Chapter One
Luke Smith, adopted alien son of Sarah Jane Smith, A time and space traveller, climbed out of his retro daisy yellow car with his robot dog K-9. In the distance was London's skyline. He was driving home for Christmas from Oxford. Travelling down to Ealing where his mum, Sarah Jane, adopted daughter, Skye and two best friends Clyde and Rani were waiting. The metal dog, K-9, was a gift from the incredible man that showed his mum the wonders of the universe. He gave it to his mum and recently she gave it to him, to keep him safe at University. He would no longer need K-9 by his side as he graduated from university a few days ago and is now coming home. He's longed for the days of battling aliens from outer space in their Attic.
"One last stop K-9, we're nearly home" Grinned Luke as he shut the car door.
"Master Luke, Mr Smith said the energy traces were coming from in here, but I cannot detect anything" Explained K-9.
Mr Smith is the alien super computer in his attic; it's helped the gang out countless times. Luke opened up a door to a large silver rustic warehouse, probably last used in the 50s or some time ago. The sun slowly set in the background and the night filled the streets. The place was desolate and eerie. He felt like he was being watched. Suddenly the machines started to move. The conveyor belts sprung into action. The lights flashed on the computer screens.
"Someone knows we're here, K-9" Luke whispered nervously.
"I can detect many life forms in the vicinity" K-9 mumbled.
In a flash something was thrown towards Luke, he dashed out the way.
"Run K-9!" He yelled, running down a corridor and turning a corner with K-9 by his side. Luke slowed down pace and slouched down on a wall. Out of breath he pulled out his phone and attempted to message his mum. The 'No Signal' sign flashed up and he slipped it back into his pocket. Then footsteps started moving closer. Faster. Running. Sprinting towards them. Suddenly a man, with bushy gray hair, smartly dressed and a wrinkled face sped into the room. He slammed the strangely out of place wooden door shut.
"Luke… what are you doing here?" The man asked, struggling to breathe.
"Who are you?" He queried, standing up from the floor "How do you know my name?"
"Aaahhh! Of course… new face" He smiled feeling his flesh.
"Master!" Yelled K-9, gliding towards the man.
"Doctor?" Luke asked, shocked to see him.
"Yes, Luke Smith, but now's really not the time!" The Doctor replied as incredible force was pushing on the door but the doctor held it shut.
"Sonic it!" Luke yelled.
"It doesn't work on wood!" The Doctor hollered back.
"Try mine" Smiled Luke. He passed him a strange looking metal device. The Doctor, looking surprised, jealous and embarrassed, held the device over the door handle. It made a small buzzing sound and the door locked. He passed it back to Luke and he placed it into his pocket.
"What was doing that?" Luke asked.
"Androids" The Doctor replied with a dark tone in his voice.
"The ones, Mum and you encountered years and years ago?" He questioned.
"Hey… we're not that old!" Answered The Doctor "But yes, an upgraded version of them, anyway… how's the mum?"
"Good, good, keeping Clyde and Rani busy" Luke laughed, missing them. In a flash the door was knocked down.
"Run!" The Doctor hollered. Three silver robots with ever changing metal-like bodies stomped in. The Doctor, Luke and K-9 ran back up the corridor at top speed. Luke was heading towards the way out when he realised The Doctor and K-9 weren't behind him. He swung around and the androids were marching straight towards him. They pushed him onto the floor. Fearful Luke gasped for air. Suddenly one of the three robots started changing into a familiar form. It was only a few mere seconds until the body was fully Luke's.
"Maximum destruction!" Cheered K-9, shooting red lasers at the enemies. The androids were under strong attack. They ran back down the corridor and K-9 stopped firing.
"Luke!" Whispered the Doctor, helping him off the ground. Luke's eyes were fuzzy, but adjusting back to normal "That's new, they couldn't just change before,"
"W-wha-what's going on?" Luke asked, rubbing his head in confusion.
"I don't think your safe to drive" The doctor examined "What do you think K-9?"
"Affirmative" K-9 agreed with the Doctor. He helped Luke stand and walked towards a big blue box. The Doctor placed a golden key inside the slot and swung open the door. Luke was awestruck. He'd seen the TARDIS before but this one was new. Different. The room was darker than the previous; the only light was the one coming from the open door. The doctor strolled in, unaware of the magnificent beauty he owned. As he stepped closer to the console the lights flashed on. All without fail. He placed his sonic screwdriver into a small slot among a console consumed in countless levers, buttons, switches and anything you can think of. This TARDIS looked neater than the previous two versions Luke had seen.
"Right then Luke!" The Doctor grinned "Home? Banerman Road isn't it? Or you could-" He was interrupted by an ear piercing alarm. The two covered there ears whilst Luke and K-9 stepped into the incredible spacious ship.
"What's going on?" Luke cried.
"I can track the exact location of the androids plan but it won't stay for long, they're tracking us as we speak, what do you think? Want a quick trip?"
Luke nodded excitedly. The alarm faded away once the wheezing groan started and the TARDIS started up once more.
The ride was bumpy, not the smoothest of trips. The doctor danced around the console like an elegant ballerina. Lastly, he pulled down a lever which, Luke could tell, was the main way to control the ship. A loud wheezing sound groaned from the console and the TARDIS had landed. The doctor held his arm out to the door. Luke stepped forward and unlocked the lock. His hand grasped tightly on the handle and he felt nervous and excited for the first time in forever. Eager to see what stood outside he swung it open. A large gust of wind and sand flew into his face and forced him to step back. His dark brown shoes glided from the box to, alien sand. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver from the slot and into his pocket then followed Luke out.
"Where are we?" Luke asked.
"I have no idea!" Smiled The Doctor.
"Looks like Earth" Luke replied, disappointed.
"Well it's not!" The Doctor anxiously replied, and then a beeping originated from his jacket. He pulled out a flashing sonic screwdriver and held it to his ear "Energy readings, radiation"
"What?" Luke worried.
"Don't worry, it's far away. This is playing out like an old adventure I've had, can't remember which" The Doctor rubbed his head thoughtfully and put his sonic back in his jacket.
"Looks like the African desert" Luke answered, leaning down and letting the yellow sand topple through his fingers.
"It's in the completely wrong region of space" He swung the TARDIS door shut aggressively.
"Master!" K-9 was still inside the vehicle.
"Sorry K-9" Apologized the Doctor as he opened the door and helped the dog out "You know Luke, your just like your mother" Luke giggled at the Doctor's remark.
"My Mother died" Spoke a male Cowboy-American voice from behind the TARDIS. The man approached giggling. He wore a white explorer's outfit, like the type you'd see in the movies.
"Aah! Hello" The Doctor smiled, immediately hiding K9 behind his tall legs, blocking his view of the situation.
"You two must be here for the tour, we've been expecting you" The man grinned, with horrible dirty teeth. Before Luke could correct the strange man the Doctor soon replied.
"Yes! That's right!" He turned to Luke "We're here for the tour!"
"All right then, welcome to Africa!" The man led the group around the back of the TARDIS to, what looked like a theme park, but instead of rides it was animal attractions. And understudying for the 'theme park' sign was a large red banner which was poorly placed together saying 'Africa'.
"Sorry" Luke queried "You said that 'we've been expecting you' who's we?"
"Good question Luke, who's we?" The Doctor cheered, proud of his young assistant. The man turned looking offended like they just upset him in some way. He stood, motionless, for a few seconds. Nothing that an ordinary person would be worried about, but the Doctor was not ordinary. Then he burst into laughter. The Doctor put out a fake smirk, showing teeth, which clearly wasn't a good look on him.
"The animals, silly!"
The Doctor and Luke glared at each other, sending an invisible message basically saying 'hmm, that was weird'. "And who's this little guy" The tour guide knelt down to K-9 and flicked his finger onto his nose. K-9 nodded and the guide continued to laugh.
"He's a" Replied Luke, struggling to answer.
"a K-9! I've seen many around these parts!"
The Doctor looked very confused, almost shocked. What was going on here?
"Anyway!" The tour guide stood up "I'm Andy, and I'll be your tour guide for today, let's crack on with the tour then shall we?" He walked on towards the park.
"Err, Doctor?" Questioned Luke "I'll catch you up! Just going to ring mum"
"Luke, Luke, Luke!" The Doctor strolled towards him shaking his head. He snatched the phone out of his hand and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver again and zapped it. After a few seconds of 'sonicing' the doctor passed it back to Luke "Here, should be able to reach Earth now! Don't want some Valorians answering do we?"
Luke stepped inside the TARDIS holding his phone to his ear, ignoring the Doctor's strange reply.
"Right then K-9, care for a tour?" The Doctor grinned.
"Affirmative!" Spoke K-9 as he glided along the sand with the doctor.
Luke's bright blue eyes scanned the device's screen as the TARDIS hummed. His fingers swiped across the home screen onto his mum's photo and rung the number. After almost a second a beep came out the phone. Answer machine, thought Luke.
"Hi Mum! Found the energy source, and the Doctor, on some planet somewhere with K-9. Be back soon"
Another beep came out and the call ended.
The Doctor and K-9 had been on the tour for almost an hour. Still no sign of Luke. The tour guide, Andy, kept getting simple things wrong. For instance, he called a Giraffe an Elephant and said it had a beautiful mane. Although the Doctor and K-9 did have fun correcting him and playing with his stupid 'ape' mind.
"What time is it sorry? We really must dash!" The Doctor queried as the tour guide was a few paces ahead entering the Meerkat enclosure, if that was really was what was in there.
"Oh but the tour's still going! It's eleven PM if you must know!" He strolled into the building and the door swung in and out behind him.
"What? But the sun's still out" The Doctor whispered to himself looking up at the bright burning sun shining down on him.
"Must I remind you that this is not Earth?" K-9 informed.
"Yes…but this must be someone's idea of an attraction for tourists to come and see what Earth is like instead of travelling half the galaxy to see. Doesn't seem like an evil plan the androids set up, does it? Well, I suppose it's exactly what they tried before, except they tried to kill us on the spot before. They haven't yet, have they K9?"
"Negative Master"
"Maybe it's not the androids after all. Wrong signal maybe. But the thing is, the brains behind this must've travelled far and wide to find somewhere that has the exact same sun and a planet the exact distance away. It can't be that tour guide; he doesn't have a brain cell in his body"
"Affirmative Master"
"You know K9, I've really missed you, could do with someone like you travelling with me nowadays!"
"Affirmative Master, but you cannot beat the original" Giggled K9.
"Yeah, I suppose so….where's Luke? It wouldn't have taken him that long to of reached Earth on the 'telephone'. Would it?"
"Negative Master"
"K9?" The Doctor knelt down to his level "Can you hack into his phone and hear what he's saying?"
"I could master, but that would be a breach of privacy"
"Oh don't worry K9, he is 'sorta' human after all"
"Hacking into device" K-9 muttered as his ears swiped about.
The next few minutes were filled with strange noises coming from K9 whilst he was entering the device and connecting it to his speakers. Finally, it was connected. Nothing. No voice. No Luke. No Sarah Jane.
"No sound waves detected, Master"
The Doctor thought of his next move. Would he go back to the TARDIS and check on Luke? Should he carry on with the tour? He turned around to the direction of the TARDIS.
"It's still there! He's fine! Anyway I'm having fun!" The Doctor and K9 walked into the building. The tour guide was still. Frozen. The Doctor waved his hand in front of his eyes. Nothing. He was about to pull out his sonic when he unfroze.
"Aah! You're back. Now here we have the Meerkat" In front of the three was a group of Polar Bears in a Meerkat enclosure.
"Are you alright?" Asked The Doctor "You were…frozen"
The tour guide turned to the doctor. He stared deep into his eyes. The Doctor glared back. Then Andy blinked and went back to normal. Then his head started flitching. The Doctor rushed to his need. The tour guide threw himself onto the floor. His face melted off and something familiar was underneath. Inside was a maze of wires and tubing. No brain. No human parts. Just two eyes moving, staring at the Doctor.
"Plan compromised" its voice drained out.