Ten
"...So that's the plan." The Doctor claps his hands together and looks expectantly at the two women like a schoolteacher. "Any questions?"
"I've got one." Veronica cradles her cheek in her palm. "What kind of sad excuse for a plan is that?"
The Doctor looks down at the disassembled sonic stockade on the floor and begins sticking the modified bits back inside. "Well, what did you expect?"
"I dunno! Something more... explosive!" Veronica gestures madly, unable to think through her frustration. "Er, a massive uprising! Getting everyone all riled up! Getting the Cabinet on camera for a public confession or... something!"
"The problem with that strategy is that it won't do much good." The Doctor fumbles around for the final panel and glances quickly at Hanna. "Governess, if I recall correctly, the Sestran Defense Forces have contingency orders in the event of riots and civilian protests?"
"Sadly, yes," the Governess confirms.
As he snaps the last piece onto the device, the Doctor looks Veronica in the eye. His voice drops an octave and loses all its casual mirth. "If we do the typical revolutionary tactics, the government will just respond with the typical counterrevolutionary tactics. We need a plan that goes outside the box." He slowly smiles as he holds up the sonic stockade to Veronica. "Not to mention a plan that involves just a little dramatic irony, don't you think?"
She wants to disagree, but she remembers how futile that was in their last three adventures. Veronica nods and takes the stockade from the Doctor. She examines it for a moment and then puts it on her head. Hanna steps up to help her adjust the pads around her ears.
The Doctor puts both hands on her shoulders and asks, "Can you hear me?" When Veronica says she can despite the mufflers, he smiles and spins her around toward Hanna. The Governess extends her hand, which Veronica accepts, and they walk together for the door.
At a nod from the Doctor, Hanna knocks three times on the door. It slides open, revealing a pair of masked Sestran soldiers with rifles at the ready.
"Sorry in advance," the Doctor says quietly and reaches up to pinch Veronica on the back of her neck. She squeezes her eyes shut and screams her head off.
The soldiers suddenly drop their rifles and fall to their knees. As soon as the Doctor lets go of her neck, Veronica leans over into Hanna's comforting arms, half-amazed at how much that hurt.
Meanwhile, the Doctor examines the twitching soldiers. When they don't respond to his touch, he mumbles something about "psionic and sonic residue" and walks around them to go further down the corridor.
Hanna and Veronica follow quietly after him, exchanging a surprised look. Then Hanna smiles and pats Veronica's shoulder when the young woman realizes that she's wet herself in the middle of all that screaming. After all this, she can't believe that she's starting to find the Governess's sympathy to be the only good thing about this mad Sestran city.
They go on like this for the next three levels, with Veronica screaming and the sonic stockade projecting her pain into the minds of Sestrans and Puerin wherever they go. The Doctor briefly explains it having something to do with the nervous system going into shock, though he doesn't seem to enjoy the procedure any more than Veronica does. He stays quiet and stern throughout their journey to the upper levels. Veronica knows better than to question him when he gets that way. She's seen what happens to monsters and tyrants when they've made the Doctor this upset.
"Watch your step," Hanna warns. She leads the younger woman around the twitching bodies of Sestran workers on the floor, who don't seem capable of noticing the skulking trio as they make their way onto Level Ten, Section Nzar, Subsection Dyrcles. The Doctor marches confidentially ahead of them, whistling a cheery tune despite his grim expression. It takes Veronica a second to register that he's whistling the 1812 Overture.
Cheeky boy, she thinks sullenly. I'd whistle too if I hadn't worn out my throat two levels ago...
The screaming has been brutal. Even though it was fortunate of Hanna to find a water canteen along the way, it's not enough to soothe the rasping ache in the back of her throat. And she feels terrible about the people they've had to incapacitate along the way. The soldiers she doesn't mind so much, but those poor, innocent Puerin...
Which only reminds Veronica that she'll need to be changed-again-when this ordeal with the Cabinet is finally over.
"Here we are, then!" the Doctor announces. He comes to a stop in front of a pair of ornate white doors at the end of the corridor. A pair of security cameras overhead swivel toward him as he glances up and waves.
The lights on the cameras flash red, then green, and the doors swing open.
Hanna continues to half-shield, half-guide Veronica as they follow the Doctor through one small room of white circular couches and holographic portraits of distinguished Sestran statesmen. Through another pair of smaller doors, the Doctor waves the two women inside, where they discover a glossy black conference table in the middle of a blank white room, around which sit sixteen Sestran officials. Including a very surprised Health and Science Minister and an upset Premier.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning!" The Doctor claps his hands together, looking and sounding very much like a teacher on the first day of school. "Now you all know who I am and why I'm here. The only question is..." He looks around, smiling in an unfriendly way. "Will you still be here when I'm through with you?"
Everyone at the table looks to the Premier. The eldest Sestran glares at the Doctor, then nods. "Take a seat, Doctor. We've a lot to discuss."