A few minutes had passed when I finally heard a small noise. Chip hurried into the room quickly, and hid behind a pillar next to me. I saw a flash of yellow hair as Rose entered the room. She didn't seem to notice me at first. She watched the video which was playing on the wall.
"Wait a minute," she said suddenly, "That's-" her head flew my way.
"Peek-a-boo!" I cried gleefully. She held up a sharp pointed object towards me, brandishing it like a sword.
"Don't you come anywhere near me, Cassandra," she warned. I scoffed.
"What do you think I'm going to do? Flap you to death?"
"Ya," she said hesitantly. Then she jabbed her weapon in Chip's direction. "But what about Gollum?"
"Oh," I sighed. "That's just Chip. He's my pet."
Chip jumped forward.
"I worship the mistress!" he exclaimed. I glanced in his direction.
"Moisturize me, moisturize me!" he sprayed me. "He's not even a proper life form," I went on. "He's a forced grown clone. I modeled him after my favorite pattern. But he's so faithful." I smiled a bit. "Chip sees to my physical needs."
"I hope that means food," Rose said with a disgusted look on her face. "How come you're still alive?"
"After you murdered me?" I demanded, anger in my voice.
"That was your own fault," Rose sassed, pointing her weapon at me. I was about to retort when Chip interrupted.
"The brain of my mistress survived," he piped up. He glanced at me. "And her pretty blue eyes were salvaged from the bin." I fluttered my eyes, looking upward.
"But what about the skin?" she demanded. "I saw it. You-you got ripped apart."
"That piece of skin was taken from the front of my body," I told her. "This piece is the back."
"Right!" Rose laughed. "So you're talking out of your-"
"Ask not!"
"The mistress was lucky to survive," Chip put in. "Chip secreted m'lady into the hospital."
"So they don't know you're here?" Rose asked.
"Chip steals medicine. Helps m'lady," he started reaching out behind my skin. "Sooths her, strokes her,"
I was about to snap at him, but Rose beat me to it.
"You can stop right there, Chip."
"But I'm so alone, hidden down here. The last human in existence." I whispered.
"Oh, don't start that again, they've called this planet New Earth!" she scoffed.
"A vegetable patch!" I snapped.
"And there's millions of humans out there. Millions of them."
"Mutant stock!"
"They evolved, Cassandra. They just evolved, like they should. You stayed still. You got yourself all pickled and preserved, and what good did it do you?"
I didn't respond to that. My eyes wandered to the movie, which was still playing on the wall. Rose's eyes followed me.
"Oh, I remember that night. Drinks for the Ambassador of Thrace. That was the last time anyone told me I was beautiful. After that it became such hard work," I added in a harsh voice.
"Well, you've got a knack for survival, I'll give you that."
"I have not been idle, Rose," I told her. "Tucked away underneath this hospital. I've been listening." I lowered my voice. "The sisters are hiding something."
This surprised Rose.
"What do you mean?" she questioned.
"Oh, these cats have secrets," it was time. "Hush, let me whisper. Come closer."
As predicted, Rose began to back up she pointed at me with her weapon.
"You must be joking if you think I'm going anywhere near you."
She backed up, right under the psychograft. Energy leapt towards her and grabbed her arms, holding them still. She struggled, but remained stuck.
"Chip, activate the psychograft."
"I can't move!" Rose cried, stating the obvious. "Cassandra, let me go!" Chip flipped a switch, and light streamed down, enclosing her in a cage. "What are you doing?" Rose demanded in distress. I grinned widely, forgetting about the laughter lines I was once afraid to get.
"The lady's moving on!" I cried gleefully. "It's goodbye trampoline, and hello Blondie!"
The psychograft began on my end too. My brain tingled at my feet (if I had any), and my vision began to blur slightly. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but to the best of my ability, I'd say that I felt my mind and soul combine into one, and rise from my makeshift body. It's a bit scary at first to be floating in the air without a vessel, but I got used to it pretty fast. The atoms of my essence gathered into a sort of pink stream of air, and gradually began flowing in the direction of Rose. She stared at me scared, right before I entered her body.
I felt her entire body waver as I felt myself get comfortable in her head. Rose's mind was pushed back. I could tell that there was some discomfort for her, but I just didn't care. Chip must have turned off the bonds, because Rose's body collapsed onto the ground.
I could see out of her eyes. I was breathing like I used to 2,000 years before. There was an odd thumping in my chest. Her heart… I had a heart! A voice brought me to reality, and total control.
"Mistress?"
I opened my eyes, and saw Chip's face looking down at me.
Out of force of habit, I said, "Moisturize me." He hurried away, and returned almost instantly with the spray bottle. I started to stand up, when felt my arms moving.
"How bizarre," I whispered (It was bizarre to hear Rose's voice when I talk instead of mine), "Arms! Fingers!" I waved them in front of my face, then reached up to feel Rose's hair. "Hair! Let me see! Let me see!" I stumbled to my feet and hurried to the mirror accrues the room. I stared into it, stroking Rose's hair. "Oh my g-d!" I exclaimed, clutching the side of Rose's jacket. "I'm a chav!" I panted, then continued in distress. "Look at me! From class to brass!" I thought for a moment. "Although," I murmured, unzipping Rose's blue jacket a bit. "Ooh," I ran my hands down her hips. "Curves. Ooh, baby," I started bouncing up and down, and for some reason, Chip started bouncing with me. "It's like living inside a bouncy castle."
"The mistress is beautiful," Chip piped up.
"Absolutment!" I smiled. Then I noticed something. "Ooh, but look,"
The equipment that had been keeping me alive, just five minutes before, was fried. There was nothing left of it. Chip, (Rose) and I approached it.
"Oh, the brain lead expired," Chip said. "My old mistress is gone." I smiled.
"But safe and sound in here," I whispered, tapping Rose's temple.
"But what of the Rose child's mind?"
"Oh, tucked away," I said. "I think I can just about access the surface memory…"
I reached out mentally, and pulled Rose's mind forward a little bit. I heard her cry softly within her mind, as I entered her memory.
My eyes flooded with pictures of her and the man I saw her with earlier. Whispers of their conversations echoed in my mind.
So where are we going?
Farther than we've ever gone before.
I went slightly deeper into her memory. I gasped as I listened to conversation from a few days ago. She was with the Doctor! But where was he?
Every cell in my body is dying.
Well can't you do something about it?
Ya, I'm doing it right now! Timelords have this little trick…
The words faded away slightly as I moved a bit forward in her memory. Maybe I missed something.
The next memory involved the man Rose was with earlier.
What about you? What are you going to do next?
Well, back to the TARDIS. Same old life.
On your own?
Why? Don't you wanna come?
Well, yeah.
Do you though?
Yeah!
I just thought… because I changed.
Ya, I thought because you changed you might not want me anymore.
Changed? What does that mean, changed?
No, I'd love you to come!
Okay…
The memory faded away, and a memory from today surfaced. The man was there. They were lying on the man's coat in the grass outside the hospital.
So what's the city called?
New New York.
Oh come on.
It is! It's the city of New New York. Strictly speaking, it's the fifteenth New York since the original, so that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. What?
Your so different.
New New Doctor.
New Doctor? Wait a minute…
"Gosh, she's with the Doctor." I said aloud, retreating from Rose's mind. "That man," I murmured. "He's the Doctor. The same Doctor with a new face! That hypocrite! I must get the name of his surgon," I went on, walking back to the mirror. "I could use with a bit of work." I studied Rose's body a bit more. "Although.. a nice rear bumper."
Rose's back pocket started vibrating, which slightly though not visibly startled me. I slipped a device I had never seen before out of her pocket.
"Oh, it seems to be ringing," I observed. "Is it meant to ring?"
"A primitive communications device."
I flipped it open and the screen blinked. The man's—Doctor's voice came through the device.
"Rose, where are you?" he called through the device. It was sort of quiet.
I figured I had to put it to my ear. I slowly brought it up to my ear and asked Chip in a hushed whisper, "How does she speak?"
"Old Earth Cockney," Chip whispered back.
"Er…" I said into it hesitantly. "Wotcha?"
"Where've you been? How long does it take to get to Ward 26?"
Now I knew where to go.
"I'm on my way, governor." I said cockily. "I shall proceed up the apples and pears."
I thought I was doing a very good impression. This Doctor didn't seem to suspect anything.
"You'll never guess," he told me. "I'm with the Face of Boe. Remember him?"
Oh I remembered him. I hated that stupid floating jar head.
"Oh," I said in a strained happy tone. "Of course I do; that big old… boat… race."
"I'd better go," he said suddenly in a distracted tone. "See ya in a minute."
The line went dead and I flicked the device closed.
"Well, I'm gonna head to Ward 26," I told Chip as I studied Rose's body again.
"What are you going to do, Mistress?" Chip asked as I tugged on the cuff of Rose's blue jacket.
"I was serious about the nurse/cat/nuns' secrets." I told him, unzipping Rose's jacket completely and slipping it off. "And I think it's time to find out what they're hiding."
"What's in Ward 26?"
"The Doctor," I replied, popping the top buttons to Rose's shirt. I bent over and combed the back of Rose's hair with my fingers, then straightened myself out as Chip responded.
"But this Doctor man is dangerous."
"Dangerous and clever," I agreed. "I could use a mind like his. The sisterhood is up to something." I turned to him. "Remember that old Earth saying; never trust a nun, never trust a nurse, and never trust a cat." I held my hand out. "Perfume?"
Chip placed a little vial in my hands, and I slipped it in my shirt.
"Ooh," I shivered. I glanced at Chip. "Ok, here's the plan…" I explained it to him, and he followed me out the door, to the lift.