Dorium Maldovar never was one for a quiet life; he'd always been searching out new business 'opportunities' throughout the universe, new ways to spend his money and, ultimately, make even more. He'd made many enemies over his years, many friends, and even more in-between. In hindsight, it wasn't surprising that one of them turned on him. Mind you, if he'd been placing bets, they wouldn't have been on the strict religious order of the Church. Many would have considered it an honour to have been inducted in to the order, having dedicated their lives to their values and beliefs. Not Dorium, however. No, his life had been one of indulgence and excess, until, of course, it had been cut terribly short. Dorium always liked to think he tried to see the glass as half full, more than half if possible, but if anything was going to put a crimp on a lifestyle, it was being beheaded.

Now, his life consisted of nothing more than sitting on a pedestal in a box, the door left open for a change. Not that it made much difference, of course. The Seventh Transept wasn't the most attractive of places, and the company didn't have much going for it at all. His peers, those rich enough to be able to afford a box for their detached craniums, had all opted to keep their doors closed, and the rest, lined side by side on shelves, had all rotted away to nothing but skulls. So, understandably, they weren't the most talkative either. No, most, if not all, of his time was spent enjoying his in-head entertainment chip and making the most of the fantastic wi-fi. Back when he'd bought it, the chip had been an extravagance, a status symbol if nothing else, but now in his life as a blue head in a box, Dorium considered it his greatest investment.

Today was much the same as every other day, a morning of his favourite 52nd television shows, although he was now on to repeats, followed by an afternoon of music. Dorium sat in his box, a smile on his face and his eyes closed, as he rocked his head the best he could from side to side with the music. It was bliss, the calming tones of the Stellar-Orchestra of Macademis IV piped straight in to his head, which was fortunate really, as that was all he had. It would have almost been perfect, just like those days he'd spent with his body, just taking in the joy of the music, if it wasn't for the constant snapping of jaws and scraping of bone from all around him.

"Oh, do stop your chattering!" Dorium shouted, his patience snapping, his voice echoing through the stone room. Almost instantly the bare skulls stopped still, all turning to face him, staring straight at him, if it wasn't for their empty eye sockets. "Well!" Dorium continued, sneering. "What do you expect? How am I meant to concentrate with your racket? At least I keep my noise to myself." He paused, looking from side to side. "And here I am, talking to some rotted heads. And they say being dead doesn't affect your social standing."

"You flatter yourself, Maldovar." A voice hissed, joined by footsteps echoing down the entranceway. Each step reverberated like a gunshot, the newcomers boots making her presence very known. "Your social standing was never that desirable."

"Oh, do come in." Dorium rolled his eyes, recognising the voice but not able to place it yet. "But don't be offended if I don't get up." He paused, as his visitor stepped out of the archway, lit only by the dim burning torches on the wall. "Oh. It's you."

"Hello to you too, Dorium." The woman replied in her snake like voice. "It's been some time, hasn't it?"

"Yes, Chase, yes it has." He avoided the woman's gaze, her silver eyes always having caused him some un-comfort. Her hair too, was as blood red as he remembered, running all the way down to her midriff. It had long been rumoured that she'd kept the colour so she didn't have to worry about the blood. It was an explanation Dorium could quite believe. Instinctively he looked to the woman's belt, knowing that was where she kept her weapons. Several blades sat holstered at her waist, but more interesting was the Dalek eyestalk seated at her hip. He'd heard the stories of Chases' achievements, but had never quite believed them. Until now. "So, what brings you here?"

"I'd say a social visit, but it doesn't look like you're up for visitors." She leant towards one of the shelves, picking up one of the now dormant skulls, and holding it up to her face. "Charming decorations you have here."

"Oh, I wouldn't get so close if I were you." Dorium gave a sickly smile, waiting for the cursed object to launch itself at her face. There was no sign of movement for a few seconds, before the skull jumped forward out of her hand. It's jaw shot open, gnashing towards her.

Dorium looked on, expecting his visitor to soon be checking out, but in a blink of an eye she had produced a magnificent curved blade from her belt, striking it hard in to the jaw. Almost instantly the skull shattered, falling to the floor as a mixture of bone and dust. He'd met Chase a few times before, when she was looking for leads on her targets, but he'd never seen her in action. She was, lever, as good as he'd heard. Despite keeping rather quiet in the world of bounty hunting, Chase was known for her professionalism, keeping in the shadows, hidden until approached by a client. This method of working meant she quite often had a need for Doriums special brand of information.

"Nasty little things." Chase quipped, dusting off her black leather armour. She wore fingerless netted gloves, up to her elbow. Her upper arms were bare, apart from the various tattoos etched in to the flesh. "You should probably get a sign."

"Always meant to, yes." Dorium replied, watching carefully as his unexpected visitor walked across towards him. "That's it, come a little closer. Tell me why it is you're here."

"Oh, I will." She smirked, stepping over the small indent in the floor. "A trapdoor too? Someone's a little security conscious."

"Quite." Dorium looked at her indignantly. "Now, if you don't mind, what is it you want? I'm a busy man you know."

"So I'd imagine." She raised her dark eyebrows. "Conference is it? How to get 'a head' in business?"

"Ha ha." Dorium replied sarcastically. "You shouldn't mock the bodily challenged, you know. It's not PC."

"I'm a bounty hunter, Dorium, not a social worker." She was holding her blade up to the torch light, running her free hand across it.

"Go on then." He sighed. "Unless you're just here for a chat?"

"Don't flatter yourself Maldovar." Chase spat. "There's only one reason anyone ever came to visit you. Information."

"And what is it this time? What poor soul has upset you now?"

"Not just me, Dorium. No, this target has enemies across the universe, beyond it even." She placed her weapon back in her belt. "Yes, there are a great deal of people who would pay handsomely to see me bring this one back."

"Worth a pretty penny to me then." Dorium smiled. "Although I don't have the same need for money that I once did."

"It'll be worth your while." Chase promised, crouching on the floor, so her face was level with Doriums'. "I need to find the Doctor."

Doriums' face dropped. He never was good at hiding his feelings, he was just glad he didn't have to worry about body language anymore. Many people had entrusted him with many secrets over the years, all of which had a price. If anyone was foolish enough to trust him, that was their own fault. Apart from the Doctor. No, the Doctor was the one man whose secrets were safe with Dorium. Even from Chase.

Dorium knew himself well enough to know that he couldn't be trusted; in fact his unscrupulousness was something he had come to pride himself on over the years. However, if there was one man who had earnt some discretion, it was the Doctor. Granted, their relationship had been strained at times, but the Doctor had done Dorium enough good over the years for the bad blood to be overlooked. Besides, the Doctor had enough to deal with in his future, without a deranged young bounty hunter to add to his worries.

No, Dorium decided, no matter what the threat or offer, the Doctors' fate waited at Trenzalore. This time, Chase would be leaving empty handed.

"The Doctor's dead." Dorium answered eventually. "He died at Lake Silencio. Everyone knows that."

"We thought we did." Chase replied, her un-natural eyes locked on Doriums. "But he's been seen."

"Of course he has!" Dorium insisted. "He's a time traveller. That doesn't mean he isn't dead!"

"I have it from a reliable source." Chase pushed, her hissed tone becoming more aggressive. "The Doctor is alive. And you're going to tell me every thing you know." She took the blade from her belt again, and held it to Doriums' forehead. "You might just be a fat head in a box, Maldovar, but I imagine you can still feel pain."

"Everything I know?" Dorium flustered. "You mean you know nothing about him? Nothing at all?"

"I've been away." Chase shrugged. "And I was never one for gossip. So tell me everything you know."

"Everything I know about the Doctor?" Dorium repeated. "That could take some time." He wobbled his head smugly. "I've met them all you know."

"All?" Chase questioned angrily. "The agreement was one man. I don't do discounts."

"You mean you don't know?" Dorium teased. "You don't know who the Doctor is?"

"Apparently not." She growled, poking him gently with her knife. "So tell me."

"Fine." Dorium sighed. "And you can put that thing away too." He looked at the blade held to his head. "When you've been beheaded, a knife like that isn't as intimidating. So, where do you want me to start? There's much to tell."

"I'm not in a rush." Chase snarled, getting to her feet. "So," she said again, forcefully, "tell me, everything you know."

"Well," Dorium started, "the first time I met the Doctor, I was only a young thing, oh I know not possible, but I'm just fortunate that time has been so kind to me." He ignored the look he was being given. "Anyway, I was just trying to set up on my own, as a trader. It was hard back then, getting started, especially in the criminal underworld." His mouth twisted with resentment. "They didn't offer all of those black market apprenticeships they do now. No, I had to get noticed myself. I needed a USP as it were, something different, something rare. Something to draw attention to myself."

He nodded, or a close approximation that he could manage without a neck, gesturing for Chase to take a seat on the ground as he began to tell his story, however, she ignored him, remaining standing. Dorium continued.

"And, after months of searching and dealing I did. I found one of the most sort after objects in the Universe. But, there was some attention I wasn't counting on."

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