The Escaped

Featuring the Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard

The TARDIS materialised in Trafalgar Square and the Doctor emerged, dressed in his usual Byronesque attire, beaming happily. Charley exited the tall blue police box after him, in very casual clothes, and glanced around her new surroundings.
"Doctor, where are we?" Charley wondered, "Is this Earth?"
"Yes, Charley. Trafalgar Square, to be precise." the Doctor replied, smiling like a kid who had just bought an entire sweet shop, "And now something beautiful is about to happen."
"What's about to happen?"
As soon as she had said that, a large purple sphere flashed into existance, attracting the attention of the bystanders nearby. Charley stared in amazement and followed the Doctor to it, wanting to know what it was.

The sphere seemed to be an escape pod. This was clearly evident when the pod opened up to reveal a giant squid, with brown skin and eight eyes on its blobby head, wriggling and trying to escape.
"That looks horrible." Charley remarked, "If only HG Wells could see this. It's exactly like one of his Martians."
"I once met him you know." the Doctor mentioned, taking out his sonic screwdriver and scanning the escape pod. Charley looked at him in amazement.
"You met HG Wells?!" she exclaimed.
"Who's met HG Wells? He isn't even alive any more." chimed the voice of an old lady who was behind him. The two travellers turned to see a short woman clutching a handbag and who was sucking on a humbug. She had a clever yet somewhat startled face and a pair of inquisitive eyes.
"You seem very doubtful." the Doctor said to the newcomer, "Who are you?"
"Doris. Doris Terence. Anything I can do to help?"

The Doctor had sent Charley and Doris to the nearest red telephone box to see if a connection to UNIT could be made, as he did not recognise whatever was in the pod. When he had told her this, Charley was amazed as the Doctor usually recognised the threats they faced, whether they be Vortisaurs, Cybermen or Ogrons. But this time was different.
"Hello, is this UNIT?" Charley asked the woman at the other end of the telephone, before listening to the reply and explaining, "It's Charley Pollard, the assistant of the Doctor. We've come across something in the middle of London and the Doctor thinks you may know what it is."
There was a slight pause, as the woman answering the call handed the receiver to Kate Stewart, head of UNIT.
"Charlotte Pollard?" came the reply from Kate, "I don't believe this. Aren't you with the Byron Doctor at the moment?"
"Yes. Who's this?" Charley asked, whilst Doris had wandered off to look in a supermarket.
"Kate Stewart, head of UNIT. Describe what's in the middle of London: my scientific advisor's both listening and trying not to vomit with excitement."
"I thought you could mobilise helicopters and see for yourself."
"Unfortunately not. We've got a bit of a situation ourselves to deal with and I'm stuck here with enough paperwork to send a street to sleep."
Charley then described the strange creature she had seen in the pod and there was a pause for a few moments, before a whirr of disappointment as the phone connection went dead. She tried to find Doris but Doris was currently staring at the sweet shelf of a nearby supermarket, unsure as to which type of sweets she should buy. Charley set off to find Doris and ask her for more money, hoping that Kate would wait for her.

The Doctor, meanwhile, was hurrying after the alien squid which had scuttled out of the escape pod and was rushing through Charing Cross Station, heading for the newsagents. Clearly it was after food.
"Oh, come out, come out," the Doctor said, frantically hurrying around the station, "I can give you safe passage away from here."
He glimpsed the squid amongst the chocolate bars and rushed towards it, only realising that he hadn't brought anything to capture the squid with just then. The squid scuttled off towards the till and the Doctor dived towards it, arms outstretched.
He caught it and held on to it with a firm grasp as he casually strolled out of the underground station.

Charley had found out what the alien was and, along with Doris, was heading back to the pod, where a highly irritating crowd of journalists and television vans were gathered round in a large circle. Luckily, she and Doris had spotted the Doctor, who had the squid tucked under his arm, and decided to rush over to him, staying away from the media circus.
"Charley!" the Doctor cried, unable to hug her, "So, what is this beastie I have with me?"
"It's a Tephonidrix, according to the head of UNIT, and she said that she would get Torchwood to deal with the pod later on." Charley explained, sounding confused when she said the word 'Torchwood'.
"A Tephonidrix, eh? I'll have to add him to the TARDIS gardens, maybe in the Giant Lake with the Sisyphusian Manatee and the Blue Whale."
"The TARDIS has a Giant Lake?" Charley wondered, amazed at how many remarkable things were inside the Doctor's TARDIS, which they were now standing outside of, "I'll have to explore that."
"Perhaps you could help me get this little fella into the lake." the Doctor suggested, before smiling and saying goodbye to Doris and then entering the TARDIS.
"Thank you, Doris. I hope that you enjoy the rest of your life." Charley said, waving goodbye and entering the TARDIS, closing the door behind her. Once the door had been closed, the ancient time and space ship began to wheeze and howl away into the Time Vortex, making Doris laugh with joy before she turned away and headed off towards the rest of her life.

THE END