Dystopia (Episode2)

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Dystopia (Episode 2)2

The rotund figure watched them in the reflection of the glass of the picture on the wall in front of her. 3

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and gave a twitch of his head, a look that said ‘Get a load of her.’ Donna just shrugged her shoulders and gave a ‘What happens now?’ gesture with her hands.4

The figure watching; caught it all as she watched the reflections take their seats.5

“Thank you.” The figure spoke as it slowly turned around to face them.6

The Doctor Gasped. “Gorwena!.....I thought you perished in that ice fall on Altus9? No; it’s not you. Is it?”7

“Ha. My good Doctor, how nice it is of you to remember me. I always did like the manners you displayed. Being here on earth I can see where you picked them up from. But have your standards dropped….. You have not introduced us. Who is your companion, a change I think from what was her name R,ra……”8

“Romana”9

“Ah, yes Romana! How could I forget, such a pretty thing too. And where is that infernal metal annoyance of a contraption?”10

“Oh you will mean K9. Yes he’s retired, but still helping out. And this is Donna, my, my, ah….. present, travel companion.” 11

“Doctor Donna? The Doctor Donna, friend of the Ood 12

Donna who was slack jawed and in some sort of bewildered awe, just gave a little wave and a wan smile.13

“Doctor, you have changed much, since last we met. You look so much younger than your years.”14

“Oh you can talk. I see you have piled on a few pounds, chubby.”15

“Doctor; That’s no way to talk to a female of her species, except for me as a Metzian Shape shifter; you know weight and size was prized and I was considered a beauty of my race. But alas as you well know I am the last one of my kind. I am considered extinct.”16

“Yes, extinct. I thought so too. Tell me what happened, back on Altus9.”17

“Doctor, you distracted me upon that ledge and then with that sonic thing that you are so fond of, you cut away the ledge and let me fall to my death. Only I survived, I’m sorry to disappoint you and well here I am, as large as life.”18

“Larger.”19

“Thank you for your compliment.”20

“Just, how did you survive and escape from Altus9?”21

“As I fell into that icy abyss and I was covered in that falling shower of frozen methane, trapped; I put my body into a temporary stasis where I stayed until the fortunate event of the near by star ‘Pantanyol - macros 3’ consumed itself. It left a Black hole that had a temporal rift in its wake. Altus9 was sucked into the Black hole and transported in time and space, to be spat out in the Limmellion sector. A passing Gortharian mining ship passing through that sector noted the appearance of the new planet and came to investigate its potential for metal ores. In the time that it took for the Gortharian’s to turn up the Altus9 had been warmed by the relative closeness of a neighbouring star. The methane melted and flowed into a large sea and I was freed from my cold resting place. Once the Gortharian’s turned up I was able to change and assimilate their form and stow away to escape my lonely prison planet.”22

“Amazing, and there I was all along thinking what a good job I had done ridding the universe of you!”23

“Doctor, you now this..... this deity thing, here!” Donna had slowly recovered her senses as Gorwena recounted her time on Altus9. 24

“Oh we haven’t seen each other for a few hundred years or so, but I wouldn’t say time had brought us any closer.”25

“My, my Doctor, that’s mild for you isn’t it. But let me say that during my time on Altus9,I had time to cool off a little and see that I may have upset a few life forms in the past and one or two people thought I needed to be curbed.”26

“Upset, you call taking the brain waves and collected thoughts of the Royal house of the planet Trandulca; a whole nine millennia of Trandulcan aristocracy an upset?”27

“They were so pompous and self obsessed, creatures. Tell me what has become of that lovely planet!”28

“It’s a dead planet; wiped out in civil war between rival supporters who could not agree on who should replace the Royalty that you so thoughtfully drained of all use and life!” 29

“Really; who’d have thought?” 30

“Standing up the Doctor said, “Well it’s been nice catching up on old times and that but me and Donna; well we’d like to leave now. Seeing, as we did not ask to be here, we’ll be on our way.” 31

“Sit, back down. Leave, leave I don’t think so Doctor. Now that you know I am still alive and there are still a few aliens who would still like to catch up with me, if they were to find out about me. No I’m afraid I can’t let you go. Stay and we can catch up on old times, it’s good to meet someone from the old days and anyway I have a use for you. 32

I’m trying to revive my race through back genetics and cell cloning and a little help from the Galvian’s. They think I’m a Galvian, my name is Axima Galshall, Hatch Commander.”33

“Hatch Commander. Just what are you hatching?” 34

“Back on Galvia Prime, the Simbiant life forms are considered the height of fashion and a necessary part of life, enhancing your average Galvian’s mental capacity many fold. It is quite true to say Doctor that the Simbiant personality is often more preferable to the profiteering money obsessed Galvian’s. ”35

“Ok. But why here on Earth?”36

“Simple Doctor; here on Earth you have a population explosion amongst your old people. A Simbian life form needs the energy stored in the form of thought waves and stored memories to develop, and what a better host than all your old people. Nobody wants of them or misses them and we can keep them fit and healthy on our, pardon the expression farms, sorry retirement homes, while the Simbiant develops.”37

“Doctor; did she just say what I thought she said; that all those old people outside have things growing inside them?”38

“In a nutshell, yes Donna. But I don’t see how all of this is going to help you resurrect your species.” The Doctor was rising out of his chair again.39

Gorwena went on to tell the Doctor and Donna all about her plans and finished of by saying.40

“I took the liberty of taking a sample of your blood while you were unconscious. Doctor you and your Time Lord blood have an interesting make up that I can use in my reconstruction of my race. That regeneration thing you have going on every now and then will come in useful for replication purposes. Most convenient, Doctor, most convenient!”41

Returned to their spartan accommodation the doctor sat on the table crossed legged in the lotus position eyes closed as he applied his mind to the present situation and to Gorwena /Axima and her plan; whilst Donna paced about the room talking out loud, and trying to get her head around all that she had heard…….42

“How can an ancient Egyptian dog thing, Anubis. Come down here to Earth and start growing things in our old people for a fashion statement somewhere who knows where in the galaxy?”43

“Stop!” The Doctor suddenly said and he opened his eyes. “What did you just say? Repeat that again.”44

“Repeat what?”45

“What you just said about the Egyptian thingy-me-bobby. Where did that come from?”46

“Has that gas stuff they used on us sent you blind or something! That thing you were talking to upstairs. Hello…. Gorwena…. That Egyptian, thingy-me-bobby. You know….. the one with the dogs head on a man’s body!”47

“You saw Gorwena as an Egyptian Anubis. I saw her as a large lipless type of sea squirt with two vertical eyes; her true form. She is the last of her species of The Maksi, a race of shape shifters. She has telepathic powers that enabled her to show you, what you wanted to see. Gorwena uses your own brains electrical impulses to project whatever image you expect to see when you look at her. Me as a Time Lord I’m immune to her manipulations.” The Doctor, was then quickly back up and onto his feet. He was striding around the room, his hand on his chin as if in thought.48

“Are you saying that all along when I was seeing some long lost relic from the pyramids’, you were talking to some sort of space jelly?”49

“Yeah, that’s about it. But Gorwena is more than that. She can actually change shape if she needs to. It takes a lot of her energy to do so. So she conserves herself and uses your own energy, in this case brain power against you. Quite clever really; for a part telepathic species of…. space jelly, don’t you think?” He carried on stalking around the room as he tossed ideas around in his head.50

There was a muffled thud and the sound of scrapping, something being dragged? It came from the corridor outside the entrance to the room. The door suddenly slid open with a low swishing noise as it moved into its recessed open position.51

“Well Hallelujah. Would you look at what the cat dragged in! Hello red. A long time no see babe, your looking good.” His arms outstretched towards Donna and that big grin, full of pearly white teeth, Captain Jack made his entrance and the Doctor could do was hold his head in his hands, and say.52

“And I thought the day couldn’t get any worse and you then you turn up.”53

“Hey, it’s good to see you too old grumpy pants. How’s, this for timing, your knight has arrived….”54

“Jack! What are you doing here? Wasn’t there a cat that need saving somewhere, or some other less deserving soul to subject to your over enthusiastic joviality? The doctor made his way to the doorway and looked into the corridor 55

“Saving; your sorry ass! As these words where spoken the Doctor was stood in the doorway his back to Jack. Wow he’s a really ungrateful so and so today isn’t he? But hey, it’s really great to see you again cupcake; you know there was once a time when he couldn’t get enough of me……” Donna was just about to reply, when the Doctor cut in.56

“Jack! Cut it out I’ve told not to ever go there!” Without looking over his shoulder the Doctor reprimanded Jack, just as he moved off down the corridor. 57

Jack embraced Donna and planted a big kiss on her lips. By now the Doctor had slipped out into the corridor and was moving off, muttering to him self. By the time Jack and Donna had unattached themselves and realised that the Doctor was gone, they rushed out into the corridor, he was nowhere to be seen.58

As they moved into the corridor to search for the Doctor, Donna asked Jack how he had found them.59

“Oh that was easy doll. Torchwood; has been monitoring the recent activity of a large temporal anomaly in this area and low and behold the Doctors signature energy pulse of the TARDIS, showed up. It was then a quick case of strapping on the short range teleport band on my wrist. It’s had some upgrades since our last outing.”60

“Jack. Can you tell me just why it seems the Doctor is never pleased to see you?”61

Jack stopped and turned to face Donna. He had a wry smile on his face as he mulled over his answer. 62

“Its complicated Red, but one he’d better off telling you himself. He’s not all bad you know, he just needs time to get to know and then he needs his space too at times.” Just then, the sound of rushing foot steps filled the corridor, followed by an alarm sounding. Jack grabbed Donna’s arm and pulled her into a side room.63

“Oh Jack, your so forceful but I don’t think now is the right time. Could you just remove your hand…….” Just then the corridor was filled with the sound of running foot steps, that where getting louder the closer they came to them. Jack put his back to the door and held his weight against it; just in case. 64

“Hey! That was close. Those guys must have been pretty pissed; the way they skedaddled on by. Are you ok Donna?.......Donna!” A light snapped on and the side room they had ducked into was bathed in bright light. Donna had found the light switch and was now looking around the room.65

The room was white tiled floor to ceiling and stainless steel furniture ran around the perimeter. In the wall opposite the door they came in was a large window into another room that was in darkness. Donna was busying her self going through drawers and cupboards; while Jack was drawn to the window and a set of switches and controls next to it.66

“A great place for a game of doctors and nurse’s.” Donna said as she held up some shiny surgical instruments.67

Jack reached to the controls next to the window and flicked them on.68

Donna’s and Jacks reflections disappeared as a couple of light tubes on the ceiling flickered and slowly came to life bathing the far side of the glass in that eerie glow of a UV lamp.69

Stepping forward Jack cupped his hands to the glass to shield his eyes from the white glare of the room as peered into the next room. It was filled with row upon row of what appeared to be aquariums. He could just glimpse something moving in some of the tanks, but he couldn’t make out what.70

“Jack. What do you make of that? Do you think they have got in there; Koi?” 71

“I haven’t a clue, doll! But I can guess it’s not something you want to find in your bath along with your loofer! You see a door anywhere?”72

As Donna and Jack continued to gawk into the ‘Blue room’ the Doctor had found his way into a laboratory with various monitors and computer screens. In the far corner was the large doughnut ring and sliding table of a MRI scanner, that had been somehow altered, converted; as he examined it, it became clear this was Galvian technology! He went back to the computer screens and started to type.73

Furious at the prisoner’s escape, Gorwena in her guise as Axima Galshall the hatch commander in charge of this small party of Galvian scientists; whose work it was to incubate and assimilated the Simbiants into the elderly human hosts, made her way down to the hatch facility. 74

Arriving at the observation room Gorwena / Axima accompanied by two of the Galvian scientists who having just been roused from their sleeping quarters; their deep yellow skin colour, still mottled with the blue spots that would disappear when they properly awoke and reached their optimum operating temperature. Galvian’s when asleep slipped into a deep medative torpor which took their bodies about forty five earth minutes to revive. The first Galvian pressed the button for the door to open, but nothing happened. It pressed the button again and still the door refused to open. 75

Gorwena the anger of being surrounded by incompetence was sorely tempted to use her shape shifting abilities to gain access to the room, but she did not need the Galvian’s to know her real identity, yet! She stepped forward and pressed the button this time the door gave and opened faultingly.76

“There it is, it’s just the shabby human workmanship and the substandard and defective components that we have sent us from Galvia Prime. Cost cutting; all the time; more for less all the time.” (When will those profiteering Galvian’s ever learn?)77

Just as the first scientist entered the room, it was ambushed and sent sprawling across the room.78

Jack and Donna sprang out of the room as the door opened. They knocked some sort of short tubby yellow alien over in their haste, only to run straight into yet another one that was accompanied by Gorwena the Anubis, who produced a small torch like tool.79

A blue beam of light accompanied by a shrill sound reached out and felled Jack on the spot, rendering him unconscious. A second beam accounted for Donna.80

A team of, the ‘treated’ human work force that did the menial duties for the Galvian’s81

Who were then able to concentrate on the propagation of the Simbiants, arrived and Gorwena instructed them to be taken back and secured to the beds in the holding cell. And to take a sample of the new intruders blood as well. 82

The Doctor was now fully in the picture after gaining access to the computers. Not only did now know what was going on; but he also knew what the Galvian’s did not. That was that Gorwena in her guise of Axima Galshall was not only propagating Simbiants for the buoyant market back on Galvia Prime; but she was also hijacking a percentage of the Simbiants for her own needs. The recovery of her own species!83

“Naughty! Naughty! Gorwena.”84

“So; Doctor! You now know my little secret. It matter’s little. I am close to finishing my work here anyhow. But I now have the DNA make up of a Time Lord I can synthesise that DNA and give my Simbiant carriers the necessary building blocks of genetic information to infect their hosts and give birth to a resurrection of …….85

“Dalek’s! You tried to fool me and play the old I only want to bring back my race. Oh Gorwena you have not redeemed your self in all these years. If anything you have sunk lower in my already low estimation of you! Tell me; it wasn’t the Gortharian’s who happened upon Altus9 in its new position in the galaxy. It was the Dalek’s wasn’t it? 86

Next week:87

The Doctor tries to recover his DNA sample and find Donna and Captain Jack. 88