Full synopsis: The Doctor and Liv Chenka arrive in the sleepy English village of Taberly. But why are all the locals so hostile to them? Has it got something to do with the water plant at the foot of the valley, and it's mysterious director, Professor Holloway? Or maybe it's got something to do with the disappearance of a visiting academic some two years earlier… As the Doctor and Liv press deeper into the mystery, they find themselves caught up in a plot to take over planet Earth – an invasion several centuries in the making…

A/N: While this story is set during the Eighth Doctor's Big Finish adventures, no prior knowledge of any of those adventures are required here, apart from a little background information on his companion Liv: Liv Chenka is a human from the future, a medtech(paramedic) who met the Seventh Doctor, later travelling with the Eighth. That's all you need to read this story :-)

Danny Richmond's torch beam pierced through the darkness, casting the wall of the tunnel in a harsh white light – he swept it along the tunnel, although he couldn't see much further; there was a turning up ahead.

'Is something wrong, Doctor Richmond?'

The voice came from behind him – his colleague, Professor Holloway was a few paces away. Danny turned, pointing the torch slightly to the left of the professor, so as not to blind him. Even down here, in these infernal tunnels, and with a bright-yellow helmet that made him look slightly ridiculous, Graham Holloway managed to present an intimidating figure – the downturned corners of his mouth, the furrowing in his brow; these were all signs that the professor was displeased.

'No, Professor,' Danny replied quickly, with a shake of his head, 'I was just getting my bearings.'

'We need to keep moving, Doctor Richmond,' Holloway admonished. 'We've only got a few hours left until sunset, and I don't particularly enjoy the thought of hiking cross-country back to Taberly in the dark – do you?'

'Not really,' Danny said, through gritted teeth. Holloway sniffed.

'Then let's go,' he said impatiently, ushering Danny down the corridor with his own torch. Danny sighed, and set off again – he regretted taking this posting with Holloway (although he knew that regret would evaporate in seconds if they found what they were looking for). Why on Earth had he chosen to spend his entire Saturday spelunking through an underground cave system with the most unlikable man on the faculty? He was a fool – he could've been spending this time with Kate instead…

'We can't be too far away,' said Holloway, glancing briefly at his map. Danny nodded, pressing on down the tunnel. The sooner this was over, the better.

They emerged into a large cavern – the air was cool, and damp. A shallow, murky lake spread out before them; Danny squinted, but the light in the cavern was much too low to allow any sort of detail on the bottom of the lake to be perceived from the surface. Danny aimed his torch into the bright turquoise waters, but even then he couldn't make out much.

'I can't see anything,' he said, peering down at the water. 'Who knows how deep it is?'

'I'm sure that will be easy enough to ascertain,' Holloway replied, joining Danny at the lakeside. 'For now, I think the colouration of the water is of more interest to us.'

'What do you mean?' Danny asked, looking at the professor in confusion.

'Well, Doctor Richmond – look at it! It's almost an identical shade to the affected grass found all across Taberly valley!' the professor exclaimed.

'You think the element's leaked into the water?' Danny asked incredulously.

'I don't know – but it's certainly possible,' Holloway replied. 'Give me something we can take a sample with.'

Danny reluctantly took the flask containing the hot water he'd hoped to use to make a cup of tea when they eventually stopped for lunch to the side of the cavern and emptied it out, before handing it to Holloway. The professor moved to the side of the lake and crouched down, extending his arm towards the surface of the water. It was difficult for him to reach, and Danny was just about to offer Holloway his assistance when suddenly, the professor pitched off the side of the lake and into the water, an almost comical look of surprise on his face.

'Professor!' Danny yelled, leaping forward to the lake as Holloway disappeared below the surface. He crouched down, but his colleague couldn't be seen – who knew how deep this lake really was. Danny knew it was nothing short of utterly dangerous to jump in after the professor, but he was seriously considering doing so when Holloway's hand broke the surface again. Danny reached forward and grabbed it, pulling the man up and out of the water.

Holloway heaved himself up onto the rocky side of the lake, gasping for air – he was soaked through, and even though Danny knew he was going to kill himself laughing later on, he was dreading the long cross-country walk back to the village even more now. Holloway's trip into the lake would only serve to make the grumpiest man on the faculty even grumpier as they traipsed back up the valley to the tiny village of Taberly, where they were lodging for the weekend.

'Professor Holloway, are you alright?' Danny asked. Holloway blinked several times, wide-eyed and shocked. He looked at his hands, and flexed his fingers as though he was surprised to be alive.

'I'm fine,' he said, slowly.

'Christ, you could've drowned!' Danny exclaimed.

'Yes, that was entirely possible,' Holloway replied, his voice still slow. He took off his glasses, and rubbed at his eyes, shaking his head.

'You're soaked through – here, take my coat. We need to get you warmed up,' said Danny, holding out his coat to the professor.

'That won't be necessary, Daniel,' said Holloway, as he put his glasses back on and stood up, seemingly unfazed by his saturated clothing. Something registered in Danny's head, but he pushed it away for the time being.

'We should get back to the surface,' said Danny, putting his coat back on – he might as well, since the professor obviously wasn't going to use it. He looked at the almost full flask in Holloway's hands. 'You must be freezing – we've got a sample of the water, more than enough to run a few tests on for the time being.'

'Yes, to the surface,' Holloway said – he almost seemed like he was in a trance, enthralled by something. 'Let's go.'

'Um, ok,' said Danny. The professor set off immediately, leaving his rucksack sitting at the side of the lake. Danny called to him, but he was already gone, up off the tunnel towards the surface. Danny hurried after him, panting with the weight of two backpacks.

'Have you thought of a title for your paper yet, Professor?' he asked by way of conversation as they made their way back through the tunnel.

'Paper? What paper?' Holloway asked, stopping midstride and turning around to look at Danny.

'We've potentially just discovered a brand new element, Professor Holloway. Surely you want to publish this discovery?' said Danny.

'Oh, yes,' said Holloway, nodding sagely. 'That paper. And no, I haven't.'

He paused.

'Could you walk ahead, Daniel? My head-torch seems to have failed. Probably the… the water.'

Something registered in Danny's head again – what was it? Something he couldn't quite place his finger on.

'Of course, Professor,' he said, moving past Holloway and leading the way along the tunnel again. As he walked, he wracked his brain, trying to figure out what was different about the professor. Then it hit him.

'Professor, I think that's the first time ever you haven't called me Doctor Rich…'

He was cut off by a blow to the back of the head. He cried out as he fell to the ground, losing his balance under the weight of the two rucksacks – he held a hand up for help from Holloway, but the professor simply stepped over him towards the exit from the tunnel. As Holloway went, he dropped a rock to the ground; one he'd just picked up from the floor of the tunnel.

'Professor Holloway?'

Holloway didn't reply. He simply walked a little way further, before turning around. He ignored Danny, and instead focused on the ceiling of the tunnel directly above him. Danny watched him with a mixture of confusion and fear – it was ridiculous, but he could've sworn that the professor's eyes were glowing green.

There was a creaking sound from the ceiling above Danny, which quickly turned into a groaning, which became a roar as the rock cracked and fell through, burying the man. He didn't get the chance to call out; it was all far too fast.

When the dust had settled, and he was sure that no more rocks were going to cascade from the ceiling, Holloway turned, and began to walk up the corridor again, leaving the pile of rocks behind. In his hand was Danny's flask, full of water from the lake. He moved along the tunnel swiftly, and single-mindedly, progressing quickly towards the surface.

The quiet of the village of Taberly was shattered as a loud, alien noise pulsed and echoed through it. The sound built from a tiny gust into a loud roar, wheezing and groaning as a wooden box appeared on the green in the middle of the village. The sound faded as the TARDIS's engines cycled down, and once the box had fallen silent, the door opened and Liv Chenka stepped out onto something that she had to admit she was rather disappointed with – freshly mown grass.

'Doctor?' she called, looked back into the TARDIS – the Doctor appeared in the doorway a few seconds later, looking out at his companion eagerly.

'Yes, what is it Liv?' he asked.

'Destrana, you said,' Liv said in an accusing tone. 'A paradise planet, you said – trees as tall as towers, lakes as wide as an ocean, and the most friendly natives you could hope to meet.'

'Yes?'

'I'm not seeing tower-trees, ocean-lakes, or friendly natives – I'm seeing a sad looking old oak, a tiny pond, and I'm fairly sure that old woman's scowling at us,' said Liv, looking around the village. There was indeed an elderly lady sitting on a seat beside the tiny duck pond, frowning at them. Liv gave her a little wave, but the woman simply frowned even more.

'Oh,' said the Doctor, stepping out of the TARDIS and closing the door. 'I was sure I'd set the coordinates for Destrana - I must have gotten them wrong…'

'Again,' Liv interrupted. The Doctor shrugged.

'What can I say?' he asked. 'The TARDIS can be a pretty temperamental ship, when the mood takes her.'

'Or maybe you just aren't as good a pilot as you say you are,' Liv said.

'I've been flying this TARDIS for more than eight hundred years, Liv,' the Doctor replied. 'And I hardly ever miss – well, these days, anyway.'

'Hear that? That's the sound of me not believing you,' Liv replied, as the Doctor locked the TARDIS, and joined her. 'Where are we?'

The Doctor took a deep breath, before exhaling.

'England, I think,' he said. 'Somewhere in the middle, roughly –'

'Something wrong?' Liv asked, as the Doctor suddenly stopped talking. His brow furrowed in a look of concern.

'I'm not sure,' he replied, looking around uncertainly. 'There's something at the back of my mind, itching away – I can't put my finger on it.'

'What do you mean?' Liv asked.

'I've no idea,' the Doctor admitted. 'But something's wrong – I can almost taste something in the air.'

He looked around at the little village, unsure. Then his face relaxed, and everything seemed alright.

'It's probably nothing – just not quite what I was expecting, that's all,' he said. 'Come on, let's have a look around.'

'Really?' Liv frowned. 'Apart from the angry pensioner and the galaxy's smallest duck pond, it doesn't look like there's much to see. It all looks a bit… harmless.'

'Oh, there's always something to see, Liv,' said the Doctor, striding off across the green energetically. 'Never underestimate the quiet English country village – some of my best life or death experiences have been in quiet English country villages.'

'Oh great, that's reassuring,' Liv muttered as she followed him. They passed the old woman who'd scowled at them before – the Doctor smiled at her, and wished her good morning.

'You're not supposed to walk on the grass,' she spat, looking at the Doctor and Liv, and the trail they'd left across the grass, accusingly.

Snap!

Douglas Hamill lowered the camera away from his face as the pair of strangers walked away from the blue phone box which had so mysteriously just appeared on the green. He raised the camera again, and zoomed in on them.

Snap! Snap!

He didn't recognise them – these two were new, strangers. And even though he'd never been one to deny the evidence placed in front of him, this was obviously an impossibility. Strangers in Taberly, of all places. This was new – important. He'd have to follow them.

So he did.

After a quick look around the village, the Doctor and Liv made their way into the Taberly Inn, where they were greeted by a rotund little man with a thick, bushy moustache and a beer belly.

'Hello there,' said the Doctor, earning a grunt and half a nod from the bartender. 'I'm afraid my companion and I have gotten a bit lost – would you mind telling me exactly where we are?'

'Taberly,' the bartender said slowly, as though the Doctor was stupid. 'Says it on the sign above the door.'

'Oh, I see,' said the Doctor, looking a little put out. 'And where is Taberly, exactly?'

'Nowhere near the Mersey, that's for sure,' said the bartender. 'You from Liverpool?'

'Sort of – not really,' said the Doctor. 'I was there, once – almost got on this ship bound for New York… I was glad I didn't in the end, it hit an iceberg. But that's a whole other story.'

'He's from… near Liverpool,' said Liv. The Doctor muttered something about lightyears. Liv continued talking. 'Could we get something to drink?'

'It's a bar,' the bartender said. 'What do you think?'

'I'll have a cup of tea,' said Liv.

'A glass of water,' said the Doctor. When the bartender went to get their drinks, the Doctor turned to Liv.

'Not the most friendly sort in Taberly, are they?' he said, as they made their way over to a table by the inn's window. Liv shrugged, and looked out towards the green – the old lady they'd been talking to before was now shouting at a pair of bemused looking ducks.

'Friendly's relative for me these days – at least they're not trying to kill us,' she said.

'I suppose so,' the Doctor chuckled. 'But even so – I wonder why they're so unwelcoming to visitors.'

'Maybe Taberly's just out of the way – small communities tend to be quite close knit, don't they?' said Liv. 'They're probably just unused to other people – give them time.'

'Ah, thank you,' said the Doctor, as the bartender arrived with Liv's tea, and the Doctor's glass of water. He set them on the table, and walked away without saying a word.

'Cheers,' Liv said, raising her teacup to the bartender's back, smiling. She took a sip, before setting it back on the saucer. 'So – think you've seen anything worth seeing yet?'

'Not a sausage,' the Doctor replied in a disappointed tone, looking glum. 'Apart from the locals giving us the cold shoulder, everything's been boringly mundane.'

'Well, I suppose not everywhere we go has to be all running and explosions, does it?' Liv smiled and took another sip of tea. 'I told you – this place is harmless.'

'I suppose not,' said the Doctor, lifting his glass of water. He took a sip, before his face screwed up.

'What's wrong, Doctor?' Liv asked. The Doctor sniffed his tumbler, before setting it down on the table.

'Nothing, it's just the water… It tastes off – like there's something extra in it, something that shouldn't be there,' he said.

'Are we talking about evil water?' Liv asked, laughing.

'Of course not,' the Doctor replied, perfectly serious. 'What's in the water – now that's an entirely different kettle of fish…'

He reached into his coat and withdrew his sonic screwdriver – he aimed it at the glass tumbler on the table in front of him, and switched it on.

'Let's give it a quick scan,' he said. The screwdriver hummed, and the water in the glass began to bubble and froth.

'What's it doing?' Liv asked.

'Resisting,' the Doctor replied.

'Resisting?' Liv exclaimed. 'How can it be resisting? It's water – it's not alive!'

'Not the water – something in the water,' the Doctor replied. 'The water's just a carrier – come on!'

He urged the sonic on, as though his words were going to make any difference to the device – but then, there was a shattering sound as the glass exploded, covering the table in water. The Doctor and Liv instinctively leapt back as they were showered in glass.

'What did you do?' Liv asked. The Doctor shrugged.

'Nothing – I was just scanning it,' he said, leaning forward to examine the remains of the glass, and the water on the table. 'The glass, shattering just now – it was caused by whatever was in the water.'

'Well, that's just great,' said Liv, looking at her tea sadly. 'I suppose Destrana's going to have to wait, isn't it?'

'I'm afraid so,' said the Doctor, frowning. 'Something alien in the water – that takes precedence.'

'So, what do we need to do?' Liv asked.

'Back to the TARDIS – scan for recent celestial activity, unusual energy sources. The usual,' said the Doctor, pushing his chair away from the table and standing up. 'I suppose we'll have to pay the barman – do you have any money?'

Liv shook her head.

'Nothing we can use in this time zone, anyway,' she said. The Doctor sighed.

'Then we'd better hope he's got a card reader,' said the Doctor, brandishing the sonic screwdriver again. 'Then, we need to find some more water – I can do a proper analysis back in the TARDIS.'

They paid the barman – he raised an eyebrow when the Doctor aimed the sonic screwdriver at his card machine, but offered no opposition once the device confirmed that the payment had indeed been successful. He watched the Doctor and Liv with a suspicious eye as they left the pub, before heading into one of the back rooms. He pulled a mobile phone out from his pocket and dialled a number – he pressed it to his ear and waited.

'Put me through to Professor Holloway,' he said, once the call had connected. 'Tell him it's urgent – there are two strangers in Taberly. And one of them's a Time Lord.'

A/N: I'm back! Note to self - a hiatus from writing should not happen again. Anyway, this story is going to be published one chapter a week for the next eight weeks - probably on Sundays. I really like it (I hope you guys do too). For anyone interested, this story is set just before the Big Finish boxset Doom Coalition 1. The Doom Coalition boxsets are awesome, and probably one of the best Doctor Who stories I've ever encountered. I hope you enjoy this story, please leave a review - it helps so much to keep me writing.