The Doctor's Son

14 - New Earth

Dawn emerged over the unusually quiet city of London. Dorian hadn't slept a wink since starting his shift almost 24 hours ago, and was just finishing yet another cup of strong black coffee when Jack called again. The Torchwood team were holed up at Dorian's flat as Jack wanted nothing to do with Torchwood One at that point.

'We're getting a response from the Sycorax now,' Jack said.

Dorian waited expectantly for the translation. It didn't come. 'What are they saying? What's the response?'

'Uh,' Jack hesitated. 'It's just, it just reached out its hand. There was a blue light. That's all.'

Dorian deposited his coffee in the bin, sidestepping to avoid bumping into a man stood in the middle of the corridor.

'What do you mean "a blue light"? What sort of response is that?'

'I don't kn- hey! Owen! Where the hell are you going?'

'Jack?' Dorian called down the phone. 'What's going on?'

'Owen, he just got up- it's the same blue light! The same blue light the Sycorax used is around his head!'

Dorian almost walked into yet another patient. He glanced up to apologise and found that the woman had a blue light glowing around her head.

'Jack, I've got to go. The same thing is happening at the hospital.' He hung up without waiting for a reply.

All over the hospital patients suddenly got out of bed and started walking out of their wards. Members of staff too started leaving the work they were doing and followed the patients out.

'What's happening? Where are they going?' Oliver Morgenstern, another medical student, was asking no one in particular. He was trying to stop one of his patients from leaving the ward. 'Mrs Giles! You are supposed to be resting in bed. Where are you going? Mrs Giles!'

Dorian was about to go and help him when he spotted Mr Owen, the coma patient from his ward, walking along the corridor dragging his IV drip behind him. Dorian ran across to help carry the man's drip before it was wrenched out of his arm.

'Don't try to stop them!' Dorian called out, ignoring how impossible it was that a coma patient was suddenly wandering around. 'You'll only end up hurting them!'

'What the devil is happening!' Mr Stoker, one of the senior consultants and Dorian's mentor, demanded to know. 'Smith! Where is that man going? He's supposed to be in a coma!'

'You try telling him that sir,' Dorian replied, opening a door for Mr Owen before the man just walked right into it.

'Orderlies!' Stoker called. 'Keep these doors open.'

All those with the blue light around their heads seemed to be in a sleepwalking state. They showed no response to calling their names, they didn't even stop of someone was in their way - they just kept on walking. As far as Dorian could tell, they were heading for the stairs. He walked beside Mr Owen in a huddle of zombie-like patients and staff until they reached the very top floor. Many of the patients he saw definitely weren't fit enough to make the climb up the stairs when conscious, so he figured that whatever the Sycorax had done to these people it was controlling their bodies, not just their minds. Mr Owen was proof of that.

'They're heading for the roof!' Morgenstern yelled. 'Oh my God! They're going right to the edge! They're going to jump!'

When Dorian and Mr Owen emerged out into the sunlight on the roof he found lines of patients stood stock still on the edge of the roof. They didn't seem to be about to jump, they were just waiting. But for what, Dorian didn't know.