Belinda and The Doctor

To enable The Doctor to take another reading on the Vindicator, so that he can return Belinda to Earth on the 24th May 2025, the TARDIS takes them both to London during a New Year's Eve celebrations.

After taking a reading on the Vindicator, they notice a young boy nearby who has become curious as to what The Doctor and Belinda are doing after he witnesses the TARDIS materialising. When they ask him what year it is the young boy, Conrad Clark, tells them that it is 2007. The Doctor hands him a coin, telling Conrad that it is his lucky day. Taking the coin Conrad runs off to find his mother, but she dismisses his story about the blue box appearing out of nowhere, urging him to stop lying.

Despite this Conrad continues to investigate sightings of The Doctor and the TARDIS. His curiosity leads him to another encounter in 2024 when he spots The Doctor again - but this time with Ruby Sunday - outside an abandoned building. Inside he witnesses The Doctor and Ruby confronting a monster, called a Shreek. As The Doctor and Ruby return to the TARDIS they are unaware that they are being observed and that Conrad has managed to take a photograph of Ruby outside of the TARDIS.

Young Conrad

Conrad posts Ruby's image on social media and a year later, after having ended her travels with The Doctor, Ruby learns of Conrad’s search for her. Eager to share her experiences she offers to give him an interview, on her encounters with extraterrestrial life, for his podcast. During their conversation, Conrad recounts how he had first seen her and The Doctor. As the two chat, about her encounters with extraterrestrial beings and how The Doctor protects people from aliens, they also discuss the growing scepticism surrounding the organisation known as UNIT.

Ruby then shows Conrad footage of the Shreek, that she took after UNIT captured it. It is then that Ruby discovers that when Conrad saw her and The Doctor a year ago, he touched some of the monster's excrement, leaving a pheromone on him - marking him as the Shreek’s next target. To protect him, she hands Conrad a neutralising agent.

Conrad in 2024

The two begin dating and their relationship continues to progress, much to Ruby's family's delight. She agrees to spend a weekend away at Conrad's home village and to meet his friends. However, on the day of their trip, Ruby notices strange flickers in the local power, reminiscent of when the Shreek hunt their prey. Worried about this Ruby calls up Kate Stewart, the head of UNIT, to check but Kate confirms that there is no cause for concern, confirming that the Shreek is still safely contained and that no alien activity has been detected in the area.

Thanks to Kate’s reassurance Ruby concludes it was just her anxiety, from past traumas following her experiences travelling with The Doctor, and so decides to brush it off and rejoin Conrad and his friends in the local pub. However, as they begin to chat more, enjoying each other's company, the power cuts off completely. Alarmed at this Ruby goes outside again and sees a pair of Shreeks. It is then that Conrad admits to her that he has not taken the antidote so making him their target.

Alarmed by this Ruby calls Kate again, who has a UNIT crew diverted to the village. Kate also has a UNIT helicopter take her and Shirley Anne Bingham, UNIT’s Scientific Advisor, to the village. Ruby and Conrad head outside again to confront the creatures, finding them just as UNIT arrives. Surrounded, the pair of Shreek reveal themselves and to Ruby’s surprise they remove their masks revealing two of Conrad's friends. This catches both Ruby and Kate off-guard when it becomes apparent that this is all part of a ruse orchestrated by Conrad. To heighten the spectacle the rest of Conrad's friends whip out their phones and begin livestreaming the UNIT soldiers, as Conrad pontificates about the lies UNIT, and the burden they have on taxpayers, all while pretending to be fighting so called aliens.

Ruby Sunday and The Doctor

Back in UNIT’s headquarters chaos ensues as Conrad and his friends continue to spread falsehoods about the non-existence of aliens, attempting to tarnish UNIT's reputation even further. With Conrad becoming a media sensation, he releases the names and addresses of every person working for UNIT. Amidst the turmoil of this unwanted attention and a significant security threat, UNIT comes under further attack when protestors surround UNIT’s headquarters. In the confusion Jordan Lang, a UNIT employee, but who is actually working for Conrad, is able to let Conrad into the building. But after letting him into the building Jordan is killed by Conrad so alerting Kate to his presence. Kate allows Conrad to reach the command floor, where he revels in his livestreamed intrusion, mocking UNIT's legacy and belittling Kate’s father, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

In a tense standoff with the UNIT soldiers, Conrad demands that UNIT publicly admit on camera to the whole world that they have been lying. To dismantle Conrad’s bravado with the truth Kate releases the Shreek, that UNIT has been keeping imprisoned prompting it to begin hunting Conrad. The Shreek soon arrives and faced with the real alien creature Conrad’s confidence quickly crumbles away. As the Shreek approaches Conrad he pleads for assistance, confessing on his livestream that he had lied about UNIT. Seeing that no one is forthcoming to help him, Ruby steps in to stun the creature and so save him. Despite this Conrad quicky regains his composure and brazenly claims that the monster is merely a special effect. However, just the Shreek recovers from being stunned it lunges forward and bites Conrad’s arm.

Conrad is taken into custody and is confined to a prison cell. While there The Doctor's TARDIS materialises around him. The Doctor chastises him for his lies and for endangering Ruby and his friends in UNIT. The Doctor tells him that he will die alone and embittered in his cell and will be forgotten by history. Unfazed by this, Conrad asserts that he rejects this fate and orders The Doctor to leave his world.

Conrad then finds himself back in his cell as a prison guard approaches. She introduces herself as the Governor. However, the figure is none other than Mrs Flood. As she reveals a set of keys, Mrs Flood declares to Conrad that this is his ‘lucky day’.