NIGHT AND DAY
The figure was tall, had a noticeable limp and was obviously female. She seemed to bob up and down as she ambled along the darkened streets. When another figure stepped up to her she came to a shuddering halt, recognising him. "Zzorrann, you are early. I was not expecting you to be here so soon."
"Well as you always said, the early bird catches the worm," he replied.
Zzorrann stood nearly a foot taller than the woman and his features were a mix of human and reptilian, a signpost of his mixed parentage. He was dressed in a sharp, black Edwardian suit with a scarlet cravat, while a mane of long dark hair reached down his back as far as his knees.
The woman nodded and reached out and brushed her wizened hand against Zzorrann's scaly face. "Is that what you want to do, catch me?"
"No," he replied. "But you need to control your nocturnal activities. They are attracting attention."
"You mean the three humans?" asked the woman. Zzorrann nodded. "Do not worry about them. I am familiar with the two newcomers, although they do not know it."
"Mother, are you sure about that?"
"Yes. I have been watching them very carefully and I understand men, even Time Lords. I have not outlived seven human and alien husbands without acquiring some skills."
"But you will be careful tonight and not feed," implored Zzorrann.
"No, I will feed and I will not let them stop me," she declared. "He owes me compensation for abandoning me so selfishly."
Then Zzorran understood. "You mean that man, he's the Doctor? The one you have been telling me about all these years?"
"Yes, the very same. Look at me and what I have become. It is his fault and he will pay for it here before he even comes to know who I am."
The man saw a need for caution. "Don't you think it's dangerous to meddle with the timeline and interact with him before he has even met you?"
"I don't care," the woman decided. "I am in the mood for recklessness."
Zzorrann bent forward and kissed his mother on the cheek. Despite the hastening of her deformity her features were unmistakable. What a tragedy, he thought to himself, that this is what had become of his mother, a once famous beauty.
*****
The following morning saw the Brigadier return to his rooms at the Halls of Residence, only to find the Brigadier and Jamie missing. A word from Pierre informed him of their movements, and he quickly headed off after them.
He was relieved to find them soon after, on one of the main streets, apparently in urgent discussion. "Ah, Doctor. Found you at last."
"Brigadier," the Doctor asked. "What can you tell me about these globes?" He indicated those dotted around the streets and boulevards.
He couldn't for the life of him see the importance, but nonetheless . . . "They've been here for many years. Certainly, they were installed when I first arrived here years ago."
The Doctor was insistent. "But you're still a relative newcomer here," he pointed out. "So what strikes you as unusual about them?"
"Well . . ." the Brigadier paused, unsure what to look for. After all, the globes were more or less a permanent fixture in Paris, their fluorescence giving off much need light in the dark hours, and . . . "Oh, I see what you're getting at," he realised. "Why are they lit during the daytime?"
"Exactly," agreed the Doctor. "Whatever the power is within these globes, is it necessary for both day and night?"
Lethbridge Stewart smiled. "It's no great mystery, Doctor. The light from these globes helps to maintain the various floral displays. As I understand it, they provide the correct temperatures for the different types of foliage you see all around you. Hence the continuous light."
"I see." But the Doctor was not to be calmed. "But where does the power come from? After all, for such an undertaking the cost must be astronomical. And is that all it's used for?"
Jamie caught the note of concern. "What sort of power d'ye think it is, Doctor?"
"Definitely alien," he replied. "And I mean alien to this world." He sighed. "At least we have one piece to fit the puzzle."
"Well, here are a few more pieces," the Brigadier remarked, handling across the files from the previous evening. "Makes for unpleasant reading, I'm afraid."
The Doctor scanned the contents of each file. "Yes, I see what you mean. Is it possible to see the bodies?"
"That's what I came to tell you," Lethbridge Stewart explained. "There was another death last night."
The Doctor thought for a moment. "Tell me, Alistair, these deaths, are they . . . normal . . . or lizard humanoids?"
"That's another aspect that I noticed, Doctor. They are all, as you put it, normal people. Not one is a lizard humanoid." The Brigadier was disturbed by this realisation. "It's odd that I've never thought of them in that way."
"Yes, that's also odd," The Doctor fumbled through his pockets for something, then giving up and stroking his chin. "How long have these lizard humanoids lived here?"
"I don't really know Doctor. They were here when we arrived." He hesitated. "Do you know, now I actually think of it, I don't remember when that was."
"D'ye think these lizard people have something to do with this, Doctor?"
Yes, Jamie, maybe not directly. These globes too, but what worries me more are the deaths. How did they die, Alistair?"
That's what I was coming to, Doctor. They all died from a loss of blood. All their blood in fact. Not a drop left in their bodies. These autopsy chappies say they've never come across this before. They're keeping quiet about it because they don't want to start a scare. All the bodies seemed unmarked, apart from, well, you know - except for last night's. Body was in a bit of a state this time. Almost ripped apart, but still bloodless."
"Oh dear, I was afraid of that," a black cloud seeming to come over the Doctor. He shuffled away from them, deep in thought. Jamie and the Brigadier glanced at each other, both knowing by experience that what the Doctor was pondering, could affect them for the rest of their lives.
Close to them, one of the globe-topped columns seemed to be crackling more than normal. The colours within it seemed to subtly change several times before reverting back to their normal phosphorescent glow.
The Doctor had seemed to drift towards it, still in his apparent reverie. He stumbled, falling against the column. As he fell, his hand that had been rummaging about in his deep pocket, emerged and shot out, as if to stop his stumble against the column, and came to rest, momentarily under the lip of one of the rings that decorated it, before dashing away from the column with the agility of an Olympic sprinter.
At the same time there was a flash of light, as inexplicably, the globe exploded. As all around, turned in amazement at this occurrence, the Doctor hid a grin of satisfaction beneath an enormous embroidered handkerchief, as he proceeded to blow his nose. "Well, I thinks that's gone and done it," he said, smiling.
Jamie and the Brigadier stood looking up at the remnants of the shattered globe.
Then the three men stood looking at each other as they began to feel an absence. It was the absence of something that they had previously not even been aware of. They had been able to perceive a very faint vibration everywhere they had been but now, under the post with the broken globe, they could not feel it anymore.
Then they began to notice the real changes. Every part of the street that had been illuminated by the broken globe had changed. It was the same pavement and the same walls but they were different. They were older and more decayed. In the parts of the street that were still covered by intact globes the streets were still clear and apparently new.
The Doctor turned to speak to the Brigadier and froze before he could open his mouth. In the absence of the globe's flourescent glow the Brigadier had changed too. He was markedly older, his skin draped over his skull like an old leather rag and his eyes were empty dark hollows.
"What is it Doctor?" said the Brigadier, his voice suddenly ancient and raspy.
"Al . . . Alistair, can you see it? Can you see yourself?" asked the Doctor.
The Brigadier had only seen the change in his surroundings, but only with the Doctor's prompting did he stop to look down at his now skeletal hands. "Doctor, what has happened to me?"
"Oh dear.oh my giddy aunt" mumbled the Doctor. "Jamie, Brigadier, I think my curiosity has made me do something rather foolish."
He grabbed the Brigadier by the arm, dragging him into the area of the street still covered by the other globes. Here, under their glow, the Brig was back to his old self. Again the three men looked at each other in puzzlement. This puzzlement soon turned in to horror when they noticed that the other globes on the street were, one by one, beginning to go out. Wherever this happened the streets and people became the decayed versions of themselves like they had been under the broken globe and the Brigadier.
Everywhere people were screaming whenever the saw the ghostly sight of each other and themselves. And the globes continued to go out all over the city and the screaming got ever louder.
"Oh no! What have I done?" the Doctor cried out.
To be continued . . .
The figure was tall, had a noticeable limp and was obviously female. She seemed to bob up and down as she ambled along the darkened streets. When another figure stepped up to her she came to a shuddering halt, recognising him. "Zzorrann, you are early. I was not expecting you to be here so soon."
"Well as you always said, the early bird catches the worm," he replied.
Zzorrann stood nearly a foot taller than the woman and his features were a mix of human and reptilian, a signpost of his mixed parentage. He was dressed in a sharp, black Edwardian suit with a scarlet cravat, while a mane of long dark hair reached down his back as far as his knees.
The woman nodded and reached out and brushed her wizened hand against Zzorrann's scaly face. "Is that what you want to do, catch me?"
"No," he replied. "But you need to control your nocturnal activities. They are attracting attention."
"You mean the three humans?" asked the woman. Zzorrann nodded. "Do not worry about them. I am familiar with the two newcomers, although they do not know it."
"Mother, are you sure about that?"
"Yes. I have been watching them very carefully and I understand men, even Time Lords. I have not outlived seven human and alien husbands without acquiring some skills."
"But you will be careful tonight and not feed," implored Zzorrann.
"No, I will feed and I will not let them stop me," she declared. "He owes me compensation for abandoning me so selfishly."
Then Zzorran understood. "You mean that man, he's the Doctor? The one you have been telling me about all these years?"
"Yes, the very same. Look at me and what I have become. It is his fault and he will pay for it here before he even comes to know who I am."
The man saw a need for caution. "Don't you think it's dangerous to meddle with the timeline and interact with him before he has even met you?"
"I don't care," the woman decided. "I am in the mood for recklessness."
Zzorrann bent forward and kissed his mother on the cheek. Despite the hastening of her deformity her features were unmistakable. What a tragedy, he thought to himself, that this is what had become of his mother, a once famous beauty.
*****
The following morning saw the Brigadier return to his rooms at the Halls of Residence, only to find the Brigadier and Jamie missing. A word from Pierre informed him of their movements, and he quickly headed off after them.
He was relieved to find them soon after, on one of the main streets, apparently in urgent discussion. "Ah, Doctor. Found you at last."
"Brigadier," the Doctor asked. "What can you tell me about these globes?" He indicated those dotted around the streets and boulevards.
He couldn't for the life of him see the importance, but nonetheless . . . "They've been here for many years. Certainly, they were installed when I first arrived here years ago."
The Doctor was insistent. "But you're still a relative newcomer here," he pointed out. "So what strikes you as unusual about them?"
"Well . . ." the Brigadier paused, unsure what to look for. After all, the globes were more or less a permanent fixture in Paris, their fluorescence giving off much need light in the dark hours, and . . . "Oh, I see what you're getting at," he realised. "Why are they lit during the daytime?"
"Exactly," agreed the Doctor. "Whatever the power is within these globes, is it necessary for both day and night?"
Lethbridge Stewart smiled. "It's no great mystery, Doctor. The light from these globes helps to maintain the various floral displays. As I understand it, they provide the correct temperatures for the different types of foliage you see all around you. Hence the continuous light."
"I see." But the Doctor was not to be calmed. "But where does the power come from? After all, for such an undertaking the cost must be astronomical. And is that all it's used for?"
Jamie caught the note of concern. "What sort of power d'ye think it is, Doctor?"
"Definitely alien," he replied. "And I mean alien to this world." He sighed. "At least we have one piece to fit the puzzle."
"Well, here are a few more pieces," the Brigadier remarked, handling across the files from the previous evening. "Makes for unpleasant reading, I'm afraid."
The Doctor scanned the contents of each file. "Yes, I see what you mean. Is it possible to see the bodies?"
"That's what I came to tell you," Lethbridge Stewart explained. "There was another death last night."
The Doctor thought for a moment. "Tell me, Alistair, these deaths, are they . . . normal . . . or lizard humanoids?"
"That's another aspect that I noticed, Doctor. They are all, as you put it, normal people. Not one is a lizard humanoid." The Brigadier was disturbed by this realisation. "It's odd that I've never thought of them in that way."
"Yes, that's also odd," The Doctor fumbled through his pockets for something, then giving up and stroking his chin. "How long have these lizard humanoids lived here?"
"I don't really know Doctor. They were here when we arrived." He hesitated. "Do you know, now I actually think of it, I don't remember when that was."
"D'ye think these lizard people have something to do with this, Doctor?"
Yes, Jamie, maybe not directly. These globes too, but what worries me more are the deaths. How did they die, Alistair?"
That's what I was coming to, Doctor. They all died from a loss of blood. All their blood in fact. Not a drop left in their bodies. These autopsy chappies say they've never come across this before. They're keeping quiet about it because they don't want to start a scare. All the bodies seemed unmarked, apart from, well, you know - except for last night's. Body was in a bit of a state this time. Almost ripped apart, but still bloodless."
"Oh dear, I was afraid of that," a black cloud seeming to come over the Doctor. He shuffled away from them, deep in thought. Jamie and the Brigadier glanced at each other, both knowing by experience that what the Doctor was pondering, could affect them for the rest of their lives.
Close to them, one of the globe-topped columns seemed to be crackling more than normal. The colours within it seemed to subtly change several times before reverting back to their normal phosphorescent glow.
The Doctor had seemed to drift towards it, still in his apparent reverie. He stumbled, falling against the column. As he fell, his hand that had been rummaging about in his deep pocket, emerged and shot out, as if to stop his stumble against the column, and came to rest, momentarily under the lip of one of the rings that decorated it, before dashing away from the column with the agility of an Olympic sprinter.
At the same time there was a flash of light, as inexplicably, the globe exploded. As all around, turned in amazement at this occurrence, the Doctor hid a grin of satisfaction beneath an enormous embroidered handkerchief, as he proceeded to blow his nose. "Well, I thinks that's gone and done it," he said, smiling.
Jamie and the Brigadier stood looking up at the remnants of the shattered globe.
Then the three men stood looking at each other as they began to feel an absence. It was the absence of something that they had previously not even been aware of. They had been able to perceive a very faint vibration everywhere they had been but now, under the post with the broken globe, they could not feel it anymore.
Then they began to notice the real changes. Every part of the street that had been illuminated by the broken globe had changed. It was the same pavement and the same walls but they were different. They were older and more decayed. In the parts of the street that were still covered by intact globes the streets were still clear and apparently new.
The Doctor turned to speak to the Brigadier and froze before he could open his mouth. In the absence of the globe's flourescent glow the Brigadier had changed too. He was markedly older, his skin draped over his skull like an old leather rag and his eyes were empty dark hollows.
"What is it Doctor?" said the Brigadier, his voice suddenly ancient and raspy.
"Al . . . Alistair, can you see it? Can you see yourself?" asked the Doctor.
The Brigadier had only seen the change in his surroundings, but only with the Doctor's prompting did he stop to look down at his now skeletal hands. "Doctor, what has happened to me?"
"Oh dear.oh my giddy aunt" mumbled the Doctor. "Jamie, Brigadier, I think my curiosity has made me do something rather foolish."
He grabbed the Brigadier by the arm, dragging him into the area of the street still covered by the other globes. Here, under their glow, the Brig was back to his old self. Again the three men looked at each other in puzzlement. This puzzlement soon turned in to horror when they noticed that the other globes on the street were, one by one, beginning to go out. Wherever this happened the streets and people became the decayed versions of themselves like they had been under the broken globe and the Brigadier.
Everywhere people were screaming whenever the saw the ghostly sight of each other and themselves. And the globes continued to go out all over the city and the screaming got ever louder.
"Oh no! What have I done?" the Doctor cried out.
To be continued . . .
