"Well, guess we better find her then." Pete said, and John nodded in agreement.
"But this place's massive!" Jackie complained. "We'll never find 'er! We don't even know what she looks like!"
"Ah, but the backlog says that the most recent repair was an influx radiation leak, which means it's power reserve cell seven-hundred-ninety-two. Also, the Doctor mentioned lower gravity, which means it's in the basement of the TARDIS. Should take us about three minutes, I guess." John grinned, a smile stretched across his face.
"Basement? This place has a basement?" Jackie asked in amazement, and John rolled his eyes.
"Well, it's maintenance really, but it's bottom floor, so he calls it the basement."
"Wow." Jackie said in awe, and John was struggling not to laugh at her simple mindedness.
The TARDIS let out a soft hum of comfort as the Doctor slept, and a door somewhere on the far side of the console room opened slightly. Pete immediately and protectively stepped in front of Jackie, as a figure reached through, clutching something in it's hand.
"Damn! Forgot about the higher gravity." The figure grasped tightly to the railings, pressing it's head to the cold metallic surface.
"Look what the cat dragged in." Rose muttered, jealousy coursing through her as the TARDIS nudged the figure slightly, softly humming to her.
"You've… Got… To… Be… Joking…" The figure breathed, stretching out to grasp the console panel. John leaped forwards immediately, and in the light of the crystalline column, he could see clearly the 'Belle' that the Doctor had spoken of. Her eyes were half closed, and she was clutching a spanner as she typed deftly on the keyboard that was the latest addition to the console.
"Belle?" John asked softly, but she simply ignored him, or she genuinely couldn't hear him. He stepped forwards, making sure that she knew he was there. The last thing he wanted was to step unaware near her, in case she panicked or feared attack.
"What's she doin'?" Jackie asked, confused. "An' why she still awake when he went sleep?"
"Probably tryin' to kill us all." Rose muttered darkly, and John simply shot Rose a look that translated as 'What exactly is your problem?'
"Got to… Have to… I have to…" The girl was gasping now, her eyes almost closed.
John pulled her softly away from the console. "My name's John," he said slowly. "And you are?"
"Belle?" She asked, confusion evident in her voice, her head nodding slightly. "Definitely Belle. Nothing else…"
She began to sway, and she tilted her head in confusion, her eyes widening as she looked at Jackie and Pete.
"But you're… Parallel Universe. Twin, Jackie, Pete…" Her eyes widened impossibly more. "That's impossible!"
"Yeah. He told you then?" John asked, stepping forwards, gently placing a hand on her shoulder to steady her.
She shook her head, then stopping suddenly as she let out a soft moan of pain.
"No… Know more than I should… Burning, everything's burning…"
She gasped again, her eyes screwed shut, as John softly touched her face. He withdrew his hand almost immediately, as if he'd put it into the flames of a fire.
"You're not joking, either." He said, his brows furrowed as he examined her closely. "Are you ill? Have you been ill?"
Belle didn't reply, but John pressed on.
"You need to tell me, Belle. There is no way this is normal, not for a human. You're burning, burning up, if that was a Time Lord, they'd be regenerating… Belle, say something, you need help!"