Doctor Who and the Diclonius

by Izzy Raimi

A Seven Part Adventure with the 4th Doctor. Doctor Who finds Lucy in 2007 Kamakura, only to witness her murdering four other people. With an offer to Lucy to become a companion, the two's friendship is put to the ultimate test through psychological terror, horror, and non-stop action.

1. Part One

DOCTOR WHO AND THE DICLONIUS

A seven part adventure by Isaac "Izzy" Raimi and Mary Vitals

HISTORIAN'S NOTE: The following story takes place one year after the Elfen Lied anime, and directly after the Doctor Who story, "the Invasion of Time".

---

"He who fights monsters,

should see to it that he or she does not become a monster as well.

For when you gaze long into the Abyss...

The Abyss also gazes into you."

-Friedrich Nietzsche

---

PART ONE

"Recent reports have been recording a line of grisly murderers across the Kanagawa Prefecture, mainly in the towns of Kamakura and Fujisawa. Authorities have yet to pin a single suspect or specific group associated with these deaths; citizens are asks to be indoors by nightfall and lock their doors for the sake of their own safety."

"Man, people get crazier every day. This sure is the end of the world it seems..."

"We can't even walk the streets without fear of losing our own lives!"

"Do you think they'll ever catch this killer?"

The chatter and mutterings of pedestrians could be listened in on, constant and monotonous. They all spoke of the same thing: the recent crimes. The trail of blood being left by a psychopath out for satisfaction. A small television attached to the wall played the news report for people riding the train to watch. It was late afternoon, and plenty of businessmen and children were on their way home from work and school. Little did they know, that they were all sharing company with the one who had commit these brutal crimes. Sitting by herself near one of the exits, Lucy kept a leg kicked over the other, staring at the ticket in her hands.

Satoyama.

Eyes narrowed, biting her tongue and not reacting to the chattering around her, focusing on herself. No matter, it was difficult nonetheless. Oh how satisfying it would be to watch their limbs twist and tear, without a single lift of her hand. "Stupid humans…" The ride lasted for another forty minutes,before she finally boarded off, weaving through the plethora of children and adults.

---

A tall, curly haired man in a red-velvet frock coat, long striped scarf and floppy hat was engaged in a heated match. His opponent was one move away from winning another possible checkmate. If he were to place his queen just right, he could at least have the advantage…

It had only been a few weeks since he had left Gallifrey, but things were going along quite nicely. The TARDIS was in mid-flight, and he had installed an experimental randomizer on the console, leaving his next destination to the roll of the dice. For this man was no mere traveler. He was the mysterious traveler in time and space known only as the Doctor.

And he had moved his piece toward the other end of the board, with a grin on his face. He was laying on the floor of the TARDIS console room as he looked at his opponent across from him. His opponent happened to be robotic dog. The dog had a box-like design, red optics, a miniature satellite dish that sat in between the optics, swiveling satellite ears, and the words "K-9" embedded on its side.

"Queen to Knight 4, Master." The dog said.

With a raised eyebrow, the Doctor grabbed his opponent's piece and moved it to its desired location. "Checkmate." The dog said simply.

The Time Lord's eyes widened. "…What?" He said, looking at the board. "What do you mean checkmate?"

"Your king was left wide open. Machine computes checkmate in six moves, Master."

He shook his head in surprise. "Incredible…" He said to himself. "How come I can never beat you at this game, K-9?"

"You can answer that better than I, Master." K-9 responded. "You did program me to be efficient."

He smiled at his mechanical companion. "And one with good spirits." He said, petting K-9's head. "You're a good dog, K-9."

"Affirmative." K-9 said, nodding and wagging his wire tail.

With that, the console made a sound, signifying its landing. Getting up from the floor, the man checked the dimensional scanner to check his location.

"Well, now. It seems the TARDIS landed in Japan…" He said to himself. "Kanagawa Prefecture, Kamakura, Japan. Satoyama region." He grinned to himself. He landed in the country side! "26th of March, 2007. Not too distant into the future, then."

Just from the scanner's readings, it seemed to be a good time for a holiday, if anything. With a flip of the switch, the TARDIS doors opened.

"I'll be back in a while, K-9." He said.

"Affirmative."

The Doctor then walked out of the TARDIS, closing the doors behind him. He was greeted with a peaceful view of the countryside. There were rolling green hills, long roads, and very little hustle and bustle. Just the place to go to for a bit of peace and quiet.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he leaned against the TARDIS's wooden paneling, enjoying the view and feeling the cool country breeze that swept across the land.

---

There was an ancient fable that was told to Japanese children, of horrible creatures known as the Oni; ghastly monsters who walked on two feet, with mangled hair, horns, and fangs. They preyed on whatever came across them, eating them up with their beast like maw, and spitting out the bones. Sometimes, they even devoured them whole.

These creatures caused disease, disaster, and woe among the Japanese, and were cursed for their destructive behavior.

Some of the more isolated villages in the Japanese countryside still lived wary of these beasts, performing spiritual rituals every year to quell their turmoil, and prevent any sort of misfortune on their people.

One specific phrase, oya ni ninu ko wa oni no ko, literally means "a child that does not resemble it's parents is the child of an oni."

And thus was the beginning of Lucy's image on the world.

Born with those wicked horns and pale complexion, a sickly child. Some folklore told that if an offspring was constantly sick, that it was actually a changling, the true child being spirited away by mischievous spirits, leaving their less than desired spawn.

Satoyama.

A phrase that applied to the countryside and foothills between two cities. There was a beautiful, wide expanse of land between Kamakura and the larger metropolises in the region. Lucy often found refuge in places that lacked a lot of human population.

Unbeknownst to her, however, was that she would wind up in a less-than-pleasant predicament.

Kiyokawa was the dictionary definition of a Satoyama village. Nestled in the mountains with a relitively small population, there was little to no uprising and upset in this area. Rarely they heard of true crime or sadness. It was the positive part of living away from the city.

Stepping out of the train, Lucy glanced around, noticing that the sun was already hanging low in the sky; no problem. She could navigate just fine without sunlight.

As she walked, there was no purpose, or objective in her mind.

Just walk.

Just wander.

It's getting rather boring… Don't you want to have a little fun, Lucy? I'm sure you could come across one or two humans who could do without a limb…
A hand slipped up, brushing locks of pink from her eyes, muttering aloud, "Not yet…"

Overall, the streets were bare, aside from a few families wandering here and there into shops and towards food stalls. Nothing out of the ordinary; the only difference between here and Kamakura would be the lack of oceanic view.

"No! Stop that! That's not fair!"

A shrill voice? That of a younger boy.

Cranking her head every so slightly, the Diclonius took notice of a youth, who could only be eight or nine years old, being rough housed by a group of older children.

"Oh boo hoo! You lost fair and square! Now hand over your money and we'll leave you be," the tallest one taunted, holding the lithe child in a tight grip.

Lucy's eyes narrowed, shaking her head slight as she passed by.

"H-hey! Miss! MISS! Can you help me?!"

A desperate shout.

"…"

Words did not slip from her lips, rather, she only stared. An uneasy stare, at that.

Why not…

Of course, the boy would not know that this being would assist him. No no, she would not make it apparent that she was here! There was more than one way to skin a cat… Either violently, or with discrete technique.

Lucy wandered forward, listening to thechidingof the older boys, no sign of stopping in her tracks; three vectors at the ready, slipping to their heads—

And then, three distinct thumps on the ground, without an outward sign of hostility.

They simply had fallen, not stirring any longer; a single movement of a vein in their brains, and they had died.

---

A strange chill ran down the Doctor's spine as the sun began to set. This was the country! How could he be feeling something of dread? His Time Lord intuition would always seem to find something that was hidden underneath a peaceful blanket.

"…Something wicked this way comes…" He said to himself, quietly. He could feel the presence of some kind of malevolent force, like an everlasting blanket of darkness that swept though wherever it roamed. As if it blotted the very sun out from the sky, and silenced whomever may come across it.

Something wasn't right…

With peaked curiosity, he kicked himself off of the TARDIS's wall panel and made for the dirt path off to the side. He looked to his sides, and something had caught his eye.

A boy was running, with a look of terror on his face. It seemed like he had seen a ghost, as he ran what seemed to be a little faster than mere jogging. As the boy passed, he looked to where he ran from.

His eyes widened.

There were three bodies on the ground, slumped over as if they were sleeping. But something told the man otherwise…

Sprinting towards the bodies, he stopped short and examined them. He checked each of their pulses.

Nothing. All three were dead.

He then saw that they were young. They seemed to be about 13 to 14 years old each. They weren't ready to leave this world just yet…

Bowing his head, he mourned the dead children for but a minute. Opening his eyes, he examined the bodies once again. There was no sign of any trauma or wounds. Unless they had a heart attack or brain hemorrhage they couldn't have kicked the bucket like that. Could they have been poisoned…?

He then looked ahead. Walking away from the bodies was what looked like a young girl. She had pink hair, wore a pink shirt with what looked like a gray dress, and black leggings with loafers. On her head appeared to be what looked like a black cap.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of dread from the girl that walked away from the bodies. This wasn't a kind of aura that a human would have.

No. This was far more sinister…

---

"Os iustiii… Meeddiitabiturr… Sapientiam…"

Wherever the Diclonius went, she either hummed, or mentally thought of this song. Lyrics had been pieced together of time, but it all originated from a simple music box, heard by accident on a chance encounter many years ago.

The notes rose and fell, a sorrowful undertone to the sound as it came from her lips; and yet they sounded monotone, if anybody could hear. She kept quiet, uneasily quiet.

"They just fell over! Like nothing happened! And they were dead!"

That same boy who had been harassed and bullied was shouting to his parents, only half a block away. It seemed that he was out playing in the street with other children before those older boys came down upon and caused trouble.

"Sato, that's impossible! People don't just have heart attacks at the same time," his mother commented. Despite that, she was concerned. A sigh passed through, and she continued, "why don't you come inside for the rest of the night, dear…"

Now, Lucy halted in her steps, able to listen to the conversation between mother and son.

Such an ungrateful little boy.

Carrying on, the Diclonius continued her walk down the path, lined with trees and cozy houses. If she continued, she'd eventually wind up back in the market area— but what she WISHED to stumble on, would be an isolated place to relax.

… More than likely, chaos would continue to be stirred up before that was accomplished.

"— Hey miss."

…?

Lucy turned again, being addressed by a man in some sort of uniform. Was hepatrollinghis area? Or was he just here by chance?

Whatever the reason, she did not speak up; only her flat gaze was given as a response.

"There's a curfew around here, you need to get inside or to the station for safe housing. Haven't you heard the news? There's a lot of violence going on in the prefecture."

Oh hhehehe, you're alone… You can have fun now. Go ahead. go on! He could cause trouble for you if you don't act now, Lucy. GO!

And just as abrupt as the last action was, her vector proved to be the superior pawn in this game; a single swift movement, and the man was cut down, falling in two pieces, separated by the hips and torso.

The woman's head was down, walking past without a single word, or emotional reaction.

The Doctor's jaw dropped. It happened as if it were in a flash. The man who was talking to the girl somehow… just got sliced into two!

Nothing even touched him! How could something like this happen?

Wait a moment… could she have killed the three boys?

"NO!" He shouted, as the man was cut down. As the girl continued to trudge, he sprinted full speed to the bisected corpse.

With a mortified look, he dropped to his knees. He had a clean cut across the hips and torso, the dirt path being stained by the corpse's blood and viscera. His eyes were still opened, as if he was caught by surprise and his look was frozen in time.

This man probably had a family…

With anguish, he looked to the girl. It must have been her. No human, no species he knew of could have bloodlust like that, and kill without laying a finger on them. The Daleks could, yes, but they were in greater numbers all the time.

This was one, though. And if there was one, could there be more…?

He slowly rose, and gazed at the girl who continued to walk.

"…Why?" He asked the girl. "Why did you kill them? They've done nothing to you, and they didn't deserve a fate like that. How could you take their lives away from them in one swift stroke?"

"…"

Once again, her steps were halted, only by the frantic voice of the onlooker. Wonderful, will she have to dispose of this one as well? It was not as if this were the first time those words have been heard as a result of her maiming. It was all they wished to know.

Not whether or not there were some sort of background between herself and the victim.

Nor if they deserved it.

It was always, and always would be, why.

Humans were notorious for being two-faced when dealing with a threat. In a time of peace, the population could care less for each other. Nobody wanted to handle the cross and burdens of another, they simply wanted to take easy street, and mind their own business.

— And yet as soon as the welfare of another was put into danger, and another believed they they TOO could be heard, all of the sudden human life was held as a precious thing.

How disgusting. How fake.

At this point, the Diclonius Instinct had taken a stronghold on Lucy's mind, allowing her to tout a rather nasty attitude.

Slowly, her form turned, dahlia eyes lidded, and staring forward.

"… Had they still been alive, you would not care whether or not they'd die tomorrow," the beast spoke, venom dripping from her mouth as she did so, "you would not know. So why do you even care…"

So much concentrated hatred.

And yet, all the while, a sense of true apathy. An uncaring attitude as to who mourned, and who would come to hate her for those crimes.

He could see the daggers that lay withing the girl's gaze. The very venom of her voice polluting the air between the Time Lord and the the girl. She had no empathy, no sympathy, nothing. It was as if she had no emotion to speak of. But she made one mistake. She assumed. His eyes matching her gaze, his brow became furrowed. His own eyes formed daggers as the two glared at each other.

"Don't you dare…" He said in a low, baritone voice. "Don't you even dare to assume that I wouldn't care about the loss of life." He then advanced forward, slowly making his way to the girl. "Especially when I see it far so often." He kept his ground, and stood tall across from the killer. "How could you even think that? To think that I would not even care about what happens to someone whether they lived or died the next day? I've had far too many brushes with death to know that life itself is precious, and should be cherished by all living beings."

He then pointed to the four corpses behind him. "These people had families. Those children may have been just being their age. Yet you took a prospective life away from them. They'll never grow up, never fall in love, never feel happiness again!" His voice began to grow louder.

"I've watched entire civilizations burn, and many friends of mine have died. I watched the creation of a murderous race wipe out their own race so theirs could wreak havoc across the cosmos! I care so much for all living beings, because I feel that anyone deserves a chance to live. Yet you… YOU have the outright audacity to tell me, someone who has seen and witnessed far darker things beyond your imagination… THAT I DON'T EVEN CARE!?"

The Doctor's eyes were widened in fury. "You know nothing about me! How dare you?" He then shouted at the top of his lungs. "HOW DARE YOU CONSIDER ME HEARTLESS!? Don't ever call me that!"

All of the shouting, the abrupt explosion of emotion due to a chemical reaction of anger and disbelief was taken in stride. All of this? The entire view towards her words and actions? It had happened before. Lucy was barely phased— especially when this mad man began to tout and preach about watching civilizations perish, the universe, the cosmos, and all that was life.

She had bumped heads with the outright insane before, but this, all of THIS, it just took the cake. There she stood, apathetic and without so much BLINKING as she was scolded. And as all of it was wrapped up? A brow was arched up, her voice assaulting the now bitter nighttime air.

"Have you finished shouting yet…? Tch…" Lucy turned, not caring whether or not he expected some sort of answer. Truth be told, the Diclonius just flat out held no care for this man's qualms. There had only been one scenario where she felt true sorrow and regret for her actions, and that had been many, many years ago, when the woman thought that it was possible for humans to forgive.

—Of course, all of that came to a head, and at the end of the day, one does not forgive somebody for murder.

With spectral, macabre movement, it was almost unsettling to the stomach how unnatural Lucy's reactions and emotions were at that moment. Who else could take the lives of three children and a nameless man, and not even lift a finger? Any sane individual would bear that burden for the rest of their lives.

And Lucy?

Well, that was definitely NOT the first time that she had killed for nearly no reason.

"Yelling will not bring those vile things back to life," the Diclonius spoke bitterly.

"I suggest you leave me be… Unless you want to join them."

With that, Lucy continued her meandering on the path, only expecting to followed once more.

The Doctor's eyes widened by his own emotion. He had never lost control like that before. Not even to the Daleks own creator, Davros. Not even to all of the Cyber-Leaders who lead the Cybermen against their conquests of assimilation. Not even to the Time Lords themselves for their constant meddling in his own business.

As she finished her threat and began to walk away, the Doctor kept to her trail, not leaving her to kill again. He would not let this beautiful countryside become a murderous playground of destruction and bloodshed.

"You think that I don't know that?" He asked the girl as they walked. "I could shout to the high heavens all I want, and they'll never come back. I've known that pain all too well..."

He continued to walk closer to her, gradually closing the distance between the two. The Time Lord sighed. "Forgive me for that outburst, earlier. I've just not seen someone so bitter before. I hadn't seen anyone hold that much contempt for a human life since…" He almost mentioned the Daleks, but he would save that story for another time. "…I've just not seen something like that on Earth for some time."

The Doctor's voice took a sombre tone. "It saddens me that you truly think of such things. That you would just kill without provocation." He pushed his hat back. "Why do you do it? Why do you kill? Do you enjoy it? Is it something that gives you peace of mind every time you take a life?"

How predictable. Now that Lucy had put on her display and allowed this man to know that she would be not phased, he now decides to 'behave' and act civil. Funny how human mentality worked. If one upping them in emotional stability was not viable, then harboring a submissive and open-minded attitude usually, if not always, was put up.

Perhaps he was speaking in order to prevent himself from another outburst? Maybe, in that mind of his, the man thought that if he continued to speak, that this murderous renegade would eventually pick out something that she deemedinterestingenough to speak about.

—And, then again, there was the subject of continuing to try and figure out just WHAT her motive was.

There were plenty, oh, PLENTY of things that Lucy could use to answer that question.

Nobody knows when death comes along. It's natural. Why should I be demonized for being the one to deal it?

It is my purpose. It is in my genetics. It is in my code. My entire purpose in life is to bring an end to humanity.

They all deserved it. In the end, those children and that man were all evil.

Yet, despite all of those answers?

"… Because—"

Lucy did not turn her head as she answered, "—it is simply what I do. And before you ask why, trust me." Those last two syllables were harsh, "I've tried to work alongside their filth. They're not a very welcoming bunch."

What sort of person could possibly hold enough loathing that it would force them to forsaken an entire race?

The Doctor only stuffed his hands in his pockets as he made his way to the girl's side. Looking downward, he dared not to make eye contact with her. She was calming down. Well, as calm as a murderer would be.

"Humans tend to fear what they don't understand, more often than not." He said. "When it comes to people who are glaringly different from them, they usually try to exclude those that don't fit with them."

He then looked back up to the stars. "Granted, there are the select few that welcome those that are different. People that don't care what you are, or who you are, they still accept you. Although…" He then gazed back down. "Sometimes it pains even me that most human society hasn't changed in that regard."

The Doctor then looked at the girl. "There's no reason to kill, though." He said. "Most humans are innocent, and they can't help with how they act. When you get past that, they are a fantastic race."

He then put a hand on her shoulder. "You're certainly different." He said. "I knew at once. You're not human, and I'm not saying that because you're a killer. I can see that you are indeed something else. Something of a different species."

He then gave her shoulder a pat. "I know you don't really trust me, now. But I'm different, too. I know what it's like to be different amongst humans. But there's no reason to kill. If it means anything…" He then paused before smiling. "I can actually help you."

"You speak as if you are not one of them yourself, yet you have the striking and obvious appearance of one… Never before in my life have I witnessed somebody mourning the lost life of a human when they were not one," Lucy retorted, the emotion in her voice not changing at all; it only continued holding little to no interest in the conversation— or, at least, that is how one would judge it from the outside looking in. The renegade had never been one to be emotionally extroverted, even as a child when one is supposedly free ofworldlyburdens. It had always been a cookie-cutter response, in order to avoid any sort of attachments and investments into things that did notguaranteeto always be around.

Or perhaps, it was due to Lucy not wanting to show any sort of weakness. When you are the member of a race that is hated by humanity, and viewed as a hazard to all of the living, it takes a lot of spine to be able to stand proud, and not care about what the 'primates' have to say.

Thus was the life of a woman who greeted hatred and malice as if it were an old friend.

"… You are correct when you say that I am not human. How simple it is to harbor one or two minute differences, and they will immediately consider you something that does not belong."

The initial difference was in the mutation's appearance. As an infant, the Diclonius was born with tiny horns growing from her skull, not too noticeable from a distance. Doctors would probably be able to remove them, or believe that hair could grow over the bony structures over time. That happened not to be the case. Over the years, they would grow until they were definitive on her head, leading to much taunting of her fellow company. Before it led to that point, she was abandoned at a young age, brought in by the Kamakura Orphanage.

Lucy never did learn of the whereabouts of her mother— but her father— that was all dealt with by herself.

"So, what of it?" the Doctor asked. "Is this what you live for? Your entire purpose in life?"

"My purpose..." The girl paused, before closing her eyes. "My entire purpose is to bring an end to human life," Lucy mutters, her gaze looking onward, focusing on nothing.

When it comes to the Diclonius, she was a rather calm and harmonious individual at a young age, but all of that gradually changed the more she was damned by humans. The world pushed her—-

and Lucy pushed back.

—And society was twisted enough to cry out 'Monster'!

The Doctor then stepped in front of Lucy to stop her from her aimless wandering. He looked at her up and down, and put his hands on her shoulders. Her gaze was fixated downward, for if the demon looked at you, death would befall you within an instant.

That was a risk the Doctor was willing to take.

"My dear, look at me." He said. "I've known many races who say that their sole purpose is to bring about the end of all life. Not just human. I've tried to get them to see that killing is never the answer, and unfortunately, they don't listen, and they became my enemies." He then saw her vacant expression. It seemed like she taught herself to hold back all emotion throughout her life, and become the very monster society made her out to be.

"You, however…" He said. "You still have a chance. You've only seen the dark side of humanity. A side that should never be seen by someone of a young age like you. There's no reason to have a purpose like that, when there's so much you've yet to discover."

He then flashed a toothy grin to her. "You're right. I'm actually not human, either. In fact, I'm not even from this planet to begin with." He then gazed upward to the sky, as the sun began to set, and the stars began to make themselves known.

"Take a look at the sky."

He smiled as the both of them looked upward. "There are many races and many planets out there. Some that are peaceful, some that are xenophobic, and some that have the same destructive mindset as you do. Every second or so, entire planets are burning and warring against each other. We're just a mere speck on the radar, you and I. But when you see everything I see, you'll start to believe…" He then looked down at the girl. "That all life is precious and should be treasured. Not snuffed out of existence because one race wronged you."

The Time Lord looked into the killer's eyes, expression still vacant, but fixated on him. "And I can help you see that. For you see, I'm the Doctor. And a man of that name should help those that are in need of assistance."

He flashed a toothy grin to the girl. "Do you have a name, per chance?"

When was the last time that somebody had a serious conversation with the renegade Diclonius? It almost never happened. The very first time that she could consider an exchange of words as something ASIDE from taunting, was the day that she was brought into the Kakuzawa Facility. Chief Kurama had managed to lull the girl into his clutches, by promising the safe recovery of a human that she had been protecting for a while.

But when that promise was not fulfilled? The woman's rage became more eminent, even stronger.

The second, would be between herself, and Kouta, the boy who looked past Lucy's horns and vectors, and saw the young, lonely girl within on that warm summer day, all those years ago. This encounter was held a decade later, on the winding steps of Kamakura Cemetery. Kouta had listened to Lucy's plea for forgiveness, and accepted it for the time being— only to let her go.

Any other time, Lucy was spoken down to like an animal, and a common criminal. The workers within the facility gave her simple commands and exchanges of words whenever she was tested on, or her containment chamber changed. It was almost as if a simple difference in appearancecategorizedthe Diclonius as unable to communicate with human kind.

So of course, when this man who called himself 'the Doctor' began a civil, normal dialogue— despite the fact that just MOMENTS ago, she had slain four innocent lives— it was a culture shock. Though it did not show in Lucy's eyes, her mind was caught off guard. It was a fatherly sort of voice, one that she had never dealt with in her life.

Lifting her chin lightly, the dahlia hues glanced at the stars, just as she was asked to do. It had been a while since a moment was taken to just admire her surroundings. The world really was a colorful and strange place— but it was covered with far too much prejudice and horror for Lucy to ever see past the bad. Because of the way she was brought up, the mutation believed the world was simple rotten.

Believe…

"I had a name once, but it's long forgotten… I've gone by the name that they gave me. Lucy."

A play on two concepts; primarily, the skeletal missing link between humanity and their past evolutionary line. But it was also a reference to the demon king himself, Lucifer. The scientists there found it to be fitting, and somewhat comedic. Give the horned girl a PROPER name, one that is becoming of her appearance.

The Doctor flashed a toothy grin towards the girl who called herself Lucy. "Such a lovely name." He said, before tipping his hat. "How do you do, Lucy?"

He then looked behind Lucy and saw the four corpses that lay on the ground. There was someone walking along the path, too. No doubt he would notice the pile of bodies within a few moments.

The Doctor's grin faded and gazed to Lucy's eyes. "Listen to me very carefully, Lucy." He said. "We've got to get you out of here. There's already incriminating evidence against you, and I'm not ready to see you jailed yet. Not when you have an opportunity to change." He then put an arm around her, leading her to walk with him. "Come on. I'll take you to where I live. It's not safe here."

He then lead the both of them off of the path, hoping they would reach the TARDIS without much of a confrontation.

And in under a split second, the mood shifted from lax, to fight-and-flight mode once again. Fortune for Lucy, she had been in this situation plenty of times beforehand. Running from the law for nearly five years before she was detained, the Diclonius was an expert at getting away. It did not take long before shouts could be heard far behind them. "WAIT! SIR! Bring that woman back, we need to speak with her right now!" Damn. "Here we go," she muttered under her breath, "there will be too many of them to just beat them on foot." Lucy reached, grabbing onto the man's jacket. It was no surprise that the Diclonius was quick on her feet, dragging the Doctor with great speed before allowing two vectors to appear, slamming the ground and shooting them up into a tree. By then, they had allowed enough distance so that any suspicious people would not be able to see them. "Don't say a word."

He was just about to ask how she did that but was cut off by her stern command. With a curt nod, the Doctor stilled his tongue, and kept a lookout for anyone that may come their way.

It seemed that it wasn't just one person that was out and about tonight. There must be about three or four people right now, and with the bodies on the path, there would no doubt be more on the way.

He noticed that Lucy was also watching the area like a hawk. Surveying their surroundings in case anyone would come their way. This was going to be a nightmare. They're out in the open, and there would no doubt be emergency responders on the way for the corpses.

They both needed to act, but the Doctor would prefer that they did so without any more casualties. If the girl was able to slice someone in half in one clean stroke, there's no telling what she'd do if there were twenty people.

It was clear. The body count needed to be low, if at all, non-existent.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a two way radio for K-9.

"K-9, listen to me." He whispered. "A friend and I are currently trapped and have no place to go. I'm going to activate a beacon. If you can, can you tell the TARDIS to materialize to my location as soon as it locks on to my signal?"

"Affirmative, Master." Came a quick reply to the radio.

"Good." He said. "Wait for my signal, K-9."

He then closed the channel and stuffed it in his pocket. Keeping a close eye on the group of people, he put a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"There's too many people." He said. "I'll get you out of here, but you have to promise me not to kill anybody. I would prefer that we shifted away like ghosts without a paper trail. Can you do that for me, Lucy?"

"It seems we have lost our target," one man speaks, beginning to turn on flashlights now that the sun had sighed and fallen beneath the canopy. There were now six officers present; one in particular appeared to be some sort of higher rank. "Stay persistent… if this murderer is what we think it is, then we will need all of the back up we can get. Thesehomicidesappear similar to the ones thatoccurredin Kamakura," he spoke lowely, his stride proud and prepared to face whatever could possibly jump out at them. Lucy's eyes narrowed, watching their every step. Oh how her Instinct was ACHING and SCREAMING in the back of her mind. It wanted it. It wanted blood. It wanted despair and pain. But no, no no no, not now! That would bring unneeded attention. Instead, she sunk where she perched, eyes never leaving those men. "You mean the beheadings and delimbings that happened over the summer?! There's a rumor going around that there were these freaky girls with horns stickin' outta their heads causing these murders," another commented, looking to the higher ranked officer. "Let's not jump to conclusions… We better pray that it is NOT that case." Eventually, the group would meander out of eyesight, and it was safe to speak up once again. But before Lucy could get a word out, the scarved man took the liberty of informing the Diclonius on what to do. "Yes, of course… They shouldn't see us by now, and so I have no reason of disposing them," the horned one responded with a solemn nod.

"Good." Said the Doctor. He noticed that the group was gone. They needed to escape while the timing was still good. "I think it's time, Lucy. You're just about to see how different I am." He then pulled out what looked like a remote control with a single button. With a press on the button, it started to flash a small red light.

After ten or so seconds, a "vworp" sound echoed across the landscape. And within an instant, the Doctor could hear the familiar sound of the TARDIS's engines as the blue Police Box began to materialize just below them. With its characteristic "thud", the TARDIS fully materialized, and the light on top stopped blinking.

He flashed a toothy grin to the Police Box. "Perfect landing. The Old Girl does make me proud sometimes."

The Doctor then jumped down, landing in front of the TARDIS door. He noticed that Lucy followed suit, and landed in a crouched position, cushioning her own fall.

"Well, Lucy. This is my home." He said, patting the blue wooden paneling. "This is my ship. The TARDIS."

—Lucy's mentality had made a radical turn from quiet and serious, RIGHT into flummoxed and taken by surprise. What in the world was this man doing?! Had he just conjured some sort of— transportation device with a single button? She had heard that technology was seeing some fascinating and huge improvements in this day and age, but NEVER had Lucy seen something of THAT nature before.

Eyes widened, brows furrowed in confusion, her head tilting every so carefully to the side. It appeared to be a police box, like she had seen in history and worldgeography books as a child. What could this man known as the 'Doctor' possibly do with one of this?

For starters, he called it the TARDIS, not a police box. Perhaps the Diclonius had misread that bit of information as a child.

"… You live… In a box?"

As naive as that statement sounded, Lucy was very surprised by all of this. Well, she may be damned. This man had a HUGE possibility of truly being something not of this world.

Her vectors assisted in a neat landing, a pair of hand prints left behind afterwards.

"Well, not necessarily a box." He said. "Of course, the Old Girl tends to favor this design a lot. I think it's very becoming of her." The Doctor turned to face Lucy who was looking at the box in wonder.

"But it's so much more than that, my dear." The Time Lord then reached around his neck for the key he wore around his neck. He then slid the key into the lock, and unlocked the door. Pushing the door open, he held it for Lucy to enter first.

"After you." He said with a toothy grin.

A solemn nod, and Lucy followed the man's wishes, stepping lightly and carefully, as if at any moment the ground beneath her would fall through. Partially due to the fact that was this point in time, she was debating whether or not this entire encounter was a dream. It sure did follow the standards of a few that she had in the past; falling through the floor would only add on to the speculation. —Rather, INSTEAD, upon entering this alien craft, eyes landed on something much more intricate andsplendidon the inside, something that should NOT be possible. For one, it was MUCH bigger and wider than it appeared from the initial outside look. Could it even be possible to hold this much space in something build to hold a simple communication device in reality?! How had he done it?! Bright colors shined, the sound of equipment humming here and there— and all of it existed within the four walls of a wooden police box. "How in the world…?!"

The Doctor formed a wide toothy grin across his lips as Lucy became enamored by the TARDIS interior. It was safe to say that she expected nothing less except the four inner corners of a Police Box, but she found something so much more than that.

Instead, what Lucy walked into was a white room, with roundels on the walls. In one corner was a hatstand, and on one wall was a covered viewscreen, a door sitting next to that.

In the center of the room was the console, showing different buttons, levers, switches, and smaller monitors. Sitting in the center of the console was a column. The Time Rotor that sat patiently until the Doctor input the coordinates for the next trip.

Closing the doors behind him, he walked next to the pink haired girl. "Not quite what you expected, eh, Lucy?" He asked.

When she was younger, Lucy had read up on books pertaining to all sorts of subjects. One genre that she had found interesting was science fiction, and the concepts of the future. Had she been any younger, the Diclonius would have guessed that she stumbled into a fever dream concerning one of the books that were read earlier.

Though, it was doubtful that a dream would be this lucid.

"I can't say that I expected the laws of physics to be denied when stepping in," Lucy commented, glancing here and there to look at everything that the wide expanse of room had to offer. She walked along, carefully touching things with the very tips of her fingers, just to make sure that nothing was knocked over, or possibly broken.

"—But how is any of this possible?!"

The Doctor laughed as he watched Lucy look over the console room in child-like wonder. "I can assure you, the laws of physics are not broken Lucy. In fact, this is merely involved with relative dimensions." He went over to the console, monitoring the TARDIS while watching Lucy ran her hands over the console.

"You see, TARDIS stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. The insides and outsides are not in the same dimension, and what you see outside is merely a disguise. It's own dynamic camouflage, if you will."

The Doctor pressed a few buttons to stabilize a few systems. "What we're in right now is a separate dimension, that fits inside a small object. A transcendental dimension." The Time Lord explained. "The room we're in is the console room. This is where I pilot the TARDIS."

Essentially, this should not be possible, at least, from what was taught in public school. How any of this was accomplished was clearly due to the fact that this man going by the name of the 'Doctor' was an alien, not of this planet. Wherever he was from, their way of life must be FAR more advanced than here on earth. it was flummoxing none the less; the only technology that Lucy was educated in were the machines and controls that were put into Kakuzawa Facility. And that was only because of listening in while being experimented on. "—But what is the purpose of all of this?" Turning her head, the Diclonius blinked, her expression just a little more 'lively' than usual. "Do you just… Wander existence, here alone? And for what reason were you here in this country? Was all of it planned? Or was it just… Chance?"

The Doctor could very well tell the stark difference in attitude that Lucy had from just moments ago. To think, she was murderous, callous, and very well dripping with hatred for humanity from what the Doctor could see. Now, she was anything but. Feelings of strong curiosity and wonder taking its hold on the girl as she turned to face the Time Lord, blinking in confusion.

"The purpose, Lucy?" He asked. "Simple. To explore. Well, I like exploring, anyway. I can't really say for the other people of my race. They're far too stiff. I usually prefer to go on long holidays to different planets and time periods."

He then walked away from the console, looking at Lucy in the eyes. "I'm honestly not here for any reason at all. I merely happened to arrive here by absolute chance." He then pointed to a device on the console. "You see, I installed a new device in the TARDIS recently. It's called a Randomizer. Once it's set, it locks on to the first planet and time period within the TARDIS's coordinate banks."

He then shrugged. "It was all simple coincidence, really. The TARDIS just detected this place and time, and popped me down here." The Time Lord then crossed his arms. "Though, to be fair, I was not expecting to happen upon a body count as soon as I landed."

His head then perked up. "That reminds me!" He exclaimed. "We need to get out of here." He then turned back to the console and flipped a few switches and buttons for a quick dematerilization. With a flip of a lever, the Time Rotor started to move up and down, and the TARDIS was in flight.

"There. We should be away from the crime scene, now. If I'm right, the responders should be coming for the corpses, and taking them to the morgue." He then looked downward. "I only hope their families will be okay in time…" The Doctor muttered to himself.

It relieved a bit of stress within her stomach when the alien Doctor mentioned that all of this was by chance. She would hate to have to play along with some sort of 'fated' meeting. Those scenarios quickly died down in expectation over the years. As a child, the Diclonius had believed that she and Kouta were destined to meet—-

… Kouta…

When the Doctor mentioned that he could shift between different time periods, Lucy felt a weight bear down on her chest; had she that ability, all of those past mistakes could have been reversed. Kanae would have never been killed, nor her once good friend's father. Kouta's memory would not have lapsed and faded in a fit of amnesia.

And she might have had a chance to truly redeem herself.

Lidding the dahlia hues, Lucy frowned, spacing of briefly and succumbing to her own thoughts.

It's you. You. That girl, from all those years ago. The girl that ruined my life. You killed my sister, and murdered my father. I will never forgive you.

—She must have been truly naive to believe that Kouta would accept Lucy's pleads for forgiveness. The only reason that the Diclonius fought to stay alive, was to eventually escape that dreadful island, and allow her old friend to know how sorry she was.

In the end, that was not what had happened.

Lucy snapped out of her mental daze once the Doctor brought up the four civilian deaths, noticing how much sorrow he felt towards them

…How could a complete stranger mourn as if he had known them forever?

Shaking her head lightly, the renegade eventually spoke up, "…—" Or at least, she thought she was about to. Nothing came out.

The Doctor looked up to Lucy as she tried to say something. His head tilted in curiosity. What exactly could this woman be, if she said herself that her purpose was to extinguish all mankind? And she only looked like she was in her early 20s, too. Did someone brainwash her?

And the way she killed. Nothing touched them. There was no trauma from the children's bodies, and the man's body was too clean cut. Usually, a laser could make a cut like that. But Lucy didn't possess any technology like that.

He moved away from the console, and meandered over to Lucy. "If I may ask, Lucy." He said. "I've never seen someone kill without lifting so much of a finger to do it. The way you killed those children… And that man that was bissected… I've never seen anything like it."

The Time Lord crossed his arms. "How exactly did you do that? And…" He then looked at the black cap that Lucy wore. He noticed two noticeable points that pointed outward from the top of her cranium, just barely pointing the fabric of the cap.

"…Forgive me if I'm overstepping my bounds, as well, but why is there something poking from your cap?"

This topic was bound to be brought up. And even though it was always anticipated, it never failed to bring frustration into Lucy's mind. A reminder that she was not like everybody else, and never would be. Though, she practically assured that it would be a subject of conversation due to killing right in front of the wayward doctor.

Turning her glance upwards, it was tilted back down when a hand reached up, once occupied with the leather carrying satchel's handle on her shoulder, now to her head, removing the hat. Rather, it posed more as a shield. The only way that Lucy would walk freely was that they were always covered.

When the hat was removed and those tell-told horns were revealed, Lucy felt the need to stand taller, prouder. As if just SHOWING these physical abnormalities were considered a felon.

"… My ability to kill with the lightest touch is not the only difference that I told towards humanity," Lucy's voice maintained that misanthropic attitude that seemed to always find a home in her personality. No matter how excited, relieved or intrigued that she could get in a situation, it always returned to that detached way of life.

"The humans call us the Diclonius race… We bear these horns, the most noticeable difference, but the important part are the vectors…" Lucy looked about, noticing a stray pen on the ground. It was lifted with one of the unseen appendages and placed in the hands of the Doctor as demonstration.

"We are born with these invisible limbs that can do many, many things… Mostly known in their medical knowledge as perfect weapons."

The Doctor noticed Lucy's gaze shift to a stray pen on the ground of the console room. He saw that it was then lifted up, and placed in the Doctor's hand. Needless to say, the Doctor was intrigued. He was in the presence of a new species he was, beforehand, unfamiliar with.

"I was wondering where that pen went…" He said, gaze still fixated on Lucy in awe. "…Incredible." He said to himself. He couldn't see the limbs that she called Vectors, but he could very well sense them, as if a ghost had just wondered into the TARDIS and aimed to prey upon its next victim.

The horns, however, interested the Doctor. He could tell that Lucy held the same misanthropic voice as she described her race to the Time Lord. He walked over to Lucy and tapped one of the horns with his finger. His eyes widened as he felt how solid they were.

"Real Keratin." He said to himself, tapping the other horn. "Unbelievable. It's as if they're made of the same material as a mere fingernail." The Doctor noticed Lucy look at him in confusion.

He may have stepped on thin ice with that intriguing display. Since she showed him something hidden, perhaps he might return in kind.

"…Perhaps I should show you something that's different about me as well." He said. "It's not as glaring as your horns, but still rather interesting." He then reached into his inside coat pocket and pulled out a stethoscope.

"Now, listen carefully." He said, before sticking the earpieces inside her ears. He brought the bell up to the heart that humans were familiar with, and stuck it there for ten seconds. The Doctor could see Lucy listening in, and looked very well confused. He then brought the bell to the opposite end of his chest, and held it there for ten seconds, revealing his other heart.

After the small demonstration, he took the earpieces off of Lucy and withdrew the stethoscope in his pocket. "Your ears weren't deceiving you. You were hearing two heartbeats." He flashed a toothy grin. "Binary Cardiovascular System, Lucy." He explained.

What could possibly come from having two hearts? Aside from body efficiency, Lucy could not fathom any specific reason. It was peculiar and intriguing, enough for the Diclonius to begin asking questions once more. He had mention that he was a being of alien descent… It must be within his race.

It must be simple to hide this abnormality. Then again, when Lucy had lost her horns temporarily, it was simple to keep the vectors hidden.

For several years now, more and more infants were born having those temporal protrusions on their heads. Of course, the public masses never knew of their existence, for the majority of them were terminated in the hospital before they could even see another human besides their birth mother.

How long until the entire world knew?

—Returning back on track, the renegade's head tilted lightly.

"You mentioned that you have lived for many, many years… Is it because of your extra organs? Or is it something else?"

Both were in the company of a species that they were unsure of; as long as Lucy was kept calm, nothing ill would happen. And surly the Doctor had no plans of taking the life of the mutation.

Perhaps they were in good terms as of now.

For now, she would answer the man's questions.

"I am not sure what you mean by 'Keratin', but, they do grow back gradually when chipped or removed. According to the scientists… They are the source of the vectors. Which has proven to be true. When they were removed during … Certain incident, I had no use over the vectors for nearly a year as they grew back."

The Doctor's grin persisted as he was now back on common ground with Lucy. "So, your horns grow back after being damaged." He said. "That's what Keratin does. You see, Keratin is the material that's made from the hair and fingernails on a normal human body. And, you could say, mine as well. Like a fingernail that's trimmed, your horns are grown back if they are cut off or severed. Keratin does that, though it's odd that those vectors you had mentioned before are linked to the horns."

He went back over to the console as he maintained the TARDIS in flight. "Biological power source, perhaps?" He said, shrugging. The Doctor looked back at Lucy as she watched him fiddle with the console. "You're right. I have lived for quite some time. 750 years, if I recall correctly. However, it's not really because of my two hearts."

He took his hat off and set it on the side of the console. "You see, Lucy, I'm a Time Lord. Time Lords are known to live for thousands and thousands of years. You could even say that we walk an eternity." The Doctor then scratched the back of his head. "Of course, we're not immortal, but when we wither away from old age, or are killed for whatever reason, we have a new form to take our place. New face, new hair, new body frame, even new personality."

He then grinned at Lucy. "That's a process that we Time Lords on Gallifrey call Regeneration. Just as we are about to die, our cellular structure changes, and any damage repairs itself. It's a bit complicated, though. Because you never know what you're going to get."

He then reached into his pocket, and pulled out his white bag of Jelly Babies. Eating one, he looked over to Lucy, and held the bag out to her. "Would you care for a Jelly Baby?" He asked the Diclonius.

No matter how many questions were answered, the amount of petitions continuously grew, and grew, and grew. NOW this man was speaking of living for hundreds, even THOUSANDS of years? Wait a moment… Lucy's mind hesitated, recalling what he had mentioned during the emotional rave from earlier, when he spoke about watching nations, and races fall in defeat. It made a little more sense now in context— still, all of it proved to be flummoxing.

What would it be like if I managed to live that long?

It would bephenomenal, holding the ability to take form once death had come to deliver your soul to the next life. Of course, that lead Lucy to thinking even more in depth.

is this the way life is…? We are born, we live, we die, we start all over once more?

Lucy was not too sure whether she desired that or not. If that were to be the truth, she'd mentally scold herself to the day she died, to make things different in the next life, if it were so.

I'd be a better person…

—But would she be reborn a human? An animal? Maybe even a tree. All of it was a childish thought anyways. Better to focus on the now, rather than the later. She was well aware of what happened last time she looked too far into the future. Disaster.

Taking the colorful candy in her hand, Lucy squished it between too fingers in a curious manner before putting it into her mouth, chewing, and swallowing. Fruity? Hmh.

"…Is this the way life is for all of them? Humans, when they are deceased, do their souls find the ability to reform into something else? It is something that I have thought of before… There is so much darkness in the world, what is the point of existing if you only die once it is all over? Wouldn't it make sense for them to return, and continue to learn until they are… No longer—" Lucy paused.

"Never mind. I'm rambling."

The Doctor gazed downward, as Lucy's mind had started to formulate many questions. Deep questions that even the Time Lord himself didn't even have the answers to.

"That's quite alright, Lucy." He said, gaze still shifted downward. "To be honest, I don't think I could answer those kind of questions. What you refer to sounds like the aspect of Reincarnation. Most religions tend to have that viewpoint that depending on how they acted in their lifetime, that they will be rewarded in the next one."

He then looked back at Lucy's eyes as he ate another Jelly Baby in thought. "I understand what you mean, perfectly, with the world being plagued in nothing but darkness. As for the point of living…" The Doctor shrugged. "I often wonder what the point is myself. But what really matters is that you are here, in this very moment. It shouldn't matter why you are here, or if you were here with some other purpose in mind."

He put a hand on Lucy's shoulder, smiling. "Humans tend to try to find a spiritual or otherwise inexplicable reason for their existence. But yet, in all of my travels through time and space, their species have proven time and again to be indomitable."

The Doctor flashed a toothy grin to the Diclonius. "It may come to surprise you, but humans are very capable of doing good things. All it takes is time and progress." He then remembered what he had said about humans back on the Space Station Nerva during his travels with Sarah Jane and Harry, and found himself echoing the same thing that he said. "It may be strange of you to think, and it may be irrational of me to say… But human beings are quite my favorite species."

Clearly, this man has bared witness to so, so much good in his everlasting lifetime. Maybe this was the reason he was able to smile without any sort of qualms. Or was that just some sort of facade? With the experiencing of good, there was always plenty of sorrow to hold as well. Even so… Lucy has never met somebody who could smile so easily.

During her short lifetime, the Diclonius only came across a few examples of happiness: Nana, the Silpelit who had been imprisoned alongside her on the laboratory island. Despite all of the pain that she was put through, that bright-eyed child managed to smile anyways.

And then there was Mayu, who came to live with Kouta and the others shortly before Lucy vanished. She was homeless, just like the renegade killer, and yet she smiled…

How could somebody be so happy?

Optimism had never been her strong suit. Growing up in an environment where everybody ridiculed her very existence, it was difficult to even IMAGINE waking up in the morning, prepared for the day.

"It's just… How can you go through so much, and still manage to be happy? I don't understand at all, everybody continues to say that it gets better, that things will change overtime, that there is more good than bad in the world— when does that actually become true?"

There was humanity in Lucy's eyes.

She was not a completely distorted monster. Rather, she gazed upon existence with distorted vision. To her, everything was rotten and worthy of death by her hands.

"…I guess it might be something that I might never understand. There's things in my lifetime that have happened, and I still cannot comprehend as to why it did. Thinking too hard is not going to change anything, though. I know that much," Lucy mused quietly, taking another one of the colorful candies and placing it in her mouth.

"It does get better, Lucy." The Doctor said, his grin persisting. "And you're already showing a sign of that happening. I think…" He then thought to himself, as he popped another Jelly Baby in his mouth. "I think you just needed to see another who was different from you to show you humanity from a different point of view."

As they were talking, K-9 had just rolled into the room. However, he seemed to be on alert status.

"Danger, Master!" K-9 chirped. "Danger! Unseen threats have been detected within the TARDIS!"

His eyes widened. K-9 must have detected the vectors!

"K-9, wait a moment!" He shouted frantically, running over to the dog and kneeling down. "What are you talking about?"

"Energy expenditure of unknown origin has been detected. Impossible to locate, but danger is imminent! Danger!"

It was the vectors, then.

"First off, K-9, be quiet." He said, sternly. "Second, if you keep this up, you're going to scare my new friend away. I'm trying to help her and talk with her, and you're not helping."

"But Master! Danger-"

"I know, K-9. But I assure you, she's a friend. Can you keep quiet and be civil?"

K-9 was silent. The dog was not going to let this fly, was he?

The Doctor sighed. "Listen, K-9. If you can be civil while Lucy is with us, I'll make sure to give you a nice long walk as soon as possible, alright?"

K-9 then nodded. "Affirmative."

"Good. Now, come on and meet my friend."

The Doctor walked back to Lucy as K-9 rolled in front of the Diclonius and Time Lord.

"I do beg your pardon, Lucy, but forgive that little alerting outburst earlier. This is my second best friend, K-9."

He then looked to K-9. "K-9? This is Lucy. Let's try to make her as comfortable as possible in here, shall we?"

"Affirmative." K-9 said. "My full designation is K-9 Mk. II. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress."

"—-!"

Now, she had not anticipated any sort of company within this strange little box of inter-dimensional complication. Though, this was a PLEASANT surprise! Eyes widened, and then softened with fascinating and positive attention. Bending down, the Diclonius stared as the robotic contraption that emulated the appearance of a dog.

It was as if there was an entire shift in psyche.

Lucy reached her hand out, patting K-9 on the head, as if it were a living, breathing dog. Bending down to her knees, a subtle smile appeared on her features.

"Hello there," she greeted, "my name is Lucy. Did my vectors startle you? Don't worry, I won't use them on you…"

Had the Doctor not known any better, he would more than likely believe that the pinkette entranced by the robotronic was a completely different person. And not even in the sense of her split personalities. No, Lucy felt a sort of comfort around any sort of animalistic being.

Was it because she felt on an equal level on them?

Or was it that sense of trust that the Diclonius just could not achieve with humans?

Eventually, her head cranked back, glancing up at the scarved man, clearing her throat lightly. Lucy felt a little silly, and decided to stand back up, brushing the front of her dress off.

The Doctor laughed as Lucy composed herself. She was almost a completely different person, now. No longer was she the killer that the Doctor had scolded earlier for her actions, and would very well take his head off, but now it was as if she was just a normal late adolescent. And it seemed that K-9's sudden appearance had facilitated that fact.

Perhaps there was hope for Lucy after all…

"I take it you already like K-9?" He asked. "Well, if you like dogs, and don't mind a bit of robotics, I think you'll get along just fine."

K-9 rolled up to Lucy. "My memory banks are not familiar with the term, vectors. I will assume that what you speak of are the foreign energy readings that I am reading from you."

Something about that arched the Doctor's eyebrow. "Strange that K-9 was able to detect your vectors. I wonder…" He then pressed a few buttons and turned a few knobs. Going over to a monitor on the console, he found a few energy spikes detected within the TARDIS.

"Ah… so K-9 was right." He said. "The TARDIS is detecting some odd energy coming from your vectors. It's hard to tell exactly what kind of energy reading it is, though."

The Time Lord looked up at Lucy, and smiled. "You know something, Lucy?" He asked, as he grabbed his hat. "You are probably the most unique creature I've ever met. Not too long ago, you had so much hate that was dripping from you, like the dreaded giant spiders on the planet of Metebelis III. I've no doubt that you could have ripped me in half without a second thought."

He then put an arm around her, as he looked down at K-9. "And here you are, taking a liking to K-9, and listening to me burble on about my views of life, the universe and everything." He gave a genuine grin to the Diclonius. "If it means anything to you, Lucy. If anyone has called you a monster in the past, they are wrong from what I have seen."

Within a twenty-four hour span in time, the Diclonius had boarded a train, slain a band of complete strangers, been confronted with an utter stranger, who turned out to be an alien of epic proportions, and came to learn that the concept of time was extremely fluid and stranger. It was the most entertainment and shifting in daily pattern that Lucy had experience in a very, very long time.

Also, to add to the difference in this encounter, the renegade, not once, had made an attempt at her confrontee's life. Rather, she found him fascinating. It was almost comforting to know that she was not the only non-human that walked these planes, aside from the animal kingdom. Maybe, just maybe, she could consider somebody a friend.

"—You have to understand, that my mentality is not exactly… In one piece. For these reasons, my emotions and behavior can shift very easily. Many years have been spent being a prisoner to a domineering voice within—"

Lucy had begun to explain her Instinctual DNA, but— as always, whenever this subject was brought up, a sharp pinch could be felt, similar to the pain of a headache. A hand was brought up to her head, wincing, and ceasing the topic.

"… It's complicated, I will leave it at that," she spoke calmly, deciding not to be confrontational. There was always plenty of time to bring it up once more.

If, she would be allowed.

"—As for my vectors, I have been told that they vibrate on a different wavelength. Depending on how quickly, or heavily they are used, there are times when you can catch a glimpse of them. But, that is not too often … I have mastered them to the point where I can be quiet and discrete with each one," Lucy explained.

Many of the things that she knew about herself had not been known prior to her stay in the Kakuzawa Facility. For the longest time as a child, she was naive, and believed to be an extraordinary little girl who could perform magic.

—That was quickly dismissed when she learned that there were others, and that the rest of her kind were kept being thick steel walls, separated from the rest of the world.

The Doctor tilted his head in curiosity as he witnessed Lucy bring a hand to her head as if she just had a slight headache. What prevented her from explaining what she was about to say? Could something be preventing her via pain sensation. With a small shrug, he brushed it off, knowing that they would discuss it another time.

As she explained her vector's abilities, it made a bit more sense about them being able to vibrate through wavelengths.

"Ah!" He exclaimed, as if he found the answer. "I know exactly what you are talking about, my dear." His grin was widened as he made his abundant knowledge known. "Your vectors are read at wavelengths through the electromagnetic spectrum. The very fact that I can't see them right now could be that they are operating on wavelengths that are very similar to gamma rays." His eyes widened. "Ingenious…"

He then moved across from Lucy as he explained further. "If your vectors are able to vibrate more and more, then they become only visible enough to catch a glimpse. Though, if they vibrate just enough to be glimpsed at, that could very well be on par with micro waves…"

The Doctor then turned over to Lucy as he stood across from the Diclonius. "Tell me, Lucy. How strong would you say your vectors are? Given that they can tear through human flesh in an instant, what's the toughest material that they can penetrate?"

There were limits to the immense power that one possessed when wielding vectors; she could only reach within a two meter radius around her. Anybody outside of that length could not be touched unless she were to throw something. It seemed, however, that as more time passed, the stronger her vectors were becoming. She could feel it right down to the bone, the electric sensation whenever one of the unseen appendages reached out to strike somebody down, or when all four were set free, dangling out like limp legs of a spider, awaiting prey.

"—They were gauged to be able to cut through several layers of steel if running with enough power behind it. My body does not wear down when the vectors are in use, but there is only so much that I can handle. If I over work myself, the very core of me will wither. I've learned that most metals do not pose as a threat, aside from thick titanium," Lucy explained, recalling the wide doors that locked her away in the large, expansive room. It took nearly six meter thick walls, along with all of the bindings and vector-cancelling technology to keep the Diclonius queen locked away. Not quite as impressive as the cage that number 35 was locked away in, but daunting nonetheless.

"I've learned that it varies from each of us; no two diclonii are the same, to state it bluntly."

Nana, for example, had much longer vectors, but were not as spectacular and strong as Lucy's. She had not tested and honed her abilities NEARLY as much as the renegade mutant had. That was the case with many of the Silpelits who were brought into the facility at a young age, where LUCY, on the other hand, roamed free until the age of thirteen.

"So, your vectors are linked to your own physical energy. You overwork yourself, you risk fatigue." The Doctor thought out loud. "But most metal doesn't seem to contain your vectors." His eyes widened. "I certainly see what you mean about your vectors being designed as perfect weapons."

He shook his head. "Why must humans always be concentrating on creating more weapons. Vectors could probably be used to help, not destroy…" The Doctor muttered. An idea then popped into his mind, perking his head.

"I wonder…" He then turned to K-9 and knelt down. "K-9. Can you extend your analyzer dish?"

"Affirmative." K-9 responded. His red dish then protruded from the center of his optics. "Analyzer online."

"Lucy." Said the Doctor. "Can you have one of your vectors touch K-9's analyzer dish? I want to see if he would be able to detect anything from them."

Following his simple request, Lucy nodded, a vector slipping free; the tips of the unseen appendage's fingers brushed down against the robotic canine's analyzer; whatever he was trying to measure, the Diclonius was not too sure. But it was far more pleasant than the tests and lengths that Kakuzawa's scientists used in order to learn more about the ways of Lucy's strengths.

"You wouldn't be able to imagine just how insane they are when it comes to where they stand on my abilities," she commented, "I once heard that they wished to learn the true reasons as to why I was born with them. A vector virus, if you may. I know more than any of them just how dangerous it is,tampering with that… And then there are others, who only wish to find a vaccine to prevent any more of my kind from being born."

Shoulders shrugged lightly as her physical arms crossed behind her back, the other three vectors simply holding a presence without any issue, "I tried to stop understanding them."

"Contact has been made, Mistress." K-9 said, confirming that he felt the vector. His ears then started to swivel as his red optics began to blink. "Analyzing…"

The Doctor only tilted his head slightly at Lucy's comments about her vectors. "Honestly, I wish I could know more about your vectors, Lucy. They seem very extraordinary. I've really not seen anything like them before."

He then scratched the back of his head as he chuckled a bit. "Forgive me, I don't want to seem like I'm making you a laboratory guinea pig." He quipped. "I think it's wonderful to find a species like yourself. Diclonius, you said?" He then saw Lucy give a slight nod. "Yes… very wonderful, indeed."

"Data analysis complete, Master." K-9 chirped.

"Hmmm?" The Doctor turned back to face K-9. "What have you found?"

"Data analysis shows that Mistress Lucy's "vectors" are indeed limbs that are unseen to the naked eye. Depending on frequency, they have the slightest vibrations and said vibrations determine the force that they can exert. They can range from a simple push, to a catastrophic explosion."

K-9's analyzer dish then started to withdraw. "However, one must exercise caution, Master. There may be times that Mistress Lucy's vectors may operate on their own free will. While Lucy herself has primary control over her vectors, during emotional unrest, they may destroy whomever they might come across."

The Doctor then started to nod. "I see…" He said, absorbing his companion's newfound information.

"One last thing, Master."

"Yes?"

"Virus has been detected from the vector, Master." K-9's ears swiveled again, as if he was cross-referencing information. "It appears to be a hereditary virus. Passed on from a vector touch, it enters the blood stream and contaminates human genetic code, thereby ensuring they pass on that same code to their offspring."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "A genetic altering virus?" He asked.

"Affirmative."

"Am I at risk, K-9?" He asked.

K-9's ears then swiveled. "Insufficient Data." He concluded.

"I have high doubts that it would affect you at all— my vectors have made contact with creatures that are not human, and there were no ill after-effects at all. If you WERE, indeed, just another member of the human race, then you would have been at risk," Lucy answered truthfully.

Extraordinary? Strange, alien and inhumane were adjectives that were usually associated with the Diclonius race, but wonderful and extraordinary? She supposed that it was a better word association. Anything was better than monster.

"But as for more information pertaining to vectors, I'm afraid that it is impossible to collect data, unless you were to somehow retrieve it from the Kakuzawa Facility. And absolutely nobody knows of it's existence unless they are closely knit with the Japanese government and militia. Our entire existence… Our entire existence as a species, is to be kept a secret from the mass public."

Lucy leaned against the railing, pondering over her own words.

"If you were to mention that you met a girl with horns to anybody, they wouldimmediatelybrush you off. Or, in worst case scenario, find you insane and admit you."

Of course, this seemed to be necessary. If the entire world knew that there was a species genetically hellbent on wiping out humanity, then there would be a massive panic. More damage would be done than good. And in the long run, even if diclonii were to be accepted, what sort of life would they have? The governments of high powers would fight over possession of them, using them as weapons of war, or attempting to infect more and more children to create anindestructiblearmy.

"That isn't necessary though," a passive wave from her hand, "I can let you know about nearly everything you could be curious over."

The Doctor smiled at Lucy. "I would like that very much, Lucy." He said. "To be honest, I'm not really interested in going through so much government red tape to learn about you. Besides, most humans tend to describe foreign creatures in hyperbole, more than anything."

He shook his head as he put his hat back on his head. "It's a shame, though, that you must be kept a secret from humans. The very notion that you are nothing but a weapon to them is very sad, indeed. I'm sure you could do so much more than destroy."

He turned to Lucy and grinned. "I'll bet that your vectors could be used to better civilization. There could be a multitude of good things if Diclonii were bred as individuals and able-bodied workers." The Doctor then leaned on the console with Lucy. Thinking for a moment, he thought he might give her something of a positive image. Turning to the console, he altered the coordinates just a bit from the TARDIS's flight path, and decided to set it to orbit around Earth.

He turned to face Lucy. "Take a look over there, Lucy." He said, pointing to the covered viewscreen. Flicking a switch, the viewscreen door went up, uncovering an image. It showed the Earth, bright and vibrant as the TARDIS orbited the planet.

The Doctor could only grin at Lucy's reaction.

It was an abstract image of blues, greens, whites and browns; an orb of multitude and life force. This was the world, that held everybody and everything that had ever taken a breath of air. Home to the millions, maybe billions, of species that had run across golden plains and bitter tundras, or swam through the expansive, deep oceans.

Seeing the planet in which she hailed from was incredible; it was not as black and white as she imagined it would be. In fact, when looking at it from above, one might doubt any sort of evil and despair to lurk within— it brought the Diclonius back to her memories of the zoo as a child. Long necked creatures and colorful things swimming about.

There was so much to the world aside from humans— but the sheer fact that they could cause such an impact in a short amount of time was daunting as well. Humanity was very, very real. Real monsters. Sure, there were diamonds in the rough, but it seemed that it was difficult to find them.

How could this man from an entire different world find them to be so … interesting?

Of course, Lucy had come across a few pious humans in her time, but they were few and far in between. Was there a point in history where humans were not so… Naive? Selfish? Somehow, they managed to be the dominant species of the entire planet. But how?

Snapping back to reality after being lost in the thoughts, the Diclonius turned her head, glancing up at the Doctor.

"You had mentioned earlier your fascination with humanity… Did you meet a member of their race that struck you true? I want to know how you came across such good people, and just how uncommon or frequent they might be."

The Doctor nodded at Lucy's question. "Quite a few good people, actually. In fact, some of them have even traveled with me." He went over to Lucy's position as he looked at the planet that they orbited. "Granted, the first people I've ever really traveled with actually ended up forcing themselves inside my TARDIS, but they eventually grew on me. I wasn't so privy to being with humans during my earlier days."

He really wasn't. It had been so long since his travels with Ian and Barbara, and that fateful moment they found him and Susan Foreman inside the TARDIS. Human curiosity got the best of them, and it sparked a journey that had been continuing ever since. Of course, since his first incarnation, the Doctor had warmed up to traveling with humans, but it just took a while.

He smiled to himself. He was quite the grump back then, wasn't he?

"I suppose I am just lucky, Lucy." He said. "I've met many fantastic people that I'm very grateful to have traveled with. Of course, there were times that humans still display their dark side for want of power, fortune, and fame. But the ones I come across were, I think, humanity's best." He looked to Lucy and smiled. "I think you'd come to like the ones I consider my friends." The Doctor said. "They've seen just about as much as I have, and would consider you just as fascinating."

"I've only ever had two friends in my life time… It would be nice to come across more before I depart," Lucy admitted, looking down once more at the marble-esque beauty that was planet earth. From this angle, it almost seemed impossible for one single race to take over an entire existence that was THIS large. It was incredibly fascinating, knowing that even before a single homo sapien stepped foot on the ground, the dinosaurs of old crashed and roamed the once arid earth.

She'd always had a fondness for dinosaurs as a child. Their scaly bodies and horns werereminiscentof her own mutations, making them intriguing to the young Diclonius.

Ergo, the mutant had thought she was part triceratops for nearly six months, before coming to realize that many other essential attributes of reptilians were missing.

"I've always yearned for… Friends. People that won't forsaken me, just because I'm a little different. Kouta and Aiko— both of them suffered so much because of me. And yet, both of them considered me a friend beforehand. I guess…—"

A hand reached up, brushing against her own shoulder.

"…I guess you could say that I've never crossed somebody's path without causing them misfortune in some way. And usually— actually, every time, it is my fault. If I were only a little more trustworthy— if I could control this… Beast within me, I would be able to try and see past all of the bad in the world, and see the good."

She was not exactly frowning, but Lucy did feel regret for what had happened in the past. Harming Kouta. Not being able to save Aiko's life. All she wished to have was some sort of optimism.

The Doctor put a comforting arm around Lucy as the both of them looked on at the blue planet that the TARDIS orbited. "You're certainly one to talk about being different." He quipped. "How often is it that someone like you ends up in the company of a Time Lord? More to the point, with a Time Lord, in his TARDIS, in orbit above your home planet? I know a thing or two about being different, Lucy." With a smile, he looked at Lucy in the eye.

"And yet, you don't even realize, you're in the company of a friend currently." He tilted his head just a bit. "Of course, our first meeting wasn't under the best circumstances, but people can change. No matter what kind of race you are."

The Doctor then advanced a bit forward before turning around to face Lucy. "You're definitely not evil, Lucy. If you were, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I think all you need is a bit of change. So, a change like this…" He then outstretched his arms, as if he were presenting the TARDIS. "Might be something that you needed for some time. And if you're looking for friends, well…" He went over to K-9 and knelt next to him.

"You've got us for the time being. What say you, K-9?"

"Affirmative." The dog chirped. "I will assist in looking after the Mistress."

A smile was cracked on Lucy's features— was this was it felt like to have … Family? People who cared for her well-being? Whether it was or not, she was more than receptive for this opportunity. It would be a trial to make sure that her Instinct would not smolder this building, symbolic flame of trust, but it was a struggle that she was willing to fight through.

You silly, naive girl… Don't you know? This will never turn out for the best. Prepare yourself for the worst.

Brushing off the auditory pest, Lucy returned her focus and curiosity up front.

"…I would love to consider the both of you good friends. You have proven that I can trust the two of you, and I thank you for that," she admitted, smiling all the while.

"—How many places have you actually been on this 'TARDIS'? You sound as if you are welltraveled you've definitely have to have crossed almost everywhere possible. What were some of your favorite locations?"

And then the questions began to trickle out, as if she were a care free child once more. Lucy's psyche was calming down to the point where she could feel secure enough to do so. It was a positive step towards being able to stand for herself, and not the killing Instinct.

"Oh, I wouldn't say I've been everywhere, Lucy." The Doctor said, standing up. "Although, I've been to many different galaxies and planets." He recalled some of his past travels. There were many places he had been to, but always ended up on Earth. It was funny how that worked.

"Though, to be perfectly honest, Earth has always been my favorite place. It's been my home away from Gallifrey for some time, and for a planet occupied by humans, it is a very beautiful place."

He flashed a toothy grin while chuckling. "Besides, where else can I get a good plate of fish and chips? I can't really get that on the planet Arcadia. I rather like the cuisine here, too."

He then eyed the planet on the viewscreen. "Yes…" He trailed off. "…I guess you could say that this is my favorite place. In fact, this was the first planet I went to since I left Gallifrey."

The assumption was made that 'Gallifrey' was this man's home— but it sounded as if he had not been there in many, many years. Had he left on purpose, was he and his kind flooded out? It felt as if it were a personal question; it would be held until later. For now, Lucy wished to keep the scenario calm and collect.

"And since you can move through time— does that mean you've been able to witness historical events?" The Diclonius blinked lightly, her head tilted in thought. There were PLENTY of things that people would give in order to go back and see the past. Situations such as the American Revolution, the time of the ancient Romans, maybe even a period in which dinosaurs walked and shook the earth.

And then he spoke of other planets— just how many were there? The great minds of science spoke in these days, wondering if Earth were alone within the universe. Apparently, there were at least two others. And probably many, many more, with the way that the Doctor continued on.

The Doctor turned away from the viewscreen and faced Lucy. "Oh, yes, Lucy. One of the perks of being a Time Lord. Witnessing history unfold in front of your very eyes. I've even met a few historical celebrities in my time. Even Leonardo da Vinci. Very nice fellow, he is. His Mona Lisa, I believe, is one of the great treasures of the Universe."

At least, to the Doctor, anyway. Some would have words with him, but he always believed that nothing, nothing could beat the Mona Lisa when it came to what was the best artistic piece in the whole galaxy.

"—I'm not too sure what fish and chips are." Lucy said after a short pause

With a small grin, he went over to the console and set some new coordinates for a small spot in London. There was a small area overlooking a dock that he visited a few times with Sarah Jane that had a wonderful fish and chips vendor. He'd have to keep it within Lucy's time, though. He didn't want to go back to 1978 London yet.

"I think you will soon." He said. "I'll have the TARDIS materialize in London. I know of a wonderful fish and chips stand. Hopefully it's still around." Looking over to her as he flipped a lever, he smiled. "I've no doubt you must be hungry, Lucy."

"Oh— a little, yes."

Now, art had never been the Diclonius's forte, but she was well aware of who Leonardo da Vinci was. He was the subject of a few classes during her orphanage days. They were taught about several famous painters and such, da Vinci being one of them, along with Van Gogh, Monet and a few others. Lucy herself tried her hand at art, but it was never a talent that she could master. Therefor, anybody with artistic skill was admired in her eye.

A little was an understatement. The last bit of food that had went into her stomach was nearly two days ago, when she managed to get a bar of granola for a few yen at a convenience store. One of the things that assisted her when killing, was being able to take money off of the victims. Though, many people these days ceased in carrying cash, and instead took credit and debit cards, which inhibited Lucy from using them.

"—Materialize, that means appear, right? I guess you can wind up wherever you wish with this sort of technology. It has to be convenient at times, I can imagine."

"Yes, Lucy. Very convenient." He said. "What you saw earlier when we were in that tree was the TARDIS materializing. It sort of disappears and reappears whereever it can find a convenient landing spot. Certainly a lot better than flying a spacecraft and landing it in an ostentatious fashion."

He saw the TARDIS was coming up on London, and took to a lever as he kept talking. "Materializing is certainly a lot better than that. Because it makes people wonder how long a Police Box has been in that little area, rather than gawking at a fancy space ship."

As he finished pulling the lever slowly, the Time Rotor stopped, and made a "Ding" sound, signifying its landing. Putting his hat on, he flipped a lever, opening the TARDIS doors.

"Looks like we've arrived. Should be a wonderful night, I think." He then bent down on the floor and grabbed Lucy's cap. "Best remain incognito for the time being, Lucy." The Doctor said, handing Lucy the black cap.

"Of course— humans are naturally curious, and having an entire group of them circling around something that's obviously alien would draw unneeded attention, and probably sprout obnoxious urban legends," Lucy mused, taking her cap to adjust it back on her head. The horns created small protrusions, but they were hardly noticeable, and could easily be passed as an uneven bit of fabric that was poked up during production.

A nod, and the two filed out of the TARDIS.

London was, well— words to describe the city would be, unique, interesting. The people spoke with color in their tone, an accent that the Diclonius was not used to. Along with that, the architecture was different from her home. Even the fashion of people walking along the streets was far different from Japan.

Both arms folded lightly, glancing around.

"Do you come here often?"

"Hmmm?" The Doctor hummed as he closed the TARDIS door behind them. "Oh, far more often than you would think, Lucy. I rather like it, to be honest."

He took Lucy's hand as they walked down a sidewalk. "Come on. Let's get something to eat."

After a few minutes of walking, they made their way to a fish and chips stand near a view of the River Thames. Just off in the distance was the Westminister Palace, with the Westminister Bridge lighting up the night sky.

The Doctor grabbed two plates of steaming, hot fish and chips. He handed one to Lucy and found a few stools and tables on the crosswalk. They both sat down, with the view of the River providing a nice backdrop.

The Doctor then began to eat his chips. He didn't remember the last time he had an English meal, so this was a welcome change. As he ate a few chips, he looked over to Lucy, who was eyeing both the River view, and the food she held.

Being akin to a diet of rice, porridge and vegetables, eating something that was NOT home cooked or left in therefrigeratorsof abandoned homes happened to be rather new for Lucy. In fact, spending any sort of extended time among humans was almost unheard of for the renegade. The last time that she sat out in public with a friend— well, she was seven years of age, and it was a small bench within the limits of a downtown zoo.

Not to mention that the view was nice. It was different from the beach and mountain ranges cradling Kamakura within the Kanagawa Prefecture, but it was a good different. She'd only seen these places in books before, and here she was, now experiencing it all for real.

The fish, in proportion, was rather large, leaving her to pull it apart between her fingers, "I've never had fish like this— it's usually steamed or raw," Lucy mentioned, blinking between bites. Her interest could be compared to that of a child; when she found something to latch onto, there was little that could distract her.

"I guess now's an appropriate time to say thanks," she smiled lightly with a nod.

The Doctor flashed a toothy grin to the Diclonius. "You're very welcome, Lucy." He said. "It might not be the most fanciest food, but I'm sure it suffices." The Time Lord playfully jabbed his elbow at Lucy's arm as he pulled apart his battered fish and ate it.

He could see Lucy starting to eat the fish and chips a little quicker, no doubt hunger taking over the young Diclonius. She must have not eaten for days, it would seem.

"Slow down, Lucy. Enjoy this." He said. "I understand that it's been a while, with the way you're eating, but good fish and chips should be enjoyed. Regardless, these are rather good." He popped a chip into his mouth. "I used to eat here sometimes with one of my closest companions. Sarah Jane Smith was her name. Wonderful girl, she was. Very feisty, but upfront. Knows when to show initiative, and never the type to sit back and hide." He smiled as he thought of Sarah.

"You would like her, Lucy. She's a very dear friend of mine."

Pausing for a moment, she cleared her throat, a tadembarrassedthat she was eating that quickly. Then again, she was not used to laying back and simply enjoying life as it was. She slowed down either way, just so that she would not race through the entire meal and end up filling her stomach with air.

"I suppose… You've met a lot of people in your lifetime, you would know who is worth the time, and who isn't. Did she travel around with you as well?"

Lucy wondered whether or not that was a constant factor in his daily life, helping people who did not look at with world with happiness, and turning them around. Though their meeting had only been brief so far, the renegade felt as if she could trust this man known as the Doctor.

It would not be easy to fight through the killing Instinct within, but— there was always a change, surely.

She would not be subject to this beast within forever, right?

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. Sarah did travel around with me." He smiled as his thoughts were recollecting all of his previous adventures with her. "I've known her since my previous regeneration. We saw all sorts of different planets, and had many adventures together. She was nothing short of marvelous. Very sweet, and no doubt my best friend."

He then looked down at his fish and chips. "Unfortunately, I received a call from my home planet of Gallifrey during my time with her. The Time Lords summoned me, and I had to obey. Humans aren't really allowed on my home planet, as the Time Lords are a bit xenophobic."

Taking a bit of fish, he chomped on it. "So, I had no choice. I had to leave her behind. Of course…" He tilted his head. "I dropped her off back to her home, but I couldn't take her with me."

The Time Lord looked at Lucy with a smile. "I'll never forget that woman, Lucy. I certainly hope she doesn't forget me."

Listening to the tale that he spoke of, the Diclonius nodded. Though it wasn't specifically mentioned, she could notice that he felt just a bit of sadness towards all of it. But who wouldn't? When one forms a connection with an other, it hurts to break it.

"I don't think that anybody could forget somebody like you," Lucy mentioned truthfully, "erhhmm, not just because you travel around in a blue box and show up at random. You're a good person— and I can't say that about many people."

Her smile grew just a little more.

"I'm sure she recalls you just fine, Doctor."

Out of all of the individuals she had come across in her time here on Earth, there was only a handful that would ever be considered to be held with trust by the Diclonius. And this strange man in a scarf happened to be one of them.

The Doctor smile grew into his toothy grin as he chuckled at Lucy's kind words. It seems like he got through to the Diclonius and made a connection.

He could see it. She wasn't a monster.

"I'm sure she does, Lucy." He said with a small nod and chuckle. "I'm sure she does…"

The Time Lord put an arm around Lucy as the both of them ate their fish and chips quietly, enjoying the view of the River Thames, the lights shining brightly against the dark backdrop, and the stars twinkling in the night sky.

The next hour or so consisted of light hearted conversation, a few laughs here and there, and thought provoking comments. Lucy did not know too much about the world and it's different colors, but gradually, it seemed that her shades of white and gray were earning hues here and there.

"I bet you never run out of places to wind up— I didn't realize that there was so much more to the world than just the close-minded individuals that surrounded me as a child. And that there is even life outside of this planet! It must be impossible to be able to see everything in one life time… is that one of the reasons why you can regenerate? Or is that just an attribute of your kind?"

The Doctor ate another chip as he listened to Lucy's question. "That's merely an attribute all Time Lords possess, Lucy." He answered. "Usually, in one regeneration, a Time Lord can live for up to about 400 years. That's how it was for me in my first form. Other times, though, I got a little too close to death's touch, and regenerated into another form."

He looked at his hands. "I've had many faces during my time, Lucy. This one being the fourth. So far, so good with this model, I think. I certainly hope it lasts."

The Doctor laughed a bit. "You're right. I don't run out of too many places to head off to. I have an entire cosmos at my disposal. I could go anywhere I wanted to, honestly." He then pat the bench they both sat on. "Though, it's always nice to wind back here from time to time.

She personally could not imagine living for that long, watching people that you once knew decease before you, see entire worlds change as you stand there stagnant. The more she thought about it, the more Lucy realized how big of a burden this entire existence could be.

—One must get rather lonely, being able to live nearly forever.

"I guess you have the time to see all of it, I suppose. Or maybe you even have your limits. Even so, you've more freedom than many people have on a daily basis."

The Doctor nodded. "Indeed. Funny thing about time travel and being a Time Lord. One often wonders if I ever do find the time. When there's so much I've discovered, or yet to discover."

He ate a bit more of his fish. "Still, at least I've met some good people along the way. You included." He munched a bit of the fish before finishing off the rest of his chips. "It is wonderful to have the freedom of a Time Lord, but it helps greatly when I have someone to travel around with."

Nodding, a 'chip' was dipped into a small pit of ketchup, nibbling the end. They were a little hot as she tried to avoid burning the roof of her mouth, "Can you ever remember a time where you were not constantly traveling around?" An elbow leaned against the table, her eyes once more finding the stars above; they were wondrous this time of evening, just as the sun was wrapping up and setting, allowing the moon to take reign of the evening as patriarch of the sky.

"No, Lucy." The Doctor said, shaking his head. "The only times I could really remember not traveling were my younger days back on Gallifrey, when I was at the academy. Nowadays, I'm usually anywhere and everywhere, never really stopping." He grinned at Lucy. "Really, I wouldn't have it any other way. I rather like being on the move constantly."

"It must be nice," Lucy nodded, "personally, I travel around a lot," she began to speak, reaching and messing with the straw in her glass of water, "but not to other countries and such. Just around the Kanagawa Prefecture. I cannot exactly stay in one place for too long, as you can imagine, the authorities are constantly on my trail. So I just meander here and there each night."

Recalling the first time where she knew in her gut that she was required to kill for a home, the Diclonius sighed, shoving the bad thoughts out of her head for the time being.

"Guess that's changing for now, hmh?"

The Doctor smiled at Lucy. "I suppose it is. At least for the better." He said. "Though you'll have to forgive me. I've not traveled with a runaway fugitive before."

He finished off the remains of his fish and chips, and the rest of his water glass. Brushing off his hands, he stood up from his seat.

"Let's get back to the TARDIS." He said to Lucy. "After all of this excitement, I imagine you haven't slept in a while."

Ahhh, a good evening of sleep. When was the last time that the renegade was able to lay down and rest, without waking up at as the sun set in order to move about? The thought of it brought relief to her mind; now that she thought of it, it had nearly been two days since Lucy had actually slept.

"That actually sounds like a good plan," she nodded, standing and following after as asked. Both arms were crossed behind her back, rather than hanging limp to the sides. Perhaps it was for the sake of not looking strange and gangly to this new environment.

The Doctor and Lucy made their journey back to the blue Police Box as the night life began to take hold on the streets of London. As the streets lights began to flicker on, they found their way back to the TARDIS.

Unlocking the door, Lucy and the Doctor made their way back in, the Doctor flipping the door lever, closing the doors.

"If I recall, there should be a spare bedroom in the corridors." He said with a toothy grin. "Come on. I'll take you to it." He then opened the door from the console room leading to a hallway.

The interior hallway seemed to match that of the console room. The corridor was white, with roundels on the walls, as per the TARDIS's design. They walked down the corridor, making a left turn until finding a door.

"Here we are!" He said. "Welcome to your new bedroom, Lucy." The Doctor opened up the door, and flicked a light switch, revealing a suite-like room. It, of course, had a nice, comfortable bed. Twin size, however. There were also a small sofa and a few cushioned recliners here and there. There was a dresser, a mirror, and even a small chess set in one of the corners of the room. And, as usual, there were roundels that populated the walls.

"It's not much." The Doctor said to Lucy, picking up a cushion and inspecting it. "But I hope you'll find this comfortable."

What this traveling man considered 'not much' was rather appealing, actually. For the first time in— well… ever, the renegade had a space to call her own, one that was not confined against steel walls, enveloping her in restraints and painful contraptions. It was not a damp corner in the street, or a home stolen from humanity by her killing vector's.

All it was, happened to be a cozy little nook, where she could retire in the evening, and not worry about awakening and having to flee.

Stepping up to the mirror with curious Instinct, a vector reached up, tapping the material ever so lightly, leaving a smudge. Turning, the Diclonius nodded, and smiled.

It was nothing like the cramped room that she bunked alone in at the orphanage. The atmosphere was welcoming, rather than one that made you feel like a burden.

"I like it very much," Lucy smiled, the expression lingering for a moment before said vector reached around, grabbing the doorknob, "it isn't a habit of mine to be brief, but, I'm exhausted. I'll speak with you later tomorrow, Doctor."

The Doctor turned around to find that the door opened by itself. Must have been from Lucy's vector. He flashed a toothy grin to the Diclonius.

"I understand, Lucy. If you need to turn off the lights, a clap should turn them off." He then pointed to an intercom on the wall next to the door. "If you need to, give a shout to me with that intercom. That links directly to the console room."

He looked around the room, seeing if he forgot anything. "That should be everything, I believe." He said. "I'll have K-9 guard your door, just in case." He then walked out of the door but turned around and tipped his hat to Lucy.

"Good night, Lucy." He said. "Sleep tight."

"Yes. Good night."

And with a simple message of departure, Lucy did just as she planned to do; she rummaged through an attached closet, finding a pair of light blue sleeping pajamas, changing into the comfortable cotton and sitting on her bed, staring at the different details of the room, almost as to memorize it.

Not because she was forgetful, but more so, just in case—

Just in case this was a pleasant dream. Just in case she were to awake the next day, laying on her size next to the grave site of a man named Junoichi Takada. It was a headstone that the renegade often found herself next to when resting within Kamakura Cemetery. No particular reason, it just happened to lay on a comfortable piece of land.

Exhaling, both hands clapped, the lights shutting off as she laid to sleep.

---

The hum of machinery.

The monotonous chirp of medical equipment.

Her vision was spacey as they was chained to a wall by her wrists and ankles, head held low as muttering behind a observation window could be heard.

—What were they saying?

"It's important to take a sample of her blood before putting her into the confinement chamber. We will require it for furthering our knowledge on the Diclonius race. Chief Kurama, you did say she was delivered, correct?" "Yes. A peculiar man, we never did catch his name. He sounded relieved to have brought her here, though. It's incredible that he even made it out alive."

A flash of light, and then darkness. Then the air became thinner, and thinner, and thinner— until Lucy could feel an unwelcoming familiar tension on her body.

"These state of the art restraints are made of the strongest materials that we could get our hands on. Her vectors should not be able to manipulate it at all… We cannot risk another breach. Lucy will not be allowed into the world again, she is a danger to all of mankind."

She could barely muster words, but was able to scream out—

"YOU'RE A LIAR!"

---

— And then, it was all over. Lucy was sitting up in her bed in the dark, panting and struggling to breath, her shoulders stiff, arms and legs numb.

It— was just a nightmare?

A terribly realistic one, but a nightmare nonetheless.

Calm down, calm down, calm down—- Her vision was still a little blurry from just being awoken, and could not make it to her satchel— she couldn't grab her precious music box.

Instead, the Diclonius grabbed onto the sides of her head, forcing a melody from her throat.

"La la laaa… La la… meditabitur… sapientiem …"

---

The TARDIS was in mid-flight. The Doctor had set it to orbit Earth once again after he finished his nap. He slept well, yet thoughts of Lucy occupied his mind.

He thought to himself, 'was he in too deep this time?' He often tried to change the mind of killers with terrible results. But if a killer like Lucy were to change for the better...

But then, another thought popped into his head. What if she were brainwashed back into killing, despite the Doctor's efforts to change her? What if his attempts became futile?

What if Lucy killed him?

The Doctor shook his head as he turned a few knobs. That would never happen. He would not let it.

Lucy was not a monster. And he would never let anyone turn her into one.

He shed his red frock coat earlier, but kept the scarf wrapped around his neck, the coat hanging on the coat rack with his hat. It seemed a bit hotter to him after that nightmare. Also strange, considering how most Gallifreyans have a colder internal temperature than humans.

Something seemed very odd.

He checked the TARDIS's relative clock. It was coming up to 9:00 AM. Should be a good morning rise to Lucy.

He walked out of the console room, making his way to Lucy's bedroom door. When he arrived, he was just about to knock, but stopped short.

The Doctor's eyes widened in curiosity. He could hear something on the other side of the door. He listened closely.

Was Lucy… singing?

---

It had been nearly four hours since that night terror shook Lucy awake; no attempts at lulling back into a comfortable slumber had been made. Instead, she lays on her bed, one knee tucked up to her chest, the other laying natural. One hand still grips the side of her head, the right remained the same.

The only thing that had changed since waking up was the presence of her cherished music box, placed close to her head, just far enough so that the sound of the mechanism within would not hurt her head.

It was the same collection of notes, playing over and over.

Dum dum dummmmm, dum dum.

It would rise, fall, and rise again. When the melody ended, so would Lucy's mutters. Only to wind up the music box and listen once more.

"Kyriieee, ignis divine elllleison…"

The possibility of Lucy hypnotizing herself into only focusing on the box was high, for she had yet to end the trance.

---

The Doctor could hear not only Lucy singing, but the presence of a music box that had the melody of the same song that Lucy was singing. His eyes widened.

He had heard this song before.

Leaning against the wall next to Lucy's door, he brought a hand to his temple. That same song he heard carried a sombre, yet beautiful tone to it. It was an interesting song that he never thought would come across.

The song had spoken of love, kindness, serenity, and sanctum. But yet, with those qualities that the song entailed, the tone of the song itself seemed… almost depressive.

As if it were hopeful for sanctum, but would seem like an objective unobtainable.

The Doctor only uttered the song's name to himself as he felt a wave of emotion pass over him.

"Lilium…"

---

Only seconds after the Doctor would utter that word to himself, the mechanism once again stopped, the music halting. Slowly, Lucy regained use of her mentality, now that the 'spell' had been broken.

Her heightened senses easily pinpointed the man standing by her door— had he listened in on her lamentations? Sitting up and slipping off of the bed sheets, feet patted against the floor, until the mutation made it to the door.

She could of easily opened it with her vectors, though it seemed that it was difficult to utilize them in such an odd state.

The door opened.

Eyes glanced up.

The Doctor was standing in front of Lucy. He was just about to open the door himself, until Lucy beat him to the punch. He looked at her with sullen eyes.

It had been a while since he felt an emotion like that.

"Lilium…" He said, trying to find the words. "…That was Lilium you were singing in there, Lucy." He walked by her and entered her room. "I remember the first time I heard that song. I went to a Latin Opera House in 1928. One of the opera singers there sang that song. It was… something I never thought would give me such powerful feelings."

He went over to the mirror, looking at himself and the Diclonius. "It talked of love, tranquility, and kindness. Sanctum. Something of a wanted romance. But the tone of the song always carried a sombre tone with it."

The Time Lord turned to face Lucy. "Though I never thought someone like you would come across that song."

He went over to the bed, and found a small box. Sitting on the bed, he took the box and inspected it. He opened it, and wound it up.

Dum dum dummm, dum dum.

He was right. Lilium played.

Shutting the box, he ended the song. "Tell me, Lucy. How did you come across this song?" He asked, still looking at the box.

"How did I come across it…?"

"I just thought it was a pretty song, that's all…"

Faster than she had silenced when she first put the Doctor's emotional values on the chopping block upon the moment their paths crossed, Lucy clammed up, frowning and glancing down at the wooden frame of the music box. Her thumbs brushed against them, as if to try and figure out how it must have felt the day that Kouta had come across the horned child.

How he dropped it when he noticed the horns upon her head, triggering the music, and thus connecting them.

"…"

Was Kouta still her friend?

Doubtful. Not after the sins she had commit on that horrible, horrible train ride. Kanae. His father. And almost Yuka.

Even if he were to accept her apology in the long run, there was no chance that the Diclonius— a mutation, a murderer, a beast, could ever feel comfortable around him and the others, ever again.

"… An old flame," she'd eventually answer, quietly.

The Doctor looked at her, her gaze downtrodden as she spoke in a quiet manner. He could feel many things coming from Lucy. Many emotions.

Sadness. Regret. Fear. Even trace amounts of anger.

She was holding a few things back.

"An old flame, eh?" He repeated, inspecting the music box. "Interesting. Someone introducing you to such a sombre song like this. I wonder why…"

His eyes widened a bit to when he thought back to his meeting with Lucy the night before. He barely heard her sing Lilum when she murdered those four people.

Was this a mantra to her…?

"I never thought one little song could carry such a powerful aura about it." He said. "And yet, I'm feeling such incredible emotions coming from you." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't doubt you went through such trying times, being the species you are, and feeling humanity's judgmental attitude towards you. Did this song have anything to do with those times?"

Her hands became antsy, the need to cling and grab onto something becoming more and more prominent. This was one purpose that the music box served, something to cling to, to keep herself from relapsing into a fit of mindless destruction.

She never did learn why Kouta loved that song.

Though it was a pillar of how the two became friends momentarily.

The corners of Lucy's mouth tugged down into a firm expression, not wishing to display any sort of action that could be dubbed as 'vulnerable'. For she was better than that, correct?

Kouta…

How she wished to understand why he did not speak the truth.

—What was so wonderful about that other girl?

Or had it been the fact that she herself held far too much emotion for the boy at the time? But who would not? The first living being to show true kindness to her, the young Diclonius was BOUND to cling to what she had.

Liar…

Eventually, her head would lift back up, both hands gripping her thighs to remain steady.

"I—…"

A thick gulp.

Her head shook softly, "… I'd rather not speak of it."

"…I see."

The Doctor put a hand over Lucy's clutching hand and rubbed it. "It must have been something traumatic." He could see Lucy tensing up, her muscles locking as she tried to remain calm and steady her emotions. She wasn't agitated, but it seemed like she needed to let her emotions out. If she didn't wish to speak, then what was so bad to have happened back then…?

Normally, he wouldn't intrude, but a delicate psyche is hanging in the balance. If her emotions bottled up, who know when the geyser may erupt? That could very well turn into a geyser of blood.

Nonetheless, he decided to take a big risk.

"Lucy, look at me."

Lucy's eyes turned to face the Time Lord's, their gazes locking. "I know you don't feel comfortable talking about it, but I propose something. Instead of telling me about it, why don't you show me?"

He raised an index finger. "Time Lords have telepathic abilities. If you wish to show me what happened through mental projections, you're free to do so. I understand that merely talking about it may be difficult to do, hence why I'm suggesting this."

The Doctor put a hand on her shoulder. "I want you to have nothing to worry about. You're my friend, and my companion. I care what happens to you, and will help you in any way possible. I won't enter your mind without your permission."

He smiled. "Now. What say you, Lucy?"

—Was that proposition even a safe one? It was clear and obvious that her friend was worried and concerned for her well being and mental stability. The biggest complication HAD to be the threat of her Instinct, just awaiting for a perfect time to get a stronghold on Lucy's mind, taking the reigns and doing whatever it pleased to do.

As physical contact was made, her anxiety gradually dropped, now that she did not stand stagnant and shaking. Instead, a shaking hand reached out, plucking the music box from the Doctor's grip. She would quietly muter an apology, hoping that he wound understand that it was not a gesture of hostility.

"…Showing you, I— my mind isn't safe. There's … Somebody who speaks to me, they've always been there— but they didn't show up, not until…"

Lips pursed, eyes shutting.

Could she make this gamble and hope for the best?

Lucy herself could not remember absolutely everything from the past, and maybe by allowing the Doctor to peer in, he could assist her in moving on.

In rehabilitating.

They WERE friends, correct? She should be able to trust him.

"I guess, if you feel that strong about the situation… How would we even go about that?"

The Doctor's smile persisted. "Simple. I make contact with you telepathically, and I can have access to your mental landscape. I'll be able to wander around freely, though even I'm not sure what's inside someone's mind. It's been a while since I've done so, but if I recall, everyone's mind is different. They have different landscapes and environments."

He drew back Lucy's bangs from her head, getting a clear view of her eyes. "I'm aware I'm taking an awfully big risk with this. I don't know what's going on inside of your head, but if there's… somebody that talks to you in there…" He pointed to her head. "…Then that might not be normal. I need to have a look and see where in your life you started to become this… killer that you were conditioned to be."

The Doctor than put a hand on the music box that Lucy clutched tightly. "And to see where in your life this song took such a hold on you."

He then brought both of his hands to her temples, and looked at her eyes. "Now, if you still don't object to this, shall we begin?"

Inhale, and then exhale. Keep yourself together, this is important.

"Okay. I'm ready, Doctor."

The Doctor closed his eyes as he concentrated. He then was able to establish a successful mental link with Lucy.

"Contact."

She could feel the fingertips barely touch the base of her horns, since they grew so close to her temples. Lucy blinked a few times, before relaxing and focusing so that the much taller man could perform this odd phenomenon.

Once her shoulders loosened up, the Diclonius allowed her mind to be looked into.

---

The mental landscape stood bare, with soft tones of blue mixing with the harsh blackness around.

If one were to be consumed by this environment and walk, their footsteps would echo against unseen walls.

All was silent, before the Doctor would be able to see through the eyes of a much, much younger Lucy. His presence that of a ghost, observing her memories like a play.

Two separate, feminine voices could be heard outside of a door right next to a bunk bed. Simple pieces of furniture, including a dresser and a desk could be seen. "Did you hear? That girl has a fever again." "Again? Ugh, that kid gives me the never plays with any of the other children, and nobody wants to bunk with her—" "—And those horns, they're so disgusting."

"Her horns? Disgusting…?" The Doctor repeated.

A soft sigh, and the young child would sit up, breathing out softly before slipping out of her bed, maneuvering her way through hallways before winding up outside. The young one would wind up collapsing on the ground, laying there for a moment before small footsteps could be heard. Paws! Lifting her head up, the child looks upon a small puppy in front of her. "Did you come over here because you were worried about me?" She would rhetorically ask quietly, her voice extremely soft spoken. "Don't worry… I'm not lonely. I'm—… I'm not lonely…"

The Doctor couldn't help but smile. "That certainly explains your affinity for K-9, Lucy." He said to himself.

— Abruptly, the sight shifted to what seemed to be a classroom; the young horned one was surrounded by three seemingly older boys, the main one goading and egging her on. "You know, I heard they found you all alone in a field," his voice rose and fell, almost in a playful manner, "I bet your parents abandoned you because of those freaky horns on your head!" Unresponsive, the young girl would try to ignore it all; it seemed this was 'normal'. Turning to leave, she would be tripped by another one of the boys, the three then laughing in a cruel way. "Ahahaha! You must be some sort of animal because you're DEFINITELY not human!"

The Doctor couldn't help but feel sympathy for Lucy. He knew children could be cruel at times, but this… This was just terrible.

"Oh no…" He said. "Oh dear. You were bullied, Lucy…?"

Vision went black, and then appeared once more momentarily.

The sight shifted into something different. It was the same room, this time, with Lucy being held by one of the kids in a full nelson hold. He then heard frantic barking.

It was the puppy!

What happened next, the Doctor could not believe.

Held back and bound by one of the bullies' arms, the young Diclonius struggled in his grip, trying to break free before her one companion, her one little ray of light, was harmed. But to no avail, the child would not be successful…

W-why?! Why is this happening?!
With each strike that Tomoo inflicted on the small canine, the child struggled harder, and harder, trying to break FREE! If she could only break that hold she could save him! "Stop it! " Another little girl runs into the room, trying to stop the boys from hurting the dog further. The pinkette would recognize this child as one of the people she asked to keep the dog a secret from Tomoo and the other boys. —Thus,furthering the devastation when she heard him say, "Tch, why? You're the one who told us about the dumb dog anyways," the boy scoffed. —The little Diclonius gasped, eyes widening, before her head dropped. …And since they're unhappy, they're probably looking for somebody who's worse off than they are.

The Doctor's eyes widened as the event transpired before him.

He couldn't bear to watch the children that beat the poor, defenseless dog to death, and the revelation that one of the kids was forced to tell them about the puppy.

Lucy's voice mumbled. "You know who isn't human…?" Then rose ever so lightly. "You KNOW who isn't HUMAN…?!" —And then, the scream. A screech. A voice full of absolute hatred and venom. "PEOPLE LIKE YOU!" Lucy didn't notice what had happened to her when her rage took over. But to the Doctor, he witnessed something he did not expect.

For within an instant…

The town was painted red, so to speak.

In a quick moment, the three children's heads exploded, leaving no traces of anything above their necks. The entire walls and ceiling stained with blood, bits of skull and traces of brain matter. The whole room was deathly quiet.

The Time Lord fell to his knees. He shook his head at the sight before him. "Oh Lucy…" It was all he was able to say.

What could he say, though…?

Lucy's vision would blank out for only seconds, before it focused back in. Something had over come the young child, something strong. Something gruesome— but what it was? She did not know. It felt as if some sort of uncontrollable force had came from her core, reaching out— prepared to stop all of it once and for all— All the child was aware of— —was that she had to get out and away from the mess she had caused. The death that followed her outburst, Nearly an hour passed as the young horned one went at digging a small grave for her puppy, recovering it and placing a large stone over it as a marker. She would stand there for a while, just looking down at it. "—Why do I have to be treated like this? Just because I'm a little different? It's not fair… It's not fair!" The child mutters, her voice now returning to the usual soft spoken tone.

Eventually, the environment shifted as it showed Lucy digging a grave for the deceased puppy. The Doctor only wished he could hug the small child as she started to cry.

"Oh, Lucy." He said to himself. "If only you could understand. That's not humanity. Those children were terrible…"

And then… Thump. An object fell to the ground behind her, playing a peculiar song.

"Lilium." The Doctor murmured, as he looked on.

It would go on for a few moments, before a youth reached down, retrieving it. Him and the young girl turned murderer looked at each other in silence. "Uhm… Are you alright?" He'd eventually speak up, eyeing the horned child. Embarrassedby her staring, the young Diclonius replied softly. "…I just thought it was a pretty song, that's all." The boy smiled, replying, "Really—?" and then paused, taking a look at the bony protrusions coming from her temples. Before he could say anything, the girl would catch his staring, huffing and covering them. "I bet you think they're disgusting, don't you?" —On the contrary, the boy would rush forward and grab her shoulders, grinning, "No WAY! They're so cool! . . I'm jealous!" All within moments, the Diclonius would be taken aback, eyes widening, cheeks flushing. "My name is Kouta, we should play together sometime!"

The source of the lament had been discovered.

"…Was this why Lilium has a hold on you, Lucy…?"

The questions only kept coming, as the sight shifted into something different.

Once everything became clear once more on a much more pleasant image. Two children sitting in the rain together, a hat had been placed on young Lucy's head to cover up her horns. Something along the line of the boy believing that they made her sad. Perhaps covering them up would make her feel better?

They spoke together, smiling and laughing as the rain fell. Kouta happened to be a 'budding artist', sketching the landscape and different animals in his sketchbook.

The Doctor peered over Kouta's shoulder. He was very impressed by his work, too. "You've got the makings of a modern day Van Gogh, my boy." He said, knowing full well the child couldn't hear him.

All the while, the music box remained open, playing the gentle tune between the two over, and over, and over again.

When evening was nearing, Kouta had to return home; of course, the little Diclonius understood, nodding. "Let's play again some other time!" The boy insisted. Once again, an unfamiliar sense of joy went through the little one's heart, smiling ear to ear. "Oh. . Alright!" This would continue for several days, the two spending time together as the Diclonius came to understand what it was like to live happily. What it was like for somebody to value their existence. —But all the while, every evening, little Lucy was required to perform… 'Necessary' evils in order to get by. Each night, a family would be 'disposed' of, so that she had a place to sleep. It was as if there was a small voice, muttering and reminding her of what to do. And the Diclonius was more than willing to obey. Because she had Kouta to cheer her up.

The sight then shifted as it showed a house lit up in the evening. He could see Lucy standing in front of the door to the house, and opening it. The next thing the Doctor could hear was a family screaming and visceral explosions inside. He saw a window splattered with fresh blood, and the lights turned out.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "…Lucy? That couldn't have been you…"

The environment shifted. On the fifth day, he would arrive a little later than usual, but she was happy nonetheless.

The sight shifted once again. This time, Lucy and Kouta were back together once again, as if nothing had happened.

This started to make the Doctor feel uneasy…

"—Uhm, Kouta…?"

The last day of their time together had been spent at a local zoo, where Lucy had the chance to look at all sorts of bizarre and stranger animals that she had never seen before, not even in books! The elephants and giraffes were some of her favorites, along with some of the slimy,scalyreptiles crawling about on their bellies.

A moment was taken, however, to allow the young girl to know that Kouta would be attending a festival in town the next day with his cousin, which was why he could not spend time with the pinkette.

When the day wrapped up, she wanted to ask a question that held importance for the strangest of reasons.

"Your cousin that you're going with, did you say it was a boy, or a girl?" Her voice did not hold much confidence, due to the fact that she expected the worst.

—This was when Kouta would make a dire mistake.

"Oh— it's a boy," he answered with fake reassurance; the horned child would be too relieved to notice the lie.

"Oh, that's great! Then, uhm— Then tomorrow, I'm going to come say goodbye at the train station," she replied, running off for the night.

Finally, once more, the environment would shift and change to Lucy standing in a crowded street; it appeared that she was impatient, and wanted to see her friend. But who wouldn't? She's a child, any youth would want to do that.

As she scouted the boy out in the crowd, Lucy would finally find Kouta— and his female cousin.

—Did he see her?

—No, she was far behind the crowd, good— she did not want her friend to see her shock.

"B-but… But why…?" Her voice fell.

And that was when the landscape of her mind could be seen once more. Lucy fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes. A hallucination of Kouta, standing there with a twisted expression, would utter.

"I would never fall for a girl, with horns growing out of her head," the apparition provoked.

"Th-then, then Kouta, why would you—-"

"I told you… I like looking at weird animals."

That vision would vanish, as the horrible, macabre figures of her orphanage bullies appeared, once again tormenting the girl from the grave. Lucy couldn't take much more.

The Time Lord could see apparitions of everybody she came into contact with. Kouta and the three bullies. They taunted her, as if they didn't care for her. She was crying.

The Doctor went over to Lucy and knelt down next to her. His eyes looked down at her sullenly.

"A-alright! I can't take it anymore!" she cried out desperately, "No family, no friends, no home— I-I can't do this!"

As she cried and wailed and curled into herself, eventually the pit pat of feet would be heard, as one last figure approached the child, wrapped in bandages, limp and lithe. The way it moved— it was reminicent of Lucy's adult form.

The Doctor immediately felt a chilling evil feeling coming from the Lucy look-a-like.

It would bend down, a hand patting the trembling girl. Turning around, Lucy's eyes widened in shock as the bandages fell. An exact copy of herself… But far more menacing, a hand held out in beckon. Her mouth widened into a wild grin, eyes full.

"As you can see… There is no room for people like us in this world. But… I have plenty of power that I can give you. Choose," the figure's voice was soothing, "a life alone, full of suffering and anxiety… Or… You can make the world… In your vision, a home for yourself. It's that simple…"

The girl remained silent, bowing her head briefly.

"I'm sorry Kouta… I really liked you," she muttered through sniffles, reaching and grabbing the figure's hand, Kouta's hat falling off of her head.

Immediately, that menacing, overwhelmingly strength exerted itself as Lucy's vectors were released in full power, cutting down the ground limb from limb around her, standing there, not a single finger lifted.

"… I'll kill all of you… Each and every one of you…"

Meanwhile, Yuka, Kouta, and his little sister Kanae were already at the train station, unaware of everything that had happened. A rumor was spreading that it was a bomb— nobody would ever know of what truly happened.

When the family boarded the train, they remained there for a while, chatting among themselves until Kanae and Kouta got into a childish argument; but the little sister had brought up something that the boy would NEVER believe.

"I saw it! It was a girl with horns! Everywhere she went, somebody got killed!"

… Awaiting in the next cart, was the mentally cracked Diclonius.

It would not take long for an encounter to be triggered.

"…You're… A liar…"

It happened so quickly, that the vision of the entire scene was almost corrupt; Kanae fell, and then the father.

A horrid shriek of terror, crying and desperation.

"Wh-... why? WHY!? I thought we were friends!"

Lucy looked upwards, her eyes now glazed over. "What do you mean? We're friends. That's why I didn't kill you."

Kouta gasped, as his eyes bulged out.

"Now... I'll kill that stupid girl."

The sentence processed in his head, and it hit him.

Stupid girl...?

Yuka!

Kouta bounded forward, trying to grab onto Lucy—

"STOP IT! PLEASE! NO MORE! NO MORE! I'M BEGGING YOU! PLEASE! STOP IT!"

And then, everything went black once more.

The environment faded as he was back inside Lucy's mental landscape. It was dark. Very dark. Nothing but pitch black, except with Lucy herself spotlit.

His eyes widened. This was not possible. How could something like this happen to a mere child? And the people she killed? She killed a child's sister and father in front of him. He only hoped that boy was okay.

He fell to his knees, as he brought a hand to his temple.

It was as bad as the nightmare he had earlier. She really was a force to be reckoned with. But surely, there was some good in her…?

"Lucy..." He said, looking at the spot lit young Diclonius. "I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry this happened to you."

Something good needed to happen to Lucy. The Doctor would ensure it by ANY means. It was time she found happiness.

Slowly, he picked himself up, and turned around.

He noticed the same girl that talked to the younger Lucy in the flashbacks.

This didn't appear to be a flashback, however…

With peaked curiosity, the Doctor gingerly leaned forward.

"Hello…?" He merely greeted, his eyes still widened. He didn't flash a toothy grin this time around. Something seemed wrong here.

Very wrong.

The apparition stood there, unmoving, the bandages still attached to her thin frame, but not as tightly wrung as they usually were. There was an object held between her hands; a helmet, cracked down the middle, half of it missing.

Eventually, after moments of stunning, bone chilling silence, the girl would speak up, her voice resonating through the entire landscape.

"… Isn't it wonderful? How I'm no longer that weak outcast? I'm the one who is in control now… Even when I was confined to these shackles, I still reached out with my will, and vanquished whatever disgusting humans came close to me."

She began to shamble forward with the exact movements that the Doctor would have seen when he first came face to face with the Diclonius the night prior.

"Nobody is ever going to hurt me again. Especially not you."

The voice was low— it was apathetic, and yet it carried possibly the strongest dose of hatred one could ever find in such a young individual.

"You actually think I would trust somebody again? No… I'm going to change the world… And I will make sure that you are the the very last one left. Maybe I will make your death quick, but that would not be fun at all."

The Doctor's mouth opened slightly, as he began to back away.

"No." He said. "You're not Lucy. You're merely a personification of her hatred. You're one of the reasons she became this killer. She's not that."

He stared daggers at the girl that ambled forward. "You've plagued her. You filled her with so much hatred for only a few exceptions of humans. They are so much, so much better than that. Those children… That was the dark side of humanity I've mentioned to Lucy when I first met her. Surely you heard that. They are capable of so many great things, and I've witnessed them first hand. Humans are a wonderful race, even if only a select few leave a lot to be desired. That's the case with every other race. And before you say different, I am not human. You look upon a Time Lord."

The Doctor then stood back firm, keeping his feet planted. "I'm not going to let you taint Lucy any further. I will not allow you to manipulate her to kill. I will most certainly not allow you to kill every human on this planet."

His brow furrowed as his tone lowered, taking a sense of authority. "I am the Doctor." He said with conviction. "And you will not kill me. I will stop you."

"Plagued her…? Oh… You naive man… Had I not accepted my destiny as the great herald of destruction, to bring the downfall of humans, they would have killed me first…" Her eyes were wide, that of a maniac, teeth snaring into the expression that a predator would before pouncing onto prey.

"Look at the way that humans crawl… All they are capable of doing is killing each other out of greed and hunger for physical and mental gain. Had I not come along… They would have wiped themselves out anyways."

As if they were serpents, four vectors appeared from the Instinct's back, though in this landscape, they were visible to the naked eye.

A snicker followed the flash of a smirk on the young figure's face, "Just what do you plan on fixing, Doctor? Do you honestly believe you will leave and turn me into a gentle creature, willing to sit at the feet of humans as their dog? I am not that pathetic…However… I sense that there is plenty for me to learn by tapping into that mind of yours. Eheh. Eheheh!"

Slipping around, one of the vectors shot out as if it were striking a target, the fingertips of the appendage plunging into the Doctor's forehead, though no physical harm was given.

"Careful… Do not move. All it takes is the movement of an artery within your brain… My lightest touch can end you."

The Doctor's eyes widened in alert. The vector moved too fast for him to evade, and it stuck out of his forehead. He could see the transparent limb stretching all the way from the young apparition as the bandages slowly began to fall off of her face, showing her bulging eyes and predatory teeth.

"…You're mad." He whispered. "You're completely mad! Is that really what you believe? Had you not come along, humans would wipe themselves out completely? What sort of idea is that?"

He tried to keep his breathing controlled. He could sense the vector inside his brain, as if its fingers were just barely pinching the artery. One little movement could trigger a Regeneration. He needed to think of a way out of this. And fast.

"You don't know humans as well as I do. I've experienced so many things from them, good and bad. Humans are capable of so many great things, and they have accomplished those things in the times I've been to. You've heard me talk of things of great wonder that they can do when I was talking to Lucy. You must believe me."

The Doctor raised a hand in front of him. "I can help you. It's okay to be different. There's no reason to have this murderous misanthropic attitude. I've offered to help Lucy see humanity in a different light. Through my eyes. Surely, you'll be able to see it too."

He then pointed to his head. "Do you also believe that killing me will solve anything? Will it do nothing except satiate that bloodlust of yours?" He shook his head. "It won't, I tell you. If you remember, the TARDIS is in orbit right now. If you kill me now, the TARDIS will be adrift for who knows how long, with Lucy stranded on it. You and I both know we don't want that."

He grabbed his head with one of his hands. Something was seeming very wrong here. "Please. Let me help you. Mass genocide will not solve anything."

"You are trying to talk yourself out of the inevitable… Whether it is now, or later on in the path, all of you are going to die at my hands… The Lucy that you know is a shell of what I used to be… A child with hope… Now we are strong, we are going to accomplish… So many great things…! Wonderful things…! And what you require…"

The Instinct sat on the ground, a knee pulled up to her chest, grinning like a mad man's cheshire. Her fingertips gripped at the leg, muttering to herself, words dripping and dropping, but unheard.

"You require discipline…"

Her neck bent in an unnatural position, one that you would find on roadkill, or an animal shot for sport.

"Yes… You are a truly lonely man, are you not? You've the whole universe at your fingertips, plenty of people, but nothing is permanent with you, is it? Companions here and there, but nothing ever stays the same…I'm sure you've disappointed plenty of humans… And NON humans! That is the wonderful thing about you, your stretch is far more than just to the filth crawling on earth… You've earned yourself some enemies, haven't you…? H-huh… It's all right there… "

Both hands reached, crawling up the Instinct's neck to her cheeks, fingers digging into the flesh, the corner of her mouth twitching. More vectors appeared, branching out as figures began to manifest— figures of the Doctor's psyche and memories. What they were exactly, could not be identified, not until they were more solid.

The Doctor flicked his eyes about as the unknown figures began to take shape. The Instinct's vectors forming figures he knew not what.

Until he started to hear voices.

"…EXTERMINATE!"

His eyes widened. "Impossible…"

"EXTERMINATE!"

One of the figures started to take shape as the familiar cry began to rang out.

It was a Dalek.

"EXTERMINATE!"

"What are you doing…?" He asked. "How are you doing this?"

"YOU WILL CEASE TALKING, DOCTOR!" The Dalek said.

"Don't you begin to tell me what to do!" He shouted at the Dalek. "You're not real! You're an illusion!"

"On the contrary, Doctor." One familiar cybernetic voice said. "You may not listen to my Daleks, but you will listen to me."

Another figure began to take form. It was another enemy that he hadn't seen in ages.

"…Davros…?" He whispered. "What are you doing here…? You were killed on Skaro. How are you in Lucy's mind…?"

"Oh, Doctor. You are truly such a fool from the last time we met." Davros said. "I merely have to be in agreement with this little girl. To think, the Daleks alone could conquer mere galaxies, but one Diclonius can wipe out an entire planet's civilization?" Davros tapped his control console as a small smile formed on his deformed face. "Ingenious. That alone could be proven to be a great ally to the Daleks."

"No, Davros." He said. "Lucy would never do such a thing. Not for you or the Daleks."

Davros laughed. "Do you really believe that to be the case? Lucy is a Goddess of Destruction, second only to my own genius intellect. Together, we will crush those who oppose us, and conquer multiple planets! Our reach will extend to the far reaches of the galaxy! AND WITH OUR ALLIANCE, THE DALEKS WILL CONQUER THE UNIVERSE! EVERY ONE WILL FEAR THE NAME, DAVROS!"

"SHUT UP! I'LL STOP YOU IF IT COSTS MY LIFE, DAVROS!" The Doctor was rife with anger and fury.

Another form started to take shape, until it took to a form that he was familiar with from his first incarnation.

"Just like you, my dear Doctor." It said, a familiar bearded face taking shape. "So full of fury and anger, when really, we can make the universe a better place under a certain society."

The face fully came into view.

"My society."

His eyes widened.

"The Master." He said. "…How did you…? What's going on here?"

"If you can't even kill Davros, Doctor, what makes you think that you can stop me?" The Master asked with a coy smile. "You've always known me best, and thwarted all of my plans. Why would you never kill me?"

"Because…" He started to grip his head. "It wouldn't be right. You can change. Please. You don't have to be this-"

"Silence, Doctor!" The Master snapped. "You WILL NOT BEGIN to tell me what I can or cannot do. I will defeat you, Doctor. And the universe will be ruled under my own leadership." He knelt down and patted the Doctor's shoulder. "And when I rule the universe, I will keep you as my prisoner. I will torture you, and kill you a dozen times over until you have no regenerations left."

He started to chuckle. "You've failed, Doctor. All of those people you let down and disappointed. Your friends will suffer, just as you will by my hand. Mark my words, Doctor! They will die!"

The Master then cackled menacingly, his laughs echoing across the mental landscape. The Doctor began to grip both sides of his head tightly, the vector still in his head. His eyes were scrunched shut in pain. It was becoming to much for him to bear.

---

Outside in Lucy's room, the Doctor began to shake as he tried to maintain the telepathic link. His breathing was ragged. Something had gone wrong.

"…Lucy…" He said, trying to keep his composure. "Something has entered my mind. What… what's going on…?"

---

As the fray within the mental landscape began to bloom into something of ill, evil intent, the Diclonius herself had spaced out into a deep, distant state, unable to directly react to what exactly was happening within her psyche. She heard terrible, terrible voices, not just the usual rambling and chiding of her Instinct, but several that Lucy had never encountered before hand.

And as the hallucinations that plagued and came upon the Doctor crashed and battered him, eventually they would all cease, the Instinct now standing right in front of the scarved man. Her face was that of renegade, sinful beast, straight from the deepest trenches of Hell itself. The vector that gripped her target's mind slipped away, instead using two of them to pin him down; she hovered over him, glancing down with that utterly horrible smirk of her's.

—In the distance, a distinct sound of a bell tower chime, followed by men's voices, chanting those all too familiar words.

Os iusti meditabitur sapientiam… Et lingua eius… loquetur indicium.

"I'm sorry… But I have to bring this meeting to an end… It's a pity, really. I thought we could be good friends," she mused, mimicking the speaking pattern of Lucy herself, hands hung to the sides, "… But you are suffering… Don't worry, I'll put you out of your misery."

Beatus vir qui suffert tentationem… Quoniqm cum probates fuerit accipient coronam vitae...

Just as one of the tendril vectors reached around and yank at the Doctor's dominant arm, an abrupt sound would pierce the veil, interrupting the reign of terror.

"Stop this! Stop it right now!"

Running forward and speaking as loud as she could, was the elder Diclonius, now standing behind the childish Instinct. Her own weapons appeared, reaching out to try and stop the onslaught.

"H-hhmm…H-hhmhmhm! What are you doing…? There is no point in trying to harm yourself. I'm going to die if I try and do this," the shorter creature chided.

"No! I refuse this!" The Doctor cried. "I deny this reality!"

His arm was then snapped into two by the Instinct. The Doctor let out a blood curdling scream of pain.

"I AM your reality, Doctor. So too, shall I be your death!"

"Leave him alone!"

Lucy's vectors reached around and tore back one of the Instinct's legs, a distorted, horrific sound emanating from it's maw.

"YOU STUPID GIRL. YOU CANNOT TRUST ANYBODY, WHY HURT YOURSELF?"

Kyrie, fons bonitatis. Kyrie, ignis divine, eleison!

The elder inhaled sharply, shouting, "This mind belongs to ME, not you!"

As her words attempted to get out, the Instinct's eyes widened, her jaw hanging open in a macabre manner, ripping of the Doctor's remaining arm.

"Hehehehe... HAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Instinct let out a beastly laugh, as if the devil had risen from the depths of hell. "Look what you made me do, Lucy!"

The Doctor continued screaming as the pain he felt became too much for him to bear.

"This isn't happening!" He shouted. "I deny this! It's not real! IT'S NOT REAL!" Opening his eyes, he saw Lucy just behind the Instinct, trying to stop it.

"Doctor!"

"Lucy! Get out of here!" He shouted. "Lucy, please! Don't worry about me! Just get-"

His sentence was cut off, as he was bisected from the torso, his own spinal cord being severed within an instant.

---

It was a blur. He felt himself being rushed back into reality. As if he just got thrown out of Lucy's mind, the Doctor's head was arched backward, his hands gripping it as he screamed in pain. He lowered his head, looking at Lucy with widened eyes, terror and horror taking a stranglehold on the Time Lord's emotions. His breathing was heavy, short, and ragged. His vision started to blur as his surroundings turned into a haze.

Standing up, he stumbled across the room, before crashing into the door and planting his back on the corridor walls, gripping one of the roundels. The Doctor tried to amble through the corridor for only a second, but fell to his knees. Trying to crawl, he attempted to shake the cobwebs out of his head. He need to heal his brain. He was encountering a synaptic overload.

He reached his hand across, trying to crawl, but the amount of stress on his brain was too much. The Doctor then fell face first, unconscious.