Departed

THE HUNGRY EARTH

THE HUNGRY EARTH
P A R T T H R E E

"IS THAT WHAT HAPPENED TO MO?Are they dead?" Tony asked. The Doctor started pacing up and down, I heard his footsteps but I didn't want to look up from my knees

"It's not quicksand. She didn't just sink something pulled her in, it wants her." The doctor spoke softly.

"The ground wanted her?" Nasreen asked unsure

"You said the ground was dormant, just a patch of the earth when you first saw it this morning. And the drill had been stopped." The Doctor asked .

"That's right."

"But when you re-started the drill, the ground fought back."The doctor spoke again.

"So what, the ground wants to stop us drilling? Doctor, that is ridiculous." The Doctor used the sonic screwdriver on the hole through which Amy was taken. The ground began to pulse

"I'm not saying that and it's not ridiculous, I just don't think it's right." The Doctor said. "It's bio-programming!"

"What?!" Nasreen asked.

"Bio-programming." I mumbled as I looked from my knees while the doctor clapped excitedly.

"You use bio-signals to resonate the internal molecular structure of natural objects, It's mainly used in engineering and construction, mostly jungle planets, but that's way in the future, and not here. What's it doing here?" I got up off the floor and crossed my arms, it was finally sinking in that we might be able to get Amy back

"Sorry, did you just say jungle planets?" Nasreen asked

"You're not making any sense!" Tony shouted

"'Shes making perfect sense, you're just not keeping up. The earth, the ground beneath our feet, was bio-programmed to attack." The Doctor added

"Yeah, even if that were possible, which, by the way, it's not, why?" Nasreen asked.

"Stop your drilling! We find what's doing the bio-programming, find Amy, get her back. Ssh ssh ssh! Have I gone mad?! I've gone mad!" The Doctor seemed to be on to something.

"Doctor."

" Silence, Absolute silence, You stopped the drill, right?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, i basically stopped it myself." I said

"And you've only got the one drill?" The Doctor asked. "Yes!" Tony replied

"You're sure about that?" The doctor questioned .

"Yes!" The Doctor laid down on his stomach next to the hole, listening, he could hear a whirring sound.

"So, if you shut the drill down... why can I still hear drilling? It's under the ground." The Doctor said.

"That's not possible." Tony defended.

The Doctor stood up and rushed over to the machinery and computers using the sonic on them while everyone else joined him.

"Oh, no, what are you doing?" Nasreen tried to stop him.

"Hacking into your records. Reports, samples, sensors, good, just unite the data, make it all one big conversation, let's have a look. So. We are here," The Doctor pointed to a spot on the screen. "and this is your drill hole. 21,000 kilometers. Well done!"

"Thank you. It's taken us a long time."

"Why here, though? Why drill on this site?" I asked.

"We found patches of grass in this area, containing trace minerals unseen in this country for 20 million years." Nasreen answered.