Episode 11: Neurosis Part 4

Korena stumbled as she tried to escape. The something stepped into the light, and Korena breathed a sigh of relief.

“Doctor!” she cried. “You gave me the fright of my life!”
“Sorry!” the Doctor said. “I was just getting some more firewood. Try and go back to sleep.”

***

John woke up on the floor of the shrink’s office.

“Why don’t you come back tomorrow, around eleven?” the shrink asked. “I believe we’re making good progress.”
“Thank you,” John said, departing from the office. “See you tomorrow.”
“Goodbye John.”

***

The Doctor slammed the controls down, and air pumped into the room ahead. Georgia grabbed the door handle, and opened the door. It hissed as it opened and Georgia and Korena slipped into the room beyond.

“We need to find the TARDIS!” the Doctor said as he shut the door behind them.
“And Conner,” Georgia pointed out.

It was the year 3052, and the Doctor, Georgia, Conner and Korena had arrived on the Century Ship for a cruise around the Freedom System, when it was attacked by Robots. Georgia, the Doctor and Korena had made it into the staff section where the TARDIS was parked, but Conner remained trapped in the ballroom.

“What if you and Korena find the TARDIS, and I go to the ballroom?” Georgia said.
“Listen, Georgia, we will find Conner, I promise,” the Doctor replied.
“You don’t want to find him,” Georgia said. “Otherwise we’d be going to the ballroom. I’m going there myself.”

She turned and ran back through the door. The Doctor chased after her, turning back to Korena as he opened the door.

“Go find the TARDIS!” he cried. “Use that phone I gave you – ring me and tell me when you’ve found it!”

Korena nodded and hurried down the steam-filled corridor, her dress clinging to her in the heat. Conner, meanwhile, was helping some of the passengers across the ballroom floor and to the doors on the other side. He looked up and noticed the chandelier was beginning to break from the ceiling. If it did, the passengers on the right of the ballroom would all be killed. He needed to get them across faster, without being crushed himself.

“Everyone! If you could get to the left side and out of the doors to the escape pods!” he cried.
“Conner!” Hope screamed, trapped under the table nearby.

Conner dived past a family and skidded along the floor, stopping beside the table. He lifted it up, allowing Hope to crawl weakly from underneath it. He took her hand and led her to the left side of the ballroom, as the chandelier cracked.

“Watch out!” Hope screamed.

The chandelier fell from the ceiling, destroying the right side of the ballroom. The floor broke into several chunks, and people screamed as they fell into the cracks. Conner pulled Hope out of the way as glass shattered all around them.

“This way!” Conner cried, pulling Hope towards the doorway.
“Everyone’s dead!” Hope sighed. “Everyone…”
“Keep faith, Hope,” Conner said. “No, that was cheesy.”

Hope laughed, and they continued to run. Korena ran to the door of the TARDIS, and froze.

“Oh God, he didn’t give me a key.”

She took her chance, and hoped the TARDIS would be unlocked. It wasn’t. She sighed, and leaned against it.

“What is that?”

She squinted into the distance at something shifting. It seemed like it was a figure, running towards her through the steam. She looked at its arm – it didn’t have a hand. Korena screamed as she realised that the shifting thing attached to a chainsaw was one of the Robots that had invaded the ship.

“Doctor!” she screamed, hoping he would hear her.

There was nowhere to run, the TARDIS was blocking the doorway to the room beyond, and she couldn’t go left or right, there wasn’t any room. There was only one other option – try and push the TARDIS from out of the doorway.

“Hurry up Hashimoto!” Korena muttered to herself.

She turned and pushed the TARDIS as hard as she could. For one moment it was like a brick wall, then it seemed to realise what she was trying to do, and slid with ease into the room beyond. Just when she thought she might escape, the TARDIS stopped. She breathed in and squeezed into the position between the TARDIS and the doorway. With a gasp of breath she slammed the door shut.

“Yes!” she laughed.

There was a hiss, and a click. Suddenly the door moved away from the ship, and the angry Robot moved further away. Korena gasped and looked at the stars around her. The glass pod she was in was floating through space. That glass pod was an –

“Escape pod!” Korena moaned.

The Doctor had caught up with Georgia a few corridors ago, and with some convincing, the two raced to the ballroom. Georgia opened the door to the right of the ballroom, and screamed when piles of rubble tumbled out of the doorway, and fires started along the corridor.

“What out!” the Doctor said, pulling her out of harms way.
“But Conner’s in there!” Georgia screamed.

She collapsed to her knees, and screamed so loudly the Doctor let go of her and backed away. On the other side of the rubble, Conner heard the scream and dashed for the exit, leaving Hope avoiding the flames as she reached the door.

“Georgia!” Conner cried. “Where are you?”
“We’re here!” the Doctor shouted.

Georgia looked up from the floor as Conner burst around the corner. He saw her tears, and hugged her.

“I’m fine George!” he said. “Don’t be so silly, come on.”

Georgia nodded and took his hand, as the three ran to find the TARDIS.

“Oh no,” Korena moaned. “The Doctor’s going to be so mad at me…”

She squinted and peered at the remaining escape pods. There were three left. Suddenly there was an explosion, and two of the escape pods were blasted into ash.

“Oh. My. Christ.”

The Doctor used the Sonic Screwdriver to lock the door while Georgia and Conner sprinted to the TARDIS. As the Doctor ran after them, he heard Georgia moan in despair.

“The TARDIS has gone,” she said. “And where’s Korena?”
“You sent her here on her own?” Conner gasped. “But she’s… She’s new!”
“She’ll be fine,” the Doctor said. “Look!”

He pointed out of the window, where the Robot that had chased Korena was floating.

“He must have attacked Korena,” the Doctor said. “Where are we?”
“Escape pods,” Georgia replied, pointing at a sign over their heads.
“Could she have pushed the TARDIS into an escape pod?” Conner asked. “Is that one floating over there?”
“Yes!” the Doctor cried. “It’s the TARDIS!”

Boom! There was an explosion behind them, and Georgia and Conner were knocked off their feet. Two of the escape pods were blasted into ash, and the Doctor threw himself at a computer to keep the oxygen from escaping in the holes they left behind. He heard footsteps down the corridor, and pointed frantically at the remaining escape pod.

“The Robots are coming!” he cried.
“The what?” Georgia shouted over the noise.
“The… Robatrons, I dunno!” the Doctor sighed. “Get into the escape pod!”

Georgia pulled herself up from the floor, and dashed over to the escape pod. She pulled open the door as Conner followed, climbing inside the glass pod. The Doctor abandoned the computer controls and dashed into the escape pod. Several Robatrons burst into the room, but the escape pod was already drifting away.

“What about everyone else?” Conner asked. “The ones we left behind.”
“They are more escape pods all over the ship,” the Doctor said. “I’m sure whoever you were saving got out fine.”
“I Hope so,” Conner said quietly.

***

John woke up, and looked at his alarm clock. He sighed, and rolled out of bed. He was late for the shrink’s appointment. It had gone ‘around eleven’ by now, surely. He glanced at Joyce as he raced through the reception, but she said nothing when he burst through the door of the shrink’s office.

“Ah, I’ve been expecting you,” the shrink said, chuckling. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. Now, tell me one of your dreams…”

***

Conner’s phone rang, and he smiled as he answered it.

“Zac.”
“Hi Conner,” Zac said. “Listen; can you come home for a bit? I haven’t seen you for ages, and Kaylie wants to tell you about an alien invasion she stopped.”
“Not again,” Conner sighed. “I know she was brilliant on Pluto, but she’s gotta stop going on about it.”
“I know,” Zac laughed. “But she didn’t mean then. You know I mentioned about the Adults vanishing? Just come back, okay?”
“Fine,” Conner said. “Actually, I’ve got someone to introduce to you…”

As he put down the phone the Doctor set the TARDIS in motion to the present day. Korena, looking worried, walked over to Conner.

“Who are you showing me to?”
“My friends,” Conner said. “They’ve never met a Japanese film star before, and they wanna see if you’ve got what it takes.”
“I am Japan’s most famous actor,” Korena reminded him.
“I wasn’t talking about that,” Conner laughed. “My friends are very protective over who we share the TARDIS with.”

Korena gulped, causing Georgia to spit out her tea.

“He’s just teasing you,” she laughed, choking. “Zac and Kaylie are lovely, honestly.”

Zac and Kaylie heard the TARDIS materialising, and ran down the steps and out of Kaylie’s flat. They grinned as they saw the familiar blue box stood on the corner. Its doors opened, and Conner stepped out, followed by Georgia and the Doctor.

“Hey,” Zac said.
“Hi,” Conner grinned. “Zac, Kaylie; I’d like you to meet our new friend – Korena Hashimoto.”

Nervously, Korena opened the doors, and stepped out into the 21st Century.

***

The shrink interrupted John just as he was about to explain the moment when Zac and Kaylie met Korena.

“Listen, I’ve just remembered something important, can we reconvene tomorrow?”
“Sure,” John said, confused. “I’ll see you around eleven tomorrow.”

The shrink nodded, and John left. He spent the drive back home wondering what had just happened. The shrink seemed worried – like John’s condition was worsening. No, it couldn’t be that, it was probably his personal life. He’s probably promised to take his wife to lunch and realised that he was late. John convinced himself that this was the case as he stepped out of his car, and entered the house.

“Christ, it’s a tip in here,” he said to himself. “I really must clean the place more.”

He stepped further into the house, which looked like it did the time Alan and Dave had organised a house party at his house – without telling him. But it was different this time. Everything was messy, but it was thrown around with contempt. Suddenly, John realised.

“Oh Christ, I’ve been burgled.”

He ran back to the front door, which he’d locked. He took out his phone and dialled Victoria’s number.

“Vic, get over here now!” he said. “I’m stuck in my porch.”
“What happened now?” Victoria sighed. “I was walking round to yours anyway, I’m two minutes away.”
“I’ve been burgled,” John whispered. “And I think the burglar could still be in the house.”

Two minutes later, and Victoria was using her key to unlock the door. As she stepped inside the porch, John made to leave, but she stopped him, nodding into the rest of the house.

“We can’t go back!” John said. “The burglar!”
“Might not even be here,” Victoria said. “Come on.”

She stepped inside the house, pulling John behind her. The door swung shut, blocking the light from outside. As Victoria made her way to the kitchen, a figure stepped out from the shadows.

“Hello,” Petr said.

John gasped. It was Petr Costravalos, and he had a gun.

To be continued…