A Crack in Time [I] (The Rescuers Encomium)

The Beast Below - II

"There's a high-speed Vator through there," Liz warned as the Doctor poked his head through two of the bars in the corridor they headed down. "Oh, yeah. There's these things." She nodded at the very large tentacles with what looked like large scorpion stingers. "Any ideas?"

"Doctor, I saw one of these up top." Amy frowned. "There was a hole in the road, like it had burst through like a root."

"Exactly like a root." The Doctor added. "It's all one creature, the same one we were inside, reaching out. It must be growing through the mechanisms of the entire ship."

"What, like an infestation? Someone's helping it. Feeding it. Feeding my subjects to it." Liz narrowed her eyes. "Come on." She hissed heading down the rest of the corridor. "Got to keep moving."

Amy headed off but Hollie stopped as the Doctor stepped towards the bars, placing his hands on them. "Doctor?" Hollie looked at him.

"Oh Hollie..." The Doctor whispered, still looking at the tentacles."We should never have come here."

She slowly nodded and watched as Amy turned a corner with Liz and Mandy. "You'll fix it, though."

"I'm not exactly sure I can." He replied before walking away, tearing his eyes away from the tentacles.

---

Liz arrived at her room on the ship, the Doctor eyed all the glasses of water scattered on the floor as he, Amy and Hollie stepped past each glass and followed Liz to the bed.

"Why all the glasses?" The Doctor questioned as Liz sat down on the bed.

"To remind me every single day that my government is up to something, and it's my duty to find out what."

"A queen going undercover to investigate her own kingdom?" The Doctor questioned wondering about the room as Amy and Hollie joined Liz on the side of the bed.

"Secrets are being kept from me." She glanced at him before looking at the glasses. "I don't have a choice. Ten years I've been at this. My entire reign. And you've achieved more in one afternoon."

"How old were you when you came to the throne?" The Doctor asked picking up a mask with no back, a very old mask.

"Forty. Why?"

Hollie stared at the woman. "Forty?!"She gaped at her.

Liz smirked at the woman's wide eyes. "Yeah, they slowed my body clock. Keeps me looking like the stamps."

"And you always wear this in public?" The Doctor held up the mask.

"Undercover's not easy when you're me." Liz shrugged. "The autographs, the bunting."

"Air-balanced porcelain." Stays on by itself, because it's perfectly sculpted to your face.

"Yeah? So what?" Liz frowned.

"Oh, Liz." The Doctor stared at the mask. "So everything."

The four looked up as a set of men with black robes and hoods walked in. "What are you doing?" Liz stood up. "How dare you come in here?"

"Ma'am, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of Starship UK." The man on the left stated. "You will come with us now."

"Why would I do that?" Liz asked.

The mans face turned around, becoming one of the scowlers.

Hollie stood up from the bed and looked at the Doctor. "How can they be Smilers?"

"Half Smiler, half-human." The Time Lord answered.

"Whatever you creatures are, I am still your queen." Liz narrowed her eyes. "On whose authority is this done?"