Fabula
S11E7 · Invasion of the Dinosaurs Part 3

Doctor realizes Miss Smith is missing

The Doctor arrives back at the makeshift laboratory after confronting the T-Rex and immediately requests supplies to continue investigating the timeline disruption. When asked about his companion Sarah, Benton reports she left abruptly without explanation, claiming to go out and play. The Doctor’s casual dismissal of her odd behavior masks a deepening suspicion that something is wrong. The abandoned state of the lab and Benton’s vague answers heighten his unease, while Sarah’s sudden disappearance aligns with the larger conspiracy the Doctor is racing to unravel. His bafflement subtly shifts to concern, setting the stage for deeper revelations. key_dialogue: [ DOCTOR: You know, sometimes that girl baffles me. ]

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

3

The Doctor requests additional electronic equipment from Sergeant Benton and inquires about Miss Smith's well-being.

calm to mild concern

Sergeant Benton reports that Miss Smith did not want to rest and left somewhere, telling him to tell the Doctor she went out to play.

mild concern to puzzlement

The Doctor expresses puzzlement about Miss Smith's behavior.


Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2

A mix of dutiful compliance and quiet discomfort, torn between protocol and palpable wrongness

Sergeant Benton enters promptly at the Doctor’s call, responding with efficient deference. His replies to questions about Sarah are cautious and slightly evasive, hinting at unease without outright contradiction, reflecting strained loyalty between orders and evident anomalies.

Goals in this moment
  • Provide requested equipment without delay
  • Avoid stating anything that would compromise Sarah or himself
Active beliefs
  • Covering for Sarah’s actions may be necessary but risky
  • The Brigadier’s chain of command does not account for temporal disturbances
Character traits
Responsive Tacitly conflicted Dutiful Understatedly uneasy
Follow Benton's journey

Mild bafflement layered over quiet concern, projecting outward calm while internal alarms begin to sound

The Doctor strides purposefully out of the TARDIS into the makeshift lab, voice brisk and polite but alert. He immediately begins gathering supplies and turns to Benton with enquiring curiosity about Sarah’s welfare, masking growing unease beneath casual phrasing.

Goals in this moment
  • Obtain tools to continue timeline investigation
  • Determine Sarah Jane’s whereabouts and safety
Active beliefs
  • Sarah Jane is resourceful and unlikely to vanish without cause
  • The current anomalies may have drawn her into danger
Character traits
Inquisitive Polite but probing Protective Observant
Follow The Fourth …'s journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Third Doctor's Sabotaged UNIT Time-Investigation Lab Equipment

The scattered makeshift equipment across the lab tables is the immediate target of the Doctor’s request for more supplies. Benton’s agreement to organise additional gear implies utilising or supplementing these existing tools to continue analyzing the temporal disruption.

Before: Already in use, sporadically functional with flickering monitors …
After: Still incomplete and jury-rigged, awaiting new components to …
Before: Already in use, sporadically functional with flickering monitors and loose wiring in the cluttered makeshift lab
After: Still incomplete and jury-rigged, awaiting new components to advance diagnostics

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Temporal Research Lab (Makeshift)

The cramped makeshift laboratory serves as the scene where the Doctor lands, gathers supplies, and faces the first concrete sign of Sarah’s unexplained departure. Its cluttered tools and flickering lights mirror the unstable timeline he is racing to correct.

Atmosphere Urgently cluttered with flickering monitors and exposed wiring, the air thick with the metallic tang …
Function Primary investigative hub for anomaly analysis and immediate operational planning
Symbolism Embodiment of improvisation under pressure, where human urgency confronts unnatural forces beyond institutional understanding
Access Restricted to scientific and military personnel actively working the crisis
Jury-rigged temporal monitor sparking erratically in the corner Fluorescent strips flicker unevenly, casting unreliable light over worktables

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Themes This Exemplifies

Thematic resonance and meaning

Part of Larger Arcs