Blasting Monsters, by Matthew Clarke (my fan fiction)

Venussa gets to do her Ripley turn!

I introduced Venussa(played by Eileen Helsby) from The Ark into the TARDIS with the Second Doctor, John and Gillian in Tears in Paradise. The Molgs are my creation.


Venussa made her way warily through the dimly lit tunnels of the Molg hiveship. Occasionally she would have to shoot down the Molgs that barred her way. The blaster was heavy in her hands. It was an ugly and brutal weapon, but she was glad that the Doctor had provided her with it.

The Doctor had gone to the nerve centre of the hive ship in order to put it out of action. He had entrusted Venussa with the task of rescuing John and Gillian from the Molgs before it was too late. 'What a responsibility,' she thought to herself.

Venussa's arms and legs had become covered in slime. Some of it was from the tunnel walls, and some of it was from the Molgs she had blasted. She wore only a sleeveless top and denim shorts, with sandals on her feet. The Doctor had suggested she might do better to wear more substantial clothing, but she had grown up wearing the minimalist tunics of the Guardian women. Just a week ago, the Doctor had taken her to some period in Earth's past where he had made her wear some horribly restrictive clothing. She had never imagined that her ancestors could have worn so many layers! She had noticed John seemed less uncomfortable around her when she was dressed like that. Poor boy. If only he knew what it was like living in the Security Kitchen, with both men and women doing their business with just a curtain to keep up a pretence of privacy. He would have learned not to blush in the Security Kitchen!

Forget the slime. She had a job to do. She had to get to John and Gillian fast. She had seen the gruesome remains of beings that had been harvested by the Molgs.

She had known John and Gillian for barely a month, but already they felt like a little brother and sister. John felt shy and awkward with her, but she knew he liked her. Gillian had become an affectionate sister to her. Gillian had spent so long in the company of her brother and grandfather that it was a great relief to talk to have female company in the TARDIS. The thought that the pair of them were in danger was unbearable.

Venussa knew about monsters. She had spent the first twenty years of her life as a slave to the brutal Monoids. However, there had always been a half-heartedness to the Monoids' tyranny. When the shooting started, they turned out not to have much stomach for violence and they gave in. These Molgs were an altogether more terrifying and vile adversary.

She came to a junction in the tunnel. She checked the device that was leading her to John and Gillian's biotraces. Just as she returned the device to her belt, a Molg jumped from the ceiling, shoving her toward the wall with its spider-like limbs. It moved its octopus-like head towards her, tentacles reaching for her face. Her blaster had been sent crashing to the floor. Grabbing the knife at her belt, she slammed it with all her might into one of the creature's eyes. Gurgling, it fell back. Seizing her chance, Venussa grabbed the blaster and fired. An explosion of slime told her she was not going to be wearing this outfit again.

She gunned down several more Molgs that approached her from the tunnel. She was surprised by how few they were; the Doctor must have been keeping them busy with his sabotage efforts. She kept here strange wailing noises. Was it some kind of alarm?

Finally, the bleep of her scanner became louder. She had reached her quarry. In a small chamber, she found John and Gillian, unconscious and bound with slimy webbing. She checked their biosigns with her scanner. They were alive.

She gave Gillian a kiss on the forehead and freed her with her knife. She did the same for John. The two teenagers struggled to rise to their feet. "Are we still on the hive ship?" mumbled John as he woke.

"Yes, we are," snapped Venussa. "We need to get out of here and back to the TARDIS. Try to walk on your own, but if you can't, lean on me."

John and Gillian were a little unsteady on their feet, but they managed to walk unaided.

The Doctor suddenly appeared. "Well done, Venussa, I knew I could rely on you," he said.

"How did the sabotage go, Doctor?" Venussa asked.

"Splendidly. I've sent their biomass-processor into overdrive. Eventually, it will become unstable and cause the hiveship to break down. The Molgs will mostly be occupied with trying to sort it out. If they succeed in repairing it, I very much doubt the ship will be fit for carrying out any invasions. It's time to go, Venussa," he explained.

The Doctor had triumphed over the monsters once again and Venussa had been a part of it. It had been terrifying, but it felt right. The Doctor had saved her people, now she was helping him to save others. In all her time as a slave, as a childless and frustrated wife and as a grieving widow, she had never imagined a career shooting down monsters and fighting them with knives. What a strange new path she had engaged on with her wonderful new family.