Part 27 (2/2)

It looked to be someone's back.

Ben gagged, turned away.

'Lindey,' whispered Roba. 'That's got to be Lindey. That's why her set's here.'

The Doctor stared at them gravely. 'The secrets of the propulsion system?'

Creben looked properly downcast for the first time Ben could recall. 'It all comes back to the body, doesn't it.

Lindey's and Denni's they use for fuel. Frog's is no good so they start turning her into something else.'

'Meat.' Joiks started giggling. 'That's all we are now. Meat.'

Ben turned to the Doctor. 'They're really using human flesh and blood as fuel?'

'For the rituals,' Roba added. 'They're using it for the rituals.'

The Doctor looked down at the floor. 'As a basic material in the energy conversion process, yes, it's possible.'

'Not just human remains.' Tovel pointed to the cylinder.

Pressed up against the gla.s.s, along with a mess of dark-brown chunks that looked like dog food, was a b.l.o.o.d.y medallion of glistening pink flesh. It bore a brand, a rectangle crossed through with a diagonal line.

'Schirr,' he breathed. 'There's Schirr bodies in this thing as well.'

'The Morphieans,' said Creben. 'They're taking back what's theirs.'

'And dealing most conclusively with their enemies,' the Doctor agreed. 'I imagine this centrifuge is where the Schirr bodies on the platform were conjured to.'

'There's six of them left,' Ben said with a frown. 'So why turn Frog into a Schirr too?'

'To maintain some secret balance?' the Doctor wondered.

'Or because Schirr flesh gives a higher yield? Perhaps we will all become Schirr before too long, the impurities driven from our flesh so that it may be changed...'

'And we'll all wind up in there,' said Tovel quietly, transfixed by the cylinder.

'Great,' said Roba. His dark skin was covered in sweat, and he kept licking his lips every few seconds. 'So, how do we stop this thing?'

'Stop it?' Joiks spluttered. 'You want we should get in that thing and pull out the plug?'

'These pipes and stuff. We could pull them out, we could -'

'Young man,' the Doctor said sternly, 'you can see the powers at work there. We dare not disturb that balance without a fuller knowledge of how the processes work.'

'So get learning, old old man,' Roba growled menacingly. man,' Roba growled menacingly.

The Doctor sighed. 'I confess I was hoping to find a more conventional means of propulsion. If I only had more time to-'

'All this time you been shooting off a mouth as big as one of these tunnels,' Roba hissed. 'And now you don't know nothing?'

'All right, quiet, all of you,' snapped Tovel. 'You talk about learning, Roba. We're learning more all the time. We know where the Schirr went, we know where Lindey and Denni went.' He grabbed the websets from Creben. 'And we got these. Denni was still recording when she was killed. Maybe we'll learn some more from watching that back.'

'So, how about we get get back, then?' chimed Ben. 'Check up on Polly and the others. This place gives me the creeps.' back, then?' chimed Ben. 'Check up on Polly and the others. This place gives me the creeps.'

Joiks suddenly lunged for the websets.

Tovel recoiled instinctively, kept them out of reach. 'What the h.e.l.l are you playing at, Joiks?'

'What we gonna learn from watching them die? I say we should dump them.'

Roba scowled at him. 'That don't make no sense, Joiks.'

'Don't make no sense to rake over the past, neither.' Joiks laughed nervously. 'What are you people, sick?'

'Something happened down there, didn't it, Joiks?' Creben said. 'When Denni got taken.'

Joiks backed away. 'You're crazy, Creben.'

'Oh, really?' Creben shook his head. 'I think you know something you're not telling us.'

Tovel grabbed hold of Joiks's shoulder. 'We're talking to you.'

'It's nothing!' Joiks pulled himself free of Tovel's grip.

'Denni was saying stuff about Haunt. Didn't think she was fit to lead us on a live ammo shoot when she gets so worked up by the Schirr and all that. She wanted me to log a complaint or something, I dunno.'

'And did you agree?' demanded the Doctor.

'I told her she was crazy.' Joiks paused. When he spoke again, his voice had lost its c.o.c.kiness. 'But then, you know...

she wants something from me, I'm maybe thinking, how 'bout I get something in return?'

Tovel snorted. 'You're filth, Joiks.'

'Look, I didn't do nothing! It was dark, when the sets don't pick much stuff up. I put an arm round her waist, sounded her out a little... But she was grabbed right from out of my arms, and that's the truth!' Joiks's voice grew whinier, less confident. 'I tried to hold on to her -'

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