TW: Thank you.
Gallifrey 22.3 Thank you.
After finishing breakfast, the group once more returned to the viewing room. They retook their seats, unable to help shaking the feeling of unease that filled them as the TARDIS started the next recording.
In the waters underneath the North Pole in 1983, a submarine is being piloted by a crew. The captain and lieutenant both turn a key in a lock and the ship prepares to fire missiles.
"So this takes place during the Cold War then," Wilf noted.
"And of course the Spaceman is going to get involved there," Donna muttered, wondering absently if there was an era of history where The Doctor hadn't been involved in some event.
"Should be interesting, if nothing else," Jack noted as he watched intrigued.
Before the captain can push the launch button, a man enters the bridge, singing as he listened to a cassette player. They turn to him as he asks if he was interrupting something and the captain says they were about to blow up the world. "Again?"
"He's not wrong," Jack noted as Mickey snickered. "The Cold War felt like a nuclear arms race at times."
"You felt like every day was going to be Armageddon," Wilf agreed, remembering that time well.
"Just be thankful it wasn't," Martha said as the recording continued.
The captain calls off the drive, ignoring the protests of the lieutenant. They argue before the captain firmly says they'll run the drive tomorrow. The lieutenant storms off and the captain turns to the professor, asking if the specimen is stored. The professor says it is and the captain notes they have something to show for their mission, asking if it's a mammoth. The professor says probably. A few levels below, a figure trapped in a block of ice is seen.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Mickey muttered as a sense of unease filled the room.
"Trust that feeling Mickey. In my experience, whenever humans find something frozen in a block of ice, it never ends well," Jack said, remembering many Torchwood cases that began just like this. "You'd be surprised how often it's something dangerous."
"Brilliant," Martha said dryly as they all watched uneasily.
A young man is using a lighter to try and thaw out the figure, talking to the creature as he does, noting the professor told him to wait until they got to Moscow. "But life's too short to wait."
"And this bloody idiot is going to unfreeze it," Donna grumbled as the unease increased.
"Human stupidity mixed with the unknown is never a good combination," Jane said helplessly with a shrug.
"Tell me about it," Jack grumbled.
The young man uses a blow torch to thaw out the figure. He stops as he realizes the figure is still alive before it smashes its arm out of the ice and grabs the young man by the throat.
"I hate being right," Jack grumbled as the other past viewers jumped.
"Oi! What is that?!" Donna exclaimed in alarm.
"Clearly nothing good," Martha muttered.
"It's a relic of the past that should never have been unearthed. Unfortunately, humans have a habit of doing that, with disastrous results," Jane said with a heavy sigh as the past viewers watched nervously.
Sometime later, chaos reigns in the submarine. One of the crew shouts an alarm as the hull is breached. A figure in armor walks forward, shooting a crewmember with a weapon on his wrist.
"What is that?" Mickey asked alarmed as they got their first look at whatever was in the ice.
"I don't know. But it's clearly a killer of some kind," Jack muttered, wondering why it looked so familiar.
"Why do they always have to be killers? Why can't humanity unearth a nice alien just once?" Donna groaned.
"Because this isn't a children's fairy tale," Martha said dryly, sharing Donna's feelings.
The crew scrambles but are unable to bring the submarine to the surface. The TARDIS then materializes on the bridge. The Doctor steps out, thinking he's arrived at Los Vegas when the ship suddenly rocks and he and Clara are thrown into the bridge.
"And Boss drops in at that moment. Who else is surprised?" Mickey asked sarcastically.
"The TARDIS always does seem to drop him right in these kinds of situations," Martha said with a light smile.
The captain demands to know who they are as The Doctor says this is better than Vegas, to Clara's disbelief. The captain demands they be restrained but is informed the turbine isn't responding.
"Of course. Because this can't ever be easy, can it?" Donna said sarcastically.
"Seems like an unwritten law of the universe that it always has to be hard for The Doctor," Jack agreed, feeling sympathy for his old friend.
The Doctor quickly scans the submarine and informs the captain he still has sideways momentum, explaining the propellers will allow him to move the sub laterally. Clara shouts at them to listen to The Doctor as The Doctor says they have one shot if this they act now or the sub will explode. The captain then orders his crew to do as The Doctor said. The lieutenant is in disbelief that the captain is listening to The Doctor but the captain ignores him.
"Well at least the captain seems reasonable," Wilf said pleased.
"He's also a Russian at the height of the Cold War. We'll see how long that lasts," Jack said as they watched uneasily, hoping the captain wouldn't lose his head.
The sub rocks as it moves against the side of a nearby incline before the sub steadies.
"Thank the Lord," Wilf said as the past viewers breathed a sigh of relief.
"So far so good. Now they just need to deal with the raging, homicidal alien," Martha muttered.
"You have such a way with words," Mickey said sarcastically as they watched uneasily.
The captain gratefully notes they owe The Doctor their lives and The Doctor promises to hold him to that. The lieutenant orders The Doctor and Clara searched and the pair are pushed against a pillar.
"The captain may be reasonable, but the Lieutenant isn't," Jack noted.
"Which will likely cause problems later," Mickey muttered as the uneasy feeling grew.
"Brilliant," Donna moaned.
Clara asks if they're going to be okay and The Doctor says they are but admits that might be a lie, as it's a very dangerous time. The Doctor has determined they are in the 80's when the captain takes his screwdriver, asking what it is. Before The Doctor can answer, the sub rocks and Clara is thrown to the floor. The TARDIS starts dematerializing and The Doctor quickly runs over but isn't in time to stop it as the TARDIS vanishes.
"Oh bloody brilliant! What else can go wrong?!" Donna asked in exasperation as the past viewers looked at the screen in shock.
"Did the TARDIS just leave The Doctor behind?" Martha asked in disbelief.
"Sort of. It's explained at the end," Jane said with a shrug.
"Either way, this really can't get worse," Mickey muttered.
"When are you going to learn Mickey? It can always get worse," Jane said darkly.
Clara becomes submerged in water, seeing The Doctor's screwdriver before passing out. When she wakes up, she sees the captain slam The Doctor against a wall, demanding to know who he is. As he doesn't have his psychic paper, The Doctor decides to be honest and says he and Clara are time travels. Clara assures The Doctor she's okay as the captain scoffs at The Doctor's claim. The Doctor points out he saw how they arrived and how precious breath is down here. The captain agrees; threatening to have The Doctor and Clara shot.
"So much for being reasonable," Martha muttered as the past viewers looked alarmed at this.
"Like I said, Russian during the Cold War. Not exactly the most reasonable people," Jack pointed out.
"And just Boss's luck that he drops in right in the middle of this," Mickey said with a sigh as they all watched nervously.
Clara snaps it doesn't matter how they arrived when they hear a hissing sound. The captain steps away from The Doctor as he sees the armored figure behind him. The Doctor thinks he's finally seen sense until Clara shouts at him. Hearing the sounds behind him, The Doctor thinks its gas until he sees everyone looking behind him and turns around, seeing the figure.
"Bloody Hell," Mickey groaned as the past viewers stared in horror and worry.
"Run Spaceman," Donna whispered.
"Where? They're all trapped on the sub," Jack pointed out although he sounded worried as well.
"Just get away from the homicidal alien!" Donna snapped.
The professor says they'd been drilling for oil in the ice and believed they'd found a mammoth. The Doctor explains it's an Ice Warrior, a native of Mars. "And we go way back. Way back," The Doctor says.
"An Ice Warrior," Jack breathed as the other past viewers looked at him sharply.
"You know this thing?" Mickey asked and Jack shook his head.
"Only by reputation. I studied it before becoming a Time Agent; it's in the history books. And if this is what they're dealing with, it's going to take a miracle for The Doctor to get out of this alive," Jack said uneasily.
"The Doctor seems to have encountered them before, that might give him an advantage," Wilf suggested hopefully.
"I hope you're right gramps. For everyone's sake," Donna muttered as they watched the screen uneasily.
One of the crewmembers pulls out a gun and The Doctor tries to deescalate the situation, saying the Ice Warrior must be disoriented, as he's been in the ice for 5,000 years according to the professor. The Doctor lowers the crewmember's gun, assuring the Ice Warrior no one wants to hurt it and asks for its name, explaining it has a name and rank, as it's a soldier. The Ice Warrior introduces himself as Grand Marshall Skaldak, to The Doctor's disbelief.
"Son of a bitch," Jack breathed, looking at the screen in disbelief.
"He's sort of a big deal then?" Mickey inquired as the past viewers looked at Jack curiously, almost dreading the answer.
"He'd be considered the Captain America of his species. He was greatest warrior of his kind, a legend. The Doctor needs to play this carefully or it could be a bloodbath," Jack explained as they watched the screen with baited breath, waiting to see what would happen next.
Skaldak then starts, having been hit from behind by a cattle prod by the lieutenant. "You idiot!" The Doctor shouts as Skaldak falls to the floor. Clara asks if The Doctor knows Skaldak and The Doctor explains that Skaldak is the greatest warrior Mars ever produced. The Doctor then orders Skaldak to be locked up.
"Well there goes that idea," Mickey muttered as Jack closed his eye.
"The Lieutenant just killed them all," Jack said in defeat.
"Is he that bad then?" Martha asked.
"Worse? Before Skaldak was attacked, there was a chance at peace. But now he'll consider them enemies. There's nothing The Doctor can do now to stop this," Jack said in dismay as the past viewers all stared at him horrified.
Skaldak is then chained up and asks one of the crewmembers doing so if he really slept for 5,000 years. The crewmembers says it's what the professor says before walking off. In the captain's quarters, The Doctor is explaining to Clara, the captain and lieutenant about Skaldak's history. The captain insists The Doctor explain to him about the Ice warrior but The Doctor says there isn't time. Still, he explains the suit was built to withstand Mars's freezing temperatures. Clara asks if the Ice Warriors are that dangerous and The Doctor says Skaldak is. From where he is chained, Skaldak urges his brothers to find him as part of his suit flashes as a beeping is heard.
"A distress call. He's calling for backup," Mickey realized in horror as Jack lowered his head.
"This is just getting worse and worse. Skaldak is bad enough, but if he calls in the other Ice Warriors it'll be an all-out invasion," Jack said to the horror of the other past viewers.
"Doctor, stop this. You have to stop this," Martha muttered although she honestly didn't know how she could.
In the captain's quarters, the lieutenant scoffs at The Doctor's claims, saying they are spies. Clara laughs, saying they're not even speaking Russian. When the lieutenant looks at her in confusion, Clara realizes she's in fact speaking Russian. The Doctor explains it's the TARDIS translation matrix. The lieutenant tells the captain Skaldak is a Western weapon, not a 'little green man from mars'. The Professor is listening nearby to his music and says it's a big green man, amusing the captain. The professor and Lieutenant bicker, the professor proposing The Doctor is telling the truth.
"At least the professor is willing to listen," Donna said hopefully.
"So is the captain. The only one who seems determined not to is the lieutenant," Jack noted.
The lieutenant suggests they forward this to Moscow but the captain points out the radios are out. But the Lieutenant points out they have their last known location and will be found soon. The captain points out they have other priorities and orders the Lieutenant, Stepashin to resume repairs. He dismisses Stepashin but Stepashin lingers defiantly. The captain gets to his feet, looking Stepashin in the eye and repeating that he's dismissed. Stepashin then walks out.
"He's going to be a problem," Mickey muttered, unable to shake the bad feeling he got from Stepashin.
"He seems to possess all the paranoia of the time. Never a good thing in this kind of situation," Jack said, all of them sharing Mickey's feeling about Stepashin.
The Doctor then explains if they'd have ignored him, Skaldak would have moved on. But when they attacked him, they declared war. "Harm one of us and you harm us all. It's Martian Code. You hear that?" The Doctor asks as they hear the beeping. "Skaldak has sent out a distress signal. He will bring down the fires of Hell just for laying a glove on him."
"Great job Stepashin," Donna said sarcastically as they all watched uneasily, wondering how The Doctor would get out of this one.
The captain proposes The Doctor talk to Skaldak and The Doctor says he's the only one who can. But the captain says he's too valuable, so the captain will talk to him through The Doctor. The Doctor argues Skaldak will know the captain is an enemy soldier and won't talk to him. The captain asks if he wouldn't know The Doctor is one as well and they argue before Clara clears her throat, suggesting they allow her to go talk to Skaldak.
"It's honestly not a bad plan. The Captain is right; The Doctor gives off too much of a warrior vibe for Skaldak to listen to him. Sending Clara in might be the best option," Jack mused.
"And the Siren? I really don't want to imagine what it could do with an Ice Warrior," Martha said uneasily.
"The Ice Warriors are too evolved to be charmed by a Space Siren. It won't even try," Jane assured.
"Cheers for small miracles I guess," Donna muttered.
The Doctor protests before the scene changes to Clara heading into talk to Skaldak. She puts some headphones on and turns on a light. The Doctor watches this with the captain and the professor through a security camera. The captain allows The Doctor to speak to Clara thorough a microphone. The Doctor coaches Clara through a salute and typical Martian greeting. As Clara begins trying to talk to Skaldak, repeating what The Doctor says, the lights go out.
"Well that's just brilliant," Martha grumbled as they all tensed.
Clara is unnerved but The Doctor urges her to keep going. Clara repeats what The Doctor says, telling Skaldak that he is not their enemy. "And yet I am in chains," Skaldak notes. Clara nervously asks The Doctor what to say as Skaldak mocks The Doctor. The professor notes Skaldak wants to talk to The Doctor.
"Have to admit, he's got a point about the chains," Mickey noted.
"Let's try not to agree with the raging, homicidal alien, eh?" Donna grumbled as they all watched nervously.
"Just saying Boss is not off to a great start," Mickey said defensively.
"Husband, please shut up," Martha said in exasperation.
The Doctor says Skaldak is restrained until they can trust each other and warns him not to use 'that sort of weapon' in the torpedo room. Skaldak snarls that he sang the 'Song of the Red Snow' with his daughter on her first battle but she will now be dust. The Doctor assures him that his people still live on, scattered across the universe and urges Skaldak to let him help but Skaldak refuses.
"This is not good. A captured Ice Warrior is one thing, but a captured Ice Warrior who believes he's lost those he loves is another," Jack said with growing alarm. "He could fly into a rage and kill everyone on the sub."
"Well let's just hope he can't get out of those chains," Martha said as the unease they felt grew even more.
The Doctor warns Clara not to get too close but she ignores him, approaching Skaldak and notices something is wrong. The helmet opens up and Clara steps back, shocked as the armor opens, revealing Skaldak is not inside.
"Shit!" Mickey swore as the past viewers stared in horror.
"Skaldak got out of his armor. This is unheard of," Jack said horrified.
"Where the bloody Hell is he?!" Donna exclaimed in panic.
"He obviously didn't leave the room, so he has to still be inside," Martha realized in horror.
"So now he has a hostage if he wants. Brilliant," Mickey grumbled.
The Doctor and Clara are shocked as Skaldak's voice says that he must now learn what the sub is capable of. "Harm one of us and you harm us all," Skaldak sneers as Clara looks around wildly with a light. "By the moons, this I swear." The Doctor urges Clara to get out of there before standing up. The captain aims a pistol at The Doctor's head and he holds his hands up, saying he's never seen one do this before or out of his armor. The captain lowers his gun and The Doctor moves towards the door as the professor asks if Skaldak will be more vulnerable without his armor. The Doctor says he'll be more dangerous before running out of the room.
"He seemed pretty bloody dangerous before," Donna muttered, not being able to imagine how much more dangerous Skaldak would be now.
"A cornered, terrified animal is always the most dangerous Donna. A cornered, terrified Ice Warrior is even worse," Jane said grimly as the past viewers grew more worried.
"Doctor," Martha said softly.
Clara sees the hatch she entered through and moves towards it as she hears Skaldak's snarls get closer. She begins opening it when she sees movement. She jumps aside as Skaldak rushes outside, passing The Doctor, the captain and the professor.
"And now he's on the loose. Brilliant," Donna grumbled.
"Things can't much worse," Mickey muttered.
"And the rules of these recordings would dictate that they can," Jack disagreed as he watched, wondering what would happen now.
The Doctor drags Clara out through the hatch, Clara assuring him she's alright before wondering where Skaldak went. The Doctor assures Clara she was great before the professor tells them the distress signal has stopped. The Doctor is confused until he realizes Skaldak got no answer and has now given up hope of being rescued. Skaldak believes he's been abandoned and now thinks he has nothing left to lose.
"That is not good. The most dangerous enemies are always those who feel they have nothing left to lose," Jack frowned, worried about what Skaldak might do next.
"He keeps getting more dangerous by the second," Wilf said worriedly.
"And I have a feeling he's not going to stop," Mickey said darkly, the soldier in him realizing just how dangerous Skaldak was.
The captain doesn't see how Skaldak can be so dangerous, pointing out he's stuck just like the rest of them. "This sub's stuffed with nuclear missiles, Zhukov. It's fat with them. What do you think Skaldak's going to do when he finds that out?" The Doctor demands.
"Bloody Hell. He could start a nuclear war," Mickey said horrified as they all realized the possibilities.
"May God help The Doctor on this one. He'll need all the help he can get," Wilf said darkly.
The Doctor notes things couldn't get much worse before the sub rocks. The sub has slipped down the incline and water is beginning to fill the sub.
"You just had to say it, didn't you Spaceman?" Donna groaned as they all watched in dismay.
"The only way this could possibly get worse now is if the Daleks and the Silence showed up," Martha sighed miserably.
Stepashin is trying to repair the ship when he hears a noise. He turns a light towards the source, asking who's there. He receives no response but then hears a sound behind him. He turns around, pulling out a pistol. Behind him, a reptilian like hand reaches out and grabs his shoulder while another touches the top of his head, terrifying Stepashin. "What do you want with me?" Much," Skaldak says.
"For the love of!" Donna exclaimed as they the past viewers looked at the screen in dismay.
"What could he want with Stepashin?" Wilf wondered.
"Nothing good," Jack noted grimly.
Zhukov is briefing his crew on the situation in the bridge, reminding them that one missile is all that Skaldak needs to destroy the world. "We are expendable comrades. Our world is not. I know I can rely on each and every one of you to do his duty without fail. That is all."
"So the fate of the world is in the hands of a lot of Russians from the Cold War. There's a joke in there somewhere," Martha muttered.
"A bloody twisted joke," Donna agreed softly.
"In spite of the time, they're not bad men.
Stepashin tries to form an alliance with Skaldak, telling him about the Cold War. Intrigued, Skaldak listens as Stepashin explains the current state of the war and how mutually assured destruction hasn't occurred. "Not yet," Skaldak says as he wraps his hands around Stepashin's head.
"You bloody idiot?" Donna snapped as they stared at the screen in disbelief.
"And now he's given Skaldak the perfect idea for how to wipe us out. Nice job Stepashin," Jack muttered as they watched uneasily, hoping The Doctor could find a way out of this.
As The Doctor works, Clara asks if the world can't end because she knows it didn't in her timeline. The Doctor explains history is in flux and can be changed, surprising her. The Doctor walks up to Zhukov, who informs him there are only twelve left excluding the two of them and Stepashin is unaccounted for. The Doctor suggests they split up into 2 groups with one staying to guard the bridge. Zhukov is unimpressed but The Doctor points out the alternative is to wait for Skaldak to kill them. Zhukov agrees reluctantly.
"Really the only plan they have at the moment," Mickey noted.
"Not a particularly good one though," Donna pointed out and Mickey shrugged.
"Didn't say it was. Just that it's the one available to them," Mickey said.
As Zhukov walks off, Clara asks if The Doctor really hasn't seen an Ice Warrior outside of its suit. The Doctor explains for an Ice Warrior to leave its suit is the greatest dishonor. "Skaldak is desperate. He's deadly. And we have got to find him."
"Not sure that's such a good idea," Martha muttered.
"It may not be, but it's the only one that has a chance of this not ending with the annihilation of all life on earth," Jack pointed out.
"Sometimes, there are no good options," Jane agreed.
"I hate when you two agree," Donna grumbled annoyed.
The professor holds up The Doctor's screwdriver and The Doctor excitedly takes it, relieved he saved it. But the professor says it was merely on the floor, along with a doll the crew retrieved from Clara during the search. The Doctor excitedly says he could kiss him. "If you insist," the professor says and The Doctor looked at him oddly. "Later," The Doctor says before activating the screwdriver.
"I like this guy," Mickey said with a laugh as the tension broke slightly.
"He's a funny guy, for a Russian during the Cold War," Jane shrugged with a slight smile.
Two of the crew are walking with weapons, neither sure whether to believe what The Doctor has said. Elsewhere, as The Doctor scans the ship, Clara and the professor are having a conversation, the professor explaining they use the cattle prod for polar bears. As The Doctor messes with some controls, Clara and the professor begin discussing music when some alarms begin blaring.
"Oh that can't be good," Martha muttered as the tension returned in full force.
The Doctor opens a hatch and pokes his head inside when they hear a groan from the sub. The Doctor says that was merely pressure but Clara is not assured. The professor tells her to think of something else before he begins to sing. Clara laughs before saying she's not singing and says she knows the song from karaoke at hen night, confusing the professor.
"Think that's a little before his time," Donna said, welcoming the distraction.
"It's a few decades out, especially in Russia," Jack shrugged.
Elsewhere, two crewmembers are searching for Skaldak, one of them excitedly saying they'll be heroes for discovering an alien if they get out of here. The other is unconvinced, not noticing Skaldak has pulled the other crewmember up until he turns around and sees his comrade is missing. Hearing growling and screaming, The Doctor, Clara and the professor rush towards it and find the two crewmembers torn to pieces.
"Blimey," Mickey said as the past viewers stared at the screen in horror.
"I've seen war; I've seen savagery but this…" Jack trailed off, at a loss for words.
"He is a monster," Wilf said horrified and no one disagreed.
The professor is horrified, calling Skaldak a savage. But The Doctor explains this wasn't a savage attack, it was a dismantlement so Skaldak could learn everything he could about them. The Doctor then leads them to a different part of the sub, telling Clara to stay here. She doesn't argue, to his surprise.
"That has to be a first for Boss," Mickey muttered, all of them still shaken by what had just happened.
"Either Clara is rightfully terrified or the Siren has enough self-preservation to make her stay," Jack mused.
"Probably a bit of both," Jane said with a shrug.
"Either way, I really don't want to imagine what Skaldak will do with a complete understanding of human biology," Martha said, uneasy at the thought.
The Doctor walks off and the professor sits down, noticing Clara is unnerved. Clara explains she was fine with going to talk with Skaldak but seeing the bodies, it has now gotten real for her and she worries they won't get out alive. The professor assures her they will before they hear the sound of metal clanking.
"Oi! Now what?!" Donna exclaimed, fed up with it already.
"Skaldak's up to something else," Jack noted, not sure he wanted to know what.
Elsewhere, Zhukov is leading two of his men through the sub when they see Skaldak move passed through one of the walls and realizes that's how he's moving around. Elsewhere, The Doctor finds Stepashine's body and opens his wallet, revealing a picture of a woman.
"He had someone he wanted to get home to," Wilf muttered, a moment of silence filling the room.
While none of them particularly liked Stepashin, it was hard not to feel for the woman in the photo, who might never know what truly happened to him.
"Don't we all?" Jack asked lowly, thinking of his many past lowers.
Hearing a noise above him, The Doctor pulls out his screwdriver and sees Skaldak move above him through the rafters. The Doctor follows after him. Clara becomes unnerved by the noises of the sub and the professor tries to distract her by asking if she's really from the future. Clara confirms she is and he asks about the future. Clara hedges but he insists he needs to know. "Ultravox, do they split up!?"
Unable to help themselves, the past viewers burst into laughter, the tension breaking slightly.
"He's good," Martha said with a giggle.
"Not all Russians are bad, in spite of their reputation during this time," Jane pointed out with a slight smile.
Seeing what he was doing, Clara laughs before Skaldak reaches down and grabs her head.
The laughter stopped abruptly as the past viewers started, staring at the screen uneasily.
The professor shoots at Skaldak's hands and he releases Clara. "See? I don't just like Western music," the professor says as he twirls his gun. Skaldak then reaches down and grabs the professor by the head. Clara pleads that Skaldak not hurt the professor as The Doctor runs up behind her. "You attacked me. Marshall Law degrees that the people of this planet are forfeit. I now have all the information I require. It will take only one missile to begin the process to end this Cold War," Skaldak says as his red eyes look down at them.
"Shit shit shit," Mickey swore as they all looked at the screen uneasily.
"Doctor, if you have a plan, now would be a good time to start putting it in motion," Martha muttered worriedly.
The Doctor tries to reason with Skaldak but Skaldak coldly says his distress call has not been answered, so he assumes his people are dead and now has nothing left except his revenge. He snarls and a high pitch sound is heard before Skaldak's armor seals back up. The Doctor pleads with him, saying he still has mercy left.
"I don't think he's feeling very merciful at the moment," Jack said darkly as they all watched with baited breath.
Skaldak scoffs as Zhukov walks over, aiming a pistol at Skaldak. The Doctor tries to talk him down, saying they're negotiating. Zhukov agrees, but says he'll do it from a position of strength as he takes aim at Skaldak.
"You bloody idiot," Donna said in exasperation, almost slapping her forehead at Zhukov's stupidity.
"Hey, he's still Russian," Jane shrugged helplessly.
"And he might just cause the end of the world if The Doctor doesn't do something," Jack noted uneasily as they all watched nervously.
Skaldak compliments Zhukov but warns him his position is not as strong as he thinks. The Doctor is confused until Skaldak's armor walks into the room. It opens up and Skaldak releases the professor before getting back into the armor. The Doctor realizes Skaldak summoned it, as its sonic tech. One of the crewmembers opens fire but Skaldak's armor protects him. Skaldak begins walking off, declaring he will make earth red with the blood of humanity. Skaldak cuts down the crew guarding the bridge and, as he enters the bridge, Skaldak plugs his suit into the computer and triggers the missile launch.
"Shit shit shit!" Mickey swore once more as the past viewers watch the screen with growing horror.
"Now's the time to pull off one of your brilliant 'save the world at the last minute' plans Spaceman!" Donna pleaded.
"If he had one, I think he'd have done it by now," Jack said lowly as they realized The Doctor couldn't stop Skaldak.
The Doctor, Clara and Zhukov rush into the bridge, The Doctor arguing that what Skaldak is doing is not honorable and that, in the scheme of the universe, humanity is still primitive and Skaldak has no right to judge them. Skaldak unplugs his suit and declares the Earth is forfeit under Martian law. The Doctor pleads with Skaldak to show humanity there is another way, that he won't be remembered as a solider if he does this but a murderer. Seeing Skaldak is unmoved, The Doctor pulls his screwdriver on him. Skaldak asks if The Doctor is threatening him but The Doctor clarifies: he will blow up the sub if Skaldak does not stop.
"Oi! What?!" Donna exclaimed as the past viewers stared at the screen in shock.
"Blimey Boss," Mickey said in disbelief.
"It makes sense, better all of them than the entire world," Jack noted after a moment. "In his position, I'd probably make the same choice."
"Clearly it didn't come to that thought, since we have six more recordings to get through," Martha pointed out, although it was still a heart stopping moment for all of them.
"How did you find a way out of this Doctor?" Wilf wondered softly as the recording continued.
Skaldak asks if The Doctor will blow himself up. "In a heartbeat," The Doctor says as he turns on his screwdriver. "Mutually assured destruction," Skaldak says as he turns back to the activation.
"Thanks a lot Stepashin," Martha said sarcastically, all of them cursing Stepashin silently as they watched the recording uneasily, waiting to see what would happen next.
As Skaldak's finger hovers above the button, The Doctor challenges him to look into his eyes and tell him he's capable of doing this. Skaldak turns around and removes his helmet, revealing his face. "Which of us shall blink first?" Clara points out he spared the professor before when she asked him to and reminds Skaldak what he said earlier, of his daughter. Skaldak pauses before the sub suddenly rocks. Clara asks what's happening as a ship begins pulling the sub out of the water and towards the surface in what seems to be a tractor beam. Skaldak realizes his people are still alive.
"The Doctor was right then," Wilf realized as they all tensed.
"That's good right, Skaldak can just leave?" Mickey asked hopefully.
"Depends on Skaldak. They declared war when they attacked him, like The Doctor said. By the laws of his people, Skaldak would have every right to wipe them out," Jack noted as a sense of unease filled the room. "We can only hope he won't be so blood thirsty now that he knows his people are still alive."
"Very big if Immortal Man," Donna muttered as stayed at the screen, waiting to see what would happen next.
The sub breaks through the ice and The Doctor pleads with Skaldak to go in peace before Skaldak is teleported out of the sub. Clara is relived but The Doctor realizes with horror that the missile is still armed. One pulse from the Martian ship will set it off. The Doctor holds his screwdriver tightly, pleading with Skaldak to show mercy. Clara begins singing softly before the activation system disarms and the missiles are covered up.
"Oh thank God," Martha said as they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Nuclear apocalypse averted," Mickey said happily.
"And for once, the Spaceman had nothing to do with it," Donna said with a laugh.
The Doctor and Clara are relieved and share a brief hug before separating. Sometime later, Zhukov, The Doctor, Clara and the professor walk out on top of the sub and look at the Martian ship. Clara asks where the TARDIS is and The Doctor sheepishly explains he reset the HADS, the Hostile Action Replacement System, and so the TARDIS relocates whenever it comes under attack.
"Oh Spaceman," Donna said with a laugh as Martha giggled and Mickey snickered at The Doctor's misfortune.
"That's actually pretty handy. As long as you're on the TARDIS when it happens," Jack mused.
The Doctor insists it's bound to turn up somewhere before his screwdriver goes off. The Doctor says the TARDIS is at the pole, Clara thinking he means the North Pole under he says the South Pole.
"Just your luck Boss," Mickey barked out a laugh as the past viewers stared, amused at The Doctor predicament.
The Doctor sheepishly asks Zhukov if they can have a lift and Zhukov laughs. The Doctor performs the Martian salute he had taught Clara earlier before the Martian ship takes off.
"Well that one was intense," Mickey noted as the screen went black.
"Actually reminds me of one of my first adventures with The Doctor after I officially joined him permanently," Martha said, reminiscing slightly.
"Surprisingly, that was one of the least intense recordings left," Jane said, to their surprise.
"Brilliant," Donna said sarcastically.
"No use complaining Donna. We may as well just continue to watch," Wilf pointed out.
Donna grumbled but didn't protest as the next recording started.
Kind of a 'meh' episode that honestly seems like a rip off of similar episodes from the David Tennant era that really weren't very good to begin with. Honestly kind of boring tbh.