Doctor Who: Changes in Time and Space - Chapter 27 - 42 - Part 1
TARDIS
The Doctor completed his modifications of Martha's phone. “Right, there we go. Universal roaming. Never have to worry about a signal again.” He handed the phone back to her.
“No way. This is too mad. You're telling me I can phone anyone, anywhere in space and time on my mobile?” she asked.
“Yes,” Felicia said, holding up her own phone.
“As long as you know the area code. Frequent flier's privlege. Go, on try it.”
The TARDIS juddered. The Doctor rushed to the Console. “Distress signal! Locking on. Might be a bit of...” He was interuppted as they were all knocked to the floor.
“...Turbulance. Sorry. Come on, Martha, Felicia. Let's take a look.”
Pentallion
The Doctor, Felicia and Martha exited the TARDIS.
“Distress signal transmitted,” a computer said.
“Whoa, now that is hot!” the Doctor said.
“Automated distress signal transmitted.”
“It's like a sauna in here!” Martha said.
“Venting systems. Working at full pelt, trying to cool down. Whereever it is we are. Well. If you can't stand the heat!”
The Doctor opened a bulkhead door, and went through, followed by his companions.
Two men and a woman ran towards them.
“Oi you two!” a young man said.
“Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?” the woman asked.
“Are you police?” the man who had spoken earlier asked.
“Why would we be police?” the Doctor asked.
“We got your distress signal,” Martha said.
“If this is a ship, why can't I hear any engines?”
“It went dead four minutes ago,” the woman said.
“So maybe we should stop chatting and get to Engineering, Captain.”
“Secure Closure active,” the computer said.
“What?” the woman, the Captain, said.
“The ship's gone mad,” the older man said.
In the distance, another woman ran towards them, the bulkheads slammed behind her. “Who activated secure closure. I nearly got locked into area 27,” she said shen she came up. “Who are you?” she asked when she saw the Doctor and his companions.
“She's Felicia, he's the Doctor and I'm Martha. Hello.”
“Impact projection; forty two minutes, twenty seven seconds.”
“We'll get out of this. I promise,” the captain said.
Martha looked out a porthole. “Doctor!”
“Forty two minutes until what?” the Doctor asked.
“Doctor! Look.”
“Forty two minutes until we crash into the sun.”
The Doctor took the information in. “How many crew members on board?” he asked.
“Seven, including us,” the Captain answered.
“We transport cargo across the galaxy. Everything's automated. We just keep the ship spaceworthy,” the older man answered.
“Call the others. I'll get you out.”
“What's he doing?” the younger man asked.
The Doctor tried to reopen the bulkhead door. He is knocked over by an overwhelmingly hot blast of air. The new arrival closed the door. “But my ship's in there!”
“In the vent chamber?” the younger man asked.
“It's our lifeboat,” the Doctor said.
“It's lava,” the older man answered.
“The temperature's going mad in there. Up three thousand degrees in ten seconds, and still risng,” the recently arrived woman said.
“Channelling the air. The closer we get to the sun, the hotter that room's going to get.”
“We're stuck here!” Martha realised.
'Oh no!' Felicia thought.
“So, we fix the engines, we steer the ship away from the sun. Simple,” the Doctor said. He pointed to a door. “Engineering down here, is it?” he asked.
“Yes,” the Captain answered.
“Impact in forty twenty six.”
The group entered the engineering room. It was a mess. The Doctor made an observation of the obvious.
The Captain, McDonnell was taken back by the mess and made a blasphemous oath.
“What the hell happened?” The older man, Scannell, asked as he looked at the devastated engine.
“Oh, it's wrecked,” the younger man, Riley said.
“Pretty efficiently too. Someone knew what they were doing,” the Doctor pointed out.
“Where's Korwin? Has anyone heard from him or Ashton?” the Captain asked.
“No,” Scannell answered.
“You mean someone did this on purpose?” Martha asked.
“Quite likely,” Felicia interjected.
The captain went to the intercom. “Korwin, Ashton? Where are you? Korwin, can you answer?” She turned from the intercom. “Where the hell is he? He should be up here.”
“Oh, were in the Torajii system,” the Doctor said. “Lovely. You're a long way from home, Martha, Felicia. Half a universe away.”
“Yeah, feels like it,” Martha said.
“And you're still using energy scoops for fusion? Hasn't that been outlawed yet?”
“We're due to upgrade next docking,” the Captain answered. “Scannell, engine report.”
“No response,” Scannell answered.
“What?” the Captain asked.
“They're burnt out. The controls are wrecked. I can't get them back online,” Scannell reported.
“Oh, come on. Auxiliary engines. Every craft's got auxiliaries,” the Doctor encouraged.
“We don't have access from here. The auxiliary controls in the front of the ship,” McDonnell explained.
“Yeah, with twenty nine password sealed doors between us and them. You'll never get there in time,” Scannell said.
“Can't the doors be overrided?” Felicia asked.
“No. Sealed Closure means what it says. They're all dead-lock sealed,” Scannell said.
“So, a sonic screwdriver's no use,” the Doctor pondered.
“Nothing's any use. We've got no engines, no time and no chance,” Scannell said.
The Doctor had enough of their negativity. “Oh, listen to you. Defeated before you've even started. Where's your Dunkirk spirit? Who's got the door passwords.”
“They're randomly generated,” Riley explained. “Reckon I know most of them.” He put out his hand. “Sorry, Riley Vashti.”
The Doctor shook his hand. “Then what you're waiting for Riley Vashti? Get on it.”
“Well it's a two person job,” Riley explained. “One, a technish for the questions, and the other to carry this,” he said holding up a large clamp. “The oldest and cheapest security system around, eh, Captain?”
“Reliable and simple, just like you, eh, Riley?” the Captain said.
“Try and be helpful and get abuse, Nice,” Riley said with some sarcasm.
“I'll help!” Felicia said, before Martha could get the chance.
“It's remotely controlled by the computer panel. That's why it needs two,” Riley explained.
“I see,” Felicia said.
“Oi, be careful,” the Doctor directed.
“You two, also,” Felicia said.
“McDonnell, it's Ashton.”
“Where are you? Is Korwin with you?”
“Get up to the Med Centre now!”
The Doctor, McDonnell and Martha run out past Riley and Felicia.
“Impact in thirty four, thirty one.”
A man is struggling in a stasis chamber as two others hold him down. He's screaming. “Stop it!” he calls out.
“Korwin, it's Abi. Open you eyes. I need to take a look at you.”
The Doctor, McDonnell and Martha ran in.
“Korwin! What happened? Is he okay?” McDonnell fearfully asked.
“Help me! It's burning me!” Korwin called out.
“How long has he been like this?” the Doctor asked.
“Ashton just brought him in,” Abi said.
The Doctor scanned Korwin with the sonic screwdriver.
“What are you doing?” McDonnell asked.
“Don't get too close,” the Doctor directed.
“Don't be so stupid,” McDonnell, retorted. That's my husband.”
“And he's just sabotaged our ship,” the other man, Ashton, said.
“What?” McDonnell asked in disbelief.
“He went mad. He put the ship onto secure closure, then he set the heat pulse to melt the controls,” Ashton explained.
“No way. He wouldn't do that.”
“I saw it happen, Captain.”
Martha leaned over Korwin. “Korwin? Could you open your eyes for a second?” she asked.
“I can't!”
“Try,” Martha said. “Go on.”
“Don't make me look at you, please,” Korwin pleaded.
The Doctor took a hypo-gun from a medical tray. “Alright, alright, alright,” he said. “Just relax.” He turned to Abi. “Sedative?”
Abi nodded.
The Doctor gave Martha the sedative, who sedated Korwin. “Prognosis?” the Doctor asked.
“I don't know. I haven't seen anything like it. Body temperature's rising and there are unusual energy readings...” Martha said.
“We have a stasis chamber,” the Doctor said. He turned to Abi. “Keep him sedated in there. Regulate the body temperture....”
“As best you can,” Martha added.
“And, just for fun, run a bioscan and tissue profile on a metabolic detail.”
“Just doing them now,” Abi said.
“Oh, you're good,” the Doctor praised.
“Anyone else presenting these symptoms?” Martha asked.
“Not so far,” Abi answered.
“Well, that's something,” Martha said, looking at the Doctor.
“I agree,” the Doctor said with a smile.
“Will somone tell me what is the matter with him?” McDonnell asked.
“Some sort of infection,” the Doctor said.
“Has to be,” Martha interuppted.
“Now, allon-sy! Back downstairs. See about those engines.”
Ashton and McDonnell left the medbay.
“Call us if there's news. Any questions?”
“Yeah, who are you?” Abi asked.
“I'm the Doctor and this is Martha.”
“Heat shield failing. At twenty five percent. Impact in thirty two, fifty.”