Episode 10: Hide and Seek Part 5

“Oh my Christ!” Korena cried as she stepped inside the TARDIS.

Conner grinned, remembering his reaction when the Doctor had shown him the wonders of his ship. Korena ran back outside, checking if what she saw could possibly be true. It was, and she returned, somewhat sheepish, back to the control room a few seconds later.

“It’s a bit rubbish,” Conner shrugged, grinning.
“It’s amazing,” Korena said.

The Doctor leapt around the console. He studied the scanner intently, frowning, and pulling on his brainy specs.

“Why would someone do this?” he muttered to himself.
“Do what?” Conner asked.
“Release those black creatures at Korena’s party,” the Doctor replied. “Someone obviously wanted Korena out of the way, but for what?”
“I dunno,” Conner said. “Maybe she charged too much.”
“Ha ha,” the Doctor sighed. “Actually, that’s brilliant!”

He hugged Conner, lifting him off his feet. Korena looked perplexed.

“I always knew I was brilliant,” Conner said. “I just never knew how you’d find out.”
“Jokes aside, you are good,” the Doctor grinned.
“So, how am I good?” Conner asked, confused.
“Someone wants Korena out of the way,” the Doctor explained. “Now who would that be? When you said maybe she charged too much, I realised. Someone is jealous of Korena.”
“Oh,” Korena said. “I see what you mean.”

The Doctor nodded. Now it was Conner’s turn to look perplexed.

“Conner, you need to stay here, look after Georgia,” the Doctor said.
“Awww!” Conner protested. “But –”
“She’ll be unconscious,” the Doctor pointed out.
“Have fun,” Conner said automatically. “I want you back soon though.”

The Doctor grinned, and nodded to Korena. She headed for the TARDIS doors, looking back at Conner one last time.

“Right, you know where we need to go?” the Doctor asked.

He and Korena stepped out of the TARDIS. Korena nodded in reply, and led the way. The Doctor jogged to catch up, mentally checking the time as he went.

“It’s a good job you know where you’re going,” he said, walking in front of Korena.
“I mean, I’ve just used the TARDIS, I’ve got no idea how far away or how close it is. It can’t be that far, cos you wouldn’t have time to get back here for a party, but it must be fairly far away, otherwise you wouldn’t need to live in a trailer. Blimey, I’ve never been with anyone so quiet. Korena, Korena?”

He looked around, and saw Korena collapsed on the floor. He ran over to her, groaning.

“What happens to you Korena?” he asked softly. “The last time we arrived at 10 o’clock, you were asleep then. Two hours I’ve got to wait now.”

He sighed. Maybe the film set was two hours away. That would be lucky. Leaving Korena laying in the street, the Doctor ran to find someone, with a hovercraft, preferably.

“Lee?” Margaret called, knocking on the door. “Where are you?”

Lee had led Margaret, Kimiko, Kaito, Aimee and Yoshiro to his house. It was time, and Kimiko, Kaito, Aimee and Yoshiro were asleep in their beds. Margaret opened the door to Lee’s bedroom, and found he had crumpled, and was lying on the bed, asleep.

“Ah,” she said. “You too.”

Ever since the year 3968, at 10 o’clock, the whole of Japan fell asleep. Or so everyone thought. It was more complicated than that. You had to have Japanese blood in you – Margaret was completely British, so she stayed awake, and Lee, in England, still fell asleep, despite being hundreds of miles from Japan. It would be two hours until everyone was back. Margaret switched on the television to pass the time. There was a report on the attack at Korena’s house, and Margaret was surprised it had reached England so early.

“Early tonight, there were terrifying scenes at the house of Korena Hashimoto, Japan’s most famous actress. Small black creatures, being dubbed the Borsht, attacked the house and killed several of the guests. Hashimoto’s fate is currently unknown.”

Margaret sighed, and realised she would have to do something. The whole of Japan had ground to a halt, and she had to act before everyone woke up again. Writing a note explaining where she was, Margaret hurried out of the door and to one of the teleports in the street.

“Ha!” the Doctor grinned, using the hovercraft to fly back to Korena.

He lifted her into the passenger seat, shut the door, and flew off. As they were flying through the air, the Doctor heard a ringing. He stopped the hovercraft, and pulled out a phone and answered it.

“Hello?” he called.
“Konnichiwa,” Margaret replied.
“Oh, not again,” the Doctor sighed.
“Korena?” Margaret asked.
“It’s the Doctor,” the Doctor said. “Korena’s with me now.”
“Kiite!” Margaret said.
“I am listening!” the Doctor protested. “Where are you?”

When the Doctor finally managed to hang up, he had reached his destination. He heaved Korena out of the hovercraft and to her trailer.

“Never thought I’d be back at your film location,” the Doctor muttered to her. “I’ll leave a note; you can find me when you wake up.”

He ran back out of the trailer, looking for the person who was behind the Borsht. Margaret stepped out of the teleport booth outside Korena’s film set. She crossed the street, and headed towards the trailers, where the Doctor said he would meet her. As she passed the fire escape where Korena’s character in the film died, there was an explosion.

“Tasukete!” Margaret cried, calling for help.

Fire spread up the fire escape, and a figure was illuminated on the top step.

“Doctor?” Margaret called.
“I’m here!” the Doctor cried.

He ran across the grass to stand beside Margaret. She pointed at the figure watching them, silhouetted against the fire and sky. The Doctor nodded, and pulled out the Sonic Screwdriver as the figure raised a gun.

“What are you doing hiding up there?” the Doctor asked.
“Dare?” Margaret asked.
“That’s right Margaret,” the Doctor said. “Who… Who would try and kill Korena? Let’s see, how about Japan’s second best actor? Naoki Noran!”
“Naoki?!” Margaret cried, disbelieving.

Naoki stepped out from the fire, and casually began to descend the metal steps, swinging his gun around. He glared at the Doctor through the reflection of the fire, and the Doctor glanced back sadly.

“Why couldn’t you be second best?” he asked.
“Do you even know what that’s like?” Naoki snapped. “Having to watch her take all the credit for a joint film? She’s even paid more, and she’s a girl!”
“What if your Borsht had succeeded? What would you have done then?” the Doctor asked. “What about poor Korena?”
“She would be shoved aside, forgotten, while I would take all of the glory!” Naoki declared.
“Yokumo maa!” Margaret said.
“How could I?” Naoki laughed. “Easily. Too easily, until the Doctor stepped in.”
“But the Borsht, where did you get them from?” the Doctor asked.
“They were models used for the film, the enemy that my character and Korena’s character are killed by,” Naoki said. “They were animated during filming. I stole several of them, and animated them to attack Korena’s house. It was simple, even for a film star.”

The Doctor glanced at his watch; it was nearly 12 o’clock. Korena would be waking up, but for her to be any help at all, he needed to distract Naoki.

“So what’s with every Japanese person falling asleep?” he asked Naoki. “How did you manage that, some sort of super wave?”
“That wasn’t me,” Naoki said. “It’s started before I was born.”
“Chigaimasu,” Margaret replied.
“I’m never wrong,” Naoki said.
“You are,” the Doctor announced. “I don’t think it started before you were born, I think it started when you were born. Ever since Binuary 7th, 3968, at 10 o’clock.”
“Impossible,” Naoki gasped. “I’d know.”
“It’s never affected you, has it?” the Doctor asked. “You disappear off to your trailer like everyone else, but you don’t go to sleep. You pretend. I suppose it’s a freak of nature, something giving you a sign – a sign that you were important.”
“I am important,” Naoki declared.

The Doctor, while he was talking, noticed Korena run across the grass and hide behind the concrete walkway. She was making her way to the back of the fire escape, to shake it and knock Naoki off. She placed her hands on the hot metal and screamed as pain seared her flesh. Naoki looked down, and staggered, as the fire escaped shook, and collapsed.

“Doctor!” Korena screamed.

She ran from the falling wreckage, as Naoki leapt off the steps, flying through the air, with a bang of his gun. A bullet shot forwards and propelled itself into Korena’s back. She hit the floor as Naoki reached the ground with a sickening crunch. Margaret ran over to Korena, who was bleeding.

“Don’t die!” the Doctor cried, running towards her too.

He bent down, and picked her up, carrying her to the hovercraft. Margaret hurried after him, climbing into the back of the hovercraft.

“You okay?” Conner asked Georgia, as they sat on the TARDIS floor.
“Yeah,” Georgia replied.
“He’ll be back,” Conner said. “I know the Doctor.”
“Yeah,” Georgia repeated.

She looked up as the doors clicked and the Doctor staggered in, covered in blood.

“What happened?” she asked incredulously.
“Korena was shot,” the Doctor replied.
“Is she okay?” Conner asked.
“She’ll be fine,” the Doctor grinned. “She’s at the hospital now. I was thinking, we could pick her up, and head off…”
“Sounds good,” Conner said. “Georgia? Is that okay?”
“Yeah, of course!” Georgia smiled. “I’ll finally have someone who can talk fashion with me!”

Conner sighed and the Doctor laughed, operating the TARDIS controls. Korena woke up in the hospital, two days later, to the sound of the TARDIS materialising. She looked up as the Doctor entered her room, waving away a worried Aimee.

“Where are my grapes?” Korena asked, jokingly.
“I see Aimee’s back from England,” the Doctor noticed.
“Mum and Dad are staying for a while, they don’t often see Lee,” Korena said. “And Margaret joined them this morning. She wanted to make sure I was okay before she headed off.”
“Well I’m a doctor, and my professional opinion is that you shouldn’t film for at least, ooh, six weeks,” the Doctor said. “You need a trip abroad. What do you say?”
“With you?” Korena asked excitedly.
“Yup,” the Doctor said.
“I’ll get my stuff,” Korena grinned, climbing out of bed. “You’d better tell Aimee.”

The Doctor grimaced, and headed to tell her worried personal assistant. After much shouting, he returned to the room, only to find it empty.

“Hurry up!” Korena called.

The Doctor ran to the window, where Korena had climbed down the ivy. He grinned, and followed.

“We need to make one stop first,” Korena said.

A few minutes later Korena unlocked the door to her house, which was full of workmen, repairing the windows and doors. She headed off upstairs and returned with a suitcase full of clothes fifteen minutes later.

“Blimey,” the Doctor said.
“I’m a celebrity, what do you expect?” Korena laughed.
“You do realise that when we travel, nobody will know who you are?” the Doctor pointed out.

Korena nodded and headed to the front door. A van pulled up outside, and two men stepped out, carrying a crate of bottled water for Korena. She pointed inside the house, and the Doctor passed them as they stepped inside.

“What was that all about?” the Doctor asked.
“Aquari Aquatics supply my water,” Korena said. “I only drink it bottled.”
“Aquari Aquatics?” the Doctor asked. “I think they exist in the 21st Century… Abby Stuart worked as their secretary.”
“That’s nice,” Korena said, only half listening.

They crossed the street and headed for the TARDIS which stood proudly opposite. The Doctor opened the door for Korena, who stepped inside, smiling widely. The Doctor grinned back, until he noticed that she’d left her suitcase outside for him to bring in. He sighed – this one would be difficult.

“Still, hopefully no more demanding than Georgia,” he muttered.

He closed the door behind him, and the TARDIS dematerialised, leaving Korena’s old life behind, and beginning a much more exciting and dangerous one.

Credits.

Next Time:

"The TARDIS! Something's wrong, get back!"
"I miss Terry Wogan."
"Google's your enemy."
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"I can't do this anymore! I want to go home!"