“Are you sure it’s safe?”
“Of course it’s safe. Why would I bring you somewhere that wasn’t safe?”
“Because you’re you,” replied Kurt.
“Why do you say that?” the Doctor mocked hurt but it was easy to tell by the sparkle in his eyes that he liked how astute of a response it was.
“I helped you relocate a lizard thing to some other place in time.”
“And we both helped you catch an electrical ghost in our school,” agreed Blaine.
The Doctor grinned at them, “I knew there was a reason I wanted you boys to join me on an adventure; which we won’t be having if you don’t open the door soon.”
He waved a hand at the doors of the TARDIS, his smile widening.
Kurt and Blaine exchanged and look and nervous smiles and pushed the door open. They stuck their heads outside and gasped.
They were looking out at a planet made up of dusty-red rock and sea green water. They appeared to have landed on a rocky beach of some sort, waves cresting and braking against the crags off to their left. Mosses clung to outcroppings of rock which rose up out of the water, casting long shadows on the beach.
“Well don’t just stand there, boys, go outside.”
Kurt and Blaine did as they were instructed, looking around them in awe.
“We’re really on another planet,” whispered Blaine excitedly, nearly jumping up and down with joy. “What’s it called?”
“Kepler-22b,” replied the Doctor.
“How are we breathing?” asked Kurt, “And the temperature is very nice. You’re not tricking us somehow, are you?”
“I never trick my companions. Kepler-22b has an atmosphere a lot like Earth’s. It has a usual temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and is, as I’m sure you can tell, rich in water.”
“22 degrees Celsius,” repeated Blaine, “That’s 72 degrees Fahrenheit, right?”
“Yes, good,” the Doctor praised, “I’m glad to know you know your maths—or math as you would call it.”
“Got an A on my last test,” he laughed.
“Good.” The Doctor waved his arms, “Go on, explore. I didn’t bring you here just to stand and stare at the water.”
Like overly-hyper children, the two of them set off down the beach.
“Can you believe this is really happening?” Blaine asked, a tremble in his voice.
“No, in fact I’m still afraid I’m just having the most bizarre dream I’ve ever had.”
“It’s a good one though, right?”
Kurt smiled, “Yes, Blaine, it’s a good one.”
There was a splash in the water and they looked over to see what resembled the tail of a giant fish disappearing below the waves. A great, silvery back broke the surface, a ribbed dorsal fin cutting the water as the presumed fish traveled alongside the rocky beach.
“There are animals here?” asked Kurt.
“Well of course there are,” said the Doctor. “What sort of planet doesn’t have animals?”
“Is that really a fish?”
“Yes, or at least it’s related to them. The only animals you’ll find here are fish, insects and amphibians—with a few reptiles too. Certainly no mammals though. Life here hasn’t evolved that much.”
They watched the dorsal fin of the fish turn and start heading off into the distance before continuing on their way.
They were headed down a steep slope when Blaine stepped down on a lose rock, his foot breaking through the surface of the rock. He threw his hands out to catch himself as his foot got caught in the hole.
“Are you alright?” Kurt asked quickly.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” assured Blaine, extracting his foot from the rock.
“Strange, there appears to be another level below the rock,” said the Doctor. “You seem to have discovered a cave, Blaine.”
“Good for me.”
The Doctor crouched down and pressed gently on the rock around the hole, more of falling away at the slight pressure. “I wonder where we can find the entrance.”
“You want to go into a damp, dark cave?” Kurt was incredulous.
“It’s not an adventure unless you take risks, Kurt,” admonished the Doctor, “and what better place to find them in a damp, dark cave.”
Kurt rolled his eyes, “Of course.”
“Come on.”
The Doctor led them the rest of the way down the path and they rounded a corner of the cliff they were now at the bottom of. Coming upon a tangle of vines, the Doctor gripped one of the brittle planets and yanked on it. It crumbled away to reveal the yawning mouth of the cave.
“Let’s go.”
The Doctor preceded them inside, pulling out a penlight as they reached a particular dark area of the cave. They could hear water dripping around them, the moisture falling as beads off the stalactites above their heads and rolling off the cave walls. Puddles of varying size were all around them, draining away to other parts of the cave or being slowly filled by the steady drops of water from the ceiling.
As they headed deeper into the cave, the smell of rot reached them.
“Ew, what is that?” Kurt screwed up his face and pulled his shirt over his nose and mouth.
“I don’t know, but it’s coming from over there.”
The Doctor directed them to a corner of the cave and shone his light on the decaying body of a green frog-like creature the size of a pony. Dried blood congealed around it in places and one of its feet had been eaten off and holes were bitten into its flesh.
Blaine balked and clapped his hand over his mouth.
The Doctor’s eyes had gone wide and he crouched down near the thing, his eyes sad and mouth open slightly in shock.
“What could have done this to you, you poor thing?”
“What is that thing?” Blaine stuttered out.
“It’s called an anurahib,” replied the Doctor, “and there’s no land creature on this planet that could have killed it. They’re the biggest things here. This one was young, but still…”
“Maybe it got into a fight with another one of its kind,” suggested Blaine.
The Doctor shook his head, “No, the anurahib are very peaceful animals and even if that weren’t true, they don’t eat meat unless comes from an insect.”
Presently, there was a sound of padding feet behind them and the trio turned to see something that looked a cross between a kangaroo rat and a meerkat.
“Doctor, what is that?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen one before.”
The creature studied them for a few minutes and then began to whistle and chirp. Suddenly, twelve more of the creatures hopped out of the shadows, coming to form a half-circle around the travelers. A low hum started in the backs of their throats the companions felt a strange sense of peace and drowsiness overtake them.
Kurt yawned hugely, grinning slightly as the little things hopped towards them. He studied the one closest to him. It was ashy-gray with black stripes along its sides and the fur looked soft as a rabbits. Smiling at the thing, he reached out to see if the fur was really as soft as it looked when the thing opened its jaws wide like a snake, showing off an impressive array of sharp teeth.
He pulled his hand back quickly, snapping out of his daze. He looked over at Blaine and the Doctor to see that they were still enraptured with the animals’ humming. The rest of the creatures were beginning to unhinge their jaws in the same way as the other and, thinking fast, Kurt slapped his companions on the backs of their heads.
“Ow, what did you do that for?!”
“Look!”
Blaine and the Doctor followed his finger to see what he was pointing at, their eyes widening as they took in the now grotesque features of the little beasts.
“Run!” shouted the Doctor.
The trio took off at a sprint as the animals gave chase. Nearly slipping in the puddles of water, Kurt, Blaine and the Doctor practically tripped through the mouth of the cave. They could hear the claws of the creatures scrabbling on the stone behind them as they dashed off as fast as they could along the beach. They spotted a narrow crevice in the rock wall beside them and squeezed inside, the beasts hopping past them, oblivious.
Panting, the Doctor looked down the crevice to see it opened up wider about ten feet away from them.
“There might be a better place for us to catch our breaths down there,” he said, leading the way as they edged sideways through the crevice.
They made it to the opening where a curtain of lichen hid them from view. They collapsed on the ground, listening intently for the telltale sounds of the animals’ claws on the rock.
“I thought you said this planet didn’t have any mammals,” said Kurt after he could speak without gasping.
“It doesn’t.”
“Then what were those things?”
“Mammals, but they’re not native to this planet.”
“Then how did they get here?” asked Blaine.
“The first mammals to inhabit Kepler-22b were brought here by the first colonists. But it’s way too early for them to be here.”
“Are you sure you didn’t get the time wrong?” demanded Kurt.
“Of course I didn’t.”
The Doctor hesitated and glanced at the watch around his wrist. He frowned and shoved it back down beside him.
Kurt and Blaine looked at him expectedly.
“The time’s not wrong.”
“Then what are they doing here?”
“I don’t know…but we’re going to find out.”
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
It took them an hour to find what they were looking for. It was a huge dome set up in the center of a plateau with four more, smaller domes branching off of it like spokes on a wooden wheel. Without any hesitation, the Doctor began striding purposefully towards the structures with Kurt and Blaine trailing a little behind.
“Are you positive you have the date right, Doctor?”
“Yes I am. These people shouldn’t be here yet.”
Two men, one blonde the other brunette, were carrying a crate towards one of the domes.
“Excuse me?” shouted the Doctor, “I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
The men ignored him and continued in a straight line for one of the smaller domes.
“I said excuse me!” called the Doctor.
The trio approached the men and only then did they hear the low humming coming from the crate. The three of them slapped their hands over their ears before the sound could take its effect and they watched as a door slid open for the men in one of the domes and they disappeared inside. The companions slipped inside before the door had a chance to close.
They were in what looked to be a stark, white laboratory. The place smelled sterile with a hint of some sort of chemical that was unidentifiable to them.
They followed the men out of the lab and down a brightly lit corridor which brought them to a large room. Cages lined the walls of the room, each containing three to four of the furry, deadly creatures. The men set their crate down near an empty cage and pried the top off with a crowbar. They reached inside with their gloved hands and extracted two of the animals each, placing them in the cage and locking it behind them.
The travelers backtracked as the men turned around, pressing themselves against the wall in an attempt to remain hidden.
The men exited the room and shut the door behind them, the lock clicking as they did so. Both of them removed earplugs once they were sure they were safe and the blonde one sighed.
“I hate those things!”
“I think we all do,” replied the brunette. “But what else are we supposed to do? Those giant frogs just seem to keep multiplying no matter how many of the muaru we let lose.”
“Yeah, I—,” the blonde suddenly noticed the trio standing stock-still against the wall. “Yeah, who are you three!?”
“How’d you get in here?!” added the brunette.
“Um, hello, sorry, I’m the Doctor and these are my assistances, Kurt and Blaine. We were sent here by the muaru control agency to talk to you.”
“There’s no such thing as a muaru control agency,” snapped the blonde.
“Oh really, then how did I get this?”
The Doctor reached into an inner pocket and pulled out a slim, black leather book with a slip of paper attached to the inside. He held up for the men to look at, their faces clouding with confusion as they did so.
“I think you’d better come with us,” said the blonde.
They were taken to the middle dome and led to a grand office. A red-haired woman sat behind the desk, typing something into a computer.
“Captain Bicson,” said the blonde. “I think you should talk to these three.”
Captain Bicson looked up from her typing and appraised the travelers with steely-eyed glare.
“Who are they?”
“We’re from the muaru control agency,” answered the Doctor. Kurt and Blaine gave her winning smiles.
“There’s no such organization.”
“That’s what we said, captain,” answered the brunette, “but they’ve got papers.”
The Doctor held up the psychic paper and Bicson frowned.
“Sit down.”
The trio did so.
“The two of you may leave,” she waved a hand at the pair who had brought them there.
Once they were gone, Bicson leaned back in her chair and appraised them curiously.
“What are your names?”
“I’m the Doctor and this is Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson.”
“I know that there’s no such thing as a muaru control agency, so what are you really doing here?”
“I think the better question would be what are you doing here? There aren’t supposed to be any colonists out this way for another two thousand years.”
“What gives you the authority to say whose to colonize what planet when?”
“I’m not saying I do.”
“Really, because that’s what it sounds like you’re doing. Besides, who are you if not colonists?”
“We’re just travelers. You brought those little rat things here, didn’t you?”
“You’re talking about the muaru, I’m assuming?”
“Yes,” he said, his voice not giving away the fact that he had no idea that’s what the creatures were called.
“How long have the three of you been here?”
“This is the first time these two have been here, but this marks my eighteenth visit.”
“Then you’re familiar with those frog monsters.”
“You mean the anurahib? Yes, your muaru are killing them.”
“That’s what they’re here for.”
“Why would you what to kill the anurahib? They’re some of the gentlest creatures I can think of?”
“They overrun the place.”
“So does every other indigenous race, but I have a feeling you wouldn’t be trying to kill the ones on Kepler-22b if the anurahib were more hominid in appearance and you were able to speak to them properly. Then again, maybe you would.”
Bicson glared at him, “You have no right to come in here and try to assert your morals over me. The anurahib can’t be looked on as creatures of intelligence—”
“Why, because they haven’t started to tear up the land in order to erect houses? You don’t get to decide what makes something intelligent.”
“Neither do you.”
“You’re right, no one does. That being said, gather up the muaru and try to coexist with the anurahib.”
“I’m sorry, Doctor, but you have no authority over me or this colony so kindly leave us to our devices.”
“Where did you find the muaru anyway?”
Bicson ground her teeth together, obviously aggravated. Nevertheless, she answered him: “They come from Earth.”
“There aren’t things like that on Earth!” retorted Kurt.
“Maybe not naturally, Mr. Hummel, but that’s where they come from. Our scientists grew them from the DNA of several different creatures to make them something that can rid us of those damn frogs.”
“The anurahib,” corrected the Doctor.
Bicson leveled an angry glare at him and opened her mouth to say something when a young woman interrupted them.
“Captain Bicson, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I was sent to tell you that we just lost another four workers on the bridge building squad.”
“Damn, that’s the fifth time this month!”
“What’s the bridge building squad?”
“None of your business,” she snapped.
“No, but you want to tell me anyway, don’t you?”
Bicson stared at the Doctor, hardly daring to believe how arrogant this strange man was. The Doctor only grinned back.
Bicson sighed explosively, “We’ve been trying to erect bridges between the rock outcroppings. It’s not going so well.”
“You don’t say? I think I might be able to help you out with that.”
She narrowed her eyes into slits, “How?”
“The anurahib—
“Would you stop talking about those bloody things!?”
The Doctor talked over her, “As you keep saying, the anurahib are more or less giant frogs which means that they are apt at clinging to the rock outcroppings. You could forge a partnership with them to help you get from rock to rock. You can stop murdering such fine animals and be able to move from one area of solid land to another. Think about it. You must see how it’s better then the alternative?”
Bicson leaned back in her chair, watching him intently for several long moments. Finally she groaned and rubbed a hand across her face.
“How am I meant to talk to them? They don’t speak English?”
“I can help with that too.”
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
The TARIDS materialized in the middle of a swamp, the blue box perched on a good-sized boulder.
The Doctor led the way outside, stepping out onto the soft, mire-like ground.
“My shoes are ruined,” complained Kurt.
“So where are these frogs?” demanded Bicson.
“Anurahib,” the Doctor corrected. “If you’re going to work with them, then you should really learn their name.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be working with them yet,” snapped Bicson.
“This way,” the Doctor led them into the dark trees around them, there steps squelching in the mud.
They halted when they reached the middle of the trees. A large, crimson anurahib crouched on a rock, watching them with gold-black eyes.
It crocked at them.
“Hello to you too,” the Doctor greeted, “how are you?”
It crocked at him and he nodded in understanding.
“I know, those beasts are awful, but I think your lives might get easier very shortly. This woman wishes to speak to you about it. I’ll have to translate for you though.”
It crocked and the Doctor nodded in approval.
“Captain Bicson,” he ushered her forwards and she approached the anurahib cautiously.
“Um, hello, I’m Captain Bicson.”
A crock.
“He says hello.”
“Um, this was really his idea,” she jerked her head at the Doctor. “My colony and I wish to inhabit this planet alongside you…if that’s okay?”
A crock.
“Oo, he wants to know if you had anything to do with the muaru.”
“What should I tell him?”
“The truth.”
She cleared her throat, “Y-yes, but we were unaware that your people lived here. To be honest, that wasn’t my idea either. I was only following the orders of my commanders back home.”
Crock.
“He says he understands, but wants to know what you plan to do about it now that you know of him and his people?”
“I’m afraid I can’t do much about it unless I can convince them that your people would be beneficial to have around.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
“Well…my people have been having a terrible time of expanding our homes on this planet since the only places to build are far from each other. I was wondering if you would be willing to help us by transporting us from one land mass to the next?”
The anurahib was silent for a long time before answering.
“He says he agrees if it means getting rid of the muaru, and providing they are treated properly by your people.”
“Of course,” Bicson said, relief evident in her features. “They’ll want to see you in action before we can make a proper treaty though.”
“He says when do you want to do it?”
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
In addition to the crimson anurahib, there was also a brown one and a blue one.
“Aren’t bright colors supposed to signify poison?” asked one of the commanders, his image being projected from a screen back on Earth.
“The anurahib aren’t like that,” said the Doctor.
“Well I suppose a breeder of the animals would know.”
“Of course we do,” said the Doctor.
“That’s right,” agreed Blaine.
“We just wanted them to come in designer colors,” snickered Kurt.
“Carry on,” said the commander.
The anurahib had been fitted with saddles and Bicson mounted the crimson one, putting her feet through the stirrups.
The blonde and brunette who had discovered the travelers were also there, Blonde Guy straddling the blue and Brunette Guy sitting down on the brown. Bicson lightly tapped her toes against the sides of her mount and Crimson leaped forwards with the other two following behind. They halted at the edge of a cliff, judging the distance between there and the closest outcropping.
They jumped forwards, clinging to the outcropping with their sticky feet. Their riders held on tightly to the reins as the anurahib finished their circuit, landing perfectly back on the cliff.
“You see?” said the Doctor, “It works perfectly.”
“I’ll Bicson be the judge of that,” the commander replied.
“It’ll take some getting used to I’m sure,” she said, “but I doubt we’ll have any trouble with them, Commander Overtrek.”
Overtrek studied the creatures for a few seconds before nodding, “I’ll send someone to collect the muaru then. They should be there in a few weeks.”
“Thank you, Commander.”
Overtrek nodded and the screen went black.
Bicson and her fellow colonists dismounted their anurahib and walked over to Kurt, Blaine and the Doctor.
“Thank you, Doctor.”
Crock!
“You’re both very welcome,” he said. “I hope the two of you can keep the peace with each other. It’s a good thing what you’re doing.”
After sharing a meal with the colonists, the travelers were back in the TARDIS.
“That worked out well then,” commented Blaine.
“Thankfully,” said the Doctor. “Oh and, Kurt, if you’re still worried about your shoes I have something that should make them good as new again.”
“Really?” came the excited reply.
“Yes, I just need to find it.”
“Where are we going next?” asked Blaine, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“How about a trip to the past,” suggested the Doctor, “A jaunt in the middle ages.”
“Seriously?”
“Sure, why not?”