Having found their defeat at the hands of the convey they tried to keep their distance, but every now and again one of the thrusters over shot and blaze of fire got close but never enough to do any real harm.
"That trinket sure is working." smiled Sky.
"I just hope it can handle all those ship's, getting to close." worried Sarah Jane.
"Mistress may I scan the device, to see it's out put."
"Of course K-9." replied Sarah Jane.
Bending down she pulled out the device and held it out, K-9's nose extended and scanned the small octagonal tube. It's sliver body with wide screens of red and layered area's made it easy it fit in pocket but rather odd to look at.
"Object power out put, is limited. Requires major recharge."
"Lets move further away from the ships."
Moving further afield they found they where walking close to a cliff edge, Sarah Jane seeing this tried to move away. But as she made sure Sky was safe first some ground gave way and she slipped and rolled down the mountain side, coming to stop she found her self on a small path that weaved it's away around the mountains edge.
"MUM!" shouted Sky looking over the edge.
Getting up Sarah Jane seemed fine, but as she moved the sound of crushed metal was ringing in her hears. Panicking she dove her hand in to her pocket where the device was held, only find it had been crushed in the fall.
"MUM!" shouted Sky again.
"I'm okay." replied Sarah Jane, as she got to her feet. "That's more then I can say for the shield device." she said to her self.
Sky watched from above as Sarah Jane tried to climb up, the slope was not so steep that the climb was imposable, but the surface offered nothing to grab on to, as most of it was made up of small and tiny bumps. Nearing the top Sarah Jane was able to grip the edge and pulled her self up.
"Oh thank go your safe." panicked Sky.
"We'd better try not to stray to far." said Sarah Jane dusting her self off.
Carrying on they tried their best to stay away form the jet engines, but also keep away form edge, this became a dangerous road to take.
After a short jaunt the trio soon came to a sudden stop, as they kept encroaching on to the jets as the cliff edge drove them inwards. Only for it have a sudden end as it took a hard turn leaving them with a large gap to get across, spanning a great distance meaning they where unable to cross it. Turning back they started to walk away, when….
"Look!" pointed out Sky.
Sarah Jane followed Sky's finger to see a figure was falling out of one of the last ships in the convoy.
"We have to help them." insisted Sky trying to pull her mum over.
Watching Sarah tried to make them out, but before she was bale to make her own distinction Sky raced over.
"SKY!" shouted Sarah Jane as she chased after her.
The figure had fallen a shot way back and was in a pile of hay near a farm, Sky had arrived and was scouting out the field's and hay piles looking for the figure, when Sarah Jane arrived with K-9.
"Sky what are you doing, we don't know anything about this planet, you can't go off like that." reprimanded Sarah Jane.
"I, I'm sorry." Apologised Sky "But you always taught me to help those in need, and they just fell out of a ship."
"Your right, but there are times when…"
A hand braking out of the hay caught them both off guard as a second followed, before a Scarecrow climbed out. Their body and structure was not like a normal Scarecrow, but was more reminiscent of a straw man form the family of blood.
"Dam. It didn't work." fumed the Scarecrow.
As Sarah Jane looked at the Scarecrow, wile the hood hide the face, the voice sounded familiar.
"Luke." wondered Sarah Jane.
"Who." came the reply. "I'm not Luke I have no name, I'm just a Scarecrow."
"Oh, well then, can I call you Luke!" Sarah Jane asked.
"If you must."
"What happened to you, to make you fall out."
"I didn't fall, I jumped." Luke replied.
"Why did you do that?" wondered Sky.
"I'm sick of my intelligence, and trying to find ways to be rid of it."
"Why?" wondered Sarah Jane.
"It's alienated me form everyone I know, and makes me miserable."
"Where going to see the Doctor of Oz maybe you can join us and he might be able to help you." offered Sky.
"Perhaps." thought Luke.
"Mistress, we are unable to cross the gorge." chimed in K-9. "A new path is needed to proceed."
"What path are you trying to follow?" asked Luke.
"We were following the Yellow path." butted in Sky.
"There is a way to cross the gorge, but you'll need to take care as it an be dangerous."
"Can you show us then?" asked Sarah Jane.
"Might as well, at least I can try to jump of it."
The party of four soon left and returned back towards the yellow path leading them away from the farm.
Back to the cliff face of the gorge, Sarah Jane and Sky scanned for anything of use and didn't find much as K-9 arrived with Luke the two stopped just behind them.
"There is it." said Luke.
Looking at him Sarah Jane and Sky both seems confused.
"The Emerald Space Station." Luke continued "The structure is made of a crystal material not know to the plant, and was used to forge the Doctors fortress."
The two looked in the distance and spotted the great green building of into the distance, it's industrial design and green hue made it even alien to the planet it self.
"So how do we get across?" asked Sarah Jane looking around.
"Your not thinking logicically, you don't go across you go down."
A simple glance was enough to see of the other side was a small cave mouth, just out of reach.
"But how do we reach it, we can't make it down there."
"That's not my problem." said the Scarecrow, "I only need to jump off." and he walked towards the edge meaning to walk of.
"No!" insisted Sky, reaching out to grab him.
She pulled him back and both fell on to their backs.
"There's no safe way down." said Sarah Jane "It's seems your not as smart as you claim."
"No, you just don't see the answer." corrected Luke getting up. "There is small path running along the side of gorge we stand on, a careful decent leads us to a small ledge and a simple jump to get inside, the tunnel then should lead the way to an above ground exit."
"Why is your intelligence so annoying, with out your help we might have never moved on."
"You don't know what's it's like." he said and dove over the side.
"LUKE!" shouted Sarah Jane reaching over the side.
Dropping to her knees she spotted Luke had landed on the ledge and was still okay, she recoiled as he stood back up.
"Okay Sky now we are going to need to be careful, we no longer have the device." she warned as she rejoined her at her side.
"I know."
"I just don't want you yo get hurt."
"Don't worry." smiled Sky.
Sarah Jane smiled before she saw Sky sit down on the ground and then push her self over and go down as if it was slide at the local park. Seeing as Sky was safe she turned to K-9.
"Okay K-9, it's time for you and me to go next." she said, weakly.
"Yes Mistress." he replied.
Getting down low and sitting down like Sky she held on to K-9 as he sat beside her, then pushed off and felt the wind blowing past her before they landed on the ledge, getting up she noticed Luke was putting him self back together. Tucking in loose straw back in to his body, Sarah Jane put down K-9.
"So have you decided to join us then?" wondered Sarah Jane.
"For the time being, I have no reason to carry on going, but maybe the trip will kill me." he sighed.
The four moved down towards the cave tunnel.
"Is the trip dangerous then?" feared Sarah Jane.
"Yes, mortal dangers are everywhere in the caves, but not everything is going to try and kill you."
"Really?"
"No some are just going make you suffer."
Sarah seemed more off out as they reached the gap between the edge and tunnel entrance.
"It seems like this trip seems to be one no body should try." thought Sarah Jane
"That's why, everything and everyone uses the transports I dropped out off. The word, is very often trying to kill you here."
"What about the little town of this strange things, they seems safe." brought up Sky.
"That was a nursery of a powerful alien race. No one touches their kids." Reasoned Luke.
"So how do make the gap."
"You either jump and fall or jump and make it." said Luke, as he jumped the gap and found himself on the other side, cursing his success.
Sky made her jump with relative ease and was able to land squarely just behind Luke who had moved to let them make the leap.
"Come on Mistress." barked K-9, who in turn flapped his ears as he wait on her to jump.
"But you can't jump K-9, I can't leave you here."
"Don't worry Mistress, I will find another route." he said as followed the path along the gorge back the way they had come.
"Come on you can do it mum." cheered Sky.
Looking over the gap, her mind soon made it out to ten time the size it was, but being caught between K-9's departure and Sky's waiting stance only made her mind split in two. But in the midst of it all she chose to leap, but was unable to make the full landing arriving to soon she fell. Grabbing on to the floor of the tunnel she clung to cliff face for dear life as her grip faded away, her feet unable to find a foot hold Sky raced over and tried to help her up grabbing her arm. But she was not strong enough.
Sarah Jane's weight was to much and the gravity had caught a tight hold of her, soon she jerked backwards and more of her grip slipped away. With out a second thought Luke dove after her with both his straw hands, unable to grip anything he rapped them around her arms and tugged. The combined might of the two, along side Sarah trying to hold on allowed them to pull her to safety. Gaining safe ground Sarah Jane stood up joining the others as they looked on in to the cave tunnel.
The trip seemed fine at first the tunnel was not safe by any means, but most of the problems stemmed form the floor opening up in to cave or sharp rocks that could not be seen.
"I know I wanted this, but I'd wanted it to be quick." groaned Luke stuffing more straw that fell out back in his body."
"I think I've gained more bruises here then my entire life." groaned Sarah Jane.
"Unless you have something to shield your self form danger, then your out of luck." said Luke.
Sarah Jane felt her pocket, the contents where still there, but before she could answer, they all stopped, the tunnel turned in to something else, a ship. The metal interior and sparking walls and ceilings made it out like it was some sort of underground alien vessel.
"What is is place?" asked Sky.
"It looks like…" Sarah Jane paused.
"Cyberman." butted in Luke. "This is not the end I wanted."
"Wait." burst out Sarah Jane.
"What is it?"
"I have something that might be able to help."
Luke watched as Sarah Jane pulled out the scraps of the shield device, reaching out his hand he was about to touch it, when the sounds of stomping feet sounded.
"We can't stay here, we'd need to find some where else to deal with this." feared Luke.
"Come on Sky, this way." worried Sarah Jane as she ferried her away with Luke following.
Wondering though the dark and dimly lit halls, they looked for an escape wile the sounds of metal boots grew louder from all sides. A shadow appeared a head of them on a corner cutting them off, they turned back to see another one was closing in.
Luke shot around and spotted a panel and door close bye.
In quick succession he tired to activated the panels, with no success, Sarah Jane caught on and spun around whipping out Sonic Lipstick and zapped the door.