Mini Ep. 8: Kaylie's Key

Hello, it’s Kaylie Watson here. My mum, Karen, kept telling me to write a diary, and after the week I’ve had, I decided to give it a go. I’m a bit nervous – English isn’t my strong point at school. I’d say it was Art; I’m quite good at Art. Anyway, here goes:

Sunday

I was walking down to the shops for some milk today, and I bumped into Conner Bennet. I’m thinking I need to put surnames on in case I read this in the future. He was chasing some whale creature and he didn’t have time to pop in and see us, so I left him to it. Me and Beth Grant went to the park and we accidentally broke the see-saw. It isn’t meant for jumping on, I don’t think. A bit later we were on the swings and Beth thought she heard the TARDIS. She ran off looking for it, and she didn’t come back!

Zac Pemberton, my lovely boyfriend, met me and we went to the cinema. It was a bit embarrassing cos my phone went off halfway through. It was Beth, telling me she was with Conner, and that they’d had a problem with the whale creature. She sent Zac her love, and told me that she’d be back in a few days.

Monday

This morning I had a fight with Amy, my younger sister, cos she was being childish. Andrea, my older sister, knocked over the milk again, and I had to cover for her cos she was out all last night and had a hangover today. Zac met me by that wonky post box down by Bradley Taylor’s house, and we walked to school together, and had a quick snog under the tree. It was nice until I got a twig down my bra. Then Zac realised we were late for school and we had to run all the way. We got bored having a race and pretended a Slitheen was behind us, and the old women at the bus stop thought we were mad!

Of course, Beth wasn’t at school, so it was mega boring. Our teacher was away or something, so Mrs Sow covered us for the whole day! It was so funny, until Gareth Daniels fell off the table and made his head bleed. Catherine Ford got picked up from school by her dad, which was weird. I’m gonna talk to her on MSN tonight cos she doesn’t normally get picked up. Didn’t get any homework today so I chatted to Catherine all night. Andrea left at nine, and mum was out so I had to make sure Amy went to bed at half nine. Apparently Catherine’s dad wanted to take the family on holiday for a bit. Normally Beth would go with them, but she wasn’t there so Catherine asked me.

Tuesday

I said no to Catherine, and she wasn’t at school. They’d left earlier in the morning, and apparently Catherine asked Bradley to go with her, and he said yes, which is real good, cos they both quite like each other, and we want them to get it on. The teacher wasn’t here again so we had another day of Mrs Sow. Zac and me talked to Gareth Daniels all morning until Maths. He went to reception cos of his head yesterday, but the Nurse wasn’t in, so he had to go home. He said it was okay though, cos he played his Xbox 360 instead. But it’s weird, cos half the teachers haven’t been in since Monday. I think it’s some sickness cos most of the shops were closed cos of ‘staff shortness’.

Zac came back to my house and we ate popcorn and watched Bambi. It was really sad when Bambi’s mum got shot, and I cried for about two hours. Amy came home from her weird Karate Club and so we had to cook her tea. I spilt tomato ketchup everywhere and so after we ate we had to clean up. Then Amy did her homework and I sat on Zac’s lap watching EastEnders. I sent a text to Beth, but I never got a reply.

Wednesday

Mum didn’t come home, and neither did Andrea, so I had to look after Amy and get her to school on time. Zac slept on the sofa instead of going home, so we proper felt like a mum and dad looking after Amy. We walked to school together (holding hands – yay!) but we got sent home, cos apparently they didn’t have enough teachers. I haven’t seen an adult for ages. Oh well. Amy was sent home too, so me and Zac didn’t get any time alone. Rubbish.

We were watching Waterloo Road when the doorbell rang. It was Beth and she looked worried. We sent Amy to bed and Zac made Beth a cup of tea. She had a shower and straightened her hair. Then she sat us down and told us that the Whale had escaped, and that she’d be gone until Saturday. Beth left soon after. Then something really important in my life happened… I didn’t think it would, I was so happy. Me and Zac spent our first night together.

Thursday

I went to the Chemists (which was the only flipping shop still open I might add) in the morning, and Zac stayed in bed. It was so nice waking up next to him, and leaving him asleep. I got the pill and some other stuff cos I wasn’t sure what was best. Gareth Daniels’ girlfriend had a bad experience with a turkey baster so I didn’t ask for one of them. There wasn’t any school again today, so when Zac woke up we watched Jeremy Kyle and Loose Women. Zac cooked while I put on a DVD, which we watched until Amy came home from her friend’s house. Then we made her some tea.

Catherine rang and told me she was having a real good time with Bradley, and that they really liked each other. It’s good, cos we’ve all wanted them to go out since that thing with the Clowns and the Doctor. Amy went to bed at ten today cos she didn’t have school again tomorrow. I felt a bit strange then, with Zac and everything. Was it right for him to sleep over tonight as well? He was gonna go home, but his parents had gone with Rachel to some camping thing. They wouldn’t be back until Saturday, so he stayed over again. And, we ARE sixteen. It’s not like it’s not legal or anything.

Friday

Zac left me in bed today, and went to the shops. He said it was really nice to see me lying next to him too, which is all good. He also said he saw Beth at the shops, but she hid from him, so I dunno what’s going on there. Still, she should be back properly tomorrow. I hope this Whale thing isn’t giving them trouble. There was a report in the news about the shortages of adults at the moment. Maybe it’s global warming, or population problems. We learnt about that in Geography.

Anyway, Bradley and Catherine are gonna be back tomorrow, so they can tell us how it goes. Zac had a phone call from one of Rachel’s friend’s mums, and apparently she was staying with them until today. Zac was worried, but I told him his parents probably went camping without her too. He picked her up and took her home, so my bed was half empty today.

Saturday

Oh my God! I can’t believe what we found out today! Bradley and Catherine came back, and they both said how well it went. I never noticed before, but Bradley’s got a nice bum, but Catherine’s told me he’s off limits, and that if I touched him she’d drown me. I said I didn’t want him, and that she couldn’t drown someone on Mars, even if the water was dripping down from the ceiling. It wasn’t my best comeback, but it was so stupid it made her laugh. Anyway, Beth came round later, and Catherine was all happy. When she left I asked Beth how the Whale thing went, and she just stared at me. Apparently, she’d never even been with Conner at all! She was just hiding for a bit so Catherine could go away with Bradley, then her phone broke, so she didn’t know when they’d be back. That explained Zac seeing her at the shops at least.

The next thing that happened is really important, so I’m going to write it down like a story. Not too good at this, I got a D in my last English. Shakespeare’s pretty boring anyway. Here goes:

“When’s your mum coming back?” Zac asked Kaylie.
“I dunno…” Kaylie muttered. “Must be some party.”
“Andrea’s not been home for days too,” Zac said. “You don’t think…?”
“Nothing’s happened to them,” Kaylie said firmly. “All the adults are away at the moment.”
“I guess,” Zac said.

We didn’t think that the adult’s vanishing was funny; the whole country just shrugged it off. And we probably would have never discovered what happened, until we heard the buzzing.

“Can you hear that?” Zac asked a few hours later.
“Some sort of buzzing?” Kaylie replied.
“Yeah,” Zac said. “I think we should follow it.”

We left the house, and followed the buzzing. It seemed we walked for ages, and we only stopped at a dark grey building. Zac walked inside, and I followed. When we got inside, we saw hundreds of adults, all lined up, with blank expressions like zombies.

“Oh my God!” Kaylie gasped. “There’s got to be hundreds of adults in here!”
“But not every adult is inside…” Zac said. “Why did it call us? We aren’t adults.”
“I don’t think it wants the ‘pure’” Kaylie whispered.

I ran to the wall and pressed the fire extinguisher. Everyone suddenly came to their senses, and evacuated the building. Mum and Andrea ran past, crying, and Steve and Jane were there too. We ran out of the building last, and suddenly there was a massive shake, and the building flew away! I had no idea what was going on, but at least we had the adults back.

I’ve decided to bin this diary. Nobody remembers the adult thing anyway, and I don’t wanna read this when I’m older and think how rubbish I am at English. And who wants to read about me and Zac sleeping together anyway? So if you’re reading this, I guess I didn’t dispose of this diary very well. That sucks. I hope you bin it, who knows what could happen if you read it?

The End

Episode 8: Black and Gold Part 5

Conner coughed in the dust, trying to see. It was pitch black, and he could hear Dorris from somewhere to his left groaning. There were small fires around them, on the ground and inside the train. Conner climbed to his feet, and stumbled over the rubble. He reached the train, and sighed in relief. It didn’t contain any passengers, but was used to transport coal around. He saw Susan lying under the tunnel’s bricks. She was clearly dead.

“Oh, but you were dead before this,” Conner sighed, turning away.

He walked back to Dorris, who reached out for him.

“You’re okay,” he said. “Thanks for saving me.”
“No problem,” Dorris laughed weakly. “Just get these bricks off of me.”

Conner nodded, and lifted the brick off Dorris. He helped her to her feet, and she brushed herself down.

“We need to get out of here,” she continued. “The hospital’s not far away. If it’s alright, I wouldn’t mind checking out my wrist. I think it’s sprained.”
“That’s where Georgia is,” Conner said. “Just try and move some bricks.”
“What about that carriage of the train?” Dorris asked.
“We climb over it,” Conner said determinedly.

The Doctor frowned in surprise.

“You work for Torchwood?” he asked.
“Yes,” Naomi replied. “The last time I saw you was when you were with Jack Harkness. The two of you came from the 21st Century. We saved the world.”
“Whatever happened,” the Doctor said. “I can’t find out. Cos it hasn’t happened to me yet.”
“Well I can’t wait to meet you,” Naomi smiled.

Triss used the Sonic Screwdriver to open the panel above the communications room. She dropped into the room, making the Doctor grin and Naomi look surprised.

“What took you so long?” the Doctor asked. “I didn’t expect you to use the air vents, I’m impressed.”
“We lost Steve,” Triss sighed wearily. “I’d better seal us in.”

She crossed the room and sealed the door with the Sonic Screwdriver. She threw it back to the Doctor, who caught it. Triss crossed to the communications equipment, and brought up the screen of the main control room, which was empty except for Larry.

“That’s Larry Roux!” Naomi said. “He’s alive!”
“It’s just us two left,” Triss said. “Larry? Can you hear me?”
“Triss!” Larry cried. “Doctor! Naomi!”
“Hello!” the Doctor grinned. “Now, what are we gonna do about the Kritzanthians?”
“I’m hiding this transmission now,” Triss said.
“We could blow up the ship,” Larry said. “The Kritzanthians are all onboard.”
“No,” Naomi said. “Some are on the Out Region.”
“We could blow that up too,” Triss said quietly.
“That’s genocide,” the Doctor spat.
“They’re gonna kill us humans anyway!” Larry protested.
“Have you never heard of peace?” the Doctor asked. “Maybe the Kritzanthians would agree to a treaty.”
“I doubt it,” Naomi laughed. “We tried that before the war.”
“Well, we can try again!” the Doctor said.

Conner pulled another brick away, and sunlight filtered into the tunnel. Dorris grinned as several more chunks of bricks fell away. Conner reached for another brick, which he dropped in surprise.

“Hello?” Conner cried.

He had seen a hand, lifting bricks from the other side of the tunnel. Dorris scrambled for more bricks as the amount of light let in slowly increased. There was finally a big enough gap for Conner and Dorris to squeeze through, but as the two made their way to the hole, Wendy French and Mrs Macready stepped through it. Conner pulled Dorris behind him.

“Dorris, run!” Conner said.
“I’m not leaving you,” Dorris promised.
“You will be perfect!” Wendy said.
“Susan and the others are dead,” Conner said. “They were so perfect, that they forgot to walk beside the track, and walked across it. The train hit them full on. If they were still human, they’d still be alive.”
“That is not my fault,” Mrs Macready said. “And they are expendable. I can operate on you two; I’m sure you will make up for the children.”
“Their mothers will never see them again!” Dorris cried. “You killed them!”
“I made them better,” Mrs Macready insisted.
“But what about you?” Conner asked, playing for time. “When do you plan to convert yourself?”
“I am already perfect,” Mrs Macready assured him. “I have created perfection.”
“But you’re old!” Conner said. “And since when were you perfect? You botched up on Susan and the others…”

Wendy looked at Mrs Macready as if seeing her in a new light. Conner noticed the she seemed to be agreeing with him. Dorris squeezed his hand, apparently noticing too.

“What do you think, Wendy?” Conner asked.
“She should be perfected,” Wendy said.
“Yeah, she should,” Dorris added. “And shouldn’t the creator of perfection be allowed to go first?”
“We wouldn’t want to insult the creator,” Conner said.
“She will be perfected first,” Wendy agreed, advancing on Mrs Macready.
“No!” Mrs Macready cried. “I created you! Stop!”

She stepped backwards as Wendy stepped closer. Conner pulled Dorris out of Wendy’s way. Mrs Macready attempted to push Wendy away.

“Leave me!” she screamed. “Get them!”

Wendy ignored her, and grabbed Mrs Macready. Mrs Macready shoved Wendy, and the two fell, clutching each other, off the side of the train with a bang. Conner let go of Dorris and ran to the edge. He looked at the pools of blood running along the twisted steel and bricks of the crash that had claimed two more people.

“They’re dead,” he said.
“Come on,” Dorris sighed, taking his hand. “Let’s go.”

She led him out of the collapsed tunnel. The sound of sirens filled the air; it seemed yet more people were hurt. They continued to walk through the smoke and the noise to the hospital, still holding hands.

Georgia led the Shadowy Man, Pippa, Becky, Carlisle and Jeremy through parts of the hospital she’d never seen before. These were full of patients and staff, who looked curiously at them as they passed. Nobody said anything, just gaped in silence. Georgia looked down at her Nurse’s uniform self-consciously. Perhaps it was a little revealing, she realised. Still, it seemed to have worked on the Shadowy Man, which helped, especially when you needed someone like him on your side.

“I just wish you’d tell me your name,” Georgia sighed as the Shadowy Man caught up with her.
“Okay,” the Shadowy Man said.
“Seriously?” Georgia asked.
“Yeah,” the Shadowy Man laughed.
“Oh,” Georgia frowned. “I thought it would be more dramatic than that.”
“I’ll leave it to a more dramatic moment if you like,” the Shadowy Man sighed jokingly.

Georgia nodded. They reached the main door to the hospital, and stepped out of it. It was dark outside, and the whistle of the air raid began to sound.

“We’d better go,” Becky said. “The Germans will be coming over London any minute.”
“I’m not going until this Gold has been stopped,” Georgia said determinedly.
“Me too,” Pippa said.
“I’ll stay,” the Shadowy Man said.
“Count me in,” Jeremy added.
“Carlisle?” Becky asked.
“I think we should stay darling,” Carlisle said. “We owe Georgia our lives. The Germans seem less threatening than this Gold, and it must be stopped.”

Becky sighed, and nodded. Georgia smiled gratefully at her. The Shadowy Man brought out a small black object, and waved it around in the air.

“The Gold is coming,” he warned the others.
“What do you want us to do?” Carlisle asked. “If I held it off…”
“You aren’t doing anything of the kind,” Becky snapped. “Stop being so noble.”
“Yeah Carlisle,” Georgia teased, trying to forget what awaited. “Stop being so lovely.”
“I think you should make a speech,” Jeremy told Georgia.

As they all nervously laughed, they did not see the Gold coming. Its stomps were unheard amongst the bombs. It was so close to Georgia, it could reach out and touch her. Or crush her.

“Georgia watch out!” Becky screamed.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion; Georgia turned, screaming, the Gold raised its fist, ready to strike, Carlisle pulled Becky aside, Jeremy flinched away, and the Shadowy Man dived at Georgia. He pulled her sideways, and the two fell onto the ground. But perhaps what was more shocking was what Pippa did next.

“I need you to do me a favour,” the Doctor told Triss.
“Whatever it is, I’ll do it,” Triss said.
“Thanks,” the Doctor smiled. “I need you to take this teleport; go to the Out Region. There’s a big blue box in your base. I need you to use this key, this one here, and open the blue box. Then slip this golden disc into the DVD player, and hold on tight.”

Triss nodded, and gripped the teleport, the Yale key and the golden DVD in her hand. Naomi looked at her quizzically, and she shrugged in reply.

“Bye,” Triss said, pressing the teleport.

There was a zzzp noise, and Triss found herself in the base she had worked in for so long. It was empty, and as she walked down the corridors, she couldn’t help but imagine what it used to be like.

“What is this blue box?” she muttered to herself as she found the TARDIS.

She slipped the key inside the lock, and turned it. The doors swung open, and Triss stepped inside the TARDIS. The doors were knocked aside as Triss ran back out into the base. She pressed her hands to the wood panels and felt her way around the TARDIS.

“It’s bigger on the inside!” she laughed.

She ran back inside, and a hologram of the Doctor appeared.

“This is security protocol 712. This time capsule has detected the presence of an authorised control disc, valid one journey,” the Doctor said. “Please insert the disc and prepare for departure.”

Triss slipped the disc in the case, and grabbed the console as the TARDIS dematerialised.

“NO!” Pippa cried.

As Georgia and the Shadowy Man fell to the floor, Pippa pulled a gun from her pocket, and turned around. Bang! There was a gunshot, and chunks of Gold flew everywhere. The Gold, which had been shot in the head, fell to the floor and moved no more. Everyone fell silent, and stared at Pippa.

“Where did you get that?” Becky cried.
“It looks so futuristic,” Jeremy stuttered.
“It is,” Pippa said, slipping it back into her pocket.

Georgia stood shakily to her feet. Pippa just looked at her.

“What? What’s going on?” Georgia asked. “That gun isn’t from round here. Where did you get it?”
“That would be me, I’m afraid,” the Shadowy Man said.
“You?!” Georgia cried. “But… I’m confused.”
“You don’t honestly think I live in this dump?” Pippa sneered. “I work with him. I was hired to be his assistant. It seemed the boss doubted his capability.”

Georgia fell down to the ground, numb. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing; Pippa Blackwell was working with the Shadowy Man. They’d travelled here, to trap her…

“Boss won’t be happy with you,” the Shadowy Man said. “The Gold, you destroyed it.”
“She’ll get over it,” Pippa said. “Come on, let’s go. See you Bells.”

She looked down at Georgia, before pressing a teleport and vanishing in a flash of blue light. The Shadowy Man turned to face Georgia, who was still slumped on the pavement.

“Here’s your dramatic moment,” he said. “My name’s Petr Costravalos.”

And he disappeared into the light.

“Here’s the TARDIS!” the Doctor cried.
“Where?” Naomi asked.
“I’m not sure,” the Doctor said. “I can hear it anyway.”
“It can’t be far away,” Naomi said.

They were still in the communication room, listening at the door for the TARDIS. It had missed the room by several corridors. Meanwhile, Larry was trying to attract their attention.

“Doctor!” Larry shouted.
“Oh, yes, hello!” the Doctor turned around, facing the screen.
“The Kritzanthians have discovered me,” Larry told him. “It won’t be long before the get in.”
“Oh God…” Naomi said, clapping her hands to her mouth.
“I’m sorry,” the Doctor said. “Can you get through the air vents?”
“No,” Larry said. “Triss sealed the panel. But I’ve got a link to the Out Region. Before I go I’m gonna stop the war. Bang! It’ll all be over. No more Kritzanthians.”
“No!” the Doctor said. “You can’t!”
“I’m not asking you for your opinion,” Larry said. “I’m warning you. Get out of here.”

Naomi nodded and ran for the door. She turned back to the Doctor.

“We need the Sonic Screwdriver!” she said. “Triss sealed us in.”
“I’ve got it,” the Doctor said.
“Please, save yourselves,” Larry said. “Now!”

The Doctor sighed, and threw Naomi the Sonic Screwdriver. Larry pressed a button, and the Out Region exploded. The Kritzanthian spaceship and the Earth shook as one of the most prominent monuments of the times was wiped from Space.

“This is it,” Larry said, taking a deep breath.

He pressed another button, and the Kritzanthian spaceship exploded. The Doctor and Naomi burst into the corridor, fire erupting all around them. The TARDIS shook, and slid along the corridor. A large steel girder fell in front of the door, as Triss was thrown around inside the Doctor’s ship.

“Run!” the Doctor cried. “It’s not long until we lose atmosphere!”
“The Kritzanthians are all dead!” Naomi shouted back at him.

They burst around the corridor which the TARDIS had parked in. Part of the corridor exploded, and the Doctor was thrown sideways. A number of rooms could be seen burning where the walls had fallen down. The Doctor slid underneath the metal girder and opened the door to the TARDIS.

“Come on!” Triss screamed.

The Doctor jumped into the TARDIS as the metal girder slipped down and caught fire. Naomi picked herself up off the floor and ran as fast as she could.

“Doctor!” she cried. “I can’t get through!”
“No!” the Doctor yelled. “Come on!”

He attempted to shift the girder, but it was too heavy. Naomi clasped his hand through the twisted steel.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t wait to meet you.”
“You’re gonna be amazing,” the Doctor promised. “Defending Earth, keeping Torchwood sane. The adventure’s we’re gonna have…”

The TARDIS began to dematerialise, and the Doctor let go of Naomi’s hand as the door shut.

“Goodbye Naomi,” he said sadly.

Conner ran to the hospital with Dorris, the bombs going off around them. He saw the hospital doors open, with several figures silhouetted against the light. One was slumped to the floor. It stood up as Conner ran towards it.

“Georgia! Is that you?” Conner cried.
“Conner!” Georgia screamed.

She stood up and ran towards him, the bombs exploding in the air. They hugged, as Dorris caught up with them.

“Dorris?!” Jeremy cried. “What are you doing here?”
“Mrs Macready tried to kill us!” she said, running up to him. “She crashed a train into Wendy and the others. We only just got away.”
“It’s okay,” Jeremy promised. “I’m here now.”

Georgia let go of Conner.

“Is that true?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Conner laughed. “But what happened to you?”
“There was this Nurse…” Georgia began. “And the Shadowy Man came. It turns out she was working with him, and they left. I really trusted her.”
“If I see that man…” Conner warned.
“No!” Georgia said. “Petr saved our lives!”
“Petr?” Conner frowned.
“He’s called Petr Costravalos.”

The TARDIS materialised on Earth. There were parties in the street, and some form of dragons leaping around with joy. Triss grinned as she stepped out of the TARDIS.

“We really won,” she said.
“Yeah,” the Doctor said. “Some victory.”
“Don’t blame yourself,” Triss said. “Larry did what he thought was right.”
“The thing is, I’m not sure Larry was wrong,” the Doctor frowned. “And that’s what bugs me.”
“Goodbye Doctor,” Triss said firmly. “Go find Conner and Georgia again. You know how much you need them, and they need you.”
“I guess,” the Doctor said, stepping back to the TARDIS.
“Don’t forget me,” Triss said.
“Don’t forget me either,” the Doctor said, as the TARDIS dematerialised into nothingness.

Georgia and Conner looked up as the TARDIS materialised onto the street. The door didn’t open.

“It’s time to go,” Georgia told Conner.
“Give me a minute,” Conner said.

He walked up to Dorris.

“I’ll see you around,” he said.
“Not if I see you first,” Dorris laughed.
“Yeah,” Conner grinned. “In 65 years. That’s not bad. You hadn’t changed much at all.”
“It’s cos I do all this running around,” Dorris said, hugging Conner goodbye.

Jeremy and Georgia hugged, and Georgia moved on to Becky, and then Carlisle.

“I’ll see you around mister,” she told him, hugging him.
“I hope so,” Carlisle smiled.
“You know, I like you,” Georgia said. “But you’ve helped me realise, I like someone else even more.”
“Oh yeah?” Carlisle asked. “Well he seems nice. Go for it.”
“I want an invite to your wedding,” Georgia said. “Goodbye everyone.”

Becky, Jeremy and Carlisle waved. Dorris grinned at Conner and waved too. Georgia and Conner smiled at each other, and made their way back to the TARDIS.

“I really thought I could trust her,” Georgia sighed. “Still, it’s better just you and me.”
“Oh,” Conner said. “We ain’t letting no bitch come on our adventures.”

Georgia laughed. The door to the TARDIS opened, and the Doctor stood in the doorway.

“Onwards?” he asked.
“Onwards,” Georgia and Conner confirmed.

And the TARDIS dematerialised, onto new adventures.

Credits.

Next time:

"Ireyk, Kornfla?" the alien said loudly and the whole hall turned their heads and stared at the alien.
“Why isn’t the TARDIS here to translate?” Zac moaned.
“Funny I didn’t know aliens were interested in such things,” Mrs Sow said, “Do you think I should phone UNIT?”
“Zac it’s the TARDIS!”
“What’s wrong with me?” the Doctor asked.
“DOCTOR!” Beth shrieked, “I don’t want to be left behind! Zac! Kaylie! Conner!”
“Kaylie,” Conner and Zac said together.
"Welcome to the biggest court in the Galaxy!"

Episode 8: Black and Gold Part 4

Susan patrolled the corridor, perfect in every way. She was so busy walking up and down in a regimented way that she failed to notice Conner and Dorris creep up behind her.

“You will be perfect!” she squealed, as they grabbed her and covered her eyes and mouth.
“And you’ll be a perfect bargaining… Thing,” Conner said.
“Bitch!” Dorris added for good measure.

Triss and Larry sat in the dark, hardly daring to breathe. Had the Kritzanthians seen them? They heard the Kritzanthians stop below the panel, which the Sonic Screwdriver had sealed shut. Triss breathed a sigh of relief as they heard the footsteps of the Kritzanthians walking away.

“Come on!” she said, lighting the way with the Sonic Screwdriver. “This way!”
“Where are we going?” Larry asked as they crawled straight ahead.
“Left,” Triss said, turning left. “We’re going to find the control room. And the communications room. I’ll find the Doctor, and you can immobilise the Kritzanthians.”
“Okay,” Larry said. “How do we know where we’re going?”
“Because I have a map,” Triss said proudly.
“Maybe I’d better read it,” Larry muttered hesitantly. “We don’t want us getting lost…”

The Doctor was shoved into the communications room and the door was locked behind him. He tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. He sighed, turning around to face the woman watching him curiously.

“Doctor,” Naomi said.
“Sorry, what was your name?” the Doctor asked.
“Naomi Green,” Naomi replied. “Don’t you remember, Doctor?”
“I’m afraid not,” the Doctor said. “I haven’t got a clue as to who you are.”

The Shadowy Man led Georgia, Pippa, Becky, Carlisle and Jeremy along the corridor towards the stairs. Becky stopped and grabbed Carlisle’s arm.

“Can you hear that?” she asked, looking up at the ceiling.
“What can you hear?” Carlisle asked, wrapping an arm around Becky.
“A sort of creaking…” Becky muttered.
“Becky, we can’t stop,” Georgia said. “We’ve got to go.”
“I know,” Becky said. “But I can hear something.”
“Sort of creaking?” Pippa asked.
“Yeah,” Becky said, trying to concentrate.
“It sounds like water,” Jeremy added.
“Or some other liquid…” the Shadowy Man realised. “RUN!”

The Shadowy Man turned as a large wave of liquid Gold washed around the corridor, coming towards them. Georgia pushed Jeremy up the stairs, and grabbed Pippa.

“Come on!” she screamed.

Becky and Carlisle ran at the back of the group as they made their way up the stairs. The wave of liquid Gold rushed down the corridors, leaving the walls glittering. Jeremy and the Shadowy Man reached the door at the top of the stairs and they rushed through it, Pippa close behind them. Georgia held the door open as Becky and Carlisle ran through it, and shut it behind her as they ran for the corridor.

“Keep going!” Georgia said as the group ran down the corridor.

At the bottom of the stairs, the liquid Gold sloshed together and moulded into the form of the man again, and walked up the stairs. It broke through the door, and fell apart into liquid.

“It’s coming,” the Shadowy Man warned. “We need to get out of here…”
“Are there any waterproof places around here?” Georgia asked.
“No,” Becky said. “If we can just get out of the hospital, then it shouldn’t be able to follow us…”
“Why not?” Pippa asked. “It’ll just kill anyone it sees.”
“There must be some way of stopping it!” Jeremy cried.
“We’ve got to move,” Georgia said, opening another door. “We can hide somewhere.”
“The morgue!” Pippa said. “Come on!”

Pippa ran down the steps, and Jeremy followed. Georgia ushered the Shadowy Man to follow, and Becky hurried after.

“Carlisle! Run! Oh God, run!” Becky screamed as the Gold stomped closer.

Carlisle and Georgia ran down the steps after Becky, slamming the door behind them.

“Right,” Conner said to Mrs Macready. “Let us go, or Susan will suffer the consequences.”
“Would you hurt Susan?” Mrs Macready asked.
“If we have to,” Dorris lied.

Conner and Dorris were stood in front of Mrs Macready and Wendy French, who held the key to the front door in her hands. She reluctantly threw the key to Conner, who caught it.

“Unlock the front door,” Conner ordered Dorris, backing away from Mrs Macready with Susan.
“Where are we gonna go?” Dorris asked. “There’s nowhere…”
“We’ll manage,” Conner said. “Is it open?”
“Yeah,” Dorris replied.

She opened the front door, and slipped through it. Conner, retaining a firm grip on Susan, kicked the door open, and back outside. Mrs Macready and Wendy followed, and Peter, Edward and Lucy emerged from the back door.

“Right,” Conner whispered to Dorris. “We’ve gotta ditch Susan somewhere. And escape, preferably in that order.”
“Sounds easy,” Dorris replied as they continued to back away. “We’re nearly at the gate. I expect it’s open.”

It was, and, with a little effort, Dorris managed to pull it across enough to allow them to slip through.

“Get ready to shut it,” Conner warned. “Now!”

He shoved Susan forward, and dived through the gate, which Dorris pulled shut. She grinned, and took Conner’s hand, and they ran.

“Get them!” Mrs Macready screeched.
“They will be perfect,” Wendy agreed.

Susan prised open the gate, and soon she, Peter, Edward and Lucy were following the two escapees.

Triss and Larry stopped over a hatch, which Triss opened with the Sonic Screwdriver. Larry hugged her, and dropped down into the empty room below.

“That should be the main control room,” Triss called down to him.
“I guess I was wrong about your map reading skills,” Larry called up to her. “It’s empty.”
“Take the Doctor’s thing,” Triss said, dropping the Sonic Screwdriver into his hands. “Go and seal the door.”

Larry disappeared from Triss’ view for a second, before returning. He threw the Sonic Screwdriver up into the air, and she caught it.

“You’ll be alright, won’t you?” Larry asked.
“Sure,” Triss said. “Don’t worry about me.”
“Seal yourself back in,” Larry said. “When you get to the communications room, communicate with me!”
“I will do,” Triss promised. “Goodbye Larry.”

Triss placed the panel back over the air vent, and sealed it. She continued to crawl along, using the map as a guide.

“Pippa!” Georgia sighed. “We can’t pretend to be dead people! It’ll never work!”
“Just try!” Pippa said, opening a freezer door. “That’s it Jeremy, get in there.”

Jeremy slipped into the freezer, and Becky followed. Carlisle smiled at Georgia before following them.

“We can’t fit anymore in there,” Pippa said. “We’d better hurry. What’s your name! Get in the next one!”
“Yes ma’am!” the Shadowy Man saluted, climbing into the next freezer.
“You too Georgia,” Pippa prompted. “The Gold won’t take forever.”

Georgia sighed, and stepped into the freezer. Pippa followed, and closed the door behind her.

“Now what, genius?” Georgia muttered.
“Ssh!” Pippa said. “We wait.”

The Gold man walked into the room, and glanced around. It saw the freezers, but could not see inside it. It smashed another door down and continued through the hospital. The second freezer door opened, and Georgia climbed out.

“It’s gone,” she said.
“See!” Pippa grinned. “I told you so!”
“Yeah, alright,” Georgia sighed as the Shadowy Man stepped out.
“Now what do we do?” Carlisle asked as he, Becky and Jeremy emerged from the first freezer.
“We need to get you out of here,” Georgia said. “Then stop this Gold, and find the Doctor!”

Conner and Dorris reached a train station, and Conner checked the time for the next train. He shook his head at Dorris, and sighed.

“There won’t be a train for two hours,” he said. “And as much as I’d love to wait for one, we don’t have time. Susan and the others will be here soon.”
“Then you know what we have to do,” Dorris said.
“Yes,” Conner said. “Though I don’t feel too comfortable with the thought of you and me running down a train track. But if it means avoiding a battle here…”
“I trust you,” Dorris said quietly, taking Conner’s hand. “You’ll keep us safe.”

She led Conner to the tunnel, and they jumped onto the track. Walking into the darkness of the tunnel, they hoped the train wouldn’t be two hours early.

“They will be perfect,” Susan said as the others reached the station.

She pointed to the tunnel, and the four perfect children began to follow.

“Doctor,” Naomi said. “We had such good times together. I wish you could remember.”
“Well I might,” the Doctor said. “If you actually told me where I know you from.”
“I suppose it has been years,” Naomi replied. “Before the war with the Kritzanthians, you used to pop round and we’d save the world. Then the Kritzanthians came, wanting our planet. Some people supported the thought of sharing our planet, but most wanted to keep Earth to themselves. It ended in war, and everyone who could joined up. I was lucky, and was posted to the Out Region. But others were sent on the front line; battles on the Milky Way Roads. A lot of good people died.”
“And you met me there?” the Doctor asked. “Or before you signed up?”
“I met you before,” Naomi said. “I met Triss and the others at the sign up, and we were all posted on the Out Region together. But I met you, Doctor, when I worked for Torchwood.”

“Run!” Conner cried.
“You will be perfect,” Susan said somewhere behind them.

Dorris began to run over the tracks with Conner. A few feet back, Peter, Susan, Edward and Lucy walked shoulder to shoulder, covering the whole track, in a regimented, perfect way.

“We’ll be fine!” Conner said. “We just need to get out of this tunnel!”
“Can you hear that?” Dorris asked.

The tracks rattled, and Dorris tripped over. Helping her to her feet, Conner heard the rattle too. It was a train.

“It’s coming the other way!” Conner cried. “I forgot to look at the other timetable!”
“Get back!” Dorris screamed.

She pulled Conner flat against the wall as the train whooshed past them. There was a thunderous bang as the train smashed into the four perfect children. The bodies of Peter, Susan, Edward and Lucy were flung aside, and the train piled up and the tunnel collapsed, trapping Conner and Dorris in the dark.

To be continued…