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.is to replace those tourists with passengers from the Cerberus!''Exactly! It is using the passengers as hosts to carry its spirit into the land of the living.''Of course''Of course.And the only way it can bring them here is by creating a temporal breach.''The time distortion.’The Doctor pretended not to have heard her.'A distortion in time.And to do that it still needs to use Nyanna here.' He returned to the coffin and patted it, ‘.as a temporal medium.''So she's the conduit for the time disruption?''Yes,’ said the Doctor vigorously.He strode back and forth, as if chasing his train of thought around the room, chewing a thumbnail.'Yes, through her, it punctures the fabric of time, creates a simultaneity, and then replaces the zombies with passengers from the Cerberus, each containing an element of its consciousness.Ingenious.''But she's dead,' said Romana flatly.‘Ah yes,' frowned the Doctor.'But what was it you mentioned earlier? About there being more than one way of being dead?''I don't understand.''No, but I think I'm beginning to.' The Doctor wiped his nose, and brooded over Nyanna.'The secret of the Arboretans.''What is the secret of the Arboretans?' Romana asked.'I don't know.' The Doctor broke into a smile.'It's a secret -'He was interrupted by a sudden, terrified scream.It seemed to come from directly above them.'What was that?'The Doctor darted over to the ladder, and started to climb, hand over fist.Above them, a muffled but familiar voice cried out, 'Help me! Will somebody please help me!'Harken kept his eyes screwed shut and waited for the end.His back was pressed up against the necroport.The zombies surrounded him and he could feel their hideous claws pulling at his coat.It wouldn't be long now.Without warning, the necroport behind him gave way.Harken flung his arms to either side to stop himself falling backwards and, blinking his astonished eyes, found he had been resting against an entrance hatch that had swung inwards.Inside was a pop-eyed lunatic with a wild grin, a bouffant hair style and far too much scarf.'Quick, don't just stand there gawping.Inside!' shouted the lunatic.Harken didn't need to be told twice.He almost fell over himself in his eagerness to get into the necroport, scrabbling breathlessly down a narrow, metal ladder.The lunatic heaved the hatch shut, and waved an electronic pen at it.The door bolted with a reassuringly final clang and, for the moment, they were safe.Romana helped Harken Batt down from the ladder.He stared at her incredulously and then staggered into the necroport interior.He took in the police box, the coffins and instruments, and turned back to Romana.'I don't believe it.’Romana offered him a hand and smiled.'Hello.I'm Romana.’Harken looked at her palm for a few seconds, and then shook it.'Romana.Right.' He looked around.'Where am I?'The Doctor jumped down the last few rungs.'The interior of the necroport.’Harken blinked at him.'You saved my life.''Did I? Oh yes.Think nothing of it, I do that sort of thing all the time.''I thought I was done for back there.I mean, I've had some pretty hairy encounters in my time, but that was the closest shave to end all closest shaves.' Harken tugged his coat into place and offered the Doctor a hand.'Harken Batt.You probably know me from my documentary work.''Of course, of course, yes.One of the galaxy's leading insect-on the-wall documentary-makers.I am so pleased to meet you at last.’ The Doctor patted Harken on the back and turned away to confer with Romana.Harken hurried after him.‘I'm sorry, and you are.?''The Doctor,' said the Doctor.Romana was examining the instruments connected to the necroport, and in particular one rising dial marked Psychothermal Capacitance.'You were right, Romana.Paddox is using the necroport to accumulate vast reserves of psychothermal power.''They killed Vinnie, my holocameraman,' said Harken, joining them.'Poor lad.Not the best at his job, it has to be said, but he meant well.'Romana and the Doctor ignored him.'But we still don't know what he intends to do with it.Or what it has to do with the Arboretans.Or the Repulsion.'"'Redemption",' muttered the Doctor.'I wonder.I wonder.If we can work out what this is all for.'Above their heads there was a dull, metallic banging.Harken yelped in alarm.'What's that?''Oh, nothing to worry about,' Romana told him.'It's probably just the zombies trying to break in [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]