“Interesting stuff, this,” she said, glancing up at the Doctor.
“Yes I suppose it is,” he said, lost in his thoughts.
“Where‘s Danny?” she asked, realising her friend was no where to be seen.
“Gone for tea with Victor,” said the Doctor, obviously lost in his own thoughts.
“Victor?”
“Him and Margaret do a very good fruit salad I believe.”
Caroline couldn‘t work out what the Doctor was talking about and, shutting her book, she walked over to him. “Doctor, you‘re not making much sense.”
“No, neither did the fly.” The Doctor suddenly released where he was. “Oh. Oh Caroline, I‘m very sorry. I was just thinking about something. Saw it on TV the other day.”
“I noticed,” she said, raising her eyebrows.
“What did you want?”
“I just wondered where Danny was. I haven‘t seen him for hours.”
“I believe he disappeared in the direction of the park.”
“The park? The TARDIS has a park?”
“Yes,” he said. “Yes I‘ve been looking at the TARDIS records. Fancy a trip to the planet Theen?”
“Is it going to lead us to any clues about what’s going on with me?”
“I doubt it. The TARDIS is still causing us a few problems. I tried to take you back again, but she’s refusing. But Theen! Fascinating planet, apparently. Used to be a desert and over night it turned into a jungle.”
“Sounds very interesting, but I’d still rather just find some answers out to my little problems.”
“There’s absolutely no way I can direct the TARDIS to anything relating to you. I can’t find Aleena and I certainly can’t get us back to Thornsby. I’m running a complete system scan of the TARDIS systems. Until that’s done, there’s nothing much more that we can do.” He flicked a switch and folded his arms. “So in the mean time, why don’t we go to Theen?”
Caroline sighed.
“If anything,” he continued, “it’ll get us out into some fresh air. The planet looks relaxing enough, and after our problems on Trixatin, we could do with a little rest.”
Caroline gave in. “Okay, but give me a little while to get ready. I want to go and find Danny first.”
“Good, good,” smiled the Doctor rubbing his hands together. “But don‘t be too long.”
Danny sat beside a cool spring that was trickling down from the rocks. He sighed and ran his hand through the rippling water. Around him was a huge area of green and above was a roof from which vines and ivy hung from. The TARDIS was certainly an amazing place, but Danny felt very unwell travelling in the time machine.
“Danny?” came a familiar female voice.
“What?” he called miserably.
“I’ve been looking for you all over. The Doctor‘s taking us to some jungle world.”
“That’s nice. Tell him I‘m staying in the TARDIS.”
“You can‘t,” she said, crossing over to him. He seemed very pale. “What‘s wrong?”
“I don’t feel too good. Ever since we left Trixatin.”
“Maybe you should let the Doctor check it out,” said Caroline, trying to look into his eyes.
“No. I’ll be fine. I just need some space.”
“Then Theen will be ideal,” smiled Caroline.
“What’s got you so chirpy all of a sudden?” asked Danny, frowning. “A few hours ago you were kicking off that he wasn’t getting you any answers.”
“I figured I might as well relax a bit,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “At least it seems like he’s trying to help. I think that’s what was worrying me before. I thought I was talking to a brick wall.”
“Hmmm,” said Danny, looking down at his feet.
“You’re really not well, are you?”
“I’ve had a headache since leaving Thornsby, actually. It just got worse when we left Trixatin.”
“Then let the Doctor help.”
Danny was about to say something when he gasped for air. His face went red and he fell back in the artificial grass.
‘Danny!‘
By the time Caroline had helped Danny along the TARDIS corridor and into the console room the Doctor was already waiting with eager anticipation to leave.
“Come on you two, the TARDIS has just landed.” He turned and noticed Danny being helped along by Caroline. “My goodness,” he said, running over to help Caroline. “What’s happened to him?”
“He was feeling a little down and then he just collapsed. Said he had a little bit of a headache.” She dropped him on the red, velvet-covered sofa.
“Danny?” said the Doctor gently, lifting up his eyelids. “Danny are you there?”
“What do you think‘s wrong with him?”
“I’m not sure,” said the Doctor, “I think we better get him out of the TARDIS. He might feel better once we‘re out in the open.”
The Doctor hauled him up and they made their way towards the doors.
“Well done, Doctor,” said Caroline, steadying herself.
“I didn‘t expect this,” said the Doctor worriedly.
“Urgh.” groaned Danny. “What‘s going on?”
“The Doctor‘s landed us at the top of a very large tree,” moaned Caroline.
“Purely by accident,” said the Doctor, trying to peer through the branches and leaves.
The TARDIS was balanced between two huge, thick branches and the only thing stopping it falling was the strength of those branches. Now Caroline and the Doctor were supporting Danny and balancing themselves where they could.
“It‘s very hot,” said the Doctor, removing his coat, dropping it into the TARDIS doors and almost toppling over the edge.
“Be careful, Doctor!” said Caroline, grabbing his arm. “You’re right though, it is very hot.”
“Let me back in the TARDIS,” complained Danny, trying to shake free of the Doctor and Caroline‘s grip.
“Danny, be careful!” said the Doctor.
But it was too late.
Danny slipped through the branches, ripping leaves off as he scrambled to grab hold of something. He was lucky and landed on a thick branch reaching out from the side of the tree.
“Are you okay?” shouted the Doctor.
“I…I think so. Just a bit bruised. Ow!”
“That was a stupid thing to do,” scolded Caroline.
“Okay, let’s save the rights and wrongs for later. We need to climb down there and help him.”
“And then?”
“And then we explore,” beamed the Doctor.
“You mean we’re just going to leave the TARDIS up here while we swan about some odd alien jungle?”
“Why not? She’s perfectly well supported up here.”
Caroline sighed, realising there was no way she was going to persuade the Doctor to take off again, and they made their way down towards Danny.
It took a while, but they had managed to find enough foot holds to clamber down the knobbly tree trunk and through the branches, eventually making it to ground level.
The ground, the Doctor noted, was a rather big and deep swamp, but they had found a solid path across some branches that had been laid across to form a makeshift bridge. When they eventually reached the bank of the swamp Caroline and Danny flopped down to the floor.
“How are you feeling now?” asked the Doctor.
“Much better. It’s a bit hot.”
“Yes it is,” said the Doctor, rolling up his shirt sleeves. “I’m glad I put my coat in the TARDIS.”
“I wish I‘d put something cooler on,” said Caroline, trying to get some air into her top.
“Like what?” asked the Doctor.
“I don’t know. A bikini top would do now.”
“Yes please,” grinned Danny.
Caroline whacked him across his back. “Act like an adult, please, Danny. We’re 30 now, not 13.”
“Okay, okay. We’re going to have a nice rest here for a few days and then we can go back to the TARDIS feeling all refreshed.”
“A few days?!” exclaimed Caroline. “Is it really going to take that long to do the system scan on the TARDIS?”
“Well, yes. Give or take a few hours.”
Caroline groaned and threw her head back.
“It’ll be fine,” said the Doctor, clambering to his feet.
“I suppose it’s a pretty nice place. As long as there are no snakes,” said Caroline, looking around worriedly.
“Oh I shouldn‘t worry about that,” said the Doctor. “I read that they don‘t exist on Theen.”
“That‘s good then,” she smiled.
“But watch out for the giant spiders.”
“What?!”
But the Doctor and Danny had already begun heading off into the jungle. Caroline ran after them, but looked around cautiously.
They had only been walking for a few minutes when Caroline heard a sound behind her. It was the sound of snapping branches.
“Doctor look!” shouted Caroline, pointing to the tree’s where they‘d left the TARDIS.
“Oh no,” said the Doctor.
They stared on in horror as the blue of the TARDIS flashed through the green leaves and dropped into the swamp like a large boulder. The thick green liquid splashed up and covered the blue police box. The Doctor ran towards his precious time machine as it sunk slowly into the swamp.
By the time the travellers had gotten to the swamps edge the TARDIS was gone. Sucked under the liquid like a sinking ship.
“We have to get it out!” said Danny desperately.
“I‘m afraid that’s going to be extremely difficult. There‘s no telling how deep that swamp is and I’m sure neither you or Caroline would care to swim down into that muck.”
“So we’re stuck?” asked Caroline, hoping for a more positive answer.
“For the time being, yes.”
Caroline held her head in her hands and Danny thumped at the grassy bank in frustration.
“I‘m so sorry.”
Through the tree’s a large, ebony skinned man watched with wide, white eyes. He had a small, stone necklace around his neck and at the end was a small, stone eye which looked as though it had been carved with some blunt object. He raised a tube and inserted a small thorn into the end. Putting it to his lips he was about to blow when someone tapped him on the shoulder.
“Not yet, Yentob,” said a white haired old man with very pale skin.
“But Slavin -”
“No. We must watch first, and then, if our Lord wishes them to die, well, then they shall die.”
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