Tegan tensed reflexively. The Doctor remained calm, as usual. Both of
them waited wordlessly. The door opened a few seconds later, and three of
what the Doctor assumed were their captors entered the room.
They were humanoid, but definitely not human. They each stood about six and a half feet tall, and their large frames showed an impressive amount of muscle. They had slightly long faces that were balanced by enormous eyes, and their hands each had six fingers. Their skin was tan but had a faint bluish cast. They wore the same type of clothing that the Doctor and Tegan had been dressed in, along with scuffed shoes made of some type of animal hide. There were two males and one female. The males wore scruffy beards, and their straight hair was long and tied back. The female's hair, in contrast, was shorter and curly. Each of them carried a metal rod about two feet long. None of them were smiling, or scowling either. They simply stared.
The Doctor, par for the course, hopped off the bed and strode forward. "Hello," He said brightly. "I'm the Doctor. And you are?"
In response one of the males flashed out his stick and touched the doctor in the side with it. The Doctor yelped as a bolt of energy shot through him, causing him to moan in pain. He would have crumpled to the floor if Tegan hadn't have jumped up and grabbed him around the waist.
"There was no bloody need for that, he only asked you who you are!" She spat.
"Tegan-" the Doctor gasped anxiously, not wanting her to get reprimanded. She ignored him and glowered at their captors.
To their surprise, her actions prompted a round of gruff laughter from the female. "Male weak. Female strong," she said in a low growl of a voice. She grinned at Tegan, and Tegan caught her breath at the sight of the rows of long sharp teeth. "Strong female with weak male. Stupid choice for mate."
One of the males snickered. "Very stupid. But they are mated. Must be mated for female to risk attack."
The female humanoid nodded. "Since they are mates, they stay together."
The Doctor had been absorbing the conversation with no further comments. But when he heard this he suddenly sprang to action again, smiling and wrapping his arms around Tegan.
"Yes," he said firmly. "Mates. Stay together."
"Doctor," Tegan gasped.
"Do hush, Tegan," he said in a low warning tone. He continued to hold her in his arms while he looked at their captors. "She is very strong," he said in what he hoped was a meek voice. "Her family shamed her for mating with a weak male. They threw us out of their home. We got lost and came here."
The female nodded. "And now you belong to us."
She caught the look of unease on Tegan's face and laughed again. "Not worry," she said. "You funny. Make me laugh. You can keep weak mate as long as he works."
"Oh, he'll work, all right," Tegan said, giving the Doctor a withering glare.
The males nodded. The female spoke again. "You call me Halda. I am your keeper. I will have food brought to you. You stay here until tomorrow morning. Then you start to learn the way."
"The way of what?" The Doctor asked.
"The way of the people," she said.
"That's very nice of you, Halda, but we'd really prefer to leave and go back to some of our own people," the Doctor said.
Halda frowned and lifted her stick. "No leave. You belong here now."
"No, we don't," the Doctor said, sharper than he'd intended.
Her stick tapped him, with a stronger jolt than the first one had packed. This time he did fall, with a sharp cry of pain. Tegan knelt beside him, then pulled him into her arms, propping him up against her back.
"You finished? Or you want more?" Halda asked.
"No, he's finished," Tegan said firmly.
"Tegan-"
The Doctor was startled when Tegan clamped a hand over his mouth. "Shut up, you stupid male," she told him.
Halda laughed again. "That good, one called Tegan! He talks too much."
"Yes," Tegan replied, fixing the Doctor with a stern stare. "He does."
The Doctor's eyes widened at this exchange, but he made no attempt to remove Tegan's hand. He, too, had realized that this society seemed to be controlled by the females and that for once Tegan's brassy behavior was winning points instead of losing them. He lowered his eyes and tried to look humbled, as much as possible with Tegan's hand over his mouth.
Satisfied that the Doctor had been put in his place, the three left the cell and locked the door behind them.
Tegan didn't move for a few seconds, prompting the Doctor to mumble her name. She blinked and removed her hand, putting her arms under his to help him up. "Sorry, Doc," she said apologetically.
"Are you indeed," he murmured. But he nodded. "That was quick thinking on your part, Tegan. It would seem that it will be up to you to make some headway here, if any's to be made."
"Now that's a switch," she laughed as she eased him into a chair.
"It can't be me all the time," he joked as she sat opposite him.
"Lucky me, the dog getting her day," she shot back with a grin. Then she sobered. "Doctor, why do you think Halda made such a big deal about us being mates?"
He shrugged. "Lots of societies place a heavy emphasis on pairing and sexual selection. Including yours, Tegan."
"Oh, yes, us pathetic little humans," she snapped.
"I didn't meant it that way, Tegan," he retorted. "There's nothing wrong with it, it's very natural for most beings."
"Not Time Lords," she countered.
"There are even Time Lords who marry or take consorts, Tegan. Just because we use science instead of sex to reproduce doesn't mean we're stone statues."
She blinked in surprise. "You never told me that before," she said softly.
"Yes, well, it never came up in discussion before, now did it?" He asked. "At any rate, this isn't really the time to go into detail about Gallifreyan courtship habits."
She laughed. "No, I reckon not! So, what's the plan, Doc?"
"The plan, Tegan, is we eat when they bring us food, we sleep when it gets late, and when they let us out in the morning we make good our escape somehow."
"Sleep? You want to sleep?" She asked, startled.
He nodded. "For a little while, at least. Those two charges I got were a bit of a shock to my system. I need a light healing sleep."
"Right. Well, then," she said, "I guess it's just you and me in here with nothing to do but talk, then."
He heard the slight tremor in her voice and smiled. "Don't you mean argue?"
"I hope not!" She exclaimed. "I get so bloody sick of arguing with you!"
Now it was the Doctor who was surprised. "Then why do you do it so much?" He asked softly.
She sighed in agitation. "I don't know."
He raised an eyebrow, but decided to let the topic pass. "Well, Tegan, look at it this way. If we talk and argue, it'll almost be like being in the TARDIS."
She snorted, got up and went in the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
They were humanoid, but definitely not human. They each stood about six and a half feet tall, and their large frames showed an impressive amount of muscle. They had slightly long faces that were balanced by enormous eyes, and their hands each had six fingers. Their skin was tan but had a faint bluish cast. They wore the same type of clothing that the Doctor and Tegan had been dressed in, along with scuffed shoes made of some type of animal hide. There were two males and one female. The males wore scruffy beards, and their straight hair was long and tied back. The female's hair, in contrast, was shorter and curly. Each of them carried a metal rod about two feet long. None of them were smiling, or scowling either. They simply stared.
The Doctor, par for the course, hopped off the bed and strode forward. "Hello," He said brightly. "I'm the Doctor. And you are?"
In response one of the males flashed out his stick and touched the doctor in the side with it. The Doctor yelped as a bolt of energy shot through him, causing him to moan in pain. He would have crumpled to the floor if Tegan hadn't have jumped up and grabbed him around the waist.
"There was no bloody need for that, he only asked you who you are!" She spat.
"Tegan-" the Doctor gasped anxiously, not wanting her to get reprimanded. She ignored him and glowered at their captors.
To their surprise, her actions prompted a round of gruff laughter from the female. "Male weak. Female strong," she said in a low growl of a voice. She grinned at Tegan, and Tegan caught her breath at the sight of the rows of long sharp teeth. "Strong female with weak male. Stupid choice for mate."
One of the males snickered. "Very stupid. But they are mated. Must be mated for female to risk attack."
The female humanoid nodded. "Since they are mates, they stay together."
The Doctor had been absorbing the conversation with no further comments. But when he heard this he suddenly sprang to action again, smiling and wrapping his arms around Tegan.
"Yes," he said firmly. "Mates. Stay together."
"Doctor," Tegan gasped.
"Do hush, Tegan," he said in a low warning tone. He continued to hold her in his arms while he looked at their captors. "She is very strong," he said in what he hoped was a meek voice. "Her family shamed her for mating with a weak male. They threw us out of their home. We got lost and came here."
The female nodded. "And now you belong to us."
She caught the look of unease on Tegan's face and laughed again. "Not worry," she said. "You funny. Make me laugh. You can keep weak mate as long as he works."
"Oh, he'll work, all right," Tegan said, giving the Doctor a withering glare.
The males nodded. The female spoke again. "You call me Halda. I am your keeper. I will have food brought to you. You stay here until tomorrow morning. Then you start to learn the way."
"The way of what?" The Doctor asked.
"The way of the people," she said.
"That's very nice of you, Halda, but we'd really prefer to leave and go back to some of our own people," the Doctor said.
Halda frowned and lifted her stick. "No leave. You belong here now."
"No, we don't," the Doctor said, sharper than he'd intended.
Her stick tapped him, with a stronger jolt than the first one had packed. This time he did fall, with a sharp cry of pain. Tegan knelt beside him, then pulled him into her arms, propping him up against her back.
"You finished? Or you want more?" Halda asked.
"No, he's finished," Tegan said firmly.
"Tegan-"
The Doctor was startled when Tegan clamped a hand over his mouth. "Shut up, you stupid male," she told him.
Halda laughed again. "That good, one called Tegan! He talks too much."
"Yes," Tegan replied, fixing the Doctor with a stern stare. "He does."
The Doctor's eyes widened at this exchange, but he made no attempt to remove Tegan's hand. He, too, had realized that this society seemed to be controlled by the females and that for once Tegan's brassy behavior was winning points instead of losing them. He lowered his eyes and tried to look humbled, as much as possible with Tegan's hand over his mouth.
Satisfied that the Doctor had been put in his place, the three left the cell and locked the door behind them.
Tegan didn't move for a few seconds, prompting the Doctor to mumble her name. She blinked and removed her hand, putting her arms under his to help him up. "Sorry, Doc," she said apologetically.
"Are you indeed," he murmured. But he nodded. "That was quick thinking on your part, Tegan. It would seem that it will be up to you to make some headway here, if any's to be made."
"Now that's a switch," she laughed as she eased him into a chair.
"It can't be me all the time," he joked as she sat opposite him.
"Lucky me, the dog getting her day," she shot back with a grin. Then she sobered. "Doctor, why do you think Halda made such a big deal about us being mates?"
He shrugged. "Lots of societies place a heavy emphasis on pairing and sexual selection. Including yours, Tegan."
"Oh, yes, us pathetic little humans," she snapped.
"I didn't meant it that way, Tegan," he retorted. "There's nothing wrong with it, it's very natural for most beings."
"Not Time Lords," she countered.
"There are even Time Lords who marry or take consorts, Tegan. Just because we use science instead of sex to reproduce doesn't mean we're stone statues."
She blinked in surprise. "You never told me that before," she said softly.
"Yes, well, it never came up in discussion before, now did it?" He asked. "At any rate, this isn't really the time to go into detail about Gallifreyan courtship habits."
She laughed. "No, I reckon not! So, what's the plan, Doc?"
"The plan, Tegan, is we eat when they bring us food, we sleep when it gets late, and when they let us out in the morning we make good our escape somehow."
"Sleep? You want to sleep?" She asked, startled.
He nodded. "For a little while, at least. Those two charges I got were a bit of a shock to my system. I need a light healing sleep."
"Right. Well, then," she said, "I guess it's just you and me in here with nothing to do but talk, then."
He heard the slight tremor in her voice and smiled. "Don't you mean argue?"
"I hope not!" She exclaimed. "I get so bloody sick of arguing with you!"
Now it was the Doctor who was surprised. "Then why do you do it so much?" He asked softly.
She sighed in agitation. "I don't know."
He raised an eyebrow, but decided to let the topic pass. "Well, Tegan, look at it this way. If we talk and argue, it'll almost be like being in the TARDIS."
She snorted, got up and went in the bathroom, closing the door behind her.