Revolutions of Terror

***Revolutions of Terror*** was the Halloween special of 2008. It introduced the Tenth Doctor's new companion, Gabriella "Gabby" Gonzalez, as well as her friend Cindy Wu, who would become a companion later.

## Plot

The day before Halloween, and the eve of Day of the Dead celebration by Mexicans, Gabby is working late at the laundromat of her father, Miguel Gonzalez. Her friend Cindy is visiting her, when the washing machines simultaneously go into the spin cycle and the wet laundry explodes onto the floor. Gabby sees a sort of a monster-like shadow coming out of the machines, but it evaporates just as Hector walks in stunned by the sight of wet clothes and water everywhere.

Later that day, while Gabby is having an argument with her family and Hector, her sister's fiancé, in the kitchen of their restaurant, "The Castillo Mexicano". At the same time, the Doctor orders some food from her sister Blanca. Before he can eat it, he dashes out of the restaurant after receiving a signal on a device of his. Shortly afterwards, Gabby's maternal grandmother, Fernanda claims to have seen the soul of her deceased husband Juan writhing in agony in a photograph of him. Hector also sees it for a moment and later, in the laundromat, is accosted by a monstrous figure he describes as "the Devil".

In the city, while following the signal, the Doctor sees people running away screaming in horror for no apparent reason. He sees a baby named Carlos become suddenly disfigured in front of his mother and her friends, before abruptly reverting to normal when the Doctor's device registers a strong signal. The Doctor advises the mother to lock herself and the baby in their apartment for several days.

As the Gonzalez family watches a journalist take an interview with the local councillor Ricardo Mendoza on NY1 news, the man himself walks into their restaurant and implores them to attend the celebration of the eve of Day of the Dead tomorrow at the Green-Wood Cemetery. He is worried of the low attendance of the first event celebrating Mexican culture, which he worked so hard to organise.

Having found Hector, back from the laundromat and cowering in the corner in horror, Gabby's father, Miguel Gonzalez goes to check if Hector locked the doors while Gabby takes the subway to her night accountancy class taught by an extremely boring lecturer.

When taking the subway back from the class near midnight, she hears an ominous announcement. Other passengers run past her screaming, and a monstrous creature walks into the car. It sees Gabby and turns into a horror version of her. Now Gabby is running herself and shouts to attract attention of a seemingly oblivious passenger reading a newspaper. It is the Doctor, who takes her hand and pulls out his sonic screwdriver.

The sonic has no effect on the monster, and as the train approaches a station, the Doctor and Gabby run along the train until they reach its end. Another passenger is already standing there. As the monster approaches, the passenger jumps off the train to his death despite the Doctor's pleading. The Doctor locks the outer door of the 3 train with the sonic screwdriver right in front of the monster's face, asks Gabby's name and tells her to jump onto the platform not waiting for the train to stop completely. The monster follows them onto the platform when the regular doors open and chases them up the stairs to the turnstile exit from the station. The turnstile is jammed, and the emergency exit is nowhere to be seen. As the Doctor busies himself with his device and the sonic screwdriver, instructing Gabby not to look at the monster, she pulls out a mirror and shows the monster its own reflection. This shorts out the psychic field. The monster turns back into the train guard, who falls down unconscious but breathing. In addition, the turnstile is not jammed anymore and the emergency exist is clearly visible. The Doctor explains that a perceptual filterprevented them from seeing it before. They leave the 45th Street station before an MTA employee can question them. Gabby is intrigued by who the Doctor is, however he leaves for his TARDIS parked in Sunset Park, telling her to lock herself at home for a couple of days and to forget about him.

The next day, on Halloween, Gabby is sent to the laundromat to cover the shift of Hector, who is still reeling from his encounter with the Devil. The streets are eerily empty. On her way to the laundromat, she passes by the TARDIS, tries to knock on the door but gets no answer. She finds the laundromat unlocked, picks up a baseball bat, and tries to find the intruders. The Doctor emerges from the backroom wearing some strange headgear. Not recognising him, Gabby whacks him on the head, damaging the headgear. Apologetic, she still confronts him for breaking in thinking he is a policeman because of the signs on the TARDIS. As he heads to the TARDIS to get replacement parts for the damaged headgear, she follows and, feeling he knows more than he says, Gabby continues her inquires until he admits that he works alone, has nothing to do with the police and introduces himself as the Doctor. In the park, he passes Gabby the headgear with still working ocular circuit, and she sees non-corporeal psi-form natives of Earth who evolved alongside humans, exist in a psychosphere surrounding Earth and feed off human empathy. The Doctor calls them Pranavores. Then she sees other lizard-like shapes attacking Pranavores. The Doctor dashes to the TARDIS to get a replacement psychic comms booster for the headgear instead of the one broken by Gabby. When he returns, he challenges these interlopers, the Cerebravores, by the articles of the Shadow Proclamation. The defiant Cerebravores say that they have already consumed the Fleshkind from their own planet who tried to interfere with their silent hunt, that Earth is now their second hunting grounds and that all flesh beings and all psi-forms are their prey. Then they use worst fears of a group of park workers to take over their bodies and use them as hosts, just like they did earlier with the train guard in the subway. Outnumbered, Gabby and the Doctor run and hide behind the bushes until the monstrous shapes pass. The Doctor deduces that Cerebravores first use a person's fear against the person to get control over the body, and then project fears of others onto this body, simultaneously depleting the host's body of energy due to extreme physical stress. Gabby and Doctor think that the alien Cerebravores can easily push out the native Pranavores and then devastate the whole planet.

While the Doctor ponders how these intruders came to Earth, Gabby provides him with an answer: she witnessed their arrival two nights ago in her father's laundromat. Finally, the Doctor understands how they used the synchronised rotary motion of washing machines as an entry point for their interdimensional bridge enter and to cloak their entrance . The problem is that the bridge is still operational from the other side, and any rotation here on Earth can potentially be used as an entry point.

To prevent a full-scale invasion, the Doctor and Gabby run back to the laundromat through the empty streets. Suddenly, Gabby becomes depressed. Putting the headgear on, the Doctor sees a huge Cerebravore shape behind her. Gabby manages to fight the attack off by holding on to her fears as her own, but a whole mob of Cerebravore hosts arrives, and she and the Doctor have to flee into the laudromat. The Doctor opens the door with his sonic screwdriver, and they manage to pull down the steel security screen locking the monstrous mob outside just in time. The Doctor decides to travel through the portal to close the bridge from the other end and asks Gabby to keep the washing machines spinning long enough for him to return, leaving her the headgear to protect her from further telepathic attacks. In return, remembering her trick in the subway, he takes her mirror with him. On the other side of the bridge he finds only devastation and a lot of Fleshkind, completely consumed by Cerbravores. Whilst Gabby, distracted by a possessed version of her friend Cindy, suddenly remembers that the back door needs to be locked too, a Cerebravore wraps its tongue around the Doctor's arm holding the screwdriver.

Gabby locks the back door using all the locks, chains and stick she can find and barricades it with heavy furniture. Just in time as heavy blows make dents in the metal doors.

As the Cerebravore explores the horrors from his memories, the Doctor waits till it gets close enough and then activates his sonic and the psychic comms booster, freeing a Fleshkind possessed by the Cerebravore.

She is surprised to see an offworlder and tries to warns him to run while he still can. She says that Cerebravores were designed to be unstoppable, to be telepathic weapons. She foresaw the dangers but her superiors did not listen. Under their guidance, a peaceful telepathic species was weaponised, the connection to their hive mind, to their conscience, to any higher sense of self was severed. As a result, they became hunters and even a small group of Cerebravores was sufficient to kill a whole world.

Cerebravores were supposed to be unleashed on Fleshkind's neighbours via a dimensional bridge that the scientist had designed. But something went wrong and the other end of the bridge connected their planet to Earth instead. Before staging a revolution against their creators and overrunning their own world, Cerebravores sent an advance party through the bridge. For now Cerebravores cannot redirect the bridge, but the scientist is afraid they will learn.

The Doctor needs to destroy the bridge, but it was designed to be self-sustaining in case Fleshkind are wiped out. The Doctor figures that Gabby's mirror can be used to reflect the recursive inflow helix back on itself. The scientist agrees to help him reprogram the holographic mainframe functions.

On Earth, Gabby's family is watching Ruschell and Cheryl discussing on NY1 News that Sunset Park is mysteriously deserted despite the planned celebrations at the Green-Wood Cemetery and parade along 5th Avenue. Miguel's wife Maria dresses their son to go to the celebrations, as they had promised to Mendoza but Miguel is spooked by the empty streets and strange roaming people. In the end, Miguel, Maria, their son and Blanca leave for the celebrations, taking back streets just in case. They live Maria's mother, Fernanda asleep and sedated at home and expect Gabby to show up at the cemetery too.

Meanwhile, Gabby, still protected from psychic attacks by the headgear, continues feeding quarters to the washing machines to keep the bridge open. She sings to herself to keep her spirits up and barricades the front of the laundromat with whatever furniture she can move, while monsters surround the laundromat trying to get in.

The Doctor and the scientist finish their preparations. A push of a button can now destroy the bridge within thirty seconds. The Doctor implores the Fleshkind to come to Earth with him, but as she is ready to agree, she becomes possessed by a Cerebravore again. Resisting its psychic attack, the Doctor presses the button and jumps through the bridge. He makes it not a second too late, pursued by two Cerebravores, just as Gabby feeds her last quarter and a mere second before the the bridge is destroyed. Gabby quickly passes the headgear to the Doctor shielding him from the psychic attack.

At the same time, people possessed by Cerebravores, among them Cindy, finally manage to break through the front. Gabby suggests the only remaining escape route, through the roof, and closes a steel door behind them. They use the fire escape to get down from the roof and head to the TARDIS: the Doctor needs another gadget, which still may turn out useless without some important ingredient. With the Doctor protected by the headgear and Gabby seemingly protecting herself with her singing, they safely make to to the TARDIS. While clearly impressed by the TARDIS's interior, Gabby does not lose her wits. It's time for her to get some answers. She asks the Doctor if he is an alien, which he confirms. He also dispels her worry that he is not what he looks like. However, he ignores her question about his home planet, all the while working on turning the headgear into an empathic field amplifier. The only thing he needs now is good vibes to magnify and project at the Cerebravores. Gabby proposes to go to Green-Wood Cemetery where everyone brave enough to be out would be. As they set out through the deserted Sunset Park, the Doctor tells Gabby to continue singing the pop song she's been singing earlier.

Meanwhile, Sunset Park descends into chaos. Ruschell and Cheryl on NY1 News announce the Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace and Borough Park a no-go zone due to a sudden communications blackout. Trinity Wells on AMNN reports of a rumoured riot of Halloween revellers. Carlos' mother feels thankful to the Doctor when she hears on TV a warning for New York residents to avoid the Brooklyn area, particularly Sunset Park. Subway and bus services to Sunset Park are down, celebrations are cancelled, and the cops cannot tell people in costumes from people possessed by Cerebravores. At the edge of the park, two policemen watch in horror as their compatriots, Orr and Misckiewicz, change into monsters in front of their eyes. Surrounded by horrible shapes, the Doctor and Gabby continue their perilous journey, protected seemingly only by his headgear and her singing.

They reach Green-Wood Cemetery and decide to scale the fence rather than walk several more blocks to the entrance. Gabby is surprised that, despite the resulting delay, the hosts, who clearly noticed them, do not approach and do not try following them into the cemetery grounds. The Doctor looks at them through the headgear and seems surprised too. Gabby and the Doctor run to the sounds of music and find the crowd of Day of the Dead revellers, Gabby's family among them. She introduces the Doctor to them, but her little brother soon notices the Cerebravore hosts finally breaking through the fence. He guesses that they themselves may be soon turned into such monsters.

The Doctor tells the people to continue singing no matter what, to resist the fear. As they all sing a Mexican song, he prepares his device and asks for help, to box all the hosts in, to keep them nearby. Gabby is unsure how to achieve that but connects the wires as agreed. The Doctor presses a button on his empathic field amplifier, and the whole city is submerged under an amplification wave of positive psychic energy. People standing around the Doctor, especially Gabby, are thrown off their feet by the enormous wave, but otherwise it achieves its purpose. Cerebravores are gone. People possessed by them become themselves again.

The only casualty seems to be the laundromat. Gabby is scared her father would blame her for this, however, when the Doctor tells him that Gabby helped him save the world at the cost of the laundromat, Miguel is very proud of his daughter, tells her to follow her dreams and even suggests that she go to art school. Gabby is flabbergasted by the sudden change in her father's attitudes. But the Doctor thinks it must be the influence of the Pranavores who are swarming all around them. He explains that ever since they left the laundromat, they have been following them, attracted by Gabby's singing, that her refusal to submit to fear was a beacon for them. It was them who protected them on their way to Green-Wood Cemetery. It was them he asked to box the Cerebravores in to subject them to the full power of the blast.

Gabby's family are very interested in her new friend, and Maria invites him for a family dinner, cooked by her and Fernanda, where Cindy is also present. On the way back to the TARDIS, the Doctor hints that luck will soon turn her face on Miguel, to make up for the loss of the laundromat: perhaps, a lottery ticket?

As he starts saying goodbye, Gabby, who has figured out that TARDIS is really a spaceship, implores him to take her with him, to teach her, seeing him as a better teacher than any college. However, the Doctor is wary to put her in harms way as happened with his prior friends, and they agree to part ways. He tells her to have a brilliant life and to keep singing. However, when she repeats a saying of her grandmother's, "no song should end too soon", resembling Carmen's prophecy, he agrees to take her on one trip only and admits that TARDIS is also a time machine.

## Characters

* Tenth Doctor
* Gabby Gonzalez
* Cerebravores
* Pranavores
* Scientist
* Cindy
* Miguel Gonzalez
* Maria Gonzalez
* Blanca Gonzalez
* Gino Gonzalez
* Hector
* Fernanda
* Ricardo Mendoza
* Trinity Wells
* Carlos
* Carlos' mother
* NY1 journalist
* Accountancy lecturer
* Train guard
* MTA employee
* Ruschell
* Cheryl
* Orr
* Misckiewicz
* Trick-or-treating children
* Friends of Carlos' mother
* Subway passengers
* Cerebravore hosts
* NYPD policemen

### Visions

* The Devil
* The Master
* The Beast
* Sutekh
* Cyberman
* Rassilon

## References

* Sunset Park is a neighbourhood in Brooklyn. Green-Wood Cemetery is located next to it.
* The Doctor orders *heuvos rancheros* at "The Castillo Mexicano".
* The Doctor pretends to get a phone call from the President of Algeria, whom he believes he might have met once.
* The Doctor's device has a trioctic oscillator and a thigh bone.
* Gabby Gonzalez uses 45th Street and Court Street subway stations.
* The Doctor reads a newspaper with an article about the sinking of *Titanic*, mentioning *Carpathia* taking part in the rescue and Mrs Astor among the passengers.
* A subway worker has an MTA badge on the sleeve.
* The Doctor refers to the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca.
* The Doctor says that his home furnishings are full of holes.
* Maria and Blanca Gonzalez sing "Cielito Lindo".
* The Doctor compares the Cerebravore on the subway to Zuul and himself to Peter Venkman

## Notes

* Gabby Gonzalez is the Doctor's first companion of Mexican descent. Given the Hispanic origins of her family, a number of Spanish words are used by them, including:
	+ *Culo* - ass
	+ *¿Neta?* - Oh, really?
	+ *Mija* - daughter, dear
	+ *Abuelita* - granny
	+ *Madre de dios* - Mother of God
	+ *Tata*- nanny
	+ *La dia de los meurtos*- Day of the Dead (misspelled)
	+ *Mi albondiguita* - my little friend
* The scene of Gabby singing to herself in the face of monsters is a clear homage to the movie *Alien*, where Ellen Ripley sang to herself while preparing to flush the alien into space. While Ripley sang the existing song called "You Are My Lucky Star", which opens with "You are my lucky star/I saw you from afar", Gabby's song is created for the comic and begins with "Hey you, my brightest star./ I seen you from afar".

## Continuity

* The Doctor is reflective on Donna Noble, whose memories he was forced to wipe. *Journey's End*.
* The Doctor mentions he wants a device that goes "ding". *Blink*, *The Day of the Doctor*
* The Doctor told Gabby that his "dear friend" Cameca was from Mexico and that he went back to visit her now and then. *The Aztecs*
* The Doctor said he visited Frida and Diego after the incident on the Day of the Dead in 1941. *The Way of All Flesh*
* The Doctor cites convention fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation. *The Stolen Earth*
* The Doctor just encountered a predatory species of Stingrays on planet San Helios who, like Cerebravores, also consumed everything on one planet and then created a bridge to another. *The Planet of the Dead*
* The Cerebravore attacks the Doctor using his fears, including the Master *The Sound of Drums* / *Last of the Time Lords*, a Time Lord, The Beast *The Impossible Planet* / *The Satan Pit*, Sutekh *Pyramids of Mars*, a Cyberman *The Tenth Planet*, et al, and later Time-War-time Rassilon pointing his gauntlet. In the last stages of the Time War, this incarnation of Rassilon came into conflict with the Doctor over the fate of Earth. *The End of Time*.
* Later the Doctor will have to battle Sutekh once again *Old Girl*
* The Doctor gives a worried glance at an angelic statue covering its eyes while running through a park. *Blink*
* The Doctor tells Gabby to "go home" and "pretend you never met me" and when he finally invites Gabby onboard the TARDIS for her "Thank you" trip, he also says "Did I mention it also travels in time?", as he did to Rose Tyler. *Rose*
* Gabby's friend Cindy suspects her and the Doctor are dating. Similarly, Jackie Tyler suspected Rose and the Ninth Doctor had a physical relationship. *Aliens of London*
* The Doctor says there is an "oncoming storm", alluding to the epithet to describe the Doctor used by the Draconians and the Daleks. *Love and War, The Parting of the Ways*
* Gabby repeats a phrase her grandmother taught her: "No song should end too soon." It reminds the Doctor of a prophecy given to him by Carmen: "...but you be careful, because your song is ending, sir!".  *Planet of the Dead*, TV: *The Waters of Mars* Right before the Doctor's regeneration, Ood Sigma will tell him: "...this song is ending..." *The End of Time*
* Gino Gonzalez wears a T-shirt with the image of 3D glasses that look very similar to the ones the Tenth Doctor wore to detect objects that have been in contact with the Void. *Army of Ghosts* / *Doomsday*
* The Doctor calls the Earth a "second home". Gabby asks him what his first home is, but he avoids the question.  *Rose*, *The End of the World* et al.
* The Doctor accepts a meal with Gabby's family in return for saving the Earth. *The Christmas Invasion*
* The Doctor is thinking about arranging a winning lottery ticket for Miguel Gonzalez to recuperate the loss of his laundromat. Later he will use this method to provide means for Donna. *The End of Time*