Sleeping blood timeline code number #0.5

*spoilers*

The story opens with Susan describing The Tardis as a make shift home, its cute, even if she struggles with this new feeling. It reminds her of the time The Doctor falls ill after a plant scrapes his hand. This reminds me of the Varga plants from Kembal. Susan really starts taking charge and responsibility here, I enjoy the desperation but also the courage Carol Ann Ford performs for Susan.

They arrive on the planet Rua, which has Nanotech to help with stuff like medicine for the body is a very interesting concept. Susan encounters these robot spider creatures which stings her, reminding me of the spiders used in the new series. In this story they are used as security robots.

Susan heads back to the Tardis but shes being followed by something else, someone else. The way Susan describes the environment around them is gripping as shes running from this thing, but she is slowly caught by a man called Kendrick described as a robotic giant. Kendrick seems to be on edge about someone called the Butcher who seems to have hacked into the mainframe of the Nanotech, holding the entire planet hostage. Kendrick and his team are hunting him down.

The Butcher is quite threatening, with a flick of a switch he could kill anyone in this story. It really creates a feeling of no one being safe. Whats interesting is none of the team have seen a Doctor, so how did the Butcher kill one of the crew. This is answered with the Butcher stabbing people with the security robots, earlier this was used showing now Susan is also at risk. The way they describe the nano tech in the body is so disgusting and makes me feel sick, its one of the best parts of the story. Susan is shown to be quite smart in this story too, the driving power behind it but still trying to not interfere it's a good inner-conflict for her.

It Dose feel a bit star wars with the tech talk and trying to keep up with it can be a little exhausting.

The Butcher is extremely powerful even decommissioning Kendrick's robotic armour, in the end all coming down to Susan to stop the Butcher, to reprogram a medical scanner and stop him going through with his plans. This cuts the power and stops him from releasing the kill switch, he was about to explain why he needed to do this message but Kendrick shoots him down, being a true soldier and just completing a mission without thinking.

We start to think maybe the Butcher wasn't in the wrong, he did horrible actions but not unjust actions. I love stories that make me think about who to trust and who the real good guy is.

Susan finally makes it back to the Tardis, finally being able to treat the Doctors illness. Susan manages to find a way to play the Butchers message and the penny drops, the motive is very real to our world wanting free healthcare. Which is extremely sad because we know both sides did terrible thing but is a small sacrifice worth the lives saved. I think so.

The companion chronicles are off to an amazing start in this timeline marathon, some extremely strong stuff here.