DOCTOR WHO: RISE OF THE SMILERS

Chapter 3

Liz and the Doctor were powerless as Malcolm's guards carried them away. Despite their attempts, they were far too strong.
"Where are you taking us?" Liz demanded.
"To the dungeon ma'am…" replied her guard emotionlessly. Liz looked worried and the Doctor did too. He tried to wriggle free from his guard but he couldn't. What he didn't know though was that Liz was far stronger than she was making out she was. She could easily overthrow her guard but she was luring him and the Doctor's into a sense of false security. As they were taken down the ancient stone stairway to the dungeon, Liz's guards hold on her loosened, and she took full advantage. She pivoted at pace and punched her guard right on his jaw. He keeled over immediately. The Doctor's guard then let go of him to sort out Liz.
"That's it!" he gruffed. "You've 'ad it!" but Liz had far quicker reactions and spun round and kicked him with her deadly heeled boots right in his midriff. He too keeled to the floor in agony.
"Don't underestimate your queen!" Liz warned before she and the Doctor ran quickly away. They didn't where to go and what condition Amy was in but they had to do something for her, and fast…

Back at base, Rory eventually returned with the Smiler's body and its head in separate goes before he then only realised that Dennis and Helen were about.
"Where's Amy?" he asked. "Where is my wife?"
"She's gone…" Dennis answered.
"Gone where?" Rory asked impatiently. Helen could see he was visibly angry and annoyed with the pair of them. Her mousy brown hair was also a trait she shared in characteristics.
"With Liz and your friend…" she added sheepishly. "To the government building…"
"It's a suicide mission…" Dennis muttered under his breath but Rory heard it. He immediately went over to Dennis and looked at him square on in the face.
"Amy would never do such a thing. The Doctor maybe, but not my wife. Do you understand me?" Rory said angrily. "I'm only here travelling because of her. I enjoy life on earth, but I do this for her…otherwise I suspect she'll leave me and if that was ever the case, I might aswell be dead."
"She's incredibly lucky to have you…" Helen added nervously. "We won't get in your way, but thank you for the Smiler. We appreciate it a lot."
"Good…" said Rory as he headed for the exit.
"How are you going to find her? You don't know where the government building is…" Dennis remarked as the door opened for Rory's departure.
"I'll find her. She's my wife." he replied simply as he left. Helen was impressed with Rory. Dennis wasn't but as they then went to survey the headless Smiler, it arms began to move…

Amy was slowly falling asleep, she wasn't sure if it was Malcolm's long meaningless speeches or whether it was something in the glass of water he had provided her, but whatever it was, she was incredibly drowsy. She was losing track of where she was and who was around her.
"Doctor…" she said hazily. "Are we safe at all?"
"Of course ginger…" replied Malcolm for whom Amy thought it was the Doctor. Her mind was playing tricks on her and then suddenly she did fall asleep altogether. "Leeds…" whispered Malcolm to his associate. "Take her to the centre cells….I'm sure she'll appreciate it…"
"They have to be awake there though, sir…" Leeds remarked.
"She will be my dear fellow….when we introduce our little smiling friends into the mix…"

Rory just kept on running through the streets on Bonsarviss without any let up in his pace. He needed to know Amy was safe and well and he didn't care how odd he looked with Liz's red hood still draped around him. The heavy fogs and mists were playing havoc on his sense and suddenly he had to stop and there before him was the figure of someone waiting for him.
"You miss her dearly I can tell….do your best to find her….I will find you again soon…" the figure added as Rory realised it was Ruth from earlier. There was no sight of the glistening machete anywhere but as he thought about that, she'd vanished into the night mist. His thoughts soon returned to the search for his wife and tried high and low to find her. He couldn't be sure if she was still in the government building or not, but he had to go there. As his search continued as he vanished into the night's dark, figures watched him closely. Their eyes glowed red and their faces disapproved greatly.
"Something must be done to get him…" one observed closely as a message came through to them.
"Eliminate him….immediately…" said the voice. The Smiler agreed and soon followed Rory into the mist. There from afar was the figure who'd relayed the message…it was Ruth. She looked on with a smile as the Smiler left flanked by others at its side. She smiled greatly before once again vanishing into the ethereal mist of Bonsarviss.

"Dennis dear…" Helen said worried to her husband as the Smiler on their research table began to move more and more by the second. "Can't they die now?"
"They're advancing far faster than any of us can keep up with." he answered and slowly the Smiler's hands lowered to reveal a gun hidden under each extremity. The Smiler's head that was located on the floor creaked and cranked loudly with a vicious noise aimed at the Cordale's and soon its face of sheer horror lit up brightly before them.
"Oh my god…" shrieked Helen. "What do we do?"
"You are in the possession of government ideas…" the Smiler then boomed. "You are trying to put a stop to our ways…" it added as its body then moved towards Helen and Dennis. They panicked as the Smiler neared. "You will be destroyed…" it added one final time and shots were then heard to echo throughout the quasher brigade base. All fell silent as the Smiler then exited the building with its head carried in its hands. As the door slowly closed behind it anyone could see on the bright white walls a splatter of blood everywhere. The Cordale's hadn't just been disintegrated…they'd been brutally murdered.

"Doctor…" called out Liz as they wandered through the cavernous under-layers of the government building cathedral. "Can you hear that mechanical noise at all?" The Doctor listened closely and then even closer against each wall he came up against. He soon got out his sonic screwdriver to determine what it was. The readings led to nothing.
"Something is definitely down here Liz…" he said. "Whatever it is, the sonic's signals are being disturbed for some reason."
"What is that crony Malcolm doing?" wondered Liz. "He's not in charge of this planet regardless of whatever he thinks. It should be me ruling this refugee nation."
"I don't think we can just blame dear Malcolm in all of this Liz…." said the Doctor as he looked at her closely. "When I was in his presence something was wrong about him…"
"Like what exactly?" Liz asked.
"It was almost as if it wasn't him….it was like he was being controlled." the Doctor revealed. "I think whatever is in charge or control of Malcolm is the thing that's blocking my sonic. Government conspiracies….I do love them…"
"But why is someone controlling him?" Liz asked.
"Because presumably passing off as a human, like Malcolm would make it easier to do a government coup. Showing off you're an alien isn't likely to persuade matters. Whoever it is believes in the same ways of life as Malcolm and is using the Smilers as the tool to succeed…" the Doctor answered warily as in the corner of his eye he could see a developing red light stepping around the corner. With each passing second, the creaking and cranking of a very familiar figure got louder and louder and then before them appeared a Smiler. To the Doctor it was just any other Smiler but as it neared, Liz's heart sank dearly.
"Simon…it's you…." she said quietly. "How can it be you?" she then asked as right before her was a Smiler with the face of her quasher brigade colleague Simon Dahl, the man who Liz had trusted so much to fetch key equipment for their survival and he had paid the ultimate sacrifice.
"Ma'am…" the Smiler then creaked. "I'm sorry I have to do this…" they added as their face turned around to reveal a face of horror with a protruding gun. Simon's features were still visibly there. He was a quint-essential Danish man and had a small tattoo of his nation's flag on his neck. That was still clearly there.
"Simon…" interrupted the Doctor. "I'm sorry for what's happened to you but I can't let you kill your own boss, your own queen."
"But I must…" the Simon-like Smiler protested. "I have orders…"
"Ignore them…" the Doctor encouraged. "Start a rebellion….one of good, rather than one of fierce murders…" Simon looked towards the Doctor and then at Liz who was still an emotional wreck from seeing her colleague like this, but Simon didn't act upon his commands. He just froze still. "Ma'am…I know your gun is about your presence…please use it against me and look after everyone else." He then said as the Smiler's voice broke through with emotion.
"I can't possibly do that Simon…" she said. "I'd be killing one of my own."
"Liz, he's just a Smiler…with a very limited supply of Simon's being left in him. In hours to come that face of his will disappear forever." the Doctor said to Liz in a commanding tone.
"I'm in agony ma'am…" Simon said slowly and painfully. "End this horror for me. This Smiler will be used against but I will be gone." Liz just couldn't do it and handed the Doctor her gun. She was breaking into tears with each and every moment.
"I can't kill one of my own…." she said adamantly. "Doctor, take care of him…" she added as she walked away. "Goodbye Simon…" she sobbed as she ran out of view. The Doctor felt wrong to do this but Simon kept on pleading for the end.
"Whoever you are sir, ma'am trusts you…so do it….please…" Simon said as the Doctor then pulled the trigger to the Simon-like Smiler's head. He turned away as the bullet fired and didn't look back again. He left to find Liz and try and sort out this problem. If Simon had become a Smiler it could mean Amy might too. He couldn't let that happen, ever…

As the Doctor, Liz and Rory were all out searching across the Bonsarviss landscape for clues to their aims, Amy woke up to see a Smiler right before her. She was in a cell and her shoes and socks had been taken for some reason. She could see Malcolm and his associate Leeds watching in from behind the cells bars. They looked incredibly pleased.
"It would appear that you're awake then ginger…" Malcolm sneered. "Good timing really…"
"Where am I? And what's a Smiler doing in here with me?" Amy asked nervously.
"You're in our centre cells ginger…" began Malcolm. "Also known as conversion room number one."
"Conversion?" said Amy nervously.
"Yes…conversion." smiled Malcolm. "It turned out we actually didn't need you as a bargaining tool in any way really as dear Liz and your Doctor friend are grief-stricken I'm afraid."
"Why? What's happened?" Amy asked fearing the worst for Rory.
"A dear friend of theirs is dead…we think you might have known them aswell…" Malcolm answered. "So, to stop you from the grieving, were enrolling you into our new service."
"It's a wonderful thing…" Leeds added with a wide grin.
"Indeed it is…" agreed Malcolm. "Smiler….activate…" he then commanded as the Smiler in Amy's cell came to life. It turned around to her and then began to creak and crank. It's face turned from disapproval to sheer horror as Amy didn't understand what was happening.
"What are you trying to do to me?" she screamed. Malcolm and Leeds didn't answer at first for some time. They just let Amy scream and scream. What they didn't know was that Rory had now found the government building and was frantically searching all around it. He avoided guards quickly and just tried all doors and entrances he could. Soon he came across the centre cells viewing port entrance and ran in. The door immediately closed and there was a Smiler waiting for him. It pinned him against the glass of the viewing port and made him watch on as there he could see Amy looking scared and alone.
"Amy!" he called out. "AMY!" but she couldn't hear. All he could see was two men looking on and smiling as the Smiler next to Amy began to turn redder and redder and soon only the Smiler was left. All that was left in Amy's place was a pile of ash. "AMY!" cried out Rory once more but again there was no reply…