The Underground
The Doctor froze for a moment.
"She's not anywhere.. I mean.. the doors are still shut. D'you think something's happened? She's just gone." Harry said.
The Doctor spun around.
"You're sure?" He didn't wait for an answer. He quickly went over to Drake and Warren, who were examining the observation panel. "Where is Sarah?" He said. They didn't reply. "Where is she?" He shouted, thumping the console.
"Stray," Warren said, sounding both irritated and bored, "Answer him, will you." It wasn't a question, but Stray didn't seem to be offended. She lead the Doctor and Harry away from Warren and Drake who were talking in terse whispers.
"You must stay calm, Doctor. It wouldn't help anyone if Warren got upset."
"I've saved this petty little planet enough times, you'd think for once…" the Doctor muttered under his breath, glaring at their backs.
"Where's Sarah Jane, then?" Harry asked her, trying to be calm.
Stray lead them to a far corner, away from most of the people. A few stragglers hung about, listlessly, but moved as Stray and the newcomers approached them.
Stray began asking them if they'd seen her, and Harry looked around, trying not the think about what could have happened to Sarah.
The farther end, where they'd entered was busy, crowded, with the observation panel and console, where several officials were buzzing about, looking efficient. This end, however, smelt of rotting meat and dust. The right corner was a mess of straw bundles, and wood chippings, covering the wooden floor.
"Doctor, all these… people. They're all armed. All look like officials.. I mean, shouldn't there be any civilians?"
The Doctor paused, then spun around, catching Stray's passing arm.
"Where are all your civilians?" He asked, quickly.
"In a second bunker. There's a door way."
"Why don't we look in there, then?" Harry said, stating the obvious.
"Harry, where would we be without you." The Doctor muttered, dryly.
"I must check with Warren," Stray looked reluctant.
"Why Warren?"
"He's our leader."
"Leader? Appointed by whom, exactly?" The Doctor asked.
"Warren's ancestors lead us into the bunkers, saved our race, it's undisputed. We owe our survival to his family."
"Will human kind never learn? Just because his great great great great great great etcetera grandfather was a good man, Warren's character can still be suspect. Unfortunately, good qualities are not genetically passed down."
Stray didn't say anything.
"Follow me," she said after a pause, "but then, you will leave." She said, leading them to a virtually invisible panel in the floor.
The Doctor, Stray and Harry were lowered into the second bunker. Only the entrances had guards on them here, and, instead of hushed whispers the people were rowdy and busy, and more surprised to see them.
Harry peered about.
There were tall bunks lining the walls of the bunker, and an alcove on one of the longer sides of the rectangle, where Harry presumed the bathrooms were, and yet more signs of livestock.
"She's not here, Doctor," Harry said, gravely.
"No." The Doctor glanced around him.
"Doctor, you don't think something's happened to her?" Harry asked, anxiously.
"She can take care of herself," the Doctor said, swiftly, "Can you hear that?" He asked.
There was a faint hum, and a low scratching and rustling. Stray was flitting around the bunker, making inquiries. She didn't seem to notice anything.
"Funny thing is, though, we've seen all the signs of livestock without actually seeing anything.." The Doctor wondered.
"Could it just be another sweeper?" Harry suggested.
"Did the last sweeper shuffle and hiss?" The Doctor said, raising his eyebrows.
"Soon it will be safe to continue onto the surface," Stray entered the conversation, "But not yet."
"Why not yet, Stray? Drake and Warren were adamant there was nothing else here, weren't they? What are you hiding from?"
"Doctor, I cannot say. Only they knew what is happening." Stray admitted.
"Oh, honestly, wont you ever learn?" The Doctor snapped. "If something's being hidden from you, something that's delaying your development.. And you just accept it? Lie down?" The Doctor said, agitated. "You can find out, Stray. Look, listen."
"Warren is our leader, Doctor."
"Maybe so, but leaders can be wrong, can't they? And you'd just let him destroy you, wouldn't you?"
Harry had had enough of listening to the Doctor rant. He started off to make his own enquiries. He headed towards a bunk, who's inhabitants kept his eye, instead of shuffling away from him. The bunk contained a young man and woman. The woman looked edgy, but stayed put, catching the hand of the man.
"Hello," Harry said, unsure of how to start a conversation. "Um, I don't suppose you've seen someone in a yellow mac come by, have you?" he asked.
"No, who are you?" the man asked, not hostile.
"Harry Sullivan. That's the Doctor, and we cant find Sarah Jane, in the yellow mac."
"Have you come from the Arc?" the woman asked.
"Well.. yes, sortof. Just to check the earth was safe."
"And is it?"
"Well, we haven't seen much.. so, we don't know." Harry said, "Why, what do you know?" Harry asked.
"More than we should. I know there's some other form of life here. And Warren isn't telling us about it. Since it came, we've been driven underground again."
"Again?" Harry asked, curious.
"Yes. After the flares the earth recovered. We returned to the surface. I was born up there. But a few months ago, the mountains formed… Warren ordered us underground. And now only certain people go up. And there are sweepers that patrol the surface. Checking up on us. Imprisoning us."
"Doctor," Harry interrupted the Doctor's speech to Stray. "Doctor, I think you'd better hear this." Harry took them to the man and woman, who were still on their bunk.
"These people say they lived on the surface after the flare."
The Doctor looked inquiringly at them, and the man explained.
"After the flares, it was deemed safe for us. So.. Humans lived on the surface for a while. A few years, maybe, at most. It was mostly safe, but the bunkers were kept habitable and ventilated in case of more flares or solar storms. But then, a few months ago, firstly, the atmosphere for colder. Just a bit, but we noticed it." He said, looking towards the girl. She nodded. "And then slowly, we were moved back under. They didn't want to make it seem urgent, see? They told us that it was just precautions. That conditions were going to get too cold to live up there permanently, that radiation was too high, too much exposure to UV light, and things like that. Most people bought it. Why should we doubt it? But then.. The Sweepers started. We can hear them all the time, especially at night. For a while we all noticed them, but the officials told us it was just their equipment, checking status' and things. Routine. People have swallowed it." He ended with a shrug.
"You haven't." The Doctor noted.
"No." He said, simply. He stared at Stray, suspiciously. "She does, though." He said, pointedly. "In fact, she probably initialised it."
Stray snorted, rolled her eyes, and walked off.
"No, Doctor. I know there's something going on. Me and Thea," He said, indicating the girl, "We've been investigating. Us and some others."
"Janis, don't." Thea warned him. "You don't know him."
"He's not an official, he's not one of them, is he, Thea?"
"No, that's true. I wonder, Janis, how much do you think you know? Or rather, what don't you know?" The Doctor asked.
"Why?" Thea asked, agitatedly.
"Because, whatever it is, it's clearly stunting you lot. You've become trembling wrecks over this. I'm going to get rid of it."
"Sayal has grouped together the information we've got."
"How many of you are in on this?" Harry asked.
"5. Me, Thea, Sayal, Kay, and Firen."
"How do you keep an underground movement quiet? Surely someone notices groups building up books on findings they shouldn't know existed?"
"Doctor, few people care. Like you said, they've given in to it. They refuse to accept that maybe they're being fooled. No one looks. The intelligence and soldiers and politics all take place upstairs in the main chamber anyway. We're only civilians." Janis shrugged.