The Flood (comic story)

The Flood was the last regular Eighth Doctor comic strip to be published in Doctor Who Magazine. It saw the reappearance of the Cybermen in the strip, as well as several other people from the strip's history.

It would have shown the Eighth Doctor's regeneration into the Ninth. Russell T Davies personally asked DWM's staff if they would like to produce the scene and they agreed initially. However, they found no way to remove Destrii without killing her off, which they were unwilling to do. Neither would the BBC allow the strip to feature her travelling with the Ninth Doctor. These factors meant the scene was cancelled and it ended with the Eighth Doctor and Destrii still together.

Later on in 2013, Steven Moffat took advantage of this narrative gap, and inserted a forgotten incarnation between Eight and Nine. The regeneration from the Eighth Doctor to this "War Doctor" was depicted in The Night of the Doctor, and from War to Ninth in The Day of the Doctor.

Summary
The Doctor and Destrii arrive on Earth to find rain falling on a market place, rain that radically alters emotions. It is a test being conducted by the Future Cybermen...

Plot
Summary

Part 1: The Doctor and Destrii arrive in Camden Market, in London, on Earth, in 2005. He is noticed by two MI6 agents. The Doctor and Destrii separate, and while the Doctor sets about browsing and examining the stores, Destrii (with her lack of common interaction with humans) sets about offending everyone, including the owner of a Chinese food stall (called Tony), who soon decides to chase after Destrii when she offends him as well, intent on revenge, his wife Linda warning him to desist, because of his Heart problems. The doctor and Desrtii soon re-unite, just in time for the doctor to see the vengeful stall owner being rendered unconscious by Destrii. The doctor, checking to see if Tony is still in a stable condition, notices his pulse is spiraling out of control, commenting that he's never seen anything like it. The two MI6 agents find the TARDIS, and proceed to tell their superior that all is well, just as a pair of Cybermen emerge from thin air behind them...

Part 2: The doctor and Destrii set up amending the problems they've caused, taking the Tony and Linda to "The World's End" pub for a drink. However, they are being listened to by North, another MI6 agent. While the doctor is distracted by more erratic behavior, North plants a listening device on him and proceeds to walk outside and listen to his conversation. This turns out to be a trap, and Destrii comes up behind him and forces him to sit at the table alongside the doctor and co. While the doctor examines North's devices, Destrii spots two Cybermen walking amongst citizens in the pub (Who cannot be seen by normal eyesight due to "Refraction shields", however Destrii can see more spectrums of light than humans, and so can spot them). She questions who they are, and upon receiving blank faces (as nobody can see them), she notices they're walking towards her. She picks up North's Taser and fires it at the Cybermen, rendering them visible. The doctor recognizes them, and as everyone flees Tony distracts them. as The Doctor and his friends run into an alley, to get to North's transport, Cybermen enter from both exits, cornering them. The doctor says he has a plan, and desperately tinkers and tweaks his sonic screwdriver as the Cybermen close in...

Characters

 * Eighth Doctor
 * Destrii
 * The Cybermen
 * North
 * Leighton Woodrow
 * Carter
 * Morris
 * Julie
 * Emily Rice

Bars and pubs

 * The Doctor and Destrii visit The World's End.

The Doctor's items

 * The Doctor uses his Sonic Screwdriver to confuse a group of Cybermen. It is subsequently destroyed by the Cyberleader.

Individuals

 * North is an MI6 agent.

Continuity

 * The story features the return of MI6 and its director, Leighton Woodrow. They were previously used in COMIC: The Fallen.
 * Technology from this incident would be used by MI6 to launch themselves into space and create Annabel Lake's suit. (COMIC: Hunters of the Burning Stone)
 * The Cyber-Controller returns, having last been seen in TV: Attack of the Cybermen.
 * The Cybermen again travel through time (TV: Earthshock, Attack of the Cybermen).
 * The Doctor mentions that radiation exposure is a good way to trigger a regeneration. He knows this because that was how the Third Doctor regenerated in TV: Planet of the Spiders. Exposure to radiation would also be the cause of the Tenth Doctor's regeneration. (TV: The End of Time)
 * Cybermen from another universe invade Earth a few years after this attempt in the episodes TV: Army of Ghosts / Doomsday.
 * The Doctor absorbs energy from the Time Vortex again in TV: The Parting of the Ways.
 * The Doctor's blue jacket, which he gained in COMIC: Ophidius, is destroyed, only to be replaced with a green one before the events of PROSE: Vampire Science.
 * Izzy Sinclair, Maxwell Edison and Grace Holloway have cameo appearances. (TV: Doctor Who, COMIC: Endgame)