DOCTOR WHO: REVENGE OF THE SEA-DEVILS
Chapter 9
HMS DEFENDER, BALTIC SEA, 2521
While the Doctor and the Underwater Alliance were deep below fighting their cause, back on Defender, the charge led by River was picking up pace. Sea-Devils that came into view were quickly gone as River was doing her utmost to protect the Doctor's great friends and her date. She may not have openly showed affection while onboard Defender for Frank, but deep down she did have feelings for him.
"This way..." she commanded as the others followed minding everywhere around them.
"How many more are there?" quizzed Frank as they carried along. River didn't have her scanner with her as it had been left in the TARDIS, but she could roughly guess.
"A couple hundred..." she said.
"Two hundred?" gasped Amy. "Right...apart from your gun-shooting ability, we've got an Admiral with a gun, me with a Spanner and Rory with a Pipe...hardly brilliant, is it?"
"We'll manage..." said River. "Believe me...and the Doctor in some time...because in the past we've defeated a horrid race of creatures with just a Map and a Spoon! It can be done with limited weapons!"
"A Map and a Spoon?" laughed Rory. "You're joking, surely?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" said River with a very serious face. Rory didn't bother answering as he knew River was being very truthful. Then, as the four carried on, a big, deep thud echoed against Defender's hull.
"Doctor!" cried Amy fearing the Sea-Devils had now fired him out against the ship's body. River quickly rushed to a nearby window and could see what it was.
"Oh my god..." she sighed.
"What is it?" asked Frank.
"Is is the Doctor?" then asked Rory.
"No...they are firing themselves..." answered River. "Sea-Devils are being fired up against Defender. They don't look alive though..."
"Why would they fire dead ones though?" asked Frank. "It hardly makes sense."
"No, but it can only mean one thing..." replied River.
"And what's that?" asked Rory as he comforted Amy.
"The Doctor is winning!" smiled River as she then ran towards the Control Deck.
SEA-DEVIL BASE, BALTIC SEA, 2521
"Why did you kill them?" spouted the Doctor angrily to Commander Thurloe as he and the others were freed from their cell.
"We were protecting you..." replied Thurloe. "Don't you understand that they were going to kill you?"
"They weren't..." replied the Doctor. "They were playing mind games..."
"I doubt that..." cut in Commander Jayfonn-9. "You were going to die, Sir...FACT" The Doctor simply didn't look happy with the Commander's actions at all. The 5 of them just looked on shocked at the fact someone they had rescued seemingly didn't care.
"I think it is you that is more likely to die now..." said the Doctor simply. "They weren't the only Sea-Devils on this base, you know. There are millions on here and you simply didn't take into account that they were here before you..."
"If humans are at risk, we intervene...regardless of ethics..." replied Thurloe angrily. "We were called here to help by Admiral Kensington. All that remains of the previous crew then is her, Ophelia, a hopeless leader who doesn't care for her own crew members..."
"I disagree with that!" said Ophelia.
"Well you would..." said Commander Kelser. "What happened to Hans, then? Oxygen levels were limited, he and Crabtree were dying Ophelia...but you carried on...they are both dead now..."
"How do you know all this?" asked Ophelia.
"Were the Commanders..."explained Thurloe. "We know everything about the lower employees..." Ophelia was then about to protest her innocence but was interrupted by the arrival of more Sea-Devils. These ones looked more worn by age and certainly looked more hungry than the others.
"What did I tell you?" said the Doctor. "If you didn't kill the others, these wouldn't be about to kill you!" Moving over to a control panel, the Doctor further pondered his anger with the Commanders. The Sea-Devils seemed patient and waited.
"Aren't we going to do anything, John?" asked Commander Messingham as she pointed her gun at a Sea-Devil.
"Not yet, Dusty..." he replied.
"But, Sir!" cut in Commander Larkman. "They are a threat to us all..."
"You only think we are a threat..." rasped one of the Sea-Devils from a distance. "You cause the issues and the loss of life..."
"And I agree with that..." said the Doctor. "The humans of Earth need to understand that the Sea-Devils, like their close relatives, the Silurians were here before them. This is your land, your sea, your planet."
"Indeed..." rasped the Sea-Devil. "Humans cause the loss..."
"How dare you say that?" shouted Commander Jayfonn-9. "We are superior!" he added before the Sea-Devils got out their weaponry. Holding guns which were bigger than that of the Commanders, the Sea-Devils then fired all directly at Ugo in anger. He was burnt and killed in an instant. Everyone just remained shocked.
"Listen!" said the Doctor standing between the two warring sides. "If we take Defender from the Sea, will you be happy?"
"It will be the beginning..." rasped the Sea-Devil. "I, as Argon, now take authority over this settlement of Sea-Devils...if you comply with what we want, we will stop the killing..."
"Argon, before you do anything else, we just need to talk this through..." said the Doctor holding his hands up as if to show he was unarmed. He then gathered the Commander's, Ophelia, Captain Harridan and G-Mac all around to discuss the matter.
"We need to contact Frank..." said Captain Harridan. "Defender is his pride and joy, without that somewhere in the sea, he's not the same man..."
"Mina, we are doing this for the safety of humankind, not just one man and his ship..." sighed the Doctor. "We will only escape if we comply with them..."
"And what if we don't agree with their plans?" asked G-Mac.
"Then you're as good as dead..." answered Thurloe. "We've lost Ugo, we can't afford to lose anymore...so we've got to comply..."
"But that goes against all our codes..." cut in Larkman. "If we don't obey the codes, we give up our role as Commander."
"You'd sooner be dead, then?" asked the Doctor but Larkman didn't reply. Argon and his Sea-Devils grew weary of waiting and soon surrounded the humans to gain an answer.
"Are you complying with us?" he asked. A moment of silence then fell as the burden of the answer lay with the Doctor.
"Well..." he began. "Quite simply...for our benefit, and the human races...NO..."
"What?" gasped Captain Harridan.
"Are you mad?" spouted Thurloe before a full-scale argument began.
"Silence!" interrupted Argon. "For not complying...you will all die...Devils...arm yourselves...and fire at will..."
"Everyone, I know this is a bit daft to say..." said the Doctor as the Sea-Devils readied their guns. "But, we can still win..."
"How?" asked Thurloe. "You've got us killed..."
"Ah, but I haven't..." smiled the Doctor. "Quite simply, listen to me...as soon as they fire, duck and then run!"
"Where?" asked Ophelia.
"Follow me, and you'll find out..." replied the Doctor just as the Sea-Devils fired their guns...
