"So, we are in agreement?"

"Yes… I just want to get done with this as quickly as possible—place gives me the creeps…"

"What-"

"SHUT UP!" The Doctor hissed at Mickey as the young man spoke, his curiosity as to who was speaking on the other side of the door the company leaned against winning out over the sense to remain quiet.

"You hear that?"
"Yes… Run. Now! We can't afford for them to find you!"

"Dammit!" The Doctor leaned hard against the door, rust rubbing off onto his suit and drifting lazily to the ground as ancient hinges were utilized once more.

The company was just in time to burst in on a man with a close-trimmed white goatee and matching hair who looked at them rather alarmed as the other door out of the room shut.

"The hell are you doing here?" He ripped a gun out of his belt and pointed it at them as the doctor leveled his sonic screwdriver at the other man's face.

"I could ask you quite the same question."

"I own this bloody place!" The man exclaimed, gesticulating wildly in rage.

"I'd advise you against swinging that thing about," The Doctor said, indicating the gun that white-haired man held. "Could be dangerous."

The man snorted. "The same can't be said of pointing an old piece of Time Lord technology at me?"

Rose jumped back in surprise while Mickey remained unfazed. The Doctor's expression hardened, and he glared at the man.

"Oh, what, I'm not supposed to know that you're a Time Lord? You might as well yell it to folks. You're in the void, after all."

"We're in the what?" Mickey asked, clearly confused.

"The void," The man replied calmly. "It's the area between two galaxies. Some folks call it hell."

"Oh. Well then, Daleks come from hell- that clears things up quite nicely. I was wondering where the things came from. Ow!"

Mickey ducked his head forward as The Doctor flicked him in the cranium. "They don't come from hell, you idiot, they come from-"

"It's immaterial where the Daleks come from," The man said, cutting him off. "They're here, and so are, erm, is, the last Time Lord."
"Are?" The Doctor repeated, suspicious.

"I said is."
"No, you decidedly said 'are'. There's more than one Time Lord, here? That's impossible. They're all wiped out. Every last one of 'em. I saw it with my own eyes… Everyone but me…"

"You're absolutely right. That's why I said 'is' and not 'are.'"

Still skeptical, The Doctor lowered his screwdriver as the man lowered his gun. "Alright. We'll forget about that. First off, why are there Daleks here? Second off, who were you just talking to?"

"The Daleks?" The man laughed. "How am I supposed to know? We're in the bloody void, and I don't exactly have a Tardes to get out of here with."
"How do you-"

"Stop asking stupid questions."

Mickey turned to Rose, smiling. "Finally, he found somebody more annoying than himself to talk to!"

"Fine, so the Daleks just magically appeared."
"Pretty much."
"What about my second question? Who were you talking to?"

The man leaned sat down in a chair behind a malused desk and smiled, lacing his hands between his fingers. "Can't tell you that. You wouldn't like to know."

"Yeah, actually, I would."
"No you wouldn't. As a matter of fact, I'm positive you wouldn't."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed even further. "Do I know you?"

The man's grin widened. "Not yet." He extended a wizened hand. "Daveed Weld."

"Daveed. Interesting name. You seem to already know who I am…" The Doctor shook his hand firmly. "Can you at least tell me why I can't see this fellow."

"Terribly sorry, but no. You really don't want to find this out."
"Yes I damned well do! Stop grinning like that!"

Mickey clutched his sides in silent laughter. "Oh, shut up." He tossed Mickey a small communicator device. "Head back to the Tardes, get yourself some gloves. I'll be with out friend Daveed, here."

"Right, fine!"

Mickey turned to leave, grabbing Rose as he left. "And don't touch any Daleks! Either of you!"

Mickey looked at his girlfriend inquisitively while Rose simply rolled her eyes. "I'll explain later."

The door shut with a snap and The Doctor turned to face Daveed. "Right, I've got a few more questions, if you don't mind."

"Certainly. Go right ahead, Doctor." A small device beeped on Daveed's belt. "My mistake, you can't go right ahead. Or rather, you can go right ahead, but you're not going to get an answer seeing as I won't be here."

"Hold on, what?"

"Part of this place is collapsing. A Dalek got a bit of power in him and the stupid thing's messing with the life support." He grinned at the look of shock on The Doctor's face. "Not enough to fry anyone, just enough to fiddle with the electronics. All the way on the other side of this thing- a good kilometer."
"I can always just take you in the Tardes. It travels through space, as you ought to well know."

Daveed bowed. "It seems that I'm already in your debt again."
"Again?"
"I didn't say again."
The Doctor shook his head. "Whatever. Come on, let's go."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Dammit! Where did they get to?" The Doctor stood outside the Tardes with Daveed, looking for Rose and Mickey. "I swear, I just say, 'go back to the Tardes' and the two manage to get lost somehow! Bloody brilliant!"

He ripped the counterpart to the communicated he'd given Mickey free of his belt. "Where are you two apes?"

"Apes?" The thing crackled back at him indignantly. "We've evolved quite a bit since we were apes!"

"Yes, some of you more than others by your own admission," The Doctor replied. "Where are you?"
"At the Tardes," came the confused reply. "Why?"
"You aren't at the bloody Tardes! I'm standing in front of it!"

"Oh…" static filled the silence. "I kind of wondered why our key didn't open this one."