EIGHTH DOCTOR
"You are going to love this place!" The Doctor grinned ecstatically. "Trees made of pure starlight! It is often said that it is one of the most beautiful spots in the universe!"
Molly pulled open the doors... and her face dropped.
"Doctor."
"You'd be surprised how many people say they love this place!"
"Doctor!"
"What?!"
"Look."
Molly moved to one side to allow the Doctor a better look. There was just an ordinary vilage.
"Oh dear, that's not quite right." The Doctor stepped out. "This isn't right at all."
"No trees made of pure starlight" Molly said "Just ordinary trees. Ordinary trees made of pure wood."
"Oh shut up!" The Doctor called. "Come on! We might as well look around while we're here."
The Doctor led the way through the village. Christmas decorations hung in the trees. The Doctor marched ahead.
"Something's wrong. Do you know what's wrong Molly?"
"What?"
"The people! There's no people Molly!"
The Doctor was right. There was no one around.
"It's strange isn't it? Small town like this, there surely must be some people about?"
"What do you think happened to them, Doctor?"
"I don't know. We should take a look around. Molly, you go that way. I'll go this way."
The Doctor and Molly split up. Molly walked down a small alley. She saw movement ahead of her.
"Hey wait!"
Molly turned a corner and saw a little girl crouched away from her.
"Hello. It's alright I won't hurt you. What's your name?"
"My mum said not to talk to strangers." The girl whispered.
"Don't worry... I'm not a stranger. You can trust me. I'm Molly."
"I'm Sally."
"Sally. That's a lovely name. Are you looking forward to Christmas?"
Sally nodded.
"Sally, where are your parents?"
Sally looked side to die and then whispered "The metal men took them?"
"Metal men? Sally you'd better come with me. I have a friend. He can help."
Molly held out her hand.
"You can trust me. I won't let anything happen to you."
Sally took her hand. Molly walked back the way she came and bumped into the Doctor.
"Molly! You won't believe what I found? Who's this?"
"This Doctor, is Sally"
"Hello Sally! Molly, Cybermen!"
"Cybermen?"
"Cybermen! I just saw them marching through the square! They all went into the town hall. Let's go take a look!"
The three of them reached the town hall. The Doctor tried the front door.
"Locked."
The Doctor walked around the side.
"There's a side door and a window. If one of us could climb through and open the door from the inside..."
"I'll do it!" Said Molly.
"No Molly. It's too small. We'll need someone a little smaller."
The Doctor looked at Sally.
"Are you ok doing this?"
"I think so."
"Good. I'll give you a leg up. Climb through the window and unlock the door."
Sally clambered through the window. The Doctor and Molly waited. Then there was a scream.
"SALLY!" Molly cried.
The Doctor rammed his shoulder into the door again and again. He gave it a kick. Then both the Doctor and Molly charged the door and they burst through.
"Sally! Sally!" called Molly.
Sally was nowhere to be seen. The Doctor looked around.
"Obvious signs of a struggle. Look! Footprints! They lead this way!"
The Doctor and Molly followed the footprints. They lead down to the cellar where a hole lead deep underground. The Doctor and Sally climbed down. THe tunnels were dark. The Doctor pulled a torch from his pocket and led the way. They journeyed for what felt like hours.
"Doctor... what will they do to Sally?"
"I don't want to think Molly."
They turned a corner and entered a large space. Several cubicles lined the wall.
"A Cyberman tomb... all my worst fears confirmed with a nice bow."
The Doctor and Molly crept along silently. And then a Cyberman turned the corner.
"Molly move!" Shouted the Doctor.
Molly ran as fast as she could and hid behind a console. The Doctor grabbed a pole and held it like sword, jabbing at the Cyberman. The Cyberman batted away the pole and it clattered and the other side of the room. The Doctor looked around for something to use as a weapon. He saw a wire spouting sparks. The Doctor grabbed it and pulled it up. He ran to the Cyberman and shoved it in the Cyberman's neck. The Cyberman screamed in pain.
"Doctor! What did you do to it?"
"I think I overloaded it's emotional inhibitor!"
The Cyberman flailed for a few minutes. Then it caught sight of Molly.
"Molly?" it said.
The Doctor raised the wire again.
"DOCTOR NO!!!" Molly screamed.
But it was too late. The wire sparked and the Cyberman screamed again. And then fell silent and fell to the floor. Molly and the Doctor dashed over.
"Molly... I... I didn't realise..."
"How long has she got?"
"Moments. She has moments only."
"Sally... Sally can you hear me? Sally?"
The Cyberman didn't move.
"Molly. Her brain is dead. It's just the rest of the Cyber functions shutting down."
"She was looking forward to Christmas." Molly wiped away tears from her eyes. "Merry Christmas Sally."
The Doctor helped Molly up. The Doctor walked over to the console and pressed several buttons.
"I'm setting the tomb to self destruct. It'll take the Town Hall with it. None of the Cybermen will make it. Come on. We need to run."
The Doctor and Molly ran out of the tomb and out the town hall just before it exploded.
Back in the TARDIS, Molly wiped tears from her eyes.
"She should never have been in danger. We shouldn't have made her go through the window. I said I'd make sure nothing happened to her. It's all my fault."
"Molly. It's not your fault. I should have known. It's all on me. Come on. There's nothing to be done."
Molly looked up and smiled. She hugged the Doctor.
"Merry Christmas Doctor."
"Merry Christmas Molly."
Molly pulled open the doors... and her face dropped.
"Doctor."
"You'd be surprised how many people say they love this place!"
"Doctor!"
"What?!"
"Look."
Molly moved to one side to allow the Doctor a better look. There was just an ordinary vilage.
"Oh dear, that's not quite right." The Doctor stepped out. "This isn't right at all."
"No trees made of pure starlight" Molly said "Just ordinary trees. Ordinary trees made of pure wood."
"Oh shut up!" The Doctor called. "Come on! We might as well look around while we're here."
The Doctor led the way through the village. Christmas decorations hung in the trees. The Doctor marched ahead.
"Something's wrong. Do you know what's wrong Molly?"
"What?"
"The people! There's no people Molly!"
The Doctor was right. There was no one around.
"It's strange isn't it? Small town like this, there surely must be some people about?"
"What do you think happened to them, Doctor?"
"I don't know. We should take a look around. Molly, you go that way. I'll go this way."
The Doctor and Molly split up. Molly walked down a small alley. She saw movement ahead of her.
"Hey wait!"
Molly turned a corner and saw a little girl crouched away from her.
"Hello. It's alright I won't hurt you. What's your name?"
"My mum said not to talk to strangers." The girl whispered.
"Don't worry... I'm not a stranger. You can trust me. I'm Molly."
"I'm Sally."
"Sally. That's a lovely name. Are you looking forward to Christmas?"
Sally nodded.
"Sally, where are your parents?"
Sally looked side to die and then whispered "The metal men took them?"
"Metal men? Sally you'd better come with me. I have a friend. He can help."
Molly held out her hand.
"You can trust me. I won't let anything happen to you."
Sally took her hand. Molly walked back the way she came and bumped into the Doctor.
"Molly! You won't believe what I found? Who's this?"
"This Doctor, is Sally"
"Hello Sally! Molly, Cybermen!"
"Cybermen?"
"Cybermen! I just saw them marching through the square! They all went into the town hall. Let's go take a look!"
The three of them reached the town hall. The Doctor tried the front door.
"Locked."
The Doctor walked around the side.
"There's a side door and a window. If one of us could climb through and open the door from the inside..."
"I'll do it!" Said Molly.
"No Molly. It's too small. We'll need someone a little smaller."
The Doctor looked at Sally.
"Are you ok doing this?"
"I think so."
"Good. I'll give you a leg up. Climb through the window and unlock the door."
Sally clambered through the window. The Doctor and Molly waited. Then there was a scream.
"SALLY!" Molly cried.
The Doctor rammed his shoulder into the door again and again. He gave it a kick. Then both the Doctor and Molly charged the door and they burst through.
"Sally! Sally!" called Molly.
Sally was nowhere to be seen. The Doctor looked around.
"Obvious signs of a struggle. Look! Footprints! They lead this way!"
The Doctor and Molly followed the footprints. They lead down to the cellar where a hole lead deep underground. The Doctor and Sally climbed down. THe tunnels were dark. The Doctor pulled a torch from his pocket and led the way. They journeyed for what felt like hours.
"Doctor... what will they do to Sally?"
"I don't want to think Molly."
They turned a corner and entered a large space. Several cubicles lined the wall.
"A Cyberman tomb... all my worst fears confirmed with a nice bow."
The Doctor and Molly crept along silently. And then a Cyberman turned the corner.
"Molly move!" Shouted the Doctor.
Molly ran as fast as she could and hid behind a console. The Doctor grabbed a pole and held it like sword, jabbing at the Cyberman. The Cyberman batted away the pole and it clattered and the other side of the room. The Doctor looked around for something to use as a weapon. He saw a wire spouting sparks. The Doctor grabbed it and pulled it up. He ran to the Cyberman and shoved it in the Cyberman's neck. The Cyberman screamed in pain.
"Doctor! What did you do to it?"
"I think I overloaded it's emotional inhibitor!"
The Cyberman flailed for a few minutes. Then it caught sight of Molly.
"Molly?" it said.
The Doctor raised the wire again.
"DOCTOR NO!!!" Molly screamed.
But it was too late. The wire sparked and the Cyberman screamed again. And then fell silent and fell to the floor. Molly and the Doctor dashed over.
"Molly... I... I didn't realise..."
"How long has she got?"
"Moments. She has moments only."
"Sally... Sally can you hear me? Sally?"
The Cyberman didn't move.
"Molly. Her brain is dead. It's just the rest of the Cyber functions shutting down."
"She was looking forward to Christmas." Molly wiped away tears from her eyes. "Merry Christmas Sally."
The Doctor helped Molly up. The Doctor walked over to the console and pressed several buttons.
"I'm setting the tomb to self destruct. It'll take the Town Hall with it. None of the Cybermen will make it. Come on. We need to run."
The Doctor and Molly ran out of the tomb and out the town hall just before it exploded.
Back in the TARDIS, Molly wiped tears from her eyes.
"She should never have been in danger. We shouldn't have made her go through the window. I said I'd make sure nothing happened to her. It's all my fault."
"Molly. It's not your fault. I should have known. It's all on me. Come on. There's nothing to be done."
Molly looked up and smiled. She hugged the Doctor.
"Merry Christmas Doctor."
"Merry Christmas Molly."