London in the Dog-Days

Part Two

Will this heat never end? Helen Magnus wondered. For that matter, will a time ever come when women are allowed to wear clothing suitable to the temperature? At least a strict, self-imposed regimen of diet and exercise freed her from the imprisonment of stays!

She was crouched behind some packing cases on a gallery that made up the first floor of a warehouse the Sanctuary owned. Tesla and Watson were also placed strategically, as they had been for the last two nights. Druitt was out roaming the area they had defined as being the home-ground of the Hunter, as they called it. Perhaps tonight, he could draw its attention.

A bell sounded shrilly. Druitt was on his way! He'd managed to activate the electric warning system Tesla had devised. They had three minutes. Helen readied her weapon and waited.

Druitt was punctual, slipping in through the door and moving to the centre of the bare, wooden ground floor. There he turned and faced the door, pulling out the knives with which he was so lethal.

"Come on!" He yelled angrily. "I've had enough running! Let's settle this now, if you've got the spine!"

Whether the Hunter understood the words or not, the tone was unmistakable, and it responded. There was a kind of shimmer from near the door, and it was there. The electric lighting was dim, and it was hard to make out details, but it was manlike in shape, tall and well-muscled. It was clothed, if that was the word, in some kind of harness from which a variety of devices and weapons were suspended. There were some kind of tendrils growing from its head which might or might not have been hair, and its face was covered by a metal mask.

For a moment, it stood there, as if considering its' antagonist. Then it reached up and removed a pistol-like device from a mount on its' shoulder and hung it from the harness. Then it drew a long-bladed knife and began to advance on Druitt, shoulder first, knife held low, point higher than hilt. An experienced fighter, then.

The two figures on the floor circled each other, each looking for an opening. Or so it seemed, until Druitt had manoeuvred his opponent into the centre of the floor. Then he teleported away, and at the same instant a heavy net fell from the gallery over the Hunter, swiftly followed by another.

The Abnormal didn't panic or thrash about. Calmly, it began to work on the net with its' knife. The nets were heavy cable, designed to hold the most powerful of recalcitrant Abnormals, but the knife was clearly made of some very sharp, hard alloy, and was cutting it slowly.

Helen knew she had very little time. The chloroform spray had limited range, and she had to get right above the creature to make sure she covered it. Glad of her riding breeches, she set off across the narrow catwalk that stretched across the warehouse, and had been set up just for this occasion. She had drawn this task over James' and Johns' protests, because she was the lightest and most sure-footed.

But she never reached her destination. A compact figure suddenly dropped from the darkness above to land on the catwalk in front of her. There was a flash of silver, and the spray was knocked from her hands. Jenny held the sword in a pose of casual readiness and smiled engagingly.

"No you don't Dr Magnus." She said brightly. "I don't know if this fing can 'old both of us, so why don't you just turn round and go back, quick-like?"

Unarmed, Helen had no choice, but she did wonder what had happened to the others.

Teslas' responsibility had been the second net. Now, as agreed, he waited. If the chloroform spray did not work, he was to aid Druitt in physically subduing the Abnormal. He was concentrating on the creature in the net, so only caught what happened to Helen via his peripheral vision. He was about to race round to assist her when he was seized. Thick, powerful hands grabbed him by the wrists and twisted both his arms up behind him. He struggled, but all his Vampire strength was useless, he was held as easily as a child. A voice spoke behind him.

"I was bred under a force of gravity far in excess of this planets', you will not break my grip. I advise you to cease wasting your efforts. My orders are only to restrain you. Perhaps another time we can fight more fairly, and I will then obliterate you!"

Druitt had teleported up into the rafters, and been watching Helen. Had he attempted to snatch her from the catwalk, the frail structure might well have given way under the weight of all three, and the consequences of killing or injuring Helen were not to be thought of. He dropped to the gallery, looking for reinforcements, and found Watson out cold. He was about to go for Tesla when cold steel touched his neck and he froze.

"Really, Mr Druitt!" Purred Vastra. "I expected better of you. Now pick up Mr Watson and let us go and meet Dr Magnus."

Helen was clearly furious. Jenny was equally clearly unimpressed. Tesla, on the other hand, had relaxed in Straxs' unbreakable grip and was watching with wry amusement.

"Listen!" Helen was saying. "You have to let me use the chloroform now. It will be free soon!"

"O' course 'e will." Jenny replied. "Good fing, too. Ain't good manners to go droppin' nets on people."

"Jenny!" Vastra spoke sharply. "What have I told you about saying 'ain't'?"

"My apologies, Madame." Jennys' Cockney accent suddenly vanished. "I was simply pointing out to Dr Magnus the proper etiquette to observe with visitors."

"Your 'etiquette'," said Helen bitterly, "has let a killer loose. Look!"

She pointed down to where the Hunter had cut through the nets and was now standing staring up at them, apparently puzzled.

Vastra stepped up to the rail of the gallery and called down to it in a hissing, growling language. It responded with mixed surprise and impatience. Vastra spoke again, more commandingly. The creature gave a nod of grudging acquiescence, then turned and loped out through the door.

"Now, Dr Magnus," Vastra said, "we need to talk. But not here."

Helen adapted. "We could return to Sanctuary."

"I think not." Vastra smiled. "I can hardly imagine that, once within, Strax and I would be permitted to leave easily. We will go to my house, and I hope it will not be necessary to compel anyone."

It was perhaps the oddest experience James Watson had had. Jenny, transformed into a prim and proper parlourmaid, had served tea and sandwiches and now waited quietly in a corner of the room, listening to everything. Strax had relieved them of their hats and coats with the polish of a well-trained footman, but now stood beside the door, as impassive and immovable as a Guardsman outside Buckingham Palace.

Vastra was speaking to Helen with an air of extreme patience.

"There are no Abnormals here, Dr Magnus. No genetic anomalies or mutations, no offshoots of humanity. Yes, you may well look at me, but my people, the Silurians, were the first intelligent race on this planet. We were far more advanced than your race has since become, but we made one mistake, and sent ourselves into hibernation. I was awoken by accident and have made shift to create a life for myself here.

"Strax is not native to Earth. He is a Sontaran, a cloned warrior from a far-away world. He is here to pay off a debt of honour.

"The being you call a Hunter is also not of Earth. He is indeed a hunter, one of a race of such beings who dwell in space, travelling from world to world, seeking worthy quarry. They have been coming to Earth for millions of years always in the hottest of summers. They once hunted we Silurians, until we reached a level of technology equal to theirs. Then we made a treaty with them. They still came, to hunt our most dangerous animals, but they left us in peace. Since we have slept, they have begun to hunt humans. Regrettable, but understandable.

"You should leave me to deal with this Predator. This matter is none of your concern.

"Believe me, Dr Magnus, I understand and approve of your work, but this is not part of it."

Helen shook her head. "I believe you believe what you are saying, Vastra. But all I see is one dangerous Abnormal and two misguided ones.

"This...Predator if you must, has to be stopped before he kills again, and that is our responsibility, Sanctuarys' responsibility.

"So are you and Strax, however much you may deny it. You can't stay safe for long. Sooner or later, the ignorant and the afraid will turn on you, and then it will be harder for us to help you. If you come to us now, you'll be safe."

Vastra smiled. "I would thank you for your concern, Dr Magnus, if I could be entirely sure that it had more to do with our safety than your urge to study us.

"Rest assured, our plans are laid. When it is time to leave, we will go where nobody will ever find us.

"But I must urge you again to leave the Predator to us. If you persist, I cannot guarantee your safety."

Helen rose. "Thank you for the tea, Madame Vastra. I think there's nothing more for us to discuss."

Vastra inclined her head, and that was that.

Back at Sanctuary, Helen was pacing again. Watson had never seen such energy in another person, it was a wonder that she didn't spontaneously combust! He himself was tense, despite the soreness of his neck where Vastra had so deftly rendered him senseless. Tesla, on the other hand, seemed perfectly relaxed, sitting sipping wine and watching Helen amusedly.

"She's deluded, of course," Helen was saying, "and she's dragged the other two into it. Perhaps she has some mesmeric ability, I don't know. But we can't concern ourselves with her right now. We have to capture the Hunter, quickly!"

"Have you ever considered," Tesla suggested gently, "that Vastra might be telling the truth?"

Helen shook her head. "Not possible, Nikola. A civilisation such as the one she described could not have existed and left no evidence! As for life on other worlds, do you realise how minute the chances are? Life evolved on this planet against unspeakable odds, what are the chances of its doing so elsewhere? And if it did, what are the odds against a being from another world coming here?"

Tesla ticked off points on his fingers. "First, we've only discovered a fraction of this worlds' history. I doubt we ever will know more than a tenth of even what we call 'recorded' history, so prehistory, or even pre-prehistory, is far beyond our reach. There might very well have been dozens, perhaps hundreds, of other races who've lived on Earth before us. There are legends about such things – the Elder Ones, the so-called Great Race, the Spawn of Cthulhu – that might have more truth than we know.

"Second, however little we know about our own world, we know infinitely less of what might be out there! There are theories, you know, which make out that our evolution, far from being a remote possibility, was almost inevitable. Also, it's very probable that the Universe is much, much bigger than we can tell at the moment. Every new star is a sun, that sun might have planets, one of those planets might very well have life. That life might be more evolved than us, more developed. They might make their way here, for all we know."

"So, we should just leave Vastra to deal with the Hunter? Is that what you're saying?" Helen asked derisively.

Tesla shook his head. "I'm saying nothing of the kind." He replied gravely. "But I am asking you, Helen, to consider the possibility that you may not be the only person in London, or indeed the world, who knows what they are doing!

"It may be to our advantage to hold back, let Vastra make her attempt. Should she succeed, we will have lost nothing, should she fail, we will be able to sweep them all up.

"I presume that you had something of the kind in mind, Helen, since you asked Druitt to keep watch on Vastra and her people?"

Helen nodded. "I'm certain she asked the Hunter to meet with her, probably on neutral ground. John will be able to let us know if they leave the house. We can follow them, and be ready if and when the Hunter betrays them.

"As to 'sweeping them all up', the Hunter must be killed or contained. But I'm averse to bringing anyone into Sanctuary against their will. Whatever perverse influence Vastra has over Strax, it is at least preventing him from harming people. Vastra herself is clearly highly intelligent. I have to hope that, sooner or later, she will see the sense in coming to us."

"If she is what she says she is," Tesla could not help pointing out, "then to her, we are the Abnormals, and we need her more than she needs us!"

"What do you mean?" Watson asked.

Tesla shrugged. "If her race, these Silurians, were to awake and want their world back, then we would need someone to speak for us."

For some reason, even Helen had no answer to that.

"The one called Druitt has remained behind." Strax announced. "He is obviously their scout. Do you wish me to annihilate him?"

Vastra shook her head. "Tempting as the idea is, Strax, I think not. Helen Magnus is not one to abandon a conviction, and she is convinced that the Predator is a threat to us as to everyone else. Either she or Watson will have deduced that we intend to parley with the Predator, and she intends to be there.

"To prevent that would delay us, and the Predators are not a patient race. We must go ahead as planned. You know the meeting place?"

Strax nodded. "There is only one way in or out for anyone except the Predator and Druitt. If Dr Magnus' cohorts wish to come at us, they must go through Jenny and I. They will fail."

Vastra frowned. "Let Magnus pass. The Predator will be more than able to deal with Druitt alone. I will deal with Magnus. The experience might be instructive for her."

It was one of those odd corners you find in any city. A roughly-paved, weed-grown court enclosed by the windowless backs of tall buildings. Lighter patches in some of the walls showed where doors that once let onto the court had been bricked up, and access was by a single, narrow, roofed-in alleyway. In among the weeds that grew between the flags were scattered paper wrappers and bags, cigar and cigarette ends that testified to the court being a refuge where clerks might take their hasty lunch and smoke during the day. In another area of the city, this might be a haunt of prostitutes, or of those with criminal business to conduct. But here, the warehouses and commercial offices were closed for the night, and the place was empty.

Vastra scented the Predator before she saw it, it was cloaked. She came forward slowly into the centre of the court and halted a respectful distance from where she sensed it was. The Predator uncloaked and stood considering her for a moment. Then it reached up and removed its mask, revealing the close-set, intense eyes, bulging forehead and crab-like jaws of its kind.

"The others?" He asked.

"We could not dissuade them." Vastra admitted "They will come. We are ready to help you hold them off. Without killing, if we can."

"They are fine hunters." The Predator allowed. "They almost trapped me. I have been expecting this for some time. I have hunted here often. The natives are less strong than your kind were, but more cunning, and they are savage at bay. I carry many scars from them.

"We had thought your kind long dead. The asteroid did much damage, and we did not return for many ages afterwards. Not until creatures worthy of the hunt emerged here again. We assumed you had survived, but found no trace of you. We were saddened."

Vastra nodded. "We made an error. We over-estimated the potential damage of the asteroid and assumed the Earth would remain uninhabitable for much longer than it did. We buried our cities and sent ourselves to sleep. I was awakened by accident some years ago, but have made a life for myself here.

"These apes, these humans, you describe them well. But there is something else in them, a spark of greatness that, given time, might allow them to equal or surpass what we Silurians achieved.

"They learn quickly, their weapons, their organisation, improve with each passing year. I know you cannot speak for the Tribes, but I ask you to take this message back. Stay way from their cities. If you must come here to hunt, do so in far-away places. Only a little time from now, and a hunt in a city will bring down on you a force of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of heavily-armed and organised humans."

The Predator shrugged. "There would be neither sport nor honour in that." He noted. "I will take your message, but I cannot guarantee that all the Tribes will agree."

Then there was a bellow of "View halloa!" from above, and all Hell broke loose.

Druitt had tracked them to this place, had waited tensely until the others arrived.

"That's the only way in." He said. "It'll be guarded."

"I'm sure you can find another way in, John." Tesla pointed out. "Then we can make a two-pronged attack. Split their forces."

"I'll get up on the roofs." Druitt agreed. "As soon as I can see the Hunter, I'll signal."

"No killing!" Helen insisted. "Not unless it's absolutely necessary!"

Druitt nodded, then teleported away. Less than five minutes later, they heard his shout. As she charged down the alley behind Tesla and Watson, Helen couldn't help smiling at Druitts' use of a traditional hunting cry.

They reached the end of the alley unopposed. Then Tesla, who was in the lead, was grabbed, swung round and slammed against the wall with enough force to break the bones of an ordinary man.

"Please resist." Strax invited. "It will make the evening so much more enjoyable!"

Tesla complied, going at the Abnormal with fang and claw. It was a savage brawl, while it lasted, but the end was inevitable. Strax was much quicker than his squat bulk promised, and though Tesla had the height and reach advantage, his claws seemed to make little impression on his opponents' tough hide. Strax bored in close, backing Tesla up against the wall and landing a series of weakening body-punches before going for, and getting, a solid headlock.

"That was entertaining." He said. "But time is limited. Do you concede, or shall I hold you like this for the rest of the night?"

Tesla, not without a certain wry amusement, conceded.

Watson was, if anything, in worse case as he found himself confronted by Jenny. Unlike Tesla and Druitt, he still retained his gentlemanly reluctance to strike a woman, for one thing. For another, his opponent was far more formidable than her slight figure promised. Watson was an expert boxer, fencer and singlestick player, and skilled in savate. He should have had the advantage in any fight. But Jenny was in twenty places at once, and fought in a style he hadn't seen before, darting in to land a flurry of punches and low kicks, before whirling gracefully away beyond any counter. She was wearing him down steadily, and after a few moments, he threw up his hands.

"I'm done!" He said.

Jenny gave an impish grin. "And here's me just gettin' warmed up!" She said. "You're no fun, you aren't!"

Helen dashed to the centre of the court, where she could see Druitt locked in combat with the Hunter. She had her revolver out, hoping to either get a lucky shot, or use the threat of the firearm to force a surrender. But then a tall figure loomed in front of her. There was a blaze of pain in her right hand, and Madame Vastra stepped back, holding the revolver. One-handed, she flipped the cylinder out, emptied the bullets onto the ground, and tossed the weapon away.

Helen, desperate, went in, attempting to use jiu-jitsu, only to find herself flat on her back among the weeds and litter.

"We are not men, Dr Magnus." Vastra said patiently. "We have no need to prove our prowess or potency against each other. Now watch and wait."

She stepped aside, so that Helen could see Druitt and the Hunter. As Helen climbed to her feet, she realised that what she was watching was not a fight, but a duel.

They fought with long knives, circling within a small area, fully focused on each other. As if by mutual, unspoken agreement, the Hunter didn't go invisible, and Druitt refrained from teleporting. There was feint and counter-feint, brief flurries of attack, after which they would step back. Both had several fresh, shallow wounds that bore testimony to their skills in attack and defence. Then Druitt fell for a clever feint, there was a brief whirl of motion, and his knife spun away. The Hunter had him by the knife-arm, blade at his throat. Druitt grinned and glanced down. The Hunter followed his look. In Druitts' left hand was a short but quite deadly knife, a quarter-inch from the Hunters' groin.

For a moment, nothing moved. Then the Hunter made a harsh, gurgling sound that, for all its alien tones, was unmistakably a laugh. Slowly, he put up his knife, then released Druitts' arm and stepped back. Druitt relaxed and acknowledged his opponent with an inclination of his head. The Hunter put away his own knife, then pulled another from the back of his harness, which he presented to Druitt hilt-first, speaking as he did so.

"A trophy from a previous hunt, given to honour a worthy opponent and a noble fight." Vastra translated.

Druitt accepted the knife with a short bow. It was a long dagger of Eastern workmanship, with a silver hilt inlaid with lapis lazuli, a single sapphire for a pommel and a grip of soft leather. The gracefully curved blade was, if Druitt was any judge, forged from Damascus steel.

The Hunter now turned and addressed Vastra and Magnus. Vastra translated again.

"He thanks us for an excellent hunt, though he is unaccustomed to being the quarry. He found the experience novel, but is not anxious to repeat it! He intends to leave Earth as soon as possible, and will warn his people to stay away from our cities."

With that, the Hunter resumed his mask, and vanished from view. By this time, the others had joined them.

"You want us to just accept his word?" Helen said to Vastra.

Vastra shrugged. "We will get nothing else. They are an honourable race."

"I believe him." Druitt hefted his new knife. "I'd almost forgotten what honour was. He reminded me."

"So, Dr Magnus, unless you wish to make another fruitless attempt to persuade us into your Sanctuary, I think the matter is now closed." Vastra pronounced.

Helen left that fight for another day.

The weather broke the following day in a tremendous thunderstorm. At the height of it, there were reports of a blazing light shooting upwards out of the Thames and streaking into the sky. Distinguished scientists pontificated about ball lightning and electrical phenomena. Temperance campaigners, more prosaically, deplored the effects of strong drink upon sailors and shore workers.

Helen Magnus, on the other hand, was now faced with the very real possibility that Vastra had been right about the unearthly origin of the Hunter. If she was right about that, what else was she right about?

Helen went for a walk in the rain to clear her head. As she returned, she saw an unfamiliar figure waiting near her door. As soon as he saw her, he approached her directly. A very tall, thin man wearing a long coat and a tall hat. As he came near, she saw a high forehead, piecing eyes, a pointed jaw and a mobile mouth.

"Helen Magnus?" He asked. "You've been annoying some friends of mine. I think it's time we had a talk. I'm the Doctor."