NicoleR85: thanks!
Jenna groaned as she regained consciousness. She opened her eyes to see a dark skinned man crouching beside her. "What happened?" she asked blearily as she sat up.
"It's all right… It's the transmat", the man, Roderick said gently "Does your head in" Jenna had a look around at her surroundings with a frown on her face. "Get a bit of amnesia. What's your name?"
"Jenna", Jenna answered.
"Just remember do what the android says. Don't provoke it. The android's word is law", Roderick said firmly.
"What do you mean, android? Like a robot?" Jenna asked before Roderick could answer, a woman started calling out instructions.
"Positions, everyone! Thank you!"
Roderick helped Jenna to her feet "I was travelling" she said starting to remember "with the Doctor, Jack and my friend Rose" she looked around and didn't see them "where are they?"
"That's enough chat! Positions! Final call!" the woman with the clip board called out standing next to an inactive robot. 6 podiums surround the raised podium the robot was on. The set up looked very familiar to her.
"I'm not supposed to be here", Jenna said to the man.
"It says Jenna on the podium", the man said. Jenna's eyes widened as sure enough her name lit up on one of the podiums. "Come on!" the man said before dashing to stand behind a podium with the name Roderick on it. Jenna went over and stood behind her own podium. She looked around and it finally clicked, she knew exactly where she was.
It was confirmed when the android raised its head after being activated and said "Welcome to The Weakest Link!"
Jenna knew there was no point panicking, she'd just do as best as she could and hope that the Doctor could find her. "…Three, and cue!"
"Let's play 'The Weakest Link'" Music played. "Start the clock. Agorax, the name of which basic food stuff is an anagram of the word 'beard'?
"Bread", Agorax replied.
"Correct. Fitch in the Pan Traffic Calendar, which month comes after Hoob?"
"Is it Clavadoe?" Fitch guessed.
"No, Pandoff. Jenna, in maths, what is 258 minus 158?"
"One hundred", Jenna replied.
"Correct. Rodrick"
"Bank", Roderick said quickly before Anne Droid asked the question.
"Which letter of the alphabet appears in the word dangle but not in the word gland?"
"E", Roderick answered easily.
"Correct. Colleen, in social security, what D is the name of the payment given to Martian Drones?"
"Default", Colleen said.
"Correct. Broff, the Great Cobalt Pyramid is built on the remains of which famous Old Earth Institute?"
"Er…Touchdown", Broff said a little uncertain.
"No, Torchwood. Agorax, in language, all five examples of which type of letter appear in the word facetious?"
"Vowels"
"Correct. Fitch, in biology, which blood cells contain iron? Red or white?"
"Um…White" I knew that one Jenna thought. She wondered why Fitch looked so down when she got the question wrong. It was only a game after all.
"No, red. Jenna, in the holovid series 'Jupiter Rising', the Grexnik is married to whom?"
"I haven't the foggiest", Jenna replied shrugging.
"No, the correct answer is Lord Drayvole"
On the highest level a woman was watching Jenna with a frown on her face "why isn't she bothered by getting those questions wrong?"
"Rodrick, in maths, what is nine squared?" the Anne Droid asked.
"Oh, my God… I don't think she knows…" the woman said worried at how laid back Jenna was. Pavale, a male programmer looked over her shoulder.
"And I've got a housemate who appeared out of nowhere. I told you, it's like the game's running itself"
"So, Jenna, what do you actually do?" Anne Droid asked while everyone decided who they thought was the Weakest Link.
"I'm travelling at the moment", the girl replied.
"Another way of saying unemployed"
"No", Jenna said.
"Have you got a job?" Anne Droid questioned.
"Not at the moment. I've…" the brunette was cut off by the Anne Droid.
"Then you are unemployed! Why Fitch?"
"She got a few questions wrong", Jenna said.
"Oh, you'd know all about that"
"Well, yeah, but I can't vote for myself, so it had to be Fitch…" Jenna looks at Fitch who was sobbing quietly "I'm sorry…that's the game. That's how it works…I had to vote for someone" she didn't understand why Fitch was so upset.
"Let me try again. It was the lights and everything. I couldn't think", Fitch said to the Anne Droid. Jenna could see that she was terrified. But why? It was just a game after all. It wasn't life or death.
"In fact, with three answers wrong, Broff was the weakest link in that round, but its votes that count"
"I'm sorry. Oh please… Oh God, help me!" Fitch begged. She looked around at her fellow constants for help they couldn't give. Roderick looked away while Broff sobbed into his board he was holding up.
"Fitch you are the weakest link. Goodbye!" the Anne Droid's mouth opened to reveal a gun which fired a gold laser at Fitch. Jenna stared at the spot where the woman once stood shocked. She hadn't seen that coming. If only she'd acted, Fitch might've been alive right now. Jenna turned to Roderick wanting answers.
"What the hell has just happened?" Jenna demanded.
"She was the weakest link, she gets disintegrated", he informed her calmly wiping his board clean. He didn't even look the least bit upset that someone had just been killed in front of him.
"But I voted for her", Jenna said quietly "I can't play this. I won't". She turned to go when Broff jumped off his own podium and tried to make a run for it and was promptly disintegrated.
"Don't try to escape. It's play… or die", Jenna stayed where she was. She had no choice, she had to play the game.
The next round Colleen was disintegrated. "Colleen was clever. She banked all our money. Why'd you vote for her?" Jenna asked cleaning off her board.
"'cos I want to keep you in. You're stupid! You don't even know the Princess Vossaheen's surname. When it comes to the final, I want to be up against you, so that you get disintegrated and I get a stack load of credits courtesy of the Bad Wolf Corporation"
Jenna stiffened hearing that "Bad Wolf again", she said quietly. It seemed that those two words were more than just a coincidence. Maybe I'm not here by mistake she thought someone's been planning this.
By the end of the third round it saw Agorax getting disintegrated. That left Jenna and Roderick in the head to head. "Right, that's the end of tactical voting" Roderick said wiping off his board "You're on your own now.
Trust your instincts a small voice in Jenna's head whispered. "I can do this", she said quietly to herself.
"Jenna, in geography, the Grand Central Ravine is named after which ancient British city?" Anne Droid asked Jenna. This was her first question in the head to head. Roderick already got one question right.
"York"
"No, the correct answer is Sheffield. Rodrick, in literature, the author of 'Lucky' was Jackie who?"
"Stewart", Rodrick answered.
"No, the correct answer is Collins. Jenna, the oldest inhabitant of the Isop Galaxy is the Face of what?"
"Boe" Jenna said. She wasn't despondent about getting her first question wrong. There was still a few questions to go.
"That is the correct answer. Rodrick, in history, who was the President of the Red Velvets?"
"Hoshbin Frane"
"That is the correct answer" Roderick was one up on Jenna "Jenna, in food, the dish Gaffabeque originated on which planet?"
"Mars?" Jenna guessed.
"No, the correct answer is Lucifer. Rodrick, which measurement of length is said to have been defined by the Emperor Jate as the distance from his nose to his fingertip?"
"Would that be a goffle?" Rodrick queried, unsure of the answer.
"No, the correct answer is a paab. Jenna, in fashion, Stella Pok Baint is famous for what?"
Trust yourself. Jenna opened her mouth and said the first thing that came to mind. "Hats"
"That is the correct answer"
Jenna and Roderick were now tied in the head to head. "Rodrick, in physics, who discovered the Fifteen Dash Ten Barric Fields?"
"San Chen", Roderick replied.
"That is the correct answer" Jenna knew she had to get the next one right or she was going to be disintegrated.
"Jenna, in history, which Icelandic city hosted Murder Spree Twenty?"
Jenna stared at the Anne Droid who just stared back at her. "Reykjavik"
"No, the correct answer is Pola Ventura"
Jenna closed her eyes and dropped her head. It was the first answer that came out of her mouth. So much for trusting my instincts.
"Rodrick, you are the strongest link, you will be transported home with one thousand six hundred credits"
"Oh, thank you, thank you so much", Roderick practically gushed.
"Jenna!" the teen heard the Doctor shout. She turned her head to see the Doctor, Rose and Jack running in.
"Stop this game!" Jack ordered the woman with the clip board, the floor manager.
"Jenna, you leave this life with nothing…" Anna Droid said but Jenna was focused on her friends that were on the set but too far away.
"Stop this game!" Jack shouted.
"I order you to stop this game!" the Doctor yelled.
"We're live on air!" the floor manager shouted at him.
The Doctor runs across the large room as fast as he could. Jenna runs towards him, shoving a podium aside. "You are the weakest link" the Anne Droid said behind her.
"Look out for the Anne Droid, it's armed!" Jenna shouts. When she's mere feet away from the Doctor, she is shot in the back by the Anne Droid. Jack, Rose and the Doctor stared in shock as their friend was disintegrated in front of them.
"What the hell did you do to her?" Jack shouted furious striding towards the set. Rose stood there shocked about what had just happened. The Doctor knelt by the pile of dust that used to be Jenna feeling numb from shock. He was so close. If he'd only he had been quicker she might be alive right now. But she wasn't because he was too slow. He was never going to see Jenna again. Never hear her laugh…see her smile…. never be able to watch her draw.
~spaceship~
Jenna opened her eyes to find herself somewhere else. She slowly sat up, glad that she was alive. Her relief was short lived when she was an all too familiar alien. "That's impossible…" she breathed. Jenna scrambled backwards as it trundled towards her "You're dead…I saw you die!" she cried.
Jenna sat on the floor, back against the wall staring at the Daleks. She couldn't believe that there were more. My letter never gave me a heads up about this she thought, recalling about the one she'd gotten during her stay at Cardiff. The girl would've cried in relief when one Dalek announced that the Doctor had located them. Jenna was forced to her feet a large screen popped up.
On floor 500 the Doctor was glaring at the 3 Dalek's flanking Jenna with distaste. "I will talk to the Doctor"
"Oh, will you? That's nice. Hello!" he waved at them mockingly.
"The Dalek stratagem nears completion. The fleet is almost ready. You will not intervene"
"Oh, really? Why's that, then?" the Doctor asked.
"We have your associate. You will obey or she will be exterminated"
"No", the Time Lord said firmly. Everyone looked at the Doctor surprised by his answer. Even Jenna stared in surprised. She did not expect that.
"Explain yourself"
"I said no", the Doctor repeated.
"What is the meaning of this negative?"
"It means no", the Doctor stated.
"But she will be destroyed"
The Doctor stood up "No! 'Cos this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to rescue her" Jenna looked at him on the screen, a small smile creeping on her face. "I'm going to save Jenna Smith from the middle of the Dalek fleet. And then I'm going to save the Earth, and then, just to finish off, I'm going to wipe every last stinking Dalek out of the sky!"
Jenna grinned hearing the passion in his voice. She shouldn't have doubted him for even a second. He was never going to leave her with the Daleks. "But you have no weapons, no defences, no plan"
"Yeah. And doesn't that scare you to death. Jenna?"
"Yes, Doctor?" Jenna said eagerly.
"I'm coming to get you" the Doctor promised, raising his sonic screwdriver ending the transmission.
"The Doctor is initiating hostile action!"
"The stratagem must advance. Begin the invasion of Earth!"
Jenna was startled when they started to spin around wildly.
"The Doctor will be exterminated!" one declared.