Episode 11: Neurosis Part 2

A few minutes after Georgia had woken up; Conner and Korena were awake too. The Doctor still hadn’t emerged, so Georgia had taken charge, and decided to build a fire for the following night. She instructed Conner and Korena to collect firewood, while she built up the pile into a fire-shape.

“Do you think we’ll ever get home?” Korena asked Conner quietly as they dragged more firewood back to the blackened TARDIS. “If we could find our way out of the Jungle…”
“There’s always hope,” Conner said. “But this Jungle goes on for years. And even then, I’m not sure they’ve got time travel in 4473.”
“I’d be dead by now,” Korena realised. “Oh God, my whole family’s dead.”
“If you think of it like that, I’ve been dead for thousands of years,” Conner laughed.
“When do you come from?” Korena asked.
“2011,” Conner replied. “It must seem like the distant past to you.”

Korena shook her head innocently, but then nodded and laughed.

“It does seem a long time ago,” she admitted.
“We don’t even have teleports!” Conner grinned. “Or flying cars. But we do have Lady GaGa. Though judging by our current predicament she isn’t so hot in TARDISes.”

Korena and Conner laughed again, causing Conner to drop all but one of his pieces of firewood. Korena laughed even harder and threw her pieces into the air.

“It doesn’t even matter anymore!” she laughed.

Conner noticed the look in her eye – she was terrified of being trapped in the Heron Jungle. Being an actress, she hid it well, but Conner could tell she was breaking inside. He held his firewood piece in his hand, promising himself that he would whack himself over the head with it if he got into a state like she had.

“It’s all gonna be alright,” he said quietly.

***

“You alright John?” Dave asked, sliding a pint over to John, who was rubbing his eyes.
“Yeah,” John yawned. “I just fell asleep.”
“Work’s so tiring,” Alan laughed. “What are you doing with the scenery?”
“Huh?” John frowned.

Alan pointed to John’s hand, which was holding a piece of firewood. John dropped it and slid it underneath the table with his foot. The dream he’d just experienced was all too fresh in his mind.

“I’ve been having strange dreams,” John explained.
“You ought to see a shrink mate,” Alan said.
“Yeah, Dawn’s mum went to one and she said he was amazing,” Dave said. “Turns out they were sleeping together, but you know, he could have been a really good Psychiatrist despite that…”
“I’m not sleeping with a shrink,” John promised him. “And what Dawn? Danielle’s Dawn? King Prawn Dawn?”
“King Prawn Dawn?” Alan asked.
“You don’t know King Prawn Dawn,” John said. “She’s Susie’s cousin.”
“Danielle’s Dawn, yeah,” Dave replied. “Remember her funeral? The food… Oh, that was a smashing day!”

John laughed, and began to drink his pint.

***

Conner was right – Korena was cracking up. As Georgia headed off to fetch more firewood she slumped to the floor, beginning to cry.

“I can’t do this any more!” she said.
“What do you mean?” Conner asked, sitting down next to her.
“I want to go home,” she sobbed. “I can’t take this anymore.”
“Korena, it’s just collecting firewood,” Conner said. “You’ll be fine.”
“I haven’t done manual labour for years, and I’m dirty, I’m cold, I’m wet, and I’ve never gonna see my home ever again,” she sobbed.

Conner wrapped his arms around her and hugged her comfortingly. She returned the hug, resting her head on his shoulder and crying once more.

***

John woke up, his arms wrapped around a pillow. He rolled over and glanced at his alarm clock. One a.m. Placing the pillow over his face, he drifted back into sleep once more.

***

The Tiger-Faced Alien fired his gun above the group of people. They screamed, and dived to the floor. The Tiger-Faced Alien cackled, and ordered the nearest five people into a small office. They rest of the customers remained on the floor, silent in terror.

“In here,” Tiger-Face ordered.

It was never his plan to capture an Earth Bank and hold the Humans inside it hostage, but when push came to shove, Tiger-Face could hostage with the best of them. The Doctor was with UNIT, trapped by the heat bubble that surrounded the bank. Tiger-Face knew that a companionless Doctor was a weakened Doctor, but was still a threat.

“This is so exciting!” Harry Ladbrook whispered as Tiger-Face led them into the office.

What Tiger-Face didn’t know, was that the Doctor had planted several of his most trusted friends in various places he knew the Tiger would strike. Georgia Bell, Conner Bennet, Kaylie Watson and Harry Ladbrook were inside the London Credit Bank, while Zac Pemberton was looking after the TARDIS.

“What are we gonna do without the Doctor?” Kaylie asked. “I don’t like aliens…”

It was 2010, and Kaylie and Harry were looking forward to the upcoming Spidership competition - and seeing if their year had won. Georgia and Conner stepped inside the office, helping the one unknown woman – an elderly lady named Mae, into a seat. Kaylie and Harry followed, shutting the door behind them.

“If the Doctor or UNIT are to find a way in, I’ll need protection,” Tiger-Face said. “That’s why you five here are extra special hostages. He might make it into the main bank, but the Doctor won’t get inside here.”

He raised his gun in explanation, and Kaylie shuddered. She had faced several aliens since meeting the Doctor – Slitheen, Bulba and Virtual Reality itself – but Tiger-Face was the strangest of them all; an alien, that looked like a creature from Earth. The Doctor had explained this before she agreed to help, but in their current danger, she had forgotten what he’d said.

“I was only in here for a stamp,” Mae said.
“You want the post office,” Conner said. “The one Dorris Goldberg owns. I went in their last week and she recognised me, never forgets a customer. I’d only ever been in their once before, when I bought Virtual Reality, but she recognised me all the same. Said she hadn’t seen me in almost eighty years, but it was only a few months ago…”
“Oh bugger,” Mae said. “There’re so few post offices around these days, I thought you could only buy stamps at banks.”
“You can’t buy them here at all,” Georgia said.
“Still, it’s a good job I popped in,” Mae continued. “You youngsters need me, what with Mr Tiger there.”

Georgia laughed, and then blushed, as Conner glared at her. Poor Mae didn’t realise they had fought dozens of aliens, and that without them she’d have no hope of survival.

“You see, I’ve faced aliens before,” Mae continued.
“Oooh, where?” Harry asked, curious.
“The Theraflu Club,” Mae said. “Back in 2009 – there was a story on Badgers eating people. I met a man, a tall handsome one, with a blonde American girl. We were attacked by these Badgers, but we escaped thanks to the reporter’s car… Then the lovely man dropped me home, and I told Sally that…”

Georgia rolled her eyes and stopped listening. Tiger-Face seemed interested however, watching intently, with a bemused expression. Kaylie slid underneath the desk behind him and took the opportunity of Mae’s distraction to grab the gun. She was a few feet away, when Tiger-Face snapped and grabbed her, lifting her off her feet.

“Think you could pull a fast one did you?” he growled.
“No,” Kaylie stammered. “I was tying my shoelaces.”
“What a load of –”
“Bollards!” Conner cried. “The bollards out of the window are being knocked down! UNIT are getting through the heat shield!”

Tiger-Face gasped, and pointed the gun at Kaylie’s head. Georgia grabbed Harry and stopped him from leaping at Tiger-Face. Conner remained by the window, assessing the situation.

“I’m not dying in a bank!” Kaylie screamed. “I haven’t even got a loan!”

The doors of the bank burst open, and several UNIT soldiers and the Doctor stormed the building. The hostages ran and screamed for the exits as the Doctor strode towards the door of the office. Conner dived at Tiger-Face’s feet as the Doctor burst into the room. Kaylie cried out and dropped to the floor, crawling behind an overturned desk.

“Stop!” Georgia screamed. “Tiger-Face has got Conner!”

Conner gulped as Tiger-Face placed the gun to his head. It loaded with a satisfying click, and the Doctor froze in his position, aghast. Harry got onto his knees to comfort Kaylie, while Georgia moved Mae behind the Doctor and out of the room.

“Stand back!” Tiger-Face spat, pulling Conner towards the door.

The Doctor moved aside as they left the room. Georgia and Mae, by the exit to the bank clapped their hands to their mouths and silently moved aside as Tiger-Face yanked Conner out of the bank.

“Stop!” the Doctor shouted at the UNIT soldiers, who had all aimed their guns at Tiger-Face and Conner. “I’ll sort this out! Please!”

Captain Price stepped onto the scene and called the UNIT soldiers to withdraw. As they did so, she nodded at the Doctor.

“Bring Tiger-Face back to UNIT HQ, dead or alive.”

The Doctor reluctantly agreed, running to where he hoped Zac would be waiting with a solution. Georgia and Mae watched him go, and Kaylie and Harry emerged shortly after with worried expressions.

“Get off me!” Conner said. “I’m so never eating Frosties again! Not that I ever did after that bloody Frosties Kid mind you!”
“Stop dithering,” Tiger-Face ordered, pulling Conner onto the roof of the bank.
“Yes sir,” Conner sighed.

He was forced to the edge of the roof, and as he looked down, he saw Georgia stood with Mae, watching the Doctor depart. He saw the Doctor running back to the UNIT soldiers and point at the roof, when Tiger-Face grabbed Conner and dangled him off of the edge.

“Oh my Christ!” Conner gasped as his feet left the ground.
“Silence!” Tiger-Face roared. “Doctor!! Bring me your TARDIS, or Conner Bennet dies!”

Conner heard footsteps a few feet away, and realised someone was on the stairs leading up to the roof. He looked down once more – Georgia and the Doctor were still on the ground.

“Stop!” Kaylie screamed, running towards Tiger-Face.

Tiger-Face swung his paw carrying the gun around and pointed it at Kaylie. She screamed and dropped to the floor, but Harry continued to run. Tiger-Face hesitated, allowing Conner to kick the gun from his hand. He felt Tiger-Face’s paw release him, and dropped onto the roof, his head next to the gun. There was a crash above him, and Tiger-Face was thrown off the roof, and hit the ground with a splat.

“Well done Harry!” Kaylie cheered.
“Look!” Harry cried, pointing at Tiger-Face’s bloody remains. “He’s gonna taste great…!”
“I wouldn’t eat that,” Kaylie muttered.
“That’s what they make Frosties out of,” Harry joked.
“Really?” Kaylie gasped. “I always thought it was pencil sharpenings…”

Conner sighed and looked at the gun. Sometimes, his friends were very surreal, but, then so was his life.

***

John woke up once more, and gasped. Tiger-Face’s gun was pointing directly at him, lying on the pillow. He pushed it onto the floor and sat up, running the night’s dreams over in his mind. First, there was Conner hugging Korena, and he’d woken up hugging a pillow, and now, there was Conner lying next to a gun, and he’d woken up next to the very same gun. It didn’t take a genius to work out what this all meant…

“Oh my God!” John cried. “I’m Conner Bennet!”

To be continued…