The corridor the TARDIS materialized in was a sterile white, the time capsule turning into a storage cupboard. The Wanderer poked his head out, looking along the length of the corridor for a moment, before withdrawing back into the TARDIS.
"A medical base of some kind."
Veda turned from the console and pulled the screen towards her, studying the information displayed on it.
"According to the TARDIS we're on a station in orbit around Delaware 4, in the year 8,427AD. If there's more info the TARDIS isn't showing it."
The Wanderer smirked and patted his pockets, ensuring that his energy wand was in one of them, and gestured for Veda to join him by the door.
"Half of being out here and not on Gallifrey is discovering things for ourselves."
"A medical base of some kind."
Veda turned from the console and pulled the screen towards her, studying the information displayed on it.
"According to the TARDIS we're on a station in orbit around Delaware 4, in the year 8,427AD. If there's more info the TARDIS isn't showing it."
The Wanderer smirked and patted his pockets, ensuring that his energy wand was in one of them, and gestured for Veda to join him by the door.
"Half of being out here and not on Gallifrey is discovering things for ourselves."
The level they'd landed on didn't seem particularly large and it didn't take long for the pair to encounter someone else. The avian creature, resembling an Earth emu, rose to loom over them, a synthesized voice coming from a vocoder around its neck.
"Explain your presence. This is a closed facility."
The Wanderer pulled out his psychic paper and held it up for the avian, an Izuniax if he remembered properly, to see.
"Representatives from Upper Management. We're here for a progress report."
The Izuniax bent its neck to squint at the psychic paper and a strange coughing emerged from the vocoder.
"No ship has arrived here for months and that paper is blank. Tell me who you are before I sound an alarm." The Izuniax took a deep breath but paused, watching the pair in front of it with wide eyes. "Time Lords!"
It took off, running back the way it came with a squawk, and the Wanderer glanced at Veda with concern, the Time Lady staring straight back.
"Don't look at me Wanderer. But if we don't want the entire station alerted we best catch that Izuniax."
"I want to know why it ran from us first. Let's start by sealing off this level."
"Explain your presence. This is a closed facility."
The Wanderer pulled out his psychic paper and held it up for the avian, an Izuniax if he remembered properly, to see.
"Representatives from Upper Management. We're here for a progress report."
The Izuniax bent its neck to squint at the psychic paper and a strange coughing emerged from the vocoder.
"No ship has arrived here for months and that paper is blank. Tell me who you are before I sound an alarm." The Izuniax took a deep breath but paused, watching the pair in front of it with wide eyes. "Time Lords!"
It took off, running back the way it came with a squawk, and the Wanderer glanced at Veda with concern, the Time Lady staring straight back.
"Don't look at me Wanderer. But if we don't want the entire station alerted we best catch that Izuniax."
"I want to know why it ran from us first. Let's start by sealing off this level."
Veda sighed to herself as she stood in the doorway, listening to the Wanderer explore the room behind her. It was a laboratory, powered down whilst empty, and the Wanderer's presence had awoken the bank of computers along one wall. Taking her eye off the corridor the Time Lady watched the Wanderer as he hunched over one of the computers.
"Wanderer! Have you found anything yet?"
He looked away from the computer, irritation on his face for a moment.
"They're developing viruses here." A flicker of distaste crossed his face. "Top of the list seems to be us and the Daleks."
"So this place is a relic of the War?"
"We're in it, must be on its fringes though."
Veda went back to watching the corridor after the Wanderer had absently corrected her. The War had done much to turn the universe against Gallifrey and she supposed that it was inevitable that the lesser species would try and address the balance of power.
"Wanderer! Have you found anything yet?"
He looked away from the computer, irritation on his face for a moment.
"They're developing viruses here." A flicker of distaste crossed his face. "Top of the list seems to be us and the Daleks."
"So this place is a relic of the War?"
"We're in it, must be on its fringes though."
Veda went back to watching the corridor after the Wanderer had absently corrected her. The War had done much to turn the universe against Gallifrey and she supposed that it was inevitable that the lesser species would try and address the balance of power.
She half-turned when the Wanderer appeared at her side and fell in behind him as the Time Lord began hurrying along the corridor, heading for where the TARDIS had landed.
"You've done something."
"I have. The computer files have been shredded beyond recovery and the labs where the virus samples were kept purged by fire." The Wanderer looked back as the station shook. "I also triggered an evacuation alert and disabled the engines keeping this place in orbit."
Veda stumbled as the station shook again, hearing faint sirens in the distance, and the Wanderer helped her steady before pulling her along.
"I can walk Wanderer."
He let go of the Time Lady, the pair hurrying into the TARDIS as the station gravity briefly failed, and the two took their places at the console, the Wanderer disabling the randomizer circuit.
"Prepare for a micro-jump. I'm aiming for somewhere in a higher orbit than this."
"You've done something."
"I have. The computer files have been shredded beyond recovery and the labs where the virus samples were kept purged by fire." The Wanderer looked back as the station shook. "I also triggered an evacuation alert and disabled the engines keeping this place in orbit."
Veda stumbled as the station shook again, hearing faint sirens in the distance, and the Wanderer helped her steady before pulling her along.
"I can walk Wanderer."
He let go of the Time Lady, the pair hurrying into the TARDIS as the station gravity briefly failed, and the two took their places at the console, the Wanderer disabling the randomizer circuit.
"Prepare for a micro-jump. I'm aiming for somewhere in a higher orbit than this."
They watched the station, a central core encircled at the three-quarter point by a donut construct, as it plunged into Delaware 4, almost instantly being swallowed by the gas giant's thick clouds. A group of small ships were speeding away from the planet, clustered together for safety against the endless black, and the Wanderer reactivated the randomizer before pulling a lever on the console, the TARDIS juddering into life around them.
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