Green Vortex [III]

The Fires of Pompeii Pt3:

"Caecilius! All of you, get out!" The Doctor shouted after they ran into the villa as everyone else was panicking slightly at the sound of the noise. "Doctor, Galaxy, what is it?" Donna asked as she quickly went to them.

"We're being followed." Galaxy said just as the grill over the hypocaust was blown into the air. "Just get out!" The Doctor shouted and tried getting everyone out the door.

The ground around the hypocaust started to crack as a growling sound filled the room but they all froze when a large creature made of stone and magma forced its way out of the ground and into the room.

"The gods are with us." Evelina gasped. "Water! We need water! Quintus, all of you, get water! Donna!" The Doctor shouted. Donna, Quintus and one of the servants ran around the room, grabbing whatever useful to collect water with from the pool.

"Blessed are we to see the gods." A servant said as he approached the creature. "Don't!" Galaxy tried but it was too late. The creature breathed fire and burned the servant to ash.

"Talk to me. That's all I want. Talk to me. Just tell me who you are. Don't hurt these people." The Doctor said as he walked over to the creature, "Talk to me. I'm the Doctor. Just tell me who you are." He said.

Quintus and a slave returned with objects and scooped water from the pool then threw them at the creature making the fire go out and it solidified before cracking and crumbling to the ground.

"What was it?" Caecilius asked.

"Carapace of stone, held together by internal magma. Not hard to stop though I say this one was a foot soldier." Galaxy explained as she looked at the rubble. "Doctor, Galaxy, or whatever your names are, you bring bad luck on this house."

"We thought your son was brilliant. Aren't you going to thank him?" The Doctor said. "Still, it's a good thing we stayed with all this alien work about." Galaxy said and he nodded before looking around for Donna but couldn't find her. "Donna? Donna? Donna!"

-10-

"You have got to be kidding me." Donna said as she was tied to a sacrificial altar after being taken by a group of priestesses, the very same ones that were standing around her and one of them had a dagger in hand. "The false prophet will surrender both her blood and her breath."

"I'll surrender you in a minute. Don't you dare." Donna threatened.

"You will be silent."

"Listen, sister, you might have eyes on the back of your hands, but you'll have eyes on in the back of your head by the time I've finished with you. Let me go!"

"This prattling voice will cease forever." The priestess raised her blade above her head, ready to strike, when a new voice spoke.

"Oh, that'll be the day." The Doctor said as he and Galaxy were watching. "No man is allowed to enter the Temple of Sibyl." The priestess gasped. "Oh, that's alright, just us girls. Do you know, we met the Sibyl once. Yeah, hell of a woman. Blimey, she could dance the Tarantella. Nice teeth. Truth be told, I think she had a bit of a thing for me. I said it would never last. She said, I know. Well, she would."

"You okay, Donna?" Galaxy asked as they stood by the altar. "Oh, never better." Donna replied sarcastically. "I like the toga." The Doctor commented as Galaxy used her sonic on the ropes to free her. "Thank you. And the ropes?"

"Yeah, not so much."

"What magic is this?" The priestess demanded.

"Let me tell you something about the Sibyl. The founder of your religion. She'd be ashamed of you, all her wisdom and insight and you've soured it. Is that how you spread the word? On the blade of a knife?"