Episode 2: TimeSpan Part 4

The Doctor, Georgia, Conner, Holly, Kirsty and the Krillitanes stopped at a number pad. The pad was hanging off several red and blue wires that snaked into the door frame. The door was hanging off the frame. The number pad, which held the codes to open the door had been ripped off after the aliens that tried to get into the office couldn’t crack the codes, and then the door itself was ripped off its hinges.

“What’s through here?” Kirsty asked.
“The office of Mr Braithwaite, co owner of the TimeSpan prison complex,” the Doctor said, opening the door.
“That’s disgusting,” Holly said, staring at the room beyond.

The body of Mr Braithwaite was lying, in half, on the floor. Blood was splattered all over his curtains, and the message ‘this is what you get’ was written on the far wall in blood. The Doctor and the others stayed by the door, not wanting to disturb any possibly evidence, if there was an investigation.

“Can you smell that?” the Doctor said.
“It smells like batteries!” Conner said, wrinkling his nose at the strong smell.
“And toothpaste,” Georgia said.
“And what does that tell us?” the Doctor asked.
“That Mr Braithwaite brushes his teeth…?” Jerry, the Krillitane who lived with another man said.
“Yes… But what else?” the Doctor said.
“That he uses a battery powered –” Holly began.
“Nope,” the Doctor said, quickly interrupting.
“I was gonna say electric toothbrush!” Holly protested.
“Does it mean that the aliens killed him, then teleported back to their planets?” Georgia said.
“Exactement,” the Doctor said, in a French accent.
“What about us?” the brave Krillitane who stood up to Holly and Conner asked.
“What about you?” Kirsty asked.
“Well, what do we Krillitanes do? We never killed him,” another Krillitane said sadly.
“Well, you can find Miss Swade in a cupboard in the HJR sector,” Kirsty said helpfully.
“Thanks!” the Krillitane with the angry wife said, leading the others in their transformations back into bat form.
“Kirsty! Why did you tell them that?” the Doctor asked as the Krillitanes flew away.
“They asked?” Kirsty said, unsure of the answer.
“Well,” Holly said “it gets rid of Miss Swade, and the bats leave us!”
"They spelt 'that's what you get' wrong," Georgia muttered.

Guards Kristoph and Pokaski stopped in the corridor as they heard marching.

“What is that?” Pokaski asked.
“It sounds like an army,” Kristoph replied.
“Raise your gun,” Pokaski said.
“Already have,” Kristoph smiled.

“This really is hard work!” Georgia said, as she dragged a metal pole over the rubble piles.
“It’s a good distraction,” Ben said.
“From what?” Georgia asked.
“From everything that’s happened,” Ben replied.
“Such as…?” Georgia asked.
“Well,” Ben snapped “I’ve lost my job, my friends are probably dead under this rubble, I’m trapped on a deserted planet, we’ve got no food, no water, no means of survival, no company but each other.”
“That’s not so bad,” Georgia said, smiling at his handsome face.
“But what happens when we get… you know?” Ben asked.
“What?”
“What happens when we need…?”
“What? A little time with your girlfriend? In private?” Georgia asked grinning.
“Yeah,” Ben said. “I can’t not have that again…”
“Well there’s me,” Georgia said, hoping she didn’t sound too eager.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’d work,” Ben said, choosing his words carefully.
“You know, I’ve been proposed to, and I said no. I’ve nearly been asked, and I would’ve said yes. But I’ve never had someone not interested in me, when I like them,” Georgia said.
“Sorry,” Ben said apologetically. “But, you’re a very pretty girl. It’s just; I’m not interested in…”
“You’re gay? Oh my God, I’m so sorry…” Georgia blushed.
“Gavril Fish!” Ben cried.
“What? Is that code word for something? Cos I don’t wanna know…”
“No, it means tricked you!” Ben laughed.
“Ohhh, like April Fool?” Georgia asked.
“Yeah,” Ben said.
“You mean…? You’re not gay?” Georgia asked.
“Nope,” Ben said. “Oh, and, your offer, if I need girlfriend time…”
“It’s fine, forget it,” Georgia said. “I mean, if you don’t fancy me, it’s cool.”
“No, I wanted to say I’d be delighted to have girlfriend time with you,” Ben said blushing.

Georgia blushed back, turned away so he couldn’t see her face, and picked up more rubble. The Doctor, Georgia, Conner, Holly and Kirsty stepped away from the door. The Doctor held Miss Swade’s sonic pen in his left hand, and the sonic screwdriver in his right.

“It’s time to get rid of this,” the Doctor said.

He walked over to a pod in the wall, and placed the sonic screwdriver inside it. Pressing a lever down, and activating the sonic screwdriver, he set off the pod controls. The sonic pen vanished in a flash of light.

“Where did it go?” Georgia asked.
“To Miss Foster, from Miss Swade,” the Doctor said.
“Express delivery!” Conner and Georgia laughed.

Georgia pulled a metal frame from over an alien. It was dead. Georgia sighed. They hadn’t saved anyone for a while. Georgia continued to wonder which planet they were trapped on, but didn’t think Ben would know. They hadn’t talked since their girlfriend chat, but Georgia eventually plucked up the courage to talk to him again.

“What planet are we on?” Georgia asked.
“Now, here?” Ben asked.
“Yeah,” Georgia said.
“Well, before I tell you, don’t think too badly of it, we might be here for a long time,” Ben said.
“Why? What’s wrong with it?” Georgia asked uncertainly.
“Why do you think there’s anything wrong with it?” Ben asked.
“Well you said don’t think too badly of it,” Georgia said.
“Oh, that! It’s just a little primitive, that’s all,” Ben laughed.
“It is a bit now, yeah, seeing as everyone died,” Georgia said. “So what’s it called?”
“Earth.”

An earthquake-like shake made the Doctor look up.

“What was that?” Georgia asked.
“Something wants our attention,” the Doctor said quietly.
“Like what?” Holly asked.
“Yeah,” Kirsty agreed. “I thought everyone got out of here?”
“Well someone stayed,” Conner said.

Georgia screamed as a large chunk of ceiling fell down. The Doctor pulled them all out of harms way. A blue light shone down from the hole.

“Either that’s a gravity platform,” the Doctor began.
“Or God’s had a change of decoration,” Conner finished. “White lights been replaced with blue, it’s all the rage in the Pantheon.”
“What do we do now?” Georgia asked.
“You stay here. I’m going up there,” the Doctor said.
“But what if it’s a trap…?” Holly asked.
“Then I’m prepared,” the Doctor said.
“I’m coming too,” Kirsty said.
“Us too!” Georgia said.
“None of you are coming,” the Doctor said. “It could be dangerous. I’m not having you get hurt.”
“What if you get hurt?” Georgia asked quietly.
“What do you mean?” the Doctor asked.
“Nothing,” Georgia said quickly. “I just meant what would we do, if you died? We’d be trapped here.”
“Cheerful!” the Doctor said, stepping in to the gravity platform’s light.

Around 50 Dendrites marched down the corridor. Guard Pokaski stepped towards them. The Dendrites looked like lions; they had claws, but walked on two legs.

“State your intent!” Guard Pokaski ordered.
“Roar!” one Dendrite said angrily.

Guard Kristoph placed a pad on Guard Pokaski’s chest. It was linked to another wire on Guard Kristoph’s chest. Pokaski looked at him curiously.

“Teleport,” Kristoph explained, activating it.

Georgia dropped the metal she was shifting and ran away from Ben, over the rubble piles. He started after her, but stopped.

“Where are you going?” Ben asked. “Was it something I said?”
“No! This is my planet!” Georgia shouted, as she was far away.
“What?!” Ben shouted back incredulously.
“I need to find my family,” Georgia yelled, disappearing over a hill of rubble.

She stopped once she had reached the edge of the rubble. Here she stood on grass, and stones. This was more like Earth. It was a bit harder to recognise once it had been flattened by a crashing spaceship. Looking around, Georgia tried to work out where they were. With a gasp, she realised where TimeSpan had crashed.

“The park!”

The light was dark, and the Doctor found, even with his excellent eyesight, it was hard to make out anything. He got a torch out of his pocket, and saw he was in another office. Miss Swade’s office, the Doctor presumed. He saw a huddled mass at the other end of the corridor, and pointed the torch in its direction. What he saw shocked him.

Conner sat down on the floor, next to Holly. Georgia and Kirsty were sat on the opposite side of the corridor, leaning against the wall.

“So what was your life like before you met us?” Conner asked Holly.
“Bit boring really,” Holly laughed. “I lived in London. I nearly went to a school called Park Vale, but I went to another place instead. I was in year 10.”
“Park Vale… Where have I heard that?” Conner asked.
“We helped Sarah Jane there, remember?” Georgia replied.
“Oh yeah! But we don’t talk about that, not after what happened with the Doctor and the banana skin, remember?” Conner laughed.
“He is such a Muppet!” Georgia laughed.

“He is such a Muppet!” Georgia muttered as she ran down the street of destroyed houses.

She cursed the Doctor for not being able to stop TimeSpan from crashing into her planet. He must have used the TARDIS to help, after all, the TARDIS always landed in the park when she visited her parents. Georgia gulped; what if her parents were dead? She wiped tears from her eyes, and ran into the next street, her street. Here, the houses were less damaged. Perhaps the Earth wasn’t destroyed after all. She stopped at her front door. Would her mum (if she was still alive) get annoyed at her not knocking in a time like this? Of course she would, this was Elizabeth Bell after all! Georgia knocked on the door, and waited for the reply that may never come.

To be continued…