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Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. It's as simple as that.
CHAPTER 3: SHADOWS STIRRING
Deep within the cave, an ancient evil stirred. Its sleep had been interrupted, and anger boiled within its mind. The creature was about to discount it as another tour group invading its lair, when it sensed the presence of something it hadn't encountered for five years. A thought occurred to the creature, that now was the time to reveal itself, and exact revenge for what had happened to it. A Time Lord. In its territory.
It called to the others of its kind, and felt, rather than saw, the dark shapes stirring around itself. The Doctor had better watch out, as life was about to get interesting.
The hunt was on.
The entrance cave was huge, easily two football fields long. Jack was stunned by the sight. Stalactites hung from the roof, clawing their way towards the floor. The walls were ribbed, and almost white. Coloured lights flowed across the roof, glimmering in different shades of blue and green, sending eerie shadows flickering across the cavern.
"Now that ain't something you see everyday," Jack breathed, awestruck.
"It's alright I suppose," the Doctor grumbled, trudging out of the elevator after Lora.
Jack stared at the back of his head, then shrugged. There was no pleasing some people. Especially if they were old aliens that had seen almost everything in the entire universe. Jack stepped over the lip of the elevator, and sank down into the soft spongy surface of the cave floor. "Ooh," he said. "That's weird."
The Doctor turned back and rolled his eyes. "Sometimes Jack," he said. "You seem so woefully uneducated."
"And you sound like my college teacher."
"The spongy floor is actually caused by disturbances in the molecular structure-"
Jack held up his hand. "Please stop," he said. "Other people are staring."
The Doctor looked around, and noticed that no one was looking at him, but were in fact looking at Lora, who was explaining what caused the spongy floor. The Doctor was put-off, and ceased giving Jack a lecture, which gave said captain a chance to pay attention to Lora.
"And now may I draw your attention to the ceiling," she was saying. "The luminescence is actually caused by a unique type of worm only found in these caves. It is unknown how they managed to arrive here, as the only way to the surface is through the way we just came. This mystery is still puzzling scientists from around the world."
Which means the Doctor's already worked it out by now, Jack thought to himself, glancing at the Time Lord. His expression could only be described as bored. Jack shook his head, and followed the group, which had began to move on.
"Lights on, please," Lora called from the front of the group. Jack reached up and twiddled with the light on his helmet until it flicked on. He paused for a moment, and looked around, thinking that the light had dimmed.
"Stop shining the light at the glow bugs," the Doctor told him as he walked past. "It makes them dim their colours." Jack grunted in reply, but stopped looking up. He followed the Time Lord into the next cavern, muttering under his breath.
The Doctor had been in many caves, mainly in life or death situations, but at least they were interesting. This place was so stereotypical you could probably walk through it with your eyes closed. It had glow bugs, pointy rock formations and a 'breathtaking' entrance area. No doubt there would be a rock shaped like a familiar object somewhere. The Doctor sighed. He jumped when he noticed that someone was next to him.
"Whoa. You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."
Brittany shrugged. "It's a habit," she replied. "I can't help it."
The Doctor waved his hand emphatically. "A habit that you really need to break," he pointed out. "It's worrying."
Brittany shrugged again. "Yeah. We all have problems, like your friend over there," she said, pointing at Jack. "He's chronically flirting."
"He can't help it," the Doctor replied with a sly smile. "It's in his nature."
"And you," Brittany continued, looking back at the Time Lord. "You are ... different."
The Doctor waved off the question. "Yep. I get that a lot. Comes with the job description."
"And which job would that be?"
The Doctor frowned, and didn't reply.
"I see how it is," Brittany said. "I didn't mean to pry."
The Time Lord sniffed unhappily, and suddenly stopped walking. "Did you hear that?" he asked, plunging his hand into his coat pocket.
"What?" Brittany queried, confused. "Hear what?"
The Doctor withdrew his hand from his pocket, a stethoscope tangled amid his fingers. "Hold this," he said, handing Brittany his mp3 player. He clipped the stethoscope to his ears, and placed the diaphragm against the wall. He muttered incoherently, slowly moving along the rock. Jack sauntered up to the group.
"What's he doing?" he asked Brittany, who only responded by shooting him a confused look.
"You're his friend. You're supposed to know."
"Oh dear," was all that Jack could say.
"Yeah. He said he could hear something."
The captain nodded, and stared curiously at the Doctor, who had frozen, an intent expression on his face. "Doctor?" Jack queried, but the Time Lord held up his hand for silence. He adjusted the stethoscope and stood still for a moment. He yelled suddenly, and leaped away from the wall as if shocked.
"No. No! It can't be. How?" he muttered to himself, surprise evident in his voice. "Not here. Not now!"
"What Doctor?" Jack asked, worried. "What's going on?"
"Not here Jack," the Time Lord replied, a harrowed expression on his face. "It - it can't be here."
"What Doctor? What can't be here?"
The Doctor was as white as a sheet. "We have to get out of here. Now," he growled. "It's not safe."
Jack glanced around. "Oh, come on," he said. "What's to be scared of? It's a perfectly safe, dark creepy cave."
The Doctor glared at Jack, and waved over the captain's shoulder. "Excuse me," he called out. "I have a question."
Lora paused mid-sentence, and turned around, startled. "Yes?" she asked irritably.
"Is there another cave behind this wall?" the Doctor questioned, tapping the stalagmite beside him.
"Yes, there is in fact. We will be visiting it later today," Lora replied, looking away. "Now, if you'll follow me, we can move on."
The Doctor stood there, his mouth hanging open, eyes widening dramatically. "B-but," he stammered, "it's too dangerous."
Jack patted the Time Lord reassuringly on the shoulder. "Come on," the captain said. "If it wasn't safe, we wouldn't be here." Jack paused for a moment, thinking that statement over. "Actually, we probably would, but that's not the point. We're here to enjoy our holiday, and that's what we're going to do." He stuck out his chin, and marched off to join the rest of the group.
Brittany giggled. "He's so strange," she said, staring at his retreating figure. "I wonder where he's from?"
"Me too," muttered the Doctor, scuffing his feet on the stone floor of the cavern as he began walking. "He refuses to tell me."
"I still don't understand what could be so dangerous down here," Brittany said, abruptly changing subjects. "There is only one way in after all, and it' man-made. The only living things down here are the glow bugs."
"That's what you think," the Doctor muttered, rubbing a finger on his temple. "What I don't understand, is how did it get here?"
"How did what get here?"
"It. Obviously," the Doctor said, as if it should be blatantly obvious. "Don't you ever listen?" He grumbled and walked off.
"But you didn't say what it is!" Brittany called out.
"A complete lunatic, if you ask me."
Brittany turned, and spotted Tom staring after the Doctor. "Well, he is a little strange, but he isn't that crazy," she stated, raising an eyebrow.
"Keep an eye on him. I don't trust him, or the other one," the guide said, tapping a finger on the side of his head. "Off you go. The group's leaving." Brittany glared at him, and was rewarded with a scowl. She sighed heavily, and walked off to join the rest of he group.
"This cave is our cathedral cave," Lora explained, gesturing around the cavern. "It is the largest cave in this system, and is believed to be millions of years old. We often hold weddings, and other group events here." The tour group looked around in awe. Jack gave the room an appreciative stare, but noticed the Doctor didn't look interested. He kept glancing down dark side passages, and muttering under his breath. Jack shook his head, and ignored the Time Lord. He was going to enjoy this holiday, even if the Doctor wasn't. What could be so scary anyway? It wasn't like there was anything that could hurt them, was there?
"Now, if you'd follow me, we can collect our gear, and start to explore the caves. Over here," Lora called, opening a cupboard that was built into the stone of the wall. The group gathered around, and passed out the objects the guide was handing to them.
"A backpack?" Jack said when he received his.
"Yes," the Doctor replied, opening the rucksack. "Water, food, climbing gear, rope. Standard stuff like that. Haven't you ever done this before?"
"Spelunking? No," Jack stated, slinging the pack onto his shoulder. "Unless you count running through a cave as spelunking."
"Well, we have a lot of experience in that department," the Doctor chuckled. "But spelunking is a bit different to that. It involves more-"
Jack immediately shut out the incessant babbling and looked around. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves. Well, apart from Tom, who was standing near a side passage, frowning unhappily. "Doctor?" Jack asked. "Have you noticed that there is a cool breeze down here?"
The Doctor suddenly ceased talking, and gave Jack a serious look. "Yes. It's strange, isn't it?"
"What's strange?"
Jack turned and saw Brittany. She saw his expression. "What? I was listening to him talk," she complained, pointing at the Doctor. "He knows a lot about caves." Jack mumbled something grumpily.
"What's strange is this breeze," the Doctor said, licking a finger and holding it up in the air. "I don't understand it. And when I don't understand something, I usually begin to understand it very quickly. Very, very quickly."
Brittany looked slightly confused. "Now I don't understand," she grumbled.
"Ah. Think of us as .... private investigators," Jack said.
"Oh. Like detectives."
"You could say that I suppose," Jack replied. "Yeah. That would be a good description." He turned back to the Doctor, who was staring intently at his finger. The Time Lord's brow furrowed, and he lowered his hand slowly. He pointed towards an opening halfway up the wall with his other hand.
"It's coming from there," he said, running towards it. Jack and Brittany followed him at a more leisurely pace.
"What is so strange about a breeze?" she asked, irritated that no-one had answered her question yet.
"Well ...." Jack paused, and called out to the Doctor. "Why is it so strange?"
The Doctor stopped and turned around. "You act dumb sometimes, Jack," he said, eliciting a frown from the captain.
"Just answer the question. We aren't all insanely smart like you."
"There is only one way in, and it's man-made," the Doctor explained. "So, where is this breeze coming from? There isn't any way it could have originated on the surface. What's making it?"
"Ventilation shafts," Jack stated, matter-of-factly. "They need to pump air down here to breathe."
"No. That wasn't the answer I was looking for," the Doctor replied, a thoughtful expression on his face. "There is no ventilation. A type of moss only found in the caves act as an air purifier. It doesn't require sunlight to photosynthesise, turning carbon dioxide into oxygen. How did you think the glow bugs breathed before humans got here? Actually, it's believed that the light the glow bugs release imitates sun energy, allowing this unique moss to grow. However, I'm going completely off topic now. I wonder what's down this passage?" He peered into the opening, which was just above head height.
Brittany was stunned by the speed at which the Doctor had just spoken. "Now I'm completely lost," she said.
"Yeah. Me too," Jack replied. "Though I think he's saying that something is creating the breeze."
"Like, artificial," Brittany asked, her curiosity piqued.
Jack nodded. "Yes. Or natural."
"What? An animal or something?" Brittany continued. "To create a breeze like that you would need hundreds of animals!"
"Well, it would depend on what size they were."
"But if they were big, people would have found them by now!"
"Oh dear," the Doctor stated simply, an unreadable look crossing his face.
"What?" Jack and Brittany asked in unison.
The Time Lord turned around slowly. "There is something moving down there," he said, pointing. "Something big."
"How big?" Brittany asked suspiciously.
"Look for yourself."
"I can't see anything," Jack said, looking down the passage, which was only slightly illuminated by his headlamp. "It's too dark."
"Look! Right there," the Doctor shouted, gesturing in agitation.
"There isn't anything down there. Face it. You're imagining things."
"No I'm not, it's there," The Doctor grumbled. "I know it."
Brittany shrugged. "Well, I don't see anything. I'll see you guys later," she said, waving and walking off.
The Doctor sighed. "Yeah. You're probably right, Jack," he said. "Just an overactive imagination I expect." He turned, and followed Brittany back to the tour group. Jack walked after them, pausing halfway to look back over his shoulder.
And just for the slightest moment, he was sure he could see something in the dark opening. Two red eyes, staring back at him.