Meanwhile, the group of woman were carrying the wooden board with Taylor on it, led by Faenia. To say that she was terrified would be an understatement. She felt defeated. After she'd seen the Doctor knocked out by Faenia and then Dani knocked on the floor, she was starting to believe that there would be no way out of this.
She cried silent tears as she was carried back into the room and set on top of a table that had been set up on the stage area next to the chair. She glanced at her mom, who was on one side of the board. Her mom looked at her as Taylor tried to silently communicate to her to let her go. Her mom held steadfast to the board, but as she watched her mom, she noticed a slight trembling of her hand and a small spark of something in her emotionless eyes. Unfortunately, it was only a quick twitch and spark, as her mom held the board harder. Taylor knew, though that her mom was fighting it.
"My followers, you are here to witness the sacrifice of this insolent girl. You have been a thorn in my side ever since I got here and now you'll be silenced for your crimes." Faenia said, lifting up a knife as they set the board down.
Taylor closed her tear filled eyes, waiting for her fate as the knife inched slowly to her heart, which was beating loudly. Suddenly, a high-pitched buzzing type sound filled the air as the knife was knocked out of a shocked Faenia's hand.
"Who? Who did this?!" She asked, a mixture of anger and surprise evident in her face. "What foolish soul dare interrupt the ritual and silencing of this mortal?!"
"That foolish soul would be me." The Doctor said, stepping out of the shadows with Dani and next to her. She slipped the sonic back into her coat pocket.
Before she said anything though, she glanced to make sure that Taylor was ok. Other than looking shaken up, she seemed to be fine.
"And you're not gonna silence any mortal. Not on me or my mates' watch."
"You truly think you can stop me?" Faenia laughed. "You with your pacifist ways? I'm sorry, Doctor, but this is a war that you can never win. Especially with these two humans. Humans are useless and weak." She started to reach for the dagger, but Andy ran to grab it as Dani went to untie Taylor.
"You ok?" She asked the scared girl as she untied her and helped her down.
"I'm fine." Taylor whispered, then glanced at her mom, who had a shocked and angry expression on her face. "But my mom.." She said, and then started to cry.
"Hey. It's ok." Dani said in a soft voice, hugging her. "She'll be fine. Everyone will. You just need to trust that the Doctor will save everyone. It's kind of her thing and what she's known for. Saving people." She said, coaxing a small smile out of the girl as they walked over to the Doctor.
"Your little humans are the worst species. They'll fall for anything." Faenia sneered. "Look how easily they fell under my control. That's why I chose this race to become my army. They're easily manipulated."
"Not all of us." Dani said, glaring at her. "Some of us are actually smarter than that. Some of us have the guts to fight back when we're trying to be controlled."
"See, now that's what I mean." The Doctor said. "That's what humans do, well most of this lot, anyways. They're not weak. They're strong and capable of doing so many amazing things." The Doctor said, earnestly. "Like Dani said, they fight back when they're backed into a corner and come out stronger." She continued. "And if they've any chance of surviving, no one will ever stop me from protecting them. Not even you." She said, her voice now taking on a harder tone.
"Well that's where you're wrong." Faenia sneered. "I've already got all of the other spa guests almost under my control entirely. Once the sun sets, and I have found a suitable sacrifce, the ritual will commence and all will be truely under my control forever. They'll go back to their communities and tell them about their wonderful experience. Others will come from all over, and I will have my control over this planet."
"Solid plan." The Doctor said, pretending to be intrigued. "But then, what happens when everyone's under your control? What're gonna make them do? How're going to make them work for you?" She asked, trying to stump the woman.
Faenia stumbled for a moment, trying to think of a plan. Dani grinned a bit. The Doctor had her.
"Oh, she's good." Taylor whispered.
"She really is." Dani agreed.
"Still waiting for that answer on how you're gonna make them work for you." The Doctor called.
Unfortunately for them, Faenia composed herself. "Women. Women will rule this planet. Under my control. And now that you've ruined my sacrificing the teenager, this man will have to do! But first we'll lock him up. It must be done at sunset.
To Dani's shock and dismay, Faenia grabbed the knife out of Andy's hands and grabbed his neck, the knife slightly touching it."
"Andy!" Dani yelled in a helpless voice.
"And this time, he'll be taken to another room, one where you can't find any of us." Faenia said, as they took Andy away.
Dani started to chase after them, until Faenia threw her back on the floor and closed the door behind her. She was left sitting on the floor in shock and disbelief. They'd just taken him. Without any regard for her feelings. The Doctor and Taylor stood a little ways back, the latter making small sympathetic noises and the former's 2 heart's breaking for her friend. There was no need for this violence. Really, there was no need for any of it. The control over humans and the potential killing.
"They, They took him." Dani said in an emotion filled voice. "The man I'm supposed to marry. They just took him to kill him and he didn't do anything except come to make sure I was ok."
Everything hit her at once. Planning the wedding and the anniversary party. And now Andy being captured. She was just tired and emotional. She couldn't hold it in any longer. She curled up into a ball and sobbed.
"I shouldn't have come here." She said through tears. "If I hadn't, then he wouldn't have come after me and gotten caught up in this."
The Doctor ran to her friend and bent down beside her. Now it was her turn to give her companion some advice, just as she'd done for the Doctor half an hour ago.
"If you hadn't come here, then you and I wouldn't have run into each other again. And it would've taken me a lot longer to discover what was going on here." The Doctor said gently. "Andy being captured wasn't your fault. He came here because he loves you and was worried about you."
"Plus, you wouldn't have met me and helped me realize that there's hope." Taylor said. "I haven't known you guys for very long but from what I have seen, neither of you ever give up. Both of you have made me see that she can be stopped and I can get my mom back."
"See, there's something else that wouldn't have happened." The Doctor pointed out.
"I just... What if we can't find where they took him?" Dani asked, fearfully. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost him."
"You don't have to think about that because it's not gonna happen." The Doctor said in a firm voice. "Trust me. We'll find him and we'll stop her."
Dani nodded. She knew the Doctor was right. She had to trust her, like she always had. And she needed to trust her instincts. She wiped her tears away. There was, however, another problem.
"How do we find out where they took him, though?" She asked. "We'll have to go through this entire building to find them, and who knows if she has spies around.
The Doctor got back on her feet and helped Dani back up. "Nope. Don't have to do that." She said with maniac grin.
"What? Is there another way to find them without possibly being caught?" Taylor asked.
"The knife." The Doctor said.
"The knife?" Dani and Taylor asked in confusion at the same time.
"The knife." The Doctor confirmed, still grinning. "It gave off an energy source when I used the sonic screwdriver to knock it out of her hands."
"Wait. Does that mean that the sonic can help track the energy source?" Dani asked, sounding more hopeful and excited than she had that day.
"I think if I get it on the right setting, we should be able to track it." She took the sonic back out of her pocket and started fiddling with it, trying to find the right setting to pick up the energy source.
"Um, I hate to interupt, but what's a sonic screwdriver?" Taylor asked.
"Oh, right." Dani said. It's what the Doctor uses to get out of scrapes, short out weapons, heal people, and also unlock doors, like you probably saw eariler. Among other things." Dani said. "Except it can't unlock wood or deadbolts!" She said in a louder voice.
"One time!" The Doctor protested. "And I said I was sorry for you almost getting married to a Zarthian warlord!"
"Well, being imprisioned and almost married off isn't exactly my idea of fun." Dani said, still a tiny bit bitter about that trip.
"I still said I was sorry!" The Doctor said.
"So, It's like a weapon?" Taylor asked.
"No! Not like a weapon. Don't even mention weapon and sonic in the same sentence unless you're talking about dismantling." The Doctor said, firmly.
"She tries to avoid using weapons." Dani said to Taylor. "She prefers to use her smarts and wittiness to get out of these situations."
"Right. Good to see you paid attention." The Doctor said, proudly.
"Well yeah. How could I not? You kept getting angry at people when they started using weapons before talking." Dani laughed.
"Aha! I think I found the setting!" The Doctor said triumphtly. Her relief was short lived, however as a small pop emitted from the Sonic screwdriver and it appeared to have burnt out.
"Ohh! Why did you short out on me?!" The Doctor said, letting out a frusturated groan.
"That knife's energy shorted out the sonic?" Dani asked. "It's not like it's a huge knife or anything."
"The knife itself isn't, no." The Doctor said, slightly hitting the sonic against the palm of her hand. "Not sure where she got the knife, but wherever it came from, it's got one heck of an energy source. Enough to knock the sonic out of commision for a bit."
After she said that, the lights flickered.
"And also apparently enough to possibly knock the power out, too." Taylor said, looking at the flickering lights above them.
"Right. New plan." The Doctor said. "Gonna have to build something to take on this energy. Don't supposed you have any Tunsteng alloy?" She asked.
"I, um, I don't think so." Taylor said.
"Ah well, I expected as much." The Doctor said.
"So, how are we going to get materials to make a device that will track this energy?" Dani ask.
Suddenly, both the Doctor and Dani looked at each other and grinned.
"The TARDIS." They said in unison.
"The what?" Taylor asked.
"You're gonna see in a minute." Dani said, as she and Taylor followed the Doctor outside.