{"I don't believe in the devil."}

The Tardis materialises in a very tight space, "I don't know what's wrong though. She's sort of queasy. Indigestion, like she didn't want to land." Theta frowned as he stepped out, holding a hand out to give to me as Rose pushed her way out. "Oh, if you think there's going to be trouble, we could always get back inside and go somewhere else." I frowned as I looked around the room, this place; I couldn't sense anything from it. It was like I was being blocked from everything.

What the hell was going on here?

She lets out a laugh thinking that he would join her but he just cleared his throat awkwardly. "I think we've landed inside a cupboard. Here we go."

'Open door 15.'

"Some sort of base. Moon base, sea base, space base. They build these things out of kits."

'Close door 15.'

"Glad we're indoors. sounds like a storm out there."

'Open door 16.'

"Human design. You've got a thing about kits. This place was put together like a flat pack wardrobe, only bigger. And easier."

Three steps down into an area with tables and chairs. There is a big 3 on the wall.

'Open door 17.'

"Oh, it's a sanctuary base."

'Close door 17.'

"Deep Space exploration. We've gone way out. And listen to that, underneath. Someone's drilling." Theta looked up at the walls, listening to the sound as I spot words written on the wall. "Welcome to hell." I mumbled out with a frown, Theta turned to me with a jutted lip. "Oh, it's not that bad." His voice raised slightly as he frowned. "No, over there." I pointed with a little laugh. The words are painted on the wall in big block letters, and a vertical alien script underneath.

"Hold on, what does that say? That's weird, it won't translate."

"But I thought the Tardis translated everything, writing as well. We should see English." Rose frowned in thought staring at the wall before urning to Theta, "Exactly. If that's not working, then it means this writing is old. Very old. Impossibly old. We should find out who's in charge." He starts to spin the wheel on another bulkhead door.

"We've gone beyond the reach of the Tardis' knowledge. Not a good move. And if someone's lucky enough." I started as we looked around.

'Open door 19.'

Aliens with tentacles where our noses and mouths are, are standing outside the door. They all have a tube going in behind the tentacles, and carry a white globe in their right hands which they use for communication, just like the Gaim in Babylon 5. "Oh! Right. Hello. Sorry. I was just saying, er, nice base."

"We must feed."

"You've got to what?"

"We must feed."

"Yeah. I think they mean us." The Ood enter, we quickly start to back away. "We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed." More Ood enter from other doors. Theta gets out his sonic screwdriver pulling me behind him while Rose picks up a chair. "We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed."

"We must feed." It taps the globe, "You, if you are hungry." We all pause in confusion. "Sorry?" Theta cocks his head to the side, "We apologise. Electromagnetics have interfered with speech systems. Would you like some refreshment?" The Ood states, "Er"

'Open door 18.'

Humans enter, "What the hell? How did?" The Ood make way for the newcomers. The lead man uses a wrist-comm, "Captain, you're not going to believe this. We've got people. Out of nowhere. I mean, real people. I mean three living people, just standing here right in front of me."

"Don't be stupid, that's impossible ." A voice responded from the other side of the comm. "I suggest telling them that." The man scoffed, "But you're a sort of space base. You must have visitors now and then. It can't be that impossible." Rose raised an eyebrow as if they were stupid. "You're telling me you don't know where you are?"

"No idea. More fun that way." A woman's voice makes a broadcast, "Stand by, everyone. Buckle down. We have incoming. And it's a big one. Quake point five on its way." Jefferson opens a door. "Through here, now. Quickly, come on! Move!"

Theta grabs my hand as we run after them, Conduits go bang overhead us. "Move it! Come on! Keep moving. Come on! Quickly! Move it!" We step down into another room full of people working at control panels. "Oh, my God. You meant it." A young man gasped in shock at the sight of us.

"People! Look at that, real people!" A women with curly hair stared with wide eyes, "That's us. Hooray!" Theta smiled with a wave of his hand.Yeah, definitely real. My name's Rose. Rose Tyler. And, this is my Doctor." Theta cleared his throat at her introduction before making one of his own, "I'm the Doctor and this is My Wife, Kate." I blushed brightly as Rose turned away with a glare in anger.

"Come on the oxygen must be offline. We're hallucinating. They can't be. No, they're real." Another man gasps in shock looking around, "Come on, we're in the middle of an alert! Danny, strap up. The quake's coming in! Impact in thirty seconds! Sorry you two, whoever you are. Just hold on, tight." The boy yelled towards us.

"Hold on to what?" Rose shouted back as everyone positioned themselves for impact. I turned around to find a seat, "Anything. I don't care. Just hold on. Ood, are we fixed?" He turned to the Ood who turned to him as well. "Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated."

"What's this planet called, anyway?"

"Now, don't be stupid. It hasn't got a name. How could it have a name? You really don't know, do you?"

"And impact!" The whole place shakes for a few seconds, "Oh, well, that wasn't so bad." And again, much worse. Consoles burst into flames. "Okay, that's it. Everyone all right? Speak to me, Ida." It finally settled, Rose was on the floor and Theta had taken to protect me by grabbing onto me and holding me close.

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Danny?"

"Fine."

"Toby?"

"Yeah, fine."

"Scooti?"

"No damage."

"Jefferson?"

"Check!"

"We're fine, thanks, fine. Yeah, don't worry about us." I spoke sarcastically as Theta helped me up while Rose shot up herself shooting me a glare in jealousy. "The surface caved in." He looks up at a schematic of the base, "I deflected it onto storage five through eight. We've lost them completely. Toby, go and check the rocket link."

"That's not my department." Toby frowned in irritation. "Just do as I say, yeah?" Toby leaves, "Oxygen holding. Internal gravity fifty six point six. We should be okay."

"Never mind the earthquake, that's, that's one hell of a storm. What is that, a hurricane?" Rose asked with a cock of her head as she looked at everyone. "You'd need an atmosphere for a hurricane. There's no air out there. It's a complete vacuum."

"Then what's shaking the roof?"

"You're not joking. You really don't know. Well introductions. F Y I, as they said in the olden days. I'm Ida Scott, science officer. Zachary Cross Flane, acting Captain, sir. You've met Mister Jefferson, he's Head of Security. Danny Bartock, Ethics committee." Ida introduced everyone as we smiled and waved back. "Not as boring as it sounds." Danny shrugs, "And that man who just left, that was Toby Zed, Archaeology, and this is Scooti Manista, Trainee maintenance. And this? This is home." Ida pulls down a lever.

"Brace yourselves. The sight of it sends some people mad." The shutters overhead pull back to reveal a white hot, angry, disc with a black centre and black dots falling into it. My eyes widened in shock, "That's a black hole." Rose gapped as I took Theta's hand, "But that's impossible." I spoke in shock and awe.

"I did warn you." Zach spoke nonchalantly with an eye roll, "We're standing under a black hole." Theta stared before turning to everyone. "In orbit." Ida nodded with him, "But we can't be" He insisted, "You can see for yourself. We're in orbit."

"But we can't be." This time it was me in shock, "This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole without falling in. Discuss." Ida explains, "And that's bad, yeah?" Rose asked turning to Theta who nodded. "Bad doesn't cover it. A black hole's a dead star. It collapses in on itself, in and in and in until the matter's so dense and tight it starts to pull everything else in too. Nothing in the universe can escape it. Light, gravity, time. Everything just gets pulled inside and crushed."

"So, they can't be in orbit. We should be pulled right in." Rose stated as a matter of fact an slight question, "We should be dead." I finished for her with a frown of my own as my stomach churned. "And yet here we are, beyond the laws of physics. Welcome on board." Ida smiled, "But if there's no atmosphere out there, what's that?" Rose asked as Ida sighed. "Stars breaking up. Gas clouds. We have whole solar systems being ripped apart above our heads, before falling into that thing."

"So, a bit worse than a storm, then."

"Just a bit."

"Just a bit, yeah." Another shake and my stomach released it's contents in a corner as I rushed over. Theta immediately coming to my side as Rose groaned in disgust, "Really?" She called in exasperation as Theta turned to Ida. "Do you have anything for her?" He asked as she nodded going to her bag pulling out motion sickness medicine and a water before handing it over.

Two Ood coming up behind us to clean up my mess making me flush in embarrassment, "Sorry." I spoke but they just turned an gave me a nod as Rose watched with a frown. Scoffing at me with an eye roll clearly thinking I was weak for puking.

'Close door 1.'

"The rocket link's fine." Zach calls up a hologram over the central console, Theta and Rose going to stand around it, as I watched from the chair I was sitting in. Theta placed his glasses on with a frown putting his hand on his chin as he leaned in for a closer look. "That's the black hole, officially designated K three seven Gen five." Ida explains standing with everyone around it, "In the scriptures of the Falltino, this planet is called Kroptor, the bitter pill. And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out, because it was poison."

"The bitter pill. I like that." Rose laughed turning to Theta who wasn't paying attention. "We are so far out. Lost in the drifts of the universe. How did you even get here?!" He asked with a confused look, "We flew in. You see, this planet's generating a gravity field. We don't know how. We've no idea. But it's kept in constant balance against the black hole. And the field extends out there as a funnel. A distinct gravity funnel, reaching out into clear space. That was our way in." Zach explained.

"You flew down that thing? Like a rollercoaster." I asked waiting for my stomach to settle down, "By rights, the ship should have been torn apart. We lost the Captain, which is what put me in charge." Zach muttered sadly, "You're doing a good job." Ida insisted with a gentle smile. "Yeah, well, needs must." He shrugged not exactly feeling the roll he was put into. "But if that gravity funnel closes, there's no way out." Danny spoke turning to us, "We had fun speculating about that."

"Oh, yeah. That's the word. Fun."

"But that field would take phenomenal amounts of power. I mean not just big, but off the scale! Can I?" Theta asked again pointing at the remote that Ida handed to him, "Sure. Help yourself." Theta comes to stand beside me with Ida who gives me a small smile to which I return.

An Ood gives Rose a plastic cup of drink. "Your refreshment." He speaks through its globe. "Oh, yeah. Thanks. Thank you. I'm sorry, what was your name?" Rose asked it causing it to cock its head.

"We have no titles. We are as one." The Ood spoke causing her to frown, "Er, what are they called?" Rose asked the fellow passengers, "Oh, come on. Where have you been living? Everyone's got one." Danny scoffed in disbelief as she glared back. "Well, not me, so, what are they?" She insisted with a tone, "They're the Ood." I stated finally standing up as my stomach settled. I had studied them a little in the books I had managed to get past the guards when they allowed me to look in the ancient library.

"The Ood?"

"The Ood."

"Well that's ood."

"Very ood, but handy. They work the mine shafts. All the drilling and stuff. Supervision and maintenance. They're born for it. Basic slave race."

"You've got slaves?" Rose asked angrily in disgust, "Don't start. She's like one of that lot. Friends of the Ood." Scooti raised an eyebrow as I looked between them. "Well maybe I am, yeah. Since when do humans need slaves?" She snarled angrily, "But the Ood offer themselves. If you don't give them orders, they just pine away and die."

"Seriously, you like being ordered about?" Rose asked turning to the Ood in disagreement, "It is all we crave." Was the response she got, like a robot speaking. "Why's that, then?" She asked again, "We have nothing else in life."

"Yeah, well, I used to think like that, a long time ago." She spoke turning to Theta with a smile but he ignored her.

"There we go. Do you see? To generate that gravity field, and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds." Theta nodded every time he said six which made me smile at his dorky self. "That's a lot of sixes." I muttered nonchalantly as I sat back down for a second, a hand subconsciously rubbing my stomach. "And it's impossible." Theta spoke with a shocked look towards me "It took us two years to work that out"

"I'm very good." Theta jutted his chin out proudly, "But that's why we're here. This power source is ten miles below through solid rock. Point Zero. We're drilling down to try and find it." Ida explained looking towards him and the computer system. "It's giving off readings of over ninety stats on the Blazon scale." Zach pointed to the scale showing the data. "It could revolutionise modern science." Ida smiled in excitement, "We could use it to fuel the Empire." Jefferson nodded along with her.

"Or start a war." I stated as a fact as Theta raised his eyebrow taking of his specs, "It's buried beneath us, in the darkness, waiting." Toby spoke, his voice scary as he finally spoke up. "What's your job, chief dramatist?" Rose asked sarcastically with a scoff at the boy. "Well, whatever it is down there is not a natural phenomena. And this, er, planet once supported life eons ago, before the human race had even learned to walk."

"I saw that lettering written on the wall. Did you do that?" I turned to him with a frown causing him to nod back at me. "I copied it from fragments we found unearthed by the drilling, but I can't translate it." He frowned, he wanted to know what it said. We all wanted to know what those symbols said. I was the Queen of the oldest planet in the universe and I still didn't know what it said. How was that possible? Was I not taught the correct history of our universe? Did I miss a language?

"No, neither can I. And that's saying something." I spoke with a frown in irritation, I wanted to know that language. "There was some form of civilisation. They buried something. Now it's reaching out, calling us in." Toby explained, "And you came." Theta nodded to them causing Ida to scoff. "Well, how could we not?"

"So, when it comes right down to it, why did you come here? Why did you do that? Why? I'll tell you why. Because it was there. Brilliant. Excuse me, er, Zach, wasn't it?"

"That's me."

"Just stand there, because I'm going to hug you. Is that all right?"

"I suppose so." He shrugged slightly feeling awkward about the situation. "Here we go. Come on, then." Theta hugs Zach causing me to snort a laugh as I watched the love of my life.

"Oh, human beings. You are amazing! Ha! Thank you." Theta laughs in joy causing me to smile fondly at him. "Not at all." Zach tired to play it off, "But apart from that, you're completely mad. You should pack your bags, get back in that ship and fly for your lives."

"You can talk. And how the hell did you get here?" Ida asked turning to us with a frown, "Oh, I've got this er, this ship. It's hard to explain. It just sort of appears."

"We can show you, we parked down the corridor from er. Oh, what's it called? Habitation area"

"Three."

"Three. Three."

"Do you mean storage six?" Zach asked turning to us, "It was a bit of a cupboard, yeah. Storage six. But you said. You said. You said storage five to eight." Theta runs out pulling me along. "What is it? What's wrong?" My eyes widened as I finally registered what was happening, "No!" I gasped.

'Open door 19. Close door 19.'

"Open the door! Come on!"

'Open door 17.'

'Open door 15. Door 16 out of commission.'

"It can't be. It can't be!" I shouted as we reached the door in horror. "What's wrong? What is it? Doctor, the Tardis is in there. What's happened?" Rose pestered him continuously, "The Tardis is gone." Theta's shoulders sagged in agony. I looked through the hole and my legs almost gave way.

'Door 16 out of commission.'

"The earthquake. This section collapsed." I gasped in horror, The TARDIS! I hope she is okay.

"But it's got to be out there somewhere." Rose looks through the porthole in the bulkhead door. "Look down. The ground gave way. My Tardis must've fallen down right into the heart of the planet. But you've got robot drills heading the same way." Theta speaks sadly, "We can't divert the drilling." Zach shook his head in determination. "But I need my ship. It's all I've got. Literally the only thing. Well not only. Well it's my only home. Well. Nevermind." I watched him with a raised eyebrow as he looked down before looking back up at Zach.

"Doctor, we've only got the resources to drill one central shaft down to the power source, and that's it. No diversions, no distractions, no exceptions. Your machine is lost. All I can do is offer you a lift if we ever get to leave this place, and that is the end of it." Zach gave us a sad look before Ida gave a small smile in sympathy. "I'll er, put you on the duty roster. We need someone in the laundry." Theta and I are left alone, except for an Ood and Rose who asking another Ood about food.

'Open door 1. Close door 1.'

"I've trapped you here." He looked at me with a sad look, "No, don't worry about me." Shaking, Rose rushes over. "Okay, we're on a planet that shouldn't exist, under a black hole and no way out. Yeah, I've changed my mind. Start worrying about me." She forces a hug on him causing him to roll his eyes at me.

——

Theta is examining the alien script, "Danny, check the temperature in Ood Habitation. It seems to be rising." Rose goes to get something to eat. "Help yourself. Just don't have the green. Or the blue." Rose takes her tray to the serving window, "Er, bit of that, thanks." It's the blue. "Would you like sauce with that?"

Theta turns to me causing me to frown back at him as he observed me. "Yes?" I asked with a cock of my head causing him to hum slightly with a smile placing his hand on his chin as he continued to stare me down. "Nothing, your just glowing." I blushed as shook my head.

"You might want to see this. Moment in history." She opens the shutters, "There. On the edge. That red cloud. That used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Peluchi, a mighty civilisation spanning a billion years, disappearing forever. Their planets and suns consumed. Ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed its passing."

"Er, no, could you leave it open? Just for a bit. I won't go mad, I promise."

"How would you know?" I snorted looking at her, "He's already mad. Doesn't need any help there." I teased causing him to smile at me an grab my hand. She looked at us with adoration while Rose glared with an eye roll. "Scooti, check the lockdown. Jefferson, sign off the airlock seals for me." Jefferson and Scooti leave by door 17 or 19. Ida uses door 18.

'Open door 18.'

"I've seen films and things, yeah. They say black holes are like gateways to another universe."

'Close door 18.'

"Not that one. It just eats."

"Long way from home."

"Go that way, turn right, keep going for er, about, er, five hundred years, and you'll reach the Earth." Rose turns her phone on, "No signal. That's the first time we've gone out of range. Mind you, even if I could. What would I tell her? Can you build another Tardis?" I scoffed at her, this just proved she didn't know anything about him and our history.

"They were grown, not built. And with my own planet gone, we're kind of stuck." I insisted with an eye roll as Theta grips my hand tightly in anguish. "Well, it could be worse. This lot said they'd give us a lift." Rose shrugged not much of a care about what was happening. "And then what?" Theta scoffed at her, "I don't know. Find a planet, get a job, live a life, same as the rest of the universe." She started, rubbing her neck trying to get his attention to follow her hands as she rubbed down her chest.

"I'd have to settle down. Get a house or something. A proper house with, with doors and things. Carpets. Me, living in a house. Now that, that is terrifying."

"You'd have to get a mortgage."

"No."

"Oh, yes."

"I'm dying. That's it. I'm dying. It is all over." Theta gapped dramatically as I rolled my eyes, "What about me? I'd have to get one, too. I don't know, could be the same one. We could both, I don't know, share. Or not, you know. Whatever. I don't know. We'll sort something out" She hinted as she leaned closer to him but he pulled back a changed the subject with an awkward look.

"Anyway."

"We'll see."

"I promised Jackie I'd always take you back home."

"Everyone leaves home in the end." She smiled at him causing me to glare at her, she just couldn't stop. Sure, everyone does leave home but this child didn't even know the meaning really. She couldn't understand because she didn't want too. It wasn't fair to her mother and the fact that she wanted to follow around Theta it honestly wasn't fair to her either. She should live her life as a normal human not pining after a taken man and almost dying every day.

"Not to end up stuck here."

"Yeah, but stuck with you, that's not so bad." Rose hinted as Thera raised an eyebrow knowing she wasn't including me. "Yeah?" Theta winced slightly as she grabbed her hand, "Yes." Rose's phone rings and she answers it in confusion.

"He is awake."

She chunks her phone causing me and Theta to frown at her as she stared at it like he burned her.

——

"Evening."

"Only us."

"The mysterious threesome. How are you, then? Settling in?"

"Yeah. Sorry, straight to business, the Ood how do they communicate? I mean, with each other." Theta asked with a smile in correction. "Oh, just empaths. There's a low level telepathic field connecting them. Not that that does them much good. They're basically a herd race. Like cattle." The Ood are sitting on benches down below Danny's catwalk. "This telepathic field. Can it pick up messages?"

"Because I was having dinner, and one of the Ood said something, well, odd." She hinted with a scared look, "Hmm. An odd Ood." Danny scoffed with a eye roll, "And then I got something else on my er, communicator thing." Rose tried to not tell them she had a phone. "Oh, be fair. We've got whole star systems burning up around us. There's all sorts of stray transmissions. Probably nothing. Look, if there was something wrong, it would show. We monitor the telepathic field. It's the only way to look after them. They're so stupid, they don't even tell us when they're ill."

"Monitor the field. That's this thing?"Reading basic 5, "Yeah. But like I said, it's low level telepathy. They only register basic five." Basic 7, 8, 9.. "Well, that's not basic five. Ten, twenty. They've gone up to basic thirty." The Ood lift their heads, "But they can't."

"Doctor, the Ood. What does basic thirty mean?" Rose asked him as she looked towards us, Theta watched them with a frown as I gripped his hand. "Well, it means that they're shouting, screaming inside their heads." Danny explains with a sad frown watching them with a pity look.

"Or something's shouting at them." I stated with a frown.

"But where is it coming from? What is it saying? What did it say to you?" Danny asked her as he watched her in confusion, "Something about the beast in the pit."

"What about your communicator? What did that say?"

"He is awake."

"And you will worship him."

"What the hell?" Danny gapped in shock as chills went down my spin, "He is awake." Theta repeated trying to get them to do it again.

"And you will worship him."

"Worship who? (no reply) Who's talking to you? Who is it?" The base shakes.

'Emergency hull breach. Emergency hull breach.'

"Which section?"

"Everyone, evacuate eleven to thirteen. We've got a breach. The base is open. Repeat, the base is open!"

Open door 19.'

Me, Theta, Rose and Danny run in all panting and trying to figure out what the hell was happening.

'Close door 19.'

"I can't contain the oxygen field. We're going to lose it."

"Come on! Keep moving!" The crew are converging from different directions. "And you too, Toby!"

'Breach sealed. Breach sealed.'

"Everyone all right?! What happened? What was it?"

'Oxygen levels normal.'

"Hull breach. We were open to the elements. Another couple of minutes and we'd have been inspecting that black hole at close quarters."

"That wasn't a quake. What caused it?"

"We've lost sections eleven to thirteen Everyone all right?"

"We've got everyone here except Scooti. Scooti, report. Scooti Manista? That's an order. Report."

"She's all right. I've picked up her biochip. She's in Habitation three. Better go and check if she's not responding. She might be unconscious. How about that, eh? We survived." Toby's skin is normal again,

"Habitation three. Come on. I don't often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink. Come on."

"What happened?" Theta asked with a frown watching the boy with suspicious eyes. "I don't. I don't know. I was working and then I can't remember. All that noise. The room was falling apart. There was no air" Toby started to cry, "Come on. Up you get. Come and have some protein one." Rose tried to comfort as I hid further behind Theta not getting a good feeling about him.

"Oh, you've gone native." Theta scoffed under his breath with an eye roll. "Oi, don't knock it. It's nice. Protein one with just a dash of three." Rose spoke back with a smirk thinking he was teasing her. "I've checked Habitation four. Can you hear me?" Ida tried through comms.

I suddenly shivered as I looked down with a sad look, she was dead. I could feel it. "There's no sign of her. The biochip says she's in the area. Have any of you seen Scooti?"

"No, no, no, I don't think so."

"Scooti, please respond. If you can hear this, please respond. Habitation six."

"Nowhere here. Zach? We've got a problem. Scooti's still missing." Jefferson spoke in panic, "It says Habitation three." Zach repeated, "Yeah, well, that's where I am, and I'm telling you she's not here." Jefferson demanded angrily.

"I've found her." We look up through the open shutters, "Oh, my God." Scooti is drifting away, towards the black hole. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I teared up in sadness.

"Captain. Report Officer Scootori Manista PKD, deceased. Forty three K two point one." Jefferson looks down to mourn in sadness. "She was twenty. Twenty years old." Ida closes the shutters. Jefferson quotes Horatius, by Thomas Babington Macaulay. "For how should man die better than facing fearful odds? For the ashes of his father and the temples of his Gods."

"It's stopped." The base falls silent. "What was that? What was it?" Rose asked continuously, "The drill." I stated looking towards Ida who nodded, "We've stopped drilling. We've made it. Point Zero."

"All non essential Oods to be confined." Zach speaks over the tannoy. "Capsule established. All systems functioning. The mineshaft is go. Bring systems online now." Ida and Theta are in spacesuits, "Reporting as a volunteer for the expeditionary force." Theta speaks, "Doctor, this is breaking every single protocol. We don't even know who you are."

"Yeah, but you trust me, don't you? And you can't let Ida go down there on her own. Go on. Look me in the eye. Yes you do, I can see it. Trust."

"I should be going down."

"The Captain doesn't lead the mission. He stays here, in charge."

"Not much good at it, am I? Positions! We're going down in two. Everyone, positions! Mister Jefferson! I want maximum system enhancement."

"Oxygen, nitro balance, gravity. It's ages since I wore one of these." He nodded along with Zach before turning to me. "I want that spacesuit back in one piece, you got that?" I spoke with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, "Yes, ma'am." Theta puts on his helmet.

"I'll see you later, I love you." He promised causing me to smile as he placed his head against mine. "Not if I see you first and I love you too." I tease back as we stared at each other before he gave me a nod and walked away.

"You will remain here. No command can override this. Have you got that? My instructions only." The Ood are sitting, quietly. "Capsule active. Counting down in ten, nine"

"Eight, seven, six" Theta and Ida go into the capsule. Jefferson closes the door, "Five, four, three, two, one. Release." The capsule is lowered on its cable. Toby keeps checking his palms. Rose checks their progress on the screen whilst clutching the microphone. "You've gone beyond the oxygen field. You're on your own." Ida and the Doctor turn on their life support, "Don't forget to breath. Breathing's good." I rolled my eyes at her dramatics.

"Rose, stay off the comm." Zach glared at her as she snarled back, "No chance." The capsule shudders even more than usual then suddenly drops. The Ood all stand up and turn to look up at Danny and a guard. Crunch! "Doctor? Doctor, are you all right?" I rolled my eyes at Rose as Theta connected our view mentally.

————

The screen says the capsule has reached Point Zero, "Ida, report to me. Doctor?"

"It's all right. We've made it. Getting out of the capsule now." Theta finally answered as Rose held onto the comm tightly, "What's it like down there?" Rose asks, "It's hard to tell. Some sort of cave. Cavern. It's massive." I spoke causing them all to look at me with frowns. Clearing my throat I looked away as Rose squinted her eyes at me. "Well, this should help. Gravity globe." She throws up a ball that illuminates the cavern, "That's, that's. My God, that's beautiful."

"Rose, you can tell Toby we've found his civilization." The walls of the cavern are carved into pillars and statues. "Oi, Toby. Sounds like you've got plenty of work." Rose snickered with a smirk, "Good, good. Good." Toby scoffed as he rolled his eyes not paying much attention other than the his hands causing me to frown as I moved away from him.

"Concentrate now, people. Keep on the mission. Ida, what about the power source?" Zach asked as he grabbed the comm from Rose. "We're close. Energy signature indicates north north west. Are you getting pictures up there?" She responds with a frown, "There's too much interference. We're in your hands." Zach speaks with a raised eyebrow, "Well, we've come this far. There's no turning back."

"Oh, did you have to? No turning back? That's almost as bad as nothing can possible go wrong, or this is going to be the best Christmas Walford's ever had." Theta ranted on cutely causing me to smile, "Are you finished?" Ida snarked causing Theta to clear his throat and nod. "Yeah. Finished. Kate loves it when I rant." He pouted as Ida smiles with an eye roll.

"Captain, sir. There's something happening with the Ood." I frowned as Danny came through the door comm, "What are they doing?" I asked watching Zach panic, "They're staring at me. I've told them to stop, but they won't." He uttered in horror, "Danny, you're a big boy. I think you can take being stared at."

"But the telepathic field, sir. It's at basic one hundred. I've checked. there isn't any fault. It's definitely one hundred." Danny tried to explain, "But that's impossible." I uttered with a confused look. "What's basic one hundred mean?" Rose asked, "They should be dead."

"Basic one hundred's brain death." I explained to her causing Jefferson to nod in agreement, "But they're safe. They're not actually moving?" Zach asked getting back on point. "No, sir."

"Keep watching them. And you, Jefferson? Keep a guard on the Ood."

"Officer at arms!"

"Yes, sir." The crewman answered back, "You can't fire a gun in here. What if you hit a wall?" I asked with a frown, "I'm firing stock fifteen. It only impacts upon organics. Keep watch. Guard them." There are at least three Ood there. A woman replies, "Yes, sir." Theta frowns as he senses my panic, "Is everything all right up there?" He asked causing Rose to immediately respond. "Yeah, yeah."

"It's fine."

"Great."

"Not at all." I spoke to him causing him to sigh.

———

Theta and Ida have gone between a pair of massive pillars into an area with a lot of rubble and a big round decorated door in the floor, "We've found something. It looks like metal. Like some sort of seal. I've got a nasty feeling the word might be trapdoor. Not a good word, trapdoor. Never met a trapdoor I liked."

"The edge is covered with those symbols." Ida spoke as they looked around the dark chamber, "Do you think it opens?" Zach let me ask as he held the comm out to me, Rose glaring from the side. "That's what trapdoors tend to do."

"Trapdoor doesn't do it justice. It's massive, Zach. About thirty feet in diameter."

"Any way of opening it?" Zach asked through the comm, "I don't know. I can't see any sort of mechanism." Ida frowns as she feels around the walling, "I suppose that's the writing. It'll tell us what to do. The letters that defy translation."

———

"Toby, did you get anywhere with decoding it?" Zach handed the comm to me before walking to the door comm, "Toby, they need to know that lettering. Does it make any sort of sense?" Rose asked as Toby frowned looking at her. "I know what it says." Rose scoffed with an eye roll, "Then tell them."

"When did you work that out?"

"It doesn't matter, just tell them."

Toby is covered in the symbols again, "These are the words of the Beast. And he has woken. He is the heart that beats in the darkness. He is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise." Toby grins devilishly as he stares at us dead in the eyes. "Officer, stand down. Stand down."

"What is it? What's he done? What's happening? Kate, what's going on?"

"Jefferson? Report. Report!"

"Officer, as Commander of Security, I order you to stand down and be confined. Immediately!" Jefferson pulls out his gun, "He's come out in those symbols all over his face. They're all over him." Rose speaks into the comm explaining to Theta. "Mister Jefferson. Tell me, sir. Did your wife ever forgive you?" Toby asked as he cocked his head to the side.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Let me tell you a secret. She never did."

"Officer, you stand down and be confined."

"Or what?"

"Or under the strictures of Condition Red, I am authorised to shoot you." Jefferson speaks with a glare as I stood behind him watching Toby with a frown, "But how many can you kill?" Toby opens his mouth. The symbols leave him and float over to the Ood, who jerk to attention. Toby collapses as the Ood start speaking.

"We are the Legion of the Beast."

"Kate? What is it, Kate? I'm going back up." Theta spoke in my head as I moved around the room with a frown.

"Report. Report! Jefferson, report. Someone, report!"

"The Legion shall be many, and the Legion shall be few."

"It's the Ood." Rose gapped at them,

"Sir, we have contamination in the livestock." Jefferson spoke to Zach through his comm, "Doctor, I don't know what it is. It's like they're possessed." Rose interrupted causing Jefferson to glare at her in annoyance. "They won't listen to us."

"He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time. Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan or Lucifer."

"Captain, it's the Ood. They're out of control!"

"I don't believe in the devil." I scoffed.

"Or the Bringer of Despair, the Deathless Prince, the Bringer of Night."

One Ood walks up the steps to the catwalk. It releases its globe, which flies to the guard's forehead and electrocutes him.

"These are the words that shall set him free."

"Back up to the door!"

"I shall become manifest."

"Move quickly!"

"I shall walk in might."

"To the door! Get it open!"

"My Legions shall swarm across the worlds."

The centre of the trapdoor sinks. The ground shakes. "Doctor, it's opening!" Ida speaks to Theta, "We're moving! The whole thing's moving. The planet's moving." The overhead shutters open. Theta runs back to Ida as the whole trapdoor opens its segments.

"I am the sin and the temptation and the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the-"

"Get that door open!" The open trapdoor reveals a deep shaft, "The gravity field. It's going! We're losing orbit! We're going to fall into the black hole!"

"I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more."

'Door sealed.'

"Come on!" I shout as we run along the corridors.

'Door sealed.'

"The Pit is open. And I am free. Bwahahahahahaha!"

I grunted as I lost visual with him.

"No."

To Be Continued...

——————

Next Week might be different. I don't know if I'll be able to Update the Power Of Four but I do already have the drafts for others but my Grandma is having heart surgery and I'll have to be with her.

Anyway, thank you all for reading and being understanding about everything.

6759 Words

Happy early Valentines Day!!