CHRYSALIS

BAD WOLF

I wake up surrounded by darkness but above me is a beam of light, "What happened?"

A man is crouched beside me, "It's all right... it's the transmat. Does your head in."

I look around at my surroundings, blinking.

"Get a bit of amnesia. What's your name?"

"Abby. But... where's the Doctor?"

"Just remember, do what the Android says. Don't provoke it. The Android's word is law."

"What d'you mean, android? Like... a robot?" I look around as a voice calls out.

"Postions, everyone! Thank you!"

"Come on. Hurry up!" The man helps me to my feet, "Steady, steady..."

I hang onto him for support, realizing what happened, "I was traveling. With the Doctor and Jack... They wouldn't just leave me..."

The woman with the headset shouts, "That's enough chat! Positions! Final call!" She's standing next to an inactive robot, which is being attended to. The robot stands on a platform surrounded by six podiums, the contestants milling around, "Good luck!"
The man smiles in anticipation and looks at me.

"But I'm not supposed to be here." My voice shakes as I speak.

"Well, it says Abby on the podium." He tells me.

I look, my name is lit up on one of the podiums.

"Come on!" He dashes off and climbs up to stand behind his podium.

I slowly take a place behind my podium.

I look at my surroundings, there are still people attending to the inactive Android.
"This looks like..."
The woman with the headset speaks, "Android activated!"

The Android springs to life, raising its face up.

"Oh god. The Android. The Anne... Droid."

The Anne Droid speaks, "Welcome, to 'The Weakest Link'!"

The floor manager starts to count down.

I turn to the man next to me, "But I need to find the Doc..."

Impatiently, he pushes me away, "Just... shut up and play the game!"

I flinch away at his loud voice.

"Okay..."

The Anne Droid starts asking the contestants questions.

It gets to me, "Abby, in maths, what is 258 minus 158?"

"One hundred." I answer quietly.

The questions continue until Broff answers a question and looks distraught. It gets back to me.

"Abby, in the holovid series 'Jupiter Rising', the Grexnik is married to whom?"

"I don't know, I've never seen it."

The Anne Droid is asking us personal questions as we vote someone off, "So, Abby. What do you actually do?"

I bounce my foot in place, "I'm a writer."

"Another way of saying 'unemployed'."

"No. I'm a self-published author."

"Do you have a stable source of income?"
"No."

"Then you are unemployed! And yet, you've still got enough money to accessorize. Why Fitch?"

I stop bouncing my foot and look at Fitch apologetically, "She got some questions wrong, and I can't vote for myself."