‘So many deaths,’ Silhouette said quietly, sadly. ‘So much suffering.’
Affinity’s face remained a blank. But his voice now had some texture, echoing the sadness and regret. ‘It was not our doing.’
‘We should have fought him.’
‘We did. We tried. Remember?’
Silhouette nodded. ‘I remember. I remember everything.’
At the screen, Vastra gave an exasperated sigh. ‘It’s useless. The data is all gone. He must have erased it remotely.’
As she spoke, the screen flickered and an image appeared. Milton stared back at them from the tablet. Behind him they could see the cramped interior of his ship’s flight deck.
‘You really cannot be so naive as to think I would leave you any way to stop me, can you?’ His voice emerged clearly from the device. ‘I’d say come and join me, but as you can see I’m a little short of space. Just as you are all a little short of time.’
‘You won’t get away with this,’ Clara said.
‘Another melodramatic stock phrase you’ve always wanted to use?’ Milton said. ‘Sadly, as inaccurate as the first. And is that Silhouette and Affinity I can see behind you?’ He gave a little wave. ‘I’m so sorry that you’ll also be affected by the cloud. Very soon, I expect. You are in the eye of the storm, as it were, so you might have a little more time before it permeates the whole of London’s atmosphere.’
Silhouette stepped closer to the screen. ‘You have made us do terrible things,’ she said.
Milton smiled sympathetically. ‘I made you into a weapon, my dear. Weapons do terrible things. That is rather the point of them.’
‘It is a mistake to turn your own weapons against yourself.’
‘I think I’m quite safe down here, thank you. Oh, but there is one thing you could still do for me.’ He leaned forward slightly. ‘Leave the screen on. I would like to see you all when the anger cloud does reach you. I’d like to watch you kill each other in rage and fury.’
‘The Doctor will stop it,’ Clara said. She tried to sound as if she believed it. Judging by Milton’s amused reaction, she didn’t succeed.
‘I am monitoring the deployment of the cloud quite closely,’ he said. ‘So if that should happen, which I very much doubt, I’ll know all about it. Good luck to him, I say. Although, of course, I don’t really mean that.’
‘Turn it off,’ Clara said.
Vastra wiped her hand across the screen and it faded to black. The sound of Milton’s laughter lingered just a moment longer then it too was gone.
‘That man makes me so angry,’ Jenny said, her hands bunched into tight fists.
‘Let us hope that is the only thing making you angry,’ Vastra said. ‘How long do we have?’
‘Not long,’ Affinity said.
‘Then let’s get thinking,’ Clara told them. ‘We have to leave the cloud to the Doctor and hope he can deal with it. We need to sort out Milton.’
‘And how do we do that?’ Jenny asked.
‘Like Silhouette said, we have weapons.’ Clara nodded at Silhouette and Affinity. ‘Let’s work out how to use them.’
Chapter
19
Told off for misbehaving, little Betty Naismith didn’t lower her head and mutter an apology as usual. Instead she slapped her nursemaid hard across the face.
In the pub on the corner of the same street, a quiet regular customer yelled uncontrollably at the barmaid that ‘I’ll be with you in a minute’ wasn’t good enough.
Not far away, a boy’s ‘excuse me’ as he inadvertently knocking into an old woman was answered with a crack of her walking stick across his back.
All across the city, tempers simmered close to boiling point, ready to explode at any moment.
But as the rest of London slowly began its dissolution into anger, hatred and imminent violence, there was one small area that resisted. Watching the emotional indicator levels overlaid on a map of the city, Milton frowned. That made no sense. How come the cloud was having less effect in that one particular area?
He zoomed the map on his screen to a higher level of detail. Things became both clearer and more vexing.
‘The Doctor?’ he wondered out loud. But what could the Doctor be doing at the Carnival of Curiosities that would hold back the effects of the cloud?
At the increased magnitude, he saw that another marker had shown up on the map – closing on the area that was resisting the effects. Milton’s frown became a smile and he nodded with satisfaction. Whatever the Doctor was doing – and he was quite sure it must be the Doctor – it would soon stop. Empath had found him.
A darkness was permeating the thin layer of smog that lay over London like a grubby reflection of the snow-covered ground. The Doctor could see it swirling and thickening above them as the show got under way.
A handful of coins had persuaded the lad on the gate to open the Carnival of Curiosities for free. A folded banknote added further encouragement for him to yell at the top of his voice that there was no admittance charge and that the show of a lifetime was about to start.
Inquisitive and intrigued, the crowds gathered round the open area where the Strong Man and the jugglers usually performed. They were not to be disappointed. In fact, the Doctor reflected, they had to be positively enthralled, enraptured, and lots of other positive things beginning with ‘en’.
He was off to a good start. Some impressive juggling was followed by a jaw-dropping display of acrobatics. The Doctor had not been specific but he had made it very clear to each and every one of the performers that they were to give the show of their lives. Or else, their lives might very soon end. The Doctor didn’t see himself as a natural performer, not in this incarnation, but he managed to rouse the crowd, building the level of anticipation.
The audience was growing bigger by the moment as more and more people heard the cries of delight and whoops of excitement. Strax was a big hit. No one was quite sure what to make of him – was he a genuine Strong Man, or a clown? When he threatened to obliterate anyone who laughed as he attempted to juggle with cannon balls, the crowd burst into a spontaneous mixture of applause and hysterics.
And all the time, the cloud above them gathered and darkened, as if focused on this small area of amusement and goodwill in a city now wallowing in confusion and anger. Timing was everything, the Doctor reflected, as the crowd laughed and clapped again. He could just make out the distinctive shape of Empath pushing his way slowly through. The Doctor glanced up again. Was it his imagination, or did the cloud now look like a giant claw waiting to strike down at him?
He nodded to Strax. ‘Keep it going,’ he mouthed. Then the Doctor walked over to the edge of the assembled crowd, to the point where Empath was emerging.
The marker that represented Empath was now right at the heart of the area resisting the cloud’s effects. It wouldn’t be long now, Milton thought. Empath would deal with the Doctor and then the cloud would do its worst. Checking other areas, he was pleased to see that fights were breaking out in several pubs. Police sent to calm the trouble were joining in. Another hour or two and the entire city would be in chaos.
A chime from the communications systems surprised him. It was probably the Doctor’s friends, ready to beg for their lives. Yes, he decided, he would make the connection. He enjoyed seeing people beg, especially when he knew it was a completely futile act.
Sure enough, the familiar face of the Doctor’s young friend Clara appeared on the screen. Milton could see the lizard woman and her maid behind. There was no sign of Silhouette or Affinity, but they were probably there somewhere. Unless they had already succumbed and killed each other, that was a pleasant thought.
‘Please,’ Clara said, ‘you have to stop this. It’s getting out of hand.’
‘That is sort of the point, actually,’ Milton told her. ‘Was there anything else?’
‘But people are dying. Don’t you care about that at all?’
‘Not really, I’m afraid.’ Milton leaned back in
his command chair. ‘I assume you’ve been trying to find a way to open the security door and get down here. I did see that it registered an attack with a blunt instrument as well as a crude attempt to hack the locking software.’
‘You can’t blame us for trying, can you?’ the maid Jenny told him.
‘Oh not at all. I applaud the effort.’ He clapped his hands together a couple of times to make the point. ‘But there really isn’t any way to get to me or to stop the cloud. So …’
He paused. That was odd. There was another message coming in.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Milton said, ‘I’m going to have to put you on hold just for a minute. Have a nice day.’
He switched channels. His first thought was that it was the secondary comms link from the library, but the face that appeared on the screen now was as surprising as it was unexpected. Milton felt suddenly cold. They’d found him – how could they have found him?
‘You know who I am?’ the pale face on the screen asked.
‘Of course, Senior Deputy Shadow Architect.’ Milton struggled to keep the nerves out of his voice. ‘I must apologise for the abrupt end to our last conversation, but as you will recall I rather fancied escaping before you could have me summarily executed on the spot.’
The Senior Deputy smiled. ‘A lucky escape for both of us, perhaps. You see, we have been watching your progress very carefully.’
‘You know where I am?’
‘Oh, please. We’ve known for weeks.’
‘Then why haven’t you—’
‘Arrested you? Executed you? Because your work intrigued us. This latest experiment, the cloud now dissipating over the city of London, is especially interesting.’
Milton was surprised. ‘Interesting? To the Shadow Proclamation?’
‘Assuming the cloud could be used to dispense any emotion in concentrated form it might provide a useful way of, what shall we say? Of calming populations in times of crisis. Ensuring that cool heads prevail. Of course, I appreciate you are demonstrating the exact opposite here, but I would assume the principle holds good?’
‘Er, yes,’ Milton said quickly. ‘Yes, of course. I’m sorry,’ he went on, ‘but am I to take it that the Shadow Proclamation is interested in coming to some sort of understanding? You did sentence me to death, as I recall.’
The Senior Deputy Shadow Architect waved a hand. ‘Oh, please. A misunderstanding. Forget all about it. The sentence has been rescinded. Or at least, postponed.’
‘Postponed, I see. And what do I need to do to ensure it is lifted permanently? I hope you don’t want me to stop the cloud from consuming London, because I have to admit that I can’t. It’s too late for that.’
The Senior Deputy nodded. ‘We suspected that was the case. Clearly there are some enhancements that can still be made to the weapon.’
‘It is a project that is very much under development,’ Milton agreed.
‘Then our proposition is simple. Come and work for us, finish the development of this and perhaps other weapons under the auspices of the Shadow Proclamation and you will also be assured our protection. Along with a full pardon for any past misdemeanours.’
‘Including any you don’t already know about?’ Milton asked.
‘Are there any we don’t already know about?’
‘Modesty forbids.’ Milton smiled. This was turning out better than he had ever expected. Perhaps under that righteous façade, the Shadow Proclamation was rather more draconian than people thought. He turned to retrieve his pile of notes from a nearby control console. ‘I do already have a few ideas that might be of interest in the areas of population control and the upholding of justice. If we can call it that.’
The Senior Deputy Shadow Architect smiled back as he saw Milton brandishing the sheaf of papers. ‘I see that you understand exactly what is required.’
The further into the mass of people Empath went, the more their emotions pressed in upon him. By the time he emerged, to see the Doctor standing in front of him, he was confused and disoriented. The Doctor – he had been looking for the Doctor, and now here he was. But why? There was a vague sense that he should be angry with the Doctor. But the anger that had been welling up inside Empath and ready to burst out was now buried deep beneath the feelings he had absorbed as he pushed through the crowd.
The Doctor grabbed Empath by the hand and pulled him into the performance area. He hardly noticed as the Doctor slipped the ring from his middle finger. Didn’t see the way the red crystal first cracked and then shattered as the Doctor touched it with the glowing end of his sonic screwdriver. All around him, people were laughing, clapping, enjoying themselves. Jugglers, acrobats, clowns, the Strong Man, everyone was brimming over with good humour.
‘Do you feel it?’ the Doctor said, shouting to be heard above the appreciative roar of the crowd.
Behind him a fire-eater blew flames out of his mouth, toasting a marshmallow held out on a sword by his assistant who then offered it to a small boy standing nearby.
‘Can you feel the emotion, the excitement, the well-being? Can you feel the love tonight?’ The Doctor frowned. ‘No, hang on, that’s not right. Well, maybe it is.’
Empath was grinning as it flowed into him, looking round in childlike amazement and glee. ‘It is wonderful,’ he admitted.
‘A happy undertaker.’ The Doctor laughed. ‘Not something you see every day.’
The sky was getting darker. A shadow passing over the Carnival. Empath looked up to see a huge dark pall of what looked like smoke. It seemed to gather itself above them.
‘What’s that?’ he said, pointing upwards. Lots of people were pointing at the cloud now as it slowly drifted lower.
‘Ah, well,’ the Doctor said. ‘That’s something I need your help with. Take a deep breath.’
‘What?’
‘A deep breath, go on. Not real breath, of course. But draw in as much of that good feeling as you can. All the laughter and the mirth and the happiness. The confidence and appreciation and delight. Exhilaration and joy and elation. This is your world, after all – don’t you remember? Don’t you remember who you used to be? Who you are. Go on. Do it now.’
The cloud dipped lower. Empath breathed in the atmosphere around him. He could feel himself filling with emotion, overflowing with happiness. He was David Rutherford. He belonged here, along with the performers, along with his friends, bringing people joy and happiness …
Then, suddenly, it was dark. The cloud rushed towards the Doctor, towards Empath standing beside him, spilling over them like a waterfall. Cold and damp and unpleasant, deadening every thought. Somewhere, muffled by the heavy air, someone screamed.
‘Now,’ the Doctor said close to Empath’s ear. ‘Let it out. Just like you let the anger out into Milton’s sphere. Let all the emotion of the crowd out now. Do it!’
Empath let it out. A great breath of emotion. The muffled screams had become cheers as the crowd watched what they thought was the latest act. He could hear the Doctor’s voice, though he could not make out the words. But it felt good, it felt like the Doctor was encouraging and praising him as the darkness faded and cleared.
The effect rippled out across the sky. A wave running through the dark smog of anger and despair, washing it clean. The cloud faded, thinned, dissipated – its anger and rage cancelled out by the concentrated force of the joy and elation from the crowd.
The people applauded as they watched the air clear. For the first time in a while, the sun shone down through a hole in the fog, illuminating the Carnival of Curiosities like a spotlight shining down at a huge circus ring filled with performers and watched by the laughing audience.
‘Well done,’ the Doctor said, and he was laughing as well. ‘Really – really well done.’
Empath – David – was laughing too. He took a bow, sweeping off his hat. The Doctor caught hold of the long, black silk that trailed from it, unwinding the material and pulling it away. So that when David replaced the top hat on his head it was n
o longer swathed in black.
Transformed from undertaker, the Ringmaster raised his hands above his head for calm and quiet. They waited expectantly.
‘And for our next trick …’ he began.
Chapter
20
They had moved from Milton’s study to the library. Clara and Jenny stood at the window, the curtains drawn back and the shutters open. Vastra was talking quietly to Affinity and Silhouette, who had activated a small viewing screen close to the now empty glass sphere.
‘I think it’s clearing,’ Clara said, staring up at the sky. ‘It’s not as dark as it was.’
Vastra was working at the screen. ‘You are right. Milton has this calibrated to track the progress of the cloud. It has dissipated.’
‘So the Doctor’s done it,’ Jenny said, elated. ‘Well,’ she added more calmly, ‘no surprise there.’
‘Which just leaves us Milton to deal with.’ Vastra said. ‘I rerouted the communications feed to the study terminal here, so I expect we’ll hear from him soon.’
‘Let’s see him put a positive spin on this, then,’ Clara said.
Milton did indeed seem in a good mood when his face appeared on the screen a few moments later. Or at least, he was not too downhearted.
‘My congratulations,’ he announced. ‘It seems I did indeed underestimate the Doctor.’
‘You are not the first to make that mistake,’ Vastra told him.
‘I doubt I shall be the last either. But we must all learn from our mistakes. So when I’ve analysed the observation data I can set about eliminating whatever weakness the Doctor found in my weapon.’
‘Really?’ Clara said. ‘You’re trapped down there. You don’t really think you can just carry on like this never happened do you?’
‘What would you suggest, my dear?’
‘Well for starters,’ Clara said, ‘I’d suggest you don’t call me “my dear” if you value your kneecaps. Then it seems to me that surrender is your best option.’
‘Surrender?’ Milton seemed to consider this. ‘No, sorry. Not an option I like at all, actually. And if I may say so, I think perhaps you are overestimating the extent of your little victory.’
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