Mini ep. 12: Crystal Glare

Crystal Glare

Featuring: The Doctor and Georgia
With: Conner
Sir Henry Everton
Xanthe
'Jeeves'
Mrs Hart
Lottie
Space Chicken

The Doctor led his companions Georgia and Conner into the gentleman’s house. They perched their bottoms on the edge of comfy chairs, and observed the ornate rugs and tables and countless amounts of chinaware. A dusty Butler entered the room with a pot of tea. He began to pour out the tea into four cups, while the Doctor and his friends waited for Sir Everton. The Doctor picked up his cup of tea, and began to drink it with his little finger stuck out, like a posh person is famed to do. The Butler motioned to Georgia, asking her if she wanted a cup.

“No thanks,” Georgia said “not after Gregory.”

Conner grinned, as Sir Everton entered the room. He went over to the Doctor, and shook his hand vigorously.

“Hullo old chap!” the Doctor beamed.
“Yes, hello! Jolly good show you’ve put on!” Sir Everton smiled “and who is this super lady?”
“Hello,” Georgia said in a posh accent.
“This is Georgia, and this is Conner of the, err- London Watson’s,” the Doctor invented.
“Charmed,” Sir Everton said, flashing them a smile.

The Doctor leaned forward and whispered into Sir Everton’s ear.

“Let me see her.”

Sir Everton nodded, and stood up. He left the room, after the door was opened by the Butler.

“So, Doctor… What are we here for exactly? And how do you know old Charlie-Boy anyway?” Conner said.
“He used to travel with me. Well, he did once… It was an accident, but I told him that I borrowed the TARDIS from HG Wells!” the Doctor grinned.
“I’d have thought you would know HG Wells, given your connections,” Conner said thoughtfully.
“I did! Well, when he was a baby,” the Doctor replied.
“So who are we gonna see now?” Georgia asked.
“I whispered that!” the Doctor cried indignantly.
“I have very good hearing,” Georgia retorted.
“So you know what I’m getting you for your birthday?” the Doctor moaned.
“Yep.”

Just at that moment Sir Everton entered the room with a pale girl, who was about 16 years old. The Doctor stood up and began to examine her with the Sonic Screwdriver. She didn’t react to this, as if it was a routine she was used to. The Doctor stopped bleeping her with a satisfied smile.

“It’s fine. Nothing wrong, I’ll be back in 5 years for her check-up though,” the Doctor smiled.
“Oh, that’s a relief, I thought I was a bit paler recently,” the girl said.
“Xanthe, I always say you work too hard- especially as you’re not expected to work at all!” Sir Everton scalded, not unkindly.
“Thank you Sir Henry, but I do the work around the house because I enjoy it ever so much, and I like to feel I’m earning my stay,” Xanthe said.

Conner stood up and pulled the Doctor to one side.

“And, what’s wrong with her?” he asked.
“Xanthe is a Chameleon,” the Doctor explained “she was adopted by Sir Henry Everton, who agreed to look after her. We have to do regular check-ups to make sure she’s not fading.”
“How d’you mean?” Conner said, slightly aghast.
“She hasn’t got the Rictorpete Particles that fill her home world. The Chameleons absorb these Particles, and it helps them keep their ability to change into their backgrounds. Without them, she could fade away completely.”
“And why doesn’t she?” Conner asked.
“Because of a very special crystal hidden in this house, that keeps her alive,” the Doctor said quietly “but she doesn’t know that…”
“Oh my God!” Conner gasped.

The Doctor nodded. Silence followed.

BANG! The Doctor, Georgia, Conner, the Butler, Sir Henry and Xanthe were flung sideways. The roof had collapsed on Sir Everton’s posh country house. A spaceship hovered over the house, which the Doctor stared up at through the gaping hole in the roof.

“What the bloody hell was that?” Georgia said, before adding a few choice swearwords.
“Look!” Conner cried, pointing upwards.
“Excuse me- what are you shouting?” Sir Henry cried, standing up and facing Georgia with an expression of shock.

Georgia brushed off the rubble to confront Sir Henry.

“What? A spaceship has just smashed your roof off- and you complain about my language?” Georgia said, incredulously.
“You had no need to swear! If I had an acquaintance who swore so much, she wouldn’t be my acquaintance for long!” Sir Henry said.
“Excuse me!” the Doctor said, stepping over a wooden beam “there’s a time and a place!”

Conner had to stuff his hand into his mouth to stop laughing. He couldn’t contain himself, and fell over backwards, laughing his head off.

“Conner!” Georgia grinned in a tone of mock shock.
“Whoa!” the Doctor cried, pulling Xanthe out of the way.

A beam of light flew down from the spaceship, and what could only be described as a chicken in a space suit teleported into the beam of light. He had a giant space gun. He pointed it in the direction of Xanthe and the Doctor.

“Where’s my crystal?” the Chicken boomed.
“Your- your crystal?” the Doctor asked.
“Yes, my crystal!” the Chicken boomed “you stole it off me!”
“Oh. Your memory is a good one. Ah well, new approach, RUN!” the Doctor shouted.

The Doctor, Xanthe, Sir Henry, the Butler, Georgia and Conner picked their way over the rubble and ran from the room. The Chicken ran after them.

The Doctor and his friends burst into a corridor, and the door was Sonicked. There was a heavy bump as the Chicken slammed into the other side of the door.

“Right,” the Doctor said, beginning to formulate a plan in his mind “we need to get everyone out.”
“Who else is there in the house?” Georgia asked.
“Only the kitchen staff,” Sir Henry informed them, warming to Georgia due to the current events.
“I can get them out,” Conner said suddenly “give time for you all to escape.”
“Conner… You can’t. We don’t know who turkey-face’ll go for,” the Doctor said.
“He wants you- you stole his crystal,” Conner pointed out.
“It wasn’t my fault!” the Doctor cried “but I suppose you’re right. Go on then, twist my arm. But I want someone to go with you! Sir Henry, Xanthe, you’re with me!”
“Fine, I get Jeeves then,” Conner muttered, leading the Butler off down the corridor “you can show me to the kitchens.”

The Doctor, Georgia, Sir Henry and Xanthe rushed out of the house just as the space Chicken shot the door off its hinges. He ran after them, and swept out onto the lawn, confronting the Doctor.

“Where’s my crystal?!” the Chicken roared.
“In the house,” the Doctor smiled, pretending to be a helpful assistant at a shop.

The Chicken left, but not before firing at the Doctor. Georgia pulled his head down, and fortunately no one was hurt.

“Come on- we’ve only got a little while left!” Conner cried, lowering his phone.

Georgia had just called to say that the Chicken was on his way, and was looking for the crystal. ‘Jeeves’ led the way into the kitchens.

“Ladies, we must leave, there is a madman on the loose! The master has already left the house with the Doctor!” ‘Jeeves’ cried.
“But we must protect the crystal!” Mrs Hart cried “it’s time to get it out of the safe.”

She ran over to a cupboard and opened it. Hidden inside it, was a gleaming metal safe. Mrs Hart opened an access panel, and a question appeared in front of her.

“What’s Lottie’s favourite fruit?” Mrs Hart read aloud “Lottie! What’s yer favourite fruit?”
“Carrots!” Lottie cried back, running over to ‘Jeeves’.
“Carrots?” Mrs Hart exclaimed.
“It’s a trick question!” Lottie called over to her.

Mrs Hart typed it in, and the access panel re-slotted back into the safe, and the door swung open. A dark blue glowing crystal shone out of the safe. Mrs Hart reached in and took it out just as the Chicken burst into the room.

“Give it to him! He’s got a space gun!” Lottie cried.
“Do as she says,” Conner agreed.

Reluctantly, Mrs Hart handed over the crystal. With a cry of triumph, the Chicken teleported back to his spaceship; this then flew off.

Later, the Doctor, Georgia and Conner were walking across the rubble strewed lawn, to the TARDIS.

“What’ll happen to Xanthe now?” Georgia asked.
“She’ll be alright- she’s strong enough to live without the crystal now- I was gonna tell her before we left, and before that Chicken interrupted the proceedings,” the Doctor smiled.
“Well, I suppose this has taught us a lesson,” Conner grinned.
“What?” Georgia and the Doctor asked simultaneously.
“Crime doesn’t pay!” Conner grinned.

The TARDIS crew fell about laughing; before the Doctor suggested somewhere else they could have an adventure. Conner didn’t hear what he said, but they had the whole universe, and the whole of time and space to choose from.

The end.