𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒔 ☆ The Glorious Series ｟ BOOK 1 ｠

Flesh and Stone [Part 2]

"We need another way out of here." River said while working on something.
"There isn't one." Octavian replied.

"Yeah, there is, course there is. This is a galaxy class ship, goes for years between planet-falls. So," The Doctor snapped his fingers. "what do they need?"

"Of course." River said in realization.

The Doctor snapped his fingers again.

"Of course, what? What do they need?" Amy asked with a hint of anxiety.

"Can we get in there?" Octavian asked wanting to know.

"Well, it's a sealed unit, but they must have installed it somehow. This whole wall should slide up." The Doctor pressed himself against the rear wall. "There's clamps. Release the clamps!" He used the sonic on the clamps.

"What's through there? What do they need?" Lexi asked.

"They need to breathe." River replied.

The door slowly rose. The Doctor smiled. Lexi and Amy's faces were painted with awestruck expressions.

"But that's... That's a..." The twins could barely speak out of surprise.

The door fully opened and lush vegetation and trees could be seen.

"It's an oxygen factory." River stated simply.

"It's a forest." Amy said in amazement.

"Yeah, it's a forest, it's an oxygen factory."

"And if we're lucky, an escape route." The Doctor informed.

"Eight." Lexi and Amy said at the exact same time.

"What did you say?" River asked with a confused expression.

"Nothing."

"Is there another exit? Scan the architecture, we don't have time to get lost in there." The Doctor said looking over at Octavian.

"On it!" Octavian stepped into the forest. "Stay here until I've checked the Rad levels."

"But trees! On a spaceship?" Lexi asked in almost a joyous tone of happiness.

"Oh, more than trees, way better than trees. You're both going to love this." The Doctor stepped into the forest. "Treeborgs..." He opened a section of peat moss to reveal circuitry. "Tress plus technology. Branches become cables, become sensors on the hull. A forest sucking in starlight, breathing out air. It even rains. There's a whole mini-climate. It is an eco-pod running through the heart of the ship." The Doctor quickly ran back right up to the Ponds and started speaking really fast. "A forest in a bottle, on a spaceship, in a maze. Have I impressed you yet, Amy and Lexi Pond?"

The twins chuckled. "Seven."

"Seven?" The Doctor stepped back into the flight deck to stand right in front of them.

"Sorry, what?" They asked.

"You two said seven." The Doctor stated while studying there faces.

"No we didn't."

"Yes, you did." River said definitively.

"Doctor! There's an exit, far end of the ship, into the Primary Flight Deck." Octavian said as he returned.

"Good that's where we need to go."

"Plotting a safe path."

The Doctor was still studying the twins' faces. "Quick as you like!"

"Doctor? Excuse me. Hello, Doctor? Angel Bob here, sir." Angel Bob's voice could be heard over the radio.

The Doctor plopped down in a nearby armchair. "Ah, there you are, Angel Bob. How's life?... Sorry, bad subject."