From: al019@chebucto.ns.ca (Brad Filippone)
Subject: Re: A story we can all create..
Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 13:24:40 +0000 (UTC)

Jo had closed the TARDIS door when she had gone in.  He realised that to
escape into its safety he would have to take those extra few precious seconds
to retrieve his key from his pocket and unlock the door.  He felt the key in
his fingers, extracted it and was about to put it in the lock when the door
suddenly burst open and out came a startled Jo, exclaiming "What's that
noise, Doctor?" and crashing right into him, causing him to drop the key in
the sand.

"Jo, you clumsy...!" He refrained from finishing the sentence, realising that
he would probably regret the words later, but he still had to act fast.  Jo
had pulled the door closed through force of habit as she ran out.  "Can't you
see we're being fired on?"

"Sorry, Doctor, let's go back in then."

"Exactly what I was trying to do, but you knocked the key from my fingers."
He stooped down to the ground.  He couldn't see the key.  Jo's movements must
have buried it.  He felt around in the sand, but to no avail; the key must
have been kicked accidentaly by Jo.

"Well," he demanded, "Where's YOUR key??  Quickly!  He's coming back!"

"I don't have it!"

"Well, why not?"

"Where would I carry it?"

The Doctor noticed for the first time that Jo still hadn't changed her
clothes; of course not, he realised, she hadn't had time, had she?  He
glanced up at their attacker who was preparing to fire again.  "Quickly, take
cover behind the TARDIS!"

She followed his instructions, and he did likewise.  But the strange bird
swerved around to their side with an amazingly dexterous maneuver.  The man
was about to fire again.  The Doctor and Jo closed their eyes and awaited the
shot...

But it didn't come.

They opened their eyes.  The bird had swooped down to rest about fifty meters
in front of them.  The man was dismounting.

"I'm so sorry, friends!  I thought you were the Servii.  They've been seen
around here, you see.  I'm Prak.  What are you folks doing out here?"

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief.  "Glad to have that little
misunderstand cleared up!" Suddenly noticing that Prak was noticing Jo's
current state of attire, he offered Jo his coat, both to protect herself from
the sun and from Prak's prying eyes.

"So, Prak," he continued, "Just who are the Servii, and why do you shoot them
on sight?"


{writer's note.  that went on longer than I intended!  I just got on a roll}