VTV Series Episode 6: The Jungle Book

The TARDIS materialised in a jungle, full of plants and cries of animals in the distance. Katie Parker stepped out, and looked around. The Doctor followed in his blue suit, and shut the door behind him.

“Where are we?” Katie asked.
“It’s the 37th Century, and this is the planet Flora Colenso. It’s home to every plant species in the universe, except daffodils. Dunno why though,” the Doctor replied walking down a bark covered path.
“I think it’s beautiful,” Katie breathed. “Why are we here?”
“I was thinking we could plant a few daffodils,” the Doctor grinned.
“But why don’t they have daffodils here?” Katie asked.
“Never heard of them. They died out, I guess,” the Doctor said. “We’ll plant them outside greenhouse 3, with a label. Daffodils wouldn’t be anything unless they were called daffodils.”
“I can’t believe we’re doing something like this! This is amazing!” Katie said.
“Helping the human race remember daffodils!” the Doctor grinned.
“My life with you, it’s different everyday!”
“It’d be boring if it was all the same,” the Doctor pointed out.

They walked past a host of translucent red glass plants, which were curved and twisted, reaching up for the sunlight. They hopped over large roots in the ground, and carried on.

“What plant has those big roots?” Katie asked.
“I’d rather not talk about that one,” the Doctor said.
“Why not?” Katie asked, grinning.
“They have an annoying name,” the Doctor explained.

Far up in the sky, several galaxies away from Flora Colenso, a volcanic-like planet erupted. Two seed pods shot across the galaxy, and into the next. They kept each other safe on the long journey, past stars and planets, and suns and moons. They leapt and danced and laughed in the blackness. They sang and skipped and ducked and dived, always on their path to the planet Flora Colenso. There were other plants there; sick plants, underfed plants, all trapped in giant houses by the human race. The two seed pods would eventually germinate and grow, and save the hundreds of species of plant trapped on a lonely planet.

Katie ran through the jungle. They had been there a while, when all of a sudden a tree with thick black roots attacked them.

“This kind of thing’s normal!” the Doctor had said as they had dived out of its path.
“Normal?” Katie had screeched. “I thought you said these plants were nice!”
“I said pretty, not friendly! Or maybe I said pretty friendly… Still, this plant isn’t!”
“What’s it called anyway?” Katie asked as she had thrown herself sideways to avoid another root.
“Horticurous Tentacula!” the Doctor had said, avoiding razor sharp leaves. “Split up!”
“Meet you back at the STARDIS!” Katie cried, running off.
“The TARDIS!” the Doctor called after her.
“What?” Katie shouted.
“Never mind!” the Doctor said, dodging the Tentacula.

Katie ducked into a bush. The leaves brushing her face smelt sweetly of mint. She could here the rustle of the Tentacula searching for her. She held her breath as it moved towards the bush.

The Doctor ducked behind a tree, as the Tentacula roots shot past him. He breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe it hadn’t found Katie yet, either. She was brave, she’d be fine. Thoughts of Katie dying crept into his mind like roots spreading through the soil. He shook them off, it was only a plant after all, and they’d faced much worse things. The Doctor turned around. The roots had wrapped around a sign post. Jungle Book: Greenhouse 5, read the sign.

“Jungle Book?” the Doctor said.

He instantly regretted speaking aloud; the Tentacula had heard him. Katie screamed as the Tentacula grabbed her foot. She clawed at the rich soil; attempting to stop it from dragging her to her death. Suddenly there was a flash, and gun shot, and a shower of sparks. The Tentacula lost its grip, and Katie crawled out of the bush. She looked up to see her saviour. Trying not to smile, she saw a man in explorers gear, with a large moustache.

“Hello,” Katie said.
“Hello there! Awful mess you were in,” he said cheerily.
“Yeah, thanks,” Katie said.

He helped her to her feet, and offered a hand to shake.

“Sir Ralph Forest,” the man announced grandly.
“Katie Parker,” Katie smiled.
“I say, I think we should be on our way,” Ralph said. “I think we’re the only humans left alive. The plants are turning deadly – the rest of the human life has been destroyed.”
“My friend’s still here,” Katie said quickly. “The Doctor. I need to find him.”
“I’ll send out a rescue probe,” Sir Ralph offered.
“Thanks,” Katie said again.

The probe found the Doctor just in time – the Tentacula had its thick black roots wrapped around his neck. With one red laser beam blast, the roots crippled and shrank. The Doctor rubbed his now sore neck.

“Thanks,” he said awkwardly to the probe.

It beeped in appreciation, and sped off. Time to find this Jungle Book.

“Spiffing! The probe found your friend!” Sir Ralph cried, waving his arms around.
“Where is he?” Katie asked.
“He seemed like an awfully nice chap. By Greenhouse 5. By the Jungle Book…” Ralph gasped. “Come on fair lady!”

Katie raised her eyebrows, but with one drag of Ralph’s arms, she began to run. The Doctor slipped between the fine doors of Greenhouse 5. The huge dome loomed up above. There weren’t many plants here, the Doctor noticed. Perhaps that was a good thing. The Doctor looked over to the other side of the room. There was a platform made of roots, entwining up a plinth, eventually sprouting out to hold an extraordinary glass book. The Doctor hopped over to it excitedly.

“The Jungle Book, I presume,” the Doctor said.

He opened its thin pages. The glass was brittle – easily damaged. He flicked through as quickly and as carefully as he could.

“It’s a book,” he muttered. “A book listing every species of plant in the universe! But what’s it got about plant control…?”

Katie and Ralph reached Greenhouse 5 and slid open the door.

“Doctor!” Katie cried, running and hugging him.
“Watch the book – oh, never mind,” the Doctor replied, hugging her back.
“Sir Ralph,” Ralph introduced himself.
“Pleased to meet you,” the Doctor said. “It seems we have a problem.”
“I gathered that old chap!” Ralph chortled, amused by himself.
“Well yes, quite,” the Doctor sighed. “Did you gather that it was the Krynoids?”
“What?” Katie asked blankly.

The Doctor lifted up the glass book, and using the sonic screwdriver, projected a double page on the side of the Greenhouse.

“They come in pairs, from across space,” the Doctor informed them. “They seek out helpless plant life, rescuing it from dangerous species. Or, that’s what they’re doing this time.”
“Can we stop them?” Katie asked.
“We need extreme high temperatures,” the Doctor said. “And something to attack them in space – if we leave it till the pods land here there will be no way to stop them.”

Suddenly a wall of the Greenhouse smashed, and a giant weed-like plant pulled itself through the hole. Part of it grabbed the Doctor, sending the sonic screwdriver across the floor, and making the Jungle Book drop and smash into fragments.

“No!” Katie cried, reaching out for the book.

She grabbed a shard of glass before she and Ralph were pulled off their feet as well.

“It’s going to kill us!” the Doctor cried, wriggling.
“I say!” Ralph said. “What do we do?”
“Ralph!” Katie cried. “Your rescue probe! Can it emit heat? We could use it to stop the Krynoids!”
“Brilliant!” the Doctor cried. “Do you have it?”
“Here,” Ralph said. “But it’ll need tampering with. I can do it, but I’ll need your screwdriver!”

Katie saw it was closest to her. She heaved the shard of glass in her hand and smashed it into the creature. It squealed, and dropped her. She crawled forwards and grabbed the sonic screwdriver.

“Catch!” she cried, lobbing it to Ralph.

The sonic emitted a blue squeak, and the probe shot off through the ceiling of Greenhouse 5. Outside the sky went red, as the sky lit up. A pillar of fire streamed from the Greenhouse to where the Krynoid pods had been destroyed.

“Ha!” the Doctor cried, as the plants dropped him.

Ralph was dropped too, and hugged by a cheering Katie.

“I say!” Ralph cried again.
“Shut up,” Katie laughed.

***

“There we go!” the Doctor grinned.

He stood up, and Katie and Ralph peered at the soil. A bed of daffodils flowered neatly in place.

“Back where they should be!” Katie smiled.
“Spiffing!” Ralph said.
“You don’t know what they are, do you?” Katie laughed.
“Yes… They, they…” Ralph stuttered.
“Now that is Spiffing,” Katie grinned. “Chin chin!”

The End