I laid there on my bed staring at the ceiling, watching the lights as the colors flowed from it one way and another. At least until they started flickering, which caused me to turn away and narrow my brows in confusion. Something was going on as my heart rate began to beat faster, I quickly ran out of the room just as I heard Dr. Meredith call my name. I ran all the way to the nuclear power room, Brigadier and the Doctor ere already there.
"What's going on", Brigadier asked, "Close Sector Two", Dr. Quinn said into his intercom as he sat at his work desk.
"They're trying to close down the cyclotron without the nuclear reactor getting out of control", the Doctor told the Brigadier, neither men seemed to have noticed me.
"I hope they can manage it", Brigadier commented, "Is there anything we can do?"
"Yes, stay out of the way", the Doctor said as he turned his head to look at him, then the Doctor's eyes widened once he saw me.
I was standing awkwardly behind Brigadier, when the Doctor said alarmed, "What are you doing here?!"
Brigadier glanced at me as well as I said, "I'm not just going to lie down and be useless. I want to help", I told the Doctor who seemed to sigh at that, Brigadier however looked like he approved.
"Come on", the Doctor said annoyed and we went through the glass door to go down to the lower level. The power was rising and the man who was to lower it, refused to do so; even as to go far as choke a female scientist who tried to help. The Doctor and Brigadier managed to pull him off her, until he tried lunging at her again and this time I pushed him away.
I glared at the man as I stood protectively in front of the female scientist, "What's wrong with you", I asked the man angrily, he just growled at me. The Brigadier managed to hold the man down as the Doctor helped the woman turn off Sector three, then they turned off the rest of then sectors so that everything could cool down. The man, that the Brigadier held, fell to the floor in a sobbing mess as he held his head and balled up in a fetal position.
"We need to see those records", the Doctor said and left the room, he sighed when glanced back to see that I was following him.
"I'll just head back to my H.Q", Brigadier said from a good distance away. As we walked, I ran up next to the Doctor and asked, "What's happening to me", hoping this time he would give me a straight answer, but no such luck.
He still refused to say anything, "Can you at least give me a clue", I asked and his only response was, "Two hearts", before he walked faster ahead of me.
I lifted a brow in confusion, that's it…but I already knew that…however my mind still wasn't properly processing what exactly what was happening. For some reason I didn't want to accept it or the possibility that whatever it was…was…then my thought process paused as we entered the records room, where Liz was located.
As soon as we walked in, we began to look through the records and then Liz pulled something out.
She walked over to us and showed us the file she had found, as she flipped through the papers she said, "I think I may have found something. There's a terrifically high rate of minor neurosis, two hundred present above the normal, even for a place like this."
"Is there a pattern", I asked, "Everyone who was affected worked at one time or another in the cyclotron room. Even I felt it when I was there and I believe...so did you", she told me.
I shrugged, "Yeah…maybe a little", I admitted, "Really? In what way", the Doctor asked curiously, "A feeling of oppression…almost terror", Liz told him.
"Okay and what about you", he asked me, "I felt…anxious and…uneasy, but what has this got to do with the cyclotron room", I said confused.
"I'm not sure, but it is in the deepest part of the center and the nearest to those caves", the Doctor told me, "So", Liz asked.
"So, everything leads back to those caves Liz. Davis was killed there and Spencer became so frightened to the point his aggressive towards anyone", the Doctor told her.
"That reminds me", Liz said as she walked towards a filing cabinet and pulled a file out, flipping through the pages, "There is a report here on Davis."
"There is", I asked and walked up to her to glance at the file as well, "Yes, the police forwarded a copy", she said then sat it down on the table for us all to look at.
"Let's have a look", the Doctor said, pulling the file towards himself to have a better look as he examined it. "It even has a map where they found him", Liz said pulling a map from the file and set it down on the table.
The Doctor read the text within the file, "" Immediate cause of death: Fracture to the cranium. Further observations: Unusual aberrations…unusual aberrations on the body…strangely resembling claw marks. Presumably caused during the fall." Claw marks? I'm going into the cave to look."
"Alright, I'll read up on some of these files", Liz said and went back to work as I followed the Doctor out of the room.
Then he stopped to look back at me, "Where do you think you're going", he asked me, "I'm going with you; like I said before, "I'm not going to sit back and do nothing"", I told him, he sighed at that and after a moment he nodded.
"Fine…but don't wonder off", he told me and smiled before agreeing with his terms. He simply shook his head as we went the rest of the way down the hall to go get our supplies from a closet before entering the caves.
Once properly dressed and well supplied we climbed down a ladder to enter the caves down below and as we wore matching helmets, we turned on the flashlights that were built into them. As the Doctor looked around on the ground, he found a hammer and showed it to me questioningly before setting it back down. We remained quiet as we traveled further into the cave, it was cold and wet, I almost slipped a couple times as the floor was slippery.
As we proceeded down the dark path, the Doctor picked some rope that was left behind; "Why would someone throw their supplies away", I wondered out loud.
"Good question, but what if he didn't...what if he was attacked", the Doctor answered suspiciously as we walked further down the path.
"You think there's something down here", I asked him, "Possibly", the Doctor told me as we traversed even further into caves.
I jumped in fright as I heard a growl come out of one of the tunnels, the Doctor and I glanced at each other before walking into that exact tunnel. As we followed the sound, the tunnel opened to a wide area of the cave. It was very spacious, then we looked to one side and quickly jumped back a large reptile tried to claw at us before it ran away. Looking at each other again with confused glances, we were quick to chase after it before it had disappeared around a corner.
"Well, we shouldn't venture any further without the crew. Come on", the Doctor told me, before we walked back to where we came from. We went back to Brigadier's makeshift H.Q. and noticed he had supplies, for adventuring in the cave, displayed on his desk. Him and the rest of the gang looked worried, at least until the Doctor decided to speak up, "Well, that looks exciting, mind if we come?"
The three people who stood around the table, turned around and gave us shocked expressions as Brigadier stood straight and composed himself. The Doctor and I then left to go into separate rooms to remove our cave venturing supplies as well as the suits that we wore over our clothes. I slipped on my shoes and left the room just as I placed my black fedora back on top of my head.
We both sat in front of the Brigadier's desk as it felt like we were being scorned…again and I heard the Doctor chuckle quietly beside me, just as lifted a brow in confusion at him.
The Brigadier continued to glare at us when the Doctor spoke, "Anybody would think you were disappointed we didn't get lost."
"Come on Doctor, you get everyone worried…especially when you have Acacia with you. And then you turn up safe and sound", Liz told him annoyed and upset.
"What is that supposed to mean? You think I would have done something to her in those caves", the Doctor asked her angrily.
"Of course not, but what if something did…you men keep forgetting that she's only eighteen", Liz told them, acting as an older sister. I know she was only worried about me and my well-being, but I couldn't help but get defensive about it. I was young and had only graduated high school before I started traveling with the Doctor. Only doing this whole traveling thing for little more than a week and a half, I didn't know if it felt longer or shorter…maybe it was because the days without sleep or I kept meeting each regeneration of the Doctor whenever I entered back into the Tardis.
Doctor looked over at me concerned before I excused myself and entered the hallway to talk a few breaths, how many more Doctors are out there, I wondered. I waited in the hall as the men left the room to go back into the cave; before the Doctor left to go with them, he asked if I was alright.
I wanted to say, "Well, I've been traveling…a lot and meeting…different versions of you, there's a lot of questions that I need answered", but I didn't, instead I said, "Yeah, I'm fine…just go and help them."
He narrowed his brows like he didn't believe me, but nodded anyway before cupping my cheek and then left. I gave a confused look at the action before I went back into the room to help Liz. A couple hours later and the came back with the Doctor having vials of blood, he told Liz and I that he needed to test something and to follow him. So, we did and headed to the medical center to examine the blood and determine what we were dealing with.
As the Doctor looked at the sample of blood through a microscope, Liz asked, "Well, Doctor", he sat back in his seat and sighed, "See for yourself", he told her.
She walked over to him and the pulled the microscope to her so she could look into it, "Well…I know this may seem a little far-fetched…but, there are resemblances to…" Liz trailed off.
She seemed a little speechless and shocked, "To what", I asked curiously and she gave me a worried glance, "To certain larger reptiles", Doctor answered, "Yes", Liz said confirming what he said.
I narrowed my eyes in confusion, until I remembered the large reptile back in the gave…it was unusually large…way too…" A dinosaur", I asked in disbelief and then they both nodded at me.
Brigadier came in and told us he had lost the men that went back into the caves and the "beast", he told us it was getting to dark to search for them now and decided he would look in the morning.
"Doctor have you any idea what we're looking for", Brigadier asked him, "No, not yet…so far the test have proved a bit inconclusive", the Doctor told the Brigadier, for some reason he didn't tell him about the possibility that there might be a dinosaur in those caves. Now that I have thought about it…it seemed a little far-fetched…even to a close-minded person like the Brigadier.
"There'll be the devil to pay if Baker shot some innocent potholer. How is he by the way", Lethbridge Stewart asked Liz.
"Well, some bruising, one arm was clawed, and he may have a concussion", She told the Brigadier.
"Yeah, poor chap…mind you he was acting irresponsibly, blazing away like that", the Doctor said, "He was attacked Doctor, just as you and Miss Wood here", Brigadier told him.
"Yes, but not by the thing he shot at. Seems to me, Brigadier, that you're missing the most important point", the Doctor told him.
"Which is", Brigadier asked, "That when Baker was attacked and when Miss Wood and I were attacked, the thing was called off before it could do any real harm", the Doctor told the Brigadier.
"Davis was killed though", Liz told him, "Yes, I know, but in my opinion there are two kinds of creatures down in that cave: A large ferocious one and a smaller, much more intelligent kind that controls the first and may not be hostile", the Doctor told him.
"It's a bit hard to accept one monster, let alone two", Brigadier admitted to the Doctor, and I rolled my eyes at the word "monster."
"Still, whatever it is, we'll know in the morning", Brigadier finished, "Yes and by that time it might be a little too late", the Doctor said upset as both Liz and the Brigadier left to go to bed. The Doctor said I might as well do the same, since he needed everyone to have their energy in the morning.
At this, I yawned and said, "Alight", then left as he gave me an amused glance as I made my way back to the room I was in at the medical center, to go to sleep in the bed.
In the morning, I got up and got dressed before heading back to Brigadier's makeshift H.Q. the Doctor and I entered together after we bumped into each other in the hall as he pulled his coat on.
"Are they at all qualified to make such an investigation", Dr. Lawrence asked the Brigadier, "They're qualified to do almost everything", Brigadier reassured the man who owned the manor.
"Well, that's I then…nothing wrong with it", the Doctor said, "Nothing wrong with what", Brigadier asked confused.
"With any of it: Cyclotron, remote control mechanisms, all of them functioning perfectly", the Doctor reassured, "So, there's nothing wrong with any of them", I asked, "No, nothing", the Doctor told me and I narrowed my brows in confusion, could the aliens in the save have something to do with it, I wondered.
"You can't possibly be sure", Dr. Lawrence said, "My dear man, it's perfectly simple piece of machinery. Even she understood", Doctor told the man.
Somehow, that didn't feel much like a compliment, "You think I'm going to take the word of some girl", Dr. Lawrence said rather rudely.
"Then what's the explanation of these power losses if you're an expert", Dr. Lawrence said annoyed, "It's more of a question of what you propose to do about it? Until this influence has been discovered and dealt with, this establishment should be closed down completely", the Doctor told the man.
"Out of the question, it would mean a tremendous setback to our research program", Dr. Lawrence told the Doctor.
"Are you willing to sacrifice more of your employees", I asked, "And your career", the Doctor added, the man glanced between to the two of us before he made an annoyed huff. "I'm extremely dissatisfied, Brigadier…with your conduct of this investigation, and with your behavior of your "associates"", Dr. Lawrence said upset.
The Doctor and I pretended to be displeased, which made the man even angrier, "I intend to write to the permanent undersecretary, and demand your recall", Dr. Lawrence said angrily to the Brigadier.
"That is your privilege, Director, but whilst we are here perhaps you would let us carry on with our investigations. Since, after all you've been professional with us", Brigadier told the man who then turned up his nose and then left the room.
I smirked, amused at what had happened, "Pompous idiot, never could stand that man", the Doctor said as he sat down and sighed, "I couldn't either", I commented.
"Well, Brigadier, all set in playing soldiers are we", the Doctor asked the Brigadier, changing the subject away from the annoying Director. Just as the Brigadier was about to speak, the phone rang and held up one finger to the Doctor to hold on for a minute and the Doctor nodded.
Brigadier picked up the phone and answered with, "Lethbridge-Stewart", "That was a different side, I didn't think I would see from either of you", I told the Doctor.
"What's that", he asked and I thought for a moment thinking for a word, then I answered with, "Cheekiness", and he seemed to smile at that.
"Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can", Brigadier said and then hung up as the Doctor and I looked at him questioningly.
"Police", he answered, "I asked them to let me know of any unusual occurrences", he told us.
"And", the Doctor asked, "Local farmer named Squire found dead in his barn. There were claw marks on his body", the Brigadier told him. There was more to this story then we thought…