ignite ➝ Doctor Who¹

XXXIX

"Let there be light!"
— Danny, The Satan Pit

Penelope smacked Zach's shoulder, having looked over the blueprints of the base. She brought it over and pointed at the lines that travel through every part of the base. "Ventilation shafts." Jefferson laughed at the other end of the comms.

"Yeah, I appreciate the reference, but there's no ventilation. No air, in fact, at all. They were designed for machines, not life forms." She sighed angrily and threw the blueprints aside.

"But-" She looked up to Zach, a triumphant look on his face that she was happy to see. "I can manipulate the oxygen field from here. Create discrete pockets of atmosphere. If I control it manually, I can follow you through the network." Rose grabbed the comms, not entirely happy with their way out.

"Right, so we go down, and you make the air follow us by hand?"

"You wanted me pressing buttons."

"Hey, you asked for it Rosie." Zach and Penelope high fived and the woman grabbed the blueprints again before laying them out on a table for her to trace a path. "Okay, they need to get to Ood Habitation. I'll work out a route."

Through the comms, the two people stuck in the control room could hear people bickering, but they couldn't let that deter them from what could save the entire team. Slowly, all of the red dots, indicating life, were in the tunnel and the hatch was sealed by Zach. She vaguely heard Danny through the comms.

"Which way do we go?" Zach looked back at her, and she pulled the table round to stand closer, meaning they could hear her clearly.

"Just go straight ahead. Keep going till I say so." There was a muffled conversation that Penelope barely kept her focus on, she was still working out how to safely get them here.

"Not your best angle, Danny."

"Oi, stop it."

"I don't know, it could be worse."

"Oi!" Penelope reached forward and grabbed the mic for the comms.

"You better watch it Toby or it won't be the Ood or the Devil you'll have to worry about." She could vaguely hear Rose say something to him, but she blocked it out, having found where they were going next.

"Yes ma'am."

"Alright I need you all to keep going on straight until you find junction seven point one. Zach is giving you air so keep breathing, it isn't helpful if one of you passes out in there."

"We're at seven point one, sir, ma'am."

"Okay, I've got you. I'm just aerating the next section. Penelope."

"I'm on it." She held down the button that Zach told her to before, counting down until she could let go.

"Getting kind of cramped, sir. Can't you hurry up?"

"I'm working on half power, here." There was a little argument in the vents and Penelope smiled.

"Such children." Zach smiled, but continued working. Penelope let go of the button.

"I'm just moving the air. I've got to oxygenate the next section. Now, keep calm or it's going to feel worse." There was a deafened bang on their end of the comms, one that could be heard through the whole base. The people on the other end started to panic as Zach looked through the base to find where that came from.

"What was that?"

"Mister Jefferson, what was that?"

"What's that noise?"

"Captain, what was that?"

"The junction in Habitation Five's been opened. It must be the Ood." Penelope paled.

"Oh god, Rose they're in the tunnels!" Danny was the most panicked out of all of them, not that she could blame him. That was her a few years ago.

"Well, open the gate."

"Yeah we've got to get the air in Danny, they can't get to you right now just calm down!"

"Just open it, ma'am." Rose jumped in, knowing that the two couldn't open the doors just yet.

"Where are they? Are they close?" Zach made a face, which bothered Penelope so deeply she can't even describe it.

"I don't know. I can't tell. I can't see them. The computer doesn't register Ood as proper life forms."

"Not even heat signatures?"

"No." Rose scoffed down the comms.

"Whose idea was that?" Danny shouted at the two again, and Zach finally got the gate open. Penelope looked over the blueprints and followed the path she had made for them.

"Okay, Danny, turn left. Immediate left. Now." There was a bit of talking that she missed, making sure they didn't miss their turns. "Right! Danny, turn right. Go right! Go fast, Rose. They're going to catch up."

The red dots stop moving and Danny starts shouting again. "Eight point two. Penelope open eight point two. Zach! Open eight point two!" Penelope groaned in annoyance, shouting at the panicking man, knowing nothing could calm him right now.

"Shut up Danny! He has to aerate it."

"Open it now!" Zach cried out, typing buttons quicker than Penelope could catch on.

"I'm trying." Even Toby joined in.

"Zach, get it open!" He smacked the controls, talking to Jefferson, whose dot was away from the others and on the wrong side of the gate.

"Jefferson, I've got to open eight point two by closing eight point one. You've got to get past the junction. Now move. That's an order, now move! I'm going to lose oxygen, Jefferson, I can't stop for your dramatics!"

He gets the door open and Danny cheers. "That's it! Come on." Penelope took over the comms again, knowing they needed direction.

"Danny, turn left and head for nine point two. That's the last one." Zach was doing so many things at once, and the air was being run thin by stretching it to Jefferson.

"Jefferson! You've got to move faster. John, move!"

Gate eight point one closes and Penelope can only stare in horror as Jefferson's dot blinked on the wrong side of it. It was quiet, for the first time since they had gotten into the maintenance tunnels.

"Regret to inform, sir, I was a bit slow. Not so fast, these days."