Web in Space ! ( novel ) Web in Space ! was a novel in the " Doctor Who " 2 in 1 books range . Publisher ' s summary . In " The Web In Space " , a distress signal calls the TARDIS to the Black Horizon , a spaceship under attack from the Empire of Eternal Victory . But the robotic scavengers are the least of the Doctor ' s worries . Something terrifying is waiting to trap him in space . . . Plot . The Gloriana Scattering is apparently far from anywhere else . Nothing lives there , it is lifeless . And yet , when one ship arrives , dangerous things begin to happen . The Doctor , Amy and Rory inside the TARDIS are experiencing some difficulties as usual . There ' s a confusing alarm , which is either a distress signal or the phone ringing . The Doctor neglects to tell Amy and Rory which one it is . They finally land , the Doctor deciding it was a distress signal and appear inside some sort of space ship , with guns being pointed at them . They claim that they are there to help . Sam Appleseed introduces himself as the technical officer . He explains that they are about to be invaded . He escorts the newcomers to the Captain . The captain is Captain Jones who explains that they are on the space ship " Black Horizon " and are trapped in the Gloriana Scattering . The Doctor deciphers that they are being invaded by the Empire of Eternal Victory . The Captain explains that the engines are somehow not working , and they are apparently being kept by a shiny cable attached to the outer casing of the ship . Deciding to help , the Doctor and Amy head with a few guards to meet the invaders , leaving Rory with the Captain . The Doctor and Amy run through the endless corridors of the Black Horizon with the guards following them . They finally reach the airlock and the Doctor has a plan . After using his sonic screwdriver to increase the melting point of the airlock door , he then finds a cupboard - like storage space , filled with junk . He orders the guards to gather as much rubbish together and place it on the ground in front of the airlock . It opens after about a minute and silhouettes of robots appear . One of them exclaims at the sight of a coffee machine . In the control room , Rory is getting anxious , because something weird is happening . Sam soon discovers that the cable is not artificial , but organic . It holds the remains of ships , scattered across it . Suddenly , they realise what it is , a trap and a giant spindly creature appears from the bright light . A spider ! It crawls towards the Black Horizon on its web , ready to engulf it entirely . The robots are now picking there way through the bits of junk . Amy watches closely as they examine the different pieces of pure of rubbish on the ground . The leader is obviously not pleased and faces the Doctor with a grim expression . He is unimpressed with the junk and declares that there is a better prize inside the hold . Suddenly , the ship begins to jolt once again , but this time with more power . Back on the bridge , Sam has managed to make the ship stable as the spider crawls towards them . Captain Jones then realises that there only hope is the Doctor . She sends Rory and Sam to find him and the others . Rory and Sam are walking down a corridor in silence . Rory believes that they are being followed . They can definitely see blue light in the gloom behind them . Hiding around the next corner , Rory wrenches a door from its hinges . He prepares himself and then swings . The door connects with a robot who begins to squeal for mercy . The Doctor and Amy wake up after their tumble . They discover that the gravity is a bit faulty ; the Doctor is now standing on the wall instead of the floor . Scrambling up a shelf on its side , the Doctor and Amy emerge into the corridor and find a dark abyss where they believe the robots might have fallen . The Doctor grabs a rope from the cupboard and says that they should abseil down the abyss . Amy isn ' t sure , but is forced to comply and they begin to descend . They pass many rooms that have been upturned , but finally arrive at another junction where a robot is standing . It raises its cutting weapon , ready to cut the rope . Amy manages to kick the creature in its face and she and the Doctor slide down the rope a little further . The robot recovers though and cuts the rope . Amy and the Doctor tumble into the darkness below . The robot is one of the evil robots , but doesn ' t seem that scary . He claims that he is Messy and Rory agrees due to the condition of his body , which is a large jumble of different parts . After being asked , the robot explains that they are part of the second Empire of Eternal Victory . The first mysteriously disappeared two thousand years beforehand . Any robot who ' d survived their disappearance , including Messy , had their memories wiped . Due to Rory managing to defeat him , the robot is forced to swear allegiance to him . He offers to help find the Doctor and Amy . " more to be added " References . " to be added " Continuity . " to be added "