"Good morning, Ponds! Time to go get the Tardis." The Doctor saluted them with a mug of cider from the bar as they stumbled from the bed wall, still sporting bed hair.
"You're remarkably cheerful this morning, Doctor," Amy said. "Did they find Zeke?"
"Did Aaron wake up?" Rory asked.
"Nope. But those aren't a problem. Once we get the Tardis we can do a few scans and clear this whole thing up!"
"Why am I suspicious of your mood?" Rory asked.
"Because you're a very old and cynical soul, Rory," the Doctor said cheerfully, draping an arm around each of them.
Rory leaned out past him and looked at Amy. She grimaced with a look that said, "How should I know?"
The Doctor clapped them both on the shoulders. "Come on, eat up. I'm interested to find out what this jungle's like."
—
Amy and Rory sat at one of the benches and thanked Jake as he set bowls of creamy, sugared grains in front of them. And another bowl holding cool water and a stack of small towels in the center. Soaking wet.
Amy and Rory looked around at the regulars who were eating breakfast at the other tables.
"Oh!" Amy said, with a grin. She reached for one of the soaked towels, wrung it out and washed off her face and neck and arms. Rory did the same. She sighed with satisfaction, feeling much cooler and cleaner. She dropped the used towel back in the bowl, in the water beside the depleted stack.
"What a very civilized custom." Amy said, grinning. "I wonder what they do for showers around here?"
"Don't know," Rory said, attacking his porridge. He nodded over to where the Doctor stood across the room, talking with Emma.
"What's up with him?" Rory whispered, under cover of eating. "Why's he so happy? After yesterday, I'd expect him to be all wound up and worried, it doesn't make sense," Rory said.
Amy peered over her shoulder.
"You know him, " Amy said, softly. "When he gets all mysterious and cheerful, he's up to something."
"So what do we do?"
Amy shrugged. "Play along. And keep our eyes open."
—
Sondherson walked into the hall through the big double doors, looking worn and tired, he was followed by Shale, the small, scrappy hunter they'd met during the treecat hunt.
"Deran!" one of the crowd yelled from the back of the hall, raising a hand to draw the administrator's attention. "What news? How's Aaron?"
Everyone quieted and all eyes turned to the administrator.
Sondherson held up a hand and put on a parade ground voice, projecting his voice into the cavernous room. "Aaron still isn't awake yet, but he's stable." There was a mass of relieved sighs around the room. "Doctor Harris say's that something is inhibiting the free flow of energy in his neurons. They're running tests to find out what it is. He says it could be anything from a neurotoxin, to a new form of stroke. They're working on it.
"In the meantime," Sondherson continued. "The grove has been thoroughly searched, both last night and this morning. We haven't found any sign of Zeke. Guards have been stationed all around the perimeter of town, and anyone working in the outer branches is asked to keep an eye open. If you do see Zeke, don't try to follow him, report it to the nearest guard. We're treating this as a rabid animal incident."
Another hand went up. "What if it starts to affect the others?" There was a rumble of disquiet at that.
Sondherson waved it down. "So far, Zeke seems to be the only one affected. All the other Trelwin are behaving normally. But it only makes sense to keep your eyes open. If you notice anything unusual, report it to a guard, or to one of my aides, I'll have them circulating all day, and my office is always open.
"Do not!" He pointed a finger at the crowd in general, "Start picking on the Trelwins. They seem to be as surprised about this as we are. Let's keep calm, and keep the peace. If I find any human picking on a Trelwin that person will spend the day in the stocks. Is that understood?"
There was a general mumble of, "Yes sir."
"Good." Sondherson nodded. "Spread the word. As far as we know right now, Zeke is an isolated case."
"Maybe he just didn't care for the art critique," some wiseguy yelled from the back. There was a mixture of nervous laughter and groans at that crass joke, and someone threw a breakfast roll at the punster.
But Sondherson smiled and stepped out of the doorway as several people filed out to start the day's work. Amy saw the Doctor, across the room, standing with his arms crossed and a satisfied smile on his face.
—
The Doctor, Deran, and Shale all converged on Amy and Rory's table.
"Doctor," the administrator nodded, "Shale will be your guide downtree to join the rest of the safari group. Erik and his hunters are gathering below. But before I let you loose in the jungle, I'll need you all to sign these releases." He spread out three sheets of paper on the table.
Amy and Rory looked at the Doctor. He grinned. "Got a pen?"
Sondherson handed him a pen and the Doctor signed his name with a flourish. Amy and Rory signed theirs and Sondherson gathered up the paperwork.
"Shale," the administrator sighed. "They're all yours. Good luck." He sauntered out of the main doors, back into the sunlight.
"Well," the Doctor said, with an indulgent look on his face, "that was rude." He spun around with glee. "So, are we ready?" he asked. Rory wiped his mouth and nodded. Amy stood up. "Then, lead on!" he said to Shale.
—
Shale didn't seem to be much of a talker. He simply trotted out and expected them to follow. He led them around the edge of the plaza, down to the smaller platform they'd first arrived on, and down the spiral stairs past Sondherson's office. They kept quiet, not wanting to bother the administrator.
He led them past the edge of the landing and down the huge stairs, around the bole of the tree, the lowest they'd been so far.
"How come these people know about rabies?" Amy asked suddenly, breaking the quiet. People streamed up and down the stairs around them, the panic of yesterday had apparently resolved into "business as usual."
The Doctor turned and looked up at her. "They're colonists. Virtually all Earth colonists know about rabies. It's an object lesson. Like smallpox. They're both diseases that can have connotations for people colonizing new planets. Rabies is transmittable between widely different species."
"Like dogs and humans," Rory said.
"Exactly," the Doctor nodded.
"And isn't smallpox what they used to kill the Indians in America?" Amy asked.
The Doctor looked at her in surprise. "Exactly right," he said, continuing down the stairs. "It's a reminder that while one group may be immune to a disease, that same disease may prove fatal to a different group."
On the way down the tree they passed a lot of doorways, a lot of platforms, and even bigger bridges between branches. The lower they went the huger the branches became. These branches weren't just connected by rope footbridges, but by actual wooden bridges, some of them covered. They were sturdy affairs made of wood planks with handrails, wide enough for four people to walk abreast, or to easily transport goods.
"Good grief! They have carts up here!" Rory said, watching a man-drawn cart, piled high with bundles, clattering its way across one of the bridges.
There was a lot of bustle at these lower levels as they passed out of the residential and commercial areas into the more industrial portions of the community. There was a guard at every landing, and they didn't see any Trelwins.
"Why does everyone run around outside?" Rory asked, as he flattened himself against the treebark as another person rushed up the stairs carrying a crate on his head. The endless empty drop at the outer edge of the stairs was still disconcerting, even here among the larger branches. There was a much more grand, cathedral like feeling here, with huge branches arching over and below, creating wide open spaces. Leaves rustled all around them in the breeze, creating a susurrating background to the sounds of human industry.
"It's like when the treecat attacked." Rory said. "Why risk falling, or being attacked? Why don't they just use the tunnels inside?"
"Haven't you been looking at the architecture?" the Doctor asked, as they stepped down onto a truly massive plaza. He nodded.
Rory looked over at a wide, elaborately carved double door that led into what looked like a huge manufacturing space. A factory or workshop. A complex pulley system was raising and lowering supplies at the edge of the platform beyond the stairs.
Rory shrugged, not understanding.
"They're very careful how they carve into the tree," the Doctor said. He pointed up the face of the tree at its jumbled entrances. "No three rooms in a straight line, no one room or series of rooms goes all the way through the tree. Tunnels only connect small sections, the tree's not honeycombed with them. It's not a good idea to weaken the tree you live in."
—
"So what do they manufacture here?" Amy asked.
The Doctor leaned forward and peered into the manufacturing cavern as they walked past, he twisted his head and surveyed the loading crates and some of the loads being trundled across the bridges. "Light bulbs," he finally said.
"Light bulbs?" Rory said. "You mean they blow glass here?"
The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets, "Oh, I seriously doubt it. Some sort of shaped epoxy resin probably, like LEDs, only bigger."
"Lights," Amy said with a speculative tone. She stared up at the huge array of branches over their heads. "Can you imagine this place decorated with Christmas Tree lights?" she said dreamily.
Rory and the Doctor looked up. Layers and layers of leafy branches spiraled away endlessly over their heads. The Doctor smiled.
—
Erik was waiting for them at the edge of the platform, above the stairs. He nodded Shale down ahead of him, and waved impatiently at the biologists. "Come on, lollygaggers," he yelled once they were in range, "Now's not the time for sightseeing."
Amy, the Doctor, and Rory trotted up.
"Why do you manufacture lights here?" Rory asked as the big hunter started herding them down the stairs. Secondary growth had resulted in smaller branches growing over the stairs here, giving shade and a feeling of closeness, like they were in an opensided tunnel.
Erik's big voice boomed behind him. "People got to make a living."
"But why do you need so many lights?" Rory persisted, picking his way down the stairs. He and Amy were more confident now, but he still stayed close to the tree bark.
Erik snorted. "We don't. You think we're the only grove on Yblis?"
Rory looked back at him. Erik looked impatient, the Doctor was smiling. "You can't colonize a planet with only one city, Rory," the Doctor said. "And any community needs trade, especially if they're going to be buying things from off planet."
"Exactly," Erik said, his voice gruff.
"But you're hunters," Amy said.
Erik scowled at her, big brows beetling. "What's wrong with that?"
She shrugged and stepped aside as two men trotted past carrying a timber up the stairs. "I mean, if you're so advanced, why do you need hunters?"
Erik stared at her, then turned to stare in disbelief at the Doctor. The Doctor shrugged.
Erik turned back to her, he waved a hand at the vista, "You have looked at where you are, haven't you?"
Amy and Rory looked out over the endless jungle, it was getting larger and more defined the lower they went.
"Ah," Rory said. "Point taken."
Erik shook his head at the vagaries of biologists. Amy grumped and they continued down the stairs.
They passed level after level, more industrial and manufacturing spaces, more bridges, more different kinds of businesses. Ropes, harnesses, a sawmill trailing sawdust into the breeze.
"Wait here," Erik said at one of the smaller landings. Smaller being relative, since it was still larger than any of the landings farther up the tree. He walked off to talk to the manager of what looked like some sort of clothing mill. Swaths of cloth of all different colors fluttered, drying on lines strung all over the deck. The air smelled faintly of dye.
Amy plopped down at the head of the stairs. She massaged her aching legs. "This tree goes on forever!" she griped, flinging a hand up. Rory sat down beside her, the Doctor looked around avidly.
Rory looked up at the Doctor. "Are you sure the Tardis will be all right? I mean, this is an awful long way down."
The Doctor waved that consideration away. "She'll be fine. We just have to find her." He continued looking around, his eager eyes taking in every detail, leaves, cloth, the occasional passing parachute. He bounced slightly on his toes, a faint smile on his face.
"Why aren't you more worried?" Rory demanded, frowning.
The Doctor looked down at him. "Who says I'm not worried?"
Rory made a face at him. "You're not exactly fretting."
"What do you know?" Amy asked suspiciously, twisting to look up at him.
"I don't know where you get these ideas, Ponds."
Erik stalked back before they could grill the Doctor further. There was something about his big, buffaloish presence that didn't invite confidences.
Two levels later and Amy had had enough. She threw her hands up, "Good god! How tall is this tree?" She saw an army green parachute come floating down to land on the platform. She turned to Erik, "Couldn't we parachute down?" she asked, eyebrows raised hopefully.
"No," he said flatly.
"Why not?" she whined.
He scowled at her. "Because you're beginners. There's no telling where you'd end up. And I don't intend to spend the rest of the day combing the jungle trying to find you."
She huffed. "At this rate, it's going to take all day just to get to the bottom."
Rory tapped her on the shoulder. "Amy," he said, a sound of surprise in his voice. "Look." He turned her around and pointed at the big double doors at the head of this platform. They were the biggest she'd seen yet. There was a space shuttle inside.
Rory turned to Erik. "You have spaceships?"
Erik pinched the bridge of his nose, and appeared to be silently counting. He looked up. The Doctor grinned at him. It just made him frown harder. "Atmospheric shuttles," he corrected with forced patience.
Rory looked closer. It was an airship hangar. He could see technicians servicing the craft.
"Why don't we just take a ship down?" Rory asked.
"And waste fuel?" Erik asked. "You've got legs, a few stairs aren't going to kill you."
—
They eventually emerged below the lowest level of branches. Rory stepped down off the last step with a feeling of surprise. His legs shook.
Space, nothing but space. The sunlight beat down, hotter than he expected. The wind whipped around the bole, ruffling his shirt and making him feel exposed for the first time since he'd gotten used to the tree.
They were standing on some sort of platform that seemed to ring the entire tree. They'd done one entire circuit of the bole on the steps below the lowest branches. It had been a bit of a shock to see the boles of the other two trees emerging around the corner. It had felt a bit like standing on the ledge of a skyscraper, and seeing other skyscrapers rising high and featureless beyond. He'd had a moment of vertigo. The Doctor had had to grab him.
"Jute, are we ready?" Erik asked as he trotted past them and joined the last of their hunting party, who were loading equipment onto what looked like a large mine elevator.
"Just waiting on you," Jute replied. He was a tall thin man, even taller than the Doctor. He nodded politely to them and shook their hands, dressed in the same grey-brown fatigues and leather as Erik.
Amy was surprised, and relieved, to see modern weapons in the pile of equipment still left on the platform. "So, no spears and nets today?" she goaded.
Jute picked up a machine gun and slung it over his shoulder. "No miss. We don't have to worry about civilians in the jungle."
Erik gave her a speaking look, but didn't say anything. When he turned his back, she stuck her tongue out at him.
—
The ride down the tree was fairly sedate. When the elevator cage dropped below the platform, Amy was surprised to see the underside of the platform was studded with spikes, pointing down. Some of them as large as whole trees.
"How did the treecat get up here with all this?" she asked.
Jute rubbed his bristly hair. "Don't know, miss. Sondherson ripped a right strip off Eula when he found out."
Rory and the Doctor looked at each other.
The cage glided silently downward, there was no sound but the wind sighing past. It was a long drop, longer than they'd already descended the tree. And the air got hotter the farther down they went.
—
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