted beneath his breath.
"But they can't not if they're holy or religious," she argued.
"Martha," he repeated in the same cautionary tone.
"Are the Noari cold-blooded killers then, is theirs a god of vengeance?"
Closing his eyes the time lord let out a sigh of exasperation and shook his head, you've done it now said his sidelong glance why didn't you leave this to me?
The two small aliens closed their eyes so fast they should have been a snapping sound, they took a step back each and gestured with their small almost non-hands, the tall alien removed a tiny silver box from his belt and thrust it forwards. No screamed the Doctor's face, don't do that, but it was too late.
A wave of pain hit Martha all over her body it was like a solid blanket of agony and she was thrown to the floor as her knees buckled. Travelling with the Doctor she'd been exposed to various types of pain of course – hot, cold, sharp and dull but this was of an altogether different magnitude. There was nothing she could do because the agony was completely overwhelming. Her only hope was a certain time lord, she needed him to dash forward argue passionately on her behalf, make threats, make a deal, involve a saint or prophet.
He did none of these things instead he took that blasted skerid plant from his pocket, that ugly alien weed he'd told her was toxic and blew on it. Martha couldn't believe her tear filled eyes, the very last thing she'd expected was something botanical. A spray of pollen flew into the air and she tried not to inhale, mindful of what he'd told her before.
Could Skerid pollen counter the alien mind wave, would it set up interference? The next thing she knew he'd scooped her up into his arms and was holding her tightly. "I'm sorry," he said, "So sorry!" Why was he sorry, the pain was receding he had nothing to apologize for whatever he'd done had worked?
Martha could have prized herself loose but she found she didn't want to, hmm this close embrace was most enjoyable if only the Doctor would hug her more maybe she should suggest it – regular users privilege, a daily hug.
But he wasn't looking at her any more his eyes were fixed on the Noari so she looked as well. No change none she could see, they were still stood there unmoving. Yet the anguish in his eyes told her it wasn't so simple so she kept looking the aliens didn't move at all not so much as a blink they were frozen, immobile, lifeless.
"Are they dead," she dared to ask?
"Back in hibernation," he sighed. "Possibly for good, it's a side-effect of skerid toxicicity. They must have brought some seeds by accident it's unlikely they'd have done so by choice."
Hibernation wasn't so bad she thought it was just a deep sleep, the aliens would wake up from that eventually – wouldn't they?
No they won't, said the look on his face.
"That takes care of these three, what about the rest?"
He nodded to the cylinders, "Defence systems will keep them in storage until the pollen disperses - the problem with that is that skerid pollen never disperses, this base is now fatally contaminated." He shook his head I really didn't want to do this but in the end had no choice.
She understood his agony, she didn't share it but she understood it. This just left the problem of the power loss, once he reversed that it was going to get very cold in here very quickly, too quickly for her sensitive skin.