A/N: Because of an astounding number of reviews for the previous chapter, this fic is now my top priority. Thanks so much to everyone for the kind words, they are more motivating than you know!

The Doctor twisted levers and flipped navigational switches with uncontainable eagerness. There was no 'fast enough' speed with which to accomplish his objective, so when River slammed the doors behind her and unquestioningly began plotting the most efficient relativistic temporal course conveyance, he accepted the help without complaint.

Once the course had been input and the TARDIS began her sail through the vortex, the Doctor reached up for the console monitor he kept on a swivel, swinging it towards him to study the obstacle ahead.

As he looked through the blueprints of the chiseled, concrete catacombs that made up the prison, he vaguely registered that River was speaking.

"...thought she was a threat, she knew so much about you…"

He swiped through another page on-screen. How to formulate a plan of attack? He was familiar with the future layout of this particular prison planet; perhaps it hadn't changed too much. If the indigenous species were as steadfast as architects as they were as wardens, definitely. If not, one small mistake would be detrimental.

"…just kept saying 'have to find the Doctor', they thought she was hunting you!"

"She was," the Doctor stated, typing commands into the module without looking up, "and whoever stopped her'll have me to answer to."

"Doctor, she's dangerous," River said, still making minute adjustments to the TARDIS's route, "you should've seen what she did to the squadron that brought her in. She's been under heavy sedation ever since, and even then they won't get too close. She's got some sort of—power. My contact says they've never seen anything like it."

"How long?" the Doctor asked, reaching again for the screen to assess his new data.

"What?"

He gripped the bars of the screen's support. His hands were shaking, but whether in anger or fear he didn't know. "How long have they kept her from me?" he asked, attempting to keep his voice calm.

River looked frustrated. "Doctor, are you listening? There's some sort of energy field she's controlling that they can't even get a reading on. It's either too strong or too unknown, and we don't even know who she is!"

"I KNOW WHO SHE IS!" The Doctor's attempt at decorum finally failed him, as he slammed a closed fist on the control panel, making River jump in surprise. After staring at her shocked expression for a heartsbeat, he calmed the rage in his eyes and reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and attempting to repair the violent dent in the metal. He cleared his throat, and spoke again, his voice now level. "I know who she is. And I'm going to need your help rescuing her." When he looked up again, the desperation in his expression could have melted dwarf star alloy. "Please, River."

River took a deep breath, then nodded determinedly. As she perused the information on the screen, she addressed the Doctor. "Alright. What's the plan?"

"We're going to ask nicely," he answered her. She gave a skeptical snort. "And when that doesn't work," he continued, interlacing his fingers and stretching his arms out in front of him, "we're going to have to break down a few doors."

When she saw the spark of heroism dancing in his eyes, River made a point of unbuckling her holster.

The guard that had wisely unlocked Rose's cell door was allowed to live. The two men that shot at her the instant she stepped out were not. She didn't kill them exactly, just sent them… somewhere else. And given the percentage of the universe that was vacuum, their likelihood of survival was dismal. Rose was completely disoriented at first, but the memory of being brought in resurfaced as she turned to face the open hallway, and the layout of the prison was immediately clear. She managed three strides in the right direction before a loud metallic screeching caused Rose—and the guard—to cover their ears in protest.

A loud tapping noise sounded over the speaker system, almost like someone testing a microphone. "Hello? Is this building on?"

Alright then, exactly like someone testing a microphone.

"This is the Doctor speaking." A cheery voice burst from the speakers. "At least, that's what I'm normally called. You've probably heard that I dislike violence, but I'm about to walk into this prison to rescue someone very important to me. So," his voice took on a threatening tone, "you may want to ask yourself why I also answer to 'Bringer of Darkness', 'Destroyer of Worlds', 'The Oncoming Storm' and various other frightening nicknames. I must admit, though, I've grown quite attached to that last one; the Daleks gave me that, only good thing they've ever given me, but listen to me, I'm rambling."

Rose grinned, biting her lip, at the nearest loudspeaker and felt her heart race at the sound of her Doctor's voice. A new voice, surely, but she was now more certain of his identity than she had ever been. Who else would break into a prison?

"Rose?" His mention of the Daleks and his addressing her over an intercom brought back a flood of memory, and for a second she flashed back to the events of Satellite Five and the first time she thought she'd lost him.

"Yes, Doctor?" She responded exactly as she'd done years ago, though she had no reason to believe he could hear her.

"I'm coming to get you," he promised just as he had before, and with that repetition, Rose felt the assurance that even though she couldn't see his face, even if he'd changed again, this was her Doctor. He continued, "If they're smart enough to let you loose, see if you can't get to a higher level." There was silence over the intercom for a few moments, as though the next words were of paramount importance. "I'll see you in a bit," the Doctor said, and she heard the click of the system's shutdown.

Rose grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher from the wall to use in case of confrontation. Hang it all if she hadn't spent the last two years trying to get back to him; now was not the time to sit and wait to be rescued. She ran in the direction of the stairs, each set of doors she passed through bursting open in a shower of gold light.