Chapter 7
His eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he stared at the figure before them, the Doctor realized his earlier suspicions were now confirmed: This was indeed the Intelligence controlling this innocent young lady. His gaze briefly fell upon Jamie at his side, who was staring in shock.
"Kathryn ..." Jamie suddenly murmured, sounding so heartbroken.
"Jamie," the Doctor cautioned him quietly. Deep down he pitied the lad, knowing how awful he must be feeling to see his girlfriend like this. That pity slowly turned into anger as he turned back to the creature in front of him.
"So. We meet again," he spat out.
Kathryn – rather, the Intelligence inside her – smirked once again. "Yes, Doctor. You are certainly looking quite different, but I can still sense it is you. Looking quite haggard and more … mature, are you not?"
Taking offense for a moment, the Doctor glared at her, his jaw set. "You won't get very far with me with that attitude, I assure you. What may I ask are you doing in an old Scottish castle?"
"Well, you must remember I was cut off from Earth in space. However, I was finally able to resume contact thanks to a very helpful soul. Over one hundred years ago, a woman with psychic powers had attempted to, shall we say, rid this castle of negative essence. In experimenting with various forces and magic rituals, she opened up a doorway which allowed me to come through, back to your world. You see, this was my way in. Once I take over this castle and those within, the rest of the country shall be next. Then the entire world."
"Of course," the Doctor muttered dryly.
"Why did ye have tae possess Kathryn?" Jamie suddenly asked accusingly.
The Intelligence shrugged. "Quite simple, really. You trust this girl. I believed this would be the only way anyone would listen to me and consider what I had to say. It would also be quite easy to control humans and take over the rest of the world. They would trust me in this body. I had previously resided in Gordon, but his body is older and weaker. The amount of power contained within me would make the body wear out too soon. This girl is young and vibrant, with a sharp mind … not to mention full of compassion, making her easy to trust. I would be able to possess her for a much longer period of time."
"Aye, well, how can ye say 'no' tae that?" Jamie asked, his eyes narrowed and lips curled into a sneer.
"See? Even the simple boy sees the wisdom in this move," the Intelligence added cruelly.
Jamie appeared to be ready to object but seemingly thought better of it. "An' what aboot Kathryn? I thought when ye possessed Travers an' wanted tae possess the Doctor, ye said he had tae submit willingly."
The Doctor regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, that memory suddenly dawning on him. "Yes. It appears as though you didn't give this girl any alternative. You forced your way in."
"Aye. She would never agree tae be taken over. She's too smart an' strong!"
The Intelligence nodded. "Yes, I admit I did something to paralyze her mind, making it impossible for her to resist possession." The Doctor briefly regarded Jamie, whose eyes were widened in anger and his jaw set, making him look as though he wanted to throttle this creature. "I will be honest with you: I am not the only entity possessing this body."
"What do ye mean?" Jamie asked, his anger seeming to subside just a bit and his brow furrowed in confusion.
"I had a little help," the creature continued. Before anyone could object, Kathryn's eyes dropped shut and her head bowed. The Doctor watched curiously, the actions making him believe Jo might have been onto something with the theory she'd shared earlier.
Kathryn lifted her head once again and began to speak. "I am here as well." It was still her voice, but this time with a pronounced Scots accent. "I am the Earl of Strathmore. I am reluctant to admit this, nevertheless I do so willingly. I had captured the large, hairy beastie in a faraway land and brought it back here to the castle."
The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. A faraway land. Tibet, perhaps?
"I thought the beastie tae be daid but that wasnae the case," the Earl's spirit continued. "I discovered there was a way to control it, a sort of metal ball. It had 'come tae life' an' I'd used it tae do my bidding, get back at my enemies." A light blush had diffused across Kathryn's face, as though the Earl was uncomfortable sharing this information. "I soon learnt I wasnae the one controlling it. Somethin' else – somethin' otherworldly – was doin' so an' it ended up turnin' on me. It made the beastie attack me."
The Doctor listened intently, forgetting for a moment that this poor young girl was currently being possessed by two different entities. "And it killed you?"
Kathryn's expression looked pained. "Aye. Ye see, I found this glass pyramid with it an' the force seemed tae emanate from it, almost as if it were its home. I tried tae destroy it but couldnae. It was too hard, like diamond. It drove the beastie tae kill my lady and young son." Kathryn looked away sorrowfully before the spirit in her continued. "The servants then pleaded wi' my family to have the room containing the metal ball an' this deadly pyramid walled up so they could no longer control the beastie. It worked, but not so long ago someone tried tae break into the room. I dinnae ken how, but after it was broken into, the force was able tae finish the job and broke a hole tae allow the ball to come through an' control the beastie."
'Aha,' the Doctor thought to himself. Another assumption of his had been proven correct. He briefly noticed Jamie regarding him in surprise, obviously realizing it as well.
"For so long I tried tae find a way to kill this force, but it was – is – too powerful. It has directed the beastie to kill. I've tried tae stop it but I cannae overcome it. It still has great power over me. It forced me tae take over this lass an' possess her." The spirit stopped, shaking its head in apparent sorrow and frustration. Once it returned its gaze to the Doctor, he could see tears streaming down Kathryn's face. "I … I didnae wish this to happen, believe me. More than anything I wish tae overcome the hold it has on me. I wish tae release myself from this lass so she will be safe. I dinnae wish tae harm anyone. I regret I ever found this beastie in the first place."
The Doctor studied the entity before him, his hearts moved with pity for this spirit. "Well, Earl Strathmore, I would like to help you achieve that. This girl means very much to us as well. I have tangled with this 'force' before. It is indeed a formidable one. In order to help you I need you to provide me some information. Now, you had lie quiet until construction had begun on that room you mentioned, correct?"
Sniffling, the spirit nodded. "Aye."
"All right. We should be able to destroy the pyramid and help rid the castle of the Intell – er, the force."
"Ye can do that? No matter how hard I tried, I couldnae-"
"Aye, we've got tools that can easily tear things like this apart," Jamie spoke up.
Noticing the spirit looked hopelessly confused, the Doctor decided it was a good time to step in. "Yes. We've got equipment now that can handle it. You see, several hundred years have passed since your death. It is now nineteen hundred and seventy-two, the late twentieth century. Many advances in technology have occurred in this time." The spirit inside Kathryn nodded, finally seeming to understand. "Now, I need the location of this room. Might you be able to provide me with that?"
The spirit nodded but then abruptly stopped, seeming hesitant to say anything.
"What?" the Doctor pressed.
"I … The force is still within this lass, competing wi' me. It wouldnae like me to share this. If it finds out -"
"For heaven's sake, man, grow a spine!" the Doctor shouted, growing impatient. The Intelligence was clearly dormant inside Kathryn at the moment, but there was no telling when it might awaken and foil their plans. He did still pity this spirit but time was of the essence, especially if they wanted to save Kathryn.
Jamie apparently wanted to try a different tactic. Nearing the spirit inside his girlfriend's body, he stared at her, his expression pleading. "Now, look, ye have tae help us. Lives are at stake here!" There was some element of desperation in his voice before he stopped and reached out, touching Kathryn's rib cage where her heart lie. "Especially hers."
The spirit widened Kathryn's eyes, her expression quite curious. "This lass is special to ye," it said quietly, more of a statement than a question.
The Doctor watched as Jamie bit his lip, as if trying to prevent his emotions from spilling out all over. "Aye. She is."
Kathryn's lips twitched into a weak, almost tentative smile, as the spirit seemed to understand. She nodded and then gestured to them to come closer. The Doctor couldn't keep from smiling in amusement. It was as if the Earl believed this would somehow make it harder for the Intelligence to catch on to what he was saying.
"Aye, I shall tell ye," the spirit began quietly as the Time Lord and Jamie drew closer. Kathryn turned to face the northward extent of the corridor and pointed a finger. "Walk aboot six paces this way until ye see a red and white painted shield wi' a raven and a stone wi' a sword sticking oot of it. That's my clan crest. Once ye see that, make a turn to the right. Only aboot two paces forward an' ye will come to the secret room."
Briefly catching a glimpse of Jamie, the Doctor noticed his eyes widening in apparent recognition. He then turned, meeting the Doctor's gaze. "Doctor, I remember now. This is where I first heard the control sphere's sound coming from."
The Doctor then turned to the Brigadier, Benton and Yates. The three men had been keeping an eye on the Yeti, which stood motionless. It seemed to have gone dormant at the same time as the Intelligence. "All right, gentlemen, I believe we've got clearance to do some demolition. Have you got the necessary tools?"
"Right here, Doctor," the Brigadier replied, holding up what appeared to be a sledgehammer of some sort. He nodded to the Captain and Sergeant, who held up their tools as well.
Satisfied, the Doctor nodded. "Splendid." He turned back to the spirit and bowed slightly. "I cannot thank you enough, my Lord. I am aware of the risk you are taking in providing us this information. We will do everything in our power to rid your castle of this menace in order to save innocent lives."
Out of the corner of his eye, he witnessed Jamie and the UNIT men granting him the same respect, but his attention was focused mainly on the possessed Kathryn. There was a smile on her face that seemed grateful in nature, although there seemed to be some leftover fear in her eyes. The Time Lord nodded once again to Jamie and the others, and they started making their way down the corridor in the direction the spirit had given them.
Casting a last wary eye on Kathryn as they neared the junction, he found she hadn't moved, but her expression seemed different. Her eyes were widened in what appeared to be anger, perhaps a hint of fear.
"Doctor!" her voice boomed, all traces of a Scots accent now gone. The Time Lord felt his throat go dry. The Intelligence had woken and taken over once again. Staring at her, he noticed out of the corner of his eye Jamie and the others stopping in their tracks.
"You are not to enter this room!" the Intelligence ordered belligerently.
"Doctor …?" Jamie began.
"Listen, all of you. Do not give it any attention," the Doctor instructed them quietly. "Just keep going."
The Brigadier, Yates and Benton forged ahead, but the Doctor found Jamie standing still and gazing at Kathryn, obviously upset.
"Jamie, don't give it the attention it craves. Remember, this is the formidable enemy we've dealt with in the past. It is not your girlfriend. Stay with me, lad. This may be our only chance to conquer it and get her back!"
The young Scot finally seemed to catch on and turned to face the Doctor, nodding resolutely before finally joining him and the others on the path to the secret room. Hurriedly they made their way, just in case the Intelligence decided to follow them or send the Yeti after them.
As they rounded the corner, they found the corridor itself had been roped off. The Doctor heard Jamie utter a groan beside him.
"Not to worry," the Brigadier suddenly spoke up. He nodded towards the other two men and Captain Yates stepped forward, deftly cutting the rope with an army knife.
Their path now clear, the five men traversed the narrow side corridor which seemed partially blocked off at the end. There was a large section of shelves that had been pushed back to the side, revealing a smooth section of brick wall. 'Ah,' the Doctor thought. Perfect candidate for a 'secret room.'
A little too perfect, in fact. Kneeling down to get a closer look, they found an uneven area that appeared as if it had been broken into at one point and then hastily covered up. Jamie moved back a bit to allow the Doctor a closer look. Shining a torch on the area, the Time Lord uncovered a hole. It was rather small, but still large enough for something to get through it … something like a control sphere.
"Hm," the Doctor started, brow furrowed in thought. "Whoever attempted to cover this up did a poor job of it. It's quite possible that if the Intelligence had combined with this spirit, the output of energy could be substantial enough to shatter this poor excuse of a hole, allowing a sphere to get through and eventually reconnect with the Yeti."
Jamie nodded. "Aye, 'tis." His voice made it seem as if his mind were a million miles away. Poor boy. He must still have been in shock over seeing his girlfriend possessed like this, not to mention the way she'd addressed him.
"Stand back, Doctor," the Brigadier's voice suddenly cut in behind them.
Before the Doctor could react he suddenly felt Jamie grab hold of his arm, dragging him with him as he quickly backed away. He watched as the Brigadier, Sergeant Benton and Captain Yates moved forward, armed with large sledgehammers. The three men hammered away at the wall until pieces of brick finally broke free and created an opening large enough to enter the room.
Once the dust had settled, the men stood up and neared the hole, shining their torches inside. The room was covered in cobwebs and looked as though it had remained untouched for hundreds of years, save for some marks that had disturbed the film of dust covering the floor. The UNIT men had stayed back while Jamie and the Doctor entered the room. They had only been inside several seconds when he witnessed Jamie wrinkling his nose and apparently trying to stifle a sneeze, without success.
"Gesundheit," the Doctor automatically muttered. He barely caught Jamie's nod as he turned and shone his torch around the room. He didn't see anything noteworthy until the torch cast a glow upon a large chest of some sort. Sitting on top was a familiar pyramid shape, completely free of dust.
Nearing the structure, the Time Lord felt his eyes widen as he recognized the object immediately. Jamie, standing next to him, was staring with his jaw slack. "Doctor, look!" he exclaimed, pointing to it. "It looks just like the one we found in Tibet."
"It certainly does," the Doctor remarked as he bent to study the glass pyramid closely. "So, what may I ask brings you to an old castle in Scotland?" His voice was low and condescending as he addressed the inanimate object. Not that he expected an answer, of course ...
However, it seemed as though he were about to get one. The faint sound of a control sphere beeping quickly grew louder as the object itself came into view, rolling right in front of them. Close behind it was a Yeti, followed by Kathryn. The Intelligence was obviously still in control as her face was twisted in anger.
"Did I not tell you to stay away from this room?!" she shouted.
"Duck!" Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart suddenly shouted just before hurling a grenade in the sphere's direction. Taking cover, the Doctor briefly peered through his fingers to see the sphere shatter into pieces. Carefully rising from the floor and tentatively approaching it, he found the Yeti had become immobilized. The Intelligence inside Kathryn stared at it in shock and then turned to face the others, eyes widened in seemingly apoplectic anger.
The Doctor then watched as Captain Yates handed Jamie a sledgehammer and the young Scot gingerly approached the pyramid with it. The Intelligence had indeed noticed this and held up a hand to stop him.
"As your girlfriend, I order you to stay away from that, you stupid boy!" it growled.
Some hurt seemed to flash in Jamie's eyes for a split second before they narrowed in defiance. "You're no' her." Nearing the pyramid, he raised the weapon to strike it. "An' ye never will be her!"
"No!" the Intelligence shrieked.
With one forceful blow, Jamie smashed the pyramid in half. A bright glow coming from the object lit up the whole room, causing the Doctor and his friends to squeeze their eyes shut.
Once it has passed, his gaze flew over to Kathryn and he was amazed by what he'd seen: a mist pouring from her mouth while her knees buckled. The Doctor narrowed his eyes in curiosity. It seemed as though the Intelligence was being ejected from her. He realized quickly that something was off; the mist was the wrong form and color.
Jamie was staring in amazement as well. "Doctor, is that –?"
"Wait, Jamie," the Doctor interrupted, never taking his eyes off the mist in front of them. He watched the mist slowly take the form of a ghostly, translucent man. The fact that he closely resembled one of the men in a portrait he'd seen earlier inside the castle confirmed his identity: the Earl of Strathmore.
The ghost then turned and looked pointedly at Kathryn. Following his gaze, the Doctor suddenly witnessed a dark, pulsating, web-like substance exiting her mouth. He watched as it hovered in the air for a moment. Although it was featureless, it seemed to be taking note of both the spirit and Kathryn, who appeared as if she were in a trance. Studying it for a brief time himself, the Doctor got a sick feeling down deep inside as he finally confirmed its identity as well: The Intelligence. Oh, it looked somewhat different from the last time he'd encountered it, but there was no mistaking it. He'd suddenly found Jamie at his side, eyeing the thing suspiciously and gulping. It seemed he had come to the same conclusion.
The Intelligence then seemed to be studying Jamie for a brief moment before it flew over to Kathryn's motionless form, appearing ready to attack.
"No!" Jamie cried.
What happened next was something the Doctor never expected to see. Before anyone could react, the spirit form of the Earl suddenly rushed the dark, web-like form of the Intelligence, pushing it with enough force to drive it back into the broken pyramid. The object lit up once again and emitted a loud, high-pitched noise that made them all grab their ears in pain. The room then seemed to shake as if a ripple of energy had run through it. Trying hard to steady himself, the Doctor cautiously opened an eye to find the pyramid had exploded, raining debris all over the room.
"Keep down!" he shouted over the commotion. It was then that he'd realized each of his friends were already on the ground taking cover. As the Doctor watched, each piece of debris that once comprised the pyramid disintegrated. Hearing unsteady footsteps, he turned to find Jamie next to him, having gotten to his feet.
"Are you all right, my lad?" the Doctor asked. He certainly appeared unharmed, but he wanted to make sure.
"Aye, I think so," Jamie replied, brushing dust from his clothes and debris from his hair. He'd suddenly stopped and was staring at something. "Doctor, look!"
The Doctor turned in the direction Jamie was pointing to find the spirit of the Earl, smiling in triumph at the spot the pyramid once occupied. He then turned to the Doctor and Jamie, offering them smiles as well and a slight bow. The Time Lord felt his lips spread into a smile of his own as he bowed back, just as the spirit began to fade away.
Jamie shook himself out of the daze in which he'd been mired. He was still dumbfounded by what had just happened. His girlfriend had been possessed not only by the Intelligence, but by the spirit of an Earl who'd found the Yeti and activated it hundreds of years ago. The Intelligence seemed ready to do something unspeakable to Kathryn when the spirit attacked it, forcing it into the pyramid he'd just smashed and creating pandemonium. Judging from the expression on his ghostly face just before he'd vanished, Jamie believed he had conquered the Intelligence. But had he really?
"Do ye think the Intelligence is really gone, Doctor?" he asked the Time Lord who seemed mesmerized by what had just taken place himself.
"I'm not sure we'll ever find the answer to that, Jamie," he finally replied. "Gone from this castle, yes. Whether defeated for good, I believe that's still up for debate. With the pyramid and the control sphere gone, the Intelligence itself shall no longer be occupying Glamis castle."
"Aye, I believe yer right," Jamie said, nodding. At least he wanted to believe the Doctor was right. He hated the idea of anyone else, whether they were workers at the castle or tourists, being attacked or possessed by this fearful menace.
"Doctor, McCrimmon," he suddenly heard behind him. Turning, he found the Brigadier, Captain Yates and Sergeant Benton nearing them. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, we're fine, Lethbridge-Stewart," the Doctor replied.
"Good. Now -"
"Sir?" Sergeant Benton interrupted.
Wheeling around, Jamie found him bent down and gesturing to the motionless, supine body of Kathryn lying beside him. Jamie felt his heart pounding in his chest as he rushed over to the Sergeant, the Doctor, Captain and Brigadier on his heels.
"She's unresponsive," Benton continued.
"Eh?!" Jamie exclaimed. In a split second, he was down on the floor next to Benton, staring at Kathryn.
"Well, she was just possessed by two powerful entities. Surely that would take a lot out of anyone," Captain Yates stated matter-of-factly. "I reckon she'll be fine."
"Mm, yes, I would expect that, Captain," Jamie heard the Doctor say.
"But is she alive? Is she breathing?" Jamie asked, his worry turning to panic.
"It was difficult to get a pulse, but I found one. Her heartbeat was shallow," Benton replied. "I tried to rouse her, but as I just said she's unresponsive."
Jamie barely listened to him as he lowered his head to Kathryn's chest to make sure she was breathing. He thought he picked up a rise and fall of her chest, but it was very slight and what worried him more than anything was that she didn't seem conscious at all.
"Kathryn," he whispered harshly. She gave no response. In an attempt to rouse her, Jamie slapped her lightly on the face and then tried to turn her head.
"Sir, I tried to rouse her but -"
"I heard what ye said!" Jamie suddenly growled, whipping his head around to Benton and glaring at the man. He swiftly turned back to Kathryn, biting his lip in frustration. Finally allowing himself to relax briefly, he was unsure of whether she was in a coma or just in a deep trance. Either way, he wanted desperately to get back the Kathryn he knew and loved.
"Kathryn," he spoke again, lightly patting her face to get some response from her.
There was none.
"No," Jamie whimpered. Feeling utterly defeated, he lowered his head to her chest, allowing the tears to run down his cheeks.
