The Apparites were running through the streets and with simple waves of their hands were creating small earthquakes, causing buildings to crumble and fall.
One of the Apparites was laughing manically, and then, seemingly for no reason at all, it fell to the ground. It was sobbing.
Another one came up behind it and put a hand on it’s shoulder. “Freedom.”
The one on the floor looked up at the one standing over it. “Freedom,” it confirmed. “When is freedom?”
The ghost patted the other on the shoulder. “Soon.”
It helped the other off the floor and they both continued to tear through the town.
In the tunnel Ben and Margot were sat next to each other. Ben was chomping on a chocolate bar and Margot looked at him in frustration.
“How can you think of eating at a time like this?”
He looked at her. “It’s my belly that’s thinking of eating,” he said with his mouth full, “not me. Anyway,” he said, offering her a bite, “I told you we should have dealt with it.”
“Keep your voice down,” hissed Margot, shaking her head at his offer of the chocolate bar. “I think we’ve managed to blag our way through this so far so don’t ruin it!”
“I don’t know,” said Ben, looking at the Doctor and Caroline who were sat a few metres away. “He’s suspicious. He knows something’s not right.”
Margot drew her knees up towards her chin. “He’ll find a way.”
Ben laughed and shook his head. “When he finds out we could have dealt with this in a few minutes he’ll go off his head at us.”
“Shut up!” she snapped. “You know our orders. There’s only so long we can keep doing this. If he can find a way to permanently put an end to them then we need to let him work it out himself.”
“And if he can’t?” asked Ben, scrunching up the chocolate wrapper and throwing it against the wall. “What then? They’ve already advanced further than they’ve done before.”
“Jayne will know what to do,” said Margot, although she didn’t seem convinced. “Jayne will have a back-up plan.”
“Right then,” said the Doctor, making them both jump. “I’ve been formulating a few plans.”
“We think we know how to close that crack,” added Caroline.
“Go on then,” said Margot.
“There’s two options,” said the Doctor. “These creatures obviously have some kind of psychic link with Caroline, Danny and anyone else they’ve come into contact with. Caroline, just by touching that crack, allowed it to expand and let them through. It stands to reason that anyone with a psychic connection to them can close it off again.”
“Right,” said Margot.
“How did you fight them off all these years?” asked Caroline.
“They never came through full force. We just used to…scare them off,” she said. She was trying her best to make this up as she went along.
“Hmmm,” said the Doctor suspiciously.
“You said there were two options,” said Ben quickly, trying to avoid another round of questions.
“Yes. The other option is for me to use my machine to try and stitch up that crack.”
“How can the TARDIS help?” asked Margot.
The Doctor’s eyes narrowed. “The readings on my sonic screwdriver show that the dimensional energy coming from that crack is the same as what runs through my machine.”
“So why not go straight for that option?” asked Margot.
“Because there’s a risk. I’d have to move my machine - ” he looked towards Margot, “ - my TARDIS - over the crack. Materialise around it. The TARDIS should be able to close it up, but there’s a risk that instead the Apparites would become more powerful and overwhelm the ship.”
“But they’d be on the TARDIS, not on Earth. Surely that’s better?” asked Margot.
“No,” said the Doctor blankly. “If the Apparites had control of my ship they’d be able to go anywhere in time and space. I shan’t allow that, even if it means risking the Earth.”
Ben sighed. “So what’s the next move then?”
“I’ve got a friend called Danny,” said Caroline. “He’s asleep back at my flat right now, but he was taken over - possessed - by one of these things.”
The Doctor nodded. “He’s had the most contact. If we bring him here he could possibly close off the crack.”
“Even if you closed it,” said Margot, “you’ll still have a load of them trapped outside.”
“I’m hoping that these ghosts will automatically snap - like a rubber band - back to their own dimension once they know what we’re doing. I don’t think they can survive out of their world. That’s why they can’t come through and close the crack down behind them. They’re tethered to their own world.”
“It’s why the snow’s here,” said Caroline. “They bring it with them.”
“Snow being from there own dimension,” mused Margot, “I suppose it would come with them.”
The Doctor’s eyes narrowed at her again. “Indeed.”
The Doctor, Caroline, Margot and Ben had made their way through the tunnels until they had intersected with a doorway leading to a sewer tunnel.
The Doctor told Margot and Ben to stay here, and him and Caroline made their way along the sewer until they reached a ladder leading up to a manhole.
“As if today wasn’t enough,” said Caroline as she ascended the ladder behind the Doctor, “I have to spend the evening in a sewer.”
The Doctor laughed. “Perks of the job.”
“It’s not a job for me, though,” said Caroline. “I don’t think you’re going to be taking me on.”
“Nonsense. You’ve proven your worth so far,” he said as he reached the manhole cover.
“Glad to be of service,” smiled Caroline, “but I don’t think I could do this all the time.”
The Doctor got his sonic screwdriver out and began running it along the rim of the manhole cover. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that when this is all over I’d just like to go back home and get on with my life.”
The Doctor stopped and looked down at her. “I thought you wanted to better yourself in life.”
“I do. When all this is over I’m leaving my job, going back to college - yeah, I know, I’ll be a mature student - and I’m going to finish my course. Get myself a better job. Move away. Live my life!”
“I thought-” he stopped himself.
“What?” asked Caroline.
“Well, I thought you’d want to come with me.”
Caroline smiled. “It’s tempting, but it’s dangerous as well. And it’s your life, not mine. I want to forge my own path.”
“Okay,” said the Doctor quietly. “I understand.”
“Come on!” said Caroline. “Let’s get out of here. It stinks!”
The Doctor pushed the manhole cover up and both of them clambered out into the snowy street.
“Well?” asked the Doctor, getting up and giving Caroline a hand out of the manhole. “Does any of this look familiar?”
She got to her feet, brushed some snow of her jeans and looked around. It was a wide road lined with trees and old, grand houses. Towards the end of the road it curved off, and in the other direction was the huge, imposing college campus which stood on Nuns Corner, the site of the old nunnery.
“We’re on Bargate,” said Caroline. “About a twenty minute walk from the church.”
The Doctor craned his neck and looked into the distance. They could see the spire of St James’s church towering over the houses, the glowing from the crack lighting up the building like a Christmas tree. The snow was continuing to fall, but now, more than ever, it was being spiralled towards the church area.
“Did we really have to come this far away just to get back to your police box?” asked Caroline.
“Unfortunately, yes,” said the Doctor. “We never would have gotten out of that church alive.” He looked around. “Now it’s up to you to guide us back into the town.”
Caroline sighed. “Come on then. More snow-trekking.”
In the tunnels Margot and Ben were sat against the wall.
“This is crazy, Margot,” said Ben. “We should just go back to control and speak to Jayne.”
“We have our instructions,” said Margot, through gritted teeth. “Jayne wants the Doctor to deal with this. I’ve already told you that.”
“And while she conducts her experiments hundreds of people could be dying out there,” he said, pointing upwards.
Margot sighed. “I know that.”
“Well you don’t seem too bothered about it,” snapped Ben. “You’re always so quick to jump and do what she says.”
“Because she’s the boss,” replied Margot. “Jayne’s been looking after us for all this time. The least you can do is trust her judgement.”
“Maybe she’s been looking after us for too long,” he mumbled, half to himself.
Margot turned to face him. “Now listen to me, Ben Featherstone. If it wasn’t for Jayne we would have already been overrun by these things. She’s kept us together all these years.”
“I know that.”
“Then show some respect. When we first started out on this thing you were nothing but a medical student. You had no idea what to do about the things we came up against.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. You know I’ve grown. I’ve matured.”
“Then act like it. Jayne is in control here, and if she thinks the Doctor can help then let him help.”
There was silence for a few seconds.
“Maybe it’s not Jayne I’m worried about,” said Ben glumly. “Maybe it’s this Doctor. I mean, if he can’t deal with this simple situation right here and now, how is he ever going to help us with the bigger picture?”
“It’ll work itself out,” said Margot quietly.
“We should tell him the truth,” said Ben.
“No. Not yet. When the time is right. When the time is right Jayne will tell him everything.”
To be continued...
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