Then
"Really strange trees," Tyra hummed with a yawn "How fascinating."
"It could be anywhere," the Doctor mumbled to himself "Dear, dear, dear, dear. It's no help to us at all." He shrugged and pointed over his shoulder to the hallway "Well, I suggest before we go outside and explore, let us clean ourselves up."
Susan jumped at the chance "Oh, yes."
She grabbed Tyra's arm and went to drag her off when the Doctor stopped them "What does the radiation read, Susan?"
"It's reading normal, grandfather," Susan told him, hurrying off "Come on. I'll show you the wardrobe and then we can go and find you a room."
Now
"There's been a forest fire," Barbara murmured, looking around "Everything's sort of white and ashen."
Ian frowned "Funny mist."
"The heat must have been indescribable," the Doctor murmured "Look at the soil here. Look at it. It's all turned to sand and ashes. Extraordinary. How can shrubs or trees grow in soil like that, hmm?"
Tyra touched one of the trees, her eyebrows shooting up at the feeling "Maybe they didn't. Doctor, touch this."
"What is it?" he asked, coming over to stand next to the girl.
Ian tilted his head "Something else that's strange. There's quite a breeze blowing."
"Well?" Susan asked, unsure of where he was going with that.
"The branches aren't moving," Tyra told her, reaching out to touch the branch above her head. She jumped back when it broke immediately, falling down where she had been standing a moment ago "It's stone."
The Doctor hummed "It's more than that. It's petrified. How fascinating. A petrified jungle. Hm. Extraordinary. Yes, I must really investigate that. Couldn't have been heat, then, and age would merely decay."
"What could have caused it, grandfather?" Susan asked.
The Doctor shook his head "I don't know. I don't know but I intend to find out."
"So… How do you plan on doing that, then?" Tyra asked, getting up from where she had been examining the fallen branch and the shrub next to her. She hurried after the Doctor when he started walking off "Come on. Tell me."
"I want to know too," Susan pointed out from next to Tyra.
Tyra studied her surroundings as they walked on. Something was wrong. She could feel it. There was something in the air, in the forest "Susan? What do you want to bet that there's going to be trouble again?"
Susan let out a small snort "Well, after last time, I certainly hope that nothing will happen."
"Do you really believe that, though?" Tyra questioned curiously. She was all for trouble. Without trouble, life would be boring. She had no idea how the Doctor's trips had turned out up until now but from what she had seen, trouble definitely seemed to favour him. It was almost like this was the perfect place for her. With the Doctor, getting in trouble and helping him out of it. Of course, she wasn't sure whether it would continue to be like this but… Even if it would, she wouldn't mind.
"Oh grandfather, look," Susan exclaimed, rushing to kneel next to one of the trees in front of them "It's a flower. A perfect flower." She reached out carefully "Well, it's even kept some of its colours."
The Doctor didn't even glance down, instead opting to focus on what he had been studying before "Yes, very pretty, very pretty. Hm."
Susan rolled her eyes fondly before turning to the two teachers that had rejoined them "Hey, look. Look what I've found."
"Oh, that is beautiful," Ian breathed, leaning over Susan's shoulder to examine the flower closer.
"Isn't it?" Susan grinned "I'm going to try and pick it and keep it all in one piece."
Ian patted her shoulder "Be careful. It'll be very fragile." He stopped Susan's hands, taking a hold of the flower carefully, lifting it up.
Tyra looked over at Barbara when she heard her heartbeat jump "Are you alright?"
"Ian," she cried out, her finger pointing at something "Ian."
Tyra moved forward "Wicked," she breathed, her eyes lighting up at the sight. There on the stone was a petrified lizard. It looked so realistic and metal. As if it had been alive one moment and the next… not.
"Coming, coming," Ian assured her "What it is? What's the matter?"
Barbara pointed at the lizard "No."
"Calm down," Tyra grumbled "It's not like it's actually still alive. Plus, it's kind of cute… Even if it is stone."
The Doctor turned around as soon as he heard Tyra speak "Tyra, no."
"Tyra, yes," she shot back "Can't I think that it's cute? It is."
"It's hideous," Barbara breathed.
Tyra tilted her head "Really? I think it has a certain… charm about it."
"Charm?" Barbara demanded, looking at Tyra as if she lost it "It looks like some sculptor's nightmare."
"Barbara is right," Ian spoke up "Nothing on Earth could look like this."
The Doctor nodded "Yes, it's certainly alien to anything on your planet. But you're wrong about one thing, Chesterfield. This isn't like everything else. The animal is solidified, certainly but it's not crumbly stone. It's metal. It always was."
"What?" Ian frowned "Even when it was alive? But that's impossible."
"Why?" the Doctor questioned "Can't you imagine an animal unless it's flesh, blood and bone, hm? No, I tell you this is an entirely different formation. I should say originally it was some pliable metal held together by a magnetic field or an inner magnetic field, rather, and it may have had the ability to attract its victims towards it if they were metal too."
"How did that work?" Tyra asked him curiously, her mind already working overtime in trying to think of what that meant for this planet "I mean… Did it have to eat? Was it feeding on the power sources of the animals it lured it? How did it even hold together? Was it built or was it living in the sense that it could actually procreate? There are so many questions and equations here…"
Barbara shot her a look "Is that really important now? We should figure out where we are."
"Yes, it is imp…"
Ian cut her off "So, that means we're not on Earth?"
"No, certainly not," the Doctor shook his head.
"Are you sure?" Ian asked, trying not to freak out. The past was one thing but an alien planet with alien trees and alien animals made out of metal was another thing altogether.
The Doctor nodded, a small grin on his face at the man's reaction "Oh, certain. And you needn't look at me like that, young man. We started this journey far too hurriedly to make any calculations. You know that as well as I do. However, we're alive."
Tyra coughed "Congratulations. Do you want a medal for that?"
"Hey, grandfather, look," Susan called out from somewhere behind them "The jungle ends over there." The Doctor's face lit up as he hurried off to where Susan was standing.
Ian rolled his eyes "Try not to be too upset," he muttered to himself before walking after him.
"You know that this would be easier if you just accepted it, right?" Tyra asked, raising her eyebrow at the two teachers "I get that you want to go home but technically… It's your own fault that you're here now. If you had let things go then you wouldn't be here."
"And you're so much better?" Barbara snapped "I don't get you. You're not the least bit surprised by all of this. Shouldn't you be freaking out as much as the rest of us? And then that sabretooth tiger. How did you do that?"
Tyra crossed her arms "Why would I tell you?" she asked calmly, suppressing the smirk when the woman got redder and redder in the face "I told you before that I don't really care if you like me or not but once again. I am an adult, whether you understand that or not. I do understand that you aren't happy with the Doctor or what he did but how about you see this whole thing as a chance?"
"A chance?" Ian scoffed.
"A chance to see what's out there," Tyra explained "Aren't you the least bit curious?"
Barbara grimaced "We nearly died once already. I just want to go home."
Tyra shook her head in exasperation "Okay, let's say he does bring you back home, then what? You go back to teaching, forget everything ever happened to you. You live a miserable life, trying to get noticed in a system that really doesn't care."
"You're very pessimistic, aren't you?" Ian grinned lightly. He wasn't necessarily happy about all of this but he could admit that Tyra had a point. While he didn't understand much of what was going on around him or even like the Doctor much, he could see the appeal. No other Human in their time had travelled the stars. Hell, he wasn't even sure how it was possible at all but it was probably better than to question it. Not like he understood much of what the Doctor and Tyra had talked about before.
Tyra shrugged "You call it pessimistic, I call it being realistic. Normal people like you don't normally get to live on when you die. Maybe your family if you're going to have any children but other than that… You want to go back to your normal, boring lives after seeing what you did. Ms Wright, you're a History teacher. Don't you want to see and experience it for yourself? Trust me, it's even better than you think and who knows… You might even learn something." She turned to Ian "And you. Science has evolved so much in just a few years… Wouldn't it be interesting to get a sneak peek of how it could be? You already saw that not-so-living-anymore metal lizard. What else is out there?"
Ian sighed "I suppose it would be interesting to see."
"Ian," Barbara exclaimed.
"What?" he asked defensively "You can't say that she doesn't have a point."
Barbara shook her head "I counted so much on just going back to things I recognise and trust. But here there's nothing to rely on. Nothing."
Tyra closed her eyes for a moment before her voice softened "You have him." She gestured to Ian "I would say that you have me and Susan as well but I don't know how much of a comfort that would be."
Barbara let out a short laugh "I wish I was more like all of you. I'm afraid I'm a very unwilling adventurer."
"It's never too late to learn to enjoy things, you know?" Tyra pointed out.
"I have a question though," Barbara spoke up, her smile turning thoughtful "What about your family? You have never mentioned them once since I've known you and I don't understand why. You're so young…"
Tyra's expression went blank "There's a very good reason for that," she murmured softly. She shook her head, hiding how she really felt about the question "Anyway, we should go find the Doctor and Susan before they get themselves into any trouble. I don't wanna miss out the fun this time around. Always wanted to get into a fight with a caveman."
"Fun she says," Ian snorted, shaking his head. He was about to follow her when Barbara caught his arm "What is it?"
"What do you think happened?" Barbara asked, her eyes following the girl "To her family, I mean."
Ian ran a hand through his hair "I don't know. A part of me is dreading the answer. Did you see her reaction to you mentioning them? But I can tell you one thing. She won't be talking about it anytime soon. Not that we have given her much reason to talk to us."
Barbara nodded hesitatingly "I suppose you're right."
They looked up when they saw Susan "Grandfather's talking about fixing our position by the stars," she pointed out, watching the two adults curiously. She had seen Tyra on her way back here and she looked as if she was ready to burst out crying. Either that or murder something. Whatever they had been talking about, Tyra hadn't liked it…
"Good," Ian exclaimed "Where is he?"
Susan gestured over her shoulder "Just over there." She hesitated for a moment before she tilted her head "What happened here?"
Ian blinked "What do you mean?"
"With Tyra," Susan elaborated.
"Nothing, Susan," Ian smiled at the girl reassuringly "She was simply telling us some home truths."
Susan nodded uncertainly and went to turn around when Barbara spoke up "Susan. Don't you have anything in the ship that records the journeys?"
"Oh, yes," Susan nodded, leading the two adults to where she had left the Doctor "There's a meter fixed to a great bank of computers. If you feed it with the right sort of information, it can take over the controls of the ship and deliver you to any place you want to go."
Barbara raised her eyebrow "Then why don't we know where we are?"
"Well," Susan murmured, slightly embarrassed "It's a question of the right information, you see. I don't say that grandfather doesn't know how to work the shit but he's so forgetful and then he will go off and… Well, he likes to work on his own."
"So I've noticed," the woman grumbled.
Susan's smiled dropped before it was back "Anyway, he's only got to do some computations back in the ship and we can move on."
Barbara hummed in understanding "Well, it can't be too soon for me."
"Well now," the Doctor clapped his hands, looking at the rest of the group "Are we ready?"
"Oh, Doctor, have you worked out yet how all this happened?" Barbara asked.
The Doctor shook his head "No, not really, not really." He let out an annoyed sigh "Whatever it was destroyed everything that was living but the planet is dead, totally dead."
"Barbara, Doctor. Over here," Ian called out. He tilted his head up at Tyra "Why didn't you tell them?"
She gazed off into the distance and shrugged "They were bound to find out sooner or later and here you are."
"Are you – Are you alright?" Ian inquired unsurely.
Tyra shot him a look "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I just thought…"
"I don't care," Tyra cut him off "I'm fine but I would appreciate it if you didn't bring up my family in the future." Her gaze trailed to Barbara "Either of you. It's none of your business."
The Doctor moved closer, his view being blocked by Barbara and several rocks "What is it, Chesterton? We really must get back to…" He trailed off, looking at the city that was clearly visible across the plain "Fascinating."
"A city," Barbara exclaimed in wonder when she caught sight of what he had seen "A huge city."
The Doctor put on a pair of binocular glasses and squinted at the city in the distance. Ian turned to face the other man "Well, Doctor? Can you see anything? Any sign of life?"
"No, no," the Doctor shook his head "No sign of life. Just buildings. Magnificent buildings…"
Susan reached out to grab the glasses from him "Oh, let me have a look." She let out a gasp when she could finally see the city more clearly "It's fabulous. Here, you have a look." She handed the glasses to Barbara.
Ian squinted into the distance before accepting the glasses when Barbara handed them over "What do you think, Doctor?"
"I don't know," the Doctor muttered "I don't know. Whatever it was that destroyed the vegetation here certainly hasn't damaged the city. But there's no signs of life. No movement, no light, no… No, I shall know more about it when I've been down there."
Barbara whirled around to face him "Down there? Oh, no. We're going back to the ship."
Tyra let out a groan "Really, you should know by now that arguing won't get you anywhere. I'm sure the Doctor will take you back to the Tardis if you really don't want to see that city." She paused before a grimace flashed across her face "When did I become the voice of reason? I don't like this."
The Doctor hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding his head "I suppose I could take you back to the ship before I investigate that city. And just to make things clear to you. I won't be leaving until I have thoroughly investigated it."
Ian rolled his eyes at the man "Well, it's too late to talk about it now. It's getting dark. We'll discuss it when we get back to the ship."
"Yes," Susan nodded "Whatever you decide, it's too late to get down there now."
"Yes, yes, yes," the Doctor sighed at their insistence "Alright then. But I assure you, I'm determined to study that place."
"You can do what you like, as long as you don't endanger the rest of us," Ian pointed out.
Tyra shot him an annoyed look. It was like talking to a wall. And here she had thought she actually got somewhere when talking to them earlier "Oh, I don't mind. Been longing for a good fight." She looked at the Doctor pleadingly "Please don't get into trouble without me?"
"You were the one who wandered off last time," the Doctor pointed out, his lips giving the smallest twitch "And ended up befriending a sabretooth tiger along with some cubs."
Tyra shrugged "If you've got it, flaunt it or whatever that saying is…"
"You're going to be coming along to the city then?" the Doctor asked.
"Do you even have to ask?" Tyra grinned, bouncing along next to him. She knew that she was annoying Barbara if the looks she was getting were anything to go by but that made her want to continue even more. She never said that she wasn't a bitch if she wanted to be one… And the other woman's behaviour was starting to get on her nerves. Yes, the Doctor took them along against their will but she conveniently forgot that she was the one who forced her way into a police box instead of – Oh, calling the actual police.
Ian rolled his eyes at the two of them. They were just as bad as each other "You're the only one who can operate the ship. I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Doctor," he pointed out, turning around to walk back to where they had left the Tardis "I think this is the way we came."
"It's not," Tyra smirked and pointed to the right "That's the way we came from."
"Right…" The man blinked in the direction Tyra had pointed in and changed course.
Tyra stopped when she noticed that Susan had bent down to pick another flower "You coming?"
"Yes, yes," Susan nodded.
"Shh," Tyra hissed at her all of a sudden, making Susan freeze in her tracks "There's someone here."
Susan got up, looking around with wide eyes "Who's there?" she called out. Tyra shot forward, grabbing the hand that had reached out for Susan before it could make contact. Susan let out a shrill scream when she noticed and as soon as she did, Tyra let the person go.
Ian ran back through the jungle, looking for the two girls. He stopped when he saw Tyra whispering to Susan "Alright, Susan," he murmured, wrapping her in his arms "It's alright. You're safe now." He glanced over at Tyra "Are you okay?"
"Just fine," she waved off "It's Susan who got the bigger scare."
"Did Susan tell you what frightened her?" Barbara asked the Doctor, glancing over at the two girls periodically.
The Doctor hummed absentmindedly "Yes, yes. She is convinced that someone tried to touch her. Tyra apparently stopped them before they could. I tried to make her see it wasn't possible."
"Did Tyra say anything?"
"No," he shook his head "I haven't asked her yet."
Barbara raised her eyebrow "Maybe you should before you make up your mind about this."
The Doctor shifted uncomfortably "I was wondering… Would you have a talk with them? I'm afraid they wouldn't listen to me."
"Yes, of course, I will," Barbara nodded, slightly surprised at the request.
"Yes, you know, sometimes I find the gulf between Susan's age and mine makes difficult understanding between us," the Doctor admitted reluctantly.
Barbara smiled at him "I'll see what I can do. At least Tyra is here now too. She is the closest to Susan in age after all."
The Doctor's lips twitched in amusement. He knew that Tyra was older than even he was even if her body looked younger than she really was "Of course, she is."
Barbara shook her head, not even trying to understand the tone the Doctor had taken. She made her way to the table where Susan and Tyra were huddled around a book, talking quietly "Hello."
"Hello," Susan murmured, closing the book quickly.
"What are you two doing?" Barbara asked.
Susan shrugged "Just looking at a book."
"What book?" Barbara asked, leaning over Susan's shoulder curiously.
"Does it matter?" Tyra asked, crossing her arms. She knew what the woman was trying to do and she wasn't sure whether she appreciated it.
Barbara sat down in the chair next to Susan, grabbing her hand "What happened out there?"
"Nothing."
"Well Ian said you were terrified," she pointed out "Well, something must have frightened you."
Tyra glanced from Susan to Barbara and sighed "There was a man out in the jungle. He got a little too close for comfort."
Barbara blinked "You saw who it was?"
"Yes," Tyra shrugged "It was a man. I didn't get a good look at him because he left pretty quickly."
"But grandfather says that it's impossible for anyone to live out there," Susan added.
Barbara sent her a sad smile "Oh, Susan, it isn't that he doesn't believe you. It's just that he finds it difficult to go against his scientific facts."
Tyra snorted "That's one way of putting it, I assume."
"Oh, look," Barbara sighed "Why don't you just try and forget it for the moment?"
"For the moment," Susan nodded and got up "I think I'm going to grab you that book I told you about, Tyra."
"Thanks, Susan," Tyra smiled "That would be great."
Barbara turned to Tyra once Susan was gone "What book? And what were you talking about earlier?"
Tyra raised her eyebrows "A bit nosy, aren't you? It's none of your business."
"I…" Barbara broke off, raising one hand to her head "Oh God."
"Are you okay?" Tyra questioned, tilting her head.
"Yes, yes. It's just my head," Barbara murmured, massaging her temples.
Susan had just entered the console room again, a book clutched in her hands "I can give you something for that if you want," she spoke up quietly, handing the book to Tyra.
"I would appreciate it," Barbara groaned.
Susan nodded, fetching a glass of water and a vial of headache reliever. She was just putting a couple of drops into the clear liquid when the Doctor and Ian walked over "Oh, what's the matter?" the Doctor asked, frowning.
"I've suddenly got this terrible headache," Barbara murmured, closing her eyes to stop the light from hurting her head even more.
"Oh, dear, dear, how irksome for you." He glanced at the vial Susan was holding and nodded "Oh, this stuff is very good. This should cure it. Now, not too much, dear," he told Susan "Not too much."
Susan stopped suddenly "No. Oh, grandfather." She raised her eyes to look up at him "I'm sorry I was so silly just now. Here, try this."
Barbara accepted the glass of water and took a deep gulp "Thank you. Oh, it's very nice."
Ian patted her shoulder "Let's hope it does you some good."
The Doctor wandered over to a machine nearby and grabbed some food, nibbling on it when Ian and Barbara joined him, the smell of food making their stomachs rumbling "Oh, did you want something to eat? What would you like?"
"I'd like some bacon and eggs," Barbara told him, looking at the machine curiously.
Ian hummed "Alright, bacon and eggs."
"Bacon and eggs," the Doctor nodded, grabbing the manual from the top of the machine.
"But…"
Susan stepped up next to Ian "This is fully automatic."
"Yes, certainly, certainly," the Doctor hummed, leafing through it "J62."
Susan reached out to twist the dials "J62."
"L6," the Doctor continued.
"L6," Susan repeated.
Ian looked at the machine warily "I hope mine doesn't taste of engine grease."
The Doctor shot him a withering look "Now, now, now, don't be ridiculous."
"Shall I get plates and things?" Barbara asked.
"No, there's no need to," Susan shook her head. The Doctor took two blocks out of the dispensing slot and held them out. Susan nodded at them "Bacon and eggs."
Ian raised his eyebrow in disbelief "What, this?"
"Go on, try it," Susan urged.
The two teachers unwrapped the blocks and took a small, hesitant bite "Well?" the Doctor asked.
"Mm. Not bad," Ian shrugged "What do you think, Barbara?"
"I think it's delicious," she mumbled, taking a bigger bite.
Ian nodded before he tilted his head "My bacon's a bit salty."
"It shouldn't be," the Doctor pointed out "It's English."
"No, seriously, Doctor, this is remarkable," Ian told him "I mean, one bit and I taste the bacon, another and I taste the egg. How do you do it?"
The Doctor shrugged "Food has component parts, dear boy. Flavours are rather like primary colours, you know. You blend two to achieve a third, a fourth, etc, etc."
"Well, I think it's wonderful," Ian remarked.
Susan turned to look at Barbara "How's your headache now?"
"Oh, it's much better," she replied "I don't usually get them at all."
"Susan, Tyra, would you like something to eat?"
Susan shook her head "No, thanks. I'm not hungry."
The Doctor frowned at her in concern "Oh, child, that's unusual. I do hope your effects outside the ship haven't affected you too much?"
"No." She got up "I think I'll go to bed now, anyway."
"Right," the Doctor nodded.
"Do you want to know where you can sleep, Miss Wright?" Susan asked.
Barbara's face showed relief "Oh, yes."
"So, food?" the Doctor asked, looking at Tyra.
She hesitated for a moment before she nodded "I think I'm going to need… Well, you know."
The Doctor's face smoothed out "Oh, right. Certainly. I think… I think it should be possible." He leafed through the book before turning the dials "I do hope it will taste satisfactory."
Tyra nibbled at the block and grimaced "I – Okay, this is…" She took another bite, feeling the blood settle in her stomach "It could be worse."
"I think we might be able to find another way," the Doctor pointed out, patting the girl's shoulder "Remind me the next time we're on Earth."
"Sure," Tyra nodded, finishing off the block with another grimace. The more she ate, the worse it tasted but she couldn't deny that at least she didn't feel the need to bite anyone who annoyed her anymore.
Ian was about to open his mouth to question them when a tapping sound echoed through the console room "What's that?"
"The scanner," the Doctor murmured.
Susan hurried over "There was somebody there." She looked at the scanner with a frown when it didn't show anything.
"Nothing," Ian shook his head "Not a thing."
"But something must have made that noise," Susan pointed out.
Barbara let out a strangled noise "Look, I've had enough of this. Please, can't we get out of here?"
"Ah, but the city," the Doctor pouted "I must see the city."
"But why?" Barbara demanded.
He shot her a glare, muttering to himself "I will not be questioned. Uninvited passengers. I didn't invite them to the ship. I shall do what I want to do."
Ian crossed his arms "Why endanger the rest of us by staying here?"
"Grandfather, please. Please," Susan whispered.
The Doctor sighed and set the Tardis going. When the others turned away, he quickly ducked under the console to remove something. Tyra raised her eyebrow when he reappeared. He gestured for her to be quiet when the Tardis started shaking.
"What's the matter?" Susan asked, looking around.
The Doctor frowned "I don't know," he lied "The power take-up was rising normally and…"
"What's wrong?" Ian asked, stepping closer to the Doctor.
"Oh, don't distract me, please," the Doctor grumbled.
Susan walked around the console "Shall I trace it on the fault locator, grandfather?"
The Doctor hummed "Yes, I think you'd better, child."
"K7," Susan read, looking over the printout.
"K7?" the Doctor asked "Ah yes, of course, the fluid link." He ducked under the console and reached into his pocket to grab the piece he had removed earlier "Yes, there we are. The end of it has unscrewed itself and the fluid has run out."
Ian looked over at him "Have you got a spare?"
The Doctor shook his head "Oh, no, no need for that. This is easily repaired. All we have to do is refill it."
"What liquid do you need?" Ian questioned.
"Mercury."
Ian blinked "Mercury? Can I get it for you?"
The Doctor grimaced "No, I'm afraid you can't. We haven't any at all."
"What?"
"No."
"Don't you carry a supply?" Ian demanded.
The Doctor snorted "No, it hasn't been necessary. This hasn't happened before."
"But you must have some somewhere, surely," Ian said, waving his hands around desperately.
"No, no. We shall have to get some from outside."
Barbara ran her hands through her styled hair "But where? There isn't anything outside because…"
"Yes," Ian exclaimed "There's the city."
The Doctor barely stopped his smug smirk from showing "Yes, the city, of course." He hit his head as if chastising himself for not thinking about it before "Of course we're bound to get some mercury there. Yes, we're bound to. Well, I mean, what else can we do, hmm?"
"It seems we have no alternative," Ian sighed "We have to go to the city."
"Yes, indeed," the Doctor nodded, ignoring Tyra's knowing look "At first light, then?"
The next day, they were all gathered in the console room "Well, it's light enough and there doesn't seem to be anything out there," Ian pointed out with a sigh "We might as well get started. Oh, and Doctor. Remember we're going to this city to find mercury and once we've found it, we're coming straight back here. Is that clear?"
"Oh, quite so. Quite so," the Doctor nodded, still radiating smugness at his success.
Ian turned around to face the others as soon as they stepped out of the Tardis "Well, shall I lead?"
The Doctor waved his hand "Yes, by all means."
"Look," Ian exclaimed, crouching down in front of the curved metal object on the ground.
"Don't touch it," Barbara cried out "It might go off."
Susan nodded in agreement "Be careful."
The Doctor rolled his eyes with a sigh "What is it, Chesterton?"
"I don't know," Ian shook his head, grabbing a long stick "Stand back, all of you." He prodded it a couple of times before tapping on it "I think it's alright. A metal box." He reached out to open it "It's a box of glass vials. Look."
"Let me see," the Doctor held out his hand for the box.
Susan stared at her grandfather accusingly "Then there was somebody here last night. They must have dropped them." She silently glared at the two men "I knew I was right."
Ian grimaced apologetically "Yes. Sorry, Susan."
"Yes, I'd like to run a few tests on those," the Doctor mused, ignoring the conversation around him. He held the box out for Susan "Susan, would you take these into the ship, please?"
Susan nodded "Yes."
"Thank you," the Doctor inclined his head "Oh, and by the way, did you remember the food supplies?"
"Yes," Susan nodded once again "A day's supply for five. That's enough, isn't it?"
The Doctor hummed, watching Susan hurry back into the Tardis to drop the box off "Yes, ample, ample."
Ian looked from one to the other "I trust we won't be more than a couple of hours." He raised his eyebrows when Susan came back "You ready, Susan?"
"Yes."
"Come on, then. Off we go," Ian sighed, turning to walk in front of the group.
The Doctor leaned against the metal wall almost as soon as they reached the city "Do you mind if I sit down for a minute?" he asked, beads of sweat on his forehead "I feel a bit exhausted."
Tyra frowned at him, listening to his hearts beating frantically "Everything alright, Doctor?"
"Yes. I'm just a bit tired," he waved her off "It was a long journey and my legs are rather weak."
Barbara looked at him, her eyes narrowing "Why don't you rest here? Ian and I will look around and see if we can…"
"No, no, no, no," the Doctor cut her off, shaking his head "I want to look around too. I shall be alright, thank you."
Tyra exchanged an amused look with Susan and rolled her eyes. She turned to the Doctor "You should rest for a moment, Doctor. You don't look well."
Ian swallowed heavily "I must say…" he spoke up, blinking back the spots in his vision "I don't feel too good myself. Look, why don't we get this over with quickly. Look for instruments, gauges, anything like that. Ideally what we want is a laboratory."
Barbara grabbed Ian's hand when a door opened "Ian, look."
"Why don't we separate and go different ways and meet back here in say ten minutes. Alright?" Ian asked, looking from one to the other.
"Fine," Barbara nodded in agreement "I'll go this way."
The Doctor pushed away from the wall and held out his hand for Susan "Would you lend me your arm, Susan?" When she immediately moved to his side, he smiled thankfully "Thank you."
Tyra looked from the Doctor and Susan's retreating backs to Ian before moving to stand next to the Science teacher as he tried to open the door in front of them. She spied a button by the side of the door and tapped Ian's shoulder "Here."
"Ah, thank you, Tyra," Ian nodded, waving his hand around in front of the sensor, making the door swing open.
They moved further through the door and looked around the corridors for a bit before heading back to where they came from.
"Ah, there you are," Ian greeted when Susan and the Doctor moved back towards them "Any luck?"
Susan shook her head "No. How about the two of you?"
"No, no luck," Ian sighed and glanced down at his watch "Barbara should be here by now. Barbara? Barbara. We'll give her a couple of minutes more and then, if she's not back we'll have to go and look for her." He paced up and down in front of the door while the Doctor slid down the wall tiredly.
Tyra started fiddling with a coin she had found in her pocket, staring off into space. She was listening to any movement close to them but so far there was nothing apart from the noises their group was making.
"We've waited long enough for her," Ian finally decided "We must go and find her."
