While the Eighth Doctor tries to help with a missing space probe, Lucie runs into Karen again and is introduced to a mysterious group known as the Eightfold Truth. Karen says that she was dumped by the Headhunter a while back, and has found new meaning in the cult. Lucie comes along to humor her for a bit and is handed a spooky crystal, and despite being smart enough to recognise the Church of Happyology when she sees it, the crystal invades her mind and makes her a willing slave. Before long, she's phoned the Doctor to let him know that she's going to live without him from now on. The cultists all love her to bits until they realise that she fits the profile of "The Chosen One", at which point they start worshipping her. Also, the Headhunter turns out to be in charge of the group.
The Doctor is pretty damn alarmed, and leaves the space probe scientists behind for a bit to go have a chat with the author of a book that criticises the Eightfold Truth. The author, Kelly Westwood, is about to make a big revelation about the cult in her new book. The Doctor steals the advance copy she's holding and discovers that Lucie's entered something really bad. Before he can go fetch her, however, he's stuck with a bomb.
The Doctor wakes up about a month later. He was able to survive the radiation bomb by using his respiratory bypass system, his radiation resistance and a voluntary coma, but is starting to regret picking all that over a simple regeneration when he sees that there's a giant death sun in the sky and millions of humans are now joining the cult. Lucie is possessed by something. Clark Goodman, the cult's founder, is a bit worried about brainwashed Lucie's rise to power and wants her out. Karen is sort of stumbling back and forth between Lucie, the cult and the Headhunter, getting more caught up in the whole thing than she bargained for.
When Kelly Westwood revealed the teachings of the cult (a prophecy about a death star) on TV, the Headhunter merrily used her stolen Gallifreyan stellar manipulator activation device to manipulate that death star that same day and actually make the prophecy come true. Westwood was used, and now tries to work together with the Doctor to tell humanity what happened. The Doctor manages to turn the sun green using clever technology, to prove that it's artificial and all a big hoax. But instead of becoming all rational, humanity freaks the fuck out because of it.
Just as the Doctor's starting to become extremely homesick for Orbis again, giant space spiders appear. The Eight Truths... were Eight Legs.
Tropes
- Bizarre Alien Biology: The Doctor is forced to use all of his body quirks at once in order to survive the bomb.
- Church of Happyology: The Eightfold Truth. Running a lot closer to the original than many people would dare...
- Dark Messiah: Lucie becomes one.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Clark Goodman is absolutely not L. Ron Hubbard, Kelly Westwood is definitely not Karin Spaink, and the Headhunter is in no way David Miscavige.
