IT WAS 20,000 YEARS AGO TODAY

Chapter Nineteen

Meanwhile while the group down below was chatting, the other group stood at the front window and watched while the tractor beam pulled them down onto a double landing pad that was adjacent to it. Nest to the landing pad was a large white concrete building that had no ornamentation or any shrubberies or trees around it. They could see as they landed that there were several soldiers lining up. They were dressed in white leather trousers with white military jackets, black boots and black helmet. Each one had a black belt on with a holster containing a white laser blaster. The Doctor turned to the others while they were landing.

"Just stay calm, don't do anything to antagonize them. Hopefully, they just think we flew into their airspace and we'll tell them we're explorers who have gone off course. I'm hoping they'll believe that explanation and we can be on our way."

"And if they don't buy our explanation?" Amy said.

"We…fight them and get back in here," the Doctor said.

"And that's your entire plan," Pepa said.

"Yeah. Brilliant, huh?" the Doctor said while his companions snickered. "Actually, it's a bit more thought out than my usual plans. Most of the time I just have a bare bones outline of what I want to do and I improvise."

Pepa looked at the others.

"Is he serious?" he said to them.

"Um…yeah, he is," Amy replied.

"And you follow him?" Pepa said in disbelief.

"To Hell and back," Rory said while the Doctor stood behind Pepa and gave his companions a big toothy grin.

They gasped when the ship banged down on the landing pad. They looked out the window and saw the soldiers advancing towards the side hatch.

"I suppose I should let them in then since we are cooperating," Pepa said to the Doctor.

"It's your ship, mate," the Doctor said with a shrug.

Pepa eyed him and then hurried to the hatch. The Doctor gave his companions a smug grin.

"My rules though," he said while they chuckled.

"Seriously though, what if they don't go for it?" Rory said.

"I said we fight them and if we're outside, we run back in and if we're in here, we're…in here," the Doctor said. "I've seen all of you fight, I know you're capable. Just look alive, stay calm and don't chew gum, soldiers."

"Aye, aye, sir!" Paul said with a salute.

"See, that's what I like to see, mindless cannon fodder," he said while they laughed.

They sobered up when Pepa came back to them with the soldiers behind them.

"This is my crew," he was telling them, "we're on a simple exploration and mapping of the Magellanic Cloud System but our navigational computer was damaged in a cosmic storm and we drifted off course while we tried to make repairs. We're sorry if we invaded your airspace but if you let us go, we'll leave in peace, honestly."

The soldiers didn't say anything and the Doctor and his companions shared a look.

"You don't believe us?" Paul asked them.

The soldiers said nothing and remained stone-faced while everyone shifted uneasily.

"Look, we're telling you the truth," Rory insisted. "We're exploring space, nothing more. We're not smugglers or pirates or invaders out to invade your planet. We'd just like to leave in peace."

The soldiers still didn't speak and the Doctor sighed in frustration. Then they noticed a haughty young man entering the ship. He was extremely tall, nearly seven foot tall with blonde hair that was cut in a style similar to Paul's mop top. He had a chiseled physique much like a Greek god. He was wearing black trousers, black shirt, a long white coat that came down to just above his knees and black boots similar to the ones the soldiers were wearing. The man stepped up to Paul who looked like a dwarf compared to him. Paul craned his neck back and looked up at the man who still wore the haughty expression on his face. Paul frowned when the man stared at him intently.

"You're a bit fat," he finally told Paul.

Paul's mouth dropped open while Amy and Rory tried to stifle their laughter.

"I'm sorry you find me so chunky," Paul said sarcastically. "I have a singing career; I don't have time to develop muscles on top of my muscles."

"You sing?" the man said with renewed interest.

"Eh, yeah?" Paul said, hesitantly.

"Sing!"

Paul gave the others an "Is this guy for real?" look before he warbled a bit of All My Lovin' to him. He got as far as the chorus before the man hollered, "Stop!" and put his hand over his mouth.

"That will be quite enough of that, thank you," he said.

"Not to your likin', mate?" Paul said.

"No. Your accent is unrefined, course and it speaks of living in the gutter. You were off key in several places, your voice was nasally and the lyrics of your song were insipid and trite."

Amy threw her hand over her mouth to try to keep from laughing when Paul's mouth nearly hit the floor.

"Moreover, you are pale and pasty in addition to being a bit fat, your face is effeminate and your eyelashes resemble a girl's. Your eyes are a disgusting brown color and your nose is stubby and lacks refinement. Your hands are meaty with stubby little fingers and your arse sticks out several inches from the rest of your body."

Amy couldn't keep from laughing now and Paul shot her a dirty look while she gave him an apologetic one.

"Moreover," the man continued as he looked Paul over, "your hairstyle lacks good taste and your hair is far too long, it needs to be trimmed."

"Excuse me," the Doctor said, "is this the only reason you pulled us down, so you could insult my friend?"

The man ignored him. To Paul's surprise he took hold of his fringe.

"Perhaps if I employed a hairstylist to fix this, otherwise, your hair has got to go and…"

He gave a tug and the hairpiece came off. Amy bit her lip and shook with silent laughter at the shocked looks on both Paul and the man's faces. The man examined the hairpiece.

"I see. A wig…and a cheap one at that."

"Give me that!" Paul said, snatching it back from him. "I don't know what you're doing, mate, but I'm not some antique that you're appraising for Sotheby. I'm sorry if I don't pass inspection…"

"On the contrary, you're just the thing I'm looking for," he said to him.

Paul was struck dumb.

"I'm…sorry?" he said when he found his voice again.

"You'll do," the man said simply.

"Do…what?" Paul said, dreading the answer.

The man ignored him but Paul noticed that three of the soldiers were now coming close to him as if they were blocking his escape. He watched while the man inspected Amy who was trying to shrink away behind Rory.

"Hmmm…average looking, small misshapen breasts, hideous ginger colored hair…"

"Hey!"

The man turned his attention to the Doctor when he yelled at him.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor said to him.

"Running an inspection. Wait patiently; I'll be with you shortly."

He smirked and looked at Paul.

"Speaking of shortly, have to put some height on you as well. You are far too short to pass for an average man."

"Okay, mate, that's it, I'll cripple…"

Paul raised his fist up and the three guards immediately whipped out their blasters and aimed them all at his nose. He coughed nervously and lowered his fist while the guards kept him covered. The man finished his inspection of Amy, proclaiming her plain, pimply and lopsided. Amy had to restrain herself from following Paul's lead as the man turned his attention to Rory.

"Ugh, no hope for you, I won't even bother!" he said, turning away.

Rory's mouth dropped open and the Doctor gritted his teeth as the man turned his attention to him. He raised his eyebrow when he saw his bow tie and tweed jacket.

"Fashion victim, are we?" the man said.

"Look, tell us what's going on before I plant my fist in your face and make a very big hole that will make my companion's flaws look like nothing. Why are we being inspected like cattle?"

"Him and her," the man said as he suddenly turned his attention to the guards and pointed to Paul and Amy, "take them to the lab."

"Fuck! Here we go again!" Paul said as the guards seized him and Amy.

The others tried to fight but the remaining guards surrounded them and held them at bay with their blasters as Paul and Amy were forced off the ship. The man turned to one of the guards while the Doctor, Rory and Pepa gave him looks of death.

"Get some more guards and do a search of the ship. I want to make sure that there is no one else. In the meantime. Put shock collars on these three so they won't put up a fight while we finish up here."

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