Elisabeth wasn't expecting the craft to be bigger on the inside.
As she stepped out of the TARDIS doors, she was expecting the craft to be more like...an actual spacecraft. A big one, she presumed, from the way that there seemed to be an infinite number of rooms and corridors.
But no, it was just a small wooden box.
"How," Elisabeth marvelled," in the world is this possible, Doctor?" She circled the box, examining it. "I simply don't understand..." Her fingers trailed along the walls of the box, trying to find out its tricks and secrets. She tapped slightly as she moved, hoping she could find the key to this box, the answer to its secret. Once she had completed a round, she turned to the Doctor, who was waiting for her, leaning on the door of the box.
"Well, you might say," He grinned, glancing at the box, "It's bigger on the inside."
"No way." Elisabeth stated, her eyes wide in excitement.
"Time Lord technology." He beamed.
"Wait, sorry, what did you just say there?" Elisabeth tried to catch onto his words.
"Oh, nothing." He glanced around. "Now, where exactly are we?"
They had materialized in a metal tunnel. Perhaps a branch of the whole system. But a whole system of what? Trains? Sewers? Elisabeth shuddered at the thought. She didn't fancy coming all the way here to be hit by a train. The cold air circulating all around didn't help, either. She wrapped her arms around herself as she surveyed the surroundings. She placed a hand on the metal wall of the tunnel – and recoiled immediately, taking a few steps back.
"What's the matter, Elise?"
"The wall's icy cold, Doctor!" She exclaimed, and he stepped up, placing a hand on the wall.
"You're indeed right. It is a little...chilly." He observed. He removed his hand from the wall and continued down the passage.
Elisabeth tried to block out the sounds as they walked. Every time her foot landed, the metal resonated, making her shudder. She tried her best not to focus on the sounds, but they kept getting inside her head.
She pondered as she walked. Perhaps it would help to pass the time, thinking about something else than walking down this long, boring corridor. She wondered about the Doctor. Who exactly was he? He was so mysterious he didn't even reveal his name, but just merely his title. Why? He'd say there'd be terrible circumstances. And what did he say about the TARDIS being...Time Lord technology?
She didn't know he'd stopped until she'd run into him. She slammed hard into his back, almost toppling the both of them over. Elisabeth brushed her hair out of her face. "Why'd you stop?"
"Listen." He instructed, and Elisabeth kept silent for a few seconds.
"So?" Elisabeth couldn't hear anything other than the clanging of metal on metal.
"Listen closely."
Elisabeth closed her eyes, blocking out her other senses. It seemed clearer to her now. Heavy, metal footsteps. She could hear the individual paces now. Stomp, stomp. She opened her eyes, taking in a sharp breath as she turned.
The metal footsteps rang throughout the corridor, striking fear into her heart.
And there it was.
It seemed enough like a person. An upright creature, with two hands and two legs. The peculiar thing was that some of those limbs weren't made of flesh, but of metal. As he got closer Elisabeth could see how he looked now. His facial features were nothing special. Just another ordinary man. But this was no ordinary man. Were his legs encased in metal armor? Or did the man have his legs replaced by these columns of steel?
He didn't move very fast, moving along in a clunking manner. His eyes were trained on the Doctor as he drew near. "You, there. What's your business in these parts?" He demanded, planting a foot on the ground firmly.
"Well, we were just passing by. We're nothing more than just two lonely travellers, running across the galaxy for a bit of adventure." The Doctor casually threw out, but the man continued to have the same, serious expression on his face. He behaved in a mechanical way, like a robot. If she could just concentrate...perhaps she could just hear the buzzing of electricity coming from his torso.
"All trespassers will be brought to the headquarters." The man threatened, holding up a gun and pointing it at the Doctor. He reached into his belt and pulled out a second gun, which he pointed at Elisabeth. "If you try anything funny, the two of you, you'll be shot dead. Now move along!" He yelled, making Elizabeth jump. She started walking, taking one step at a time. Shivers ran down her spine. Was this expected, when travelling with the Doctor? Would she want to continue on with him, if it were so dangerous every time?
"Move faster, girl!"
Elisabeth picked up her pace. As she walked she clenched her fists, her arms stiff at her sides.
"Are you alright?" Elisabeth heard the Doctor whisper as he walked alongside her. "I'm sorry this had to happen on our first adventure."
"Keep quiet, you!" The man shouted. Elisabeth cursed under her breath. How could his hearing be so good, to pick up what the Doctor was saying? Elisabeth herself couldn't really hear him clearly, but how did he manage hear him?
"And you too, girl! Shut up and keep walking!"
Elisabeth kept her mouth shut and walked ahead, putting her hands in the pockets of her jeans. Her left hand closed around Caroline's wallet, but there seemed to be something else in the pocket. A brooch pin, she presumed, just by feeling around. A round button, with a pin at the back. She wondered whether it had come along with Caroline's belongings, or perhaps she had just picked it up from somewhere else.
It was only minutes later when they exited the passageway into a huge warehouse. The whole structure was made of metal, not a concrete beam or brick wall in sight. Everything was fully metal here. Metal, some of it left unpainted and gleaming and shining in the artificial light. The whole place was as bright as a star. Elisabeth wished she had a pair of sunglasses.
The metal didn't just belong on the machinery and the building. It belonged on the people themselves. Elisabeth had never seen such a strange community before. People with metal limbs and torsos, some almost covered completely in metal, so they looked like that C-3PO robot from the Star Wars movies. Wait. Star Wars? She remembered this movie from her childhood, when she went to watch it in the cinema with her family. It was her first visit to the cinema, and the memories stuck with her for life. Alright. The Doctor was right about her being from the 20th or 21st century. Clever young chap.
The Doctor and Elisabeth were ushered into a small elevator, and they held their breaths as the elevator car plunged. Deep, down into the ground, whizzing past miles of rock and stone.
As the doors finally opened, Elisabeth was feeling giddy, and it took her all her willpower to stay upright. The Doctor wasn't looking very stable either.
But he seemed to recover faster than Elisabeth did. "Alright, so would you tell us where exactly we are now?" He inquired. The man behind him pushed him forward with his gun. "Out you go, you two."
The two obliged, stepping out of the elevator car.
"Mm, trespassers."
It wasn't the man who led them here who spoke, but somebody else. They were pushed forward, into the office. Waiting for them there, at the desk, was a woman. Or at least, she looked like one enough to pass off as one. But it was obvious that even she'd been replacing parts of her body with metal, like the other people of this community did. The wires visible at her throat, her hair made of strands of metal, her robot fingers...
...the half of her face which was replaced with metal.
Elisabeth wondered about the possibilities. What could have happened to her? An accident at the workplace, at the factories that she'd seen on the way here? But no, this was not any working class citizen of the community. Instead of iron and steel adorning her body, she instead had parts of gold. Why gold? Any idiot would know that gold was one of the softest metals, and wouldn't do much as armor. Instead this was a show of wealth, of power.
"Before we bury your bodies we'd like to know why you're here." She spoke in a monotone, robotic tone. Elizabeth noticed the small square compartment on the side of the woman's throat, and wondered whether it was a robotic voice box.
"We're just passing by." Elizabeth stepped forward. "Now would you tell us where we are?"
The woman laughed, a gurgling, stuttering sound emitting from the metal box at her throat. "Patience, girl. You'll know in due time. Or perhaps not at all, because you'll be dead when we tell you."
"How will you kill us?"
The woman tutted. "Oh, my dear, do you really want to know? If you really must know how you're going to die, we usually execute prisoners by firing squad. You'll be blown apart. Blood and organs all over the place. Your blood splattered across the walls to join the dried stains of those who came before you." The woman wrinkled her nose. "Not a very nice way to go, but it serves for entertainment. The people will be pleased."
Elisabeth recoiled in disgust.
"We mean no harm," The Doctor promised, raising both his hands.
"We'll keep you here for now. But I'd like to see the girl first for a short while." The woman waved her hand to signal the guard. "Take him away."
The guard stepped forward and dragged the Doctor away, despite his protests. Elisabeth's heart sunk. Was she going to make it out alive on her own?
"Oh, you'll survive, probably."
Elisabeth blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I can read your mind," The woman affirmed. "I know every single thought running through there."
"How?" Elisabeth leaned forward.
"Technology nowadays..." She sighed. "You've a brilliant mind, girl."
"Well, thank you...?" Elisabeth didn't know how to respond.
"You know, it'd be good if we put that mind to good use..." The woman contemplated, stepping out from behind her desk, circling Elisabeth like a hungry hyena.
"How?" Elisabeth trembled.
"An experiment." She declared. "We'd like to explore the concept of photographic memory."
"Well, you're not doing it on me. Go find someone else." Elisabeth spat.
"It seems like you don't have a choice, girl..." She said in a rather sing-song way, which was miraculous despite the fact that she spoke through an artificial device.
"No, I don't understand! You can't just do experiments on people!"
"You're not any ordinary person," She started. "You're a prisoner now."
"Wait," Elisabeth stopped herself. "If you could read my mind, and the Doctor's, you'd know that we were only just stopping by. So why'd you keep us here?"
"You're smart, as I said. Pity about the mental block."
"Wha..." Elisabeth tilted her head sideways. "You just want me, don't you? And what was that you said about the mental block?"
"How old are you, Elisabeth?" She leaned on her desk, bending down slightly to match Elisabeth's eye level. "Twenty, twenty five, perhaps?"
"I don't remember." Elisabeth stated with a defiant air.
"Exactly. Mental block. You've got more years of experience than you know."
"Tell me, then."
"No." She stood, and walked back behind the desk.
"Where am I?" Elisabeth demanded. "I insist on knowing where I am."
"Oh, if you will, dear..." The woman pulled away, going to the desk where she flipped a switch, and a set of window blinds rose, revealing another vast hangar like the one she saw earlier on her way here. Filled with machines, she could hear the clunking and the pounding clearly despite the thick glass separating the office from the chamber.
"Welcome to the Underground."