Lieutenant Adventures Series 17 Episode 9 23 August 2023. The Lost Patrol Part 2.

16th Lieutenant: Well, we meet again, don't we? We're nearly half-way through now!

At the end of the previous episode, we saw my eighth incarnation regenerate in a hostage situation. In this episode, we introduce my ninth incarnation, born in a highly-dangerous situation, making a friend, throwing the Sontarans off the planet and getting the hostages to safety.

This is the story of the beginning of my ninth incarnation.

Previously: The Lieutenant groaned and felt his chest. One heart had been taken out. He was in a lot of pain but he heaved himself to his feet. Sounding very hoarse, he said, 'Now, you're going to be sorry you did that.' His hands glowed with golden energy. He turned quickly to the humans. 'Get down,' he wheezed, 'stay as close to the floor as you can, shallow breaths, no-one panic, I'll try to miss as many of you as I can,' he said as he positioned his hands towards Sontarans and, tilting his head back, regenerated.

The regeneration took out many of the Sontarans and set fire to the building they were in. Fire alarms all around went off. The humans screamed but did as the Lieutenant had said.

Straightening back up, the newly-regenerated Lieutenant seemed briefly dazed and then collapsed to the floor, not fully unconscious, clutching his stomach and breathed out golden regeneration energy.

9th Lieutenant: The Lieutenant groaned, hugging his stomach, as he heaved himself to his feet, then looked around him at the burning building and the dead Sontarans. As he breathed in, he got a strong smoky smell and coughed. That was when he remembered the damage his recent regeneration had done and his eyes widened, spinning round to look at the hostages with great concern in his eyes. He looked at the door.

Odin came up to the Lieutenant, places his hands on his shoulders and shook him. 'Lieutenant!' he exclaimed. 'The building is burning down, we have to be quick.'

'Burning...quick...yes,' said the Lieutenant as he thought. 'Everyone out, quickly, you go first, keep close to the floor, most oxygen is to be found there, don't stop at any time, keep going until you get to the door and then get out of the building. Odin and I will be right behind you, go, go, go!' he exclaimed.

As the humans hurried from the room, Odin looked at the Lieutenant. 'Are you a Time Lord?' he asked.

The Lieutenant hesitated. 'Yes, I am,' he said. 'Now, follow them out, I'm right behind you,' said the Lieutenant, pushing Odin forward a bit.

'What's the plan now?' asked Odin.

'Really not the time, Odin, keep moving,' said the Lieutenant, ensuring Odin and the other humans got out of the building.

'I thought the Time Lords were a myth, people who don't really die and change their face,' said Odin in between breaths.

'Yes, well, every myth probably happened but because it seemed so unrealistic within the traditions and cultures of peoples of other planets, they could not see how it was possible and dismissed it as a myth, now, you'll think very differently about the next myth you think about because this one is true, as you can see, I am no myth, now, this really is not the time. I can feel fresh air, follow that and make sure no-one else comes back in because I am about to do something extremely stupid,' said the Lieutenant, hurriedly.

'What are you going to do?' asked Odin, concerned, shooting the Lieutenant a look.

'Nevermind, I am still regenerating, I can survive, just concentrate. At times, it feels like that door is never getting closer but it is, keep moving towards it,' said the Lieutenant.

Odin studied the Lieutenant for some time before saying, "Not one bit of you is the same, I mean, the clothes are, but you are totally different!' he exclaimed.

'Yes, it's your myth, as we've established, and my reality, this is the eighth time I have done this and it's still weird. Now, Odin, don't have me tell you again, this is not the time, that door is close now, keep going,' said the Lieutenant.

Odin looked down, sadly. 'Sorry, Lieutenant,' he muttered.

The Lieutenant looked at Odin briefly and sighed.

On reaching the door, the hostages climed through the broken windows and ran outside.

The Lieutenant pushed Odin out ahead of him and then climbed out after Odin and stood on the steps looking down at the hostages, Odin by his side. He smiled slightly, then turned to Odin. 'Listen to me, listen good. They are your responsibility now. I am going back in there-"

'Lieutenant, you can't!' exclaimed Odin.

'Odin, please, just accept something I do. I have to! I am going back in there to make sure I get rid of every last one and get those people to safety. I want no more loss of life here, for me to achieve that, I need you and them to stay out here. I don't think I will die in there but the average person will. Am I clear, Odin? There is no other way,' said the Lieutenant, urgently.

Odin nodded slightly.

The Lieutenant nodded back and grinned. He climbed back in through the broken window, smoke in his eyes, and dashed off in the direction they had just come from, disappearing into the smoke.

Odin watched the Lieutenant go until he could no longer see him. Then he turned around to the frightened people they had saved. 'Stay back from the building!' he exclaimed, descending the steps, away from the entrance, slowly. 'It's not safe in there!'

Inside the building, the Lieutenant could not see much but he re-traced his steps the best he could, back to the room they had all been in when he regenerated.

On entering the room, at first, the Sontarans in there had not seen him.

The Lieutenant straightened up. The smoke got caught in his throat, forcing him to cough.

The Sontarans, three left, in the room turned around. 'You have destroyed us, Time Lord,' they spat.

'Hardly,' said the Lieutenant. 'I am certainly chucking you off this planet, but I have hardly destroyed you,' he said simply.

'We have nothing left,' said a Sontaran.

'Ah, now, you see, that's a bit different,' said the Lieutenant, wagging a finger. 'Genocide would be to kill off an entire species, you are not the last of your species and I am talking to you, hence, you are still alive! I have destroyed whatever experiment you were conducting down here,' he said, taking a few steps forward to examine the damaged machinery. 'Now, I am definitely no tech expert, but it doesn't look like this machinery is going to be very useful to you,' he said.

'There is no need for the taunting,' said a Sontaran.

'I'm not taunting you,' said the Lieutenant. 'I have killed some of your number today and whilst that was intended, a regeneration today was not intended, so for those of you surviving, my best advice is to get out and go far away. This building is near collapse, we all have about five minutes to get out. Leave the corpses here, there will be little or nothing left of them, if they are discovered, they will become an infamous, unsolved mystery. Leave the machinery, accept defeat and just go and get out, you have your lives, I will not be taking them from you,' he said.

'What of you?' the Sontarans asked the Lieutenant, crossly.

'I'll get out too, I believe,' said the Lieutenant, assessing the structure of the building again, 'but none of us will make it out if you do not leave here now. We will all die here,' he said. He stood, looking directly into their eyes, confidently, arms folded, vaguely, occasionally glowing with residual regeneration energy, mostly around his neck, which was struggling against the smoke.

The Sontarans looked around at the creaking building. 'Three minutes remaining. Our mission must survive! Sontar-ha!' they exclaimed before making a dash for their spacecrafts and fleeing.

The Lieutenant, himself, waited until they were gone, then assessed the creaking building one more time. 'Just under two minutes left, I reckon,' he said to himself. 'Time to go,' he muttered, making his way out of the room and darting down the corridors, re-tracing his steps as best he could. He did not stop for anything, keeping his eyes straight, looking forward. He had never known himself to be so fast, though, he was not yet settled into his new incarnation and he could put this down, either, to his residual energy.

On reaching the door, the Lieutenant quickly climbed out of the building to be greeted by Odin.

'Lieutenant!' exclaimed Odin.

'Odin! Good man!' exclaimed the Lieutenant. 'Get everyone as far back from the building, now, now, now, less than a minute until the building collapses,' said the Lieutenant urgently to Odin. 'Everyone back, get as far away as you can, quickly, the building is about to collapse!' he yelled.

Odin did likewise.

The Lieutenant had not intended to create a massive panic but that was happening now. He blocked some panicking people who had not realised they were running towards the building, catching them and dragging them away from the building. 'It's OK, it's OK, I've got you, it's OK, just relax,' he was saying, as people in his grip struggled to get free. 'Not that way, this way, come on.'

'I thought you were going to die in there,' said Odin.

'I thought about it for a moment,' said the Lieutenant, breathless, 'but I realised scenes out here would be chaotic and that my death might actually cost more lives than it would save.'

Odin stopped for a moment. 'Are all your people this selfless?'

'No, most aren't, it's just me and a few others, and we're a calculated selfless, not just blindly selfless,' said the Lieutenant, struggling to keep people away from the building. When they were a safe distance away, the Lieutenant shouted, 'Everyone down, hands shielding heads, quickly, come on!' He did likewise.

As if on cue, the building swayed, surrounded by smoke before collapsing in an extremely loud crash, smoke and dust erupting from where the building once stood.

'Eyes closed!' yelled the Lieutenant, closing his eyes. 'Tightly!'

Everyone followed the Lieutenant's command whilst the rubble settled, a large number of them coughing madly in the smoke and dust. Then there was a piercing silence.

'Stay down!' yelled the Lieutenant, slowly opening his eyes, lowering his arms and straightening up to look at the rubble. He signalled to Odin to do the same. 'What do you think?' he whispered.

'Huh?' asked Odin, confused.

'Safe enough to release everyone?' whispered the Lieutenant.

'I don't think anytime is safe, really, there won't be a good time,' whispered Odin.

'True,' said the Lieutenant. 'OK, at ease, be careful, mind your eyes, watch where you are treading,' said the Lieutenant, loudly.

Slowly, the crowd opened their eyes and lowered their hands and, realising they were alive, applauded and cheered loudly.

Odin grinned at the Lieutenant.

The Lieutenant grinned and nodded slightly, briefly applauding Odin.

Odin blushed but made his way over to the Lieutenant. 'Do you do this often?' he asked.

'Not so much saving people, no, but I certainly am in search of the unexpected, very often,' said the Lieutenant.

'What happens for you now?' asked Odin.

'Oh, I don't know, back to the TARDIS, begin a new search, maybe pick a time and place for a short holiday, do some TARDIS maintenance, book a doctor's appointment, embark on a new career, who knows? Everyone forgets me, naturally, as they always do, and that's OK, I'm not here to be a hero,' said the Lieutenant. 'You could come with me if you wished,' he said.

'I don't think so, I'm not cut out for the life of a Time Lord,' said Odin, looking at his feet.

The Lieutenant looked at Odin warmly for a moment, almost fatherly. 'I don't ask just anyone to travel with me, you know, average people don't get to join me on adventures, only the remarkable, the admirable. You were great today, you fit straight in with me, you were calm and collected when I needed a second rational mind in the room, well done and thank you.'

'You mean it, not just anyone?' asked Odin, hopefully.

'No, not just anyone, they run the risk of dragging me down and getting me killed. What do you think?' asked the Lieutenant.

Odin didn't need to be asked a third time. He accepted the offer gleefully.

The Lieutenant and Odin made their way back to the TARDIS cautiously, in search of adventure, the unexpected and the unknown.

NEXT TIME

Ah, there I was, deep in the Space-Time Vortex, my TARDIS spinning and tumbling like a leaf in a storm. Just your typical day for a time-traveling Lieutenant. Annoyed at the interruption, I marked my page and begrudgingly went to investigate.

As he mused over his new plan he set the TARDIS console coordinates for the planet Skaro, and hoped he could be very, very persuasive to its residents.

The Lieutenant

Liam Hickey

Steven Clark

Odin Hartley

Timothée Chalamet

Sontarans

Dan Starkey

Other Humans

Dev Patel

Ty Sheridan

Asa Butterfield

Tom Holland

Nicholas Hoult

Ansel Elgort

Justice Smith

Lucas Hedges

Jack Lowden

Writer

Liam Hickey

Producer

Caitlin Parker

Executive Producers

Darwin Meads

Liam Hickey

M/S 2023