The TARDIS materialised on the surface of a grey planet, amongst an exhibit meant to emulate the moon's surface, complete with the US flag. One by one, the Doctor, McKenzie, Wanda, Clara, Angie and Artie poked their heads out, looking around.
"Well, here we are," the Doctor grinned, jumping onto one of the moonrocks. "Hedgewick's World! The biggest and best amusement park there will ever be, and we've got a golden ticket. Eh? Eh? Fun!"
Wanda raised her eyebrows. "Fun?"
Angie rolled her eyes. "Your stupid box can't even get us to the right place. This is like a moon base or something."
"Please," McKenzie snorted. "Everyone knows the moon smells of vanilla."
"No, it doesn't," Clara scoffed. Then she hesitated. "Does it?"
"'Course it does," McKenzie assured her. "It's the first thing Neil Armstrong said when he got there. 'Hey, Buzz, it smells of vanilla out here!' All that stuff about small steps was just for PR."
"She's joking," Wanda said, shaking her head.
McKenzie waggled her fingers, grinning. "Or am I?"
"Actually, I think it does look like the moon, only dirtier," Artie decided.
The Doctor pouted. "Hey! Guys! It's not the moon, okay? It's a Spacey Zoomer ride, or it was."
Someone cleared their throat, and they all turned to see a man in a tall hat peering out of a door in the rocks. "Psst! Excuse I, I don't suppose you happen to be my lift off-planet? Dave's Discount Interstellar Removals?"
Clara bit back a smile. "'Fraid not."
The man groaned. "They were meant to be here six months ago. Well, that's Dave for you, see? Unreliable."
"Stay where you are!" The man ducked back into his rock and they all turned once more to see a small platoon of soldiers marching towards them. "Throw down your weapons and identify yourselves!"
"No, no weapons," the Doctor assured the Captain excitably. "Golden ticket, Spacey Zoomer. Free ice cream?"
"Who are you?" the Captain demanded. "This planet is closed, by Imperial Order."
Wanda rolled her eyes. "Of course it is."
"How's this?" the Doctor said, holding up his psychic paper for her to read.
The Captain blinked. "Oh. Welcome, Proconsul, General. I wish they'd told us you were coming. Any news of the Emperor?"
"No, no," McKenzie lied, sharing a confused look with her husband. "None that you'd... er..."
"We pray for his return," the Captain told her. "If there is anything you need, my platoon is at your service."
"Right," the Doctor nodded, raising his eyebrows. "Righty-o."
McKenzie rolled her eyes at him. "As you were, Captain."
The Captain saluted, which they both returned somewhat half-heartedly, then turned to her troops. "Platoon, let's move out! On the double. Two, three, four. Two, three, four. Two, three, four." They marched away.
The man stepped out of his rock again, more cautiously this time. "Have they gone?"
"Yes," the Doctor nodded.
"Uniforms give me the heebie-jeebies," the man admitted, wrinkling his nose. "Come on. They can't stop me being here, but they don't like it." He led them around a corner to the edge of the area, where they could see the rest of the amusement park. The dilapidated, creaking, rusty amusement park.
YOU ARE READING
One Last Chance |6| The Ascension
Science Fiction✅ approx. 215,000 words After the horrors of the war against Thanos, the Doctor and McKenzie are finally together again, albeit missing a limb. But that isn't the only thing they are bereft of. The death of their son cut them to the core and they wi...
