Action in Exile (comic story)
Action in Exile is a TV Comic story featuring the Second Doctor. It takes place after the events of The War Games and occurs during the gap between the sixth and seventh seasons of Doctor Who in the disputed timeline that later became known as Season 6B. The events of this story reveal the Doctor has been exiled to Earth by the Time Lords, but has momentarily avoided the second part of his sentence, where he would be forced to regenerate.
Summary
The Doctor is enjoying his private suite at the Carlton Grange Hotel while the boys next door are making quite the raucous. He overhears them planning to run away from their guardian, Mr Fitz-Walker, with his private plane. Can he stop them in time? And is there more to Fitz-Walker than meets the eye?
Plot
Exiled to Earth by the Time Lords, the Doctor books a suite of rooms at the Carlton Grange Hotel, in London, to take it easy for a while. He tells the hotel manager that it'll be nice to sleep in a great big comfy bed as life in the TARDIS all these centuries has been far from cosy. He then partakes a hearty meal and thereafter decides to take a nap, But he is soon disturbed by a thumping on the wall between his suite and the next, and peeps through the keyhole of his neighbour. The Doctor sees three young boys playing football and their manservant Chester warning them what their guardian Mr Fitz-Walker will say. and just then Fitz-Walker arrives and tells them off for their behaviour. The aforementioned Harrington Fitz-Walker, then enters the room and threatens to thrash the lot of them. The boys are sick of having to behave like young gentlemen and decide on the spur of the moment to steal Fitz-Walker's private plane and fly off to another part of the world. The Doctor has been listening throughout and then enters the room telling them not to do it, but he is knocked unconscious as one of the children throws a vase at him.
The Doctor regains consciousness and explains to Mr Fitz-Walker that the boys are on their way to the airfield and about to steal his plane. As the Time Lord leaves, Fitz-Walker informs Chester that his henchmen are stealing weapon secrets from a nuclear arsenal that day, near to the airfield, and that they're supposed to use his plane as a getaway. They are soon in pursuit in Fitz-Walker's car, with him revealing that he had been planning this raid on the nuclear arsenal for months and that it was worth a fortune to him. Ironically they are slowed down in their attempts to get to the airfield by a nuclear bomb protest march. At this point Doctor Who flies by on a motorbike, telling Fitz-Walker that he will catch up with the boys, which he eventually does, however they throw a suitcase from their taxi, causing him to crash.
When the Doctor finally reaches the airfield the children are already airborne, but the eldest of them, Cecil, who is flying the plane, has lost control. Set on helping them before they're killed, Doctor Who sets to work making adjustments to another aircraft on the field, and flies after them. He closes in on them, but suddenly sees a cloud of black smoke, emanating from the ground, which both planes disappear into. When the Doctor breaks clear the other plane has already crashed but thankfully the boys are parachuting to safety. However, the wind is carrying them toward the burning building from where the smoke was coming. This said, they tug on their chute strings and guide themselves away from the fire. On landing they spot Doctor Who, and enter the burning building to hide from him. Heading into the nuclear arsenal, the boys find unconscious guards, and become suspicious. Fitz-Walker's henchmen then hold them at gunpoint. Two others then emerge from the nuclear arsenal admitting that the explosives they used on the strong room had set part of the building ablaze, but that they had retrieved the weapon secrets despite the fire. The henchmen lash out at the kids when they find out the plane's been wrecked, and so the Doctor leaps forward to knock the men over, engaging thereafter in fisticuffs. However he soon finds himself held at knifepoint.
While Fitz-Walker's henchmen discuss their new escape plan, Doctor Who comes up with a plan of his own, as he spots some rounded ball like explosives, that apparently wouldn't explode unless detonated. He kicks one at Cecil, who shoots the football shape at the men's faces. One of the other boy's Tommy joins in, too. Fitz-Walker and Chester have arrived by car, and hear the commotion, as a police car, they shoot at, arrives and they are arrested. The police officers and their colleagues gather up the battered thieves, while one of the police men explains to the boys that their uncle Tom will be taking care of them from now on. "Oh, boy... That's great!" says Cecil. "He's a marvellous fellow, just like the Doctor here!"
Characters
Worldbuilding
- The Doctor comments that, after hundreds of years eating dehydrated provisions, roast duck tastes "magnificent".
- After being knocked out, the Doctor dreams of the stars around Saturn.
Notes
- The third brother is never named.
Original print details
(Publication with page count and closing captions)
- TVC 916 (2 pages) When Dr. Who recovers next week he finds himself involved in a grim mystery!
- TVC 917 (2 pages) What will become of the tearaway trio? See next week!
- TVC 918 (2 pages) Can the three boys avoid a fiery doom? Don't miss next week's episode!
- TVC 919 (2 pages) Will the criminals wreak their vengeance on the brothers? See next week!
- TVC 920 (2 pages) Another all action Dr. Who adventure begins next week: The Mark of Terror!
Continuity
- The Doctor has been exiled to Earth by the Time Lords. (TV: The War Games)
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