Age of the Silurians
By Vanya
Part 1
In an insignificant storeroom sat a mysterious blue box. No one really knew how it got there and amongst all the commotion no one really cared. But this box was more important than any of them would ever realise, its very presence able to alter the course of entire civilisations.
Within the box stood two well dressed people, a tall man in a brown suit and a petite girl dressed predominantly in purple. The Doctor walked round the main console, throwing switches while mentally running down the list of possible destinations. But as he tired to guide his ship he grew concerned. The TARDIS was protesting more than usual, something was wrong, he could feel it. He began to inspect the dials, looking for some clue as to what was the matter, and then the problems really started.
There was a muffled booming noise and the control room rocked violently sending Haze sprawling across the floor while the Doctor gripped the console for support.
"What happened," she asked in a panicked voice and with a Scottish accent, "Are we OK?"
"Oh we're fine," he projected an unnatural air of calm with his words, "Well except for one small, almost insignificant thing."
"What's that?"
"We're going to crash."
"Crash? How can we crash? We're in a box!" With great effort Haze pulled herself to her feet and staggered over to the console where the Doctor was desperately trying regain control.
"We're not actually in the box, we're more....Look this is hardly the time!" he attempted to engage every stabiliser on board, "Flip those switches, by your left hand."
"Which ones?"
"All of them!"
Haze hurriedly obeyed, "Will it help?"
"I hope so."
As she worked her way down the console sparks began to fly, she shrieked and hurriedly pulled her hand away. The TARDIS gave one final lurch, despite the Doctor's valiant efforts the crash was imminent.
"This is it," the Doctor said grimly, "Hold on tight!"
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The TARDIS had been designed with a specific function, to dematerialise from one place and to materialise in another, relatively straight forward. But in times of crisis materialisation could be slightly more problematic and random process. This was such a crisis and rather than a neat materialisation on the ground the outer shell appeared high in the air, it fell to the ground below, crashing through the trees, spinning all the way down.
Darrok the hunter watched from his perch. He didn't know what he was seeing, but he knew that it would change the world.
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"Are you alright?" The Doctor and Haze both lay sprawled on the floor if the control room after their undignified landing.
"I think so," she replied, shakily getting to her feet, "What the hell just happened?"
"There was something in the vortex, a very nasty trap, blew us right off course." the Doctor continued to lie where he had fallen, staring up at the console.
"So where exactly are we?" said Haze as stood over him, peering down.
"Couldn't tell you, the scanner was the first thing to go. We've lost quite a few critical systems in the crash. It's going to need a lot of work before we're up and running again."
"Well you'd better get to work then, I'm going to take a look round."
"I wouldn't recommend it."
"Why, we're not floating round space or anything are we?"
"No, I just don't think it's a good idea, unknown planet and all that."
"Are you going to stop me?"
A moment's silence, "No, your choice entirely." he smiled to himself, if she hadn't been the type to go out exploring she'd never have come along in the first place.
"Right then."
"Haze."
She turned around on her way to the door to see the Doctor reach into his jacket and produce a key on a long chain. Still lying down he raised his arm up and let it dangle. Haze crossed back an took it, quickly tucking the key into the inside pocket of her jacket.
"Thanks." she said as she walked towards the main door again.
"Don't forget to lock up on the way out, I don't want the local wildlife rampaging through here."
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When Haze stepped out of the TARDIS the first thing that hit her was the humidity, she quickly pulled off the jacket, draping it over her arm. As she walked around she quickly realised that she was totally inappropriately dressed for the environment. Their last port of call had necessitated a certain degree of formality and professionalism, and so she was still dressed in a business suit. The high heels were digging into the ground and the knee length skirt would not have aided movement or provided any protection. The colour of the suit, a deep violet, matching the colour of her dyed hair, stood out a mile away against the lush green of the landscape.
The arrival of the TARDIS had already upset this patch of the jungle. The foliage had been torn apart where they had come crashing through. Now the commotion had died down there was an unsettling quiet, the disturbance had been enough to send all the wildlife in the area running for the nearest hidey-hole. Haze walked around the crashed box, trying to at least get some idea of the local layout. She walked through a gap in the trees, beyond them was a sheer drop, but also a view of the valley below. The jungle stretched out all around, stopping at the base of a mountain range which cut into the the sky. Haze stared at the peaks, her eyes following the irregular shapes. There was something strange about it, something artificial. A city? Yes, she was sure, a city built into the side of the mountain, into the rock itself. Whatever planet they were on there was, or at least had been intelligent life. She turned and walked back to the TARDIS.
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"Speak Darrok, what news do you bring us?"
"What is so urgent that you must disturb us at this time?"
Darrock stood before the three elders in the large stone cavern where they convened. The chamber was dark, the elders themselves barely visible except for the faint red glow of their eyes. There was a moments silence, the only sound a slight trickle of water. Darrok spoke his news, "Something has fallen from the sky, I believe it to be of importance."
"Importance? Darrok, we are facing the greatest threat that our world has ever seen. Our entire population is at risk and you speak of one insignificant thing that fell from the sky?"
"There was something unusual about it. It was a box, a blue box it fell somewhere in the jungle."
"Indeed Darrok? Tell us more about this unusual box. What makes it special?" the second elder spoke again.
Darrok hung his head, "I do not know."
The third elder broke the silence, "Then why should we we spare you our resources to seek it out?"
"Because I believe that it is not of our world, that it could hold the key to our survival."
"Very well Darrok," the first elder rejoined the debate, "Assemble your hunters and seek out and investigate this blue box and report what you find to us. If it is what you say then it shall be brought here."
"Thank you elders." Darrok turned and swiftly left the chamber.
Once he was gone the second elder turned his attention to the first, "Do you believe there is anything to this matter?"
"It makes no difference," replied the first, "Darrok is a hunter, he can do nothing for the crisis. For now we shall let him hunt."
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"That was quick." The Doctor was up and about and had begun to open up the main console, inspecting the damage.
"Wherever we are it's mostly jungle out there. Saw signs of life though."
The Doctor mumbled something in agreement while staring at the damaged circuits.
"I'm going to put on something a little more appropriate and take another look round, OK?"
"Mmm? Yes fine."
As Haze stepped into the back the Doctor continued to work. She'd already come along way in the short time they had been together. When they first met she had been living out of a camper van, travelling all over Britain reporting on alien sightings for her website. It was her desire to spread the truth had driven her to give up everything normal in her life and seek out things that many others didn't even believe were real, the Doctor admired that. Her lifestyle had mimicked his own, the impermanence of it all, never staying in once place too long and travelling in a vehicle that served as both their home was well as means of transport. Their paths had finally crossed in a small town in Scotland. They had both been drawn there by the recent UFO sightings, but had soon found themselves confronted with an intergalactic security force, intent on bring home a group of refugees by any means necessary. Her quick thinking and resourcefulness had impressed him greatly, and he'd wanted to show her the wonders of the universe. But now they were stranded on some unknown planet with a broken TARDIS.
"Good job." he muttered to himself, and continued to repair the console.
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Darrok looked out over the jungle, his jungle. Unlike the rest of his people he had felt more at home out there than in the confines of the city. He was drawn to mysterious box, he didn't know why, but deep down he could feel it was important and that now it gave him purpose. His people were facing a threat, one so severe that it threatened them all, not one city, not one continent, but the entire planet was at risk. The greatest minds from all over the world worked tirelessly with one mutual goal, survival. But Darrok was a hunter, he knew little of science, he could not build great machines to save them. Now was his chance, he could lead his hunters out into the jungle and bring back their prize. For once he had the chance to be a hero to his people.
Darrok set off through the stone corridors, emerging at the base of the mountainous city. In the cave before him was everything he would need for his hunt, an array of weapons and tools lined the walls and the mounts were tethered in their pen. Waiting for Darrok were his hunters, Kutiipo, a formidable female warrior, well known for her vicious style and short temper, and Porak, a young male Darrok had trained since birth.
"Put down the weapon Kutiipo," Darrok commanded as entered, "We have a different quarry today."
The female hunter had been sharpening her prized spear, "But we are hunters Darrok, surely we must arm ourselves?"
"Today we do not hunt to kill, today we hunt to save our people."
"And what is it that we hunt?" Kutiipo rose to her feet to look Darrok in the eye, "Do you really believe you will be the one to save us? "
It was an unlikely situation, the fate of the civilisation resting with Darrok. They came from a culture that prized mental prowess over physical skill, Darrok however was different. He lacked the mental ability of his brothers. Instead he hunted, training the few willing to learn. He was shunned by society, considered a relic of a more primitive time. Perhaps more than the others Darrok understood the need for violence although he was not the savage they perceived. He also understood the need for discipline, not tolerating decent in his ranks. His hand flashed up and grabbed Kutiipo's spear. In response she tightened her grip, but Darrok used this against her, twisting his arm and flipping her to the ground. She hissed angrily, but lay still as Darrok pressed the spear to her throat.
"We seek a box that fell from the sky," he released his grip on the spear, letting it fall to the the ground, "Take it if you must."
Angrily the female hunter got to her feet, "Then perhaps I will have a hunt of my own, let us not waste the trip."
"Are the mount's ready?" having made his point Darrok turned his attention to Porak.
"Yes Darrok, they are ready to ride."
"Good, then we ride out immediately."
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Despite her best efforts Haze had been enjoying the TARDIS wardrobe. She'd never had a particular interest in fashion, but she'd spent five years living out of a camper van and shopping in charity shops. After that suddenly having access to an almost infinite supply of outfits was an incredible feeling. Navigating the massive wardrobe was often a difficult task, but Haze was able to find the Doctor's equivalent of an outdoor section. She selected a lightweight pair of safari trousers, shirt and a pair of hiking boots and changed quickly. She picked up a wide brimmed hat as she went for for the exit only to the Doctor leaning against the door frame, waiting.
"One thing before you leave." he said quickly, and began rummaging though racks. Tucked away in a corner was on old fashioned steamer trunk. He lifted the lid, and after a moment of searching produced what appeared to be a cast-iron pistol and threw the weapon to Haze. Catching it she noted it was deceptively light, probably more sophisticated than it looked.
"Tranquilliser," the Doctor explained, "Not something I normally recommend, but it is a jungle out there. Be careful."
Haze tucked the weapon into her waistband, feeling the cold metal against the small of her back. "Not to worry Doctor, I won't be going to far, just don't want to miss the opportunity to explore some strange new world. I'd go crazy stuck in here. Besides, you're probably better off fixing the TARDIS with out me."
"Oh, I don't know, I could use some assistance. I need someone to fetch, to carry, to hold things down, hold the torch...."
"Well if you want I'll stay then I suppose I could give up this chance just to help you."
"No, no, you want to explore. You go out, see you 'strange new world' and I'll shut myself away in the dark and toil away getting us going again."
"Thanks, I knew you'd understand." she grinned as she ran for the main door and the jungle beyond.
The Doctor couldn't help but smile back.
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Darrok pulled on the reins and raised his hands, signalling for his hunters to stop.
"We are close," he announced, gesturing towards the top of the ridge, "We split up and we search the jungle."
He dug in his heels and guided his mount onwards to the jungle. Behind him Kutiipo and Porak set out in the opposite direction.
"Let him seek his prize," Kutiipo hissed as she sniffed the air, "There are primates here, I can smell them. We shall seek out a real quarry."
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Fully equipped Haze stepped back into the jungle, locking the TADDIS behind her. For ease of navigation she set of in a straight line from the door into the jungle. As she reached a fallen tree she paused and contemplated the situation. Exploring this unknown planet was a strange experience. All your life you can wonder about what it would be like to walk on the surface of another planet, but once you're there things are never quite as marvellous as you expect, your very presence somehow makes it seem normal. It was still an incredible sight, brightly colour birds flitted though the air, monkey like creatures swung though the trees and some kind of snake slithered though the undergrowth. Yet somehow there was a familiarity to it all, the plants and animals were no more strange and exotic than those found on the jungles of Earth. But still, opportunities like don't arise every day, and so Haze kept on walking.
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"Bingo!"the Doctor jumped to his feet after his triumphant yell. He was finally getting a handle on the damage and the first major system was back on-line. He consulted the scanner, the first step to successfully navigating away from this planet was to figure out exactly where you were in space and time. Feeling hopeful for the first time since the crash he checked the coordinates.
"Oh no." Then checked them again.
"No, no, no." And then a third time.
"Of all the bad places in the universe to land......" He muttered as he sprinted for the door.
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As she continued through the jungle Haze began to get a sense that something wasn't right. Nervously she glanced around, she was being watched she could feel it. She jumped as a strange, blood curdling howl sounded in the distance. She reached back and tapped her tranquilliser pistol, reassured by the fact that it was still there. All of a sudden exploring this strange and potentially hostile jungle seemed less appealing. It was time to return to the TARDIS, maybe acting as the Doctor's grease monkey wasn't such a bad idea. She began to double back on her route, but became aware and noise, faint at first but getting closer, something very large was crashing through the undergrowth. She quickly spun round to see the attacking creature.
Dinosaur? The word flashed through Haze's mind. As unlikely as it seemed she was right. Charging towards her was a large reptilian creature, it's scaly hide a deep murky green. It's head was lowered, it's nostrils flared and two bloodshot eyes staring her down. A deep red tongue protruded from its mouth, full of nasty, pointed teeth. Perhaps the strangest detail of the creature was the reigns that extended from its neck and were held by the creature's rider, another reptile, but with the proportions of a man.
Frozen for only a moment Haze reached round to he back and drew the tranquilliser, closing her eyes as she squeezed the trigger. A bolt of bright green energy lanced out from the pistol striking the advancing reptile. The creature reared up, throwing it's rider before crashing to the floor of the jungle.
After a moments silence Haze came to the realisation that she was still standing. She opened her eyes to the the stunned dinosaur, the rider slowly clambering to its feet. Wasting no time the turned and began to run back the way she had come. There was a loud crash, Haze threw up her arms, startled as a second mounted reptile cut her off. She raised her arm, but before she could fire the rider lashed out. The flat of a spear connected with Haze's wrist, sending the pistol flying off in to the undergrowth. As she backed away he foot became entangled in an exposed root and she fell to the ground. The hunter advanced on he as she crawled backwards until her back was pressed against a tree. She looked up, getting the first real chance to see her attacker.
The reptile person had the same basic proportions of a human, but its skin was a dark mottled brown. It had a small, oval mouth, its ears projected laterally from the skull and its nostrils pointed downwards. At the top of its head sat a glowing red eye, but it was the creature's main eyes, fierce and yellow, that caused Haze the most concern. As she stared into its eyes it stared straight back with the blood-lust of a proud hunter. It let out a screech of victory as it pointed its spear towards her......
End of part 1