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Dead London (audio story): Difference between revisions
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Beryl and Lucie make their way to the Underground station at St. Paul’s, for safety. Beryl explains that it’s not just the bombings; there’s a killer on the loose, the Blackout Killer, who takes advantage of the air raids to kill his victims—respectable women in every case—during the blackouts. No one sees him; they only hear the tapping of the stick he carries. At the underground station, the gates at the bottom are locked; and a massive explosion nearby knocks them to the ground. Heading back to ground level, they find the building next door levelled by the bombs. They separate, as Beryl needs to get to the factory, but Lucie wants to find the Doctor; Beryl gives her directions to the Holborn Viaduct, where she last saw him. Lucie almost immediately sees a river appear in front of her; Beryl doubles back and tells her that the river appears and disappears at random, and usually has Fleet Street on the other side, dependent on what “he” wants. She refuses to elaborate, and warns Lucie not to ask too many questions—if you do, things become “fuzzy” and fade away. | Beryl and Lucie make their way to the Underground station at St. Paul’s, for safety. Beryl explains that it’s not just the bombings; there’s a killer on the loose, the Blackout Killer, who takes advantage of the air raids to kill his victims—respectable women in every case—during the blackouts. No one sees him; they only hear the tapping of the stick he carries. At the underground station, the gates at the bottom are locked; and a massive explosion nearby knocks them to the ground. Heading back to ground level, they find the building next door levelled by the bombs. They separate, as Beryl needs to get to the factory, but Lucie wants to find the Doctor; Beryl gives her directions to the Holborn Viaduct, where she last saw him. Lucie almost immediately sees a river appear in front of her; Beryl doubles back and tells her that the river appears and disappears at random, and usually has Fleet Street on the other side, dependent on what “he” wants. She refuses to elaborate, and warns Lucie not to ask too many questions—if you do, things become “fuzzy” and fade away. | ||
The Doctor questions Sophie further, searching for anything strange. She says that she escaped from a workhouse, and in the process she saw a flash and heard a loud noise. She found herself in a Roman temple inside a cave, where she found the box. The description of the temple tells the Doctor it is a temple to the god Mithras; the flash of light is characteristic of the tractor beams, but this one seems to be for space only, not time, as Sophie is from this time period. The temple is at the end of the river; she agrees to take them there, if they can escape. The Doctor considers, and concludes that the 17th | The Doctor questions Sophie further, searching for anything strange. She says that she escaped from a workhouse, and in the process she saw a flash and heard a loud noise. She found herself in a Roman temple inside a cave, where she found the box. The description of the temple tells the Doctor it is a temple to the god Mithras; the flash of light is characteristic of the tractor beams, but this one seems to be for space only, not time, as Sophie is from this time period. The temple is at the end of the river; she agrees to take them there, if they can escape. The Doctor considers, and concludes that the 17th century and Roman versions of London are now adjacent—an impressive piece of temporal engineering. As they wait, they hear the Bellman, the town crier, making announcements outside; the Doctor thinks he has heard the man’s voice before. | ||
Lucie asks Beryl where to find the mysterious “he”, but Beryl is no help; she says that “he” is everywhere. Beryl is strangely at ease with encountering people from other times. Lucie intends to cross the river, but Beryl wishes her luck and moves on. Lucie searches for a bridge, and sees modern buildings on the other side; she concludes that the varying times are now geographically related, and she is getting close to one. Nearby, a figure sniffs the air, and a stick can be heard tapping as he follows Lucie. | Lucie asks Beryl where to find the mysterious “he”, but Beryl is no help; she says that “he” is everywhere. Beryl is strangely at ease with encountering people from other times. Lucie intends to cross the river, but Beryl wishes her luck and moves on. Lucie searches for a bridge, and sees modern buildings on the other side; she concludes that the varying times are now geographically related, and she is getting close to one. Nearby, a figure sniffs the air, and a stick can be heard tapping as he follows Lucie. | ||
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A lock gate opens, sending a flood of water into the river, and pulling the boat away from the Temple. It carries them over a waterfall. The boat is smashed, and they find themselves above Roman London, trapped with a hundred others inside a giant Wicker Man. Sepulchre intends to burn them, then recover the box from the Doctor’s ashes. The Doctor wants Sophie to use the rope she brought from the boat to set a line for them to walk from the Wicker Man, but she refuses, as the Doctor and Lucie are amateurs with no tightrope-walking experience. Lucie sees a man with a torch, who ritually sets the Wicker Man aflame; the Doctor recognises him as Boudicca’s arch-druid, and also an avatar. Sepulchre, satisfied with this fate, sends Ketch and Jeffreys back to their own eras, and goes to watch the burning personally. As the smoke begins to choke them, the Doctor has Sophie lasso part of the city gate instead, creating not a tightrope but a zipline, which they can navigate with their belts. He uses the sonic screwdriver to weaken the wicker, allowing them to break out. The Doctor insists the other captives aren’t actually in danger, and they slide down the line; and the Wicker Man vanishes. The Doctor reminds them that the re-enactments are contingent on Sepulchre’s authority; if something unexpected happens, they break down. Sepulchre appears and congratulates the Doctor on deducing the situation—but the Doctor has missed one critical piece. The river isn’t just like a neural pathway, it is a neural pathway; and they are all inside Sepulchre’s brain! The box’s tractor beams, like the TARDIS, are dimensionally transcendental—Sepulchre’s mind is bigger in the inside. | A lock gate opens, sending a flood of water into the river, and pulling the boat away from the Temple. It carries them over a waterfall. The boat is smashed, and they find themselves above Roman London, trapped with a hundred others inside a giant Wicker Man. Sepulchre intends to burn them, then recover the box from the Doctor’s ashes. The Doctor wants Sophie to use the rope she brought from the boat to set a line for them to walk from the Wicker Man, but she refuses, as the Doctor and Lucie are amateurs with no tightrope-walking experience. Lucie sees a man with a torch, who ritually sets the Wicker Man aflame; the Doctor recognises him as Boudicca’s arch-druid, and also an avatar. Sepulchre, satisfied with this fate, sends Ketch and Jeffreys back to their own eras, and goes to watch the burning personally. As the smoke begins to choke them, the Doctor has Sophie lasso part of the city gate instead, creating not a tightrope but a zipline, which they can navigate with their belts. He uses the sonic screwdriver to weaken the wicker, allowing them to break out. The Doctor insists the other captives aren’t actually in danger, and they slide down the line; and the Wicker Man vanishes. The Doctor reminds them that the re-enactments are contingent on Sepulchre’s authority; if something unexpected happens, they break down. Sepulchre appears and congratulates the Doctor on deducing the situation—but the Doctor has missed one critical piece. The river isn’t just like a neural pathway, it is a neural pathway; and they are all inside Sepulchre’s brain! The box’s tractor beams, like the TARDIS, are dimensionally transcendental—Sepulchre’s mind is bigger in the inside. | ||
Sepulchre demands the box, and Lucie tells the Doctor to use it on Sepulchre instead. He refuses, knowing it would kill not only Sepulchre, but everyone inside his mind. Instead, he berates Sepulchre for treating humans like cattle; and he uses his sonic screwdriver to shut off various neural connections. The re-enactments will still function, but they are now disconnected from each other. The group finds themselves back in the 17th | Sepulchre demands the box, and Lucie tells the Doctor to use it on Sepulchre instead. He refuses, knowing it would kill not only Sepulchre, but everyone inside his mind. Instead, he berates Sepulchre for treating humans like cattle; and he uses his sonic screwdriver to shut off various neural connections. The re-enactments will still function, but they are now disconnected from each other. The group finds themselves back in the 17th century re-enactment. Sepulchre can no longer hide behind his avatars; and the crowd sees him as a demon. Militia officers arrive and take custody of him, placing him with Ketch and Jeffreys. He swears revenge on the Doctor. The Doctor is optimistic; he can’t remove the people from the re-enactments, but as long as Sepulchre lives, they will as well, and will be free of his tyranny. Sophie, of course, has to stay, but intends to learn to write and become a novelist—with her first book based on herself, of course. The Doctor and Lucie find their way back to the 2008 re-enactment, and find the TARDIS, which is covered in parking tickets. As they leave, Lucie listens to the city, which now sounds very much alive. | ||
== Cast == | == Cast == | ||
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[[cy:Dead London (stori sain)]] | [[cy:Dead London (stori sain)]] | ||
[[fr:Dead London]] | |||
[[Category:Eighth Doctor Adventures audio stories]] | [[Category:Eighth Doctor Adventures audio stories]] | ||
[[Category:2008 audio stories]] | [[Category:2008 audio stories]] | ||
[[Category:Stories set in London]] | [[Category:Stories set in London]] | ||
