The Collector
STORYLINE
It looks like the Doctor has finally managed to return a very grown up Sharon back to where she came from, Blackcastle, England. Before Sharon can decide to stay or go, however, the TARDIS is teleported away by an outside force. This time, The Doctor, Sharon and K-9 find themselves inside an odd house built on a large asteroid inside an asteroid belt. The house is filled with rooms that seem to open on different moments in time. In one room, the Doctor finds Roman citizens. In another room, the trio end up in eighteenth century france.
It is as they exit one of those rooms, they finally bump into Varan Dak. Dak is an anthropologist who was heading toward earth to study it when his ship was struck by an asteroid. Badly damaged, the ship was forced to land on a nearby asteroid. The intelligent computer aboard his ship built this house to sustain Dak until someone might respond to their distress signal. Over the years, the ship has used its teleport technology to transport humans from Earth for Dak to study. Da realized the kidnappings were wrong, but studying the human culture was the only thing keeping him sane while in his forced exile. The computer, however, refused to transport Dak to Earth where he might find a way back to his civilization.
The Doctor, thinking he will help Dak out, and in return get Dak to stop kidnapping Earthlings, decides to help him transport off the asteroid to Earth. As Dak teleports away, a disturbed a humanized computer bursts into the room and blasts K-9 to bits. She reverses the teleport process, but it too late, a rather dead Dak lies in the transport beam. Seems all the toxins on modern Earth were deadly poison to the anthropologist.
Realizing his terrible mistake, the Doctor uses his TARDIS to take himself, Sharon and the computer back to moments before he teleports Dak away. This time the Doctor punches himself in the jaw to stop the teleportation. With the timeline changed, everyone including K-9 is restored and the Doctor and Sharon can continue on their way once again...
Dreamers of Death
STORYLINE
The Doctor, Sharon and K-9 arrive on the planet Uniceptor IV where the Doctor believes he will find some old friends. He quickly discovers from his friends that a new entertainment fad has been all the rage around the planet. It was discovered that an animal native to the planet called the Slinth had telepathic powers, and in conjunction with a human controller, could be used to create lifelike dreamworlds for people to enter together. Dreaming, as it was called, soon overtook television as the preferred entertainment choice. Dreamers along with their sling companions would create a variety of adventurous environments for their clients to enjoy then bill them for their service. The dreamers maintained complete control of things, so it was believed to be a completely safe endeavor.
The Doctor is convinced by his friends that he simply must try dreaming. They even hire one of the more skilled dreamers named Vernor Allen to provide the environment. Once in the dream, the Doctor is amazed at how lifelike everything is. They all really appear to be on an alien planet. It is only after a procession approaches, led by a very dead Lord Veith, who reportedly was killed in a dreaming accident, that they realize something has gone horribly wrong with the dream. They flee as devil birds attack them from the air and fire balls cal from the sky. In their haste, they come across Vernor imprisoned in a metal cage. He has apparently lost control of the dream and his telepathic slinth. A now giant slinth appears in the dream and threatens to destroy the Doctor and Sharon with its sharp claws and teeth.
As the Doctor is just about to get eaten by the slinth, in the real world, K-9 detects distress in the Doctor's life signs. He quickly disconnects the Doctor from the dream and returns him to reality. The Doctor then moves to disconnect Vernor to cut the dream off at the source. The others all gratefullly emerge from the dream. Vernor is surprised that his slinth appeared to be taking over the dream, but they don't try to stop the very bloated creature as it slinks away. Just then, an alarm sounds throughout the city. Reports of similar dreaming mishaps are coming in from all around the city. Some deaths have been confirmed and the slinth are believed to be responsible. They appear to have been feeding off the dreamers psychic energy.
The Doctor, Sharon, K-9 and Vernor are drawn into the streets when reports of a huge creature terrorizing the city come in. The slinths have all gathered together to form a humongous figure shaped like a goat-headed devil. The Doctor believes it has been designed to create more fear for the slinth to feed on. The giant devil continues to grow as it feeds on the fear as well as the city power supply. The military's weapons appear to have no effect as well. The only thing the Doctor notices is that it appears to be avoiding the stream of water in the city.
The Doctor devises a plan and sends K-9 out to wrap an electrical cable around the slinth devil's foot. With the creature connected to the power supply, the Doctor uses a fire hose to douse the devil. The combination of water and electricity short circuits the creature and it returns to its separate parts. The slinths are easily mopped up once they have been separated.
With things back to normal, the Doctor turns to leave. He still wants to try and get Sharon home. Sharon, however, has decided to stay on Uniceptor IV. Seems she has taken a liking to Vernor and has decided to stay and make a life with him. Now that she is grown up, she doesn't feel she really has any reason to return to Blackcastle. The Doctor wishes her well and he and K-9 return to the TARDIS to continue traveling...
Absolom Daak Dalek-Killer (Part 4)
STORYLINE
Part 4 begins with Daak doing what he does best: charging headfirst into danger with all the careful planning of a man who thinks “strategy” is just another word for “hit harder.” The Daleks unleash lasers, explosives, and presumably some very cross shouting, but Daak careens through it all like a drunk rhino in a corridor made of bubble wrap.
His rebel allies—poor, poor souls—follow behind him because apparently this is their best chance of survival. They attempt to keep up, firing off rounds, ducking behind walls, and doing their level best not to get vaporized. Daak, meanwhile, doesn’t bother with cover. He is the cover.
As they push deeper into the Dalek stronghold, Daak discovers the heart of the Daleks’ latest diabolical scheme: a massive energy generator powering their expansion efforts. It’s big, it’s ominous, and it’s one dramatic self-destruct sequence away from becoming cosmic confetti.
Daak, naturally, decides this is the perfect thing to destroy. After all, he’s basically allergic to functional Dalek machinery.
He storms the generator room, cutting through Daleks with all the finesse of a chainsaw enthusiast sculpting an ice swan. The rebels work to sabotage the system, reroute conduits, and generally make the entire building feel very unsafe. Alarms blare. Daleks scream. Daak laughs. It’s the symphony of his soul.
Finally, with the place ready to blow like a Dalek at a sensitivity training seminar, the team makes their retreat. Except—and here’s the emotional twist—the rebels don’t all make it. As the station begins to tear itself apart, one of Daak’s newfound comrades sacrifices themselves to buy Daak a chance to escape. It’s tragic. It’s heroic. It’s precisely the kind of thing Daak hates because it reminds him of Taiyan.
He bursts out of the exploding base just in time, watching it erupt into a glorious fireball of Dalek doom. For a moment, he stands there, silhouetted in the blaze like the world’s angriest action figure.
But vengeance isn’t satisfied. Daleks still exist somewhere, which means Daak still has work to do. The rebels mourn the fallen; Daak just clenches his fists and vows to continue the only quest he knows—wipe every last Dalek out of existence. It’s cathartic, poetic, and utterly terrifying.
And that, gentle reader, is where Part 4 leaves us: with Daak storming off into the distance, fueled by grief, rage, and the faint hum of a chainsword that’s seen more exoskeletons than a space museum.