Chapter 4 – Journey To the Seashell

'So here we are.' The Doctor beamed, spreading his arms out wide as he left the TARDIS. 'Your first alien planet, I'm assuming.'

Simmons was out second. She took a quick look around at the new planet and winced, remembering how it felt when she landed on Maveth.

'It's my third, actually.' She shrugged, casually. 'Well, at least it is if you count a human colony in a parallel dimension… Actually if parallel dimensions count, I've been in two.'

'This is your third alien planet?!' The Doctor exclaimed. 'Blimey. Being an Agent of SHIELD is a lot more interesting than it used to be.'

Simmons laughed and rolled her eyes.

'Well… Alien worlds and being enslaved by the Kree weren't exactly on the job description when I signed up...'

'Oh and don't forget the universe of our deepest fears.' Daisy added, stepping of the TARDIS.

'Yeah, and Fitz's killer android girlfriend.' Simmons grumbled.

'Oh I dated an android for a few weeks!' The Doctor grinned. Simmons scowled at him and his smile ran for cover. 'Yep that probably didn't help, sorry. Where is Fitz by the way?'

'I'm not sure. I'll just go and check.'

As Simmons walked towards the door, Fitz stumbled out, holding a brown paper bag and a glass of multi-coloured fluid. He leaned unsteadily from side to side, slurring something about Simmons and someone called Will.

'Fitz? Are you drunk?' Simmons gasped. 'How on Earth are you drunk?!'

The Doctor scratched his head embarrassedly before noticing that Fitz was veering towards the ground, and bolting to catch him.

'Yes… That may be my fault. I'm really sorry about that…'

'What did you give him?' Simmons exclaimed incredulously.

'Erm…' The Doctor laughed nervously. '… It was Liquid Flytee... It helps with the nausea, and he was only meant to take one sip!'

'Oh Fitz! … And you!' She pointed at the Doctor fiercely, and Daisy bit back a laugh as the Doctor retreated in fright. 'What do we do with him now? He's useless!'

'This is hilarious!' Daisy snorted, falling silent (but still giggling slightly) as Simmons cast her a warning glare.

'Ok, look – I'll find somewhere comfortable for Fitz in the TARDIS… I mean we can't exactly bring him with us…' The Doctor started ushering the intoxicated Fitz (who was giggling profusely about how the name 'Doctor' had come back to haunt him) through the TARDIS doors. Within five minutes the Doctor had returned, and was holding the strange liquid. He poured it onto the arid ground; it fizzled and evaporated quickly.

'Right,' the Doctor said, 'lets go.'

After a 10-minute trek, the team (now limited to only three members) arrived at what looked like a giant seashell. It was covered in shiny purple marbles that blinked and twinkled in the sun, and the whole building seemed to glow with a radiance that most definitely couldn't be found on Earth. It was a stunning sight, but as soon as Daisy had seen it, she couldn't help but feel it was looking at her also. It was as though each little marble was an eyeball, studying her every movement; studying her intentions. Daisy shuddered.

'Do you think it's really a good idea to approach from this side of the building-shell-thing? I mean… isn't it a bit obvious?'

Simmons shook her head.

'No… I mean they know we're here anyway. If they wanted us dead, we already would be, although I'm still trying to understand how all those people ashed out – as Fitz is calling it – simultaneously. Maybe it was something to do with quantum regularity…'

The Doctor looked at her thoughtfully and smiled.

'You really are a clever one, aren't you?'

Simmons raised an eyebrow.

'That's not patronising at all.' She grunted, and the Doctor winced.

'No, no – I didn't mean it like that! It was meant to be a complement. I've watched the entire development of the human race: Ancient Greece and Rome, both World Wars. I watched as you developed with science and music – as you learnt lessons throughout time that improved you as a race; made you kinder. And that's all because of people like you – who step up and decide to make a difference by using the thing they're good at.' He gestured to them both. 'I bet you don't even know how many people both of you have inspired.'

'Thank you,' Simmons smiled wearily, 'but nobody even knows who we are, so I don't know how could we have inspired them.'

The Doctor looked down and Daisy shrugged.

'Well… they know who I am. But I'm famous for all the wrong reasons.' Daisy grinned. The others laughed. On this planet, the idea of fame felt like a distant memory.

After a while the team fell silent, as they walked through the dense shadow of the towering building. When they drew near to the door, the Doctor got out some kind of device, seemingly in expectation that he could use it to open the door, but when the door clicked open in front of him it no longer seemed necessary, and he flung it back into his pocket, pouting slightly.

Inside, the air was thick with moisture, and – very much unlike the expectation received from the outside grandeur – was extremely visually grotesque. It seemed as though whoever lived there had been overrun with wretchedness, and had given up on the idea of cleanliness. Layers of dirt and grime climbed the walls, and orange centipedes (that were terrifyingly large) snaked across the ground from every angle. The group had to tread lightly to avoid them, a task that was really only suited to the utmost balanced and robust. After a few close collisions, Simmons thanked God that they hadn't brought Fitz along.

It took over an hour to find the right room in the repulsive building, but it was obvious when they found it, because the lilac colour of the door shone through perfectly. Also, the door was the only thing they had found so far that wasn't covered in insects – perhaps they had run for cover also. It made the Doctor wonder what kind of creature could create such fear.

Simmons held in a breath and then sighed deeply.

'Ok, lets go.' The Doctor said, winking kindly at Simmons, who appeared rather stressed. Daisy nudged her affectionately and then reached for the door.