Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 14 - Vanderdeken

by Christopher Bulis (pdf)

'Delray's ghost proved that the nexus is not yet in perfect equilibrium,' the Doctorsaid,astheywatchedandwaitedfortheCirrandaria'sdoppelgänger.'The

  ghosts'timelineatleastcanchange.Delrayrememberedadifferentsequenceof

  eventsinwhichLysetWynterhaddiedthroughwhathefeltwashiscowardice.

  Soheinfluencedhisformerselftobehavedifferently,andineffectswappedhis

  lifeforhers.Atinychange,onthecosmicscaleofthings,butsignificant.'

  'Butiftheghostsaregoingtoannihilatetheirformerselvestostartthewhole

  cycleoffagain,won'ttheybefinishedanyway?'Samwondered.

  'I can't be certain of that, in their altered state.That's why I'll release the energypulsejustafterthey'vemadecontact.Atleastwecanbesurethey'llbeat restthen.It'sjustamatteroftiming.'

  'Doctor,' Sam said slowly. 'What if you did it early? Stopped them from turning themselves into ghosts in the first place? Then they won't be there to sendthealienshipback,sotheEmindiansandNimosianswon'tbeheretofight

  overit...'

  Shesawthelookinhiseyes.'Youarethinkingaboutit!'

  Shesawthatfamiliardangeroussmileplayabouthislips,defyingtheterrible

  senseofinevitabilityanddoomthatSamhadfeltlyingheavyuponthem.

  'Itwouldbeaterriblerisk,Sam,'hesaidquickly.'Iwouldn'tdareconsiderit, except we know space and time are mutable at this point. Yes, it might just work.There'Ubesomeotherconfrontationandthewarwillhappenanyway

  -thatcan'tbechanged.Butatleastthesepeoplemightescape.Butitcould

  bedangerousforustoo.'

  'Goforit!'Samsaidwithouthesitation.

  ***

  In the Cirrandaria's sickbay, which had become an emergency centre for the treatment of wounded from both sides, Dr Gilliam was sealing the stump of corporal Talek Chen's left arm, which had been blown completely off by an Emindianblasterbolt.

  ***

  Onthebridge,Lanchardsawthewar-tornskyclearalmostmagicallyinfrontof

  them. And out of the void came the alien ship. Head on. They were looking straightdownintoitsgapingmouth.Themarinelieutenantwastoodistractedby

  thebattleinsidetonotice.

  Lanchardordered,'Hardtoport!'

  Nothinghappened.

  "Thrustersareinoperative,Captain,'thehelmsmansaid.

  'Engineroom,weneedthrustercontrol!'Lanchardshoutedoverthecomlink.

  Onlythesoundofgunfirecamebacktoher.

  She looked helplessly at Vega, then at the screens.The perfect circle of darkness was swelling by the second. But deep within it was a pale glowing form.Vegarealisedwhatitwasevenashefelttimeclosingin.Theacceptanceof

  destinyenfoldedtheminastrangecalm.

  'IjustwishIcouldhavebeenonmyownshipattheend.'Vegasaid.'Atleast

  youwillkeepyours,Captain.'

  'You'll always be welcome on the Cirrandaria , Commander Vega,' said

  Lanchard.

  ***

  Sam pointed at the monitor. "The ghosts are inside the alien ship! Won't its interferencemessthingsup?'

  'Notaslongaswedon'ttrytodematerialise,'theDoctorsaid.'Getready.'

  Hisfingerwashoveringovertheswitchthatwouldreleasethevastreserve ofpowerstoredwithintheTARDIS.

  ***

  Rexton saw the Cirrandaria lying immobile directly in their path. They were goingtocollideandhecoulddonothingaboutit.

  Hedidn'tknowhowtosteer.

  'Now,Bendix,now!'heroared.

  Desperately Bendix hit the last of the buttons, just as the viewscreen was obliteratedasthoughtheyhadbeenenvelopedbyafirestorm.

  ***

  Whether it had been a Nimosian or Emindian ship was now impossible to

  tell.The blazing mass of wreckage crossed the path of the derelict, grazed the forwardendofitspipe-encrustedhullandbrokeupintoadozenlesserfragments

  and a cloud of smaller debris. The fringe of this silent avalanche struck the centraltower.

  ***

  RextonandBendixdivedthroughthemainentranceofthecontrolmoduleasa

  balloffirerolledintothecentralshaftafterthem,fillingtheairwithfluttering fragmentsofburninglabelsblastedloosebytheShockwave.Awindpickedup

  as air began to escape through the damaged tower modules. They scrambled down the ramps towards the lower levels as the complex assembly of

  waveguidesandenergygridsbegantocollapse.

  Sparksshoweredoverthemfromshortedcontacts.Pulsesofenergydanced

  wildly. On the second level the silver mesh conduit leading to the temporal laboratoryfilledwithflickeringgreenfire.

  As they ducked under it the structure collapsed, knocking them to the

  ground. Primary polarised temporal energy washed over them and sparks

  crackledbetweenthem,theirbodiesactinglikeshortedelectricalterminals.

  Bendixfelthissuitshredanddisintegrateabouthim,themetalcorroding,the

  plastic cracking and flaking. His joints stiffened, his skin wrinkled. His cry of terror became a choking feeble whimper. Rexton thrashed wildly as his own clothing turned to powder and dirt, then rolled out of the beam and under the guardrailing.AsanotherfireballblastedwhatwasleftofBendixtoash,Rexton

  fellkickingandscreamingdownthecentralwelloftheshaft.

  In the space-time corridor directly under him hung the ghostly form of the Cirrandaria.

  ***

  OntheTARDIS'smonitortheysawtheCirrandariaenvelopedbythealienship

  and its doppelganger appear to hurl itself towards them.An instant before they mettheDoctorpressedtheswitch.

  TheTARDIS'slightsdimmed.

  At that same moment the continuum twisted about them according to

  Bendix'slastcommand.

  ***

  Theunitsofmeasurementstoredintheuncalibratedtargetingsystemofthealien

  shipwereneither standardyearsnor kilometres.Theshipwould neverreachits

  intendedobjective.Butasitfellthroughhyperspaceavortexbeam,actuatedby

  itsdamagedsystems,didflickerbrieflyintolife,reachingouttotouchapointin timeandspacebeyondandbeforetheco-ordinatesset.

  Thenitfadedandwasgone.

  Chapter36

  ToBeginAgain

  PalestarsburnedinagreyvoidabouttheCirrandaria,whichitselfwasnowa

  pallid insubstantial thing.After an interval the ghost ship's main drive was activated, and it began its timeless journey towards home and inescapable destiny.

  ***

  Sam and the Doctor watched it depart from the TARDIS, which was hanging invisibly on the fringe of hyperspace. The Doctor's face was pale and pinched withregret.

  'Wefailed,'hesaid.'It'sallstartingagain.'

  'Well,'Samsaid,feelingtheweightofhissorrow,'atleastwetried.'

  'Iknow.'Helookedattheconsoledisplays.'Therewasahugesurgeofenergy

  alongthespace-timecorridor.Rextonmusthavetriedtomovethewholeship.'

  'Wherearewenow?'

  "Theenergysurgeinteractedwiththefieldweemitted.We'vebeenprojected

  alittleoverayearforwardintimeandseverallightyearsclosertoEmindar.'

  'WhatabouttherealCirrandaria'Andthefleets?'

  The Doctor operated the controls and the TARDIS dematerialised. Sec
onds

  later they appeared amid a thinning cloud of tumbling debris. A piece of hull platedriftedpastwithsomeletteringstilllegible:Indomitable.Abloatedcorpse cameintoviewandSamturnedherheadaway.

  'Notasingleshipsurvived,'theDoctorsaidtonelessly."Theyfoughttothe last,eventhoughtheprizetheywerefightingforwasgone.Inayearitwillbe

  the end for both their worlds. The phase-shifted Cirrandaria will arrive at Emindar to find a dead port and the repaired derelict.They'll use it to try to changethepastanditwillallbeginagain.'

  'Allbecauseofonealienship,'Samsaid.Thenshefrowned.'Weneverfound

  outwhereitcamefrom.Whobuiltit?Somethingthatsizedidn'tjustpopoutof

  nowhere.'

  'Inawayitdid,'theDoctorsaid.'Yousee,theuniverse'saccountsareonly

  audited, so to speak, at the beginning and the end. Sometimes a little can be borrowedinbetweenandreturnedagainwithoutupsettingthingstoomuch.The

  alienshipisnevercreatedordestroyed,justrepairedbytheEmindianswiththe

  information Rexton sent them, which he got from the labels they put on the

  instrumentsinthecontrolroom,whichtheymadefromhisdata...andsoon.His final efforts must have sent it back, damaged and with its power depleted, to wheretheEmindiansfirstfoundit.Andsothecyclecontinues.'

  'Butitmusthaveabeginning.'

  'Pickanypointyouwant.Theshipwasshapedwithinthenexusbythehopes

  andfearsofthepeoplewhowouldlaterfightoveritinresponsetoitspotential.

  Anendlesscycleoffeedbackmakingdistortedwishestangible.Thatwaswhyit

  wassofullofcontradictions:thelockcodeandthenonsensicalinscriptions,the waycertainequipmentwouldorwouldn'twork,theinteriorbeingsuggestiveof

  alienoriginsyetsoaccessibletohumans.'

  'It'sstillhardtotakein.'

  'TheTARDIShasrecordeditstimepaththroughthenexus.Youcanseehowit

  interacted with everything else,' he said absently, touching a few controls. A graphical image appeared on the vast, holographic display in the ceiling above them.

  Itresembledasloppilytiedmulticolouredbowwiththreeloopsofdifferent

  lengths,Samthought.Adark-bluebandranacrossthedisplay,slopingupfrom

  lefttoright,andwascrossedinthemiddlebyarisingcurveofdarkgreen.Both oftheseranoffthehazyedgesoftheprojection.Fromthepointtheycrossed,a

  small loop of pale green rose upward, a larger loop of red rose to the same height, then dropped well down, while a thin loop of yellow hung to the very bottomoftheimage.Archingalongthevastdisplaywasagraduatedtimescale

  withanarrowpointingupward.

  Sam realised the Doctor was staring at the image with an expression of wonderanddelightspreadingacrosshisface.

  'Wehaven'ttotallyfailedafterall,Sam,'hesaid.

  'How?What'sitallmean?'

  'The blue line is the TARDIS's time track and the dark green is the

  Cirrandaria's. The red loop is the alien ship, while the pale-green loop is the phase-shiftedCirrandaria-theghostship,ifyouwill.Butlookcloselywhereall thelinescross:theheartofthenexusitself...'

  Hezoomedinuntiltheknotatthecentreoftheimagedominatedtheirview

  andpointeddramatically.'See:thetimelinefortheghostshipcurvesup,merges

  withthatofthealienshipbutendsjustasitcrosses

  ours.Itdoesn'tjoinitself.Itisn'tactuallyaclosedloop.Thepulsewehave

  justseenmusthavebeencreated

  afreshbytheenergysurgefromthealienship,notbymutualannihilationby

  itsdoppelganger.Iwaswrong-

  butthecyclehasbeenbrokenanyways.'

  Sam was trying to understand while peering intently at the screen. 'It looks like the ghost Cirrandaria's track branches off from the real Cirrandaria's as it crossesours.'

  'Reality divided about the TARDIS inside the space-time corridor,' the

  Doctorsaid.'Apparentlyitwasourpredestinedroleinthenexustohelpcreate

  faint copies of the Cirrandaria and its crew - and then to destroy them. The ghosts were never their future-selves doubled back in time. Their duplicated pattern must have reacted against some smaller object inside the corridor, so they became less substantial themselves. Then it was simply a matter of action and reaction throwing themselves forward in time.' Sam felt confused relief.

  'Wellaslongasthey'reatrestnow.'Shelookedatthediagramagain.

  'Wait a minute. The real Cirrandaria's time track runs off the top of the display.'

  TheDoctorwasbeamingbroadly.'Iwaswonderingwhenyou'dnoticethat.

  Obviouslyitreactedagainstthealienshipitself,whichhasbeenprojectedback

  thirtyyearsorsofrom3123whenweencounteredit.Therefore,beingoflesser

  mass,theCirrandariahasbeenthrownquitealotfurtherforward...'

  ***

  The Cirrandaria was in orbit about Emindar. Lanchard and Vega stood side by sideonthebridgeasthe

  scannerdatacamein.Thecommandersoftheassaultforceswerewiththem,

  buttheywerenolongerfighting.Thereseemedlittlepointnow.

  'Theremainsofcities...afewpocketsoflow-levelradiation...buttheairand

  seaareclean,'Lanchardsaid.

  Sheturnedtocommunications.'Stillnothingonradioorhyperwave?'

  'Someveryfaintsignalsonhyperwave,Captain.Can'tquitemakethemout.'

  'AndnothingontheNimosianchannels?'Vegaasked.

  'No,sir.'

  LanchardlookedatVega.'So,wherearewe?'

  Before he could answer a distant rhythmic whirring sound became audible, growingintoaharshgroaning.Withadullboomingthud,afamiliartallbluebox

  materializedinthemiddleoftheroom.AdoorinthesideopenedandtheDoctor

  andSamsteppedout.

  ‘Wehadtosaygoodbyeproperly,'theDoctorsaidbrightly.

  Vegarecoveredhisvoicefirst.'Whathappenedtoyou?Wherearewe?'

  'According to our instruments,' Sam said with a grin, 'it's the fifth

  millennium. You've travelled a little over a thousand years into the future. The

  Doctorsaystimehasbeenmoreforgivingthanusual.’

  TheDoctorindicatedtheblueandwhiteworldonthescreens.

  ‘Emindarhasnotbeenresettled.Infactthiswholesectorhasbeenmoreor

  less forgotten by the rest of the galaxy since the war. Let’s say you’ve had a secondchance.Notmanypeoplegetthat.Itwon’tbeeasy,ofcourse,butyou’ve

  gottheresourcesofthisshipandwhatyoucanfinddownthere.Andyourown

  courage, of course.’ He consulted his pocket watch. ‘But we have to go – and you’vegotalotofworktodo.Goodluck.’

  ‘Goodbye,’saidSam.‘MakesureDanhasagoodworldtogrowupin.’

  ‘I...’Lanchardbegan,stillsoundingdazed.Thensheseemedtopullherself

  together.‘Yes,’shesaid.‘Yes.Ipromise.’

  With a wave Sam stepped back inside the TARDIS. The Doctor paused on

  thethreshold.

  ‘Incidentally, the history books say that look after the war Emindar was rebuilt by settlers of unknown origins.’ He smiled. ‘I think we know who they werenow.’

  TheTARDISwasbackinitsnaturalelement,ridingthedimensionwindsof

  deep hyperspace.
The Doctor’s eyes had that faraway look in them again.

  ‘Vanderdeken,’hemutteredtohimself.

  ‘Who?’Samasked.

  ‘ThemythicalflyingDutchman.Thecaptainofaghostship,doomedtosail

  theseaseternallyattemptingtodoubleabouttheCapeofGoodHope.Abitlike

  Cirrandaria’sghostlytwin.’

  ‘Butatleastitisn’tforeverforthem.Thankstoyou.’

  ‘Isupposeso,Sam.’

  ‘And the real passengers and crew of the Cirrandaria still have a chance to make good. It’s better than nothing.’ She frowned at the nexus graphic still glowingonthemonitor.‘Youneverexplainedwhattheyellowlooprepresents.

  Itgoesevenfurtherbackintothepastthanthederelict.’

  ‘That must be whatever balanced the ghostly version of the Cirrandaria

  forward.’

  ‘Oh,what?’

  ‘Something of equivalent mass. The ghosts weren’t very substantial, so It couldhavebeenquiteasmallobject.’

  ‘Anditwillcyclearoundforeverlikethealienship?’

  ‘Yes, that’s a closed loop.’ A quizzical expression came over the Doctor’s face.‘Withoutabeginning...oranend.’

  Epilogue/Prologue

  POLICEHEADQUARTERS,MELCONVILLE,NORTHBERRON,

  EMINDAREXCERPTFROMNIGHTPATROLLOG:17thto18th

  JUNIS,3072

  01.23: Responding to call from residents in 104th Street Lower West District with Officer Sabrinus. Unidentified lights and sound reported. Concern over possibleexplosion.Investigatedlocality.Inservicewayatrearofapart,block3

  foundmalechildapprox.7or8yearsofage.Childwasdressedinragssopoor

  theydisintegratedtothetouch.Heappearedphysicallyunharmedbutconfused.

  Didnotrespondcoherentlytoquestioning.Couldnotgivenameorexplanation

  forhispresence.