DOCTOR WHO FAN AUDIO SERIES

Episode 3
“The Hole In The Sky”

by captain carousel

edited by entertain-me
 Based on:
Doctor Who
(c)BBC
(Inside the TARDIS, the gentle hum. The Doctor is
fiddling with the controls.)

NARRATOR
Alicia sits idle in the TARDIS, while the
Doctor stands busy at the controls.

ALICIA
(pretend boredom)
Where to now?

DOCTOR
Not sure yet, you have anything in mind?

ALICIA
(brightens up)
Anywhere in.. Wow, we can really go anywhere,
can’t we?

DOCTOR
(laughs)
Haha, you’re starting to get this! Yes,
anywhere! Anywhere at all. Though, you should
probably make it somewhere you’ve always
wanted to go, cos I do kind of attract danger
sometimes and, well, you never know...

ALICIA
(distantly)
Anywhere... Wow.. Well, there is one place..

DOCTOR
Good. So, where vexes the unvexable, Alicia?
Where, when and why?

ALICIA
When...
(pauses, reluctant)
When I was little, my mother used to tell me
of the Ancient Greeks. They had these stories
and she’d tell them to me while she put me to
bed and they were just.. All those heroes and
villains, princesses and gods.. All that
tragedy, all that love.. That’s somewhere I’ve
always wanted to see.
 NARRATOR
She smiles at the Doctor, then frowns as he
begins tapping the same button on the console,
over and over again, glaring at the screen.

DOCTOR
(annoyed)
Right. Lovely. Well, we won’t be going there,
then.

ALICIA
(shocked, embarrassed)
What? But you - How come?

DOCTOR
(occupied by controls)
Well, when I was U-turning in order to head
towards ancient Greece, like you wanted, I
noticed a certain planet in a certain time
period was repelling me from landing on it.
And there’s something you should know about
me: if there’s somewhere I’m not allowed to
go, it’ll soon become somewhere I really want
to be.

ALICIA
(disappointed)
Oh, okay then. So, is this planet keeping you
out?

DOCTOR
(tapping wildly, enjoying it)
Haha! It’s trying to, for some reason! And
actually doing a half-decent job. It’s not
easy but I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve.

(sound - Vwarrp, Vwarrp, Vwarrp)

DOCTOR
See?

ALICIA
We’ve landed then.

DOCTOR
Yup.

ALICIA
(unimpressed)
Well, that wasn’t difficult at all, was it?

DOCTOR
Oh, next to impossible. I’m just quite good.

ALICIA
(irritably)
Where are we then?

DOCTOR
Shahnik City, Planet Surlamon.. The year is
2292AD.. 1st August.. Ah yes, this was one of
the first human colonies to leave Earth,
they’ve been here a while now, though.. Aaand
I’m looking at a computer screen while this
beautiful city is right outside, let’s go!

NARRATOR
The Doctor and Alicia leave the TARDIS and,
at once, find themselves in a beautiful city
with great towering skyscrapers and an
antiquated feel about it.

ALICIA
Wow, they were really crazy for brick way back
when, weren’t they? It looks like someone’s
mixed Shakespeare with science fiction.

DOCTOR
(impressed)
I like it. I think it’s nice.

ALICIA
I suppose.. So why are we here, then? Who was
stopping you from landing?

NARRATOR
The Doctor isn’t listening to Alicia. Instead,
he spots something in the sky above them; a
great black mass with pulsating purples lines
streaked through it.

DOCTOR
I’m not sure but I’ve a feeling the un-ordinary
thing in the sky might be connected with it.
What do you think?

ALICIA
(looks at mass, gasps)
Probably.
 DOCTOR
Right, let’s go find out then, shall we?

NARRATOR
An old man walks by them, dressed with the same
look as the city; futuristic but Shakespearean.

DOCTOR
Hi, excuse me. Hi, I’m the Doctor.

TOM
Hello. The name’s Tom.

DOCTOR
Tom, this might seem like a strange question
but what’s that..up there.. in the sky?

TOM
The hole in the sky, you mean?

DOCTOR
Yes. What is it, exactly?

TOM
(as if the Doctor’s a child)
It’s a hole. In the sky.

DOCTOR
(pauses, then kindly)
Tom, I’m glad you’re the one I’ve stopped. Any
chance you could divulge any further
information on this “hole in the sky”?

TOM
Nope.

DOCTOR
Ah.. right..

TOM
But there’s the newscast in a few minutes.
The scientists working on the hole have
promised to explain everything.

ALICIA
Working on it?

TOM
That’s right. Since last month, ever since it
appeared. They said they’d finally figured it
out. The newscasts are broadcast on all the
 buildings so you can watch it, if you like.

DOCTOR
(happily)
Tom! I knew you’d come through for us!

(the jingle of the newcast)

TOM
Here it comes now.

ALICIA
Who’s that man?

TOM
That’s President Samuel Morgan, of course.

PRESIDENT
Ladies and gentlemen, I have grave news with
regards to the great black mass in the sky
that appeared over the outskirts of Shahnick
city, one month ago today. First, I must insist
that you do not panic. Stay completely calm or
you will be apprehended by the local guardsmen.
Our team of scientists have, as I’m sure you’re
all aware, been working to assess the hole and
it is now my duty, as President of Surlamon, to
disclose their findings. It appears our initial
fears are correct and that, though alien to us,
the mass may well spell the end for our humble
planet. Again, I urge you not to panic. It
seems that, as it grows, the hole may soon
envelope the entire planet in its darkness and
destroy all life.

(muttering arise from the inhabitants)

PRESIDENT
However, a plan has been devised. A ship,
manned by a crew of six, will be flown into
the heart of the growing darkness and detonate
a bomb that will cause it to implode, thus
ending the problem entirely. Ladies and
gentlemen, it is my honour to introduce you
all to the crew that will save our lives.
Captain Michael O’Brien, from Shahnick city -
 DOCTOR
(mutters to himself)
It’s over the outskirts of the city..

NARRATOR
The Doctor gently pulls Alicia away from the
crowds and Tom, and into an empty alleyway.

DOCTOR
Okay, so you know we’re about to get very
involved, yes?

ALICIA
Yeah, I thought so.. But -

DOCTOR
(staring at sky)
But? Why ‘But’? But’s bad. It gets in the way.

ALICIA
Well, why stop it? What if this is what’s meant
to happen, as tragic as it may be?

DOCTOR
(with pride for Alicia)
I like good questions. Well, for one thing,
you’re from this race’s future, have you any
recollection of being told of the planet
Surlamon, eaten by its own sky?

ALICIA
No..

DOCTOR
Exactly. This is wrong. And there was something
wrong with whatever the President was saying.
And something almost managed to keep me from
landing here! So, now do you see why we’re
getting involved?

ALICIA
(salutes, sarcastically)
Yes, sir! So what’s the next step?

DOCTOR
(laughs)
Haha! Good girl, Clarkes! Personally, I’d like
to see what exactly is positioned directly
underneath the big sky-hole, wouldn’t you?

ALICIA
Makes sense.

NARRATOR
They begin walking towards the great mass but
soon come upon a wall blocking their path.
Guards with large guns line it. They are all
dressed in red, futuristic Renaissance uniform.
Two of the guards approach the Doctor and
Alicia, their guns pointing at them.

GUARD #1
I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to turn back.

DOCTOR
Really? I don’t know why you’re afraid. You’re
the one with the gun.

GUARD #1
Turn back now, sir. And you, miss. Now.

DOCTOR
(quietly, threatening)
We want to go down here, turning back wouldn’t
be at all helpful.

GUARD #1
No, you don’t want to go down here. Nothing
down here but the wall, and nobody goes over
the wall.

GUARD #2
Nobody.

DOCTOR
(aside, to Alicia)
You know, I think the quiet one’s a bit
scarier.
(to guards)
Nobody goes over the wall, you say?

GUARD #1
Not on the East side of town.

DOCTOR
(slaps own forehead)
This is the East side! Oh, well then, I’m
very sorry. We must be lost.. I’ll turn
back straight away. Come along, Alicia!
(footsteps as they walk back)

ALICIA
(mutters)
This whole ‘wanting to go where you’re not
allowed’ thing is going to be a problem for
me, isn’t it?

DOCTOR
Most probably. Okay, it’s reviewing the
situation time. We have a great big world-
ending hole in the sky, above something that’s
blocked by a wall that, apparently, ‘nobody
ever goes over’ which is guarded by, well,
guards. This is going to be an odd one.

ALICIA
So what now? We’re going over the wall, then?

DOCTOR
Of course. The when and the how haven’t come
to me yet, though.

BEN
Don’t be so sure, Doctor.

NARRATOR
A hunched, elderly man emerges from the
shade of a nearby alleyway.

BEN
Allow me to introduce myself, I’m the
‘when’ and the ‘how’.

ALICIA
Hang on, you called him Doctor.

DOCTOR
Yes, he did, didn’t he?

BEN
You are rather well-documented in certain
areas of the government.

DOCTOR
Oh no, really? I hate those documents, they
never do me justice..

ALICIA
So you’re part of the government?
 BEN
I suppose it is fitting that The Doctor, who
assisted the landing of our first ships on
Surlamon, should arrive in the midst of the
planet’s darkest hour.

DOCTOR
I did what? Really? Alicia, you’d better
remind me of that later. Anyway, how did
you know I was here?

BEN
I hold a position in the government high enough
to warrant access to the city’s cameras.

DOCTOR
And to Top-Secret files.

BEN
To some top secret files. Unfortunately not
the ones I’m looking for. I have suspicions
regarding the Dark Sun.

ALICIA
Dark Sun?

BEN
It’s the government’s code name for the hole
in the sky. Something about it doesn’t sit
right with me. Something about the way they’re
trying to destroy it, it doesn’t make sense.
However, they’ve limited my access since I’ve
started asking questions. Now a man arrives,
whose picture I’ve seen on top secret files,
and goes to the wall that the rest of the city
avoids.

DOCTOR
Me! Me?

BEN
You. I want to get you under the Dark Sun,
Doctor. If you can help.

DOCTOR
I usually can. And you can definitely get me
over that wall?

BEN
(happily)
 Come to my house. I’ll show you my plan.
I’m Douglas, by the way. Ben Douglas.

(between-scene music)

NARRATOR
Alicia and the Doctor sit in a cluttered
kitchen. Ben places a small orb on the
table, which displays a map of the city.

BEN
I’m sure you’re curious as to what’s behind
that wall.

DOCTOR
There’s very little about this place I’m
not curious about.

BEN
There are stories that the children tell
one another. Stories that have been handed
down through the generations. It’s been
said that a monster lives behind the wall.

ALICIA
Monster?

BEN
They said the creature was here when Shahnick
City was build, and lived within it, among
the people, hidden for years. It was
intelligent and hid within the shadows,
abducting anyone it could, taking them to its
cave so that it might devour them. So, the
government built a beautiful garden, outside
the city, to attract the monster. A garden so
vast that it would take years to explore.
While the creature was exploring this garden,
they built the wall, so that it would never
return. The guards were placed alongside the
wall to keep our people from being taken.

MARY-ANN
The really scary bit is that people still go
missing sometimes, and nobody can explain
how.

NARRATOR
A young, attractive woman stands in the
doorway.

BEN
This is my daughter, Mary-Ann.

MARY-ANN
(to Doctor, flirting)
Hi, handsome.

DOCTOR
(quick, awkwardly)
Hi.
(to Ben)
So.. nobody knows what’s behind the wall?
No one at all?

BEN
The guards stand with their backs to it,
always. They say they never look over the
wall and never let anyone over.

DOCTOR
I really want to get over this wall. Anyone
else really want to get over this wall?

MARY-ANN
We do, don’t we, Dad? That’s why we came up
with the plan.

ALICIA
The plan?

BEN
(solemnly)
Probably would have been a suicide mission if
you two hadn’t arrived.. Still could be, I
suppose.

DOCTOR
(dismissive)
I’ve been on tons of suicide missions and I’m
still here.

ALICIA
Doctor, this isn’t a joke. What’s the plan,
Ben?

NARRATOR
Mary Ann holds out her hand, revealing a small
round object.
 BEN
That’s a small explosive. The wall can’t be
scaled as it automatically electrocutes
anyone not wearing guard’s uniform. But these
explosives are prototypes I stole from the
government labs. With the dial, you can adjust
the scale of the explosion and the time taken
before it goes off. We’re going to set off two.
One, which will be preset and explode next to
the wall, big enough to attract the guards.
Then we’ll set off a smaller one, just big
enough to create a hole in the wall that we can
get through. We have to be quick, though. The
guards won’t be distracted for long and the
wall is self-repairing. It’ll have fixed
itself within minutes of the explosion.

MARY-ANN
Though the good news is that once we get
through the wall, the guards won’t be
interested in following us.

DOCTOR
So, we’ll have the monster all to ourselves.
Lovely.

ALICIA
Doctor, can’t we just use the TARDIS?

BEN
The what?

DOCTOR
No, the area over the wall was where I tried
to land in the first place. Ben, I should ask,
what made you suspicious about the government’s
plan?

BEN
(sighs)
I’ve never trusted President Morgan. He’s
greedy, lazy and non-too intelligent. But
since this thing arrived, he’s been in his
element. You’re the man in charge of a dying
planet, and you’ve never been more relaxed.
It doesn’t make sense.

ALICIA
But how could he benefit from this? From
ending the planet?
 BEN
That’s what I aim to find out. There’s no
guarantee he’s planning to end the planet,
it could be a ransom situation or something
along those lines. The crew of the ship that’s
being sent to stop it are the only guaranteed
deaths, so far.
(throws the Doctor a newspaper)
The list of the crew is in there.

DOCTOR
(suddenly)
The explosives! They’ll probably.. explode!

MARY-ANN
(sighs)
Cute.. but stupid. Typical.

DOCTOR
Any chance they’ll hurt somebody when they do?

BEN
No. Nobody goes near the wall. They pretend
it’s not there. The only people who go down
there are the people who are trying to get
away from crowds.

DOCTOR
(thinking aloud)
Away from the crowds.. Away from the crowds!
(runs to the door)
Right, I’ll be back, eh, soon! Alicia, stay
here. Ben, keep her here! No such thing as
a guaranteed death when I’m around.

(the Doctor leaves, slamming the door shut)

MARY-ANN
Is he always like that?

ALICIA
(sighs)
That’s him taking it easy...

(between-scenes music)
 NARRATOR
In the corner of a small, empty bar sits a
man hunched over his drink, a hood covering
his head. The bar doors burst open and in
walks the Doctor, heading for the bar.

DOCTOR
(acting like he knows what he’s doing)
Hello, bartender. Do you do tea?

BARMAN
Y’what?

DOCTOR
Tea, please. Two sugars.

BARMAN
We don’t -

DOCTOR
(in sing-song)
Thank you!

NARRATOR
Before the barman can protest further, the
Doctor heads towards the hooded man in the
corner and sits down next to him.

DOCTOR
Hello there. I’m the Doctor.

O’BRIEN
Listen, pal. I’d like to be left alone.

DOCTOR
(cheerfully)
I understand, I’d be the same if I was about
to jet off and save my entire planet.

O’BRIEN
(pauses, then solemnly)
So my disguise isn’t working then?

DOCTOR
Captain Michael O’Brien, international hero,
good to meet you! You know, you’re a hard man
to track down. I’ve been to some rather dusty
bars in the past while. I met a man with a
tattoo!
(whispers, matter of factly)
.. of a lady.
 O’BRIEN
Well, thanks for going to all the effort. What
do you want?

DOCTOR
I saw you on the news, earlier.

O’BRIEN
Yeah, you and the rest of the world. I’m
famous.
(sarcastically)
Whoop-di-doo.

DOCTOR
That’s the spirit! Where’s my tea? Anyway, I’ve
done a bit of research on you. Outspoken
against the greedy government, you’re a
respected pilot, part-time teacher. An
intelligent man who didn’t trust what the
government was saying about the Dark Sun in the
beginning, but was the first to sign up when
they announced to the military what was to be
done.

O’BRIEN
That’s me.

DOCTOR
That’s suspicious. Why the sudden urge to die
when you don’t even think it’s dangerous?

O’BRIEN
I’m a patriot.

DOCTOR
Nope.

O’BRIEN
(gets angry)
Look, who the hell are you?

DOCTOR
The Doctor. And if there’s anyone who knows
what it’s like to be in your position, it’s
me.

O’BRIEN
Oh, really? How?

DOCTOR
 That’s not important. Captain, why did you
volunteer? You’re a good man, why not take
the chance and live? You know there’s something
fishy about all this.

O’BRIEN
Doctor? Doctor who, exactly?

DOCTOR
My question first.

O’BRIEN
(sighs)
I have a daughter. She’s two but she was one of
those miracle children that you hear about.
We weren’t supposed to be able to have her,
but then, suddenly, along she came.

DOCTOR
That’s why you’re going?

O’BRIEN
She deserves a chance. Even if it’s without me.
Doctor, maybe there’s a chance we’re not in any
danger but, if we are, there’s no way I’m gonna
shy away when I can help her. Look, I know it
seems fishy, but if I’m involved I’ll feel more
in control, less like I’m being tricked. And
if a pilot has to save Surlamon, I’m the best
this planet has.

DOCTOR
(sighs)
Michael, that’s a fantastic reason but look,
I’ve seen this type of thing before and, trust
me, if I’m right about what it is, flying six
people into it is pretty much the worst thing
to do, short of flying seven people in -

O’BRIEN
(firmly)
Doctor, I’m going.

DOCTOR
Yeah, I know.. I said you were a good man. I
just kind of wish you hadn’t shown me I was
right.

(the barman comes over with the tea, he plonks it down

O’BRIEN
(slightly chirpier)
You can buy me a drink now, Doctor. Then I’m
going home.

(play between-scenes music)

NARRATOR
As morning arrives, the Doctor returns to Ben’s
house.

ALICIA
(frustratedly, like an angry wife)
And where exactly have you been til now?

DOCTOR
(yawns)
I made a friend. Is it time to go?

BEN
Yup. Got the explosives in this rucksack.

NARRATOR
Along with Mary Ann, the four left the house
and made their way to the wall, stopping just
around the corner.

BEN
(bomb in hand)
So, I set it for two minutes from now, roll it
out there and we run that way, as quickly as
we can, and set the second bomb straight away.

NARRATOR
Ben sets it and rolls it out, near the guards
who take no notice of it. The group run to
another hidden inlet further down.

(BOOM! pause and then another BOOM!)

DOCTOR
Quickly!
 NARRATOR
They run, one by one, into the newly-formed
hole. The wall seals shut behind them but they
are no longer paying attention to it. Before
them is a vast and fruit-ful garden, stretching
to the horizon with great colourful trees lined
with fruit.

ALICIA
Wow!

MARY ANN
It’s a garden.. The garden part of the story -

DOCTOR
- is probably just as true as the monster part.
Let’s press on to the space beneath the Dark
Sun. If anyone does see a monster, well, avoid
it.

NARRATOR
They venture on, when suddenly a voice cuts
through the silence.

VOICE
(whispers sinisterly)
Hello, Doctor.

NARRATOR
The Doctor looks round at the others, but
they don’t appear to have heard the voice.

DOCTOR
(muttering)
Odd.

(sound of footsteps walking through the grass as they

DOCTOR
I’m starting to get the feeling this monster
knows we’re here.

NARRATOR
The Doctor turns round to look at the others
but they have vanished.

DOCTOR
 (calmly)
Right again. This is getting annoying.

VOICE
Tut-tut, always getting lost, Doctor.

NARRATOR
A man stands opposite the Doctor, leaning
against a tree. He is handsome with well-
combed brown hair. He smiles smugly.

DOCTOR
You must be the monster.

MAN
(amused)
Ha, you’re very close. I’m most definitely
part of it.

DOCTOR
Part of a monster?

MAN
You, of all people, must surely understand
that these monsters are often quite figurative.

DOCTOR
Hmm, now you come to mention it, I probably do
understand that.. So the monster they fear is
an organisation?

MAN
Very much so. A big organisation. A powerful
organisation. The kind of organisation who
make it their business to be experts on people
like you.

DOCTOR
(exclaims)
The bad guys!

MAN
No such thing. We have a goal, yes. A goal
which will be quite easy to achieve it we
avoid certain.. bumps.

DOCTOR
Bumps with bowties?

MAN
Yes, indeed.
 DOCTOR
And the monster isn’t trapped in this garden,
is it? You want to be here.

MAN
It’s from this garden that we’ve constructed
our device.

DOCTOR
Ah, yes. The big black hole in the sky!

MAN
You know what it is?

DOCTOR
If you know me as well as you claim then you
already know the answer to that.

MAN
Well then, Doctor, you have deduced our goal.
We had anticipated that. We tried to keep you
away and yet you came anyway. Now you must
leave.

DOCTOR
Oh, I very rarely do that. Except sometimes
when I’ve finished.. What’s that you’ve got?
An apple?

MAN
Doctor, as I’ve said, we know you. You, on the
other hand, don’t know us. Not yet. In my
hand, I hold everything you’ve ever wanted. I
hold the reason you stole that big blue box
and the reason you fled your homeworld. I have
in my hand the reason you’ve been travelling
the stars. That top secret reason, that even
you won’t admit to yourself.

DOCTOR
(flatly)
It’s an apple.

MAN
(sighs)
You simply have no appreciation for metaphors,
do you? Look, our organisation is big. Big
enough to give you what you want. You bite this
apple, you leave this place, and all you’ve
ever desired will be yours.

DOCTOR
That’s a fancy apple..

MAN
You can take it and leave. Just go. Turn your
back and forget about the planet with the
hole in the sky.

DOCTOR
(laughs)
An apple a day keeps the Doctor away! Clever.
I like puns - is that a pun? Probably not.
Let’s have a look at it then.

MAN
So we have an understanding?

DOCTOR
Oh, I’m going to stay. Stay, stop you and
probably avoid apples for a while afterwards.

MAN
(irritably)
Fine. We have other ways of stopping you.

NARRATOR
The man turns and vanishes behind a tree.
Suddenly, a woman’s scream fills the air. The
Doctor runs to find its source. In a clearing,
he finds Ben and Mary-Ann helplessly watching
Alicia, who is surrounded by a purple glow
which circles her like a tornado. Alicia
floats in mid-air, unconscious.

BEN
Doctor! Where did yo go? What’s happening?

DOCTOR
It’s the monster..

MAN
(echoing, voice only)
If you are so eager to visit us beneath the
Dark Sun, Doctor, then that is where you will
find her.

NARRATOR
With that, the purple wind speeds up and Alicia
vanishes.
 MARY-ANN
(panicking)
What do we do?

DOCTOR
(sternly)
I think it’s fairly obvious where we go. Follow
me.

NARRATOR
The Doctor sprints in the direction of the
Dark Sun, with Ben and Mary-Ann in pursuit.
When they finally reach their destination, they
find an identical hole to the one in the sky,
torn into the side of a mountain.

BEN
(slightly out of breath)
Do we go in?

DOCTOR
With the exception of the two of you, yes, we
go straight in.

MARY-ANN
But Doctor, we can’t let you -

DOCTOR
(sternly)
Then by all means, come in. And die. This
thing, this monster, is far more powerful than
I’ve been able to anticipate up till now. Now,
considering how many bad people have been
failing repeatedly to kill me for hundreds of
years, I think I’m qualified for going in
there. You two, on the other hand..
(changes tone, more caring)
... just stay here, and live.

BEN
(decisively)
There’s a torch in my bag. Take it.

(sound of zip as bag is opened and torch taken out)

NARRATOR
The Doctor takes the torch and jams it into
his trouser pocket. Then, a new voice rings
out, far deeper and more powerful than before.

VOICE
(echoing)
We await your presence, Doctor.

NARRATOR
The Doctor walks into the opening, taking out
the torch again and turning it on. The light
illuminates nothing so the Doctor throws it
away.

VOICE
That is useless here, Doctor. Follow my voice
and you will find your destination.

DOCTOR
I suppose I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for
trusting psychopaths.

NARRATOR
Meanwhile, back in the city, a news broadcast
is being filmed and aired across the entire
planet. President Morgan stands atop a great
launch platform with the six people about to
fly the suicide ship into space. The sound of
the broadcast rings out around the cave.

PRESIDENT
(heard from inside cave, faint)
Ladies and gentlemen, I am standing here today
on the brink of possible destruction for our
planet, with the six people who have been
chosen to assure our safety..

VOICE
(interrupting)
This way. And Doctor, there’s something we’d
like you to hear.

PRESIDENT
(much clearer)
Aboard this ship, they will head into the hole
and detonate a bomb that should activate an
implosion, ultimately repairing our sky. They
will sacrifice their own lives for this, and
so I am honoured to have them here beside me.

VOICE
Getting warmer, try and ignore the sound of
the sacrifices.

DOCTOR
You know, I’m looking forward to meeting you.

PRESIDENT
I ask Captain Michael O’Brien to step forward
so that he might voice his dying wishes to the
planet he is about to save.

DOCTOR
You’re trying to make me mad..

VOICE
Warmer still. Keep following my voice if you
wish to find your companion.

O’BRIEN
(solemnly)
People of Surlamon, I am Captain Michael
O’Brien of the SS Ulysses. I am hours away from
my death and I haven’t got much to say... I
have a wife. And a daughter. And.. And they’re
just beautiful.. And I won’t get to see her -
my daughter - grow up.. But it’s okay cos
at least she’ll get to grow up -

VOICE
(interrupts)
I think that will be enough from him. Here,
Doctor, is your friend.

NARRATOR
Alicia, suddenly, is illuminated, lying
unconscious on a stone table, the purple glow
still surrounding her.

DOCTOR
This is usually the point where I tell you
you’ve made the biggest mistake of your life..

VOICE
You’re very protective of her, aren’t you?
That’s funny, you know she has a lot of hatred
for you. A lot of fear. We can see inside her
head, and there are some very strange things in
there; rather unexpectedly, actually.

DOCTOR
You should really give her back.
 VOICE
Oh, we will, Doctor. If you co-operate. I
understand you have deduced the purpose of
our hole in the sky.

DOCTOR
Of course.

VOICE
I would very much like to hear your theory.

DOCTOR
(sighs, rambles quickly)
The hole in the sky, or Dark Sun as it’s often
known, is a phenomenon that usually begins as a
result of certain different crossed timelines.
You’re time travellers. As far as the people in
Shahnick City are concerned, you’ve been here
for hundreds of years but in your timeline,
it’s only been a few days. A few days of
hopping in and our time lines, stealing
citizens.

VOICE
I’m impressed. And why have we been stealing
these people?

DOCTOR
(figures something out, speaks quickly)
Oh! Because Dark Suns can be given a taste for
certain things! You feed them enough humans,
it’ll develop a hunger for them. You can send
it into the sky and when it grows powerful
enough, all you have to do is wait until the
government send up a team of, say, six people,
which will push the Dark Sun’s hunger over
the edge, making it insatiable. Meaning, it
will sweep over the world, destroying all the
humans and only the humans, leaving you to rule
the planet for yourselves. You’re invading.

VOICE
(applauds?)
Doctor, you seem to be quite good, as they say.

DOCTOR
(slaps hands down on table)
Wait, there’s more! The president! He’s in on
it! Not surprising, really; he’s known for
being greedy, and I get the feeling I’m in the
minority of people who say “no” when you offer
them everything they’ve ever wanted..

VOICE
Doctor, you have said quite enough. We are
impressed. Now, I’m sure you want your
companion back, and I will be happy to oblige,
but we have a test. You must walk directly
from this cave, and she will be right behind
you. Just ignore everything you see around
you. Ignore it, Doctor, then leave our planet
and forget about it. Then she will be safe.

DOCTOR
(pause)
Then we have a deal, then.

NARRATOR
The Doctor turns round and walks back along
the way he came. Alicia floats behind him.
He marches on, not looking back, but then the
darkness melts away and is replaced by a group
of children, dressed in rags and chains. They
are crying and look starved. Around them is
dust, fire, sadness and death.

CHILDREN
(in unison)
Help! Doctor! Help, please! Help, it hurts!
It’s cold!

NARRATOR
Determined, the Doctor walks on, ignoring the
children’s cries.

VOICE
Remember, Doctor, you cannot help them.

NARRATOR
As the Doctor walks on, groups of weeping women
join the children. The women claw at the
Doctor’s clothes.

WOMEN
(separately)
Doctor, help!
It’s hell!
You can help us!
Please!
Please, Doctor!
 VOICE
Forget them, Doctor. Focus on the one girl,
don’t bother with the many. Leave them to
die, and the girl will live.

NARRATOR
The children and women disappear but the cries
still remain. Then, they, too, stop. A solitary
little girl appears,crying and holding a
torn and battered teddy bear.

GIRL
(sobbing)
You can help us, Doctor? Please..won’t you?
I want to go home! I just want to go back to
my mummy..

DOCTOR
Stony-faced, the Doctor continues on, finally
finding himself back in the garden, outside
the cave. Alicia#s glow disappears as she
floats gently to the ground. The Doctor falls
to his knees.

BEN
Doctor, are you okay?
MARY-ANN
Doctor, what happened?

NARRATOR
But the Doctor remains silent, his head bowed.
Alicia begins to stir.

VOICE
You have passed, Doctor. I was rather impressed
to see you leave all those innocent people to
die, just for one young woman. She must be
rather special.

ALICIA
(sitting up)
Me? Doctor, does he mean me? What happened?

NARRATOR
The Doctor gets to his feet and turns to face
the cave.

DOCTOR
(coldly)
Oh you should have tried a lot harder to keep
me away.
 VOICE
Well, you’ll leave now, or your friend will
return to us.

DOCTOR
All that research you’ve done on me, and none
of you bothered to learn the simplest rule:
Do whatever you can not to tick me off.

VOICE
(threateningly)
Go now, Doctor..

DOCTOR
You really want me to go, don’t you? Well,
I’m about to show you why. Those children
I stepped over, those women and children,
they’re not really there. That hole in the
ground that’s torturing them and keeping
you alive is the only thing keeping them
from returning to their own points in time.

VOICE
We will take the woman once more, Doctor,
and you will not have her back.

DOCTOR
Now, you lot are really powerful, but if
someone, say a rather mischievous expert on
this sort of thing, could infiltrate this
great black hole in the ground and blow it up
from the inside.. Well, I’d call that
impressive, wouldn’t you?

VOICE
(hesitant)
From the.. From the inside?

DOCTOR
If only I had a few different portable
explosives that could be placed within this
headquarters and put on a timer. A timer that
would go off in 3.. 2.. 1... Bye, now.

(sound of massive explosion)

NARRATOR
The hole in the ground erupts from within,
 and then is sucked into tiny nothingness.
The Dark Sun, however, still remains.

DOCTOR
(relieved)
They should all be home now..

BEN
Doctor, what the heck’s going on?

DOCTOR
Ben, how do you feel about punching people in
the head?

NARRATOR
Back on the launch platform, the six-man
aircraft has just taken off. The president
stands alone. unguarded, with several
television cameras pointed at him. Suddenly..

(the sound of the TARDIS materialising)

NARRATOR
.. The TARDIS appears. Alicia exits first,
followed by Mary-Ann and then Ben, who runs
to the president and punches him straight in
the face. The Doctor pokes his head from
the TARDIS and addresses the television
cameras.

DOCTOR
Hi, people of Surlamon. Basically, you’ve
been tricked. The president is in on the
whole thing. He was planning to flee the
moment the ship flew into the hole, and killed

you all. Don’t believe me? Watch this.

NARRATOR
Above them, the SS Ulysses is resting, mere
feet away from the hole. The crew are
waiting to fly into it.

O’BRIEN
You guys ready? Okay, in 10,9-

WOMAN
Wait, Captain. What in god’s name is that?
 NARRATOR
A blue box comes whizzing past them, flying
straight into the black hole. An image
appears on the screen in front of the
captain. It’s the Doctor.

DOCTOR
Michael, hi! I was right, I’m going to sort it
all now! You go back and see your daughter.
GERONIMO!!

NARRATOR
The TARDIS is swallowed by the hole, which
collapses in on intself and disappears.
Minutes later, the SS Ulysses lands back on
the platform to find the blue box with the
Doctor standing outside, smiling. O’Brien
runs to shake his hand.

O’BRIEN
I don’t know what you did, but I’m so
grateful for it!

DOCTOR
No problem. Just remember today. Whenever
you’re with your daughter, or you’re voting
someone into office, just remember today.

O’BRIEN
I will. Thank you.

NARRATOR
Leving the president at the mercy of the angry
citizens of the city, the Doctor and Alicia
return Ben and Mary-Ann to their house.

BEN
We’ll miss you, Doctor. Really.

DOCTOR
The feeling’s mutual, Ben.

MARY-ANN
Doctor, I wanted to thank you for saving
the planet -

(the sound of Mary=Ann giving the Doctor a passionate

NARRATOR
Once in the safety of the TARDIS, the Doctor
closes the doors and leans heavily on them.
Alicia chuckles.

DOCTOR
Why do women keep doing that? Oh well, onward
and upward.

NARRATOR
The Doctor walks up to the console and starts
fiddling with the controls. Alicia watches him
for a few minutes in silence then walks up to
him.

ALICIA
Doctor -

DOCTOR
(busy with console)
Hmm?

NARRATOR
Alicia watches him until he looks at her, then
she embraces him, warmly. The Doctor smiles
and hugs her back.

DOCTOR
(whispers)
You’re welcome.
(back to controls)
Right, Ancient Greece!