Sam Crisp smiled as she placed one final present underneath the Christmas tree in her living room. She could hardly wait until the morning to see the smiles on her daughters' faces when they unwrapped their presents. They'd been so excited, it had taken her and her husband all night to get them to go to bed, and even longer for them to go to sleep.
The living room looked delightful – the tree was resplendent with its glittering tinsel and brightly coloured lights, and the television in the corner was softly singing all the best Christmas tunes. Sam knew this wonderful calm wouldn't last into tomorrow – once her family members arrived, things would get hectic, but she was determined to enjoy it as much as possible.
Something rattled underneath the Christmas tree. Sam's head whipped around – she'd thought the cat was safely shut in the kitchen for the night, but her husband must have let it out when he'd gone to make the tea. She crouched down, looking between the presents for any sign of ginger fur. The last thing she needed was for the damned thing to start pulling the tree down.
But the cat was nowhere to be seen. She heard the rattling again, and this time she saw movement – one of the presents was shaking slightly. Sam's brow creased in confusion as it shook again, and she reached in and lifted the present out from amongst its twins. She could feel it shaking in her hands even now – something inside was desperate to get out.
Ever more concerned, Sam tore the wrapping paper off the present. It was a doll she'd intended for her youngest daughter. Inside its box, the doll looked like a sleeping baby, its eyes closed – until they snapped open, and looked right at Sam.
Sam jumped. She'd thought this was a simple, standard doll – she hadn't realised her husband had ordered one of the more advanced electronic ones. The doll was blinking now, it's gaze never moving from Sam's face. She found it rather unnerving.
Sam realised she'd have to open the box and switch the doll off or remove its batteries – she couldn't leave it on like this all night. She carefully opened the box and extracted the doll, pulling up the back of its pyjama top to look for the off switch. Confusingly, there didn't appear to be one – and no sign of a battery compartment either. Funnily enough, it felt too light as well, too light to contain any motors or any of the other electronic circuitry required to make it move.
It was only when the doll jumped out of Sam's arms and started toddling around the living room carpet that she realised that perhaps something was rather wrong. She chased after it, scooping it up – only to drop it again immediately when the blasted thing bit her. Sam yelped, looking down at her hand – little dots of blood were appearing on her skin in two neat little rows.
The doll was looking up at her now, it's little angelic face smiling beatifically as it advanced towards her, arms outstretched. Sam was horrified to see one of its hands drop away completely, hinging at the wrist to hang limply below its arm. A silver tube was emerging from the doll's arm now, clicking into place as it aimed at Sam's face.
"I love you!" The doll crowed. Sam Crisp's world went dark as it shot her squarely between the eyes.
The room was still for a few moments, as the doll looked at Sam's lifeless body. Then it climbed over her and toddled towards the living room door, off to find the other humans in the house.
The Doctor pulled Lizzie along the corridor, away from Parker's office. It was only as they reached the staircase that he came to a stop. The Doctor dragged her into the stairwell and peered back towards the office as Lizzie got her breath back.
"They're coming, they'll be here any second," said the Doctor. He fished his sonic screwdriver from his coat and pressed it into Lizzie's hands. "Here, take this. I need you to go downstairs, back to the Nestene chamber. You need to shut down the containment field, set it free. Try setting 87-G."
"But you said we couldn't do that!" Lizzie exclaimed. "That it would just take over the invasion itself."
"Well, try and convince it not to do that, you'll think of something!" said the Doctor. "Run, go now!"
"Where are you going?" Lizzie asked.
"Parker's started the broadcast," said the Doctor. "Right now, every single piece of plastic on Earth is turning into a weapon. I'm going to the roof, to shut the transmitter down."
"How're you going to do that without this?" Lizzie asked, holding up the screwdriver.
"I'll improvise!" the Doctor yelled, turning away and bounding up the stairs. "Good luck!"
Then he disappeared around a corner. Lizzie leaned over the railing at the edge of the landing and looked down – she could see the bottom many, many floors below. Lizzie very briefly considered going back and searching for a lift, but at that moment the door back into the corridor was flung open and an Auton lumbered through, aiming its blaster at her. Lizzie took off down the stairs. She felt a searing heat behind her neck, and a chunk of concrete exploded from the wall behind her, showering her with grey dust.
Two of the Autons immediately began their pursuit, shambling down the stairs after her. The remaining pair directed their eyes upwards, towards the roof.
A freezing blast of wind struck the Doctor as he emerged onto the roof through a service door. There was a stunning view of London in all directions, but the Doctor's attention lingered on it only briefly before turning to a tall metal pylon. A bundle of cables led up one of the legs and connected to a metal dish at the very top.
The Doctor approached the pylon – the legs were connected by criss-crossed support beams; he placed his shoe against one of these. It seemed to take his weight, so he climbed up onto it, grabbing another beam further up. The wind pulled at his coat as he began to climb.
Lizzie stumbled into the stasis chamber, her legs numb from descending so many stairs. She paused briefly, glancing between the stasis tanks at the side of the room and the sonic screwdriver in her hand. Feeling only slightly guilty, she moved on towards the door to the Nestene's containment room.
She descended to the platform quickly. She looked down at the screwdriver and turned the dials at the bottom to the setting the Doctor had suggested.
"87-G," she muttered, double checking her settings before aiming it at the controls. Then she stopped, lowering the screwdriver again. She turned and leaned over the central railing to look down at the Nestene creature below.
"Listen to me!" she shouted. "The Doctor sent me. He wants me to release you, but only if you agree to leave! Do you hear me?"
The vat of liquid below rumbled indistinctly. Lizzie sighed.
"That's not an answer," she continued. "I can't set you free if you're just going to continue the invasion, you have to promise to leave."
There were more rumblings from the Nestene, before a harmonious sound. Then, a deep voice spoke.
"We concur…"
"OK then," Lizzie muttered. She turned back towards the control and raised the sonic screwdriver a second time. She put her thumb against the switch on its side and pushed. The screwdriver hummed. Lizzie watched the controls expectantly.
Nothing happened.
The Doctor had almost reached the top of the pylon when he heard the service door open below. He looked down and spotted a pair of Autons striding out onto the rooftop. They raised their blasters to aim at him.
The Doctor scrambled around the pylon, just in time to avoid two laser blasts. They shot harmlessly into the night sky, but already the Autons were adjusting their aim. The Doctor hugged the pylon's metal struts, pulling himself as close as he could to the structure – surely the Autons wouldn't shoot their own transmitter. Another volley of shots just missed him, some following the first set into the night sky but others colliding with the pylon's legs. The structure creaked alarmingly as the Doctor pulled himself upwards again, ever more determined to reach the transmitter dish on top.
He followed the cabling with his eyes and spotted the point where they connected to the transmitter. He closed the last few feet quickly and grabbed the cables. Below him, the Autons had stopped firing – he was presumably too close to the dish for them to risk firing now.
He grabbed the cables and yanked them downwards. Their connector hardly budged from the transmitter, but a small gap opened between it and the dish's control box. Another sharp tug pulled it a little further – and then the connector came away from the dish with an explosion of sparks. The Doctor almost lost his balance, tipping backwards from the pylon, but he managed to grab hold of a support strut at the very last second.
He grinned down at the Autons.
"Sorry, taken you off the airwaves!" he called. "Christmas TV's bad enough as is."
Parker watched as the lights on her control board all turned red in sequence. She slammed her fist against it, to no visible effect.
"No!" she shouted, hitting the board again. A diagnostic panel was showing that the transmitter had been disconnected. Parker looked up at her ceiling.
She crossed the room, back to her desk. She opened one of the drawers and withdrew a pistol. After checking that its magazine was loaded, she walked out of her office and into the corridor, heading for the stairs.
The Doctor looked down at the Autons. He'd hoped that destroying the transmitter would've shut them down, but they were still staring at him, and their blasters were still aimed upwards. He gripped the top of the pylon – it would be a relatively long fall to the roof, and he had no desire to repeat that regeneration.
Then he wondered why the Autons weren't shooting at him, now that the transmitter was destroyed. Why were they holding back?
They weren't looking at him now either. Instead, they were looking at the bottom of the pylon, their arms lowering to aim at the base. Too late, the Doctor realised what was about to happen.
Two sizzling bolts of energy slammed into the legs of the pylon that were closest to the two Autons. Several more shots eliminated the support beams, and the metal structure moaned dangerously.
The Doctor's hearts leapt as the pylon began to tip over the edge of the roof.
Lizzie aimed the sonic screwdriver at the control panel again, pressing the switch frantically. As before, there was no response from the control console – it's indicators all remained active.
"Oh, come on!" Lizzie urged the little tool, double-checking the settings. 87-G, just like the Doctor had said. "What am I supposed to do now?"
Her head spun as she heard the wrenching of metal behind her. She looked up to the gantry above – two Autons had just opened the door at the top of the stairs and come through from the stasis chamber. They were aiming their blasters at her. She yelped and ducked behind the console as they fired at her, the bolts going wide over her head and hitting the far wall. Lizzie peeked above the controls and saw the Autons walking towards the stairs down to the platform.
The Doctor wrapped his arms around the top of the pylon, his eyes widening as he looked down at the street below. Already, he was suspended beyond the edge of the roof, and there was no way back without disturbing the pylon even further. It had come to a halt, but it felt unstable – the Doctor was worried that even the slightest movement would cause it to tip over completely, and he and it would fall to the street far below. He could see people running across the road, and more figures behind them – shop window dummies that had broken out from their displays and were massacring the crowd.
He was still holding onto the transmitter cables – the Doctor looked over his shoulder gingerly, noting the thickness of the cables, the metal pins holding them onto the pylon and most importantly; where they buried themselves in the concrete roof. A plan began to form in his mind, but he would have to execute it precisely if he was going to survive.
He wrapped the cables twice around his forearm and looked back at the rooftop. The service door had opened again, and Parker had come out of the stairwell.
"My, my," she called out to him, her voice almost lost in the howling wind. "You seem to be in a rather precarious position Doctor."
"You might think that," said the Doctor. "I beg to differ. Cheerio!"
Then he braced himself against the top of the pylon with his arms and jumped. Just a little hop, but he landed on the support strut with enough force to destabilise the pylon. It tipped further into the street, and this time there was no stopping it. The Doctor clung on, waiting for his exact moment. Parker gaped as he disappeared beyond the edge of the roof.
The Doctor counted seconds and milliseconds in his head, before pushing himself away from the pylon in mid-air. He grabbed the transmitter cables with all the strength he could muster, feeling them pull away from the pylon, the securing pins popping away one by one. The cables pulled taught, and the Doctor arced, heading back towards the building.
He'd timed his fall perfectly. He fell straight through the shattered window of Parker's office, flying across her desk and tumbling onto the carpeted floor. He rolled several times, panting for breath as he finally came to a stop. He couldn't help but laugh, a nervous, relieved giggling.
He could hear Parker shouting orders to the Autons on the rooftop through the shattered window and picked himself up from the floor. He wrenched her office door open and sprinted for the stairs.
The Autons had just started to make their way down the staircase to the platform. Lizzie could see them glancing towards her, and she knew she had to do something before they reached her – if they got to the platform, there was no way she'd be able to avoid them. She had to do something first.
An idea entered her head. She thought about it for a few seconds, trying to work out if she could do it quickly enough to survive.
"Hey! Over here!" she shouted, leaping up from behind the control console. She moved around it, making herself a clear target for the Autons. They turned towards her, raising their arms. Lizzie's heart pounced into her mouth as red energy welled up inside the Autons' arms.
Just as the blasters discharged, Lizzie threw herself to the floor. The lasers slammed into the control console, the panels erupting with sparks and smoke. The machinery around the platform screamed, or perhaps it was the Nestene creature itself. Lizzie could see it writhing furiously in its vat through the latticed metal of the platform.
She looked up at the two Autons and saw that they had completely stopped. One of them hung lifelessly over the staircase's railing, while the other had slid down the staircase and landed in a crumpled heap at the bottom. As the commotion settled, Lizzie looked down at the Nestene again – the liquid in the vat seemed much calmer now, no longer an angry, burning maelstrom.
"Lizzie!" The Doctor had arrived. He was coming down the staircase, a huge grin on his face. He bounded along the platform towards her. "You did it!"
"I'm a woman of many talents," she replied, grinning as he came staggering to a stop in front of her. "Did you shut down the transmitter?"
"Of course!" the Doctor replied, pulling her into a tight, warm hug. Lizzie wrapped her own arms around him – his ecstatic energy was infectious. Then they broke apart, and the Doctor looked down over the edge of the platform.
"It's over," he shouted to the Nestene. "You're free. It's time to leave."
"It gave it's word," said Lizzie, looking up at the Doctor. "It told me it agreed."
"Come on, come on," the Doctor muttered. "What's it waiting for?"
"You don't think it's actually going to try and continue?" said Lizzie. "Not with the transmitter destroyed."
"The Nestene has a limited range on its own," said the Doctor. "Even without the transmitter, it could extend its influence across London – that's how it controlled the Autons upstairs, and the old woman, remember? I think it's considering its options."
"Then I suppose I'll have to convince it to stay."
The Doctor and Lizzie spun. Standing at the edge of the platform, between them and the staircase, was Parker. She was aiming a pistol at them.
"Oh, come on," said the Doctor. "It's finished, Parker. You haven't got a transmitter, you haven't even got the Nestene under control anymore. People will know what's happened – I bet UNIT are on their way here already. Why don't you turn around and run? You might even get away."
"I can't even believe this has happened," said Parker. "I have been planning this for more than ten years, and you've ruined it all in one night. But this can still be saved. We can still win."
"No, you can't," said the Doctor. "You've got nothing, Parker. Worse than nothing, you've got me standing in front of you. Don't make this any worse for yourself."
"I don't think I will," said Lizzie. "I've got friends too, Doctor, powerful friends – they're probably on their way here as well, coming to save me and the Nestene."
"Probably?" The Doctor laughed. "I reckon they've probably given up on you, your little collective. If they've got any sense, they'll be covering their tracks and cutting you off."
Lizzie saw Parker's resolve flicker – the Doctor had hit on something.
"He's right," said Lizzie. "You've tried to commit genocide – you really think anyone's going to defend you? That anyone's going to try?"
"Enough of this," Parker hissed. "I can fix those controls, I can still…"
And then she screamed, her face contorting with agony. Behind her, crawling along the platform was one of the Autons, its blaster aimed at Parker's back. It fired another shot at her, and she staggered back, towards the centre of the platform – and the hole overlooking the Nestene's vat. A third shot propelled her backwards with even more force – she struck the railing and tumbled straight over.
Lizzie and the Doctor watched as Parker hit the Nestene's surface, and the viscous, boiling liquid consumed her. Her screams died quickly, cut off as the plastic surface reformed.
"That's horrible," said Lizzie.
"It wanted revenge," said the Doctor. He looked grim. "Let's hope that was enough to satisfy it."
Lizzie blinked as a shimmering blue light enveloped the Nestene's vat. It gained in intensity until she could no longer make out the burning orange light below, and then it was suddenly gone, leaving the chamber in semi-darkness.
"Where did it go?" Lizzie asked. The Doctor was leaning over one of the few panels that was still working, prodding the controls.
"Into orbit," he said. "Judging by trajectory, it'll break free of Earth's gravity in about thirty minutes. It'll be thrown back out into space, out of the solar system."
"What if it comes back?" said Lizzie. "You said it tried to invade before. It could come right back."
"I don't think so," said the Doctor. "Not for a while, at least. The Nestenes will have to lick their wounds."
"But they could come back, and try all over again?"
"They could," said the Doctor. "But I'll be there if they do."
There was a marked difference in the street outside Imperium Holdings' headquarters. Broken glass littered the pavement and road, and there was various detritus scattered everywhere – handbags, scarves, shopping bags. And then there were the bodies – human beings, cut down by the Autons that lay in the street beside them. Inactive shop window dummies lay alongside their human counterparts, none destined to rise again.
Lizzie and the Doctor had just left Imperium when a lorry and several jeeps pulled up outside. Soldiers in black uniforms and red berets piled out into the street, and at the orders of an olive-uniformed colonel, they charged into the building.
The TARDIS seemed untouched by the chaos, nestled discreetly in its alley. The Doctor patted its door fondly as he fished the key from his pocket.
"Is that it then?" said Lizzie. "You're just going to leave?"
"Pretty much," said the Doctor. "I've done my bit – I never stay for the cleaning up, there's always too many questions."
"But… you can't just leave," said Lizzie. "We need safeguards against this ever happening again. You can help with that."
"I did, a long time ago," said the Doctor. "Humanity can stick up for itself, usually. There are people who know what to do about all of this."
"It's going to be covered up, isn't it?" said Lizzie. "They'll say it's another terrorist attack, or something was in the water, or it was a marketing stunt. That's what they always say."
"It's for the best," said the Doctor. "Besides, it was humanity at fault this time. Can't blame this one on the aliens."
"I suppose not," said Lizzie. "What's next for you?"
"Same old, same old," said the Doctor, looking up at the TARDIS. "Wandering, here and there. I might go and visit another Lizzie. Although, if I call her that, she's liable to behead me."
"On your own?"
The Doctor looked at Lizzie. His expression seemed neutral, but there was something solemn about it, something under the surface that he couldn't bring himself to say outright.
"Yeah," he said. "Maybe, a while ago, I might've… You could've come with me. I used to love having friends travel with me. They made it special, and new. Not anymore."
"What changed?"
"This life gets dangerous," said the Doctor. "You've seen it for yourself. People get hurt. People die. I won't have another name on my conscience."
Lizzie regarded him for a few seconds before nodding.
"Will I see you again?" she asked.
"Well, never say never," said the Doctor. "There's something about this place, I just can't seem to stay away. Keep your eyes open."
"I will," said Lizzie.
"What will you do?" the Doctor asked. "Back to the nine to five?"
"Maybe," said Lizzie. "Maybe not. Maybe it's time someone started telling the truth about all of this alien stuff."
"And you think people will believe you?" said the Doctor.
"Of course not," said Lizzie. "Not at first. But I'm a good journalist. I'll find something sooner or later."
"Good luck." The Doctor grinned at her one last time and then pushed the TARDIS's door open. He disappeared inside, and a few moments later the light on top began to flash. An ancient wheezing noise struck up, and the TARDIS faded out of reality.
Lizzie watched it depart with a look of amazement on her face. She only turned away when the ship had completely departed. Before today, her future had felt certain but now she knew she was on a different track. The only question was where to begin.
Lizzie reached into her pocket and fished out her mobile phone. She flipped it open and clicked through her contacts list until she found the number of an editor she knew.
The phone was answered after two rings. Lizzie began to speak.
"Have I got a story for you…"
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed :D If you did, please consider leaving a review and favourite.
I'm hoping to be back with new stories soon - I've decided that I'm going to try and publish a story for every Doctor. So far, I've done the 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th and 12th, which leaves the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, War, 9th and 13th to go! I've got stories in mind for a couple of them, but we'll see how things go.
If you've enjoyed The Nestene Conspiracy, you may wish to consider reading some of my other stories.
The Twelfth Doctor Short Stories:
Lost in Space and Time: The Doctor and Clara are stranded on an alien planet, the TARDIS crashed. They discover another crashed ship and it's mysterious Captain. Can they escape the planet, with nature working against them? Can they trust Captain Floyd? (Sci-Fi/Adventure)
Kill Zone: The Doctor is stalked by a killer, a bounty on his head. Can he survive? (Sci-Fi/Mystery)
Breakout: The Doctor receives a mysterious summons from an old friend. Sequel to Kill Zone. (Mystery/Adventure)
Legacy of the Lost: When the TARDIS is forced to land on a remote moon, the Doctor and Clara take shelter in an old house with a terrifying secret. (Sci-Fi/Horror)
Other Stories:
Ohm's Void: An adventure featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Clara. The Doctor and Clara land in a scientific research base on an asteroid orbiting a black hole. When crew members begin to disappear under mysterious circumstances, the Doctor and Clara investigate. But an old enemy is lurking in the shadows, orchestrating every move in his eternal game. (Sci-Fi/Adventure)
The Lost Prince: An adventure featuring the Seventh Doctor, Chris Cwej and Roz Forester. The Doctor, Chris and Roz are given a task: locate a prince that went missing thirty years ago - the true heir to the throne of Kaloom. A man's life hangs in the balance, and the truth is hidden behind a web of deceit and betrayal. With two opposing forces racing to find the prince first, the Doctor must avert the death of a man who knows nothing of his own nature. (Sci-Fi/Mystery)
The Nameless: An adventure featuring the Eighth Doctor and Liv Chenka. The Doctor and Liv arrive in the sleepy English village of Taberly. But why are all the locals so hostile to them? Has it got something to do with the water plant at the foot of the valley and it's director, Professor Holloway? (Sci-Fi/Mystery)
The Bet & Other Stories: A collection of mostly unconnected one shots, in which the Doctor discovers that losing a bet can have painful consequences, Clara discovers that Time Lords make for terrible roommates, and Missy discovers that all you need to enjoy Planet Earth is a hip flask and a smartphone. Varying genres and themes (Humour/Hurt/Comfort)