Dr Who: Kingdom of the Blind Part 3
"You're joking right?" Rose almost laughed. "Vampires are just made up. Aren't they? You know, Dracula and stuff? Right? I mean, Daleks I can handle, giant green farting aliens I can handle, but Vampires? You're taking the mick." As she continued her voice became more pleading, as she saw in the Doctors face a seriousness she hadn't seen since his showdown with the Dalek.
"Sorry Rose, but no. They haven't always been a work of fiction. You know better than anyone that sometimes fiction has an element of truth in there somewhere. Real events enter into folklore, stories are told and everyone lives happily knowing that these things could never happen in real life. But they did." The Doctor sagged further into his seat. "That thing, " he pointed at the monitor, still showing the giant creature, " is the last of the Great Vampires. Millenia ago, Rassilon, the greatest of my people, led a war against them. Just one of these creatures could suck the very life from an entire planet, without even thinking about it." The Doctor's eyes grew distant as he recalled legends and historical accounts from his people's past.
"Legends say that there was a final battle, and that one vampire escaped the fleet of bowships created by Rassilon. I tracked that one down some time ago, it had dimension jumped to E-Space. I destroyed it, but there should only have been one survivor."
"Seems your legends got it wrong Doctor." Jack said, putting his hand on the Doctors shoulder. Now he had finally realised where the Doctor had come from. He was a Timelord. Legends on countless planets told of how the Galaxy had been saved by the vampire threat by the great Timelords of Gallifrey, how the war had stretched across the Universe, no planet being left untouched. Other legends told of the downfall of Gallifrey, how the passing of the Timelord race was mourned throughout the Cosmos. Now Jack realised where the sadness in the Doctor's eyes came from. He was the last of a once great race. Sole survivor of a war, with a race more hideous than the vampires, the Daleks.
"NO. They weren't wrong. Just premature. The last of the Vampires will be destroyed! By me."
"You cannot destroy her." Androsa said weakly. "My people, they worship her, they would gladly die for her, she has some kind of thrall over them, I cannot explain it, almost over night, my people conceded full control to her, only a few of us were able to resist her influence, those of us who had a regressive gene that allow us empathic abilities. But even at the height of our population, these people accounted for less than 4 percent of our total population. Now anyone who shows resistance to her power is put to death as a heretic." Androsa sounded weary, his voice becoming distant. "My father, led an attack on her, taking all of the able bodied among us, they got as far as her citadel, pretending to be accolytes. One of her Regal guard detected them, and raised the alarm, none of them survived. I have lived here, in solitude, since I was little more than 4 years old. These machines are powered by my great grandfather's invention, a geothermal extraction unit, in the basement. My Grandfather, you saw his last recording? Outside?" The group of timetravellers nodded, "He invented the holographic unit that hides our sanctuary, it is completely undetectable, even if the others of my kind still had technology at their disposal, they would be unable to detect it. I have a protein synthesiser, Oh, where are my manners, may I offer you something to eat? Drink? The synthesiser can create almost any meal." Androsa livened up as he sprang to his feet, "anything? At all?"
"No thank you Androsa, I would like to ask you though. If your people are all under her influence, how is it that you are not?" The Doctor stared at Androsa intently, awaiting the man's reply.
"My Great Grandfather. He discovered that some of our people have inate empathic abilities. He devised a procedure that could trigger the regressive gene in our dna to activate the ability. Any who have the power, seem to be immune to her power."
"Have you ever tried using it on others?" Rose asked. "You know, like bring them over to your side?"
"They always travel in packs." Androsa used the word as though to describe animals. "I have never been able to isolate a single person to attempt the procedure." Androsa looked crestfallen as he spoke, "and now, it may be too late. According to my last scan, our total planetary population is less than 20,000. My race is being whittled away by this 'Vampire'" Androsa spat the final word as though it could taint him by just uttering it. "Our fertile lands are already turning to deserts, soon there will be nowhere to grow crops, we will die a slow and lingering death."
"No. You will die quickly. Our Goddess has decreed it."
The friends all spun round to see a figure in the doorway. "Who are you?" Androsa jumped from his chair in near panic.
"I am Illyan. Messenger of the Goddess." Illyan smiled, and as he did, his ragged and elongated canine teeth were clearly visible. "As an acolyte of the Goddess, I carry out her decree happily" Illyan walked forward, advancing quickly on Rose...
To be continued.