The Doctor searched the suites, looking for the maintenance shaft. He looked in the conventional places. Even the unconventional ones just to be sure. So far none of the suites or other rooms had it. Despite not finding the maintenance shaft, the Doctor did come across some audio logs and the like while he checked the suites. The audio logs weren't dated and it appeared that paper was a commodity. So audio logs were a cheaper way of writing down thoughts, and the logs varied. Some logs were about that day and some about someone's hopes and dreams.
One of them caught the Doctor's interest. It appeared to belong to a detective. This detective didn't name himself in the audio logs, no, that'd be ridiculous. The detective was investigating Hal Corporation of Science and Technology and had to pass himself off as a businessman from a budding enterprise to even gain entrance to Utopia. Utopia was the Compound's real name, not the Compound as the Doctor and Sherlock assumed. It wasn't just a science endeavor as the Doctor and Sherlock thought, no, it was a science experiment in its own right. What better way to test the threshold of humans living underwater than to make it like something out of a science fiction novel.
"The first nights here were unbearable; I couldn't sleep even with the pills. There was no moon to look upon; instead I had to look upon the darkness. The spas were always full; too many people were getting deprived of the sun. It's not pretty looking at a line of sickly people, veiny skin and all, but apparently a trip to the spa was just what the doctor ordered. The food was as high end as they said it was, apparently they get their shipments in from Pier 13. I never expected to get some of the foods they had here, hell, I'm pretty sure that even topsiders can't get them. So far, it looks to be that Hal Corporation is really pushing hard for Utopia's, with the Cybermen on the topside, I'm sure everyone's going to be looking forward to seeing a giant squid outside their windows when the time comes and everyone has to evacuate the topside. Ah, I'm going to look into the rumors I have been hearing about, apparently, Hal Corporation is looking into some new technology for the battle against the Cybermen. I don't know what to say, really, the fact that we're being forced underwater or that people aren't willing to give up. Anyway, I better get off now; I have to get ready for dinner. Lobster with truffle oil and caviar, a feast only Poseidon would goad at."
The Doctor searched the detective's suite and came across hidden papers, notes written down, several of which were indicating that there was something going on with the science departments. As the Doctor continued to find more pages, the pages themselves started to slowly turn into a horror novel.
"Not safe here, I think they're catching on. More people are disappearing; no one's asking questions, don't know what to do. Can't use anymore paper, they're getting suspicious. Have to use audio logs for now on, must continue charade, and must continue for the good of humanity."
The Doctor would find the audio logs that were talked about and the story played itself:
Jack was meeting one of the Corporation's officials in the busy East Plaza. It was apparent that the official wanted to speak to Jack about something, what about, he didn't know. Thoughts came into his mind that his cover had been blown, that something happened and now he had to abort the investigation. Everything under the dome, made Jack fret.
To his surprise, it wasn't about any of that.
Andrew came down from the elevator and stepped out; he scanned the East Plaza before he spotted Jack near a column.
He strolled up to Jack and shook his hand, smiling.
"Good evening," smiled Andrew. Jack smiled back, "Hello, sir."
"Now son, I heard you got some contacts up in Washington, that true?" Andrew inquired. Jack nodded, "I do, why?"
"I heard you had contacts in the military," Andrew responded. Jack quickly said, "Yes, I do, Sergeant Ulysses of the Marines, sir."
"I figured as much," Andrew snorted. Jack stared at him confusingly. "Sir…?" Jack blinked. Andrew chuckled, "Figured it was you he was talking about. Yeah, the Corporation was speaking with him over some contracts and he happened to mention you, not by name, but more or less, "the Irish prick that beat him at cards"."
"Oh," Jack chuckled. "Yeah, I had a better hand that night."
Andrew nodded, "Well, Sergeant Ulysses couldn't come down here for the tour because of some issues. There was an attempt at taking over the damn Eiffel Tower, believe it or not, the damn Cybermen are either too stupid or bored. Anyway, the Sergeant said that he'd like you to tour in his place."
Jack wasn't sure about how to react. This was an odd request, mostly because Sergeant Ulysses never brought up anything about having to tour Utopia. However, he had to continue this charade and he frowned. "But, I'm no contractor to the military. Wouldn't that get me into trouble?" Jack questioned.
Andrew shook his head, "Oh, don't worry. You've been cleared. As far as Sergeant Ulysses's concerned, he's just wants to make sure everything is up to code, nothing more."
"Oh," Jack nods. "I wouldn't know what is up to code or not, sir."
"Ah, I'll fill you in on the way down," Andrew smiled. Jack slowly nodded, "Of course, thank you Mr. Ryan."
"Ah, don't worry about it none, trust me, we all have to start somewhere, now would you kindly as to follow me?" Andrew gestured with his hand.
Jack was led by Andrew toward the elevator. They waited as a group exited, laughing and chattering, before they entered. Andrew hit the button on the panel and stood back as the door closed. "Now, I ought to warn you. Don't take it personal, but are you afraid of insects?" Andrew glimpsed at Jack as he had a hand on the gold railing. Jack shook his head and replied, "No, I'm not afraid of insects, why?"
"Ah, okay, good. Um, the Sergeant already knows about this so don't bother wasting time discussing it, but for some damn reason we're having some problems with infestations," Andrew explained.
Jack blinked, "Infestations?"
"Uh, yes, it's a bit odd. They're only in the South Wing, so you won't see them in the other wings. We think they got in through a shipment, anyway, don't worry, they're just beetles," Andrew elaborated.
Jack slowly nodded, "How could beetles survive down here?"
"Ah, they've been getting into the food a lot, don't worry, we're having them zapped soon," Andrew assured. "Well, we hope this time. It's not been well, we think it's an invasive species, we've tried countless pesticides and the like, and nothing works. Sergeant Ulysses doesn't like having to approve for extermination, so you understand how it is, right?"
"I understand," Jack nodded. He then asked, "What kind of beetles are they?"
"Hell if I know, I just kill the bastards when I see them," Andrew admits. "Ask Grissom, he might know."
"Um, who is Grissom, sir?" Jack tilted his head. Andrew nodded, "Gil Grissom, he's the biologist. He's not quite right in the head, if you catch my drift."
They exited the elevator, passing another group. Jack stood behind Andrew as he used a key to unlock the elevator for the South Wing. Andrew entered and Jack followed, as Jack entered the elevator door closed quickly. "It's a safety precaution, but don't worry, it won't completely close if it detects someone or something in between," Andrew assured Jack as he took his spot.
"I understand," Jack nodded. Andrew shrugged, "I don't see the point. No idiot worth his dime wants to come down here anyway."
"May I ask why, sir?" Jack sheepishly said. Andrew rubbed his bourbon colored eyes as he responded. "It's science, what's special about science?"
The elevator stopped and Andrew stepped out first. Armed men were looking at Jack until Andrew spoke. The men lowered their weapons and allowed the two through. Jack followed Andrew closely behind, glancing around the halls. They weren't as lavishly painted and primed as the walls in the East Wing and the lights overhead gave it a dim glow. Jack's hazel eyes feverishly looked around, he was looking for trouble. Trouble, was subjective enough, but even Jack fathomed.
"Alright, keep it steady!" Jack heard a voice. They turned a corner and were met with a sight. A man wielding a baton pointed at an imposing figure as it stiffly walked. Another man beside him was writing down notes on his notepad as he gave orders to the man wielding baton. "Okay, now ask it to stop," commanded the man with the notepad. The man with the baton nodded, "Stop!"
The imposing figure stopped. "Alright, you're getting the hang of it," the man with the notepad nodded. "But remember, timing is keen. These damn things don't have a sense of time."
"What about the Cybermen?" the man with the baton sheepishly asked. The man with the notepad chuckled, "Like they know their dates."
"Gentlemen," Andrew smiled at them. They turned to see him and Jack walking up. "Good morning, Warden," smiled the men. Andrew smiled back. "So, how goes the training?" Andrew inquired. The man with the notepad answered, "It's getting there, sir."
"It's weird, to say the least. But I am getting the hang of it," the man with the baton said meekly.
Andrew nodded, "Don't worry, none. You'll get used to it."
"Um, Jo said I should ask you this, sir. But, if you're too busy, I can wait," the man with the baton coughed.
Andrew smiled, "I'm not in a hurry, ask a way."
"Um, why are these things wearing plague doctor costumes?" the man with the baton said quickly.
"Well, that's a good question. Believe it or not, our dear Sofia Lamb wanted something to symbolize the Renaissance. With these Alpha Series, humanity has a fighting chance against the Cybermen. The plague doctor concept was sort of a callback to how they once doctored those that needed it," Andrew explained. The man with the baton nodded, "So, what about the Beta Series?"
"Assuming everything goes according to plan, the Beta Series will have the standard chassis," Andrew replied. He turned to Jack, "I dare say that this is your first introduction to the Alpha Series."
Jack glimpsed to the tall Subject that stood motionless. "What say you, Jack?" Andrew eyed him. Jack turned him and blinked. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just looking," he coughed. Andrew nods. He said, "Suppose we can demo the control rod."
"Control rod?" Jack stared. Andrew had the man holding it give to Jack. Jack looked at it and tilted his head. "You can command the Alphas to do as you ask," Andrew explained. "Granted, there's a black and white list of commands, so don't get too crazy."
Jack nodded, "How does it work?"
"It's simple, you wield the control rod and you give commands, nothing to it," Andrew shrugged. The man with the notepad asked Andrew, "Are you sure he should be controlling it, sir?"
"Worry not, if Sofia has anything to say, she can say it to me," Andrew swatted. "Besides, nothing wrong with showing how it works."
"Right, sir," nodded the man with the notepad. Andrew turned his attention to Jack, "Go on, give it a command."
"What should I command it to do?" Jack sheepishly asked. Andrew shrugged, "Tell it to move toward you."
"Right," Jack slowly nodded. He stared at the Subject and cleared his throat. He wielded the control rod and said to the Subject, "Come to me."
The Subject turned its head, the hat it wore moved. It turned toward Jack and walked toward him. Jack's heart stopped as the Subject was in front of him. It was tall, taller than him. All Jack could see was its chest. On the chest was the Greek letter, Delta.
"Command it to lower its head," Jack heard Andrew say. Jack nodded and said to the Subject, "Lower your head to me."
He had to take a step back as the Subject lowered its head toward Jack. Jack stared at the bronze bird mask that covered the entirely of its face, but what caught his eyes more was the Subject's. The Subject's eyes were pure silver and they stared dead into Jack's eyes. Jack stared into the Subject's eyes and felt fear come over him.
Andrew came around the side and grabbed for the control rod and handed it to the man who had it last. The man commanded the Subject to return to its padlock while the other who had the notepad followed closely behind. Jack, shaken up, looked at Andrew. "Gave you quite a scare, did it?" Andrew laughed. Jack nodded. "Sir, the Cybermen don't have eyes," he pointed out. Andrew shrugged, "It's called Alpha Series for a reason, and there won't be eyes in the next Series."
Jack nodded. Andrew continued to lead him through the winding halls until they came across an odd man in one of the labs. He was staring at a dead insect on the table, while scratching at his beard. "Good morn, Grissom," Andrew greeted him. Grissom looked up, "Good morn, Ryan."
"So, how goes the identification process?" Andrew inquired. Grissom shook his head, "When was the last shipment?"
"Oh, two months I think," Andrew remembered. Grissom pointed, "Might be Asian. We need the Sergeant to approve the pesticides I recommended."
"I'll be sure to tell him when I see him," Andrew assured. Jack pointed at the insect on the table, "What is it?"
"It's a beetle. Actually, a carrion beetle," Grissom told him. Jack grimaced, "What's a carrion beetle doing down here?"
"We think a pregnant beetle got in a shipment of parts and made home here," Andrew summed. Grissom nodded, "Interesting enough they should be dead. Yet, they're thriving."
"Given the slobs using the workroom, I wouldn't doubt that they have a buffet to choose from," Andrew shrugged. Jack coughed as he asked, "Are they dangerous?"
"Dangerous?" Andrew turned to him. Grissom smiled and shook his head. "No, aside from the chance you might eat one of them in your sandwiches, these are perfectly harmless."
"He means that you won't have to worry about the beetles," Andrew assured Jack.
Andrew led Jack out of the lab. As Jack was led into another lab, he heard Andrew say, "By chance, do you have family?"
"Let's say my family hasn't been keen as of late, Mr. Ryan," Jack gave a look. In truth, he had an older brother, Fredrick. Fredrick worked as a clerk in New York while Jack was off playing detective. For now, Jack pretended he had no family that he liked. His entire family was portrayed as drunkards and those of illicit types. Jack was going for the underdog angle. He was someone who was spat upon for his family's mistakes. Yet, he rose above it all and founded a company.
Lately, Jack's been working in a narcotic angle as well. He hedged a correct guess that Utopia was well into the drugs trade. Rich and powerful people enjoyed their drugs in Utopia. Who would arrest them and more importantly who would know?
Doctors were on hand for when someone takes too much opium or cocaine. Very rarely, did anyone die from an overdose. But, given the nature Jack noticed about Utopia that might not been the case.
"I hear you. Got a brother in lockup somewhere, a real loony if you know what I mean," Andrew nodded. "As the saying goes: you can't pick which family you end up in. But you can pick which family you speak with."
He showed Jack the lab.
The lab was high end. Down to the stainless counters and the soft lights that lit up the lab. It was something one would see in a science fiction movie. Jack was led inside by Andrew as he pointed to the window. Jack slowly made his way toward the window and peered below. The lab overlooked what looked like a factory. There was a large assembly line that went through the area. In an area near it, there was a line of unused chassis. Near the chassis was red barrels, on them was the word "Amber".
Jack stared at the barrels. "What is it, "Amber"?" he asked.
Andrew smiled, "It's like your mother's milk. It gives life to everything here."
"Truly," Jack looked at him. Andrew nods. "Oh yes, this stuff is the reason our Alphas are here and now," he explained. Jack uneasily looked back at the barrels, "So you manufacture your Alphas down there?"
"Yep, straight to the point, no qualms no problems," Andrew waved his free hand. "Although the output is small, but rest assure, when everything is cleared up. We'll get those bastards."
"What is your output, if you don't mind me asking?" Jack asked him. Andrew replied, "Well, like all projects. There's always going to be trouble. Some may not work as intended. Some may not activate at all. Those do make it are far in between. Roughly, our output is lucky to reach past five."
"What is your projected output?" Jack continued. Andrew said, "When we get the kinks worked out, over ten thousand an hour."
"Ten thousand an hour," Jack mused. "I hear the Cybermen are doing it three times more."
"It's not about quantity, Jack. It's all about quality. Think about it, Cybermen are sending out forces containing roughly forty-thousand units. They think because of their upgrade cycles, that nothing can fell their units. But, if you look at the projected causalities we're currently sustaining, there are always problems. Upgrade cycles are useless if the end results aren't up to snuff, is what I am getting at," Andrew smiled brightly. "If our math is correct, it should since we had this look over several times. Our army doesn't need an upgrade cycle every point four seconds. It can sustain itself without needing to phone home for maintenance."
"So, if I understand you correctly, ours will best them in most cases," Jack summed. Andrew nodded. Jack crossed his arms, "What about the Cybermen, though? Couldn't they hack them and turn them against us?"
"With our army, they can't," Andrew shook his head. "It just can't happen."
"How do you know?" Jack asked. "If the Cybermen catch at least one of them, they could reverse engineer it."
"It's just not possible," Andrew frowned. "We have everything calculated down to the pennies. Trust me, Jack; there is nothing to worry about."
Jack chewed on his lips and asked Andrew, "Sir, how is that possible?"
"Science, my boy, science and a vision held by our very own Sofia Lamb," Andrew answered. He took his arm off Jack and stepped closer to the window. He peered below to the factory floor. "Believe me, my boy, this is our future," he simply said.
Someone entered the lab and they turned around. Sofia stood there with a glow on her face. Andrew smiled as he bowed his head at her, "Miss Lamb."
"Hello gentlemen, I see the tour is going well?" Sofia inquired. Andrew nodded, "It is ma'am."
"It's quite astonishing, ma'am," Jack managed to say. Sofia smiled, "Good, good. I hope isn't boring."
"No, no. It's fascinating," Jack mustered. Andrew nodded. Sofia crossed her arms as she talked to Andrew. "Mr. Ryan, I'm told that one of the trainees had an accident with one of the Alphas," she said to him. He nods. "Yeah, Byron didn't do his timing right and the Alpha punched him in the stomach," he said.
Sofia sighed. "Thankfully he is doing better at the clinic," she said.
"They don't call them Alphas for nothing," Andrew smiled. Sofia nods. Jack looked at Sofia. "Mr. Ryan was telling me about the Alphas," he said to her. Andrew nodded, "Quality over quantity."
"That is the truth," Sofia smiled. "We cannot risk our technology getting into their hands much less it damaging itself."
There was an alarm and people rushing past the door. A shadow appeared behind the glass and opened it. "Ma'am, we're having problems with Gamma!" a Keeper called to Sofia. Sofia looked at Andrew and Andrew nodded.
"Jack, it'd be best if you stay here," Andrew rushed with Sofia out of the lab.
Jack was left alone in the lab. He couldn't help but stare at the door as he saw shadows move past it. He heard orders being given by Andrew and the others shouting loudly.
Jack huddled near the corner of the lab as he heard crashing and other noises. He stared at the door of the lab, expecting something to burst through it. His heart was no better, it was beating loudly. All Jack could think about was how it might've panned out. In all those scenarios, he thought he was going to die.
He nearly jumped to the ceiling when he heard scuffling noises near him. Jack looked down to the floor near the tables where he noticed a shadow moving under one of them. Curious, he cautiously walked toward the table he saw it under and knelt down. "Hello?" Jack called. He met with two blue eyes looking at him. It was a child of maybe five or six years. She looked at him and he looked at her. "Hello," Jack greeted her. She didn't greet back. "What are you doing here?" he asked her. She finally responded. "I was scared," she replied. Jack nodded, "How long have you been under there?"
"Not long," she answered.
Jack blinked and asked her, "Where is your mother, your father?"
"My da is mad," the girl quietly replied. Jack frowned. "Your father is mad, what for?" he asked. She shook her head, "He doesn't like it here."
"What about your mother?" Jack continued. The little girl replied, "I don't have a mother."
Jack slowly nodded. "So, you're hiding out in the lab, then?" he summed. She nodded. Jack shook his head. "This isn't a place for a little girl like you. Come on, I'll watch you for a bit," Jack extended his hand out to her. She was hesitant. Jack smiled, "My name's Jack. What's yours?"
"I'm not supposed to tell people," the little girl frowned. Jack tilted his head at the odd instruction. "Why not…?" Jack blinked at her. She shrugged. Jack scratched his chin as he pondered. "Tell you what, I'll tell you something about me if you tell me your name," he offered. She seemed hesitant. Jack raised a hand up, "Gentleman's agreement."
"Okay," the little girl quietly said. Jack nods. He cleared his throat, "My middle name's Abel."
"Abel…?" the little girl tilted her head. Jack smiled, "Our mother was a religious sort. My brother's middle name is Caine."
"You have a brother?" the little girl stared at him. He nodded. "Fredrick, he's older than me by four years. He works in New York," he elaborated. "Now, what's your name?"
The little girl looked around the lab. It appeared she wanted to make sure it was just them in the room. Content, she told Jack her name. "My name's Celia," she finally said. Jack smiled, "Celia. What a wonderful name."
Celia looked at his hand and stared. Jack continued to smile. His green eyes glistened in the soft light. Celia slowly reached for his hand and almost grabbed it. She flinched and retracted her hand a little. "It's okay. I won't hurt you," Jack assured her. Celia slowly nodded. She then reached for his hand again.
Celia touched his hand and Jack felt the metal fillings in his teeth start to buzz. He lightly touched the side of his mouth as the buzzing continued. Celia stared at him and he stared at her. "I don't think it's safe to go outside just yet," Jack told her as he helped her crawl out from under the table. Celia shook her head, "He's doesn't like it here."
"Who doesn't, sweetie, is it your father?" Jack looked at her. Celia shook her head, "Callan."
"And who is Callan?" Jack asked her. She didn't say much. "He misses Ciri," she only said.
"Who is Ciri?" Jack gestured. Celia said nothing more after.
Jack nods. "It's okay, everything will be okay," he assured her. He held her hand as she walked around the lab. She pulled him around as he felt the buzzing sensation continued in his teeth. "Who is Callan, is he one of the scientists?" Jack asked her. Celia shook her head, "I can't say."
"Why not, sweetie…?" Jack stared at her confusingly. Celia shrugged, "They told me I can't tell anyone."
"Who…?" Jack gestured with his free hand. Celia looked around before she said, "Miss Lamb and the Bad Men."
"Bad Men," Jack tilted his head. Celia nodded. "They're bad," she whispered. "They hate us."
"Now why would you think such thing?" Jack shook his head at the notion. Celia frowned, "They brought them here."
"Sweetie, I think you're just getting a wee bit ahead of yourself," Jack reasoned. "It's okay. Nothing is going to happen."
His attention was broken when they heard crashing noises down the hall from the lab. Celia yelped and Jack forced her behind him. A large shadow passed by the door, gliding past. The lights started to flicker rapidly. Jack looked down to Celia and knelt down in front of her. "Celia, it's not safe here. I know we've just met, but you can't be alone. Come on, I'll keep an eye on you," he told her. She slowly nodded. Jack jumped when he heard gunshot noises down the hall where the shadow went. He wrapped his arms around Celia's waist and picked her up. "Ouch!" he cried as he felt the metal fillings pop out of their spots. Spitting them out, Jack feigned the pain. He looked at Celia and noticed the fear in her eyes. "It's okay to be scared, Celia," Jack told her. "There's no shame in being afraid," he comforted her.
The lights slowly dimmed and the gunshots continued. Jack chewed on his lips as he held Celia. His heart nearly stopped when he saw five shadows in front of the door. They were not Andrew or the others. Jack looked at the window that overlooked the factory floor and panicked. "Celia," he looked at her. She looked at him. "Hide your face this instant," he told her. She did as told. Jack went to the window and looked down. He could survive the fall and Celia would be okay.
Jack took a deep breath before he grabbed for the stool near the tables and threw it at the window. The force was enough for the window to shatter and Jack took no time in jumping down as the door to the lab was smashed into by a single fist.
Jack exhaled loudly as braced, Celia crying out. He opened his eyes and found he was mostly unharmed, though he wasn't going to walk straight for a while. "Celia, are you okay?" he looked at her. Celia's blue eyes had lines of tears, "Yes."
"It's okay," he assured her as he ran with her toward the large corridor. "I will protect you."
The Doctor glimpsed around the room that Jack had lived in. There were cologne bottles on the dresser, from brands that since gone out of business, rebranded, or bought out by other companies. In the closest, the Doctor found suits. They varied between shades of brown and blue, nevertheless they were untouched. It crossed the Doctor's mind that it hinted the worse, that Jack never left Utopia. It would explain why no one knows what happened, the key figure was already dead… or one of them.
The Doctor left Jack's suite and chewed on his lips. He didn't know what to think of it.
After concluding the suites didn't have the maintenance shaft, the Doctor planned to check the boutiques. It had to be somewhere, where is the tricky part. As the Doctor reached the first floor, he stepped out and headed back into the East Plaza. He stopped when he saw Celia standing there, this time holding a toy.
"Ceila!" the Doctor cried out. Celia turned to him and tilted her head, "Doctor?"
"Where have you been?" the Doctor scolded her, crossing his arms. Celia hid her face with the toy, "I'm sorry, I got scared."
"You shouldn't run around here alone, it's too dangerous," the Doctor scolded her. Celia blinked and asked an odd question, "Have you seen Jack?"
"Jack?" the Doctor stared at her. He tilted his head, "Is he your father?"
"He was supposed to be in the labs, he's been naughty," Celia said listless. The Doctor narrowed his eyes to Celia, "What do you mean naughty?"
"He contacted his brother," Celia replied. "It's against the rules."
The Doctor chewed on his lips, "Why is that against the rules?"
Celia lowered the toy from her face, "You're not supposed to talk to topsiders."
"That's a little much, don't you think?" the Doctor questioned. Celia shook her head, "Jack's been naughty. Fredrick's coming."
"Celia, I don't understand, what happened to Jack? What happened to the others?" the Doctor asked her. Celia shrugged, "I can't answer that."
The Doctor watched as she turned her head toward the stairs and elevator for the food court. "Mister Bubbles! Tea time!" she shouted.
It then crossed the Doctor's mind. He had seen this many times before, several times was he duped. But now, he was duped again. Celia was not a real child. She was a hologram. The Doctor confirmed this as he looked up to the ceiling, there were black orbs. Some were probably the cameras and the others were for Celia to manifest. Why would Utopia need Celia was something the Doctor had no answers for. He then watched as Celia ran off and the ground started to shake.
The Doctor took cover behind an elongated wall, he heard Sherlock on the walkie talkie.
"Doctor…?" Sherlock called. The Doctor grabbed for the walkie talkie and answered, "Sherlock?"
"Doctor, I saw… I saw a Beta," Sherlock replied. "It's coming up to the East Plaza via the stairs."
"Damn," the Doctor cursed as the tremors were strengthening. "Have you found the shaft?"
"No," he heard Sherlock. "Doctor, they're watching us."
"Watching us?" the Doctor replied. Sherlock elaborated, "Look at the ceilings. There are cameras all over. Have you seen anything for the cameras?"
"No, the guidebook never brought it up," the Doctor remembered. Sherlock then said, "The cameras are on their own power grid."
"Damn it," the Doctor cursed. "I don't even know where to begin looking for the cameras."
"Doctor, one more thing," Sherlock was quick to say. "We're not the only ones here."
"I know," the Doctor said quietly. He then asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'll live," Sherlock coughed.
The Doctor replied, "Then we still have work to do."
The walkie talkie went quiet. The Beta was in the East Plaza and moaned loudly. It turned its hulking head as it disappeared where Celia ran off.
The Doctor quietly said to himself, "What have we gotten ourselves into."