Trevor Baxendale - Something in the Water

‘You’re full of charming stories, aren’t you?’

‘Oh, I know all of them. And what’s more they’re all perfectly true.’

‘And you say you’ve met this Sally Blackteeth person?’

‘Seen her. You’ve got to be careful, though. She doesn’t always look the same way twice. She’s got a bit of the bogie in her.’

‘Bogie?’

‘Shape-shifting spirits which torment menfolk. More common than you think.’

‘When does the Sally Blackteeth story date from?’ Toshiko asked. ‘Middle Ages?’

‘Oh, yeah, from right back then. But they reckon the last man to be dragged down to his death by Sally was in 1974.’

‘Really?’

‘They never did find his body. It’s probably still down there, rotting away.’ Professor Len smiled and gave Gwen a nudge with his elbow. ‘Food for the worms — and company for Sally, probably.’

Toshiko had taken a small, hand-held device out of her coat pocket and scanned the field. It could easily have been mistaken for a sophisticated mobile phone, because that is what it had once been. Toshiko had redesigned it to accommodate a smart piece of alien kit that helped to track warps in the Earth’s localised time field, and she used it now to scan for alien technology or recent movements through the Rift.

Professor Len eyes the device suspiciously. ‘What’s that, then? Ghost detector?’

‘Sort of.’ The little machine flickered with coloured lights like a miniature Christmas decoration. It bleeped and whirred as Toshiko studied the readings on the tiny screen. ‘Yep — got something,’ she announced as the device squawked. ‘Directly ahead; no, a little to the north east, about two hundred yards.’

‘Come on, then,’ said Gwen, starting forward.

‘Wait a minute,’ said the professor. ‘You can’t go across there. You don’t know the safe routes.’

‘Then you lead the way.’

‘Are you completely mad? I’m not giving Sally Blackteeth any chances. I’m staying right here.’

‘Don’t tell me you really believe those stories!’

He stared at her. ‘Of course I believe the stories. So should you. What kind of staff is Jack taking on these days?’

‘Only the best,’ Gwen replied. ‘OK, fine. Stay here by the car. You can watch.’

The old man looked appalled. ‘Don’t be daft, girl. I didn’t think you were coming here to walk across the Moss. I thought you were only coming to look.’

‘Gwen, we have to hurry if we want to investigate properly,’ Toshiko said, studying the monitor intently. ‘The temporal trace could fade any moment.’

Gwen smiled at Professor Len. ‘We’ll say hello to Sally if we see her.’

‘Never mind her,’ he said. ‘It’s the bog you’ve got to look out for.’

Toshiko was already climbing down from the roadside, stretching a leg across a ditch to reach the moss. ‘Gwen, come on …’

‘Just take it easy,’ advised Professor Len, admitting defeat. He clearly knew better than to bother arguing with the two young women. ‘Keep to the firm ground, where the moss is. Don’t step anywhere you don’t like the look of.’

Gwen hopped down after Toshiko and led the way. The ground was hard and firm for the first few metres, but then it suddenly became noticeably softer — there was a discomforting springiness underfoot, almost as if they were walking across a bed. The ground gurgled and burped beneath the thin mist swirling around their ankles.

Toshiko followed, scanning all the time. ‘Keep going … directly ahead …’

‘Any idea what it is?’ Gwen asked.

‘Definite time disturbance — that means Rift activity. Must be something odd to be this far out.’

‘Tell me we’re nearly there, because this mud is getting right on my nerves, not to mention my trainers. I think they’re letting in water.’

‘Keep going,’ Toshiko said. Their feet squelched through the soft earth as they continued.

‘Remember what Professor Len said; keep to the firm ground. We don’t want to drop through any holes.’

‘It’s hardly likely. This area is heavily saturated, but it should support our weight. There may be pools, but they’ll be visible. Just be careful and try to keep to the path …’

Gwen watched the ground in front of her carefully as they crept forward. ‘I can’t see any path.’

‘It’ll be the route across the marsh used by animals. The grass will be pressed down. The reeds will be growing in the wettest parts.’

‘Think I’ve just found one of the wettest parts.’ Gwen let out a groan of dismay as her right foot disappeared up to the ankle in cold water. She aimed the torch and saw mud swilling over her shoe as she pulled it back out. ‘Yuck.’

‘Wait — it’s just up ahead,’ murmured Toshiko, holding up the scanner. ‘Look, chronon discharge and a fair degree of localised plasma streaming as well …’

‘You’ve lost me.’ Gwen turned and waved to Professor Len, who was still watching from the road. He was only just visible now, a distant grey figure standing by the car. He saw her and waved back.

‘More chronon discharge,’ said Toshiko, and there was a note of caution in her voice now. ‘Something up ahead, in the mist.’

Automatically, Gwen drew her gun. It was a semi-automatic, Torchwood-customised with laser sights. She brought the weapon up and quickly found the tiny red dot of light in the grass ahead of them, reflecting from the dips and pockmarks where water gathered in wide, shallow puddles among the reeds.

‘What makes you think it’s hostile?’ whispered Toshiko.

‘Experience.’

‘You may have a point.’ Toshiko raised the scanning device, made a few alterations to the controls. The scanner bleeped and she studied the readings on the little screen, her soft features lit by its blue luminescence. ‘But these readings … they’re not like anything we’ve picked up before.’

They’d reached a standstill in the middle of the field. Gwen stood with her back to Toshiko, gun arm outstretched. Toshiko fiddled with the scanner, muttering technical responses to herself as she worked.

‘So what d’you reckon it is, then?’ Gwen whispered. It was so quiet here — silent, in fact, except for the two of them and the softly gurgling earth.

‘I don’t know. But it’s out there and moving.’

Gwen gripped the automatic tighter, tried to keep her breathing slow and regular. No point in panicking. Yet.

‘Ten o’clock,’ Toshiko said quietly.

Gwen switched her aim, momentarily losing track of the laser dot.

‘Eleven.’

Gwen twitched the gun to her right. Still nothing. She looked back towards the road, but there was no sign of Professor Len in the mist now.

‘Want to go back to the car?’ said Toshiko.

‘No way. I want to know what the hell this is.’

‘So Torchwood. No wonder Jack loves you.’

‘What?’

‘No wonder Jack loves having you on the team. He saw it straight away — saw that you were a natural, like the rest of us.’

‘Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean I’m not scared.’

‘Twelve o’clock. It’s circling us.’

Gwen started forward, trudging through the mud, ignoring the cold water splashing around her ankles. She’d had enough of standing still and being scared; it was time to move in and do something.

Gwen had gone no more than ten paces before Toshiko called out after her. ‘It’s gone.’

‘What?’ Gwen turned, swinging the torch beam around, finding Tosh. ‘What d’you mean, gone?’

Toshiko held up the scanner. ‘It’s blanked. Whatever was here has just disappeared.’

Gwen frowned and then turned slowly back, keeping the gun up, staring into the darkness. ‘No it hasn’t.’