Doctor Who – Scavenger Hunt

Part 12 – Pride of the Prisoners

Martha turned and slowly paced her way up the gangplank “Can’t we help them?”

“Martha that’s not our place”

“But you saw what they can do! Okay, they’re criminals, but they saved our lives countless times, don’t they deserve freedom?”

“No.” he said and circled the console “I’ve tried so many times to do the right thing, to stop the innocents from dying, giving freedom to those who really deserve it, but sometimes it all goes wrong. I can’t let that happen again, this is their fight and whatever happens is down to them, I can’t be responsible.” he paused for a moment and looked up at her with a slight smile “They’ll be alright”

“Of course…” she said, trying to keep faith in them “What will happen after? I mean, if they succeed”

The Doctor looked down at the console and rested two fingers on a few switches “I dunno” his eyebrows lifted up “Knowing Reelog he’ll take the ship back to the Proclamation so they can all serve their proper sentences”

“Sho! Co! Fo!” shouted a voice from a speaker on the TARDIS centre system, Martha’s face lit up and she swept over to the com screen, which held an image of the judoon commander oozing green blood from his forehead and nose

“Reelog! You’re alive! What happened?” she shouted in excitement

“Critidan escaped, we were tricked!” he grunted boisterously “He has set the ship to collide with colossal meteor” Martha let out a slight gasp as Reelog fell backwards and disappeared, Taan took his place

The Doctor pushed his way into view “Let me get you out of there” Martha looked across to her companion, who had completely gone against his previous statement, it appeared that primal urges could get the better of Time Lords too

“This is our fate” Taan conceded “If you save us then Critidan will escape, you must find him”

“But you can’t!” Martha wept, pressing her hand against the screen while a silent tear streaked down her left cheek. Sparks began to fly and pieces of the bridge could be seen falling apart in the background. Reelog stood back up, to which Martha let out a brief smile “You’re okay!”

“Affirmative”

Taan looked at Reelog and then peered around at the rest of the doomed crew, who were struggling to piece back together the equipment that their former jailor had sabotaged in the revolt. Turning back to the screen it seemed as if the Sontaran had found a possible solution “Maybe we can…” and then the screen faded back into static

“What happened??” Martha asked desperately, but the Doctor said nothing, he just looked at her with that face; the one that signaled the end of another life and his knowing inability to change their fate “No! Bring them back!” she said, slamming her fists on the screen again and again until she broke down. The Doctor slung his arms around her and held her tight

“Come on, we have to find Critidan” he whispered

“I can’t”

“Martha I need your help, I can’t do this without you” he pulled back a little to look at her without breaking the hug “If you want to preserve the honor of Reelog and Taan and the other Prisoners you have to help me find him” and with a hesitated determinism she nodded

TO BE CONTINUED