The debate had raged on for an hour before Alma acquiesced to the Doctor's assertions that they were in grave danger. A further hour later, they were almost ready to leave.
"Just a few things before we depart." he said, perched in the doorway, his head turned away from them. "How many people live in these lands?"
Iona, wrapping herself in a long, dark hooded cloak, spoke as she fastened the clasp around her neck
"There's only 4 inhabited homesteads we know about." She said, holding out her hand & beginning to count with her fingers." The Falkirk's, a family of 4, the Verel Farm which houses a bunch of folk, around 7 that had no other family, crazy Ogden & then there's Fargo Rhodes..."
Iona trailed off, her face thoughtful. The Doctor turned his head & scrutinised the young woman.
"Oh, we're all crazy in different ways but what's Ogden's problem" he asked first
Alma answered from somewhere in the pantry, punctuated by various bangs & crashes of pots & pans.
"He don't like any of us, very suspicious & superstitious. You won't get him to leave, if he even let's you in the front door, that is."
"And Fargo Rhodes?" inquired the Doctor.
There was a moment of silence. The sounds from the pantry ceased & Iona eyed the Doctor with a serious expression.
"He...he lives closest to Bolet, more or less a half mile from it...he's been suffering some strange occurrences. No-ones heard anything for a week or two though ."
Alma, entering from the pantry with a full bag, took up the conversation.
"We don't know exactly what was going on, it was Falkirk's oldest boy, Lorenze, that visited Fargo most. Has some interest in the city, I think. Anyway, he said that Fargo had been getting paranoid. The man claimed he could hear buzzing outside his cottage at night & that he was being watched as he slept."
"You don't believe he was?" inquired the Doctor.
"He was living by himself, he was probably cracking like Ogden..." Alma trailed off, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"But living relatively close to Bolet, you can't be sure he's just going mad?"
The older woman merely nodded. The Doctor turned his head back, looking out into the lands beyond.
"Last but not least, how can you tell what time of day it is?"
Iona perked up at this & answered with a smile.
"Easy, it gets properly dark at night. During the day, the light waxes & wanes, but it never gets really dark until night."
The Doctor "hmmmed" at the this, turned & walked over to the young woman, reaching into his inside coat pocket as he did.
"Can you give me the time then?" he said, a toothy grin spreading over his face.
They set their watches & the Doctor examined their bags.
"Got food & water enough for a few days journey, but we shall likely have to get supplies where we can." Making his way back to the doorway, he spoke over his shoulder as he marched out.
"Which homestead first then?"
They had left at midday & were tramping over low climbing hills towards Ogden's home, when the Doctor raised his hand, indicating they should stop. Alma collapsed onto a nearby rock & took a swig from a canteen whilst the Doctor stood at the crest of the hill. Iona walked over, checking her watch as she did so to find it was now 2 o' clock, & watched as the Doctor pulled a metallic cylinder out from his cavernous pockets & began to examine the area with it.
"What is that?" asked Iona, pointing at the Doctor's spyglass.
"Oh this?" he replied with a toothy grin. "A spyglass for seeing far away. I like to think of it as a gift, but it would be closer to the truth to say it was thrown at me."
"Thrown at you?" Iona smirked. "By whom?"
"Captain Edward Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard. Steven, Vicki & I landed on his ship, Queen Anne's Revenge, but it must have been an off day as he wasn't in the best of moods." the Doctor lifted the spyglass to his eye again as he spoke. "Thought we were stowaways & threatened us with all the old chestnuts."
The Doctor lowered the spyglass & began to count with his free hand's fingers.
"Keelhauling, a spell in the Brig...swabbing the poop deck." the Doctor grimaced as he spoke. "About the only thing he didn't suggest was an appointment with the Captain's Daughter, which I thought strange. Really should have been the first thing."
Iona scratched the side of her cheek & furrowed her brow.
"The Captain's Daughter?"
Inclining his head slightly in her direction, the Doctor's eyes boggled as he spoke.
"Euphemism for the Cat O' Nine Tails, the lash."
Iona nodded her understanding with an "ahhh."
"I had an impish sense of humour at the time & was a little put out by his attitude." continued the Doctor. "I mean, imagine thinking distinguished people like us were stowaways! Long story short, we were only on the ship for about an hour before we had to make a dash back to the Tardis. Old Blackbeard had some very choice words for me to which my only reply was ""And you, sir, and you!"". It was just as I ducked into the Tardis that I felt something whizz past my ear."
The Doctor indicated the spyglass.
"Seems a little silly to throw a good spyglass at someone." quizzed Iona
"Well, I could be a terrible old rogue when I wanted to be & I expect Teach had 20 or so spares kicking around the ship. If not, he could just pillage one off his next act of piracy." The Doctor finished. He was about to compress the spyglass when he looked upwards & suddenly froze. Raising the spyglass, he began to scan the sky directly above them.
"What is it?" asked Iona, straining her eyes.
"I thought I...no...just seeing things." he muttered.
"Can I see?" she asked
Wordlessly, the Doctor handed her the spyglass & Iona examined the sky above. For a moment she felt sure she had seen a dark, indistinct dot rapidly disappearing into the heavens, but assumed it had been a speck on the glass. Telling the Doctor as much, he grunted a reply & marched off.
They arrived at Odgen's a half hour later & were met with a screeching, muffled voice from the interior when they were less than 20 feet from the cottage.
"Bugger off!" the disembodied voice shouted.
The Doctor took a moment to examine the cottage. Not nearly as well kept as Iona & Alma's had been, various parts of the walls were crumbling & the thatched roof was coming apart in various places.
"Look, we just want to talk-" started the Doctor
"Don't want to talk to anyone, least of all you."
The Doctor seemed surprised by this.
"Why? What's wrong with me?" he asked
"Never trust a man with hair like ram's horns." screeched the voice. "Nor strangely dressed weirdos!"
The Doctor examined himself & shot a hand through his hair as he turned to Iona.
"I'm not a weirdo am I?" he asked, a look of naïve innocence on his face. Iona suppressed a chuckle as she replied.
"No, not really...well maybe a little." she took a step forward. " , it's us the Lorans! We're here to tell you something."
There was a muffled curse from inside somewhere & a lot of banging & crashing. Eventually, the noise ceased & an upper storey window swung open. A middle aged man with a long, unkempt beard peered out from the gloomy interior.
"What do you pair of pests want?" he growled.
"We have to leave this place. The Doctor here thinks the Metier Machine is failing & we're being...we're in grave danger from something out of Dargeth."
"Don't want to go messing round in Dargeth, mister, lots of spirits, lot's of old curses." Ogden scratched his beard & chuckled mirthlessly
"Poppycock!" the Doctor exclaimed. "The only danger in those woods is the Daleks & they won't be there anymore."
"Oh, how so?" asked Ogden, still scratching his beard. "And what are these...Daleks?"
"Inhuman, ingenious killers & they aren't in the woods because they're after us, that is to say, me."
"Hah! And you want me to come with you?" guffawed Ogden. "As far as I can see, I'm save where I is."
"But you're not!" snarled the Doctor. "The Daleks will find you regardless in their search, they'll detect your home & come looking for information. Even if they didn't, Medway may be in terminal decline!"
Ogden, surprised by the strength of the Doctor's outburst, studied him for a moment. After a time, he spoke.
"Get you gone."
With a last scoffing noise, Ogden slammed the window shut & a silence descended on the scene, punctuated by muttering from the Doctor.
"I probably should have handled that better."
Alma, walking over to the Doctor & Iona, her arms crossed & sighed.
"Don't matter how you could have handled it, Ogden still would have reacted the same. He's as loopy as you hair & a waste of time to boot."
The Doctor shoved his hands into his pocket & his face took on a grim expression
"That may as be, but we can't just leave him here."
"We could have had ironclad evidence & this fool would have still given us short shrift. Some people don't want to be or just plain can't be helped."
Alma walked off & Iona moved after her. Casting a glance back, she saw the Doctor walking after them. For a moment, there was a look of disappointment before his face became unreadable.
The trio's journey to the Falkirk's proved more successful, the middle-aged husband & wife, Tokeran & Maya, were receptive to Alma & Iona's overtures & they were soon on their way to the Verel farm. Lorenze Falkirk, the eldest son & the same age as Iona, walked with her, speaking as they did.
"Who's the stranger?" he whispered conspiratorial
"Dunno." answered Iona. "Just came out of Dargeth the other day."
She launched into the events of the previous day, Lorenze listening with rapt attention.
"Alien monsters?" he said, curling a finger to his mouth. "And he called them Daleks?"
Iona nodded, her own curiosity roused by Lorenze's thoughtful expression.
"What, you've heard of them?"
"Not sure." he replied. "Might have read something about them but I can't place it. The name does sound familiar though."
Iona regarded Lorenze for a moment. He had always taken an interest in books & frequently travelled between the homesteads in search of more to swap. His revelation that the Daleks may very well be real, only confirmed what Iona knew to be true from the start: That the Doctor was telling the truth. It did, however, awaken a deep seated feeling of dread in the young woman. Just what sort of creatures were they? Ahead of them, the Doctor was talking with Tokeran.
"Tell me, it didn't take much for the Loran's to persuade you." asked the Doctor nonchalantly
"Oh we've more reason than most to believe there may be something wrong with the machine. The Metier Initiative that created it, was huge in scope, me & Maya were part of it as low level members. Mostly we just correlated data & helped out in brainstorming sessions, but we were privy to a lot of info. Like all the various things that went wrong. Cult sabotage, the low energy yield."
"But you have no way of what the state of the machine is?" asked the Doctor.
"You guess is as good as mine, but you may very well find something in Pembroke to help you."
The Verel farm proved equally agreeable, mostly thanks to their crops failing. For some weeks now, they had been contemplating a search of Bolet, but were largely too afraid. With little to pack, the group of 14 were making their way to Fargo Rhodes house.
The Doctor led the group, his pace a little too quick at times. Reaching an old, crumbling stone wall, the Doctor hopped over & halted. In the distance he could see the rooftops of Bolet. Various spires & buildings, cloaked In a murky shadow, stretched upward toward the burnt orange sky. Alma had been right, Bolet was a rather ominous sight. Closer, at the bottom of the hill they stood on & masked by many trees, the Doctor could just make out Fargo Rhodes cottage. What little he could see did not suggest good things. The Doctor could see no lights & the darkness of the overhanging trees covering the cottage seemed foreboding.
"Lorenze." called the Doctor, beckoning the young man over. "I'm told you have an interest in Bolet?"
Lorenze hopped the wall & sat on it. He nodded eagerly at the Doctor's question.
"Yup, we had a book on the farm "A History & Guide to the Oldest City, Bolet". It always made me want to come & explore, but...actually seeing it, I could never find the courage."
"I understand." nodded the Doctor. "So I take it that your aborted expeditions brought you into contact with Fargo Rhodes a lot?"
"Oh yeah, he was a little strange but kind of cool too. He knew tons of stuff do to with hunting, trap-making, but he didn't know anything about Bolet. Said he'd never gone in & wished he'd never built a house so close."
"Then why didn't he move?" inquired the Doctor.
The teenager shifted uncomfortably & stared off in the direction of the Rhodes cottage.
"He said...he said he wanted to but...he could never explain it well. He just said he couldn't leave, but that he wanted to."
The Doctor rubbed his chin & joined the teenager in observing the cottage. A light drizzle of rain had begun & was already beginning to peter out when Iona hopped the stone wall, her cloak's hood raised for the wet.
"Are we going over?" she asked
It was a moment or two before the Doctor answered.
"Yes, just a few of us though."
Gathering together, the Doctor, Alma, Iona & Tokeran made their way over to the lonesome cottage. The slope of the hill they had climbed was gentle & they soon found themselves on the edge of the trees that secluded Rhodes home from view. The Doctor stopped briefly & knelt, seemingly examining the grass. Standing up, his head whirled to & fro as he looked all about him.
"What are you looking for?" asked Iona
"I thought as much, given the stone wall encircled a small patch of land, but the grass is a giveaway." he said, gesturing to the small, enclosed field. "It was used as pasture land for grazing, did Fargo Rhodes have cattle?" he directed this to Lorenze.
"Wha-oh yes, yes he did." said the boy, somewhat distractedly. "A cow & a couple of goats."
The Doctor "hmmed" in response, before carefully making his way through the trees. He soon reached the cottage door & began to circle the building, taking not as he did that the roof of Rhodes cottage was made of wood, not thatch as all others had been. Alma, confused by this, shrugged her shoulders & began to open the front door.
"No wait-!" cried the Doctor as he finished his turn around the house. He was too late.
A "whumph" sound shattered the silence & Alma gave a cry of pain. Hurtling backwards, she lay in a heap on the ground. Further back from where she lay, a metal crossbow bolt was lodged in a tree.
"Mum!" cried Iona running over. The Doctor got there second & examined the older woman. She was unconscious & the bolt had grazed her temple badly. Blood oozed from the wound & streamed along the side of her forehead.
"She was lucky her reflexes weren't slower, she'd have had that right through her head." worried Tokeran. "How did you know?"
Though still fussing over Alma, the question was directed to the Doctor, also kneeling by the wounded woman.
"Lorenze." he said, to the boys surprise. "He said that Rhodes was good at trap making & whether he was really being stalked by something or just paranoid, he would likely have booby-trapped the place. I was going to tell you once I'd had a look around the back."
"Did you find anything?" asked Lorenze
The Doctor looked at everyone, an almost faraway expression on his face.
"Just what was left of the cattle, they've been eviscerated." he said ominously. "How is she?"
"She isn't too bad, but I'll need to stop the bleeding." answered Tokeran
"I'll go & check the house, stay here." said the Doctor
Iona stood up also & began to follow the Doctor when he turned & spoke.
"Stay here!" he insisted. "There may be more traps."
The young woman nodded solemnly & returned to her mother.
The Doctor stood in the doorway to Fargo Rhodes cottage & waited for his eyes to adjust to the gloomy interior. A deathly silence permeated the small abode & the Doctor found goosebumps rising on his hands. Something had been here, something wrong, the walls exuded an aura, a memory of the wrongness that had been here.
His eyes now adjusted, he noted the homemade crossbow positioned on the table. It had been bolted or staked into the table to stop it moving & various wires & ropes extended out & snaked their way across the floor to the door. Pulling out a small torch from his pocket, the Doctor examined the room he was in. It was a large room, a modest kitchen was positioned on the far left & on the far right sat various chairs & tables in a living room arrangement. The table the crossbow had been positioned on separated the kitchen & living room. Beyond the table & ahead of the Doctor was a small corridor, at the end of which he could make out a two doors, one ahead & one to the right.
Motioning his arm, the light of his torch travelled the room & the Doctor counted four windows. Two faced the same direction as the front door, whilst the other two were positioned directly opposite one another, one in the kitchen, one in the living room. All of them were trapped & untouched.
The Doctor discovered several lanterns &, after a short search for matches, lit them. The interior was aglow when Iona poked her head through the door.
"Is it safe?" she asked
"I thought I told you to stay put." said the Doctor absentmindedly
"I want to find something for mum." she answered.
The Doctor was currently on the floor, gingerly shining his light underneath the largest chair.
"I think we're alright for traps, but stick close to me." he said.
The two made their way slowly up the corridor, every creak making the Doctor wince & Iona jump. They soon reached the end of the corridor & the Doctor indicated the base of both doors. A thin wire, glinting slightly under the torch-lights scrutiny, stretched across the base of the doors. They had been raised high enough to catch an unsuspecting persons foot.
The Doctor reached out & turned the nob of the northernmost door & let the door swing to. In the silence of the cottage, the doors high pitched & laborious squeak was painfully loud & both the Doctor & Iona were gratified when the door collided with the bedroom wall inside. Shining his torch inside, the Doctor examined the room. The wire travelled up the threshold & disappeared above them. Craning his head, the Doctor noted what appeared to be a rusty spike.
"Evidently it swings downward & impales whoever's unlucky enough to trip the wire." muttered the Doctor. Stepping into the room, he motioned for Iona to stay where she was & began to search it.
The covers of the bed had been thrown back as if someone had leapt from their bed, various drawers sat torn from their housings, only one proved of interest. What appeared to be cartridges for a shotgun lay inside a small cardboard box. Examining the one window, the Doctor found it like it's fellows in the other room: untouched & trapped.
The other room proved a simple toilet & the Doctor & Iona retired to the main room where the teenager found bandages & retreated outside. The Doctor, sitting on a chair at the table, rested his chin on the knuckles of his hand & became lost in thought. 5 minutes had past when Tokeran, Lorenze & Iona carried Alma into the cottage & sat her on a chair. All three were white with fear, curiosity had gotten the better of them & they had looked upon the cattle.
"Who could do that those poor animals?" asked Lorenze
"I've never seen so much blood before." said Iona.
Tokeran remained quiet & watched the Doctor, who was now looking up with great interest. Returning his gaze to the others, he answered Lorenze question with an almost dream like expression.
"The same thing that took Rhodes, I shouldn't wonder."
Tokeran gave a start at this.
"Took him!? The cottage is untouched, save for the bedroom, it was probably Rhodes himself who did away with his livestock."
The Doctor shook his head slowly, a smile playing across his thin lips.
"Fargo Rhodes has been taken, Tokeran, who ever assaulted this cottage didn't get in through the front & only door, Ms Loran activated the booby trap. The windows are all secure, so they didn't find ingress through there. There's only one way."
"A secret tunnel?" whispered Lorenze
The Doctor shook his head & pointed upwards with his thumb. All present lifted their heads skyward & stared in horror at a large hole in the wooden roof. Big enough to fit a man, the thick wood had been bent & splintered inwards, Iona noted with increasing dread that the dark stains around the hole were of dried blood.
"It seems whatever's taken up residence in Bolet didn't like having neighbours." said the Doctor.
"What makes you think it's something out of Bolet." asked Tokeran nervously. "Mightn't it have been some creature out of the woods?"
"It could be, but I'd bet my last jelly baby that it's something out of Bolet." saying this, the Doctor gave a start of surprise & reached into his pockets. Pulling out a white paper bag he passed it round, offering all it's contents
"Jelly baby?"
Exiting the derelict house, Tokeran & Lorenze retrieved a long wooden hay barrow & placed Alma in it as comfortably as possible. Travelling back up to the others, the Doctor & co were besieged with questions & it was some time before the Doctor could speak that which he wanted too.
"Listen, listen, you all know I need to make my way into Bolet & to Pembroke University, but we'll also need supplies too." said the Doctor
"I ain't going anywhere near that accursed city." said a voice, one of the Verel farm folk. He was only joined by one or two of the others, however.
"I don't expect all of you to come, which is why I'll need volunteers & for us to decide what the others do."
"Well, those that don't go with you could travel around the city & meet at the Gondola lift station." said Lorenze
"Gondola?" quizzed the Doctor
"Yes, in my book it says that there was a Gondola Lift that could take you to the centre of the Great Bog & out the other side. The people who don't go in to Bolet could just travel round to it & wait for us there."
"I don't see why not." said the Doctor. "All I need now is 5 volunteers."
Iona stood up from her seated position & stood at the Doctor's side.
"I'm coming to find something that'll help mum." she said. The wound on her head had stopped bleeding, but Tokeran had been worried that a fever might set in.
"I know better than most that there are some people you just can't stop when they're decided." he said, wistfully. "But you stay with me, understand?"
The girl nodded.
"I'll come too." said Lorenze. "I know most about the city so, I should be able to guide you-and don't you worry mum, I'll be fine."
The colour had drained from the woman's face, but she could say little, she knew her son could not be persuaded from visiting Bolet now that he was here.
A show of hands from the Verel farm completed the Bolet group & the Doctor smiled manically.
"Well then, let's get started!"