Rose has been working at the large London department store for more than six months. Day-in- day-out, she stood idle at the counter, watching ladies picking out dresses and skirts. She is disgruntled when she realizes that high pile of clothes always ends up back in her hands. She re-hangs them and places back on the racks.
"Rose, will you remember to drop the deposit envelope in Mr. Snell's desk before you leave?"
"Yeah, no problem Martha, see you tomorrow."
Martha was Rose's boss. She worked as shift manager. Martha and Rose had a good time at work together. They often would spend their fifteen minute breaks out back at the loading dock together. Staring off at the London Eye, a large Ferris-wheel in the center of London square.
"Hey Rose, what if aliens landed right in the center of that ring? What if they sent signals over all over London brainwashing everyone?"
"Oh stop, it Martha! I think I'd hide here, in these bloody racks of clothing!" Rose replied, knowing it was a highly unlikely situation. Nothing exciting ever happens in her life, Rose told herself as she took one last drag on her cigarette. It was 7:45pm and she had 15 minutes left before the store closed.
8:00pm came rather quickly, no more shoppers were in sight, and Rose was left all alone. Mr. Snell was on vacation till tomorrow. She had never been down the long hallway to his office out back. It was a dark, creepy tunnel. Rose passed a room filled with mannequins and body parts. "Oh bloody hell!" Rose screamed as she ran into a whole barrel of heads before reaching the end of the hall way. She quickly opened the door, tossed the envelope on his desk, and turned to leave in a hastily. She walked briskly past the barrel of heads. Something caught her eye. She glimpsed back, trying to ignore her quickening heartbeat. Just before she reached the room filled with mannequins she heard footsteps. Walking faster, she turned around and realized there was a mannequin stalking her!
"This is crazy! This makes no sense!" she screamed, running at a full sprint for the elevator door. As soon as she pressed the button it sprung open. Martha was in there trying to catch her breath. "I just came from the showroom. All the mannequins are running around up there! There is what seems to be a boss or something, and his head opened up and he was shooting big bullets at me!"
Rose and Martha were in the elevator trying to get the door to shut. "Hurry! That other mannequin is almost here!" Both girls were terrified. Just as soon as the door shut they saw a man with a tool. It made a sonic noise, and the mannequin dropped to the floor in all sorts of pieces. Rose and Martha look at each other in relief and confusion. The door to the elevator opened.
"Hello, Ladies! Quick! We got to get out of here! Follow me!"
A tall, dark, handsome man dressed in a three-piece suit and a trench coat stepped into the elevator.
"Who the heck are you?!" Demanded Rose.
"I'm the Doctor."
"Doctor who?" mocked Martha.
"Just the Doctor" smiled the Doctor.
"That's your name? The Doctor?" questioned Martha.
"Yes! Now come on then!"
The three ascended to the 3rd floor where the stairs went to the rooftop. When the elevator door opened Martha grasped hands with Rose, and followed the Doctor at a foot's length. There were mannequins in the stairwell. The Doctor pulled out his tool, the sonic noise hummed and the two exploded in a splintery mess.
"These mannequins are part of a bigger problem! They are being controlled by something. . ." The Doctor looked around when they reached the rooftop.
"THERE! THAT LARGE CIRCLE! It's broadcasting a signal; we have to make it there to stop it!"
"How do we do that Doctor? We're trapped on the roof!"
At this point Martha swallowed her words from the conversation with Rose on the loading dock.
"No hiding in a clothes rack this time Rose!" they both agreed in silence.
"We jump!" The Doctor smiled at Rose and Martha.
"We jump?" They looked at each other.
"Yes, trust me!"
The Doctor was the first to go. Without even looking he leaped off the side of the building. His long trench coat opened like a parachute and sent him gracefully to the pavement below.
"I'm no Super Woman Doctor!" yelled Rose from the edge.
"Get a run, I'll send you some luck when you leap!"
The Doctor took out his tool again, the sonic noise sounded off towards Rose as her left foot left the edge of the building. Screaming louder than Rose, Martha's hands went up to her eyes as she peeked through and saw that Rose had gracefully floated to the pavement.
"Next! Come on Martha! We don't have much time!" the Doctor and Rose looked to the doors of the department store. The mannequins had made their way to the front and were shooting the bullet proof glass. Impossibly, they were busting through, determined to get to the Doctor, and the rest of London. Martha landed just as softly as Rose. No sooner did her feet hit the ground running when the three made a fast sprint to The Eye.
Strangely, The Eye used to be a bright blue light, now it was glowing red.
"That's not good!" The Doctor uttered, as he was fumbling around with a lock on the shed under The Eye.
"What's that sonic thing that keeps saving our butt's?" Martha looks at the Doctor as he pulled it out and aimed it at the door.
"My sonic screw driver! It does EVERYTHING! Ah ha, we're in!"
"Rose, look around for something that isn't electrical, out of place. Use those pretty eyes! Martha, you look out and see if those mannequins are catching up. We have to find what's sending out the signal."
Rose's stealthy little hands ran over the wires and pipes visible on the walls. Then suddenly she noticed a grate on the floor. A red glow, and a hot, industrial smells steamed up.
"Doctor I think I have something, quick!"
"Great job Rose!" He hits the grate with the sonic screw driver, opening it up. They jumped in.
The smell is unique: Rose can't put her finger on it. Inside there is a hollowed out cavern. A big red box emitting a lot of heat is pulsing away on a perch.
"The damn Daleks have planted this to control the mannequins. The Daleks have been looking to take over London, cause a ruckus, and bring me here to kill me! We will fix them!"
"Daleks? Who are they?" Rose questions as she watches the Doctor do all sorts of crazy things to the red box.
"They are my long-time enemy, and the enemy of the human race."
"You're here to save us?"
"I've been saving you people since the beginning of your time. You just didn't know it yet." The Doctor let out a laugh, and the red box stopped glowing. There was a sudden silence.
Martha stood, peeking through the door. As soon as the Doctor stopped the red box she saw a handful of mannequins turn the street corner. Martha's eyes widened. She saw them all drop dead, their body parts fall to the street in disarray. They sighed in unison.
"Thanks for helping me ladies! We aren't finished yet! Follow me."
They left the shed. Rose notes The Eye is glowing its pretty blue hue.
They approach a blue police box.
"Want to go for a spin?" the Doctor said as he leaned on its door.
"Ride? In a police box? Are you mad?" Martha erupted before thinking. This whole day has been mad!
Rose was more likely to jump in. The day's events had been a welcomed adventure.
"Come on Martha, let's have a look inside."
The doctor said it was his space ship. They all laughed as he opened the door. Martha and Rose's eyes popped when they saw the inside was much bigger than the outside — and clearly alien.
The Doctor pushed a bunch of buttons and yelled at them to hang on. The 12th century on the moon of the planet Delia was about to get more crazy than mannequins in London.
