"In, in, in!" The Doctor shouted hurriedly, ushering the last few people through the double doors of the cinema. No more of them seemed to have been effected by the Unseen, so at least he knew he had a bit of time. The Doctor quickly peered down the corridor, making sure no one was left behind, before he threw the doors closed and whipped the Sonic Screwdriver from his pocket. As its familiar buzz was silenced, the Doctor pulled on the door, which, satisfyingly, didn't budge.
"Well," The Doctor said quietly to himself, still facing the door, "that's one problem sorted."
The door hadn't been an issue, they never were after all. Well, unless they were made from wood. No, the main problem was the one the Doctor had to confront next. He opened his jaw wide, running his tongue around his mouth, as he practiced various expressions. Straight faced? No, too serious. Wide grin? Not serious enough. Brainy specs? He started to reach for his pocket, but stopped himself. Didn't want to seem too clever, he'd made that mistake before. The murmurs behind him prompted the Doctor to turn, rather too quickly, with little thought as to what look he was now sporting.
Whatever it was though, his expression soon changed to a serious one as he saw everyone in the room staring at him intently.
"Right," The Doctor started, choosing his words carefully, "now, there's no need to panic..." He wasn't quite sure where this sentence was going.
"No need to panic?" A rather large man near the front of the crowd relieved the Time Lord of having to continue. "There are invisible things out there, stealing the bleedin' colour from stuff!" He looked across to one of the black and white members of the crowd. "And people!" He added. "And you say there's no need to panic?
"You didn't let me finish," The Doctor half-lied, glad of the thinking time. "What I was going to say was, there's no need to panic much." He shrugged. "Not until we know exactly what it is the Unseen are doing anyway."
"Why are you so interested?" A girl, early teens the Doctor suspected, interjected. ""Let's just get outta here!"
"She's right!" The large balding man added. "Just who are you anyway? And what is that thing?" He gestured to the device in the Doctor's hand.
"I'm the Doctor;"
"Hold on! That thing can see where those things are!" The man interrupting, his eyes glaring intently at the Doctor now, as were those of various other people in the room.
"So that means I'm one of them?" The Doctor asked, trying to keep his cool.
"So you admit it!" The girl shouted triumphantly.
"It was a question!" The Doctor replied indignantly. He could tell this man was going to be a problem, particularly if his illogical arguments managed to convince the whole crowd in the same way they seemed to have with the girl.
"For one," The Doctor stated, stepping forward and holding his arms out, "I'm visible. If I was with these Unseen, why would I be wandering around here, being all seen and everything? Bit embarrassing don't you think?" He paused slightly, his mind running off on a tangent. "Imagine that, all your friends being invisible." He winced. "Bullying would be awful."
"Just who are you then?" Another man, a lot more sensible looking, the Doctor decided, simply by looking at his neat hair and blue shirt. "If you aren't with them I mean?"
"He's the Doctor." Terry answered for him, stepping away from the position he had held beside the doors. "And we can trust him." The Doctor beamed at him, unsure of how he had done it. Maybe it was because he was a member of cinema staff, or maybe it was just how sincere he seemed, but someone Terry had calmed the whole room down.
"See!" The Doctor said cheerfully, placing an arm on Terry's shoulder. "Good old Terry here trusts me, so why shouldn't you all?"
The murmurs had started again, but from what he could tell, it seemed to the Doctor as if the general consensus was that he wasn't a threat.
"Now that's sorted," the Doctor stepped forwards, "maybe we can work out what it is the Unseen actually want."
At that precise moment there was a loud knocking on the thick doors to the cinema screen. It started off quite gentle, as if someone was asking to be let in. The Doctor narrowed his eyes. There had been no one else out there, he's checked. He stepped back towards the doors, ready to call out, to find out if he had left anyone behind.
His question was soon answered however, as an almighty thud echoed from the doors, followed by another, and another.
"Guess that answers that question." The Doctor said solemnly. "They want us."
**
The silence of the seemingly empty cinema lobby was broken by a loud crash as an invisible body charged in to the metal shutter of the confectionary section.
"That is ill advised." The second Unseen said quietly. "The impact may damage the Reflector. That would be undesirable and may threaten the plan."
"The plan is already under threat." Came another, very similar voice. "The Doctor has shown knowledge and technology far more advanced than that of humans."
"You are right." A third voice added to the conversation, it's volume suggesting that it was walking across the now monochrome carpet towards the two captive Unseen. "The Doctor and the humans have locked themselves inside one of the large viewing rooms. However, they are no longer of use."
"And why is that?" The first Unseen asked, watching the controls on the wall on the other side of the metal doorway light up, as his comrade activated them. "We shall run out of energy soon and," he looked towards the doors of the cinema at the dark sky outside, "we can not yet leave this place."
"We no longer require energy from the humans, or this place." The third Unseen said triumphantly as the metal grate slowly started to move up, releasing the others. "For we have found a much greater supply."
All three of them turned their attention to the corridor, which led to the cinema screens. Heading towards them, apparently floating above the floor as multiple Unseen struggled to carry it, was a large wooden box.
A large wooden, black and white, box.
**