Hidden themselves away in an alleyway, with no people around, giving themselves opportunities to hide, and take down the straggler without any worry, the trio enacted their plans luring out a straggler.
Using his Sonic Screwdriver, Theodore tuned it and Liliana's suit, becoming a node, and with his Sonic Screwdriver, amplified the signal. The blue hue of the handheld device shined brightly as it pulsated in Theodore's hand as he held it upright, over his head of wild hair.
Dom's prepared himself, hiding amongst the rubbish cans, while Liliana turned on her camouflage component as she hid among the grey walls.
Theodore knelt behind abandoned cardboard boxes as they waited with baited breath for their straggler.
On their minds, they wondered if the plan would've worked, if their assessments of the situation's correct, what they would do if the plan didn't work, and the questions that follow afterwards.
It felt like hours, but really only thirty minutes, Dom hadn't complained at all about it, he said that he waited longer for prey.
"Well, remember, he won't be much use to us if he can't speak," Theodore reminded Dom that if their straggler showed up, not to damage his vocals and brain, else they wouldn't know where to even begin looking, and the old Ko'gan huffed as he stated that he's capable of subduing prey without breaking their skins. If he doesn't forget that his teeth have ridges that make it impossible for him to pull off cleanly, that is.
Sighing, Theodore couldn't ask more from Dom, he's already antsy about finding Shale, if the straggler won't tell him anything useful, they risk Dom mauling them into submission.
"He risks more if anything happened to Melia," Liliana made it clear that she'll remain cordial when they're dealing with the straggler, but she won't remain for long if the straggler doesn't tell them what they need to know, or, tell her something she doesn't want to hear.
As his Sonic Screwdriver pulsates, Theodore glanced around with his icy blue eyes, looking for any signs of the straggler, hoping this plan of his works, as he doesn't know what else to do, Al hadn't found anything, yet.
A strange predicament he found himself in where he doesn't know what else to do, when he dealt with Daleks, they're easily discovered and dealt with because they never change their tune.
Never did he expect dealing with potential Sontaran scientists that aren't the norm in their society, without any way for them to track their coordinates, it's a miracle they gotten far as they did.
While the thought of the Sontaran trying to avoid detection by willingly giving up their lifelines might've made sense, Theodore knew they wouldn't give it up, even under duress.
No chance of these Sontaran being exiles of their people, their people wouldn't let them walk away alive if they were, they'd sooner kill them than let them escape. Send their best after them, if they must, but exiled Sontaran weren't an option.
Covert jobs, no, they wouldn't kidnap Shale and Melia if these were experts, they know the foolishness of capturing a Ko'gan's daughter, they'd capture Dom first, then lure out Shale.
They wouldn't waste time with Melia, they'd go after Liliana without fail, use Melia as a bait, perhaps, but they wouldn't capture her.
It seems these scientists weren't experts in the goings of the army, not surprising considering, the fact they didn't realize that kidnapping Shale would've sent her angry father to their door.
The fact they willingly came to Earth, Theodore couldn't help but feel like they're desperate or ignorant.
He made sure the Sontaran that came here prior couldn't transmit anything back to their people, made work of their ship, did anything to keep more from coming, which evidently didn't work, but there's something Theodore's missing in this equation.
How did these ones find Earth?
Guess he'll get his answers because he heard footsteps coming towards the narrow entrance into the alleyway, causing him and the other two hunkering down as they wait.
A shadow appears and as it moves, the outline of someone with a domed helmet haphazardly walked through the entrance, something in their hands, moving it up and down, the more they walked, it's evident that this' the straggler they sought after.
The straggler moved past Dom's hiding spot and he subtly moved his head, his golden eyes radiating hatred, as he moved in silence without the straggler noticing, preoccupied by the scanner as it's going off seconds at a time, going towards the camouflaged Liliana.
He didn't notice Dom standing behind him, hunched to the ground, his ivory horns pointed upright towards his back.
Liliana prepared to strike and Theodore turned off his Sonic Screwdriver, thus turning off the fake node, sending the straggler into confusion, as he looked down to his scanner.
He's easily thrown into the air by the Ko'gan head butting him, his heavy legs flailing as he fell hard on his back, dazed, unable to move as Liliana turned off her camouflage, stomping down on his chest, keeping him place, with her provisioned gun pointed at his face.
Theodore stumbled out of his hiding spot as he joined their sides, their ire emitting from their respected eyes.
"I wouldn't try anything, my associate's capable of stomping you into nothing," Liliana sharply tells the Sontaran that he shouldn't do anything stupid, else he risked the might of the Ko'gan coming down on him, hard.
Struggling for a moment, the Sontaran rasped as he struggled breathing, his helmet disappearing into his suit, revealing the familiar domed head.
"Pr-promise!" The Sontaran squeaked as he looked up at Liliana and Dom towering over him with their eyes locked with his.
Shoving his Sonic Screwdriver in his pocket, Theodore asks him, "Who are you?"
The Sontaran squeaked his name as, "Man-Mantanga!"
Nodding, Theodore inquired, "What are you doing here?"
Mantanga sheepishly replied, "St-studying!"
Snorting loudly, Dom demanded answers on the whereabouts of his daughter.
Seeing the Ko'gan angry made Mantanga squeak in fear as he said that the female Ko'gan's back at the ship with the human, he didn't know what his team were doing, he just went out to find the node.
Keeping Dom back, Theodore asks Mantanga, "How did you find this planet?"
Unable to move his stout arms, Mantanga replied that he doesn't know, their superior received coordinates, and they just followed them. He didn't ask many questions, it's not his place to ask, he's just a scientist.
"Who gave the coordinates?" Theodore wanted to know more about who gave Mantanga's superior the coordinates to Earth and the Sontaran responded that he doesn't know. The only one who'd know's his superior, but he's back at the ship.
Liliana inquired about where the ship's located and the Sontaran hesitated before Theodore advised him that he oughted to tell them where the ship's hidden, else he risked Dom's wraith.
"I want my daughter back!" Dom hisses at Mantanga as he lowered his massive head to look into Mantanga's olive eyes.
Frightened, Mantanga squeaked that he didn't know his superior planned capturing Shale.
All he knew that when they came to Earth, they're tasked with studying it, he didn't know what it entailed until the others came back with her and Melia.
"What do they want with them?" Theodore pressed for answers as the Sontaran squirmed under Liliana's heel as she pressed down on him harder.
Sheepishly, Mantanga said that all he knew, his team's supposed to study Shale, but when they captured Melia, it caused problems. She wasn't the one they're looking for, but their scanners didn't tell them this until they captured her.
Liliana hounded him with her own questions, about his team injuring Patata, and Mantanga responded that he didn't know anything about it, he never left the ship until his team forced him to look for the active node.
"I know they mentioned something about a traitor, but I don't know anything more!" Mantanga panicked as he pleaded with Liliana, telling her that he didn't know anything about Patata's injuries, other than his team mentioned something about a traitor.
Knowing that Patata defected from his government during the last Silurian and Sontaran skirmishes, no doubt they ingrained this to everyone else, and would've invoked a KOS command on him, since he failed to die valiantly.
"You have to take us to the ship," Theodore ushered Mantanga that he's got no other option than taking the three back to where his ship's hidden, causing the Sontaran to show fear, as he said that he couldn't, it's treason.
Theodore pointed at Dom as he tells the Sontaran that he doesn't have any choice, he's already deemed lesser by his own government becoming a scientist, he's got nothing to back him, and all he'll get for his trouble's death by a fiercely protective Ko'gan.
"I find they taste better roasted in an open flame," Dom gave insight how he devoured the unfortunate Sontaran that battled him decades ago and it's enough for Mantanga begging for mercy.
He did what he was ordered, he didn't have any idea what his superior planned, he just did his duties, and it's not like he's got any grit fighting his superior over his decisions, he's a first-year scientist!
Using this to his advantage, Theodore strikes a deal with Mantanga, he takes them to the ship, helps them get Shale and Melia back, provided he and his team doesn't try anything, they're permitted to leave the planet, alive, as long as they don't come back or speak of Earth.
"I suggest you find a new career while you're at it, Mantanga, maybe as a butler," Theodore tells the scared Sontaran that if he follows through with their deal, he's better off finding a new life. His government won't accept him back regardless what he did, he's a scientist, and he's scared in the midst of his supposed mortal enemies, that's against their prideful nature.
Unable to nod in agreement, Mantanga verbally agreed to Theodore's terms as Liliana moved her heel, letting him breathe, before Dom hoisted him up from the ground, dropping his scanner that Theodore collected.
"I got my own provisions, too. If anything happens to my daughter, I'll eat you first," Dom threatened Mantanga with a fate worse than death. He then added with a low growl, "I hadn't had a cooked one in a long time."
Liliana managed to get in a threat herself, saying the following, "It'll pale in comparison what I'll do to you. They hurt our friend and if they hurt Melia, I promise, you'll feel every moment."
Hearing both threats made Mantanga look towards Theodore with his frightened olive eyes as he begged him not to let the two kill him and Theodore tried keeping them composed, reminding them that they musn't let their emotions run rampant.
"Take us to your ship," Theodore ordered him.
Mantanga nodded as he went ahead of the three, his helmet pulled over him, Liliana pulling her black veil over her face, and Dom turning on his disguise, Theodore following them.
The frightened Sontaran led them throughout London until they ended up near the warehouse district, where Mantanga led them towards an area further in, left abandoned after the previous owners moved on from the site once the money dried up. Left untouched for a couple of years, now, hardly anyone goes near it unless they're lost, perfect place for a ship.
"Al, are you there?" Theodore called out to the TARDIS in his mind, while he followed Mantanga, in moments, the TARDIS answered, and Theodore informed him that they've found their straggler. He's leading them to the ship.
Al's elated that they found the ship, but he mentioned that he ended up obtaining a message from someone directed to a Masa, which Al suspected is the superior directing the scientific study, and it intrigued him.
"How?" Theodore inquired about the message that Al said shouldn't have been easy to obtain, Sontaran take their security serious, but he found the message plainly, it didn't give anything away that would've helped find the Sontaran ship, anyway, but that's why it intrigued him.
Out of all the encrypted messages, this one wasn't, and Theodore asks if it's any significant.
"It's in their language, but I can translate pretty well, otherwise, it's giving Masa the coordinates to Earth. It reads like a standard instruction, but there's something it, directing Masa to pass along a message," Al says to Theodore as he went over what he translated from the message.
Theodore pressed for answers about what the message was, but he couldn't get an answer from Al, they've found the ship, and Mantanga's warning them that the scientists aren't armed, but four of the Sontaran that Masa brought held standard neutralizing weapons.
"It's been too long since I've infiltrated a Sontaran ship," Liliana mused it's been at least forty years since her last skirmish against the Sontaran.
Dom snorted, "It's been too long since I ate one of 'em. They taste like mushy green beans when they're overcooked!"