Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Never Hopeless

Rose Tyler woke suddenly, jerking up from the filthy straw in the cell, calling out to the person who tormented her dreams. "Doctor?" He wouldn't have known her, she was sure. Her body and face were a mess of cuts and bruises, she was filthy and several of her old wounds were already settling to scars.

"The doctors don't come unless you're unconscious or dying...or dead" a voice intoned from the corner of cell. It was the tone of someone who had been through his conversation before and didn't really want to again. The voice belonged to a young woman, who at first glance could easily be mistaken for a human but the slight silver sheen to her skin; and to the blood that could be seen oozing slightly from cuts that hadn't yet healed; signified that she was not but was in fact an Argentian. "You should know that by now."

Rose's voice shook, as she responded, to wake up and still be here, still here after so long, it was devastating. "It's just...third cycle. I would have thought he'd be here by now."


"He being the mysterious "Doctor" you keep going on about that will arrive and save the day." The sarcasm was evident in her voice, even without the way she made inverted commas with her fingers as she said 'Doctor' or the fact she rolled her icy blue eyes. "Does he have no concept of time?"

Rose choked on a laugh, in her heart of hearts she knows her cell mate, and friend is right, he's not coming and they'll all die here, but somehow it's enough to keep her alive a little longer if she refused to let him go. "Oh more than you could possibly imagine" Her voice is soft, a gentle memory that refuses to remain with her "...but now I don't know what if we die before he gets here?"

The Argentian shifted slightly, regarding Rose with a skeptical expression. "I think they're giving you waaaaay too many tonics," she said, her tone edging towards teasing and she quirked a wry smile, "either that or they're giving me too few."

Rose chuckled and shifted upright, flinching as a wound caught the wall she put her weight on to. "You're too well behaved, break a few snouts, they'll soon up your doses."

The other woman's face turned somber and she glanced down at her hands. "Unlike you, I have resigned myself to my fate" she said softly, "maybe I'll get lucky and I'll get a quick death this cycle" she added, her voice taking on a haunted edge to it and she let out a tired sigh.

Rose looked at her friend, trying to figure out how to respond to this. She opted for the truth. "I'm not ready yet. I can't give up...how can you?"

"This'll be my fifth cycle" was the weary reply, "I'm tired of it all." Her pale blue eyes flicked over to look at Rose, sympathy shimmering within them. "Don't worry, if you don't die this time, you'll be feeling how I am very soon."

"Something must have kept you running for five Bree?" Rose said softly, aware that this was a conversation her cellmate wouldn't want to have, but perhaps needed to.

Bree sighed, dropping her gaze back down to her hands. "My brother" she said simply, after a moment's silence. "I got caught on purpose, submitted, in hopes of finding him and rescuing him."

Rose's breath caught in her throat "He's dead?"

Bree nodded, "last cycle," she said, her voice catching as she spoke. She took a deep shuddering breath, trying to keep her composure. "It wasn't quick or painless either."

"How..."

"They dismembered him...alive." Bree's reply was flat and emotionless, as she stared at the far wall. "Shared the winnings...per body part" she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "it's the silver in our blood...makes us more valuable."

Rose's breath shook, as she replied. "I'm sorry, if I could have stopped this I would." It was all she could offer and it was empty. The more time she spent here the more empty her attempts to change things became, but it was all she could give, and until she died, she meant it. She would keep trying.

"But you can't" Bree replied softly, offering the young human a small reassuring smile - hoping to ease her mind. "What's done is done...and now, I am resigned to my fate. As there is no means of escape...I hope for death." A wry grin suddenly spread across her face. "But maybe I can take a few of them with me, as I go."

Rose cracked a fiery grin. "You and me both, if it comes to that, but it won't he will come!" Her expression clouded for a moment, as a terrible thought crossed her mind. "I don't even know if I'll know him when he does."

Bree let out a rather undignified snort at that and shook her head. "Well, unless you're imaginary 'Doctor' turns up soon...I wish you good luck for the game" she said, her tone light and teasing, despite the fact she called the 'Doctor' imaginary. She actually wanted to believe that someone who could help them would come but after five cycles, hope just wasn't in her vocabulary anymore.

"And you too" Rose sighed and drew her knees up to her chest, battling to keep her tone hopeful. "We have another day at least...and that typhoid outbreak cleared up."

"Indeed," was all Bree muttered, resting her head back against the wall.

Rose went into something not dissimilar to stream of consciousness babble. "Did you ever imagine you would say that? Like it being gone is a plus, not that ever having it was a big minus, just a conversational thing, like the weather?" She sighed and stared off into the distance, at nothing. "He always does this you know? You're sure you're about to die and he turns up and saves the day...don't be surprised if he's quoting musicals and wearing a dressing gown."

Bree quirked an eyebrow, having only been half listening; being used to her friend's random babbles every now and then; she was quite confused to hear her last words. That was, until she realized who she was talking about. "Does he always have such an odd dress sense?"

"Just last time he regenerated he got sick, so I...put him to bed I suppose, last time I saw him he was in a brown suit and baseball boots...and he caused me to hate the words 'quite right too'." Rose replied. The memory stung, as it always did. It bought a surge of grief for the man she first met, and for the man she'd fallen in love with, who left her standing on a beach, with a piece of her soul torn out, a tear that she couldn't seem to heal.

"Regenerated?" Bree found herself asking, her brow furrowing in confusion at the unusual word.

Rose shut her eyes and tried to explain, knowing how weird it would sound, it still sounded odd to her, almost as if she might have imagined him. "He doesn't always look the same, if something happens and he dies he comes back looking like someone else...I hope he still looks like him"

Bree blinked trying to process through her brain what she had just heard through her ears. "Are you sure you weren't on any tonics before they captured you?" she asked, skeptism evident upon her face.

Rose chuckled. "I'm absolutely sure." She placed her hand on her heart and tried to look contrite, which just made Bree snort and laugh slightly.

"Right" she intoned, lengthening the word and shaking her head. "Well, don't mind me if I don't believe it until I see it."

"I didn't at first" Rose agreed, "But that's the thing with Timelords, they aren't like anything else."

"What's one of them then?" Bree asked, genuinely intrigued. "Can't say I've heard of that species before," she continued, running the name over in her mind trying to think if she'd heard of it at all. "Must be either a pretty new one or...a pretty old one."

"It's a very old species, and there's only him left anyway." Rose explained. She noticed that during her explanation she switched to her work voice. Torchwood had changed her, made her smarter, stronger and faster, given her the skills she needed to stay alive for so long in here, and given her a work voice.

Bree's eyebrows shot up and her head snapped round to level Rose with a serious expression. "Well you better hope he doesn't turn up here then" she said firmly, lowering her voice suddenly worried someone might overhear.

"I think he has to, if we're going to get out of this alive." Rose replied gently.

"From what you're suggesting..." Bree trailed off and sighed, her eyes flicking around before falling back upon Rose, "he's rare. They'll slap a hefty prize on him if they get their paws on him. Probably shoot him up with extra tonic to keep him less lucid." She paused, taking to time to think before she spoke again. "I've been here a long time - Rarities are exploited, they make sure they survive a good number of cycles to draw in the big hunters. Rarities often go crazy, Rose."

Rose nodded grimly "Well then, if he does show up, I'm going to need to get my gun back."