Doctor Who_ The Tomorrow Windows Part 43

The Doctor nodded.

'Can't you do it some other way?' Trix said. The thought of being inside Martin's head revolted her. She imagined it as being some sort of murky, disgusting version of his flat. 'I know, look in a Tomorrow Window. . . '

'We thought of that,' said Fitz. He handed her a mini-Tomorrow Window, the size of a hand-mirror. Trix peered into it and saw only gla.s.s. She shook it and her refection quivered.

'It's not working,' she said.

'No,' said the Doctor. 'None of the Tomorrow Windows are. It seems there is something. . . they cannot predict.'

'That doesn't make sense.'

'I don't claim to understand it, Trix,' said the Doctor. 'But it is connected to Martin, I'm sure, and that's why I need you to do this for me. If you don't want to, then I'll understand, but. . . '

'I'll do it,' Trix said. She turned her back on him and lifted up her hair.

She felt the Doctor's fingers brush against her skin, her spine s.h.i.+vered and the sonic screwdriver warbled jacket on. I step over my leaflet-strewn doormat and lock my door after me.

In my hand are a set of co-ordinates scrawled on notepaper.

I miss her. I miss having Trix in the back of my mind. I'd grown used to her. Her consciousness was like a quiet voice, speaking softly in the back of my mind. And now she's gone and left me.

I did love her. Some of the things she thought were so funny. And she was vulnerable, and quirky, and silly. And, deep down, so achingly sad. I've never known anyone so intimately. I've never known what it is like to experience the world through someone else's eyes. To laugh at the jokes they told themselves.

It's probably impossible to know someone so well and not not fall in love with them. She was so alive, so sensual. fall in love with them. She was so alive, so sensual.

If I close my eyes, I can still remember how her clothes felt. I can picture her naked reflection through the mist-covered bathroom mirror. I can taste her lipstick. I can feel the sensitive touch of her fingers against her own body.

I should stop thinking this stuff, it's turning me on.

I arrive at the tele-door, fastening my jacket. I'll need it for Gadrahadradon.

According to the interstellar shuttle flight register, Astrabel Zar is due to arrive in the next few minutes. And then all this will be brought to an end.

Rented accommodation! One day I'll have the wealth I deserve. Then I will be able to buy affection and respect. Everyone who has ever belittled me will 221 be made to suffer. I'll rub my success in their faces. And I'll get Trix back and force her to love me.

I'll force her to love me.

I type the co-ordinates into the keypad by the tele-door. The tele-door clears to show a storm-lashed wilderness of gnarled trees and bracken, and I slide Trix could smell burning. She turned to see the Doctor holding a smouldering computer chip in the palm of his hand.

'What happened?' said Trix, running her fingers over her back of her neck.

She felt a tender bruise. Her finger came back with blood on it.

'The circuit wasn't designed for reverse calling,' said the Doctor. He disposed of it in one of his pockets. 'Did you find out anything useful?'

Trix told the Doctor everything she'd seen and heard. Everything that Martin had thought. Except for what he'd been thinking about her. No one needed to hear that.

She finished by telling the Doctor about Gadrahadradon.

'Never heard of it,' said the Doctor.

Fitz shrugged. 'Me neither.'

'"The most haunted planet in the galaxy"?' said Trix.

'Is it?' said the Doctor. 'How do you know that?'

'Charlton told me. . . '

'So let me get this straight,' said the Doctor, drumming his fingers upon the dining table. 'Astrabel Zar told you he would return to Gadrahadradon to die.

"Because that's where it all started".'

'Yes,' said Charlton.

'And he made you promise not to tell anyone?'

'Yes.'

The Doctor glanced at Trix then Fitz. 'Charlton you promised not to tell anyone, but you told Trix, and now you've just told me?'

'Yes.'

The Doctor stared at him. 'That's not really sticking to the spirit of the promise, is it?'

'Well,' said Charlton. 'That wasn't the only promise I made. . . '

Astrabel lifted the photograph from his desk and examined it fondly. 'One more thing,' he said. thing,' he said.

'Yes?' said the young Charlton, his mind racing. He couldn't help staring at the Tomorrow Window in the corner of the office. He would be able to do so much Tomorrow Window in the corner of the office. He would be able to do so much with it. He would be able to save planets! He would be a hero! with it. He would be able to save planets! He would be a hero!

'At some point, many years from now, you will meet a rather attractive girl '

222.

Charlton smiled to himself 'Excellent! I've always had a bit of trouble '

Astrabel sighed. 'For Zod's sake, shut up and listen. You will meet an attractive girl with long, curly hair and big eyes. She'll be with a man wearing some sort girl with long, curly hair and big eyes. She'll be with a man wearing some sort of waistcoat ' of waistcoat '

Charlton's spirits evaporated into a cloud of disappointment.

' and a young man, a little older than you are now, wearing a T-s.h.i.+rt On that T-s.h.i.+rt will be written the words, " T-s.h.i.+rt will be written the words, " I'm voting for the Doctor I'm voting for the Doctor ".' ".'

'" I'm voting for the Doctor I'm voting for the Doctor "?' "?'

'Don't ask me what the significance of that is, I don't know. But when you meet these people, if any of them ever asks about the Tomorrow Windows. . . tell meet these people, if any of them ever asks about the Tomorrow Windows. . . tell them everything I have just told you.' them everything I have just told you.'

'I see,' said the Doctor, striding down the sloping corridor. 'But it's still not clear. . . why would Astrabel want us to know about Gadrahadradon?'

'And how would he know about us?' said Fitz, feeling conspicuous in his ' I'm Voting For The Doctor I'm Voting For The Doctor' T-s.h.i.+rt.

The Doctor took the point. 'And why return to Gadrahadradon at all? What is there that's so special he has to do? I don't believe he's gone there to kill himself '

'I've told you all I know,' said Charlton as they arrived at the tele-doors.

'The thing is, when you told it to Trix, you told it to Martin too. And he's on his way to Gadrahadradon. I don't know what he intends to do. . . but whatever it is, I intend to stop him. I have a feeling we haven't much time.'

Prubert approached the nearest tele-door. 'So let's go, shall we?'

'Yes.' The Doctor turned to Trix. 'The co-ordinates. . . can you remember the co-ordinates Martin used?'

Without pausing, Trix punched them into the keypad. It bleeped and the tele-door wobbled as an image rose to the surface. It showed a desolate world of heaving, listless bracken and thundering clouds, lightning flashed, illuminating bleached, twisted trees.

'The most haunted planet in the galaxy. . . ' mused the Doctor. He slid open the door and immediately a cold breeze burst into the corridor. He lifted his brow as it ruffled his hair. 'It may be dangerous. Does anyone wish to stay here?'

Everyone shook their heads and muttered, 'no.'

'Come on then. Let's go ghost-hunting!' The Doctor stepped through the door and disappeared into the blackness.

Astrabel Zar hugged himself into his coat as he trudged through the gloopy mud. Gadrahadradon hadn't changed a bit, the only thing that had changed was Astrabel Zar. Fifty years had pa.s.sed since he'd been persuaded to come 223 here by Zoberly Chesterfield. Fifty years since he'd gill-glotted Absynthzo Absynthzo with Sheabley McMung. with Sheabley McMung.

He was now an old, fat, unhealthy man. His chest heaved with the effort of carrying his belly the result of too many free lunches and his shoulder protested under the straps of his holdall.

The overcast sky seethed with black, flickering clouds, steamrollering themselves across the night sky like apocalyptic icebergs. Yes, it all was just as he remembered.

Astrabel followed the dancing wraith of his torchlight, the bracken clutching at his trousers, the gnarled trees reaching for him with skeleton branches.

And around him, undulating in the mist, were the ghosts. Astrabel ignored them. He'd seen enough ghosts the last time he was here.

At last he reached the camp site. It hadn't changed. A dozen or so tents had been erected among the puddles. Astrabel could picture his younger self crawling out of one of the tents, desperate to go to the toilet. He could see the path he had taken, down to the ruined abbey.

The sight of the abbey reminded Astrabel of what he had to do. He checked his watch.

3.24.

He was on time. He patted the holdall. He'd checked and double-checked its contents. Everything was prepared.

With a sense of resignation, Astrabel headed down the slope. He'd come this way once before. He would never come this way again.

Astrabel's mind turned to warmer thoughts. He'd had a good life. No, he'd had an astonis.h.i.+ng life. Ever since that day on Gadrahadradon fifty years ago, his life had changed forever. It had changed to a life of success and fortune and Zoberly Chesterfield's voluminous cleavage.

What he had to do now would be a small price to pay.

One thing made him nervous, though. Just like the last time he had been here, he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched.

Twenty yards or so behind him, Martin watched the shadowy figure shuffling down the steep path towards the monastery. Martin hadn't brought a torch and his coat barely protected him from the bitterness of the night. This planet was like some kind of cod-gothic nightmare.

The phantoms unnerved him. They chattered silently among themselves, wafting through trees and each other. Some were pointing and laughing, but Martin couldn't see the source of their amus.e.m.e.nt. He didn't like people laughing when he didn't know the joke.

In his left pocket Martin felt the tele-door handle. He would leave as soon as his work was done. He reached into his right pocket, and retrieved his 224 pistol.

He levelled it at the figure, but it was no good. Astrabel was too far away.

Anyway, it would be impossible to aim in this wind. He could barely feel the trigger grip in his numb fingers. And he couldn't get a clear shot with all these ghosts in the way.

He would have to get closer.

The sooner he did what he had come here to do, the sooner he could leave.

Cursing every icy, sploshy step, Martin headed for the ruin.

Another twenty or so yards behind Martin five figures were disgorged from a door-sized rectangle of light suspended a few feet above the ground.

The Doctor lifted a hand for silence, indicating the figure darting through the near-darkness ahead of them. Trix recognised him. 'It's him, it's Martin.'

The Doctor patted her on the shoulder and indicated for the group to follow.

Trix kept close to the Doctor, and as he pushed branches out of the way for her, she held them for Fitz. Fitz in turn held them for Prubert and Charlton.

Trix b.u.mped into the Doctor's back as he halted. He gazed about himself.

'What is it?' whispered Trix.

Then she could see what the Doctor had stopped for. Ahead of them, the mist undulated like a ribbon. And within the mist were hundreds of transparent figures.

The figures wandered about, waving to each other, their mouths opening and closing in soundless speech. Some wore cloaks, or suits in funeral black.

Their route took them through the ghostly figures. Around them, spectral children played chasing games. Elderly couples hobbled. Couples linked arms.

See-through tourists took photographs with bulky box cameras.

'I can see why they say it's the most haunted planet in the galaxy,' Fitz said as they entered the camp site.

'It's not haunted,' said the Doctor. 'These aren't ghosts. At least, not ghosts of the past.'

'What do you mean?'

'The atmosphere of this world. . . it's acting as one huge, unfocused Tomorrow Window. Those apparitions. . . they're from the future the future. They're not shadows of Gadrahadradon past. They're shadows of Gadrahadradon yet to come!'

Charlton trotted to catch up. 'You mean on Gadrahadradon you can see into the future?'

The Doctor grinned. 'Yes. That's what Astrabel Zar did, all those years ago.'

Trix watched Martin slip down some steps towards the columnated ruins of a monastery. She pointed to the Doctor, and they followed.

225.