Halfway Out Of The Dark || The Doctor

Boom Town

In Cardiff town hall, Mr Cleaver, the Welsh Assembly's nuclear safety advisor was pacing anxiously in the mayor's office. "I've checked the figures. I've checked them again and again. Always the same result. The design is not safe. It could result in the death of millions. I beg of you... stop the project right now, before it's too late." he urged the mayor, Margaret Blaine. Little did he know that Margaret was actually the last surviving member of the Slitheen family, the family of Raxicoricofallapatorians who had tried to destroy the Earth just six months ago.

"Well, goodness me. Obviously, Mr Cleaver, you're the expert." Margaret replied.

"Then... you'll stop it?"

"Seems I have no choice." Margaret replied, then her stomach rumbled noisily. "Oh... do excuse me." she smiled apologetically, "Civic duties leave little time for a sandwich."

"But you promise you'll stop it today?" Mr Cleaver asked urgently.

"Well, of course. Nothing is more important then Human life. What d'you take me for? Some sort of maniac?"

"Why, no." Mr Cleaver replied.

"Am I right in thinking you've only shown your results to me?" Margaret asked.

"Just to you. No one else."

"Wise move." Margaret smiled deviously.

A relieved Mr Cleaver took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. "I can't tell you, Mrs Blaine, this is such a weight off my mind." he said, "I've barely slept. I couldn't believe my own readings." He wiped his glasses, his back to Margaret, so he didn't see her raise a hand up to her forehead. "The scale of it... destruction like the British Isles has never seen before." He squinted at a model of a nuclear power station in the outer room. "If I didn't know better, I'd almost think that someone wanted this project to go wrong. As though they intended to wipe this city off the map." He replaced his glasses. "Thank goodness we've got you, our esteemed leader."

He turned round to see Margaret standing right behind him in her true Raxicoricofallapatorian form. She roared and grabbed his neck with her huge claw, while Mr Cleaver shouted out in terror.

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A First Great Western high speed train screamed into Cardiff Central station, completing its long journey from London Paddington. Once the train had stopped, the passengers began to alight. Amongst them was Mickey Smith. He took a moment to glance at the bi-lingual signs, then left the station.

Mickey soon arrived at the Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff Bay, where he could see the TARDIS standing rather incongruously in front of the water fountain by the Millennium Centre. He went up to the box and knocked on the door. To his surprise, it was answered by a dark-haired American man. "Who the hell are you?" the American asked rudely.

"What d'ya mean 'who the hell am I?' Who the hell are you?" Mickey shot back.

"Captain Jack Harness. Whatever ya selling, we're not buying."

"Get out my way!" Mickey grunted and shoved past Jack into the TARDIS.

"Don't tell me, this must be Mickey." Jack said dryly, shutting the door.

The TARDIS apparently seemed to be undergoing maintenance. The Doctor was standing on the overhead gantry doing some repair work, while Rose was stood by the console. Mickey couldn't see the Artist, but he did see her biker jacket slung over a railing near an open floor grille, so he realised that the Time Lady must be working underneath.

"Here comes trouble." the Doctor said cheerily, "How yer doing, Ricky boy?"

"It's Mickey." the human huffed.