Green Vortex [III]

Planet of the Dead Pt4:

"Thing is, you're missing the obvious. We came here through the wormhole, yes? But our Tritovore friends didn't. They came here to trade with San Helios. Therefore the question is, why did they crash?" Christina asked.

"Oh. Good question." The Doctor said and turned to the Tritovores, "Like she said, why did you crash?" He asked and they walked through a door to a room with a huge hole in the ground.

The Doctor and Christine leaned over to peer down while Galaxy knelt next to Astro as they got a better look down the hole.

"Oh, yes! Gravity room. Goes all the way down to the engine. So what happened?" The Doctor asked and the Tritovores clicked. "The drive system stalled.'" Galaxy translated, "They crashed from ten miles up."

"But what crashed that?" The Doctor frowned and the Tritover shrugged. "Which means 'no idea'." Christina said. "There's a crystal nucleus down there. Looks like it survived the crash, looks like it's still intact." Astro told Galaxy and the Doctor.

"Ooh, yes! That's better than diesel!" The Doctor exclaimed. "What, you can use a crystal to move the bus?" Christina frowned. "I think so! Place is a write off, but the 200's small enough." The Doctor said. "How does a crystal drive a bus?"

"In a super clever, outspacy way. Trust me."

"Which means he'll figure out when we actually get said crystal. Which I can see, it's all the way at the bottom of the well." Galaxy said. "Have you got access shafts?" The Doctor asked the Tritovore and they clicked, "All frozen."

"I should be able to hack the system, open them." Galaxy said as she stood up and he nodded before picking up a small earpiece. "Internal comms." He tossed one to Christina and put the other in his ear, "Put that on! You stay here. Keep an eye on the shaft. Tell me if anything happens!"

Christina stayed by the gravity well while the others went back to the control room where Galaxy got work on the controls. "If I can get the automatic maintenance to start using the sunlight..." She started.

"Christina, if you see a panel opening in that shaft, let me know." The Doctor said into the comm. as Galaxy worked away.

"Nothing yet." Christina replied and Galaxy plugged a wire.

"Anything now?" He asked.

"'Fraid not." She said and Galaxy crossed a few wires.

"Any sign of movement?"

"Nope!"

"How's that?" He asked after Galaxy flashed her sonic across a plug.

"Nothing."

The panel sparked when Galaxy tweaked another wire. She sighed slightly, she had a bunch of combinations up on her computer wrist, she just wished it was going a little quicker to find the right one.

"Any result?" He asked again.

"Not a dickery bird. So let me get this right. You need that crystal? Then consider it done!" Christina said. "Why, what'd you mean?" He asked but got no response, "Christina?" He called and Galaxy looked at him as he realised what happened, "Christina!" He shouted and he, Galaxy and Astro ran back to the gravity room.

"This aristocracy survived for a reason. We're ready for anything." Christina smirked at them when they entered the room then let herself fall into the hole. "No!" The Doctor shouted, pulling out his sonic and flashed it across the winch Christina had set up, stopping her fall, "That's better!"

"I decide when I stop, thank you!" Christina called back. "If you decide, then you should know all the facts first. That's the security grid just below you." Galaxy said. "Excellent." Christine muttered as she looked at the grid flare only inches from her face, "So what do I do?"