"Peterston, what levels are we at?"

"Oxygen is the right level, as is balance and perception. Listen, you up for a beer later?"

"Well, considering there's nothing else to do on the sub, ok."

Maintenance Peterston, wearing the protective diving suit that originally belonged to his father, began to comb the outer shell of the colossal commercial submarine, the Nautilusium.

"I can't see anything broken, Qualia. Must be a glitch...hang on."

"What?"

"Yeah, there's...something...over...Qualia, I'm going to go check it out."

"Stay there! Just tell me what the hell it is!"

"I...don't...I don't know. It looks like...like claws! Qualia, something's clawed right through the outside!"

"No...no. Not now, not yet!"

"Please, you really believe in those lies?!"

"Says the one who believes in bug-eyed monsters from the planet GalSec!"

"That...thing is as real as ghosts, or Unicorns!"

"Fine, believe your doubts if you want. Just don't go near it."

"Too late. Stepping towards it now!"

"Are you insane?!"

"It's...oh my...oh yes...s-s-s..."

Then there was a monotonous fizz and crackle, as Qualia buried her head in her hands.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllll

The TARDIS door opened and the Doctor stepped out, smiling with unfortunate intrigue.

"Ooh, dim-lighting. Always like a bit of atmosphere!"

"That's odd, seeing as there's none of it in the TARDIS."

"Hey, she can't help it! Don't diss the TARDIS! Besides, any time I get a lamp I always end up disagreeing with it. Now, where are we?"

The wall 'shunked' open like blinds, revealing a beautiful undersea panorama.

"Beautiful." she said.

"Yes, but is it safe?"

"Water's never safe, is it?"

"It's not the water...it's what lives in it that worries me."

There was a door, which they opened quickly. Behind it was an unexpected sight.

"Okay, so whopping grand-hall underneath the ocean."

"Maybe it's bigger on the inside too."

A butler walked in from the opposite side of the room.

"You two!"

"Yep?"

"Why aren't you in the living area?"

"We've been thrown out. Talk about customer service! Quite frankly I demand to see whoever's in charge!"

"Commander Qualia is preoccupied at the moment! I'll bring you to Deputy Sherr's office."

They were led through winding, white corridors, which let off humming.

"For a large ship full of people, your security sure is far away. Which means either no one here is dangerous or you've relocated. I'm going to guess the latter, considering the engine rooms and front entrance are the other way."

He pointed to a die-cast sign, labelled "Engines and Entrance »»". The guard ignored him.

"So, there's something in that area that you don't want to see, hear, think about. Something that frightens you so much that you've been forced to lock away."

"Oh look, we're at Sherr's office!" the guard shoved them inside and almost ran away. There was a bald, haggard man with glasses sitting at a desk, surrounded by books. He took of his spectacles and let out a toothy, sparkling smile.

"Hello! I'm the Doctor, this is Maxine!"

"Hi!" she said.

"I'm George Sherr. Well, why are you two here?"

"We...well, I wanted a talk."

"About what?"

"I dunno. Where are we?"

"You don't know? Oh, probably amnesiac. Well, this is the Nautilusium, the largest commercial submarine on the planet. We're currently in the Mediterranean."

"So what's in the Mediterranean that you need to lock up? Zygon? Homo Reptilian? Myrka? Haemovore? Although they might or might not exist."

Sherr sighed, and gestured to them.

"Come on, I'll bring you to Qualia."

lllllllllllllllllllllllllll

The armed guards each ignored the screams coming from the main outer entrance, as the prisoner pounded mercilessly against the steel wall.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Commander Qualia was a tall woman, with short hair and weary face. She sat in an oversized, metal chair overlooking a large, curved screen.

"Qualia, my dear."

She looked, absent-minded, to them.

"What's the matter, dad?"

"This lot...know things. He knows about...Peterston."

She looked at them, and got up slowly.

"How much do you know?"

"I know...there's something you're terrified of. And I know that whatever it is has personal importance for you. So, husband? Son? Brother?"

"Yes."

"So, what are we waiting for?"

lllllllllllllllllllllllllll

"He's in there..."

The doors were opened, revealing the dimly lit makeshift jail-cell. The Doctor stepped inside, anticipating the closing doors behind him.

"He's alone now."

lllllllllllllllllllllllllll

There was a figure, hunched in the corner. It whimpered, almost crying.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor."

"STAY AWAAAAY!"

"I'm here to help y-"

"IT GIVES ME HELP NOT YOU!"

The figure emerged from the corner. It was a human, masked by a diving suit. They removed their helmet, revealing a horrific sight. It was a male, whose face was changed on a half of its head. One half was normal, the other a spongy, octopus-like maroon mess.

"What did this to you?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

"I do."

He used the sonic to open the doors and scurried out, closing it behind him.

"Well?"

"Big trouble. Huge trouble."

"How bad?"

"You have a Shirok infestation. Which means either we're not on Earth or..."

"Or?"

"Or the time vortex has a giant hole in it."

lllllllllllllllllllllllllll

The Doctor and Maxine put on updated versions of Peterston's suit and stepped outside. Even in the heat of their suits, it felt cold.

"So, how do we find this hole?"

"The hole'll find us, guarantee you."

Sure enough, an odd current overtook them. He smiled to her, mouthed "geronimo" and disappeared. She followed suit.

Qualia and Sherr watched from the ship. She turned to her father, and nodded.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllll

They were in a wide, bright space with a multitude of glass platforms. In the center was a large, red pool. A shape emerged from it, undeniably a colossal squid.

"I am the Shirok King."

"I'm the Doctor, this is Maxine. We're going to die, aren't we?"

"Undoubtedly, yes."