Doctor Who: Changes in Time and Space - Chapter 35 - The Long Game - Part 2
Soon...
“Now everyone behave,” the newswoman, Cathica said. “We have a management inspection. How do you want it? By the book?”
“Right from stratch, thanks,” the Doctor answered.
“OK. So, ladies, gentlemen, multi-sex, undecided or robot - my name is Cathica Santini Khadeni. That's Cathica with a C, in case you want to write to Floor Five Hundred praising me and please do. Now, please feel free to ask any questions. The process of news gathering must be open, honest, and beyond bias. That's company policy.”
“Actually, that's the law,” Suki said.
“Yes, thank you, Suki. Okay, keep it calm. Don't show off for the guests. Here we go.” Cathica sat in a central chair. “And engage safety...
The other newspeople place their hands on scanners around the edge of the chair. Cathica clicked her fingers and a portal opened in her forehead.
'Okay...' Felicia thought, 'that's quite obvious...'
“And three, two and spike...” A stream of light started streaming into Cathica's portal.
“Compressed information, streaming into her,” the Doctor explained. “Reports from every city, every country, every planet and they all get packaged inside her head. She becomes part of the software. Her brain is the computer.”
“If it all goes through her, she must be a genius,” Rose commented.
“Nah, she wouldn't remember any of it. There's too much. Her head'd blow up. The brain's the processor. As soon as it closes, she forgets.”
“So, what about all these people around the edge?” Rose asked.
“They've all got tiny little chips in their head, connecting them to her and they transmit six hundred channels. Every single fact in the Empire beams out of this place. Now that's what I call power,” the Doctor explained.
“Quite advanced,” Felicia commented.
“But not as advanced as it should be,” the Doctor commented.
“Supposed to be old hat?” Felicia asked.
“Yes,” the Doctor answered.
“But it's amazing!” Adam pointed out.
“But it's wrong!” the Doctor objected/
“Trouble?” Rose asked.
“Oh, yeah.”
Suki pulled her hand away as if stung by an electric shock. The information beam shut down and Cathica's portal closed. “Come off it Suki. I wasn't even halfway. What was that for?”
“Sorry, it must have been a glitch.”
“Oh,” Cathica said.
“Promotion,” a tannoy said as a wall lit up with the word.
“Come on. This is it! Come on,” Cathica said. “Make it me. Come on, say my name, say my name, say my name.”
“Promotion for Suki Macrae Cantrell. Pleae proceed to Floor Five Hundred.”
“I don't believe it. Floor five hundred!”
“How the hell did you ,manage that? I'm above you,” Cathica objected.
“I don't know. I just applied on the off chance and they've said yes.”
“That's so not fair. I've been applying to Floor five hundred for three years.”
“What's floor five hundred?” Rose asked.
“The floors are made of gold,” the Doctor snarked.
Soon, they were over near the lift. “Cathica, I'm going to miss you. Floor five hundred, thank you.”
“I didn't do anything,” the Doctor said.
“Well, you're my lucky charm,” Suki said.
“All right I'll hug anyone,” the Doctor said.
Adam and Rose wondered off, and then Suki went into the elevator.
“Good riddance,” Cathica said.
“You're talking like you'll never see her again. She's only going upstairs,” the Doctor said.
“We won't. Once you go to floor five hundred, you never come back,” Cathica said, leading the Doctor and Felicia back to the cafeteria.
“Have you ever been up there?” the Doctor asked.
“I can't. You need a key for the lift, and you only get a key with promotion. No one gets to five hundred except the chosen few,” Cathica explained.
“I see,” the Doctor considered.
…
“Look, they only give us twenty minutes maintenance. Can't you give it a rest?” Cathica complained.
“No,” Felicia commented.
“What she said,” The Doctor said,” You've never been to another floor? Not even one floor down?” he asked as he sat in the broadcast chair.
“I went to floor sixteen when I first arrived. That's medical. That's when I got my head done, and then I came straight here. Satellite Five, you work, eat and sleep on the same floor. That's it. That's all. You're not management are you.”
“You guessed it,” Felicia said.
“Yeah, well, whatever it is, don't involve me. I don't know anything,” Cathica said.
“Don't you even ask?” the Doctor asked.
“Well, why would I?”
“You're a journalist,” the Doctor pointed out. “Why's all the crew human?”
“What's that got to do with anything?”
“There's no aliens on board. Why?” the Doctor asked.
“I don't know,” Cathica admitted. “No real reason. They're not banned or anything.”
“Then where are they?” the Doctor asked.
“I suppose immigration's tightened up. It's had to, what with all the threats,” Cathica answered.
“What threats?” the Doctor asked.
“I don't know all of them. Usual stuff. And the price of space warp doubled so that kept the visitors away...” Cathica said.
Felicia interuppted. “That doesn't explain it all,” she said.
“There's lots of little reasons, that's all,” Cathica continued.
“Adding up to one big fact, and you didn't even notice,” the Doctor said.
“Doctor, I think if there was any kind of conspiracy, Sattelite Five would have seen it. We see everything.”
“I can see better,” the Doctor returned. “This society's the wrong shape, even the technology.”
“It's cutting edge,” Cathica retorted.
“It's backwards. There's a great big door in your head. You should've chucked this out years ago.”
“So, what is going on?” Felicia asked.
“It's not just this space station, it's the whole attitude. It's what people think. The great and bountiful Human Empire's stunted. Something's holding it back.”
“And how would you know?” Cathica asked.
“Trust me, humanity's been set back about ninety years. When did Satellite Five begin broadcasting?”
“Ninety one years ago.”
“Now everyone behave,” the newswoman, Cathica said. “We have a management inspection. How do you want it? By the book?”
“Right from stratch, thanks,” the Doctor answered.
“OK. So, ladies, gentlemen, multi-sex, undecided or robot - my name is Cathica Santini Khadeni. That's Cathica with a C, in case you want to write to Floor Five Hundred praising me and please do. Now, please feel free to ask any questions. The process of news gathering must be open, honest, and beyond bias. That's company policy.”
“Actually, that's the law,” Suki said.
“Yes, thank you, Suki. Okay, keep it calm. Don't show off for the guests. Here we go.” Cathica sat in a central chair. “And engage safety...
The other newspeople place their hands on scanners around the edge of the chair. Cathica clicked her fingers and a portal opened in her forehead.
'Okay...' Felicia thought, 'that's quite obvious...'
“And three, two and spike...” A stream of light started streaming into Cathica's portal.
“Compressed information, streaming into her,” the Doctor explained. “Reports from every city, every country, every planet and they all get packaged inside her head. She becomes part of the software. Her brain is the computer.”
“If it all goes through her, she must be a genius,” Rose commented.
“Nah, she wouldn't remember any of it. There's too much. Her head'd blow up. The brain's the processor. As soon as it closes, she forgets.”
“So, what about all these people around the edge?” Rose asked.
“They've all got tiny little chips in their head, connecting them to her and they transmit six hundred channels. Every single fact in the Empire beams out of this place. Now that's what I call power,” the Doctor explained.
“Quite advanced,” Felicia commented.
“But not as advanced as it should be,” the Doctor commented.
“Supposed to be old hat?” Felicia asked.
“Yes,” the Doctor answered.
“But it's amazing!” Adam pointed out.
“But it's wrong!” the Doctor objected/
“Trouble?” Rose asked.
“Oh, yeah.”
Suki pulled her hand away as if stung by an electric shock. The information beam shut down and Cathica's portal closed. “Come off it Suki. I wasn't even halfway. What was that for?”
“Sorry, it must have been a glitch.”
“Oh,” Cathica said.
“Promotion,” a tannoy said as a wall lit up with the word.
“Come on. This is it! Come on,” Cathica said. “Make it me. Come on, say my name, say my name, say my name.”
“Promotion for Suki Macrae Cantrell. Pleae proceed to Floor Five Hundred.”
“I don't believe it. Floor five hundred!”
“How the hell did you ,manage that? I'm above you,” Cathica objected.
“I don't know. I just applied on the off chance and they've said yes.”
“That's so not fair. I've been applying to Floor five hundred for three years.”
“What's floor five hundred?” Rose asked.
“The floors are made of gold,” the Doctor snarked.
Soon, they were over near the lift. “Cathica, I'm going to miss you. Floor five hundred, thank you.”
“I didn't do anything,” the Doctor said.
“Well, you're my lucky charm,” Suki said.
“All right I'll hug anyone,” the Doctor said.
Adam and Rose wondered off, and then Suki went into the elevator.
“Good riddance,” Cathica said.
“You're talking like you'll never see her again. She's only going upstairs,” the Doctor said.
“We won't. Once you go to floor five hundred, you never come back,” Cathica said, leading the Doctor and Felicia back to the cafeteria.
“Have you ever been up there?” the Doctor asked.
“I can't. You need a key for the lift, and you only get a key with promotion. No one gets to five hundred except the chosen few,” Cathica explained.
“I see,” the Doctor considered.
…
“Look, they only give us twenty minutes maintenance. Can't you give it a rest?” Cathica complained.
“No,” Felicia commented.
“What she said,” The Doctor said,” You've never been to another floor? Not even one floor down?” he asked as he sat in the broadcast chair.
“I went to floor sixteen when I first arrived. That's medical. That's when I got my head done, and then I came straight here. Satellite Five, you work, eat and sleep on the same floor. That's it. That's all. You're not management are you.”
“You guessed it,” Felicia said.
“Yeah, well, whatever it is, don't involve me. I don't know anything,” Cathica said.
“Don't you even ask?” the Doctor asked.
“Well, why would I?”
“You're a journalist,” the Doctor pointed out. “Why's all the crew human?”
“What's that got to do with anything?”
“There's no aliens on board. Why?” the Doctor asked.
“I don't know,” Cathica admitted. “No real reason. They're not banned or anything.”
“Then where are they?” the Doctor asked.
“I suppose immigration's tightened up. It's had to, what with all the threats,” Cathica answered.
“What threats?” the Doctor asked.
“I don't know all of them. Usual stuff. And the price of space warp doubled so that kept the visitors away...” Cathica said.
Felicia interuppted. “That doesn't explain it all,” she said.
“There's lots of little reasons, that's all,” Cathica continued.
“Adding up to one big fact, and you didn't even notice,” the Doctor said.
“Doctor, I think if there was any kind of conspiracy, Sattelite Five would have seen it. We see everything.”
“I can see better,” the Doctor returned. “This society's the wrong shape, even the technology.”
“It's cutting edge,” Cathica retorted.
“It's backwards. There's a great big door in your head. You should've chucked this out years ago.”
“So, what is going on?” Felicia asked.
“It's not just this space station, it's the whole attitude. It's what people think. The great and bountiful Human Empire's stunted. Something's holding it back.”
“And how would you know?” Cathica asked.
“Trust me, humanity's been set back about ninety years. When did Satellite Five begin broadcasting?”
“Ninety one years ago.”