Doctor Who Future (Series Four)

Coagulus : Episode One

The echoed sound of water dripping on metal, wailed down the darkened tunnel.

"Get a move on! Move it! Move it!" A beefy woman stumbled down the tunnel to the other workers. "You ain't getting paid for nothing."

"Yes maam," several of the workers responded as others ignored her.

The walked left and right, up and down the tunnel operating gauges, levers and other instruments.

Suddenly, a vibrating, shaky noise forced it's way from the other end of the tunnel and water blasted down it.

"Evacuate!" The woman yelled. "Code 5! They all abandoned their posts and ran down the other end of the tunnel."

* * *

Beside a vast and beautiful orange sea, a whirring bit of machinery sparked as a pipe burst and water started to spill out.

* * *

Bang!

Water smashed against the side of the tunnel as it took the beefy woman and launched her out of the end.

* * *

A tiny little person flew out of the pipe and into the sand beside the machine.

Nearby, beside the water the sound of the Tardis engines could be heard and it landed.

The door swung open and the Doctor stepped out. As he felt his foot reach the ground, he frowned with curiosity.

Reluctantly, he put his full weight onto the surface.

"Why are you being weird?" Max stared at the Doctor as he pulled out his sonic.

Zap!

Sparks flew out of the sonic.

"Something doesnt feel right," the Doctor jumped up and down as he threw his sonic back into the Tardis. "And I need a new sonic."

Stacy stepped outside. "How is everyone?" She smiled.

"We're okay," Max was confused at her sudden happy attitude.

"Cool," Stacy spotted the machine and went over to investigate.

"You're right Doctor," Max watched Stacy go over to the machine. "Something isnt right." He turned around to see the Doctor, squatted on the floor examining the ground. "What are you doing?"

"This isnt sand," the Doctor examined the mysterious grains closely.

"Well, judging by the orange water I'd say we arent on Earth," Max stated.

"This is stone," the Doctor continued to stare at the grains.

"So it is sand, eroded stone right?" Max asked.

"Look at the water," the Doctor pointed at the freakishly still water. "No waves, no erosion."

"Right," Max nodded. "So what caused it to have been broken down?"

"I'm not sure," the Doctor bit his lip. "It looks as if this was done chemically."

"Guys!" Stacy yelled from behind the machine. "Come look at this strange machine."

"Alright," the Doctor dropped the grains before him and Max joined her over by the machine.

"So from what I can tell," Stacy looked at the two pipes connected to the machine. "One pipe is pumping liquid into the sea, and the other is pumping liquid out of it."

"Hang on," the Doctor pressed his ear against one of the pipes and then the other. "You're right, this looks like some sort of instability filtration system."

"Meaning?" Max queried.

"The chemical properties of the water could be slightly unstable," the Doctor looked down at the water carefully. "Best not go anywhere near the water."

Stacy looked at what seemed to be some sort of jungle behind them. "Looks like we're on an island in the middle of this so called sea."

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded. "Shall we explore?"

"Something in my gut is telling me to go back to the Tardis," Max didnt move a muscle. "If the water is unstable it could have been what broke down the stone."

"To brake down stone as strong as that it would have to be the most unstable sea in the known universe," the Doctor smirked. "I'm telling you, something else broke down those stones."

"I'll take your word for it," Max agreed uncomfortably looking at his reflection in the orange water and then back at the Doctor and Stacy.

"Cool," Stacy looked up at the jungle. "Let's explore then."

* * *

"Mother!" A boy ran into a large room. "The computor guy wants you."

"Thanks dear," a tall woman wearing blue gem encrusted earrings walked carefully down a spiral staircase in the corner of the room.

"Where is Father?" The boy asked poshly.

"Well you know the king," his mother smiled. "Always of doing his duty." She walked out of the room and down an official hallway lined with paintings of several men and women. Soon she reached a door which she opened and walked through. "Martin?"

"Beth," a gruff man wearing half moon spectacles worked at a several monitored computor. "I hacked the machine like you said and burst the pipe, the bait worked. Three agents showed up."

An image was displayed on the monitor of the Doctor, Stacy and Max beside the machine.

"They wear such strange clothing," Beth glared curiously.

"They do dont they," Martin examined.

"Track their movements and inform the king, let's catch them."

* * *

"I still really dont like this," Max complained as they hiked through the heavy jungle terrain.

"You're worrying over nothing," the Doctor assured him.

"We have been walking for a while and we havent found anything," Stacy sighed.

"Aha! That's more like it," the Doctor pointed to an old stone building with smashed windows. "Havent found anything?"

They made their way over to the building and carefully scoped it out before entering.

The Doctor kicked the door down and entered the ruined room shortly followed by his two companions.

Broken machinery desks reflected light from the smashed windows as the Doctor investigated the filling cabinets in the corner.

"What is this place?" Stacy asked as she examined the equipment.

"It looks as though this place used to control the machine over by the sea," the Doctor read through the files. "And several other machines like it on the island."

"We're on an island!" Stacy was excited. "Cool."

"Why are you so happy all of a sudden?" Max built up the nerve to ask her.

"Why do you have to question it?" Stacy crossed her arms.

"Not asking the right questions guys," the Doctor waved a specific file in the air. "The right question is: why are there so many filtration machines around the island?" He bit his lip. "Maybe the sea did chemically break down the stone."

"But you said for the sea to chemically break down the stone," Max started.

"It would have to be the most chemically unstable lake in the known universe," the Doctor was worried. "If just one machine broke, if one spark of fire flew into the sea or if any oppositional element hit it."

"What?" Stacy asked.

"Bang!" The Doctor bit his lip. "An explosion that takes half of the universe with it."