Hydra's Gate (comic story)

Hydra's Gate was a comic story published in Doctor Who Magazine in 2022, starring the Thirteenth Doctor, Yasmin Khan, and Dan Lewis.

Part one
In 2022, the Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, and Dan each work their way around a town, brandishing a "missing girl" poster and asking passers-by if they have seen her because her mum is scared. Later, the trio meet up and share that none of them have been successful in finding any information. However, they turn to a nearby alley wall and notice three more "missing" posters alongside one advertising a Roman Empire-themed party and another advertising the Hydra's Gate History Society's ghost tour of the nearby Hydra Hall. Wondering if they are relevant, the Doctor and Dan decide to visit the hall while Yaz goes party hunting.

Upon reaching Hydra Hall, the Doctor and Dan find the huge manor to be dilapidated and surrounded in gates adorned with no-entry signs, adding that any deliveries should be redirected to the Hydra Lodge cottage next door. They knock on the door and the owner, Vera, invites them inside for a cup of tea once they confirm they don't want to buy the hall.

Inside, Vera explains that she owns Hydra Hall but refuses to sell, describing it as "a gateway to hell". The Doctor pieces together how mythology dictates that the Hydra guarded the underworld, but Vera elaborates that during World War II, the hall was destroyed by the Luftwaffe, causing her father to lose his family and killing dozens of sheltering evacuees. After the Doctor claims it must only be bad luck, Vera disagrees, saying that people have always vanished there, even a Roman legion. As they talk, Dan takes a phone call from Yaz who says she's found the Roman legionary party at the hall, causing them to leave Vera in a hurry.

Arriving at Hydra Hall, the Doctor and Dan find it glowing with energy, seemingly restored to top condition, with apparitions of Roman soldiers nearby. However, as they approach, the hall returns to normal as the Doctor discovers Yaz's smashed phone on the ground. As she picks it up, a young boy named Sid approaches them, saying that the Germans "did a number on the old house". Confused, the Doctor asks him what year it is, and he simply replies it is the same as it was yesterday: 1942.

Part two
As Sid explains to Dan that he is an evacuee from Hackney, failing to understand why Dan thinks he appeared from nowhere, the Doctor uses her sonic screwdriver on Yaz's phone and makes a breakthrough. She runs towards the doorway of Hydra Hall as it briefly starts glowing again, but the passageway to Yaz's whereabouts she has created transports her alone to a huge, bustling marketplace with ancient Roman-inspired architecture and Latin writing.

The Doctor sees that the outdoor market is filled with creatures from across the universe, many robots, as well as several Romans, so she starts asking around for a legionary who might have taken Yaz. Eventually, a blue, four-armed stallholder directs her to Salonius' Slave Store, where two Roman guards rudely explain that "she sold straight away". Using her psychic paper to get them to talk, the guards say that the "butterfly man" bought her off Salonius.

Dan and Sid go to visit Vera, where Sid's gift of a banana makes him believe he might have died and gone to the afterlife. Vera agrees to look after him for the time being as Dan explains that the "gateway to hell" that she mentioned was likely responsible for transporting Sid eighty years into his future. However, his train of thought is interrupted by Sid saying that he recognises the girl from the "missing" posters, as he also saw Salonius sell her to the butterfly man at the market. Sid believes this means she will never be seen again.

Meanwhile, the Doctor continues asking after Yaz, where eventually an armoured horse person directs her to the butterfly man. Although he does not have wings, the very tall, yellow-skinned, insectoid creature is carrying a butterfly net and a handheld capsule containing Yaz herself - a new butterfly for his collection.

Characters

 * Thirteenth Doctor
 * Yasmin Khan
 * Dan Lewis
 * Vera
 * Sid
 * Stallholder
 * Guards
 * Horse person

Original print details

 * (Publication with page count and closing captions)


 * DWM 574 (6 pages): To Be Continued...
 * DWM 575 (6 pages): To Be Continued!

Continuity

 * The Doctor has met Emperor Nero. (TV: The Romans)