"Where are we Doctor?" The bright cheery voice of Josephine Grant rang out from the TARDIS as one of the big blue doors opened to reveal the head of a pretty, young blonde haired woman who was scrutinising the barren surroundings.
"Beta-Z Jo." The Doctor reminded her as he stepped out from behind her, the grey haired man locked the door behind the two of them as Jo stepped completely out with a shiver.
"But it's cold Doctor!" Jo complained wrapping the thick coat around herself for warmth.
"Where's your sense of adventure Jo?" He asked taking in a deep breath of the crisp air, "A new planet to explore." He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her gently, "There's a building not far from here and I know the man who lives there. And just for you Jo it is toasty and warm in there."
"Well it better be." She said as she felt her arm being tugged on.
...
"I don't think there's anyone home Doctor." Jo stated as another shiver washed over her and she looked around scanning the horizon, "Doctor look!" She started to shake his arm as she kept her eyes on the approaching red blotch, "No Doctor look! There's something-" She was abruptly cut off when she vanished.
"Hmm? Jo?" He said spinning round from the panel he was fiddling with to see that Jo had gone.
...
"You are Josephine Grant. You will take us to the Doctor." The strangely child-like voice called out.
"Yes I am but I won't do that." Jo replied struggling against the tight restraints.
"You are Josephine Grant. You will take us to the Doctor." The voice repeated itself in the same tone.
"And I said I won't take you to him." She said a slight edge of anger slipping into her voice. Bright lights then lit up the room, making Jo try and shield her eyes but with her wrists restrained it was near impossible. She then started to get sleepy, as if something she was breathing in was making her drowsy, "Doctor..." She only just managed to call out before she passed out.
...
The Doctor walked into the hall just beyond the now open door with a high ceiling, the walls were littered with disorganised panels.
"Doctor..." Jo's weak cry echoed over speakers from all angles.
"What have you done to her?!" The Doctor demanded but there was no reply. He kept walking Jo's cry ringing in his ears.
"You are the Doctor. Josephine Grant will be released once you are in custody. But she may not live." Came the same childish voice that Jo had heard in her prison.
"I demand to know what you have done to her!" He yelled into the blackness.
"Josephine Grant has been sedated. The Doctor will proceed up the passage now." The voice rang out again from every direction.
"What crime am I meant to have committed?" The Doctor replied wanting to know what he had done wrong for them to kidnap Jo.
"The Doctor has violated the Third Commitment to The Protection of Beta-Z ." The voice rang out again.
"I have done nothing of the sorts." He said as he approached a large white metal door at the end of the corridor.
"Please enter." The voice stated as the large door slid upward to reveal a brightly lit room. When he stepped in the first thing he saw was Jo slumped in an awkward heap with her wrists restrained upwards against the wall.
"Jo? Jo wake up." He said to her shaking her gently to try and wake her up as he used his sonic to release her wrists from their metal binds.
"Doc...tor... Is that... You?" Jo asked seeming to wake slightly.
"Yes Jo it's me." He said pausing to lift her off the ground, "And I've come to get you and us out of here." He finished as he willed Jo on to move her legs so that they could get out of there quicker.
"Josephine Grant has to leave on her own." The voice was back again and wasn't going to let them leave together.
"But can't you see that she wouldn't be able to make it out of here alone?" The Doctor retorted indicating that Jo was barely conscious and could hardly walk either. Suddenly Jo fell limply in the arm that was wrapped around her.
"Jo!? Jo you need to wake up so we can get out of here. Come on." The Doctor said scooping her up into his arms and shaking her gently to try and urge her to wake up again.
"The threat of Josephine Grant has been eliminated." The voice started up again and it was really starting to anger the Doctor.
"What have you done to her?!" He yelled back the anger starting to rise within him.
"The threat of Josephine Grant has been eliminated." The voice sounded more menacing now as if it was threatening the Doctor.
"She wasn't a threat to you!" He yelled, "She didn't even do anything wrong! She hasn't done anything other than come here with me!" The Doctor kept looking around him trying in vain to figure out the source of the voice, his eyes starting to glisten with tears of anger and sadness, "What is the punishment for violating The Third Commitment to the Protection of Beta-Z anyway?"
"The punishment for the Doctor is the severe illness of someone close to him." The voice said calming itself. The Doctor looked at Jo and if she wasn't breathing before she had started to take in shallow, ragged breaths.
"And has that punishment been enforced?" The Doctor asked adjusted Jo in his arms so that she would be somewhat more comfortable.
"The punishment has been delivered." The voice stated agreeing with the Doctor for once.
"Then can we leave?" The Doctor asked with a sigh of relief.
"The Doctor and Josephine Grant can leave." The voice then died down as a door opened in front of the two of them and the TARDIS had been moved into the centre of a large white room, that looked just like Jo's prison. The Doctor quickly had the door unlocked and him and the comatose Jo were inside and he was placing her down gently next to the TARDIS' console whilst he entered coordinates and the TARDIS dematerialised.
...
"Brigadier, the TARDIS is materialising in the Science Lab." Sergeant Benton radioed over to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart as he watched the TARDIS rematerialise in front of him. The doors abruptly swung open and the Doctor stepped out carrying Jo's near still form.
"Benton, help me with Jo." The Doctor rushed through his words as Sgt. Benton hurried to him and helped him to carry Jo who had seemingly stopped breathing again.
...
The Brigadier soon joined the Doctor and Benton by the bed they had put Jo in. But it was too late one of the nurses had just pulled the sheet over Josephine Grants now pale face.
"I'm sorry." She said her voice laced with the sadness of the whole room, before looking at the ground and leaving.
"Can I just have a moment alone please?" The Doctor asked and the two other men in the room nodded their silent agreement and turned and left too. The Doctor still had hold of Jo's lifeless hand and tears brimmed over his eye lids as he closed his eyes and just sat there thinking.
But all of a sudden he felt something twitch in his hand. The hand that held Jo's. He opened his eyes now and gently let go of her hand and removed the sheet from over her face. And too his delight she was waking up. How he didn't know but she was waking up and her eyes were open, though she looked dazed she was okay. That was the main thing.
"Doctor... Where am I?" Came the quite mumble from her lips.
"You're back at Unit Jo. We thought we'd lost you there." He smiled down at her and he was greeted by the smile of a dear friend whom he thought he had lost.