TTV Series Episode 4: Seven Deadly Sins

“Are you sure we made the right decision about Crystal Harris?” Vivian Darkwood asked.

She sat down at the table, one of the Inner Circle. Five of the Inner Circle glanced back at her, but one did not.

“I’m not sure,” Seldon Oz admitted.
“But that’s not important at the moment,” Tina Felden interrupted. “We need to talk about Finley.”

The only member not present at the table, Finley Bradford, had disappeared a few hours ago. The Inner Circle had to act quickly, before something happened. They just hoped the Death Collectors wouldn’t get wind of the events.

“The Death Collectors will find out soon,” Hadrius Andes announced. “We need to find him before they send a gate.”

The others shuddered. They were all dead, but, like Crystal, had survived through personal objects. But there was a ‘rival group’ called the Death Collectors, who were in charge of preventing people from going to ‘heaven’ – a white place of happiness and joy, designed to imitate human views of real heaven mentioned in the bible. When a person the Death Collectors had targeted died, a pair of golden gates appeared, and, believing it was ‘heaven’, they stepped through them, only to discover they were in a world of pain – where the Death Collectors worked them to death all over again. The Death Collectors’ main targets were the Inner Circle, and now Crystal. They hated the ‘undead’, and wanted them to work until they were sick.

“We can’t leave,” Dennis Welch sighed. “We’d be targets of the Death Collectors too.”
“I ain’t busting my butt off for Finley,” Mercedes added. “What’s he ever done for us? Why did he disappear like that? Where did he go?”
“I’ve got an idea,” Hadrius said. “Perhaps we should remember Crystal…?”

***

Crystal smiled at the Doctor, and stepped out of the TARDIS. She was grateful for letting her talk to Finley Bradford. He’d contacted her through the TARDIS, and she’d asked to see what he wanted. The Doctor was unsure, but, nonetheless, he let her go.

“Hey,” she said to Finley.
“Hello,” he replied. “Did you think we’d meet so soon?”
“I have that effect over men,” Crystal snorted.
“I’m not denying that,” Finley chuckled. “I need your help. I did something stupid – don’t ask. But the Judoon are after me. I need somewhere to hide for a while, okay?”
“I won’t ask, though I’d rather you told me what happened,” Crystal said. “But I understand. Where do you want to hide?”
“Anywhere you like,” Finley smiled gratefully. “The Doctor’s TARDIS can take me anywhere, right?”
“Yeah, but he always gets it wrong,” Crystal laughed. “Come on in…”

As they stepped towards the TARDIS, it was surrounded by a bright blue light, and disappeared. Finley pulled Crystal away, and they began to run.

“The Judoon have taken the TARDIS,” Finley explained. “We have to hide! As soon as they find out I’m not onboard, they’ll look for me here.”
“Where are we anyway?” Crystal asked as they ran along a deserted road.
“I had to tell you to meet somewhere dangerous, cos I hoped that the Judoon wouldn’t want to risk coming here to capture me,” Finley said. “It’s the year 5.5/apple/26. Soon the sun will expand, and the Earth will be destroyed. Hence the lack of anyone except us. And now we’re trapped here, and it’s my fault.”
“You didn’t know they’d take the TARDIS,” Crystal replied. “It’s not your fault.”

Just as Finley had predicted, the office block style Judoon ships hovered over the doomed Earth, before landing. Very soon, Crystal and Finley were hiding in what looked like an abandoned supermarket. The Doctor, meanwhile, was on the Judoon ship.

“I’ve got nothing to do with this!” he complained. “You really should let me go.”
“The punishment for helping a criminal is death,” a Judoon explained. “Sentence – execution – unless Judoon find Finley Bradford.”
“Ah.”

Finley pulled Crystal along the aisles in the supermarket, as the Judoon stomped along the streets.

“Why does it stink in here?” Crystal coughed.
“When everyone left, they didn’t take all of the food with them,” Finley explained.
“And some of it’s rotting,” Crystal realised. “Can you get disease from rotting food?”

Finley ignored her, and they ducked behind the frozen food as the Judoon smashed through the front of the supermarket. One of them lifted a scanning instrument, and it bleeped twice.

“Two humans in vicinity,” he announced. “One is target Finley Bradford.”
“Find them,” a second Judoon ordered.

Finley grabbed Crystal’s arm and pulled her to the back of the store. One Judoon caught sight of Crystal and fired. She screamed, and fell to the floor, and was promptly showered by frozen peas.

“Come on!” Finley yelled.

With one last heave he pulled her from the aisle, and they headed down the Pot Noodle aisle. Another Judoon fired at the pair, but missed and hit a stack of baked beans. After running past a shelf of eggs, Crystal and Finley made it out of the back entrance.

“Where are we going now?” Crystal shouted.
“We need to find a shuttle, and get off this planet,” Finley replied.
“Let’s hope the Doctor will find us,” Crystal said. “If he can get off the Judoon ship that is.”

Meanwhile, the Doctor was edging his way to the TARDIS. One of the Judoon turned around, and he froze on the spot.

“The Doctor will stay in position,” the Judoon grunted.
“The Doctor will not!” the Doctor cried, running for the TARDIS.

The Judoon fired at the Doctor, but missed. As the Doctor raced to open the TARDIS door, the Judoon followed him. As the TARDIS began to fade away, the Judoon stepped inside.

“Oh, hello,” the Doctor frowned. “Don’t try and raise your weapon, it won’t work in here.”
“Take me back,” the Judoon ordered.
“I can’t,” the Doctor said, smiling slightly. “I need to find Crystal and Finley. What’s your name?”
“Ryfo,” Ryfo replied. “Where are we going?”
“To Earth,” the Doctor shrugged. “To find my friends.”

Finley and Crystal were almost at the shuttle depot, when they noticed the spaceships leaving.

“Why are the Judoon going?” Crystal asked. “They’re letting us go?”
“I don’t know,” Finley replied. “But it can’t be good…”

As they turned the corner and ran down another deserted street, everything seemed to get brighter. Crystal squinted and shielded her eyes, looking up into the sky once more.

“The sun’s expanding!” she screamed. “The Earth’s going to be destroyed!”

The whole planet seemed to shake, and the pair were thrown to the floor. The sun began to rapidly expand, shattering light and heat everywhere. Finley held Crystal’s hand as the world began to end.

To be continued...