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TWENTY SIX


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SILURIANS
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The Doctor, Hollie, Orion, Cassiopeia and Nova walked up to Rory who was currently setting up one of the last cameras on a gravestone. "How're you doing?"

Rory looked up to the sky as it quickly grew darker. "It's getting darker. How can it be getting dark so quickly?"

"I think they're shutting out the light." Nova looked up at the sky.

"Using the dome to put us into darkness." Cassiopeia looked at her sister. "I have to admit that's pretty smart of them."

"I don't think we should be praising them right now." Orion looked at his other sister.

"Trying to isolate us in the dark..." The Doctor frowned. "Which means-" A low rumbling echoed from below them. "It's here." He looked at Hollie, quickly taking her hand before looking to Rory. "We need to get to the church."

The group all nodded in agreement, the rumbling grew louder as they got closer to the church.

"I can't open it." Ambrose huffed as they all arrived at the door. "It keeps sticking. The wood's warped."

The Doctor and Orion tried to push on the door while Hollie, Cassiopeia and Nova looked into the darkness, the light now completely gone as if it was midnight. "Any time you want to help." The Doctor looked at Rory.

"Can't you sonic it?"

"It doesn't do wood."

"That is rubbish."

"Oi," The Doctor and Orion both exclaimed at the same time. The Doctor looked at the other man in somewhat shock as Orion just stared back. Cassiopeia and Nova snickered to themselves. After a moment the Doctor looked back to Rory and pointed a finger at him, "Don't diss the sonic."

With Rory's help, the four of them opened the door and made their way into the church. The Doctor made his way over to the computer as the ground began to shake causing cardboard boxes to fall to the floor. "See if we can get a fix." He told Hollie as he began to type on the computer.

Ambrose shrieked as the lights suddenly exploded, sending the church into darkness. Tony flicked the light switch on the wall. "No power."

"It's deliberate." The Doctor commented as Orion pulled out his sonic and activated it, the orange glow slightly lighting the church up.

"What do we do now?" Rory asked.

"What can we do?" Nova shrugged. "We have no power."

"We've got nothing." The Doctor huffed. "They sent an energy surge to wreck our systems."

"Can't you bring it back?" Hollie asked the Doctor. "Somehow bring the power back?"

"No way." He shook his head. "Maybe if I knew what we were dealing with but I don't."

"Is everyone okay?" Rory asked. "Is anyone hurt?"

"I'm fine," Nasreen replied a moment before Ambrose added:

"Me too."

A loud rumbling sound suddenly echoed. "Doctor, what was that?" Rory questioned.

"It's like the holes at the drill station." Mac frowned.

"Is this how they happened?" Nasreen asked.

The Doctor looked at Hollie as they both crouched down to the ground which quietly hummed at them. "It's coming through the final layer of Earth."

"What is?" Hollie asked at the Time Lord who had a small crease on his forehead as he frowned, his eyes fixed on nothingness as he listened for the sound of the drills.

Hollie frowned too as silence grew around them with the exception of the breathing from the people around her.

"It's stopped," Orion stated.

Ambrose then turned around on the spot, a deeply concerning look on her face as her eyes frantically darted around the room. "Where's Elliot? She asked. "Has anyone seen Elliot? Did he come in?" She continued looking around. "Was he in when the door was shut? Who counted him back in? Who saw him last?"

"We did," Orion spoke up, looking to his sisters and then to the Doctor and Hollie who both swallowed hard.

"Where is he?"

"He said he was going to get headphones."

Ambrose turned to the Doctor, anger now in her eyes. "And you let him go? He was out there on his own?"

"He didn't ask for us to come with him," Cassiopeia replied. "He should be back by now.

As if on queue the voice of the boy himself called into the church from the outside. "Mum!" He called from outside the door as he banged on it. "Grandpa Tony! Let me in!"

"Elliot!" Ambrose shouted, running to the door. "Let me in."

"He's out there. Help me!" Tony ran to the door to help his daughter.

"Open the door. Mum!" Elliot continued to bang on the door. "There's something out here."

"Push, Elliot."

"Push, Elliot," Tony added. "Give it a shove."

"Mum. Hurry up." Elliot cried as Orion and Rory grabbed hold of the door too and pulled as hard as they could. "Mum."

A moment later the door opened but there was no boy in sight. "Elliot!" She ran out of the door and looked around. "Where is he?" She ran off into the night in the graveyard. "He was here. He was here." She repeated. "Elliot!"

"Ambrose, don't go running off!" The Doctor ordered. Tony quickly followed after his daughter with Orion, Cassiopeia and Nova quickly behind him.

"No!" They then heard her cry out. Ambrose crouched down on the grass in the graveyard, a large hole with steam rising from the ground, Elliot's headphones lying nearby on the grass. She continued sobbing and then stopped as a green human-sized creature with a grey, mask on its face, black eyes and dark green scales over its head appeared and knocked Ambrose onto her back, the creature jumped on top of her for only a second before it was knocked off her by Tony, the man quickly grabbed Ambrose and pulled her away before he shone his torch at the green creature that made a hissing sound in response to the light.

The green creature then extended its long tongue and attacked Tony who quickly cried out and put a hand to his neck. "Dad!"

Nova gasped as she, Orion and Cassiopeia ran up to Tony and Ambrose as the creature disappeared.

The Doctor ran to the group with Hollie and Rory behind him. "What happened?"

"My dad's hurt."

"Get him into the church now." The Doctor ordered.

"Elliot's gone." She sniffed. They've killed him, haven't they?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't think so. They've taken three people when they could've just killed them up here. There's still hope, Ambrose." He reassured. "There is always hope."

"Then why have they taken him?"

"I don't know. I'll find Elliot, I promise. But first I've got to stop this attack. Please, get inside the church."

Tearfully Ambrose nodded and gently pulled Tony away from the large hole, the man winced in pain as he moved. "Come on, Dad."

Rory looked to the Doctor. "So what now?"

The Doctor looked to the Trio. "What did you see."

"I think I know what it is." Nova spoke up first. "But to be sure we need to test the theory out."

The Doctor raised a brow. "We go as a group, Rory, Cassiopeia and Orion, you three go back to the church, make sure Ambrose and Tony are safe. The rest of us will test Nova's theory out, hopefully if I'm thinking what Nova's thinking we're correct."

Hollie frowned, looking at the girl. "What do you think it is?"

"I'm hoping it's cold-blooded."

"How will we figure that out?" Rory questioned.

"With these." The Doctor pulled out a pair of black sunglasses, a smile on his face. "Come on."

×××

The Doctor, Hollie and Nova found themselves in the center of the small village, the Doctor placed the infrared sunglasses on before he lowered them below his eyes, he glanced at Hollie who showed to be a dark red through the glasses. The Doctor then looked at Nova and then his own hand, he then turn around with the other two as a rustling came from a bush behind them.

The Doctors eyes scanned the large bush as a black figure ran from one bush to another. The Doctor smiled. "Cold blood." He looked at Nova. "You were right."

"And now we know who they are." Nova added with a raised brow.

Hollie looked to Nova, a puzzled look on her face. "Now what?"

"Now we catch it." The Doctor nodded.

Nova turned to the Time Lord. "We do?"

"Yeah." He lowered his voice to a whisper and kissed Hollie's forehead, making her blink. "We're going to trap it."

×××

With a plan set into action, the Doctor and Hollie walked up to the meals on Wheels van, a CO2 fire extinguisher sat on the passenger seat, Hollie picked it up and the Doctor shut the door, closely looking at his reflection in the window, a green figure behind him and Hollie quickly ran up to them at speed. "Now!" The Doctor shouted, Hollie quickly turned around and pointed the extinguisher at the creature, activating it and letting the gas go. The back doors of the Meals on wheels van opened, Cassiopeia and Nova jumped out of the back, holding the doors open as Orion and the Doctor pushed the creature that hissed at them inside. Rory ran up to them and activated the van's door locks, trapping the creature in.

"We got it." He looked at the Time Lord.

"Defending the planet with meals on wheels." The Doctor replied, going to high-five Rory only for them both to stop and frown as the ground around them rumbled.

"Doctor?" Hollie questioned, the Time Lord grabbed her hand.

"What are they doing?" Cassiopeia looked to the Time Lord.

"Sounds like they're leaving."

"Without this one?"

The group all looked up as the energy dome around the village suddenly became transparent, letting the sunlight in.

"Looks like we scared them off." Rory stated.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Orion answered. "I think they've backed off."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Both sides have hostages now. I think I've met these creatures before." He began to explain. "Different branch of the species, mind, but all the same. Let's see if our friend's thawed out."

×××

Amy's eyes opened slowly as she woke up and frowned looking up at what looked like a frosted glass window. "Let me out." She demanded hitting her hand on the glass or what she at least presumed to be glass. She moved her head slightly in the tight space that she only guessed to be some sort of box or more appropriately put, coffin. "Can anybody hear me? I'm alive in here! Let me out!" She shouted again, her breathing growing faster and faster by the second. "I know you're out there. My name is Amy Pond and you'd better get me the hell out of here or so help me I am going to kick your backside." Her eyes widened as she saw movement on the other side of the glass, a green figure with what looked like some sort of surgical mask over half of its face. "Please?" She added, much calmer than before as her nerves suddenly took over.

"Shush." The creature replied.

"Did you just shush me?" She asked, sounding more offended the second time she asked. "Did you just shush me?"

Amy's eyes grew wide as a hissing sound echoed around her and some sort of gas entered the coffin. "No, no, no." She screamed before coughing as the gas entered her lungs. "No, don't do that. No gas. No gas!" She continued to cough unable to now speak before her coughing grew quieter as she passed out.

×××

The Doctor made his way down into the crypt of the church, Hollie following behind him. "Doctor are you sure about this?" She questioned, eyes flickering over to the other side of the room by the large window, the creature sat in the corner in the shadow hissing quietly at him.

"Very sure."

"But the sting?"

"Venom gland takes at least twenty four hours to recharge." Orion explained walking down the stairs with Cassiopeia behind him, the Doctor raise a curious brow at them.

"How do you know so much about them?" He questioned. "First Nova had her theory and now you know this? Who are you?"

"Who we are isn't important." Cassiopeia reminded. "All you need to know is that we're people you can trust and want to help you, okay?"

"Fine." He replied slightly unsure but letting it go for now, he could question them again later but for now they had more important things to do. The Doctor looked to Hollie and gave her a reassuring smile as she continued to follow him down. "I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine, Holls, he kissed her cheek and she blinked at the unexpected gesture. "I'll shout if anything goes wrong." Hollie nodded slightly after a moment, she then she turned and left the Time Lord to sigh and watch the twins follow the women up the stairs.

The Doctor moved into the room as the creature continued to hiss as it moved out of the shadow. "I'm the Doctor. I've come to talk. I'm going to remove your mask." He carefully stepped towards the creature, his hands gently gripping onto the dark grey mask, the large black eyes staring back at him. "You are beautiful." He told the green scaled creature that looked like a human reptile. "Remnant of a bygone age on planet Earth. And by the way, lovely mode of travel. Geothermal currents projecting you up through a network of tunnels. Gorgeous." He spotted a foldable chair leaning against the wall, walking over to it and taking it as he spoke to the creature. " Mind if I sit?" He gestured to the now unfolded chair. "Now. Your people have a friend of mine. I want her back." The Creature didn't reply and just sat in silence. "Why did you come to the surface?" More silence. "What do you want?" Even more silence. "Oh, I do hate a monologue. Give us a bit back. How many are you?"

"I'm the last of my species"

The Doctor held back his laughter as he replied in a flat tone. "Really. No. Last of the species." He repeated. "The Klempari Defence. As an interrogation defence, it's a bit old hat, I'm afraid."

"I'm the last of my species." The creature repeated.

"No." He held back his anger but narrowed his eyes at the reptile. "You're really not. Because I'm the last of my species and I know how it sits in a heart." He finished in a colder tone. "So don't insult me." The Doctor took in a small breath and relaxed slightly, there was no use letting anger get to him. Hollie needed him calm, Rory needed him calm and Amy counted on him to get her back, he promised her after all so she too needed him calm. "Let's start again. Tell me your name."

"Alaya."

"How long has your tribe been sleeping under the Earth, Alaya?" He questioned with a forced small smile. "It's not difficult to work out. You're three hundred million years out of your comfort zone. Question is, what woke you now?"

"We were attacked."

"The drill." He realised.

"Our sensors detected a threat to our life support systems. The warrior class was activated to prevent the assault." Alaya then hissed. "We will wipe the vermin from the surface and reclaim our planet."

"Do we have to say vermin? They're really very nice."

"Primitive apes."

"Extraordinary species. You attack them, they'll fight back. But, there's a peace to be brokered here. I can help you with that."

"This land is ours. We lived here long before the apes."

"Doesn't give you automatic rights to it now, I'm afraid. Humans won't give up the planet."

"So we destroy them."

"You underestimate them."

"You underestimate us."

"One tribe of homo reptilia against six billion humans? You've got your work cut out."

"We did not initiate combat, but we can still win."

"Tell me where my friend is. Give us back the people who were taken."

"No."

"I'm not going let you provoke a war, Alaya." The Doctor told her calmly. "There'll be no battle here today."

"The fire of war is already lit. A massacre is due."

"Not while I'm here."

"I'll gladly die for my cause. What will you sacrifice for yours?"

×××

With Alaya refusing to comply the Doctor left the reptile alone, climbing up the stairs and up to the main room of the church. Hollie instantly stood up from the seat she was sat in upon seeing the Doctor return. "What's happening?"

"We need to get everyone together." He replied.

×××

"I'm going to talk to the rest of them."

"You're going to what?" Rory frowned.

"I'm going to go down below the surface, to find the rest of the tribe, to talk to them." He explained.

"You're going to negotiate with these aliens?" Ambrose questioned.

"They're not aliens. They're Earth...liens." He replied, unsure what to actually call them himself. "Once known as the Silurian race, or, some would argue, Eocenes, or Homo Reptilia. Not monsters, not evil. Well, only as evil as you are." He shrugged. "The previous owners of the planet, that's all. Look, from their point of view, you're the invaders. Your drill was threatening their settlement. Now, the creature in the crypt. Her name's Alaya. She's one of their warriors, and she's my best bargaining chip. I need her alive. If she lives, so are Elliot and Mo and Amy, because I will find them." He reassured, looking first from Ambrose, then Tony then Hollie and Rory. "While I'm gone, you four people, in this church, in this corner of planet Earth, you have to be the best of humanity."

"And what if they come back?" Tony asked. "Shouldn't we be examining this creature? Dissecting it, finding its weak points?"

"No dissecting, no examining." The Doctor instantly shook his head. "We return their hostage, they return ours, and nobody gets harmed. We can land this together if you are the best you can be. You are decent, brilliant people. Nobody dies today. Understand?"

Rory nodded and the Doctor looked at Hollie. "Hollies in charge." He headed off. The Time Trio wordlessly followed and Hollie looked at Rory.

"I'm going with them."

"What?" Rory frowned. "No."

"We need to find Amy," Hollie stated. "Rory I understand she is your fiancée but she's my best friend."

"Can I come too?" Nasreen asked looking at Hollie who shrugged in response, she couldn't exactly say no and to listen to the Doctor when she was also not listening to the Doctor.

×××

The Doctor turned to the TARDIS doors as they opened from behind him just as the Trio stepped in.

"Not you three." He shook his head.

Cassiopeia smirked. "You can't get rid of us Doctor."

The Time Lord rolled his eyes. "Believe me, I've tried.

"Ouch." Orion replied as Nova huffed at him:

"Rude."

The Doctor groaned as the TARDIS door opened again, Hollie walked in.

"No, sorry, no." He shook his head, leaving the console to walk over to her, taking her arm and walking her out of the TARDIS, the Trio curiously followed and stood just by the door, he blinked as Nasreen stood just outside with Tony. "What are you doing?"

"Coming with you, of course. What is it, some kind of transport pod?" Nasreen guessed.

"Sort of, but you're not coming with me." He replied and then looked at Hollie. "Holls..."

"Nope." She crossed her arms. "Not happening. You can't convince me not to."

The Trio snorted at the Doctor from behind the TARDIS door, the Time Lord shrugged and mumbled an 'Well I tried' before he looked at Tony.

"He's right." The man spoke up, nodding at Nasreen. "You're not."

"I have spent all my life excavating the layers of this planet, and now you want me to stand back while you head down into it?" She questioned. "I don't think so and why does she get off so easily?" Nasreen nodded at the blonde.

"Because Holls will win the argument." He answered.

"And he didn't even get told not to!" She pointed as Orions head popped out from behind the TARDIS door.

Orion chuckled. "There's no point in even asking us, we won't listen and he knows it."

Nasreen rolled her eyes while the Doctor sighed, checked his watch before speaking over her: "I don't have time to argue."

"I thought we were in a rush?"

"It'll be dangerous." The Doctor shot back, sparing a glance at Hollie, the blonde woman noticed, sending him a reassuring smile back.

"Oh, so's crossing the road." Nasreen shrugged.

"Oh, for goodness sake." He groaned. "All right, then. Come on."

"Hey. Come back safe." Tony ordered Nasreen before she entered the TARDIS after the Doctor and Hollie.

The smile on her face slowly faded as she stared at the impossibly large space that was apparently in the tiny blue box. "Welcome aboard the TARDIS." The Doctor told her as he moved past Cassiopeia to pull a lever, the blonde rolled her eyes at twin next to her before she pulled the lever back up only for Nova to shake her head and put the lever back down making the other twin narrow her eyes and huff. "Now, don't touch anything." He added before looking at the Trio. Orion smirked slightly at his sisters. "Very precious." The Doctor looked back to Nasreen who was still slowly taking everything in as she stepped up to the console.

"No way. But, but that's," she looked over to Hollie who smiled and shrugged before moving over to stand beside the Doctor, "this is fantastic." Nasreen laughed with the Doctor. "What does it do?"

"Everything." The Doctor replied. "I'm hoping, if we're going down, that barricade won't interf" The TARDIS suddenly shook. "-ere!" Orion grabbed onto Nova with one hand and the console with the other, Cassiopeia fell into the railing while the Doctor, Hollie and Nasreen almost fell to the floor, only just managing to grab onto the console themselves.

"Did you touch something?" The Doctor shot an annoyed look to the Trio as Nasreen replied:

"No! Isn't this what it does?"

"I'm not doing anything." The Doctor replied.

Nova pulled the scanner towards her using the arm not holding onto Orion. "We've been hijacked." She called over.

"I can't stop it!" Orion shouted as he tried to pull a lever towards him.

"They must've sensed the electro-magnetic field." The Doctor huffed. "They're pulling the TARDIS down into the Earth."

×××

Back on the surface, Rory, Tony and Ambrose slowly walked into the crypt as Alaya stood, the chains on her wrists rattling slightly. "You had to come and see me." She hissed at them.

"We are going to keep you safe." Rory informed her.

"Your tribe are going to give us back our people in exchange for you."

"No." Alaya looked at Ambrose. "Shall I tell you what's really going to happen," she then looked to Rory and Tony as well. "Apes? One of you will kill me. My death shall ignite a war, and every stinking ape shall be wiped from the surface of my beloved planet."

"We won't allow that to happen."

"I know apes better than you know yourselves." Alaya replied, an almost sinister smile on her face. "I know which one of you will kill me. Do you?"

×××

The TARDIS continued to fall further into the earth. The Doctor, Hollie, Nasreen and the Trio suddenly were all thrown to the floor as the TARDIS stopped falling. "Doctor?" Hollie looked up and groaned as she sat up.

"Where are we?" Nasreen questioned looking at the Time Lord still lying on his back. The Doctor stood up and then walked over to the TARDIS doors, Hollie, the trio and Nasreen following behind him, stepping out of the TARDIS the Doctor looked up as loose soil gently rained down from the large and deep hole above the TARDIS.

"Looks like we fell through the bottom of their tunnel system." He put his hand above his head as he looked up before he glanced at the blue box beside him. "Don't suppose it was designed for handling something like this."

"How far down are we?" Hollie asked

"Oh, a lot more than twenty one kilometres." He raised a brow at Nasreen.

The woman frowned in confusion. "So why aren't we burning alive?"

"Don't know." He shrugged before smiling. "Interesting, isn't it?"

"It's like this is everyday to you?"

"Usually every other day to him." Orion cut in, shrugging.

"So what are we looking for?" Hollie frowned, looking at the Doctor as they all began to head off down the tunnel and away from the TARDIS.

"We're looking for a small tribal settlement probably housing around a dozen Homo Reptilia?" He guessed. "Maybe less."

"Maybe more." Cassiopeia added as she followed Nasreen and Nova down a small side passage before stopping.

"Just one small tribe?" Nova questioned.

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded, walking towards them.

"How about maybe a dozen?" Orion suggested.

"That's a small tribe?" Nasreen asked.

"Ah." The Doctor looked down onto the large array of chambers in rows that seemed to go on forever.

"Maybe a bit more than a dozen. Maybe more like an entire civilisation living beneath the Earth." He looked to Hollie. "We may be down here a while."

The blonde nodded. "Let's just get everyone back safe."

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