Prisoner of the Sun (audio story)

Prisoner of the Sun was the eighth story in the fourth series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Eddie Robson and featured Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor and Sheridan Smith as Lucie Miller.

Publisher's summary
Six years after being captured by the galaxy-spanning organisation known only as the Consensus, the Doctor lives inside a hi-tech complex at the heart of an unstable sun, condemned to an eternity maintaining its systems. A moment's carelessness could cause the star to collapse — and the deaths of billions.

Watched over by liquid guards, the Mercurials, the Doctor's only company at the heart of the sun is his assistant "Daphne" — the latest in a line of android helpers. But rebel eyes have their eyes on the sun, and its lonely controller — and are prepared to risk even a galactic cataclysm to secure the Doctor's release...

Plot
The Doctor programmed his android helpers, Chloe and Daphne, with Lucie Miller's voice patterns which is filed under "LM Voice." His previous helpers were named Annie and Bethany. The Doctor has designed an expansion pack to be installed into Daphne, which includes a sense of humour. He customises her to have black hair, a white shirt and black trousers.

The complex in which the Doctor is being held prisoner is at the centre of an unstable sun. Although the complex has heat shields, the Doctor still finds it uncomfortably hot.

Daphne was not programmed with the official history of the Consensus since the Doctor removed it from his previous three assistants. He tells Daphne that the Consensus control nine star systems which were extremely feudal, being torn apart by numerous minor wars. The Consensus eventually came to power and put a stop to them. However, it became increasingly oppressive as the years went by as it feared losing power, eventually creating an ultimate weapon which would act as a deterrent against their enemies. The TARDIS materialised in Consensus space and, after several weeks aiding the rebels, he was captured by the Consensus. While he expected to escape in no time as he usually did, the Consensus realised that his technical skills could be used on their sun project. The complex was originally a monitoring station. The Doctor was placed in charge of the project. After almost six years, he is still attempting to prevent the sun from going nova as, if it does so, it will result in the death of the star system's two billion inhabitants. He refuses to escape from the complex until he is absolutely certain that he has prevented the sun from exploding.

The Doctor is guarded by liquid beings known as the Mercurials. Three of them, Gliss, Fash and Still, have rented their services out to the Consensus. Their species has the ability to exist in environments unsuitable for human life and to reconstitute themselves after they are shot.

The complex is boarded by two rebels, Hagan and Jelena. The rebels had previously been operating under the misapprehension that the Doctor was dead. Jelena tells Daphne that the Doctor is regarded as a folk hero by the rebels and, while he was believed to have been killed by the Consensus, their greatest martyr. In the six years since his capture, he has become the figurehead of the rebellion. Jelena tries to kill him as she believes that he would be more valuable to the rebellion dead than alive for propaganda purposes. However, Hagan believed that their mission was to retrieve the Doctor.

Hagan sabotaged the power couplings on Corridor Six of the complex, which causes its systems to go offline. After gaining access to the Doctor's work station, Hagan kills Jelena (who is in restraints) as he believes that she is a Consensus agent. According to Hagan, the solar weapon project is an elaborate hoax which is being used to prevent the Doctor from escaping as the Consensus is aware that the only prison which can hold the Doctor is one of his own making. Hagan makes a deal with the Mercurials to the effect that they will maintain the illusion that the Doctor is still being held prisoner in the Complex after he is retrieved by the rebellion.

As Gliss, Fash and Shill attempt to escape to the shuttle which Hagan and Jelena used to travel to the complex, his previous assistant Chloe arrives in the TARDIS. They faked her attempt to kill him as the Doctor wanted to have her taken outside the complex so that she could find out what was truly happening. Chloe confirms everything that Hagan has told him but the Doctor determines that she had been captured and reprogrammed by the Consensus. Hagan's plan was to convince the Doctor that the solar weapon project was nothing more than a hoax so as to allow the system to be destroyed. As the Consensus has been severely weakened by the war, the rebels hoped that this would tip the balance and cause the Consensus to collapse once and for all.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Paul McGann
 * Daphne / Chloe / Lucie Miller - Sheridan Smith
 * Hagan - Antony Costa
 * Jelena - Jeany Spark
 * Gliss - Richenda Carey
 * Fash - Pandora Colin
 * Shill / Computer - Beth Chalmers

Crew

 * Cover Art - Alex Mallinson
 * Director - Jason Haigh-Ellery
 * Executive Producers - Nicholas Briggs and Jason Haigh-Ellery
 * Music and Sound Design - Howard Carter
 * Producers - Barnaby Edwards and David Richardson
 * Script Editor - Alan Barnes
 * Writer - Eddie Robson

Continuity

 * Upon re-entering the TARDIS, the Doctor discovers that a message has been waiting for him for some considerable time. It is from his former companion Lucie Miller, who tells him that he is needed as the entire human race is under threat. This is fulfilled in the immediately following audio dramas /
 * Lucie refers to the fact that the Doctor forgot her during the 600 years which he spent living on Orbis. (AUDIO: Orbis)