Perkins scanned the passenger manifest "Doesn't seem to be any pattern. Their travel history, interests, health. It's all over the shop."
"Health!" Aderyn demanded.
"Health? Are you sure? Mrs Pitt, the first victim. She was over a hundred years old. The frailest passenger on board." The Doctor said.
"Oh but the next to go, the chef, was young and fit. It's random." Perkins said.
Aderyn sucked air in between her teeth and scratched the back of her head "They have to be linked somehow." She muttered.
"The chef was ill." Quell said. Aderyn, the Doctor and Perkins turned to face him. "A rare blood disorder. Not contagious, but we kept it quiet."
"Because he worked with food." The Doctor said "The next one? The guard?"
Perkins looked down at the manifest again "He wasn't ill as such, but he did have synthetic lungs implanted last year. Professor Moorehouse. It seems he was physically fine but suffering from regular panic attacks after a car crash last year."
Aderyn tapped her fingers lightly against her chin "It's picking off the weakest first. Sensing the illness somehow. The fake organs, even psychological issues. But this is good news, because it means we can work out who is next. I want the medical records of everybody alive who is still on board. If anyone's had as much as a cold, I want to know about it."
Quell swallowed "You really think it can sense psychological issues?"
"For my own sake I wish I wasn't so certain about it. Why?" Aderyn sighed.
"Post-traumatic stress. Still can't sleep without pills." Quell confessed.
"If it's any help I'm likely to go first." She muttered.
The lights flicked and Perkins hit the timer on his watch.
"In that you are wrong, Miss Tyler." Quell stared down the carriage.
"What can you see?" Aderyn asked quickly.
Quell frowned "Almost feels out of focus. Gives me a headache just looking at it." He put his hand inside his blazer and pulled his service revolver from it's hidden holster.
"No, no. That didn't work last time remember." Aderyn said quickly.
"What kind of solider would I be if I died with bullets in my gun." Quell snapped. He stretched his hand out, pointing his weapon at the advancing monster, his hand shaking.
"Fifty seconds." Perkins said.
"Somebody shut that man up." Quell shouted "And for the record it didn't even flinch."
"Where is it now?" Aderyn asked.
"About 20 feet in front of me and closing."
Aderyn walked forward and stepped in front of Quell "Am I close?"
Quell stepped back in horror "It's passing right through you, like a ghost."
"It's not a hologram." Perkins said.
"If you move will it follow?" Aderyn asked.
"Do you want me to move? Because I can certainly do that."
"Keep your eyes on it but move as quickly as you can." Aderyn ordered. Quell backed away so quickly he took everyone by surprise. He then looked slowly over his shoulder.
"It teleported. It's behind me." He turned to face it.
"Time?" Aderyn demanded.
"Twenty seconds." Perkins replied quickly.
"I think this is it. Still, suppose it's not a bad way to go. Blood pumping, enemy at the gates and all that. Use what little information I could give you." Quell said. "It's reaching for me. Hands on my head."
Aderyn turned away as Perkins said "Zero."
"Teleport. That means tech. But sixty six seconds? Sixty six seconds to do what? It's too specific for something organic." She muttered.
"A man just died in front of us. Can we not just have a moment?" Perkins said indignantly.
Aderyn turned sharply to look at him "No. No, no, no. We can't do that. We can't mourn. People with guns to their heads, they cannot mourn. We do not have time to mourn. Everybody, what takes sixty six seconds to charge up or to change state? This would be so much easier if I could just see it."
"Don't joke about that." The Doctor said sternly.
Aderyn ran her hands through her hair "I'm not. I'm really not."
Perkins let out a dark chuckle "I can't tell whether you're a genius or just insane."
Aderyn smiled coldly at him "Honestly on a good day I'm both. But that's his fault." She pointed at the Doctor "Ancient tech. This thing has been around for centuries. How? Tech that keeps it alive. Tech that drains energy from the living. I need a scanner."
Perkins handed her a scanner and she finally looked down at Quell's body. Looking at him, there was no obvious signs of what could have killed him. She scanned his body as quickly as she could and turned away again.
"Deep tissue scan." She explained, giving the scanner back to Perkins "He's been leached of almost all energy on a cellular level. The heart attack is just a side effect."
"Oh it's not a mummy. It's a vampire." Perkins said "Metaphorically speaking." He added when Aderyn frowned at him.
"But why take sixty six seconds to drain us? Why not just pounce?" She sighed.
"Phase. Moving energy out of phase. That takes about a minute, doesn't it?" The Doctor said.
"That's why only the victims can see it. It takes them out of phase so it can drain their energy. But we need to find out who's next. I assumed it would be me last time but no. Why wasn't it?" Aderyn mused.
"Can't you just be happy it wasn't you." The Doctor said quietly.
Perkins handed her a sheet of paper "If we take you out of the mix then I think I know who will be next."
Aderyn looked down at it.
