Doctor Who – Scavenger Hunt

Part 7 – Mercy Mission

The gate into the cell opened with numerous clanking sounds, the Doctor and his two friends turned to see who would be waiting on the other side, it was the stumpy red suited Taan.

“Doctor, you will come with me” he growled. Though he only summoned the Doctor, Martha stood with him and grabbed his shoulder

“Don’t go” she whispered

“Martha, I have to” he said, peering round to her. She smiled a little and then took a step back. The Doctor’s long brown coat swept along the ground and disappeared around the corner before the large gate clanked and groaned to a close again. Martha sat down again and looked at her Judoon counterpart

“Hello” she said timidly

“Co, fo, tow, tow” he said softly.

The bridge door opened and the Time Lord entered; pushed in the back by Taan’s stun baton.

“Ah, welcome back Doctor” the jailor smiled “you had me worried for a few moments back there, I thought we’d never find you! Still, you’re back with us now, and that’s all that matters”

The Doctor approached Critidan from across the large room. He looked beyond him and peered down on the beautiful earth below

“What are you doing here?”

“I was sent here to retrieve a prize”

“No but really, whatever happened to the integrity of the Shadow Council? You were meant to be fighting injustice, not adding to it”

“It changed. You should have seen it Doctor, the bureaucracy, the laws and the rules tying every one of us to a life without freedom.” he took a few paces to a console and pondered the switches for a while with the tips of his fingers; not pressing them, just knowing that he could. “In days of old we had the ability to serve justice how we wanted, the proclamation was above everything and we made our own rules”

“But that freedom, lawlessness within law, that is what sparked events like those which destroyed my people. Without rules, you become as destructive as the Sontarans or even the Daleks; bringing death in anyway you choose simply because you can, when you become drunk with power you become more dangerous than those you seek to imprison” the Doctor pleaded

“And that is the way it should be” he snapped back “we are the law, so we should be the ultimate power that this Universe responds to” then silence fell over the bridge again

“And how exactly do you plan on restoring those values? Hiding in the shadows, pretending to be dead, turning prisoners into slaves, selling scrap to make a few credits? There was more glory in your old position”

“GLORY!?” Critidan shouted “Who are you to speak of glory, Time Lord? Your people are spent, your entire planet is locked in a cage of death and despair, the mighty race who befriended my forefathers years ago; now lost to war among savages” the foul words tore through the Doctor’s hearts, he could see it all burning; Gallifrey in its final moments “oh yes Doctor, I know of your time war, and the sacrifice you made, where was the glory then?” but he received no response, just a scowl from his priceless prisoner 

“What becomes of me now?” he said through his teeth

“The buyers who want that TARDIS will take much greater interest in you than just that old thing, and you will bring in a much better price too!” he grinned “Take him back to the cell” and Taan did as he was told.

Martha was trying to get to grips with the language of the Judoon “Sho, co, flo, ro, tow” she said shakily

“Tow! Tow! Co!” the rhino grunted, grinning at her progress

Once again jail gate groaned and clanked as it slid open from the right hand side, the Doctor entered and sat with them again

“There’s something going on here, Critidan’s greed and anger have blinded him"

“What are we going to do Doctor?”

“We’ve got to escape” he said, turning to the Judoon

TO BE CONTINUED