Doctor Who: Molten Heart

by Una McCormack

  “Not good enough, though, was it?”

  “And think about this – we’re closer now to the TARDIS than ever. You never know what chance we might get.”

  Yaz appreciated his optimism, but she couldn’t share it. She tried to steel herself for the encounter with Emerald that lay ahead, but when they were brought into her hall, Yaz’s heart sank again. They really had nothing to bargain with. As the woman walked towards them, Yaz was struck again at how small she was – smaller than any of her people, and yet they were clearly in thrall to her.

  Not Quartz. His eyes were flashing. “How could you?” he said. “All of Basalt’s work. Everything he did, and learned…” He shook his head. “It’s a terrible thing you’ve done!”

  Emerald came to stand in front of him. “Nothing went wrong here until Basalt began conducting his experiments. If we stop that, perhaps we can stop what’s happening to the roof of the world.”

  The Doctor’s voice popped into Yaz’s head, whispering something, so she said it out loud. “Correlation isn’t causation.”

  Emerald turned her head slightly to look at her. “What did you say?”

  “Correlation isn’t causation,” Yaz said, more confidently. “Just because two things happen roughly at the same time doesn’t mean one is causing the other.”

  “She’s right,” said Quartz. “And you know she is, Emerald. Basalt didn’t cause any of this! He’s been trying to warn us – for ages now – and all we did was harass him, and, finally, drive him away.”

  “And who knows what he’s done since then,” Emerald shot back. “Everything became worse after he left!”

  “He’s not the cause!” Quartz said. “All this – the cracks, the steaming pools, the drying seas… We know what the cause is now! There’s been digging, up on the surface—”

  “There’s no such thing as the surface,” Emerald said firmly.

  “Emerald!” Quartz cried out. He turned to point to Yaz and Graham. “Look at them! They’re not from this world!”

  There were a few mutters from the Greenwatch gathered round, Yaz noticed. “Oops,” murmured Graham. “The troops are getting restless.”

  “We know what’s causing all our problems!” Quartz went on. “Basalt, Ash, these people – they’re trying to help! Trying to save us! Emerald, old friend, dear friend – look at them! Why are you denying the evidence of your own eyes?”

  Emerald stood in silence for a while. Was this it? Yaz wondered. Was this the moment when she would admit that she had been wrong, and let them help her at last?

  “No,” she said at last. “We’ve destroyed Basalt’s work. Now I’m sure we’ll see an improvement.”

  “Some people…” Graham muttered. “How do they always end up in charge?”

  “All of these lies have to stop, Quartz,” Emerald said. “Basalt’s work is destroyed.”

  Onyx stepped forwards. “Not all of it, Emerald.” He turned to Yaz and Graham and gave a small bow. “Basalt’s notes and many of his materials have been preserved.”

  Yaz breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been so afraid that Onyx wouldn’t step up to challenge his queen. Graham gave Onyx a discreet thumbs up.

  Emerald swung round to face Onyx. “Preserved? But I ordered—”

  “What you ordered was vandalism, Emerald,” said Quartz, “it was pointless desecration. Nobody doubts that you have the interests of our people at heart – all that you’ve done to shore up the City against the steaming pools, the help you’ve given to those left devastated by these changes, the way you have kept people calm. These have all been the actions of a good leader. But now you’re risking everything—”

  “You’re all fools,” said Emerald, wearily. “Everything’s getting worse, and you’ve allowed Basalt his way. He’s going to kill us all!”

  Yaz felt her heart sinking. Were they all going to die because one person wouldn’t admit her mistake? How could Emerald’s mind be changed?

  And then, suddenly, someone else was in the room. Bang in the centre of the room, appearing out of nowhere.

  “What is this?” cried Emerald, jumping back as her guards did the same. “How did you get here?”

  Graham cheered. “Here she is!”

  “Doctor!” said Yaz, in delight. The Doctor turned and waved. She seemed to shimmer slightly, Yaz noticed, and she looked huge – at least a foot taller than in real life.

  Graham shook his head. “Technology, eh? I’ve only just worked out the CD player in the car!”

  “All right, Yaz!” the Doctor said. “Hiya, Graham! Ryan’s here, sends his love…” Her head turned, as if she was speaking to someone who they couldn’t see. “What? Well, you do send your love…”

  “How’s she doing this?” Graham said, boggling.

  “Some sort of hologram? Who knows?” Yaz grinned. “Here or not, she definitely knows how to make an entrance!”

  “Now then – Emerald, isn’t it?” The Doctor’s image had turned, eyes fixed on the ruler. “It’s time we had a talk, don’t you think?”

  Ten

  Emerald’s face was a study in fury. “Who are you?” she said. “How dare you?”

  “I’m the Doctor,” said the Doctor. “And how do I dare? Because you’ve given up, Emerald. You’ve stopped listening, and you’ve started lying, and you think you’re doing the right thing, but you’re wrong.”

  Emerald gestured to the Greenwatch, standing around. “Take her,” she said. “Put her somewhere deep and dark.”

  “Oh,” Graham said. “This should be good!”

  Two of Greenwatch moved towards the Doctor, and each tried to take an arm. There was, of course, nothing to hold. They stumbled, and fell, right through the hologram, landing on top of each other.

  “What’s happening?” said Emerald. “Is this a trick?”

  “Oh, it’s no trick!” said the Doctor, with a laugh. “Here I am, right in the middle of your City, and you can’t touch me. You can’t do anything about me. You can’t stop me or send me away, and you definitely can’t shut me up.”

  “That’s certainly true!” said Graham, cheerfully.

  “It’s the same with the people who’ve caused so much harm to your world.” The Doctor thrust her hands into the pockets of her long coat. “There’s nobody here to fight now, there’s nobody here to lock up. The damage has gone on remotely, long after they left. But perhaps the greatest damage now is what you’re doing yourself.”

  Quartz went to stand near Emerald. “Listen to the Doctor,” he begged her.

  “Hullo, Quartz!” The Doctor waved at him. “Have you picked sides now?”

  Quartz nodded stiffly. “I know I made mistakes. I’m trying to rectify them.”

  “That’s what I like to hear! Now, Emerald – it’s your turn to do the same. I’m not telling you anything you don’t know already: your world – your sphere – has a surface. And that surface has been visited by people from other worlds. They wanted the precious stones and the metals, so they started to dig. But it’s gone wrong, and it’s cracking the roof of your sphere. Basalt worked most of this out, you know – everything he said was true – and with his help I’ve been able to work out the rest.” She beamed suddenly. “I’ve got a plan too, if you’re ready to hear it. A plan to save everyone here.”

  Emerald drew closer to the Doctor’s hologram. “Stop this!” she cried. “Stop all of this!”

  The Doctor shook her head. “I was hoping you’d see sense,” she said. “Why is it never straightforward?”

  “Some people,” said Graham, “just won’t listen.”

  “You’re right there, Graham,” the Doctor said. “All right, Emerald, reasoning hasn’t worked – so let’s try another way to get your attention. I know you’re planning to cover all this up, and tell people that it’s all Basalt’s fault. I’m afraid you’re too late.”

  Emerald looked at her in horror. “What do you mean?”

  “This picture of me – it’s called an avatar, by the way,
a holographic avatar – it’s not just appearing here, in your stony den. It’s appearing right now in every walkway and chamber of your City. They really are clever, the miners who built it. I just had to boost the range and – whoomph. Here I am, talking to everyone.” The Doctor frowned. “I don’t like leaders that tell people deliberate lies. It’s best all round if we all start with full information and make some decisions from there.” She stopped, and then she grinned and started to wave. “Hello, rock people! I’m the Doctor! I’m an alien from another planet! Just thought I’d get that one out there right away. I’m talking to you from the surface of your own world – up, up, beyond the roof of the sphere. I’m there right now, looking up at the sky. Hey, hang on a minute, a few tweaks with the sonic and you’ll see! Oh, you’re gonna love this, rock folk!”

  There was a crackling and a rustling, and her holographic image went out of focus.

  “What’s she up to now?” muttered Graham.

  And then Yaz understood. Where the Doctor had been standing there was now a landscape opening out in front of them, a quiet world, but remarkable nevertheless to people who had never seen such a thing before. The Doctor was showing the rock-people the surface of the wider world around them.

  “Look,” said the Doctor. “That’s grass, and that’s the wind blowing through it, and, hey, look at this!” The image tilted again. “That’s the sky! Up, up, and up, a vast space right above you, and if you travel far enough you reach other worlds…”

  All around the room, people were murmuring.

  “And some of those worlds have people on them – like me!” The landscape disappeared, and the Doctor’s avatar popped back up. “It’s like Basalt has been saying all these years,” the Doctor said. “And now you’ve seen it with your own eyes. Amazing, isn’t it? Anyway, here I am, and I know you’re scared right now, what with the pools streaming and the seas drying up and the sky falling in your head – but I’m here to help!”

  With a cry, Emerald dashed towards a window. Yaz and Graham followed behind. Looking out, Yaz saw that people were gathering out in the walkways, conferring, some in confusion, more in anger. And there – yes, there! and there, and there! – was the Doctor, or, rather, many Doctors, dotted all over the City, saying exactly what she liked, telling the truth.

  “So this is what I’m going to do,” said the Doctor. “I’ve turned off the mining systems, and with luck that’ll stop the cracks opening wider for a while. I don’t think we’ve passed the critical point, not yet. But what you all need to do – you strange, marvellous, beautiful people – is to start helping Basalt. Those cracks in the roof of the world above you are widening, opening up into a big fissure. Basalt’s been working to keep the fissure closed – to save all your lives – but he and his people can’t do it alone any longer. They need material, and they need help.” She looked at Quartz. “You’ll help, won’t you, Quartz?”

  “Doctor,” he said, “it would be an honour.”

  “There! Quartz is willing and ready! Talk to Quartz, everyone! He’ll get you organised.” She turned back to Emerald. “Sorry to bypass you like this. I should probably worry more about due process when overthrowing governments, but we’re running short of time, and if we carry on like this, there won’t be anywhere or anyone left to govern.”

  Her image flickered slightly.

  “Yaz, Graham – help Quartz. Once we’ve stopped the drilling and the tunnelling, the lifts and the train should be safer to use. Send Basalt help, as quick as you can!”

  “We’re on it, Doctor,” called Yaz.

  “You can count on us!” said Graham.

  Her image flickered again, and then was gone.

  The Doctor switched off the holographic transmitter and grinned at Ryan and Ash. “I enjoyed that!”

  “I could see!” said Ryan. “What do you think’s happening back there? Emerald looked pretty furious—”

  The Doctor gave a slow smile. “I don’t think Emerald will try anything,” she said. “I think we’ve rendered her slightly irrelevant. I’m not sure even the Greenwatch will take orders from her now. If only they’d start answering back…” She clapped her hands together. “Right,” she said, heading towards the console. “Let’s check the systems are powering down correctly…”

  “I feel sorry for Emerald,” said Ash, unexpectedly.

  “What?” Ryan was amazed. “She tried to destroy your dad’s work! She wouldn’t listen to him and then she tried to put the blame on him!”

  “I know,” said Ash. “But she wasn’t always like this. She and my father were very good friends, in their youth. They studied together. She was a good leader, once. She was responsible, and thoughtful, and took good care of people. Maybe if the times had been different, if all of this hadn’t happened…”

  The Doctor, studying the meters on the console, looked up. “It’s easy to rule well when times are good,” she said. “It’s when things get difficult that people show what they’re made of.”

  “I know,” said Ash. “It’s just… I think my father’s ideas frightened her, and of course, they didn’t seem real, did they? She could see all these problems, and she knew that he could help if he turned his mind to it, come up with ideas to do something practical, and all he did was talk, well, nonsense, in her eyes. I think that’s why she became so angry. There were serious problems, and as far as she could make out, he wasn’t helping.”

  The Doctor smiled at her. “You’ve got a generous spirit, Ash.”

  Ash shrugged. “I just want to be fair.”

  Ryan nodded at the control panel. “Sorted, Doctor?”

  “Only slowing down. The drilling can’t be stopped dead, too many safety precautions built in to protect the equipment. I’ll see if I can bypass them.” She started sonicking at the console. “We need to help your dad shore up that fissure.”

  “Dragging everything up to the surface,” said Ryan, “that’s going to be a big job, isn’t it?”

  The Doctor grinned. “Not with the TARDIS.”

  “I can’t wait to see that big old box again,” said Ryan. “No offence, Ash, but I’m not suited to living underground.”

  “That’s all right, Ryan,” she said. “How you people can bear to live up here, with nothing between you and the vast and empty void, I don’t understand either.”

  Ryan’s eyes widened. He hadn’t thought of that before.

  The Doctor laughed. “Poor Ryan. Hit with existential dread, and he hasn’t even had his fry-up. All right, you two – I think I’ve got past the security protocols, should be able to shut down the drills completely.” She linked her hands together and flexed the fingers. “Here goes nothing.”

  She thumped some buttons. Nothing immediately happened.

  “Is that it?” said Ryan. “Brilliant!”

  An alarm sounded, shrill and angry. Red lights started flashing, and then klaxons went off. A voice boomed through the base: “Intruders! Intruders!”

  “Oops,” said the Doctor. She bent over the controls on the console again.

  “What’s happening?” said Ash. “What’s going on?”

  The Doctor’s hands were flying over the controls. “Must be a secondary security system, launching countermeasures.” She looked up, her face bleak. “Satellites, in orbit, firing down on the surface.”

  Suddenly, the building shook around them. Ash looked scared. “What’s happening?”

  “High up above the surface, there are machines with weapons,” said the Doctor. “They can fire at us, from up there. When I switched off the drills, something alerted those machines. So they’ve started attacking us.”

  “But why?” Ash said. “Why would anyone do that?”

  “Protecting their investment!” said Ryan. “Doctor, I don’t want to hang around here and get blown up. Can’t we get back down underground?”

  The Doctor’s face was bleak. “No, Ryan. We won’t be safe. All this will finish off what the drilling was doing – and quicker.”

&nbs
p; “The fissure,” said Ash.

  The ground beneath them shuddered again.

  “It’s being bombed from above,” said Ryan. “Doctor, how do we stop it?”

  She didn’t answer.

  After the Doctor’s avatar disappeared, Emerald turned furiously on Quartz. “Are you happy now?” she said. “There’ll be panic, chaos, riots! People are going to get hurt!”

  “I don’t think so,” said Graham. “I think people are getting ready to help.”

  “Of course,” said Yaz. “The Great Family. You all pull together.”

  “That’s right,” said Quartz. He began to head towards the door. “You underestimate us, Emerald. We can help Basalt to stop this.”

  Emerald, watching him leave, turned to the Greenwatch, standing by. “Stop him!” she ordered them. The group of guards looked at each other, anxiously. One or two took a step forwards but, seeing that they weren’t in the majority, they held back, and went no closer to Quartz.

  “I ordered you to stop him!” Emerald said.

  Onyx moved forwards. “Emerald,” he said, “they won’t take your orders. Not over this.” He turned to the others. “I suggest you help Quartz,” he said. “That’s what I’ll be doing. It’s long past time that we pulled together.”

  There were a few mutters amongst the Greenwatch. One or two remained where they were, but the majority headed for the door and left. Onyx and Quartz were about to follow, when the Doctor’s avatar appeared again. Her expression was grim.

  “Doctor,” said Yaz. “What’s the matter? Haven’t you been able to stop the drilling?”

  “Oh, we’ve stopped it all right. But turning off the drilling has turned on an automatic security system. We’re being fired on from orbit. You won’t be able to feel it all the way down there, but the bombardment could cause as much damage as the drilling. If not more. And faster.”

  Emerald, who had been listening to all of this, gave a bitter laugh. “I told you not to interfere!”

  “The question is,” said the Doctor coolly, “what are you going to do to help, Emerald? Everyone here tells me what a good leader you’ve been over the years, looking after your people when trouble came, making sure they were safe. Thing is, I’ve not seen anything to show me that you care about anything other than being proved right. And that’s not leadership. That’s betrayal.”