Chapter 3
"Will the Zelnt leader help" Rose asked the Doctor as he began to link things on the control panel to go to Zelnt
"Should do, Zelnt is a poor planet but its people are happy. It means that their government must look after them quite well"
"Poor but happy, that's good to know, it could set an example than money is not everything"
"That's an idea tell them when we get there"
"No…it might insult them" Rose said
"That's also an idea"
"I don't believe places like those factories exist, on Earth people complain that factory workers don't get paid enough not about being experimented on"
"Well that's humans for you isn't it, they're so wrapped up in their own little world. They don't give a stuff about what happens up here"
"That's not true we just know that there's anything 'up here' yet" Rose said defensively
"Well they don't try very hard to find out do they? Right are we ready to go" The Doctor said his hand on the lever
"you bet I can't wait to get out of this stinking desert" The Doctor pulled down the lever, the usual humming machine sound started and the lights flashed
The Doctor opened the door to let in the bright sunlight of Zelnt, before either of them could say anything a dark girl in a brightly patterned dress jumped in front of the door
"Hello and welcome to Zelnt we hope your stay here will be pleasant" She had an ear to ear smile showing of her shining white teeth. She reminded Rose of a Hollywood air hostessHawaiian hula girl. The Doctor nodded at her and grinned
"I'm sure we will" the Doctor said. The woman stepped a side and flicked her long silk black hair behind her ears. The Doctor and Rose stepped out of the TARDIS followed by Eiye.
"You can leave your transport here, it will be brought down soon…this way to the elevators" she signalled
"Brought down soon? Elevators?" asked the Doctor
"I see you know very little of Zelnt sir, Zelnt is mainly under water"
"It didn't used to be" said the Doctor confusedly
"When a meteorite hit Zelnt our weather changed so much we adapted our ways of life under the sea. For further information you may find a tour guide Zelnt-droid"
"Droid?" the Doctor repeated. He looked at the girl's stuck smiling appearance. "Please excuse me" He touched under her chine. There was a button. The Doctor pressed it. The pretty girl's face split into two allowing the Doctor see a series of wires and electric lights buzzing. Rose laughed; Eiye looked sombrely at the robot saying not a word. "A robot, I thought so" The Doctor pressed the button again and her face closed into one
"As I was saying sir, this way to the elevators if you please"
Rose took Eiye's hand and they followed the robot woman. Ahead of them they saw a glass elevator sticking out of the sea from what looked like a boardwalk. They walked across the wooden platform and into the glass elevator. The woman pressed some buttons
"Going down" she said optimistically. Rose felt her stomach lurch and the elevator swooped down. Rose looked at the Doctor who had gone white
"You're not scared of lifts are you?"
"Don't be stupid…I just didn't expect it to go so fast that's all" he explained. Rose looked down at Eiye, she was totally unmoved by the event of the zooming elevator. Just like the robot woman was.
They landed on the ground softly, through the glass; Rose saw that the lift had landed in a glass encasement. No, it was a whole room. Rose looked into the distance and noticed that the whole city was under the glass, dry and safe from the surrounding sea. It was strange, every building was primitive and worn down, Rose recognised these hut like buildings as something found in a poverty stricken country in Africa or Asia shown on television. These buildings would usually be found in dry hot settings not in the middle of the sea under a humungous glass conservatory. The door opened wide and allowed the Doctor, Rose and Eiye to leave.
"Thank-you for coming to Zelnt, are you planning to stay" A woman almost identical to the robot in the lift had stepped in front of them
"We've come to see your leader, The Zelntitian leader" The Doctor said casually
"I'm sorry do you have an invitation"
"Yes of course" the Doctor picked up Eiye quickly and thrust her in front of the woman's face "This is my invitation." The Doctor held Eiye's arm out in front of the woman, the woman made no acknowledgment of the terrible marks on the girl's arm.
"You cannot enter her Empress' Palace without a written invitation signed and stamped by the 'Zelntitian government entry council'
"Another Droid, I thought so" the Doctor sighed and put the little girl down again
"I do hope your trip has not been wasted, Zelnt has other very interesting–"
"Take us to the palace gates leave getting in to us" the Doctor ordered
"Yes sir" she said and turned on her heel leading them along the sandy road
"How're we supposed to get in" Rose whispered to the Doctor
"Zelntitions are curious creatures, I'm sure that the Empress will want to see the last Time Lord and a human being"
"You're modest aren't you" Rose said sarcastically shaking her blonde head. The Doctor ignored her and walked ahead
"The palaces were quite special last time I was here…not sure what they're like now they've moved underwater. Civilisations probably even poorer than before since everything was rebuilt, I knew the Emperor…good ruler come to think of it I wonder if he'll remember me"
"Oh who could forget you?" Rose said linking arms with him, the little girl walking silently next to them. Rose looked at the people outside their huts; every one of them had dark hair and tanned skin. There was not a single light haired or pale citizen among them.
"Doctor…why are all of these Zelntitions dark….Eiye's blonde and pale"
"I noticed that…it's probably resulted from her experiments…something could have gone under her skin and in her hair…a type of bleach"
"Scary" Rose shivered
"Only the Royals are naturally light…actually once there was a plot to take over the throne about 100 years ago, peasant Zelntitions. They didn't manage to take control but the Emperor and all his immediate heirs were sent away and murdered…every one of them"
"That's dreadful" said Rose "but if they were all murdered how is it that the Royal Family were not taken over?"
"Dunno? It was all covered up after that…pretty embarrassing for the Zelntitian Royal family it was…you know; a proud race almost taken over by a bunch of peasants"
Rose nodded; she looked down at Eiye she was looking up at the Doctor with her mouth open as if she knew exactly what he was talking about. Rose could not help thinking that the little girl was more than what she seemed. Perhaps it was what had happened to her. In this miniature paradise of Zelnt who could possibly imagine that innocent children had been sent for experiments
"How far is it to the Palace?"
"It is not much farther to the palace you can see it just in the distance" the Droid pointed to a large palace like building ahead of them "By the way, feel free to call me Shana"
"Shana?" asked the Doctor
"Yes?"
"Nothing"