"You're not authorized to do this." Malohkeh said to Restac as they walked through the heart of the Silurian compound.

"I'm authorized to protect the safety and security of our species." Restac retorted.

They entered into a magnificent hall, a long table in the center of the room.

"Woah, nice place." The Doctor complimented, looking around the ornate chamber. "Very gleaming."

"This is our court." Restac stated, going to the far end, before turning around to face the Doctor and Nasreen. "And our place of execution."

A rock was suddenly hurled across the room, smashing into the wall, as El strode in, boulders floating behind her.

"Let them go." She ordered.

"El!" The Doctor beamed. "That's my girl!"

"You're surrounded." El stated, as Mo appeared in the door through which the others had entered, holding his weapon at the ready. "Now, let them go."

Restac hissed, taking a step, before she was pushed back, and a boulder was thrown, narrowly missing her head by a few centimeters.

"That was a warning." El clenched her fist, more rocks floating in the air behind her. "Next one, I won't miss."

"All right, everyone…" Malohkeh raised his hands diplomatically. "Let us all just… settle down."

"This is now a military engagement," Restac growled to the scientist, "Go back to your lab."

"You're not in charge here anymore." El stated. "I am." She looked to the scientist. He could've hurt her back in the lab, but she didn't sense any malice coming from him, unlike the other Silurians. "You. You can go."

Malohkeh bowed his head slightly, and made out of the room, not determined to get caught in the crossfire of a possible bloodbath.

The Doctor blinked. "El, what are you doing?"

"Rule Five: Act like you're in charge and everybody will think so." She replied.

"Oh, she's good." Nasreen chuckled.

"She learned by watching me." The Doctor said. That alone was equal parts awesome and terrifying.

"Now," El looked to Restac. "Let them go."

Restac narrowed her eyes. "You believe you can take on a military force with just rocks?"

"No." El stated. She reached her other hand out, and yanked, the weapons of all the Silurians inside being pulled out of their grips, before being crushed altogether. "I know I can. Now, one more time; Let. Them. Go."

"Stop!" An aged voice suddenly bellowed, its owner striding into the room. He was a Silurian, older than the others they'd seen so far, wearing very regal robes. "Restac, are you trying to start a war while the rest of us sleep?"

"Eldane, these apes are attacking us!" Restac replied, furiously pointing. "They will kill us, the first chance they get to do so!"

Eldane blinked, looking them over. "You're all still standing here, are you not?"

Restac recoiled slightly. "W-Well, yes, but-"

"Do as the girl says. Release them." Eldane ordered.

Restac narrowed her eyes. "She is an ape."

"She has been blessed with the Gift." Eldane calmly informed.

Restac looked to him awestruck, before that swiftly morphed to disbelief. "Impossible."

'What are they talking about?' El sent to the Doctor.

'The Silurians had a sort of caste system with tons of different subspecies.' The Time Lord explained. 'Some of the subspecies had psychic abilities as well. They occupied the very highest of the caste system. They're recognizing that same authority in you now, even though you're human.'

"Look at her, Restac." Malohkeh gestured.

"We used to hunt apes for sport." Restac sneered to the scientist. "When we went underground, they bred and polluted this planet!"

"And now, one of them has the Gift of Azathoth." Eldane cut her off. "Go, play soldiers elsewhere. If you cannot respect a Child of the Great Old One, you're not needed here. Those of you who can, you may stay."

Restac glared, narrowing her eyes as she hit the button on her gauntlet to release the manacles. "You will need me." She vowed, before she and half her warriors exited the room.

Eldane looked at the retreating form of the military commander, before turning back to the humans' group. "Now then… perhaps we may be able to talk?"


Sarah Jane looked anxiously at the dead body, covering it with a tarp. She wasn't aware of Silurian burial customs, but it would have to suffice until they could get back in contact with the Doctor.

"Hello, hello!" The Doctor's voice suddenly called from an unplugged computer monitor nearby. "You lot, are you receiving me?"

"Doctor!" Sarah Jane ran over. "I'm here! Have you found the others!?"

"Yep!" The Time Lord beamed, "Just wanted to give you a quick heads-up, we're talking to the leader of the Silurian settlement, trying to get things worked out. You three, get to the drill storeroom, there's a large patch of earth in the middle of the floor. The Silurians are going to send up transport discs to bring you all down to their compound. Bring Alaya, we're going to make the switch, and get this sorted! Gotta dash!"

The screen cut out, and Sarah Jane gulped.

"The moment we get down there, everything will fall apart!" Tony stated.

"…we have to return her." Sarah Jane resolved. "She needs a burial, at least."


"Right, well," The Doctor clapped, looking over the table of humans and Silurians. "You lot have certainly got your work cut out for you."

"How so?" Eldane asked.

"You both want the planet, you both have a genuine claim to it." The Doctor answered, leaning on the table.

Eldane tilted his head. "Are you authorized to negotiate on behalf of humanity?"

"Me, no!" The Doctor gladly replied. "But they are!" He pointed to the humans at the end of the table.

"What?" Nasreen's head shot up.

"We're not." El frowned.

"Of course you are, you're the humans!" The Doctor grinned. "Besides, a child in negotiations is a good thing to have. They're not afraid to call out things if they're unfair."

"We can't share the planet." Nasreen stated. "It's just- Think about how things are on the surface right now!"

"Nasreen, you are a brilliant human being. I have faith in you. And, well, Eldane's already proved he's willing to listen to El." The Doctor smiled, hitting the table. "Okay! The first meeting between the ambassadors of human kind and the ambassadors of Silurian kind is now in session." He suddenly let out a joyous laugh. "Never said that before. Carry on." He clapped his hands, pointing across the table. "Okay, Mo, let's go get your son."

The man nodded and followed the Time Lord's lead.

El looked back to the table of Silurians. Diplomatic talks between a species far older than humanity were now falling to her. No matter what she did here, history could be made in the best, or worst, way. To her, a twelve-year-old.

She could do this.


Sarah Jane looked at the four discs in the ground, waiting for them, as Tony gently laid Alaya's body on the ground, the Silurian wrapped in a blanket.

"So we get on those," Tony asked, pointing to the discs, "And they take us down through the Earth?"

Sarah Jane nodded. "Gravity bubble technology. It'll keep us from flying off or being crushed by the sudden stop."

"They sent four." Ambrose looked to the discs with trepidation. "She was our only bargaining chip."

"…We still have to bring her." Sarah Jane resolved. "You two, get ready." She told them.

"Right…" Ambrose swallowed. "Dad, there's something I need to talk to you about."


"Elliot…" The Doctor looked into the chamber of the sleeping child. "There you are."

Mo turned to Malohkeh, shaking with rage, as the scientist worked to free the child from stasis. "If you've harmed him in any way-"

"Of course not." Malohkeh cut Mo off. "I only store the young."

The Doctor frowned. "You were about to dissect El." He recalled.

"Dissection?" Malohkeh repeated. "Heavens, no. That instrument may have appeared similar in appearance, but it was a standard medical tricorder. I take scans of the young, then store them here."

The Doctor nodded approvingly. Malohkeh may have vivisected Mo, but it was nice to see the Silurian had some standards. Still, something was bothering him. "But why?"

"I never meant to harm your children, either of them." Malohkeh looked to the two fathers. "Children are rather like the… soul, of a species. Adults may run the world, in any society, but the young… They are the dreamers, the imaginers. From a child, you can learn a great many things, about the society they come from, their art, their culture. And, in the process, something about yourself."

"Malohkeh," The Doctor held out a hand to the Silurian scientist. "I rather like you. After this is done, there's a lovely tavern in Epsilon Eridanus that sells beer safe for Silurian consumption, perhaps you and I could go for a drink?"

Why yes, that was exactly what it sounded like.

The Silurian returned the gesture proudly and turned to free Elliot from stasis. "There. It's safe to wake him."

The door slid open, and Malohkeh strode into the chamber first, removing the thin wires from Elliot's skin. The boy looked blankly ahead but did not flinch or react at first.

"Come." Malohkeh gestured to Mo. "His brain is returning to its normal functions, just allow him a moment." He explained, stepping back.

"Elliot," Mo addressed, the boy looking around in confusion, "Ell, it's dad."

"Wha…?" The boy rubbed his forehead. "Dad."

Mo launched into a relieved hug, clutching his child tightly.

"Where are we?" Elliot asked, pulling back from his father.

"Well… I've got to be honest with you, son." Mo gulped. "We're in the center of the earth. And there's lizard people."

Elliot's jaw dropped, as he looked to the door, Malohkeh waving with a kind smile. "Greetings… small human." The Silurian addressed.

"Wow." Elliot breathed.

"Elliot," The Doctor took a step in, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you go by yourself."

"It's alright." Elliot replied.

The Doctor smiled, shaking the boy's hand, as the three of them stepped back out, beginning the walk back to the meeting hall.

"You go on ahead, Doctor." Malohkeh said, "I will catch up."

The Time Lord nodded and took the lead of the other two.

"Storage facility 19 operational." The automated female voice reported.

Malohkeh turned and went to attend to his business.


"We'd been living on the surface of this world for far longer than humanity." Eldane stated, not trying to act superior, just stating the truth. "Our goal is simply to return to our rightful place."

"But our planet is already having enough trouble sustaining the people who live here." Nasreen replied. "This year alone we've had mass rioting, a global pandemic, come close to another world war, and climate change has been worse than it has ever been. And you want to add another species onto that?"

El sighed, her forehead resting on her arms. The talks had been slow going for sure.

"We could help to… alleviate some of these issues." Eldane stated.

Nasreen tilted her head. "What?"

"Bioengineering was the technological cornerstone of our species." Eldane began. "Our equivalent to your wheel. We could engineer a cure to this… pandemic of yours, breed plants that could convert harmful gasses into oxygen a hundred times the rate of natural plants. Safe fuels, population concerns… our kind had solved this long before the cataclysm struck. All we ask is for a place to live."

As the talks went on, the ambassadors from both species began to fear that they might never reach a resolution. Eldane brought up good points, but Nasreen worried that perhaps it simply wasn't a good time for the Silurians to return to Earth. Humanity was dealing with its own problems; it didn't need to have cohabitation with another sapient species on top of that.

Until, that is, El came up with an idea.

"The whole world isn't livable." El said, looking over the globe. The Doctor had given her a little bit of information on Earth, particularly about the different sorts of climates. "Look, desert." She pointed to the Sahara and Gobi deserts. "Outback." Australia. "Death Valley. All too hot for humans."

"But perfect for cold-blooded organisms, such as us." Eldane finished the girl's thought. "It as I said before, Doctor Chaudhry. Our people were a great civilization, who made many advances. Once we return to the surface, we would be more than willing to share them with you. We even had spaceflight… Imagine it, a vast, interstellar civilization spanning every arm of the galaxy, and beyond."

"…Okay." Nasreen nodded with a smile. "Now I'm starting to see it."

Applause came from the end of the room, the Doctor striding in with Mo and Elliot.

"Not bad for a first session." The Doctor complimented with a smile. "I knew you could get along. More similarities than differences."

An electronic echo entered the chamber, Eldane looking up. "The transport has returned. I believe your friends are here."