E is for... (audio story)

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E is for... was the first story in The First Doctor: Volume Three and featured Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman.

Publisher's summary

All is not right on the planet Malkus. Every day more and more monstrosities are born; people with powers and abilities far beyond those of normal men and women. They call these people "the Gifted". And Susan has become one of them. Separated from her friends in a Police State dedicated to hunting people like her, Susan finds herself in a prison which has destroyed countless lives. And at its centre, at its heart, waiting, is the most dangerous monster of all...

Plot

The Gifted (1)

A prisoner sits in a cell, wondering why they are late with his food, when Susan Foreman bursts into his room. He tells him she's loooking for her grandfather, or Ian and Barbara. Since they landed on Malkus, her telepathic powers have been boosted: she can hear, or at least perceive, the thoughts of almost everyone around her. In the main square of the city, she and her companions saw a man suddenly emitting lightnings from his fingertips and a squad of soldiers apprehend him; the Doctor and Ian tried to intervene, and in the following chaos Susan lost them.

Thinking they have been caught, Susan read the minds of some guards and heard talk about something called "Project SPEAR" and a secret prison for special inmates. She tracked down its location with her powers, entered the station unnoticed and, failing to find a map or a program, just started opening every cell in the compound, finally arriving to that of the man. He insists she should leave him there: he's "Weapon E", and has been confined so he doesn't harm others. For the same reason, he also wears a black suit covering it from tip to toe, which also protects him from Susan's powers. Susan lets him out nonetheless, just as a woman is arriving: Rage.

She is the leader of the project, explains E as they try to escape, and detects Susan's presence in her mind. The two are finally cornered by Rage and her men, and in order to save them Weapon E takes off his gloves, releasing a charge of energy with which he stuns Rage and his men. This briefly allows Susan to read into his mind, and to hear the name of someone called "Faith", whose memory helps E to restrain himself. Susan and E escape in the cold, and E (whose real name is Virgil Winters) agrees to help Susan find his friends: there should be a secret base in the mountain, abandoned from some time. As the two walk in the snow, Virgil tells Susan that from some time people on Malkus suddenly acquire powers they don't know how to control; in his case, he emits and releases energy, but has trouble controlling it. He also tells her Rage will never stop chasing them, and that she is seemingly indestructible, nearly impossible to kill.

The two are pursued by an helicopter, and Virgil hesitates to strike it out of fear of hurting the pilot. Susan, however, reassures him: she can't feel anyone thinking, therefore the helicopter is operated by a drone. Virgil then strikes the machine down. They reach the base, but find out it is not abandoned, it is only empty: when they turn on the power once again, they are greeted by a message from Rage, welcoming Virgil / "Weapon E" home.

Children of the Autumn (2)

to be added

Cast

Characters

Susan's flashback

References

to be added

Notes

  • This Companion Chronicle is unusual in that it features three actors, rather than the standard two.
  • This is a Doctor-lite story, with the Doctor, Barbara and Ian only briefly appearing in Susan's flashback to their arrival on Malkus.

Continuity

  • When the TARDIS lands on Malkus, Susan remembers her Grandfather insisting they explore the city, ironic considering what happened last time. (TV: The Daleks)
  • Susan regains her telepathic powers. (TV: The Sensorites)
  • Susan recalls having looked into the Time Vortex, something all Time Lords are made to do at a young age. (TV: The Sound of Drums)

External links