Doctor Who – Series 4b
Gwen – Part 1
The mud splashed onto the soles of heavy, leather boots which trudged towards the manor gates. The UNIT soldiers gripped the handles of a battering ram and slammed it into the gates. As they traversed through the thick grass, which had grown over many years to shoulder height, the fast approaching mansion grew larger in the heavy moonlight as if it was moving towards them.
The door of the mansion was barely seen, due to the thick bracken which had entangled itself around the porch and fed its way through holes in the oak walls. This seemed to be the only thing holding it together.
Upon opening the door, cobwebs broke away and slowly drifted towards the settling dust. Dust which had not moved in over a hundred years.
The floor moaned over the weight of the men entering. One of them questioned its strudiness. Sure enough, the floor had rotted in most parts and in his head he made a mental note to tread as lightly as possible, shifting his weight over the largest area possible, and to steer clear of any areas that looked unsteady.
One of the men, of officer rank, pulled out a machine about the size of his palm which beeped incessantly. This beeping broke the silence which had remained untouched until now. As the radar, which protruded rather loosely out from the machine, was turned upwards the beeping grew faster and louder. The men marched up the ancient staircase which cried out at them in protest.
Safely reaching the top without any major mishaps the soldiers continued down the corridor, all the time the beeping grew louder. If it woud ever slow down they would retrace their steps and try a different direction. They came to the penultimate room of the corridor and entered. The beeping was now a long, screeching tone. Unable to bear the noise, the UNIT soldier holding the machine turned it off. He nodded, and the other men began to search the room.
After opening a drawer one of the men heard a quiet buzzing. Sure enough, the others began to look around the room searching for the source of the sound. The buzzing grew louder and became more distinct.
"It's as if its coming closer." said one of the UNIT soldiers. It had been the first time any of them had spoken.
"Be quiet, Jones. This mission is of the utmost secrecy." snapped the officer.
"Sorry." the woman sighed and silenced herself. She was the only woman on the force. If she had been male, she wouldn't have been treated like that.
The sound had began to differ in pitch, it was almost a tune. The closer she listened, the more it sounded like some sort of music. She was right. It was very clear now. A quiet, but high-pitched tune which played over and over. It was the sort of tune you'd sing to help a baby sleep. That's it! She thought. It's a lullaby!
A girl entered the room, in a dress which puffed out at the shoulders. It came down to her ankles and ended in white frills which traipsed along the floor. It was once a bright pink, but was now faded and dirty. Her hair was tied into two ponytails which ran parallel to her waist.
"Oh!" one of the men gasped. He walked up to the girl. "What are you doing here? Are you hurt? Are you lost?"
"Dale, don't get too close!" cried Jones.
"Jones, I'm a father! I know what I'm doing!" he snapped. Who let a woman on the force? He thought to himself.
The girl seemed to be unaffected by the scenes. She had a dull frown on her face and her eyes were wide, almost popping out her skull. The officer grabbed his machine and flicked a switch, speaking into it clearly.
"Sir, we have found a young girl alone in the house. How should we procceed?" The officer's formal voice had never faltered. No one noticed that Jones had gone. The window was open and the ripped curtains flapped in the breeze.
The girl turned her head towards the soldier next to him; the rest of her body remained motionless. A grin popped onto her face showing no teeth. She skipped towards the officer, reached up and grabbed the machine. She still had the almost insane grin on her face as she spoke into the machine.
"Hello daddy."
The sergeant on the other end heard nothing but screaming for seventeen minutes and fifteen seconds precisely. All that could be heard afterwards was the girl cackling before the machine cut off.
Martha Jones burst into the room.
"Jones, what are you doing here? You were with the search team!"
"Sir, it's an emergency! We need the Doctor!"