The Sound of Our Voices (comic story)

 was the second part of the fourth story of the Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor comic story series published in 2014.

Publisher's summary
Still trapped aboard the SERVEYOUinc research satellite, Alice and the Doctor must unravel the mystery of the creature codenamed "ARC" — while staying one step ahead of its whisper-quiet rampage through the station!

But there's something essential the Doctor's missing — something he's overlooked.

Can Alice help him see it, in time to save her life... or is the story of the Doctor's favorite sarcastic library assistant doomed to end in the icy depths of space?

Plot
In a toilet of the United System Research Base, a bulking strange shape towering above John Jones keeps saying: "ARC, ARC." Clearly impressed, Jones asks if it can play guitar. Just as the creature tries to touch Jones, Alice Obiefune shouts for him to move and sprays the creature from a fire extinguisher. With both the creature and Jones temporarily blinded, Alice tells the latter to go towards the sound of her voice and not let the creature touch him. Alice is happy she managed to save Jones' life, but he is not sure. He thinks the creature just wanted to be friends. Left alone in the toilet, the creature tries and with difficulty succeeds in repeating Alice's phrase: "the sound of my voice".

In the interrogation room, August Hart is pointing his gun at the Eleventh Doctor while Dr Janet Rutherford is hiding behind the Doctor's back. Holding his sonic screwdriver in his right hand, the Doctor says it will be hard to explain. Thinking that the Doctor pleads not to kill them, Hart begins outlining a rather standard cover-up story: Dr Rutherford is in league with the Doctor, they try to sabotage Dr Ballard's great work and Hart has to shoot them when they lunge for his weapon. The Doctor interrupts him, says that he meant explaining how he is going to disable his weapon. At that he indeed disables the weapon with a flick of the sonic screwdriver. Hart switches to hand-to-hand combat, but the Doctor expertly dodges his heavy punches, simultaneously asking what Hart is so worried about. Hart is completely focused on physically hurting the Doctor and does not notice Dr Rutherford sneaking from behind and knocking him out cold with his own now disabled weapon. She's afraid she has killed him, but the Doctor assures her that ten years later Hart is absolutely fine. As they leave Hart cuffed to the table, the Doctor shows interest in the "great work" of Dr Ballard. Since Dr Rutherford does not know, he proposes to investigate.

As Alice drags Jones away from the gents toilet, she explains that she was in the ladies when she heard the strange sounds ARC makes. She then rushed to Jones' help. ARC pursues them along the corridor, trying to repeat Alice's phrase again. Suddenly, at a junction, Alice and Jones bump into a security guard, who tells them "No running in the corridors! It's against the health and safety..." That's all he manages to utter before ARC's hand extends and grabs the guard's head. With his eyes bulging, the guard drops to the ground and lies without motion. ARC tries a new phrase now: "No running." Alice and Jones actively disagree.

Another security guard finds Hart in the soundproofed interrogation room and frees him from the cuffs. He also tells Hart the news that Chief Administrator Peter Cartwright is also in a coma. Hart now has the operational control of the station.

to be extended

Characters

 * Eleventh Doctor
 * Alice Obiefune
 * John Jones
 * ARC
 * August Hart
 * Dr Janet Rutherford
 * Peter Cartwright
 * United System Research Base security guards

Original print details
to be added

Continuity

 * The Doctor reassures Dr Rutherford that she hasn't killed August Hart because he'll meet the Doctor again ten years into his future. (COMIC: The Friendly Place)
 * The Doctor quotes himself, saying "There will be no battle here." (TV: Battlefield)