The Tardis came to land in a small and cluttered storage cupboard, filled with metal containers piled up to the ceiling. But as it came to a halt the ship made a very odd crackling and groaning noise as the lights on the inside and on the police box sign flickered.
"I don't what's wrong though she seems sort of, queasy?" The Doctor said as he, Rose and Peter stepped out. "Indigestion like she didn't wanna land" He added.
"Well if you think that's going to be trouble we could always get back inside and go somewhere else" Rose replied before they all laughed simultaneously at the idea.
"I think we've landed inside a cupboard, here we go" The Doctor said as he spotted the large yellow industrial door out and led them over to it. Turning the wheel in the center of the door it swung open automatically.
"Open door fifteen" A female robot announcement said.
"Some sort of base, moon base sea base they built these things out of kits" The Doctor explained as they stepped onto a metal paneled corridor where the sound of rushing wind could be heard coming from outside.
"Glad we're indoors sounds like a hell of a storm out there" Peter said as the Doctor led them over to another door. Through it was another paneled corridor with a raised grated metal walkway in the center of it.
"Human design, got a thing about kits, this place was put together like a flat pack wardrobe only bigger and easier" The Doctor said as they walked down the corridor and through another door.
"Open door seventeen" The robotic announcement said as they stepped into a larger open area that looked like a kitchen and dinning area.
"Oh it's a sanctuary base! Space age exploration we've gone way out" The Doctor said cheerfully as he looked around. "Listen to that underneath?" He then said as he came back over to Rose and Peter.
"Someone's drilling" Peter confirmed, feeling a slight vibration under his feet.
"Welcome to hell" Rose suddenly said as she saw the writing on the wall in front of her.
"Oh it's not that bad" The Doctor told her. Rose chuckled slightly.
"No over there" She said, pointing the writing out to them. On the wall were a series of strange symbols whilst above them someone had spray painted what must have been the translation in black paint.
"Hold on what does that say?" The Doctor asked seriously as he walked over to the writing and stared at the symbols. "That's weird it won't translate" He added as he crouched besides the wall whilst Rose and Peter came over and stood besides him.
"But doesn't the Tardis translate everything? Writing as well?" Peter asked.
"Yeah it does, I should be seeing English?" Rose added, turning to the Doctor.
"Exactly, but if that's not working then it means, this writing is old, very old, impossibly old" The Doctor replied as he stood back up. "We should find out who's in charge" He added as he walked over to the door next to the writing and began opening it. "We've gone beyond the reach of the Tardis's knowledge not a good move and if someone's looking for..." He began to say as they door open but stopped as they all jumped back and yelled at what they saw on the other side. It was a trio of bald faced squid like humanoids with slanted eyes and small tentacles dropping down from their noises. They were dressed in blue overalls whist they each carried a small frosted ball that was attached to their necks by a white wire. "Right! Hello! Sorry er, I was just saying er, nice base" The Doctor told them as he recovered himself whilst Rose and Peter stared open mouthed at them.
"We must feed" The lead creature said, it's frosted ball lighting up as it spoke.
"You gotta what?" The Doctor asked.
"We must feed" All of the creatures said simultaneously.
"Yeah I think they mean us" Peter said as they started backing away when the creatures started walking towards them. Turning to run they saw the other door two doors in the room open as more of the creatures came though.
"We must feed" They all said, chanting it. Surrounded by them as they walked towards them Peter drew out his gun and readied it to shoot whilst Rose picked up a nearby metal stool and held in front of her defensively as the Doctor took out the Sonic Screwdriver. Holding their defenses up in front of them they were backed up against the wall as the creatures approached them.
"We must feed," The lead creature then told them as the others fell silent before it shook the ball is was carrying and tapped it as if it was malfunctioning. "You, if you are hungry" It then told them.
"Sorry?" The Doctor asked curiously as he lowered the Sonic slightly.
"We apologise electromagnetics have interfered with speech systems would you like some refreshments?" It asked as Peter cautiously lowered his gun whilst Rose put down the stool she'd been holding.
"Er..." The Doctor began to say.
"Open door eighteen" The automated voice said as another door opened as two men and a woman, all dressed in combat gear and leather jackets with the younger man and woman carrying large machine guns, came in.
"What the hell!" The middle aged greying brown haired but tough looking man exclaimed when he saw the Doctor, Rose and Peter. "How did...?" He tried to asked as they came over as the creatures stood aside for them. "Capitan your not gonna believe this we've got people, out of nowhere! I mean real people! I mean, three living people just standing here right in front of me" The middle aged man said in shock as he spoke into a wrist communicator as he stood in front of them.
"Don't be stupid! That's impossible!" A man's voice replied as is came through the communication.
"I suggest telling them that" The middle aged man replied.
"But your sort of space base? You must have visitors now and then? It can't be that impossible?" Rose asked him.
"You telling me you don't know where you are?" He asked back.
"No idea more fun that way" The Doctor replied with a grin.
"Sir this one's armed" The woman told the middle aged man, indicating Peter who had not yet put away his gun as he held it pointed to the floor.
"Oh come on your packing more heat them me" Peter said.
"You trained?" The middle aged man asked him.
"Rank of Lieutenant" He replied as he sheathed his gun as the man simply nodded.
"Stand by everyone buckle down we have incoming and it's a big one, quake point five in it's way" A woman announced over the speaker system. The middle aged man ran over and opened up one of the doors.
"Through here! Now! Quickly come on! Move!" He ordered sharply as he hurried them all, expect the creatures, through the door. Heading down a paneled corridor the base started shaking as steam burst out of pipes onto them. "Move it! Come on!" The middle aged man shouted at them when they didn't move quickly enough as sparks rained down on them. Making it to the other end and heading through another door they saw they were in a large control room with five people inside and a few of the creatures. They all stared at them in shock and disbelief as the Doctor, Rose and Peter stood in the center of the room whilst the middle aged man sent his two armed colleges off back the way they'd come as he shut the door again as the shaking temporarily stopped.
"Oh my god you meant it!" A bearded black man said to the middle aged man, his voice matching that of the captain's who'd spoken through the communicator earlier, as he stood with a middle aged blond woman and younger fair haired man at a control panel.
"People look at that! Real people!" A young pretty woman with curly blond hair said as she stood near them, catching Peter's eye as he smiled at her.
"That's us hurray!" The Doctor said with a smile.
"Yeah definitely real" Rose added. "My name's Rose, Rose Tyler, this is Peter Argent and the Doctor" She then introduced them.
"Come on! The oxygen must be offline we're hallucinating they can't be? No they're real!" A mixed raced man with shoulder length black hair asked as he stood up from his chair and came over to them.
"Come on people! We're in the middle of an alert! Danny strap up the quakes coming in! Impact in thirty seconds" The captain ordered as a siren went off to accompany the flashing yellow warning lights. Danny went back to his seat and belted himself in. "Sorry you three whoever you are just hold on tight" The captain told the Doctor, Rose and Peter.
"Hold on to what?" Rose asked.
"Anything I don't care just hold on" The captain replied as they went over to the door and wall where there were some metal bars they could grip. "Ood are we fixed?" The captain then asked the creatures.
"Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated" The nearest Ood replied.
"What's this planet called anyway?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh don't be stupid it hasn't got a name how could it have a name?" The older woman asked. "You really don't know do you?" She asked, seeing their blank faces.
"And impact!" The captain called as the quake hit with violence as the entire base shook.
"Oh well that so bad..." The Doctor began to say as a brief recesses came in the trembling as he stood up. But a moment later he was thrown back as the actual quake hit, the first one having only been a warning tremor. Flames exploded on the control panel next to the younger woman and sparks blew out of it dangerously close to her as she sat on a nearby chair.
"Scooti get away from there!" The captain ordered among the chaos as steam pipes started to burst all around them.
"I can't! I'm stuck!" She called back, struggling with the belt keeping her in her seat, as a shower of sparks fell over her, making her yell in fright. Peter risked letting go of the bar he'd been holding onto and raced over to her as he broke the strap trapping her and pulled her away, holding her steady as the shaking continued. A sudden jerk, however, sent the pair tumbling to the floor with Peter ending up crashing onto his back as Scooti fell on top of him just as the quake finally came to halt.
"Ok that's it everyone all right?" The captain called out as the middle aged man came over with a fire extinguisher to put of the flames on the control panel. "Speak to me! Ida?" He called out to the older woman.
"Yeah yeah" She confirmed.
"Danny?" The captain called out.
"Fine" He replied.
"Toby?" The captain asked the fair haired man.
"Yeah fine" He replied.
"Jefferson?" The captain called the middle aged man.
"Check" He called back.
"Scooti?" The captain then called over to where Scooti was still lying on top of Peter.
"No damage" She said with a smile as she looked down at Peter as he smiled back. "Thanks" She told him as she climbed off and knelt besides him so he could prop himself up on his elbows.
"No problem" He replied.
"We're fine thanks fine yeah don't worry about us" The Doctor said as he as Rose sat up.
"Surface had caved in I deflected it onto storage five through eight we've lost them completely" The captain said, looking at his screens. "Toby go and check the rocket link" He then instructed.
"But that's not my department" Toby complained.
"Just do as I say yeah?" The captain told him. Toby almost glared at him for a moment before sighing and walking off past the Doctor and Rose and through the door behind them whilst the rest of the crew started checking all the systems.
"Oxygen holding internal rotor fifty six point six we should be ok" Ida said as everything quietened down again so that the high winds outside could be heard.
"Never mind the earthquake that's a, a hell of a storm out there" Peter said, still lying on the floor next to Scooti. "What is that? A hurricane?" He asked Scooti.
"You need an atmosphere for a hurricane, there's no air out there it's complete vacuum" She replied.
"Then what's shaking the roof?" He asked.
"Your not joking, you really don't know?" Ida asked. "Well introductions, FYI as they said in the olden days, I'm Ida Scott science officer" She introduced herself. "Zachary Cross Flane acting captain, sir" She said, pointing at the captain. "You've met Mr Jefferson he's head of security, Danny Bartock ethics committee" She then introduced.
"Not as boring as it sounds" Danny told the Doctor, Rose and Peter.
"And that man who just left that was Toby Zed archeology" Ida then said. "And this is Scooti Manista trainee maintenance" She added with a smile at Scooti as she turned back to Peter.
"Hi Peter Argent" He said with a broad grin as he held out his hand.
"Nice to meet you" She said as she shook it. "Need some help getting up?" She joked, noticing he was still led on the floor. Peter gave a chuckle.
"I got it" He said as he began picking himself up as Scooti also stood up. As he started to stand up, however, a shot of pain ran up his left side, making him wince and clutch it for a moment.
"Hey you ok?" The Doctor asked as he and Rose came over.
"Yeah fell on my gun" Peter winced as he lifted up the side of shirt where he could see a small gash and a forming large black bruise where his gun in it's belt sheath had dug into his side as he'd fallen.
"There's a dressing table over here, I'll give you a hand" Scooti offered, resting a hand on his arm, as she indicating a medical area over in the corner of the room.
"It'll probably have already healed by the time you get over there" The Doctor half joked, knowing Peter's wolf side gave him heightened healing abilities. Peter was about to agree but stopped as he looked back to Scooti.
"Yeah well, I'll still get it looked at, might be worse than it looks" He replied casually before walking off with her, leaving the Doctor and Rose slightly surprised but amused at his sudden interest in Scooti.
"So where are we?" The Doctor then asked Ida. Ida walked over to a small box on the wall and rested a hand on the lever attached to it.
"This is home" She said as she pulled down on it.
"Brace yourselves the sight of it sends some people mad" Zachary told them. The metal shields on the roof above to reveal a viewing glass that gave a view of the space upwards of them. Fiery light was burning in the black sky in a circular shape as space debris and rock was pulled towards it. Even someone who'd never see such a thing would have recognised it.
"That's a black hole" Rose said in astonishment.