Author's Note: I removed the swearing from this chapter, it just didn't feel right somehow!
Fear rises up in Rose, a cold wave of nausea. Adrenalin pumps into her blood, her heart beats faster, her higher brain functions take a step back and she faces the ancient choice: fight or flight? Rose is young and strong and brave, the Doctor chooses his companions wisely. She knocks the man's arm and the gun goes flying, then she kicks out and hits him right between the legs. He folds up and falls sideways on the floor, clutching himself for comfort. Rose runs over to the gun and picks it up, she points it at the man.
"Don't you move!" she shouts at him. "Stay down!"
"Oh god," he groans. "I think I'm going to puke…" He rolls over onto his knees and retches, but does not vomit.
Rose is frantically trying to work out where the trigger is on the strange alien gun.
"I think you ruptured something." The man is white and trembling.
"Where's the Doctor?!" demands Rose. "Where did you take him?"
"Who?" asks the man. He seems confused as he tries to get to his knees, then falls over again.
"The Doctor! Where is he? Where did he go?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I was sent to fetch you, that's all. Please stop shouting at me!"
The man succeeds in getting to his knees, then staggers to his feet. Rose steps back and thrusts the gun out in front of her.
"Stay back! I'm warning you. I'll shoot!"
The man is bent over, hands on his knees, breathing heavily and looking very ill.
"It's not a gun."
"What?"
"That thing you're holding. It's not a gun. It's a medical device."
Rose looks at the device in her hands quickly, keeping an eye on the man. It is gun-shaped, but has no trigger. There is a small video panel on top of it, some buttons and a dial.
"Oh yeah?" Rose is not convinced. "What's it for then?"
"It checks if you've been contaminated," he answers. "Someone opened a can of THO in here without a chem-suit on."
"THO?"
"Tetra-hydryl-octagonate. It's a compound used in sealing the air ducts. Very hazardous if you breathe it in."
"That orange powder the Doctor spilt?"
"That's it. Shouldn't have been here."
Rose is not sure if he means the powder or her, but she has no time to worry about that now. She lowers the device, but keeps her distance from the man, who has now straightened up.
"The Doctor was transmatted. Where did he go?"
"They must have moved him to the sickbay on level 500 neg. It's too late for him now."
"Too late? What do you mean?"
"I mean he's too far up now, he'll be on the scanners."
"What scanners?"
The man takes a step towards her, and grimaces. "That really hurt you know."
Rose has a twinge of doubt. The adrenalin rush has subsided and she feels confused and a little shaky.
"I'm sorry," she says. "I thought you were pulling a gun on me."
"Well I wasn't, was I?" He holds out a hand. "Can I have it back then? I still need to test you."
"How can I trust you? Especially after…"
"After you kicked me in the crown jewels?" He grins at her, unexpectedly. "I guess you can't. But if you are contaminated then you've only got about 20 minutes before your lungs start to dissolve. So, what's it to be?"
Rose hesitates for a moment, then throws the device over to him.
"Go on then, test away."
"Right," he says, pointing it towards her and twisting the dial. "Let's see if you're going to live."
- - -
The Doctor appears on an operating table. He is naked, and the orange powder has gone. A wave of light passes over him. Nearby a computer terminal beeps and some symbols flash on the vid-screen. The soft voice speaks again:
"Tetra-hydryl-octagonate compound removed in transit. Damage to lung tissue detected. Regeneration treatment commencing. You may experience some discomfort."
Metal bands materialise around the Doctor's wrists, waist and ankles, holding him still. A beam of energy strikes down at him from a node on the ceiling. The Doctor screams.
"No! Don't! I can repair myself, I don't need it. You're hurting me!"
"Subject not responding. Increasing beam intensity."
"No, stop it! You'll trigger a…"
The Doctor's back arches and his head snaps back. His mouth opens and a golden yellow light pours out, quickly spreading to cover his entire body, obscuring him from view. Sparks of energy crackle out from him and coruscate over the terminal and the walls of the room. There is a loud bang from the terminal and the beam cuts out. The golden yellow aura subsides, revealing the Doctor's body. He doesn't seem the same any more.
"This is not good," he says, in an entirely different voice. "Oh, new accent!"
The metal bands have disappeared, and the Doctor sits up. He puts a hand up to his face, and then runs it through his hair. "New hair too." He touches his hair again. "Big hair! That's different. Haven't had big hair for a while."
The Doctor gets up and walks over to the dead terminal. He looks at his reflection in the black vid-screen, screwing up his eyes as if he can't quite see properly.
"Blimey," he says. "I'm pretty certain that wasn't supposed to happen."