The Colony Hospital - Doctor Who
Jan. 2nd, 2008 02:07 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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randomsushiThe Doctor and Zoe get Jamie to a hospital on the planet Ghiaccio Quattro and uncover an alien plot to control the people using flu. Follows on from The Prison Beneath The Sea.
“There you go, I was right.” Zoe jabbed the screen triumphantly. “See, after flu vaccinations were given to the whole Earth population in the thirtieth century, the virus stopped being able to mutate and eventually, they managed to destroy it completely.”
The Doctor looked over her shoulder, intrigued. “Yes, you’re right. And whenever Earth sent out colonists, they were screened for illnesses and decontaminated. There’s no way someone could have brought it here.” He looked thoughtful. “No way except for research reasons.”
The petite girl looked up at him. “Do you think it’s possible that someone accidentally infected this place?”
“It’s certainly possible,” he said slowly. “It seems unlikely though. If they brought a strain of flu here, is stands to reason that they would’ve also brought the vaccine for it. Once it got out, it would be relatively simple to immunise the population. After all, there aren’t actually a lot of people here. Compared to Earth, at any rate.” He began to pace the console room. “There are only three settlements on this planet; this main town, one coastal town and a small town further inland. The population is only about one million.”
“But even so, it’s possible they didn’t manage to vaccinate everyone,” Zoe said. “It would only take one person who thought they didn’t need it and the virus would mutate.”
The Doctor drummed his fingers against the console, deep in thought. “It certainly is an interesting puzzle,” he murmured. Then he straightened up. “Well, we could always ask at the hospital lab tomorrow,” he suggested. “It’s the only laboratory on Ghiaccio Quattro.”
“Well,” Zoe said slowly. “It would be interesting…”
“And until then, we’ll find a nice hotel to stay in,” he added, proudly holding aloft some triangular coins. “We could even try some cheef.”
Visiting hours weren’t until 10 am, so the next morning, after a breakfast of roat and purple, which turned out to be jam on a strange, biscuity bread, the Doctor and Zoe returned to the hospital in search of the lab. The research lab was down in the basement, next to the morgue. The Doctor knocked on the door and after a few seconds, a skinny technician answered.
“Can I ‘elp you?” he asked cheerfully.
“I certainly hope so.” The Doctor beamed at him. “We were wondering if we could have a look around your lab.”
The technician looked doubtful. “Dunno if it’s really allowed…”
“I’m the Doctor, by the way,” the Doctor added quickly. In his experience, people were always a lot happier to let you in places if they thought you were actually allowed to be there. “And this is Zoe, she’s a student of mine.”
The tech looked at Zoe, who smiled innocently at him. “All right. Come on in. I’m Reg, senior lab tech. Well, only lab tech today.” He stood aside and held the door open. “So where are you from then, Doc? Did Earth Control send you?” he asked inquisitively, making to sit down.
“Er, well, we’re just travellers really,” the Doctor said vaguely, looking around admiringly at the shiny benches housing complicated looking microscopes and wafer-thin computer screens. One was showing a rotating x-ray outline of a human torso, another was displaying gene sections of a chow liver. The Doctor longed for a closer look.
Reg missed his seat and wound up on the floor. “Travellers?! And you came here?! Are you mad?!”
Zoe held out a hand to help him up. “No. Why do ask?”
“Well, you’re stuck here now,” Reg said dramatically. “The planet’s under quarantine. We’ve got the flu.”
The Doctor and Zoe glanced at each other. “That’s actually what we wanted to talk to you about,” Zoe told him. She climbed up onto a stool in front of the screen showing the liver.
Reg looked blankly at her. “What do you want to know?”
The Doctor stroked a microscope lovingly. “As much as possible. Where did it come from, how virulent it is, how it’s mutated.”
Reg continued to look blank. “Mutated? It doesn’t mutate.”
“Are you sure?” the Doctor asked, dragging his attention away from the microscope.
“Sure I’m sure. Look.” He moved over to the monitor by Zoe and touched the screen a few times. “Here’s a DNA breakdown of the spring outbreak and one from the outbreak last month. See?” He sat back so Zoe and the Doctor could see the screen clearly. “Totally identical.”
“But that’s impossible,” Zoe said, puzzled.
The Doctor looked thoughtful. “Not completely impossible,” he murmured. “So if it’s the same strain all the time, why didn’t the vaccine work?”
“Vaccine?” Reg looked puzzled. “There isn’t one.”
“There isn’t one?” the Doctor asked sharply.
Reg shook his head. “No. Trust me, if there was, we’d have used it once we heard about Colony Eyesenck Seven.”
Zoe was intrigued. “What about it?”
“They had the flu two years ago,” Reg explained. “A hundred and thirty thousand people died from it.”
“Oh that’s awful!” she exclaimed.
Reg looked around and then leaned in closer. “That’s not all,” he whispered. “It’s officially denied, but apparently Earth Control went there with a bunch of medics to help out and everyone had vanished.” He snapped his fingers, making Zoe jump. “One and a half million people gone, just like that!”
“There you go, I was right.” Zoe jabbed the screen triumphantly. “See, after flu vaccinations were given to the whole Earth population in the thirtieth century, the virus stopped being able to mutate and eventually, they managed to destroy it completely.”
The Doctor looked over her shoulder, intrigued. “Yes, you’re right. And whenever Earth sent out colonists, they were screened for illnesses and decontaminated. There’s no way someone could have brought it here.” He looked thoughtful. “No way except for research reasons.”
The petite girl looked up at him. “Do you think it’s possible that someone accidentally infected this place?”
“It’s certainly possible,” he said slowly. “It seems unlikely though. If they brought a strain of flu here, is stands to reason that they would’ve also brought the vaccine for it. Once it got out, it would be relatively simple to immunise the population. After all, there aren’t actually a lot of people here. Compared to Earth, at any rate.” He began to pace the console room. “There are only three settlements on this planet; this main town, one coastal town and a small town further inland. The population is only about one million.”
“But even so, it’s possible they didn’t manage to vaccinate everyone,” Zoe said. “It would only take one person who thought they didn’t need it and the virus would mutate.”
The Doctor drummed his fingers against the console, deep in thought. “It certainly is an interesting puzzle,” he murmured. Then he straightened up. “Well, we could always ask at the hospital lab tomorrow,” he suggested. “It’s the only laboratory on Ghiaccio Quattro.”
“Well,” Zoe said slowly. “It would be interesting…”
“And until then, we’ll find a nice hotel to stay in,” he added, proudly holding aloft some triangular coins. “We could even try some cheef.”
Visiting hours weren’t until 10 am, so the next morning, after a breakfast of roat and purple, which turned out to be jam on a strange, biscuity bread, the Doctor and Zoe returned to the hospital in search of the lab. The research lab was down in the basement, next to the morgue. The Doctor knocked on the door and after a few seconds, a skinny technician answered.
“Can I ‘elp you?” he asked cheerfully.
“I certainly hope so.” The Doctor beamed at him. “We were wondering if we could have a look around your lab.”
The technician looked doubtful. “Dunno if it’s really allowed…”
“I’m the Doctor, by the way,” the Doctor added quickly. In his experience, people were always a lot happier to let you in places if they thought you were actually allowed to be there. “And this is Zoe, she’s a student of mine.”
The tech looked at Zoe, who smiled innocently at him. “All right. Come on in. I’m Reg, senior lab tech. Well, only lab tech today.” He stood aside and held the door open. “So where are you from then, Doc? Did Earth Control send you?” he asked inquisitively, making to sit down.
“Er, well, we’re just travellers really,” the Doctor said vaguely, looking around admiringly at the shiny benches housing complicated looking microscopes and wafer-thin computer screens. One was showing a rotating x-ray outline of a human torso, another was displaying gene sections of a chow liver. The Doctor longed for a closer look.
Reg missed his seat and wound up on the floor. “Travellers?! And you came here?! Are you mad?!”
Zoe held out a hand to help him up. “No. Why do ask?”
“Well, you’re stuck here now,” Reg said dramatically. “The planet’s under quarantine. We’ve got the flu.”
The Doctor and Zoe glanced at each other. “That’s actually what we wanted to talk to you about,” Zoe told him. She climbed up onto a stool in front of the screen showing the liver.
Reg looked blankly at her. “What do you want to know?”
The Doctor stroked a microscope lovingly. “As much as possible. Where did it come from, how virulent it is, how it’s mutated.”
Reg continued to look blank. “Mutated? It doesn’t mutate.”
“Are you sure?” the Doctor asked, dragging his attention away from the microscope.
“Sure I’m sure. Look.” He moved over to the monitor by Zoe and touched the screen a few times. “Here’s a DNA breakdown of the spring outbreak and one from the outbreak last month. See?” He sat back so Zoe and the Doctor could see the screen clearly. “Totally identical.”
“But that’s impossible,” Zoe said, puzzled.
The Doctor looked thoughtful. “Not completely impossible,” he murmured. “So if it’s the same strain all the time, why didn’t the vaccine work?”
“Vaccine?” Reg looked puzzled. “There isn’t one.”
“There isn’t one?” the Doctor asked sharply.
Reg shook his head. “No. Trust me, if there was, we’d have used it once we heard about Colony Eyesenck Seven.”
Zoe was intrigued. “What about it?”
“They had the flu two years ago,” Reg explained. “A hundred and thirty thousand people died from it.”
“Oh that’s awful!” she exclaimed.
Reg looked around and then leaned in closer. “That’s not all,” he whispered. “It’s officially denied, but apparently Earth Control went there with a bunch of medics to help out and everyone had vanished.” He snapped his fingers, making Zoe jump. “One and a half million people gone, just like that!”
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