Alit in Underland (short story)
Alit in Underland was the sixth and final short story published in The Missy Chronicles.
Summary
While the Twelfth Doctor recovers on Floor 507 of the Mondas Colony Ship, Missy and the Saxon Master hunt for their way out - with a stowaway in tow.
Plot
On Floor 0507, the night after the Twelfth Doctor, Bill, Nardole, Missy and the Master arrived in their shuttlecraft from Floor 1056, Alit sneaks out of the farmhouse to follow the Master and Missy, who are attempting to travel to Floor 0508 to stop the scarecrows attacking the solar farm, as well as find a way to escape Operation Exodus (despite Nardole and Hazran’s protests that travel to the lower floors was too dangerous, and that they should wait until the Doctor recovers). Alit follows the duo through some nearby woods, and upon arriving at the crashed shuttle, Alit hides behind it whilst the Master and Missy discover a network of superstructure walkways between the ground of Floor 0507 and the ceiling of Floor 0508. Missy recovers the rope ladder from the crashed shuttle, and begins climbing down to the walkways along with the Master. Alit emerges from her hiding spot and watches the duo climb down. However, as she begins heading back to the homestead, she encounters a stray scarecrow.
Alit runs for the ladder, alerting her presence to the two Masters. At the bottom, the Master threatens the girl with his laser screwdriver, but is talked down by Missy. When Missy questions her as to why she was following them, Alit simply cries that the scarecrow was chasing her (preferring not to tell the truth). The trio begin journeying down one of the walkways, with Missy reassuring Alit that she shouldn’t be scared of the Master, the scarecrow or the dark as there’s something much scarier than any of them.
To be continued
Characters
References
- The Master, Missy, and Alit wear Wellington boots.
Notes
- The story is set between World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls. Thus, this is the last story, chronologically, to feature Missy before the episode depicting her death, forming a bookend with Dismemberment, which opened The Missy Chronicles as her earliest story.
- The Cybermen here are the 1980s design, complete with the Cyber-Leader saying "Excellent".
Continuity
- The Doctor is still recovering. (TV: World Enough and Time)
- Alit thinks the Cybermen are scarecrows. (TV: The Doctor Falls)
- The Master considers using his laser screwdriver on Alit. (TV: The Sound of Drums, The Doctor Falls)
- The Master tells Missy her sonic umbrella and hat are reminiscent of Mary Poppins and she tells him they've always enjoyed children's viewing. The Master then reminisces about the sun from the Teletubbies and how he thought it would look the same on the Mondas colony ship. (TV: The Sound of Drums)
- The Master then compares Teletubbies to Clangers. (TV: The Sea Devils)
- Missy says she recently watched Frozen with the Doctor. (TV: Empress of Mars)
- Missy uses her sonic umbrella. (TV: World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls)
- Missy calls the Master out on not wanting to regenerate into a woman and the Master says women always stab people in the back. In their near future, Missy will literally stab the Master in the back and he, in turn, will literally shoot her in the back. (TV: The Doctor Falls)
- Missy recalls several women that she's used and abused throughout her lives: Galleia, (TV: The Time Monster) Kassia, (TV: The Keeper of Traken) Chantho, (TV: Utopia) Miss Trefusis, (TV: Last of the Time Lords, The End of Time), and Lucy Saxon. (TV: The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords) The Master mocks Missy for remembering their names and Missy says she's been making herself remember names lately. (TV: The Lie of the Land)
- The Cybermen are following orders from a Cyber-Planner. (TV: The Wheel in Space)
- Missy explains that the Cybermen use Cybermats to spread disease on human colonies. (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen)
- Missy tells Alit to "say something nice...if you like". (TV: Death in Heaven)
- Missy reminds the Master that they always "dress for the occasion". (TV: Doctor Who)
- Missy decides to kill her previous incarnation. (TV: The Doctor Falls)
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