DOCTOR WHO: THE FAMILY

Chapter 4

HORACE HILL WOODS, JUST OUTSIDE LONDON, PRESENT DAY:

Night had now properly fallen by the time Kate and the Doctor had returned to Horace Hill Woods. Nicola and Mick weren't informed of UNIT's next movements and were now back at Scotland Yard collating any further evidence on the area they could get. Kate though was nervous. Even with the Doctor at her side, she didn't quite feel safe. Seeing the figure of Grace before her had completely knocked her at the time and hearing her voice at the woods earlier on still freaked her out somehow. Grace had been dead for nine years; Kate had seen her body, she was dead, but how had she been communicating with her? Was she a ghost, or was Kate's mind playing tricks with her? She didn't know.
"You ready?" the Doctor then said to Kate as he opened the car door for her. Kate gathered her thoughts and then eventually joined him. They had to walk around with torches as it was so dark, but even then they weren't helping much.
"What exactly are we here for now?" Kate asked. "You said it yourself, the Deavoes could attack anyone. We got off lightly with a warning earlier."
"We did," agreed the Doctor. "But the TARDIS' records of Deavoes found a little titbit of information that is very interesting it has to be said."
"And what's that?"
"The glimmering piece of grass is a beacon," said the Doctor. "A beacon, a reminder of their location. A 'we are here' sign if you like. Google Maps for Deavoes – or Deavoe Maps for humans, whichever one you prefer I suppose."
"I don't understand where this is going, Doctor…" Kate then said as she was getting more and more puzzled by the moment. The Doctor took her hand and led her to the glimmering grass section. Slowly, he moved himself and Kate onto the section of grass and then pulled out his sonic. "Doctor," said Kate. "What are you doing?"
"Showing how they made their way through…" he explained as the screwdriver buzzed into life. The glimmering section lit up brightly and hints of purple filtered into the sky before a portal appeared next to the Doctor and Kate. It was a like time portal, swirling and wavy, purple all round, it looked majestic in the dark of night.
"Oh my god," said Kate. "That's beautiful…oddly beautiful."
"Dangerous too," added the Doctor as he slowly looked into the portal trying to see if any Deavoe would poke its way through. None did but the Doctor didn't mind. "They are in there, Kate. Guaranteed."
"What happens next though?" she then asked nervously. "Can you send it away? Can you send those things away?"
"I don't know," came the time lord's response. "We will do our best though." he added as deep within the portal, the Doctor and Kate heard a growling noise. It was followed by several others.
"Oh dear god…" muttered Kate in a worried tone. The Doctor quickly got his sonic buzzing loudly again and aimed it at the grass section hoping it would undo the portal opening. He'd ushered Kate in the meantime to safety as he tried to reverse his earlier actions. Kate was worried, very worried. She needed help and she knew it.
"This is Kate Stewart, scientific advisor for the Unified Intelligence Taskforce," she began on her phone. "I need urgent assistance; myself and the Doctor are in danger at Horace Hill Woods. We've traced whatever did the deed against the Hanners family and I think they're about to break through and do the same. There are troops here, but we need more." she added urgently as she ducked behind one of the UNIT vehicles. She was worried and couldn't help but panic as the Doctor was still trying to reverse the portal, but he was getting nowhere. The noises of the Deavoes were getting louder and louder with UNIT troops readying themselves with their guns in anticipation of an incoming attack.
"Come on you, come on…" rallied the Doctor to his sonic. The growls were worrying him just as much as Kate and he hoped it would all stop soon, but it wouldn't. As he kept on buzzing his sonic, the Doctor caught sight of a Deavoe squirming through the portal. "No! Get back! Stay in there!" he called but the Deavoe didn't listen and pushed its way into the open of the night. Kate froze in shock as troops then began to fire from all directions at it.
"Stay away you thing!" cried out one soldier.
"Go to hell!" called another as a flurry of bullets rang all around. The Doctor was in the middle of the crossfire doing his best to close the portal when suddenly he was knocked to the ground by the swinging tail of the deadly advancing creature. Shocked, the Doctor tried to get to his feet but was then lifted up by the Deavoe and flung high and fast into the portal. He didn't even have the time to scream out for help, it was all so quick.
"Doctor!" cried out a panicked Kate. She couldn't believe what she had seen as things then worsened. The Deavoe, which looked as menacing as the Doctor said it would, manoeuvred around the torrent of bullets and wormed its way back into the portal. Barely a second passed before the portal closed after the Deavoe entered it, leaving the soldiers firing at nothing and Kate in utter desperation. Everything hit her dead on all in one go. UNIT soldiers couldn't believe it either and as more piled in on the scene just moments later, Kate's problems just came to the fore. The Doctor was gone, possibly for good in a portal that she had no clue how to reopen. She didn't know what to do or what was coming next. Should she put out a high alert or was this now it? Had the Deavoes got what they wanted? The Doctor, was he it? Her emotions all coming out in one go, Kate couldn't help but think of one thing. "Dad," she muttered to herself as silence began to filter all around her. "What would you do? Please…help, please…I need you."