Doctor Who Future (Series Three)

The Crimes of Peladon : Episode Four

"Tepish invaded the planet and took over," the Doctor bit his lip. "He's only one man, how can he take down and take over a whole castle of people."

"He was backed up by an unidentified battle ship in the atmosphere," Centauri explained. "And with the sudden death of the queen."

"The queen died!" The Doctor exclaimed in shock. "So there was an army of Peladon but nobody left to rule them."

"There were many conspiracies that they had been waiting for the right moment to invade," Susie sighed.

"Perhaps they were," the Doctor nodded. "Anyway, to matter at hand. The Delegates."

"Tepish was the only person who knew where they were imprisoned," Susie sighed with regret. "What have I done?"

"He probably wouldnt have told us even if he were alive," Max reassured her.

"I guess," Susie still stared at the floor.

"So, if we all search enough, I'm sure we can find the delegates," the Doctor said optimistically.

"There's no point," Susie shook her head. "Tepish told me once about the defences around the cell. If we ever got close, we'd die before we even knew it."

* * *

"This is ridiculous," an Ice Warrior pounded on the cell walls. "We were meant to be fed hours ago."

"Tepish is always late," a young female Earth Woman sighed as the Ice Warrior continued to pound on the wall. "Draska, pounding on the wall wont get you anywhere."

"True," a older man next to her agreed. "You're just going to waste your remaining energy."

Draska gave up and slumped on a wooden bench beside the left wall of the cell.

On the bench by the far wall, the male and the female, David and Maggie, glanced at eachother in despair.

"We do this every day," a Blathereen looked from Dave to Maggie to Draska. "He's always late but he will come eventually."

"I just wish he hadn't disarmed me," Draska continued to complain while staring at the empty weapon slot on the back of his arm. "I could blast that wall open within minutes."

Everyone of them were too exhausted to say anything else.

They just slumped on their benches waiting for Tepish.

Little did they know, he would never come...

* * *

"We've got to find them," Max pleaded with Susie and Centauri.

"I agree," Centauri spun around. "But I'm scared."

"We need a plan," the Doctor paced. "We need to split up into parties and search for them."

"It would be a lot faster with the two of you," Stacy joined Max in pleading with them. "Plus, Susie this is kinda your fault we gotta do this in the first place."

"Fine," Susie agreed.

Everybody turned to look at Centauri who stared at everyone back. "Okay fine," Centauri finally broke.

"Okay so," the Doctor explained the plan. "Stacy and Susie, you search the upper levels. Max and Centauri, you search this level and I. I'll search the tunnels."

"Alright then," Max nodded. "Let's get to it."

* * *

After 10 minutes of searching, Susie and Stacy had already had enough.

"This way?" Susie suggested going left.

"Sure," Stacy agreed as they took the corridor.

"So what's going on between you and that Max bloke," Susie asked.

"Oh god is it that noticeable," Stacy looked horrified as the confirmed it wasnt in the observatory.

"Very," Susie confirmed. "So what's going on?"

"You dont even know us, why do you want to know?" Stacy tried to hide the answer.

"I'm just nosy," Susie crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Fine," Stacy started to explain as they went deeper and deeper into the top floor of the castle. "I had a boyfriend who I travelled with in the Tardis with the Doctor and he was called Max, but he sacrificed his life saving his home planet from Cybermen."

"Whoah!" Susie exclaimed.

"A little while after Daniel I realised I had to move on," Stacy winced as she realised what the next part of the story was. "So I came on to Max."

"What happened then?" Susie gave a nod to show that there was nothing in the forgery.

"He told me that he was gay," Stacy sighed. "And given everything that had happened with Daniel and that this was my first try since, I just freaked out."

"Yeah but you cant hold his sexuality against him," Susie told her.

"I know," Stacy agreed. "Its just that we haven't had a chance to talk since it happened, there was the Adipose and then the Daleks and now this."

"You have to talk to him," Susie opened the door to the final room upstairs. "Now this is the pool, it was completely off limits though."

They both heard their own footsteps as the sound bounced around the large room.

Stacy stared at the cool, turquoise, steamy pool in confusion. "If it hasn't been maintained since Tepish invaded, why is the water so nice."

"Its got a special crystalline compound in it," Susie looked in the changing rooms while Stacy looked in the showers.

Stacy was the first to arrive back to the pool and then Susie soon also arrived back.

"Come on," Stacy sighed. "If the delegates are up here, they are definitely concealed with invisibility or something."

"Let's go and see if the others have made any progress," Susie turned and then heard something from under the water. "What was that?"

The water started to froth as a metallic box rose out of it.

"Where did that come from?" Stacy asked.

"I forgot," Susie panicked. "Not only is there a crystalline element in the water. It's dark water."

"The Doctor told me about that, it hides metal," Stacy ran to the door. "The door! Its automatically locked itself."

"Tepish must have set this trap," Susie ran to the door with her. "He said he didnt want people going into the pool."

The metal box started to open to reveal small yellow particles floating out of it.

"Hostile Nanogenes!" Susie yelled. "We're done for!"

They flew up over the water and closer and closer to them.

"Help Us! Somebody Help Us!"