Chapter nine
"What do you mean?" asked Susie Carter.
"We're going to help you fix the transmitter, so that you can go to a different, uninhabited planet to make the windows for your species to come through." said the Doctor, impatiently running a hand through his hair.
Susie laughed. "We didn't make the windows. They were already there, so we used them to get through to this world." she said, her face looking evil and smug.
Jessie stared at her. "What…you mean, someone else made them?" she said.
"Yes. Don't know who…"
"Well, anyway. What's your answer?" asked the Doctor.
"We don't want a desolate place. We want this world. So no, I don't accept your offer." Susie said, folding her arms.
"Great." Jessie mumbled.
"Then we'll have to stop you." the Doctor said, narrowing his eyes.
Suddenly a group of Keroslates gathered, standing menacingly. "Then we'll have to kill you." said Susie, smirking.
The Doctor and Jessie backed against the door. "Run." whispered the Doctor. Jessie ducked and ran out the door and didn't look back.
The Doctor and Jessie finally got outside and ran towards the direction of the TARDIS. They ran inside, panting and out of breath. "Well…" said Jessie, "That didn't go to plan."
The Doctor pulled himself together and started to press buttons and then there came a bang on the door. Jessie jumped and stared. "Don't worry," the Doctor said reassuringly, "nothing can get through those doors."
Jessie sat down on the small seat and watched the screen. The banging continued for a few minutes and then a voice came through on the speakers. "You can't hide in there forever. We'll be waiting here for when you come out your tiny blue box."
Jessie looked at the Doctor. "We need to find a way to…erm…kill them." she said, uncomfortably.
"Yeah." the Doctor murmured, "We can set a trap."
"Like…"
"Well, if they look in a normal mirror it will kill them, I think.
"Why?"
"Because, they have a perception filter, to make them look like the humans that they climbed into. Otherwise people would be walking around with grey skin. So when they look in the mirror the perception filter break."
"Because if you look at yourself with a perception filter it breaks for some strange reason?"
"Yeah, it's complicated why. You wouldn't understand. But it would break their perception filter and then they would see themselves. And that's the Keroslate's one weakness. If they see themselves in a mirror, it kills them."
"Wait. Why would it kill them?"
"I don't know…" The Doctor said, then brightly he exclaimed: "Let's ask them!"
He jumped down the ramp and opened the door. "Doctor! Stop!" exclaimed Jessie, but the Doctor had already opened the door and stepped out. Jessie followed reluctantly.
"So, you lot, why does it kill you if you look at your reflection?" he asked.
Susie Carter and another Keroslate turned towards him. "Our perception filter would break. We attack by looking into other species eyes, and if we look into our own eyes we would be attacking ourselves."
"But, when you look at the person's eyes you just climb inside them…" Jessie started.
"No!" interrupted the Keroslate, "We kill the person with our eyes and then climb inside them."
"Oh of course." said the Doctor, annoyed with himself for not working this out.
"So how come we're not dead, if we are looking into your eyes?"
"Because our perception filter is on, and so we can control the eye attack."
There was silence. The Doctor still seemed to be annoyed with himself for not working out that the Keroslates kill with their eyes. "Well." said Jessie, impatient, "Thanks for the information. You've been very helpful."
She pulled the Doctor into the TARDIS. "So we could kill one of the Keroslates with the mirror, but how can we kill all of them?" said Jessie
"We could use the transmitter."
"Really?"
"Yeah, we could fix the transmitter, then we'll have to take an eye of a Keroslate and transmit that thing inside the eye to all of the Keroslates. Then it will be basically like the Keroslates looking into a mirror." the Doctor explained.
"Or we could just make the Keroslates look into a mirror at the same time…"
"No, Keroslates can control that eye attack thing with the perception filter, remember? They'd just turn it off."
Jessie stared at the Doctor. "You know," she said, "you know, that just might work."
"Course it will," the Doctor replied, grinning, "I made it up!"
Dusk was falling and the silhouettes danced along the ground. The Doctor and Jessie crept along towards the hideout of the Keroslates. "How are we going to get an eye of a Keroslate? We can't just kill them."
"Yes we can, with a mirror! There are some in their true form around…so we can take them."
"So we have to pull out an eye from one of them?"
"Yeah, if that's ok."
"Yeah, it'll be like dissecting an eye with that science tutor that taught me."
"Sure, except this time it'll be a human eye."
The Doctor took out a pocket mirror and advanced towards the hideout. "I just hope this works." the Doctor mumbled to himself.
