Doctor Who: BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures [071] - The Deadstone Memorial by Trevor Baxendale

Author:Trevor Baxendale
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780563486220
Publisher: Diamond Comic Distributors
Published: 2004-10-03T22:00:00+00:00

22

Quiet Time

‘There,’ said the Doctor with satisfaction. ‘That should do the trick.’

The ‘trick’, he had explained, was to create a psychic interference field around Cal’s brain. And that consisted of an inverted metal colander placed on the boy’s head, with a large pack of AA batteries taped to the top of it and a cannibalised transceiver – actually Jade’s personal CD player – connected to a telepathic circuit from the TARDIS via a spaghetti of coiled telephone cables and a torch bulb.

Hazel regarded it with a mounting sense of disquiet, and even Trix looked a bit worried.

Cal thought it was brilliant.

‘It’s not finished yet,’ said the Doctor, speaking with a cluster of wires poking out between his teeth. ‘Just a couple more adjustments to fine-tune it.’ He worked at the exposed circuitry of the CD player with his sonic screwdriver for another minute or so.

‘That’s pathetic,’ said Hazel.

The Doctor looked hurt. ‘Well, I haven’t switched it on yet.’

‘Is it safe?’ asked Trix, and the Doctor shot her a black look.

‘It’s a good sight safer than leaving him unprotected,’ he muttered peevishly.

He checked the strap was fitting comfortably under Cal’s chin and then said, ‘Righto. Let’s see what happens.’

Which didn’t exactly help Hazel to feel any better, but it was too late now.

The Doctor switched the CD player on and the colander hummed into life.

Quickly he adjusted the volume to zero.

The little torch bulb began to blink on and off in a steady metronomic rhythm.

‘Is that it?’ asked Trix.

The Doctor beamed and nodded.

‘It’s working,’ said Hazel quietly. ‘Look. It’s working.’

Trix looked – but all she could see was the light slowly flashing on top of the colander. Then she shifted her gaze down to Cal, who was sitting looking blissfully happy underneath it. Blissfully.

‘He’s not looked that well in weeks,’ Hazel said, her voice full of emotion.

‘He looks like… like himself again.’

The shadows beneath Cal’s eyes had vanished, the pallor had gone from his cheeks. His eyes were shining again, looking up at his mother with undisguised glee. ‘It’s gone!’ he announced. ‘It’s gone from inside my head – the feeling that was there before.’

‘It’s cut the psychic field right out,’ said the Doctor. ‘He’s free of it – for now.’

Hazel sat down and put her arm around Cal. ‘For now?’

‘I said the force behind this was intelligent,’ the Doctor reminded her. ‘It’s possible that, if it can detect the barrier I’ve placed around Cal’s mind, it will try to break through.’

Hazel felt her heart sink. ‘How will we know? What will happen?’

‘It will take a lot to break through the force field,’ the Doctor advised her. ‘I can’t rule out the possibility, but it’s unlikely.’

‘But – how will I know if it is trying to break through the force field?’

‘The light will stop flashing and remain illuminated,’ the Doctor told her.

‘And then what should we do?’

The Doctor did not reply straight away. He picked up his coat and shrugged it on. ‘Our best hope of preventing anything untoward is to stop it at source,’ he said quietly.

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