Doctor Who: Face-Off

DOCTOR WHO: Series 11

Episode 6:

Face-Off

Written by Zachary Denoyer

All rights belong to BBC Studios

Prologue

53rd Century

The weather was colder than usual on the planet El Lazo. Snow blanketed the metal structures across the landscape, locking the workers into a frozen stupor.

The large metal cube-like units that dotted the expanse were called the 'Entanglement Units'. They are used as housing like all the other units, so upkeep on them was always necessary. No one skimps on fixing on El Lazo. One certain unit was acting up. If the unit wasn't fixed soon, the bosses in the hilariously named 'Big Unit' would for sure have the workers there punished. Housing the workers in the units was easier than calling for off-worlders to come in, this way they'd always have people handy.

Marcus reached for his drill and continued his job, fixing the molecular converters. His job was especially important for if anything happened to the converters the products moving through would become entirely unstable.

FLINK

    "Mierda! My damn finger!" Marcus rose from grabbing his wounded finger in disgust. Reaching over Marcus tapped the shoulder of his partner working across from him. "The drill went wacko again and sliced the metal into my finger, you have any more of that goop, Angel?"

"Yeah, right here..." Angel pulled a tube out of his worker's tool kit and reeled back before giving it to Marcus.

    "Hey!"

"Marcus this is the fifth time this week...this gel is expensive...either get your drill checked or take a break..."

Marcus grabbed the tube and applied the gel to his wound. In seconds the gel filled his gash, regenerating the tissue in almost an instant. Smiling, Marcus picked up his drill and examined it, trying to make it look like his exhaustion wasn't the cause of his slip-up. "Hey, Angel."

Angel stopped his drill and sighed loudly. "What Marcus, I'm running low on my fixing quota. I need to get this basura finished."

"I just wanted to thank you I guess...the boss would have had my head by now if you did—"

Angel smirked. "Hey, no Marcus, none of this mushy stuff, amigo. I can tell you've been working yourself hard." He stopped to reflect. "Is Stadia doing okay?"

Marcus moved his hand over his buzzed hair on his head. "She's fine, she's out with the crew. But...another was...well another one was moved to the other units in the Gamma Section. Angel, we can't lose any more..."

"Que demonios?!" Angel cried out in anger. "We...can't keep doing this."

Marcus put his hands onto his face and sat in a nearby chair. Angel stood up and quickly moved to Marcus's side, comforting him. Marcus was obviously hiding his sadness and Angel knew what this meant. Every time someone is sent he always fears it will be his sister next. Stadia is Marcus's only connection to any form of family he has left on El Lazo. Anyone who couldn't keep up the fix quota would be pushed deeper south into the 'Quantum Computation Units'. A place no one came back from.

Angel looked toward a small machine connected to the metal unit he was working on. "Hey...Marcus, I don't do this, but you need something to keep you moving forward. Por favor, mi unico amigo..." Angel walked over to the machine and pulled a small metal chip out of his tool kit. The chip was labeled 'Rations'. Angel smirked. "I'm getting us both a bottle of the best Whiskey I know of...we both need it."